TAG: books

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 […]

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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 […]

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Bringing family together: picture books for older kids

Posted in Explore and Discover, kids on October 11, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Melanie Boerner Picture books are known for their 40 pages (or less) of illustrations and text that tell a story for young children. And most kids leave picture books behind when they enter higher elementary grades. But wait, don’t disregard picture book reads entirely for these grades! Authors and illustrators are penning picture books […]

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Bruce Holbert: Late to the party

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

By Bruce Holbert Not long ago, I was asked in an interview, “What took so long?” I was then 52 and publishing my first novel. I don’t have the data at hand, but my guess is I am beyond the mean. The question struck me as impolite. I wasn’t sleeping in doorways or staggering through […]

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Romantic reads in the Pacific Northwest

Posted in Explore and Discover on September 29, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller Readers tend to have favorites: a specific author, series, or genre that they come back to over and over. For me, it’s romance. When I have time to read, I like to snuggle up with a steamy novel. And when I’m not reading them, I’m usually feeding my addiction by hunting them […]

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Young Adult novels with adult reader appeal

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

By Rachel Edmondson In recent years, Young Adult (YA) literature has become increasingly popular, and studies have shown that a surprising number of YA readers are adults. According to a 2012 study, 55% of buyers purchasing YA literature are 18 or older. Also, 78% of these buyers indicate that they are purchasing the books for […]

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Irena’s Children: Q&A with Mary Cronk Farrell

Posted in Explore and Discover on September 22, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Sheri Boggs Local author Mary Cronk Farrell writes about the kinds of people whose stories aren’t widely told, but ought to be. In Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific, she tells the story of nearly 100 army and navy nurses who struggled to not […]

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My project closet: the unfinished & the abandoned

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

By Debbie Rhodes I can’t be the only person who shudders when thinking about their project closet—the one filled with those unfinished projects and new hobbies. (Let’s not even talk about my “healthy this and healthy that” closet with the newest and “best” diet items.) My closet dilemma happens because my body tingles with gle […]

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Building and planting next year’s garden

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

By David Wyatt Earlier this summer when it was still scorching, I fenced off a portion of our yard to keep our new raised-bed garden out of reach of our two mutts. The dogs were not pleased to have lost some of their lawn. Too exhausted from the heat to do any more, I took […]

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The Whole30: for heart health, for life

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

By Jane Baker The cardiologist gave me a choice: lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and get more cardio exercise or begin taking a prescription. After we talked it through, I made the decision to forgo the medication, and return in six months for a follow-up on how things were going. “Stay away from carbohydrates, […]

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