Explore and Discover

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 […]

Easy Pinterest recipes for busy adults

Posted on March 7, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Melanie Boerner Do you get home from a busy day and just can’t bring yourself to make a meal for the family? I feel this way most weekdays! I don’t think it is just me—I bet lots of busy parents do, too. On the weekend, I can whip up an elaborate meal with the […]

Tags: cooking, DIY, family, food, parents, recipes

Apps I’m loving right now

Posted on March 1, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Jane Baker In July of 2015, I wrote a blog about my interest in astronomy and one of my most favorite apps, Star Walk 2 (iOS, Android, Windows). Even now, I still get comments about Star Walk 2, leading to conversations about other favorite apps. So I’m talking about other entertaining apps I’m loving […]

Discussions with Tod Marshall: poetry & social justice, Irish poetry, spoken word, and National Poetry Month

Posted on February 25, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Erin Dodge Poetry can sing us a song, open us to a moment, inspire us to reach higher and go further. Washington State Poet Laureate and Gonzaga University professor Tod Marshall leads a poetry discussion series at Spokane County Library District in March and April. Each event has a casual atmosphere where everyone is […]

Fractured fairy tales: re-inventing imagined worlds

Posted on February 14, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson It’s that time of year again when thoughts turn to true love and finding happily-ever-after. Most of the time, life is not a fairy tale. Unless, of course, you’re reading the original fairy tales, which are darker and more gruesome than the Disneyesque versions. Sometimes real life feels a bit too similar […]

Battling the winter blahs

Posted on February 10, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Susan Goertz As we face another month of chilly winter weather, I find it a challenge to get myself outside. I am a nature lover and a fairly active person, but you will rarely see me in the gym. I want to exercise under open skies while gentle breezes drift over my skin. Which […]

My long-standing relationship with coffee (and 10,000 coffee stands)

Posted on February 7, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Amanda Flanery “Love is in the air and it smells like coffee.” —Unknown How many of you, by a show of empty cups/mugs, have a stack of coffee stand cards in your vehicle or wallet? Do you also think the best time for coffee is right now? And in a few minutes from now? […]

It’s the bee’s knees: learning about urban beekeeping

Posted on January 31, 2017 at 6:00 am

By David Wyatt “The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.” ― Henry David Thoreau In the midst of February is probably not when most of us would be thinking of bees. However, it is an excellent time to plan for spring and think happy thoughts of the warmer seasons ahead. As part […]

Q&A with romance novelists: Asa Maria Bradley, Katee Robert, and Rebecca Zanetti

Posted on January 24, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge My inner fangirl starts jumping up and down every time I find out that an author is coming to the library to give a reading or discuss writing. So you can imagine the backflips (my inner fangirl is much more flexible than I am) when I heard that three amazing authors are […]

New year, new stitch: cross-stitching with attitude

Posted on January 17, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller Looking for something new try in 2017? Consider cross-stitch. Cross-stitch—a once neglected art form (some may argue)—is making a serious comeback with new patterns and a healthy dose of attitude. Out with the elaborate garden scenes. In with sugar skulls and humorous, snarky sayings. In other words, this is definitely not yo […]