All locations are closed for Independence Day on Friday, July 4. Our Digital Library is available 24/7.

All Posts

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them… in the library

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 15, 2016 at 6:00 am

By David Wyatt In just a few days, movie-goers will be returning to J. K. Rowling’s wizarding world on screen when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters. It’s been a pretty good year for Potter and company: the new play in London Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and a little closer […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

3 things I learned walking across England

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 8, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Nancy Ledeboer For the most part, the tour group followed the path that Alfred Wainwright described in his book A Coast to Coast Walk: St. Bees Head to Robin Hood’s Bay. We walked for 12 days, averaging about 9 miles a day. Our longest day was 12 miles, and we took two rest days. […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Talking about preschool STEM

Posted in Parents and Teachers on November 1, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley STEM is a hot topic right now. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields are the fastest growing sector of the economy, and businesses in Washington state are among the leading employers in these fields. As a parent, I want to make sure that my daughters are aware of all the opportunities […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Thrive and Survive the Writing Life

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 27, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Claire Rudolf Murphy On October 30, longtime writing friend Sarah Conover and I will present a session on the writing life for the NaNoWriMo Readiness Conference. After two days of sessions about elements of craft at Moran Prairie Library, ours will be the final event of the weekend. I teach in a graduate writing […]

Tags: , , , , , , ,

What I learned from Michelangelo

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 26, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Mary Cronk Farrell I went to Italy and got smitten with Michelangelo Buonarroti. Yeah, yeah, yeah… the David, the Pieta, la Cappella Sistina. His work knocks us all off our plinths. But as I walked the cobblestones of Firenze (Florence), stood in the shadow of the Duomo, and watched the Arno ripple under the Ponte […]

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Scary books worth losing sleep over

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 25, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Kathryn Illback Curling up with a good book and something warm to drink is a favorite pastime of mine all through the year, but there’s something particularly wonderful about it in October. The changing leaves, the shorter days, the crisp air, and the all-encompassing miasma of pumpkin spice everything make me want to hunker […]

Tags: , , , , , , ,

8 things that (mostly) work for me as a writer

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 24, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Kris Dinnison So first I should say, this isn’t meant as advice so much as confession. These are things I do—some commonplace, some mildly embarrassing—that seem to make writing happen in my life. So take what you will from it and know that every writer I know has a list of their own that […]

Tags: , , ,

4 keys to becoming a successful writer

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 20, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Kelly Burgess As with any profession, there is no guarantee of success in the writing business. However, regardless of whether you want to break into fiction or nonfiction markets, successful writers have some traits that are crucial to carving out a literary career. Passion Writers write because they feel the need to put words […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No-trick dog treats for Halloween

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 18, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller    If your favorite trick-or-treaters have four legs instead of two and speak in woofs, ruffs, and barks, then they’ll love these treats that are just for Fido and friends! Made with simple, everyday ingredients that dogs love, you can bet these two snacks will get their tails wagging. Along with the […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

4 NaNoWriMo tips for not winning brilliantly

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 13, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Stephanie Oakes I have a confession to make—I’ve never successfully completed NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I’ve tried a few times, and always start with huge amounts of enthusiasm, but I’ve never written more than 30,000 words in any given November. But the secret of NaNoWriMo is this—you don’t need to “win” NaNoWriM […]

Tags: , , , , , , , ,