Book Buzz: Thunder Song

Cover image of "Thunder Song: Essays" by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe

Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqʷšǝblu LaPointe Sasha taqʷšǝblu LaPointe has been on many local reading lists as her debut book, “Red Paint: the Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk,” is the 2024 Whatcom READS selection. LaPointe is visiting Whatcom County March 14–16 and participating in a variety of events that are free to … Read more

Book Buzz: The Frozen River

Cover image from "The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon  It’s winter 1789 in Hallowell, Maine. Midwife Martha Ballard is summoned to the town’s tavern to attend a patient. When she arrives, Martha is surprised to learn she’s been asked to examine a body found frozen in the icy Kennebec River earlier that morning. The dead man is Joshua … Read more

Book Buzz: The Storm We Made

Cover image of "The Storm We Made" by Vanessa Chan

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan In this evocative novel set in British-colonized Malaya, a chance encounter sets off a chain of events that irrevocably alters a family’s life. Housewife Cecily Alcantara is charmed by merchant Bingley Chan when the two meet at a party in 1934. The two grow closer, and eventually Chan … Read more

Book Buzz: Paved Paradise

Cover image of "Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World" by Henry Grabar

Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar Why are so many places expensive, unsafe, and unwalkable? In Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World, journalist Henry Grabar argues that in most American towns, the answer is parking.   In chapters that read like podcast episodes (think 99% Invisible or Planet Money), this book … Read more

Still Life with Bones

Cover image of "Still Life with Bones: Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains" by Alexa Hagerty

Still Life with Bones: Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains by Alexa Hagerty In this unique memoir, anthropologist Alexa Hagerty brings us behind the scenes of her time working with globally renowned forensic anthropology teams in Guatemala and Argentina. Together, they exhume and identify bodies from the mass graves left behind by dictatorial violence. Decades later, … Read more

Book Buzz: Love & Saffron

Cover image for "Love & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food & Love" by Kim Fay

Love & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love by Kim Fay Love & Saffron is a heartfelt epistolatory novel of long-distance friendship. Through beautifully crafted letter exchanges, Kim Fay develops a story of historical fiction in compelling and delightful ways, spanning an evolving 1960s America. The story begins when aspiring writer Joan sends a … Read more

Book Buzz: Hula

Cover image of "Hula" by Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes

Hula by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes Now that winter has finally arrived in Whatcom County, readers might enjoy a literary escape to warmer climes, and “Hula: a Novel” by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes is the ticket.  Set primarily in Hilo, Hawai’i, “Hula” conjures the glittering ocean, the sizzling sun and misty rain, and the fragrant and colorful … Read more

Book Buzz: The Ways of Water

Cover image of "The Ways of Water" by Teresa H. Janssen

The Ways of Water by Teresa H. Janssen “Life, like a river, can take some sharp twists and turns. People can shift as much as a water’s course. There are reasons I broke my promises. I want them to be known.”  Thus begins the coming-of-age story of Josie Belle Gore, daughter of a Louisiana train … Read more

Book Buzz: How the Other Half Eats

Cover image of "How the Other Half Eats" by Priya Fielding-Singh

How the Other Half Eats: The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America by Priya Fielding-Singh “How the Other Half Eats” takes an in-depth look at the American family’s complicated relationship with food. Through extensive field research conducted at dinner tables across America, interviewing families spanning the range of socio-economic backgrounds, Priya Fielding-Singh paints … Read more