County Library and Bellingham Airport launch digital airport library

+“Library Liftoff” invites travelers to download free library eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go. December 19, 2018 (Bellingham, WA) — The Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) and Bellingham International Airport (BLI) have partnered to launch “Library Liftoff”— an eye-catching space that encourages travelers to download free library eBooks and eAudiobooks while at the airport. “With … Read more

Community Input on Birch Bay Library Project

Monday December 10, 2018 Excitement was in the air as Terry Brown and Kelsey Gates of Zervas Architects  unveiled new design drawings to 43 community members at the BP Heron Center. The design was given full support by the audience in attendance because it so beautifully captures the look and feel of the existing house. … Read more

Book Buzz: Virgil Wander

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger Leif Enger’s first book in a decade (So Brave, Young, and Handsome was published in 2008) is a gentle, charming antidote to all that ails us as a society these days. The title character, Virgil Wander, is the unassuming sole proprietor of a rundown independent movie theater in a struggling Minnesota town. … Read more

Book Buzz: Season’s Readings

 What We Keep: 150 People Share the One Object that Brings Them Joy, Magic, and Meaning by Bill Shapiro and Naomi Wax1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-changing List by James MustichHow to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery The leaves have fallen, the hours of daylight grow shorter and … Read more

Book Buzz: The 57 Bus

The 57 Bu by Dashka Slater

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater At Whatcom County Library System (WCLS), we believe that the act of reading offers readers a window into other people’s lives, and that reading develops empathy. We host more than a dozen book discussion groups for the public each month at libraries across Whatcom County (see Events at https://www.wcls.org for dates and … Read more

Book Buzz: See What I Have Done

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt As the days get shorter and chillier and the specter of Halloween looms, creepy thrillers have seasonal reading appeal. In See What I Have Done, Australian novelist Sarah Schmidt presents a deeply disturbing retelling of a classic true crime story that fits the bill. Remember the gruesome rhyme “Lizzie … Read more

Book Buzz: The Library Book

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

The Library Book by Susan Orlean Susan Orlean loves libraries, but she didn’t set out to write a book about them. In fact, the bestselling nonfiction author and staff writer for The New Yorker had decided that she was done writing books entirely. “Working on them felt like a slow-motion wrestling match,” she declares, “and I wasn’t in … Read more

Book Buzz: The Golden State

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling After the forest fires that raged across California recently, it’s hard to imagine the scenery of the high desert as brown and grassy but not charred and smoldering. However, in her new novel The Golden State, author Lydia Kiesling skillfully evokes a scorching summer in fictional Altavista, California, that will have … Read more

Book Buzz: Hope Never Dies

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer Joe Biden in retirement is not a pretty picture: grouting bathroom tile, napping and watching Barack’s globetrotting adventures with the likes of Bradley Cooper and Justin Trudeau on cable television. Barack has yet to call him and he feels the sting as would a jilted lover. “No late-night texting. Not … Read more

Book Buzz: Jar of Hearts

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier Twenty-five years ago, Canadian serial killer Karla Homolka struck a plea deal with prosecutors in return for her testimony that her husband, Paul Bernardo, raped and murdered at least three minors in a series of grisly deaths that began with Homolka’s younger sister Tammy. Convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to … Read more