Celebrating 30 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The ADA Anniversary Movie Project

Hello, my name is Isaac. I have worked for the Seattle Public Library for about a year now and I have come to appreciate a lot of what the Library has to offer. I have been recently helping the Library with the ADA anniversary movie project and I would have to say there is a lot I learned about working on the project. A good amount of it is looking up movies for the ADA event and shaving the movie list by narrowing down the number of movies. Growing up with autistic Asperger’s, I have always loved to read despite the challenges. I would never have imagined though that one day I would be working for the Library in downtown Seattle; what a joy and privilege.

Letters to Father Jacob

This is a movie that is about redemption and grace. A seemingly clueless blind priest and a cold former murder convict realize that there is more in common between them than they think.

 

Mozart and the Whale

Two non-stereotypical individuals with autism fall in love in this wonderful yet unusual movie. The girl in the movie has been through a deep life that we do not usually associate with special needs people.

 

Gifted

Gifted is about a gentleman who adopts his niece after her mother passes away. When the niece is found to have high knowledge and her controlling grandmother tries to take advantage of it, the main character must try to make things right.

Fresh Transgender and Non-binary Fiction

As readers’ interest in diverse voices and experiences continues to expand, it can be challenging to keep up. Here’s a variety of recent novels and stories that reflect on aspects of transgender and non-binary lives and identities; see our accompanying list for more.

Audiobooks Voiced by Your Favorite Seattle Actors

It has probably happened to you. You suddenly sense that the performer you’re enjoying live on stage sounds hauntingly familiar. What you may not have realized is that theirs was the voice reading into your airpods on that morning’s commute. Here’s just a small sampling of local talent on audio.

One of Those Malibu Nights, by Ellizabeth Adler, read by Julie Briskman. You’ve likely seen her at ACT Theatre or the Seattle Rep, most recently in Indecent. Now hear her relate how handsome Private Eye Mac Reilly and his intrepid  gal Friday Sunny Alvarez brave the wilds of Malibu  and southern France to save the life of a beautiful movie star from a stalker.

Heyday, by Kurt Andersen, read by Charles Leggett. Veteran character actor Leggett has appeared at Intiman, the Village Theater, ACT and the Seattle Rep, most recently alongside with Julie Briskman in Tiny Beautiful Things.  Now hear how his knack for characters and accents get a full workout in Andersen’s sweeping historical novel.

Top 10 Noteworthy 2019 Speculative Fiction Books Part 1

Even though it’s only October and there are still two more months left for publishing and reading in 2019 we are already assembling our “best lists”.

Here are some of our favorite speculative fiction works this year (so far):

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. This is a science fiction novel steeped in the politics and prose of relationships. Humanity has arrived on a cold, tidally-locked planet, January, with searing sun rays on one side and constructed societies of survival in different pockets on the dark side of the planet with different rules and regulations. Sophie and Bianca, and the itinerant Mouth narrate the novel. Sophie is spellbound by Bianca, a beautiful girl from the ruling class with bold ideas about how to change the society they are in, intoxicating with out-sized personality and revolutionary dreams. This is a story of ecological consequences, humanity’s push and pull for control and freedom, our need to have someone to believe in, how our idea of the person we love may be quite different from the person they truly are, and how it is so hard to admit when we have been betrayed by a person we thought worthy of our trust.

If You Like Tana French

We librarians hear a lot about readers’ favorite writers, and some names come up over and over again. One of these is Irish mystery writer Tana French, whose gritty Dublin Murder Squad series provides the perfect blend of police procedure and intricate psychological suspense. Only trouble is, she doesn’t write them fast enough. No worries: here are some other terrific titles – many by less well known writers – that are sure to please.

The Dark Lake, by Sarah Bailey. When her former classmate is found murdered, Det. Sgt. Gemma Woodstock uncovers puzzling mysteries in the victim’s life, from her abrupt departure from a dream teaching job to her run-down existence in spite of wealthy family ties.

Lost You, by Haylen Beck. After a closing elevator door separates them, a single mother on vacation with her son discovers he has been abducted by another woman who claims she is his mother!

One Small Sacrifice, by Hilary Davidson. An apparent suicide. A mysterious disappearance. Did one man get away with murder—twice? It is Det. Sheryn Sterling job to find out. A riveting police procedural with a strong female detective and an intriguing antagonist.