Book Buzz: Now Is Not the Time to Panic

Cover image of "Now Is Not the Time to Panic" by Kevin Wilson

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson  Many summers ago, Frankie was a bored teenager in a small town. Messing around with an old copy machine one afternoon, Frankie and her friend Zeke created a poster emblazoned with edgy illustrations and an enigmatic phrase. They hung copies up all over town anonymously, … Read more

Book Buzz: Better Than We Found It

Better than we found it by Frederick Joseph and Porsche Joseph

Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World by Frederick and Porsche Joseph Intended as an introduction to topics of the day for a teen audience, adult readers of “Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World” by Frederick and Porsche Joseph will appreciate this inspired examination of society’s … Read more

Book Buzz: The Gift of Books

Book covers for the first three titles mentioned in this post: Special Topics in Being a Human, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, and Still Life

Season’s Readings: The Gift of Books Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa … December is a time of celebration, and in many traditions, that celebration takes the form of gift-giving. As a book-lover, I most admire the Icelandic Jolabokaflod tradition — roughly translated as “Christmas book flood” — where books are given as gifts on Dec. … Read more

Book Buzz: Soccernomics

Book cover of "Soccernomics" by Simon Kuper and Stefan Syzmanski

Soccernomics: Why European Men and American Women Win and Billionaire Owners Are Destined to Lose by Simon Kuper and Stefan Syzmanski Fans of the “beautiful game” who are finding it hard to ethically rationalize watching the World Cup this go-around may take interest in the 2022 World Cup Edition of Simon Kuper and Stefan Syzmanski’s … Read more

Book Buzz: A Little Bit of Land

Book cover of "A Little Bit of Land" by Jessica Gigot

A Little Bit of Land by Jessica Gigot Jessica Gigot did not grow up on a farm, nor did she set out to become a farmer. Nevertheless, today Gigot owns Harmony Fields, a sustainable sheep farm in Bow known for its farmstead cheese. Gigot retraces her meandering path, from farm intern to horticulture Ph.D. candidate … Read more

Book Buzz: The Waters Are Rising

Cover image for "The Waters Are Rising: Stories of Inspiration and Hope From the Sumas, Washington Flood of November 2021" by Carl Crouse

The Waters Are Rising: Stories of Inspiration and Hope from the Sumas, Washington Flood of November 2021 by Carl Crouse Early on the morning of Nov. 15, 2021, all roads in and out of Sumas closed as the Nooksack River overflowed its banks in Everson and the water headed north toward Sumas. At 10:30 a.m., … Read more

Book Buzz: On Fragile Waves

Book cover of "On Fragile Waves" by E. Lily Yu

On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu This year’s Washington State Book Award winner for fiction is E. Lily Yu’s astonishing novel “On Fragile Waves,” about two Afghan children whose family flees their war-torn home only to face an uncertain future in Australia. Yu weaves poetry, folklore and simple, direct dialogue into a mesmerizing story … Read more

Book Buzz: All That’s Left Unsaid

Cover image for "All That's Left Unsaid" by Tracey Lien

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien It’s 1996, and Ky Tran has left her tiny hometown of Cabramatta and her Vietnamese immigrant community to scratch out a future as a journalist in Melbourne. Then tragedy strikes: Ky’s brother Denny, a star student with a bright future, is brutally murdered in a popular restaurant. Despite … Read more

Book Buzz: Firekeeper’s Daughter

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley If you’re in the mood for a satisfying, twisty thriller laced with contemporary and traditional Native American culture, Angeline Boulley’s debut novel starts with a bang. Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine is the titular “Firekeeper’sDaughter,” half Ojibwe, half French/Italian/English, and entirely herself. A talented hockey player and aspiring doctor, Daunis has made … Read more