The Necessity of Wildfire: Poems by Caitlin Scarano Have you ever sat with a friend late into the night, listening as their stories turn from interesting memories to cries for help? It’s late and everyone else has gone home, leaving you alone with your friend as they tell you, “Back then I kept this great scream … Read more
Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City: A Memoir by Jane Wong Some memoirists paint the past with soft edges, intentionally or perhaps subconsciously smoothing out the rough bits and lingering fondly on the pleasant ones. Not Jane Wong. She lays it all out there, presenting a vivid, heart-wrenching, pull-no-punches exploration of her life (so far). Like the Bruce Springsteen … Read more
Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalalludin Canadian author Uzma Jalaluddin is known for contemporary romances that recast classic stories with fresh, modern settings and people. Her latest novel, Much Ado About Nada, is no exception. Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Jalaluddin takes the Regency comedy of manners into the Muslim community in a glitzy Toronto suburb. Nada … Read more
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld As a writer for late-night comedy show “The Night Owls”, Sally’s career is pretty much her life, and she’s okay with it. Between working long hours and catering to celebrity ego, there’s little time for romance, which Sally figures is fine, since she’s had her share of heartbreak. When musician Noah … Read more
Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer I have been waiting to read Claire Dederer’s “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma” since approximately 7:50 p.m. June 22, 2017. So, when it arrived at libraries and bookstores April 25, 2023, I was ready. And oh, my, was it worth the wait. “Monsters” tackles a complicated question — can we … Read more
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan Seattle author Timothy Egan is adept at bringing history to life for readers, often identifying little-known people whose lives played a pivotal role in “how it all turned out.” His recently published book, “A Fever … Read more
Confidence by Rafael Frumkin Ezra Green is a smart, bored high schooler who winds up in juvie for selling fake drugs to his classmates. It’s there he meets Orson: charming, ambitious, opportunistic. They become friends, then roommates, then business partners—though Ezra never gives up hope that their relationship will become something deeper. Their series of petty … Read more
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton Katie loves her hometown of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. But growing up, she knows that one day she must leave to find work elsewhere. Over grayscale drawings of the island’s coastline, she tells us: “I learn that I can have opportunity or I can have home. … Read more
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai The Granby School is an elite institution with a history marred by the scandalous murder of student Thalia Keith in 1995. Athletic director Omar Evans was convicted of Thalia’s murder, but online crime buffs have speculated for years that the case was rushed to judgment. In 2018, … Read more
Finding Elevation: Fear and Courage on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain by Lisa Thompson Washington state is home to many notable big-mountain climbers past and present. Names such as Whittaker (Jim, Lou and Leif, who now lives in Bellingham) and Wickwire, Ridgeway, Roskelly, Beckey, Molenaar, Schoening — and more recently Steve House, Dave Hahn, Garrett Madison. … Read more