Books
A horticultural fantasy
Sorticulture is fast approaching and we're smack in the middle of gardening season. What better way to ease those sore muscles after a turn in the garden than unwinding with a book featuring some truly...
Date: 05/30/2012 | A Reading Life
Music, music, music!
It's the time of year when savvy hipsters start planning to attend summer concerts. From Arlington to Everett, Woodinville to Seattle, outdoor music will soon abound, with ticket prices ranging from free to less than the cost of a college education.
Date: 05/28/2012 | A Reading Life
Book-It Repertory's 23rd season mixes classics, new works
Book-It Repertory, the theater that bases its business on best-sellers, announced its 23rd season with a lineup that mixes classics with some newcomers:
Date: 05/25/2012 | Entertainment
Heartwood 2:6 - referential reading: Romain Rolland
Books lead to other books, as any avid reader knows. Some more so than others. In EPL's first "Everett Reads" program, back in 2004, we read Dai Sijie's
Date: 05/23/2012 | A Reading Life
Books you have always meant to read: The Scarlet Letter
It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.
Date: 05/21/2012 | A Reading Life
Revisit the classic 'Scarlet Letter'
Bet it's been awhile since you've read "The Scarlet Letter." High school, right? Here's a chance to dust off that dog-eared novel and think about its implications today.
Date: 05/21/2012 | Life
Loretta Lynn got married at 15, not 13, records show
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Country music legend Loretta Lynn is three years older than she has led people to believe, an age change that undermines the story she told of being married at 13 in "Coal Miner's Daughter," documents obtained by The Associated Press...
Date: 05/19/2012 | Nation & World
Found in translation
Of the many things I regret not having mastered in life, the ability to read and speak another language well is a major one. Sure I took German in high school and, don't laugh, Latin in college. But other than asking for directions in Vienna (wo ist die Bibliothek?) or declining a few pronouns with...
Date: 05/17/2012 | A Reading Life
Mr. Peabody's corner of research and revelation: Doc Holliday's wild west
Today's topic of interest is a steampunk novel of the Wild West by
Date: 05/14/2012 | A Reading Life
Free Potter e-books to be offered through Kindle
NEW YORK -- Harry Potter has joined the Kindle lending library.
Date: 05/13/2012 | Business
Book a bargain at Mill Creek library sale
Scout out used book sales to save big bucks and recycle in a big way. It's markdown madness at the Friends of the Mill Creek Library sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Mill Creek Library.
Date: 05/13/2012 | Life
Did you know? (Phobia edition)
Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth!
Date: 05/11/2012 | A Reading Life
Who in the world is Hari Kunzru?
Hari Kunzru has kept a low profile even though his reviewers marvel...
Date: 05/09/2012 | A Reading Life
Drowning Instinct
Word to the wise: if you want to avoid going to the loony bin, put all sharp objects out of reach. Also stay out of the way of your psychopath father and drunken mother. Ilsa J Bick's
Date: 05/07/2012 | A Reading Life
She writes the book on children's literature
Many of us are faced with a choice between doing what we love and what will pay the bills. Local children's author Heather Klassen never had to make that choice.
Date: 05/07/2012 | Life
Bookstores host two regional authors
From Seattle to Orcas Island, author Bernadette Pajer has called the Pacific Northwest her home all her life, which is why she's drawn to Seattle's past as a backdrop for her books.
Date: 05/07/2012 | Life
Book is the 'Scared Straight' of personal finance
I vividly recall the 1978 television documentary "Scared Straight," about inmates serving anywhere from 25 years to life trying to scare juvenile delinquents from ending up in prison themselves. The intervention was raw. It was scary.
Date: 05/06/2012 | Business
Today's gardeners can learn from 18th-century practices
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Wesley Greene has been a gardener with Colonial Williamsburg for more than 30 years. In 1996, he helped start the Colonial Garden where he and fellow gardener Don McKelvey dress in colonial attire and grow plants appropriate to that time, using 18th-century tools and...
Date: 05/03/2012 | Home and Garden
Zombie tales
Stimulate your braaaains with these stories of the undead
Date: 05/01/2012 | A Reading Life
What parents should do when kids don't tell the truth
Question: Your 10-year-old lies. A lot. Is this normal?Answer: Normal? Extremely. A little annoying? Yep. Fixable? Totally.
Date: 05/01/2012 | Life
Discuss Mariners' lows and highs with author
Mariners fans or foes can talk about the Seattle team and its ups and downs with Jon Wells, author of "Shipwrecked: A People's History of the Seattle Mariners" at three area book signings.
Date: 05/01/2012 | Life
Microsoft, Barnes & Noble team up on Nook
NEW YORK — An infusion of money from Microsoft Corp. sent Barnes & Noble Inc.'s stock zooming Monday, as the software giant established a way to get back into the e-books business.
Date: 04/30/2012 | Business
6 new books for nature lovers
It's always a pleasure to pick up a book or field guide pamphlet created by Rick Harbo.The writer/photographer and Harbour Publishing have that knack of packaging information, photographs and graphics in a way that keeps the pages turning.
Date: 04/28/2012 | Life
Callenbach, author of 'Ecotopia,' dies at 83
Ernest "Chick" Callenbach, a film scholar and environmentalist who created a cult favorite in "Ecotopia," a 1975 novel that predicted with uncanny accuracy a world where recycling is commonplace, food is locally grown and energy comes from the sun, died April 16 in Berkeley, Calif.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Nation & World
All the world's a Stooge
Plenty of ways for the Three Stooges to entertain you
Date: 04/25/2012 | A Reading Life
Books you have always meant to read: The Secret Agent
But what is one to say to an act of destructive ferocity so absurd as to be incomprehensible, inexplicable, almost unthinkable; in fact, mad? Madness alone is truly terrifying, inasmuch as you cannot placate it either by threats, persuasion, or bribes.
Date: 04/23/2012 | A Reading Life
Discuss Conrad's 'Secret Agent' at Everett library
The Everett Public Library selected Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Agent" as the second classic novel in its Books You've Always Meant to Read series.Everett Community College instructor Roger Berger leads the discussion at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the library's main auditorium.
Date: 04/23/2012 | Life
Taking a chance on Drive
There are many lofty reasons to be fond of public libraries. Their promotion of literacy, the way they bring the community together, and, of course, ensuring access to all kinds of information. But there is another reason and it is one of my favorites: The ability to root around in pop-culture's...
Date: 04/20/2012 | A Reading Life
The Dark Tower series pulls you in
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
Date: 04/16/2012 | A Reading Life
E-reader owners still favor printed books, poll finds
LOS ANGELES -- Reading habits may be fundamentally changing, but a new survey shows that the printed word remains fundamental.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Nation & World
Apple denies e-book charge
WASHINGTON -- Apple Inc. said Friday the government's accusation that it conspired with major book publishers to raise the price of e-books is untrue.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Business
Titanic lives on
1912 disaster continues to captivate in books and film
Date: 04/13/2012 | A Reading Life
Mr. Peabody's corner of research and revelation: art
In An Object of Beauty, author Steve Martin introduces...
Date: 04/11/2012 | A Reading Life
Rhymes with Everett
Hey, Everett! You're invited to join poets Kevin Craft, Ed Skoog, and Washington State Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken for a night of poetry at the library. Come to the Main Library Auditorium on Wednesday, April 11 at 7pm to participate in the
Date: 04/09/2012 | A Reading Life
Trips with friends can be confidence builder for kids
Question: Your 10-year-old is invited on spring break with a pal. Is that too young to travel out of town with another family?
Date: 04/09/2012 | Life
Nation rapidly switching to e-reading, study finds
Here's what's happening on the plugged-in side of the digital divide: an extraordinarily swift change in how people are reading books and other media, driven by the rapid acceptance of tablets and e-readers.
Date: 04/08/2012 | Business
Top German poet Guenter Grass challenges Israel
BERLIN -- Nobel Literature Laureate Guenter Grass was to recite part of a controversial political poem criticizing Israel on Thursday evening and defend it during a German television broadcast.
Date: 04/06/2012 | Nation & World
Encyclopaedia Britannica's sales surge
CHICAGO -- It turns out all Encyclopaedia Britannica had to do to breathe new life into the sale of its print edition was to kill it.
Date: 04/06/2012 | Nation & World
Other people's homes
What do you think of when the word “home” is mentioned? There are those who still live in their childhood homes filled with memories; there are those who wander this earth looking for a place to set down roots; and there are those who only want to sell a house after remodeling and...
Date: 04/05/2012 | A Reading Life
Book on Warm Beach wins history award
STANWOOD -- The winner of this year's Malstrom Award for heritage projects is the book "Stuck in the Mud: The History of Warm Beach" by teacher and historian Penny Hutchison Buse.
Date: 04/05/2012 | Local News
Unsinkable fascination
After 100 years, Titanic tragedy still captivates world
Date: 04/03/2012 | Life
A wild and Renaissancey guy
It was May of 1978 as I sat on the Princess Marguerite with a bunch of older teenagers, trying to be impressively hilarious by (so I thought) imitating Steve Martin's
Date: 04/02/2012 | A Reading Life
Hey kids! Let's put on a play
Your kids are out of school for spring break. How about putting on a show?Carol Bouzoukis, a child drama specialist with 25 years of experience, has developed a way to take children's natural affinity for play acting and use it to further their all-around development.
Date: 04/02/2012 | Life
Insider’s novel examines Wall Street from woman’s perspective
I typically make selections for the Color of Money Book Club on topics such as investing, retirement saving, getting a mortgage or buying long-term care insurance. You know, important but not very sexy stuff.
Date: 04/01/2012 | Business
State parks depend on volunteers to survive
If our state parks can survive in a recognizable form in this economic miasma, we can thank the volunteers.
Date: 03/31/2012 | Life
Girlhood among the gators: Swamplandia
Alligators! When you live in Florida, you either love them or hate them.
Date: 03/30/2012 | A Reading Life
Books you have always meant to read: David Copperfield
We all have at least one title. Perhaps it is a book that has been sitting at the back of the shelf collecting dust. Maybe even one in a box labeled “books”, from a previous move that is buried deep but not forgotten. Really we should get rid of it, but we just can't.
Date: 03/26/2012 | A Reading Life
Classes help you get the most out of your Kindle
If you're looking for some help to make the transition to digital books, or just need a refresher in computing, Sno-Isle Libraries are offering a variety of classes for adults during the coming weeks that could be helpful.
Date: 03/26/2012 | Life
Flawed 'Hunger Games'
Annoying direction trips up compelling story, star
Date: 03/23/2012 | Entertainment
A hungry audience
'Hunger Games' fans eager to see books brought to life
Date: 03/22/2012 | Local News
Up from the depths
Spring is slowly, very slowly this year it seems, lurching into view. It is time again to tend to the garden, clean out the house and, for some, wear a pair of shorts and a tee shirt way too soon. If you cast your eye out to Puget Sound, however, you might just be witness to another rite of spring:...
Date: 03/22/2012 | A Reading Life
'Wonder' is the story of a boy with a memorable face
People are jerks. Let me amend that. Some people are jerks. They stare, point, and are loud with their insults. And God save you if you have a visible flaw.
Date: 03/19/2012 | A Reading Life
Learn basics of bookbinding at workshop
You can learn how to make and stitch your own book covers at a day-long workshop on Saturday in Clinton.
Date: 03/19/2012 | Life
Raffaele Sollecito has book deal
NEW YORK (AP) -- Amanda Knox's former boyfriend will be the first to tell about the Italian murder case that made them famous worldwide.Raffaele Sollecito has a deal with Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books for a book scheduled to come out this fall. Knox's memoir is due next year.
Date: 03/15/2012 | Northwest
Contents May Have Shifted
The quirky and unusual travel novel Contents May Have...
Date: 03/15/2012 | A Reading Life
City of Refuge
City of Refuge is a passionate love letter to New Orleans.
Date: 03/12/2012 | A Reading Life
Did you know? (platypus edition)
Did you know that male platypuses are poisonous? The male platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus in Latin) has a spike on his hind foot. The spike is used to inject venom, usually in self-defense. I found this information in the book
Date: 03/09/2012 | A Reading Life
'Chopsticks' wins over a skeptic to young adult fiction
Do you recall me stating that I absolutely do not read Young Adult (YA) novels? I am constantly saying how glad I am that I catalog the YA books, since I'm never tempted to put one on hold. Despite having read many YA books and writing a few posts for the blog on said books I am still adamant: I am...
Date: 03/07/2012 | A Reading Life
First line's the charm
With a full understanding of how geeky this sounds, I must make a confession: Each and every day while walking through the hallowed aisles of the library, excitement grips me as I ponder the many worlds surrounding me on the shelves. A book about pygmies with severe dandruff and sublime musical...
Date: 03/05/2012 | A Reading Life
Program ties reading goals to Iditarod sled dog race
SNOHOMISH -- While dog mushers are sledding through Alaska's snowy terrain, kids all over the nation will do a different kind of race.The kids will be counting how much time they spend reading.
Date: 03/05/2012 | Local News
Classic page-turners
Check out those books you've always meant to read
Date: 03/04/2012 | Local News
Heartwood 2:3 - Spurious
“Somehow or another…you have to find your own path through contemporary culture. You have to dig your own burrow, following various transverse connections between things.” – Lars Iyer
Date: 03/01/2012 | A Reading Life
A Marilyn mystery
Fictional Monroe makes you want answers about the real one
Date: 02/28/2012 | A Reading Life
Do the French have parenting figured out?
So you're visiting someone's home with your child and hot chocolate is served. As the hostess' kids sip the delicious concoction politely and silently, your own little dear takes a gulp and promptly spits it back into the mug.Admit it, parents: Something similar has happened to you.
Date: 02/27/2012 | Life
Dmitri Nabokov, son of acclaimed novelist, dies
VEVEY, Switzerland — Dmitri Nabokov, the only child of acclaimed novelist Vladimir Nabokov who helped protect and translate his father's work while also pursuing careers as an opera singer and race car driver, has died. He was 77.
Date: 02/24/2012 | Nation & World
Blueprints of the Afterlife
Early reviews sing the praises of Ryan Boudinot's new novel,
Date: 02/24/2012 | A Reading Life
Not suitable for adults
Judging by the age of people coming to our Everett Reads programs, it is clear that the appeal of
Date: 02/22/2012 | A Reading Life
After Downton
Recently I have been putting everything else aside on Sunday evenings so I can be in front of my television at 9 p.m. What has captured my interest --
Date: 02/20/2012 | A Reading Life
See ‘Little Big Man’ at Everett Library
Catch a movie at the Everett Library. The free film at 2 p.m. Sunday is "Little Big Man," starring Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabb, a 121-year-old Cheyenne Indian, whose adventurous and infamous story is recounted in Thomas Berger's book.
Date: 02/20/2012 | Life
Working in the Shadows
We often don't think about how the food we eat comes to be on our supermarket shelves. Turns out, there's a lot of very hard, dangerous, and sometimes mind-numbingly boring work that goes into it.
Date: 02/17/2012 | A Reading Life
Don't miss fascinating pop-up book exhibit at UW
Every now and then I experience something that captures my heart and I want to share it with everyone reading my column.
Date: 02/14/2012 | Life
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
When my sister saw that I was reading Before You...
Date: 02/13/2012 | A Reading Life
Global parenting lessons in new memoirs
Asian mothers demand straight A's. A French mere makes her children taste eggplant and truffles (and stay out of the marital bed in the morning), while pygmy fathers soothe fussy babies by offering a manly nipple.
Date: 02/13/2012 | Life
2 handy guides for beginning gardeners
Some gardeners save seeds to cut costs. Some save them to preserve rare plant species. Others just crave the kinds of tomatoes you can't buy in a store.
Date: 02/09/2012 | Home and Garden
Britain marks Charles Dickens' 200th birthday
LONDON -- He wrote about life in the modern city, with its lawyers and criminals, bankers and urchins, dreamers and clerks. He created characters still known to millions -- Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim, Pip and Miss Havisham, Fagin and Oliver Twist. And it made him a star on both sides of the...
Date: 02/08/2012 | Nation & World
Front Porch: Help shape Mill Creek's future
Help Mill Creek planThe City of Mill Creek will be hosting a Strategic Plan Open House/Workshop from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 15728 Main St.
Date: 02/07/2012 | Local News
Free library classes teach a wide variety of skills
Want to know how to download e-books, make travel plans, fix your finances? Head to your local Sno-Isle Library for one of the Librarians as Information Guides free sessions.
Date: 02/04/2012 | Life
How we hear music
One of my favorite anecdotes tells of Abraham Lincoln taking a Native American leader to an orchestral concert in Washington D.C. Three pieces were played, each by different composers such as
Date: 02/03/2012 | A Reading Life
Reading with Sherman Alexie
Author's 'Absolutely True Diary' is library's choice this year
Date: 02/01/2012 | A Reading Life
Heartwood 2:2 - Kelroy
The big literary celebration this year will be the bicentennial of
Date: 01/30/2012 | A Reading Life
Kids can win a chance to meet Derby winner
Most kids are familiar with Angry Birds, but we bet not many know Mine That Bird. They're about to find out, as a trilogy of children's graphic novels is in the works on the remarkable horse that won the Kentucky Derby in 2009 despite 50-to-1 odds.
Date: 01/30/2012 | Life
Reality Doesn't Bite
I hate to admit it, but it has been a while since I've watched a documentary film. It's not that I think they are slow or boring, it is just that recent documentaries seem created to express a single point of view. I've never been a fan of this approach. Either you agree with the filmmaker and...
Date: 01/26/2012 | A Reading Life
The art of coping
Creativity helps Everett woman switch focus from disability
Date: 01/24/2012 | Life
Happy trails, thanks to volunteers
Kudos to the 2,600 Washington Trails Association volunteers who put in 100,000 hours to work on maintaining and improving 153 state trails in 2011.
Date: 01/21/2012 | Life
New noir
I've always been drawn to psychological novels that show the dark side…the internal struggles that complex intelligent characters have to wrestle with. These three new superbly crafted novels definitely have that “noir” feeling, with their cinematic intensity and vivid characters.
Date: 01/20/2012 | A Reading Life
Edgar Allan Poe ‘Toaster’ tradition ends
BALTIMORE -- Edgar Allan Poe fans waited long past a midnight dreary, but it appears annual visits to the writer's grave in Baltimore by a mysterious figure called the "Poe Toaster" shall occur nevermore.
Date: 01/19/2012 | Nation & World
Bored at work
If you sit in a cramped cubicle under bad fluorescent lights, push around Sisyphean stacks of papers and bide your time until retirement—only 9 years, 7 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 3 hours and 12 minutes to go, but hey, who's counting—it's inevitable that you suffer from the occasional...
Date: 01/17/2012 | A Reading Life
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