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Back in May, I signed up for a special treat as part of GiveBIG 2015: a backstage tour of the Seattle Public Library’s Central Branch! The tour was so popular that they needed six sessions to accommodate everyone. When it was my turn, of course I took lots of pictures. So come along with me for a virtual library tour! All returned books come through this central processing system — including books returned to other branches. The books are checked back in via RFID chip technology as they come off the belt (the column to the left). They’re [...]

Not the greatest picture, but they taste good! Turning on the oven in the middle of August may sound like crazy talk, but hear me out. If your summer is going like mine, there’s a ton of stuff happening: weekend getaways, book club meetings, or lazy Sunday brunches. Meanwhile, it’s the height of berry season and I keep compulsively buying giant 2-lb. boxes of blueberries that I have to use up. These muffins make a big batch for gatherings, and with oatmeal, whole wheat flour, and fresh fruit, they’re not too bad for you, either. And the oven [...]

Oh sure, you could be making yourself smarter this summer with some brainy nonfiction or looking high-class at the beach with a literary classic. But wouldn’t you really rather dive into a creepy, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller? Of course you would! Here’s a fresh list of page-turning novels that will be enough to scare anyone out of seeking summer love. The Bookseller, by Cynthia Swanson This alternate-universe novel will intrigue anyone who likes to ponder what might have been. In 1960s Denver, Kitty Miller enjoys her quiet single life, co-owning a bookstore with a friend and living her life just as [...]