Explore and Discover

Your next favorite book from SelectReads

Posted on May 11, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Carlie Hoffman Before the internet, I had only one way to serendipitously find my next read at the library: wander the book stacks until an interesting book cover or an evocative title caught my eye. Fortunately, finding books through this process often lead to new favorites. Now I have even more ways to find […]

Spring reads to take you into summer

Posted on May 9, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Abra Cole Every year around this time, I think to myself, “Hooray, we made it! Thank goodness spring is here!” Of course, that’s usually when it starts to snow again. I know we will have a hot summer again soon enough, but after a winter like the one we’ve just been through, I can’t […]

Tags: adults, authors, booklists, books, reading

You, in books (no right, no wrong, an idiosyncratic list)

Posted on May 2, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Sheri Boggs If you’re a reader and you’re on any kind of social media, you’ve probably been tagged to participate in something like this: “List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes, and don’t think too hard. They do not have to be […]

Tags: adults, booklists, books, reading, recipes, teens, YA

Community gardening: a delicious pursuit to feed the hungry and the soul

Posted on April 25, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge I met with Teresa Sadler of Pumpkin Patch Community Garden to talk about the garden and learn her take on gardening, especially as a community. Originally a pumpkin patch and then a parking lot and staging site for the construction company that built the bridge over the river, the community garden was […]

Hollywood vs. novel and short story: dystopian worlds written by Philip K. Dick

Posted on April 18, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Susan Goertz Dystopian fiction seems to be enjoying a renaissance right now, at least in my life. And over the years Hollywood has kept up with the appeal, feeding our insatiable appetite for basic human struggles set against the backdrop of social, political, and environmental collapse that keep us glued to the screen. I […]

Weird animals for aspiring zoologists and the curious

Posted on April 11, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson Like many kids, my girls love animals. But one of my daughters is especially fascinated and passionate about wild creatures. I think some of her interest began with the PBS show The Wild Kratts. From the first time she watched, she was hooked. So far we’ve learned about pandas, tigers, polar bears, […]

Email scam posing as library on west side of state

Posted on April 4, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Jane Baker To be clear up front, we have not heard of any scams regarding the Spokane County Library District, or any of our libraries. Also, scammers will use anything they can to get your money. So when we heard of an email scam involving the Seattle Public Library, we thought we’d take this […]

Q&A with Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate

Posted on March 28, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge We’re keeping it frugal with Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate. In April during Money Smart Week, Yeager presents “Finding Wholesale Happiness in a Retail World” at three locations (see locations, days, and times below), offering practical advice about how to live a happier, healthier, and fuller life—only if you are not wi […]

Consumer Reports saves the day (and my laundry)

Posted on March 21, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley It was like a scene from a horror movie. I was alone in the house when a loud banging and clanging started from the depths of the basement—as if something were trying to break free. I walked down the stairs to investigate. As I looked into the laundry room, all I could […]

Book Club for two: Books to read with someone special

Posted on March 14, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller One year ago, my husband came to me with the idea that we regularly set aside time to read the same book. Normally our tastes in reading couldn’t be more different. I love romance, and I don’t stray too far from that genre. My husband, however, reads more broadly. You’ll find everything […]