The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling Schoolchildren across the country have heard the story of Sacajawea, and can readily recall her association with the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 – 1806. She is commonly referred to as the expedition’s interpreter. One has the impression of a beautiful, competent, wise young woman who … Read more
Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) is partnering with the Washington State Department of Health to provide free naloxone kits to community members in need. The kits are available at WCLS’s 10 branch locations and the bookmobile. Supplies are limited but will be refilled periodically as long as WCLS can obtain additional doses. “We are thrilled … Read more
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 reveals … Read more
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 Burgess, … Read more
By WCLS Executive Director Christine Perkins I was talking to a library patron recently and asked how her week was going. “Terrible,” she reported, and went on to explain that her computer had been “hacked” while shopping online and she had been on the phone with someone who insisted she send him thousands of dollars. … Read more
Transcript Christine and Tamar stop by to tell us about the Digital Literacy webpage (https://www.wcls.org/digital-literacy/) they have created in cooperation with the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public through a grant from the National Science Foundation.
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 letter … Read more
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, families … Read more
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 digs into the … Read more
Transcript Claire McElroy is our Adult Programming Coordinator, wrangling speakers, authors, events and workshops for WCLS and Whatcom READS. Is the job as fun as it sounds? Tune in to find out!