Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi No one thought too much about it in the early days of social media. Snap a cute pic of your kids, share it online, what’s the harm? These days, though, parents are considering the impact of a childhood in the spotlight. Journalist Fortesa Latifi is one of those parents, and those questions echo … Read more
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke To millions of followers, Natalie Heller Mills’s life is idyllic. Her Instagram feed shares inspiring, impeccably lit images of Natalie and her cowboy husband on their ranch, Natalie kneading the day’s bread, Natalie with her stair-step, perfectly traditional children. She’s careful that no one sees behind the pioneer façade to what holds it all together: the nannies, the high-end appliances, the old-money inheritance keeping the farm afloat. But one … Read more
Whidbey by T Kira Madden Exploring the aftermath of child sexual abuse, “Whidbey,” the debut novel by author T Kira Madden, explores how such abuse continues to manifest in the lives of victims, as well as those who care about them. Madden is herself a survivor, and her first book, a memoir entitled “Long Live … Read more
On March 23, 2020, Washington state issued a stay-at-home order because of the spread of COVID-19, introducing a surreal period in our collective memory. It is interesting to watch how and when historical events show up in literature as a means of exploring, documenting and remembering difficult times in our shared history. Six years post-pandemic, … Read more
Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney It’s 1977 in Rochester, New York, and life for two families on Cambridge Road is about to forever change. When Nina Larkin’s newly single friend gifts her a copy of The Joy of Sex, Nina suddenly realizes she wants more than her going-through-the-motions marriage. Nina falls into a relationship with Finn Finnegan – which turns out to be not just a fling, but a … Read more
Kin by Tayari Jones Tayari Jones’ 2018 novel An American Marriage was a bestseller, an award-winner and an Oprah Book Club Pick, and readers have been eagerly awaiting her next book ever since. Happily Jones returns in 2026 with Kin, another richly crafted story that blends themes of fate and the power of individual choice. Annie and Niecy are “cradle friends” from small-town Louisiana. The girls have each been raised by … Read more
Evelyn in Transit by David Guterson Bainbridge Island author David Guterson — best known for his PEN/Faulkner award-winning debut novel, “Snow Falling on Cedars” — draws on his knowledge of and experiences with Tibetan Buddhism in his recently published novel, “Evelyn in Transit.” In the novel’s opening chapters, Evelyn, a young girl climbing trees in Evansville, … Read more
December is the month of “best-of” reading lists designed to celebrate literary excellence and guide readers toward meaningful reads, serving both as a reflection on the year in books and an invitation to discover new favorites for the year ahead. What books did Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) library staff love most this year? Several of … Read more
Ian’s Ride: A Long-distance Journey to Joy by Karen Polinsky On a beautiful, early summer Santa Cruz evening, Ian Mackay was poised on his bike at the top of the Great Meadow bike path, looking down at shimmering Monterey Bay. Tonight was the night, he decided, that he would break his record, rocketing down the … Read more
Crooks: A Novel about Crime and Family by Lou Berney Think crime novels aren’t for you? Crooks may make you reconsider. In 1960s Vegas, Buddy Mercurio is a low-ranks mobster getting exactly nowhere. When Buddy catches department store clerk Lillian swiping cash from a customer, it’s love at first sight. “Mercurios don’t play by the … Read more