As the school year comes to a close and children’s summer reading challenges begin (keep an eye out for TPB’s list), we have a new kind of challenge for you: seek out magic in your everyday life.
Most people I know fell in love with the magic of reading as a child - engrossed in worlds with endless possibilities. We imagined ourselves flying off to Neverland, sitting for the sorting hat at Hogwarts, training with extraordinary teens at Camp Half-Blood, going on an unexpected journey with a band of dwarves - reading meant endless possibility and discovery. It’s a lot harder to find that same feeling in the pages we read as adults. When we open a book today, we bring all our grown-up anxieties, fears, and unrealized dreams with us, and we’re not always ready to confront them in the fiction we read. When I read, I want to rediscover love and hope and magic - the magic that came so easy as a child.
Happy Pride Month everyone!!! To kick off celebrating the many different LGBTQIA+ stories out there, I have put together a list of kids books (illustrated & board) that feature diverse families in all different forms. There are titles on this list that go over a whole bunch of different families at once as well as stories that focus on one individual family.
For the latter, I have focused particularly on stories with queer family members. Seeing queer kids, parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles of all different races, genders, and with disabilities in these stories is incredibly powerful and something I never saw as a little kid but wish I had. I hope these books will be a positive presence on your shelves and help the kids in your life better understand their own families as well as the families in their communities.
While novels generally take center stage and (let’s be real) steal all the limelight, it behooves me to share my love for the often overlooked and misjudged genre of short stories and essays.
You might be a diehard reader of grand tales and thick tomes. Preferably with lots of characters and plot that grows for pages and pages. The bigger, the better; the longer, the more exciting. And perhaps you believe that short stories and essays tend to end abruptly and without very good resolutions. But I am going to let you in on a secret. The shortness and brevity of these stories can actually work in your favor!
I'm back again folks with more Asian American and Pacific Islander book recommendations to continue celebrating AAPI Heritage Month - and this time we're talking about adult books! I've included a good range of fiction, non-fiction, romance, science fiction, and fantasy so there's all kinds of genres for your perusal.
Though there's a good amount of books on this list, but it only scratches the surface of amazing books by AAPI authors. I definiltey recommend following these authors and more on social media to continue hearing about more book recommendations. And if you have the means, support your local AAPI owned businesses in your community and consider donating to nonprofits that support the AAPI community (such as API Chaya here in Seattle).
Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more book-related fun and if you're looking for the audiobook version of any of these titles, you can head to Libro.fm where you can get audiobooks while still supporting Third Place Books!
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!!! To celebrate, I've put together a list of incredible kids and young adult books by AAPI authors to fill your life with wonderfully diverse stories :) As there are quite a few books on this list (I couldn't help myself, truly), I recommend bookmarking this tab so you can refer back to it throughout the year whenever you are in need of some inspiration for what kids books to read next. Stay tuned for adult book recommendations for AAPI heritage month coming next week!
Also, if you have the means, please consider donating to local organizations that support AAPI communities such as API Chaya here in Seattle (a local non-profit organization that seeks to end systemic violence in our communities). Every bit helps <3 <3
Spring is in the air folks and I am READY! One of my favorite things about springtime is the feeling of starting anew and yes, I'll say it, turning over a new leaf. There's flowers blooming, blue sky and the promise of brighter days ahead, literally. One of my favorite TV shows that encapsulates that wonderous feelings is of course, Queer Eye on Netflix. Seeing the Fab Five encourage and truly support someone to be their best self both inside and out is just a beautiful thing to watch that's incredibly uplifting and empowering.
I've always loved a good makeover show or that classic movie scene where a character has a transformation montage but these can tend to lack depth and a positive message. But Queer Eye on the other hand, blends the fun makeover parts with a deep message of self-love and acceptance that feels much better than just superficial changes. So in honor of this delightful show that's bursting with Spring colors and new beginnings, I have curated a list of books inspired by each Fab Five member to help you have your own spring refresh to feel replenished and energized. The Fab Five being: Bobby Berk (design expert), Karamo Brown (culture expert), Tan France (fashion expert), Jonathan Van Ness (grooming expert), and Antoni Porowski (food and wine expert). I hope these books help you embrace Spring to its fullest and take care of yourself by refreshing your living space, mental/emotional space, style, physical body care, and recipes.
Hello! Welcome to your crash course in starting a book club! Book clubs are an excellent way to start and maintain community, one of our biggest priorities here at Third Place Books, as we have always aspired to be your “third place”. We have loved hosting book clubs in our stores in the past, and more recently virtually, and we want to continue to partner with you as you develop and grow your “third place” in your community through book clubs! Below I have outlined some questions and suggestions for how you can launch your own literary community.
If you have a book club, or are hoping to start one, we want to partner with you! When you register your book club with us, we'll work to keep your selections in stock and each member will recieve a 20% discount on the book pick for the upcoming month's meeting. To register your book club, please send me (Sarah, Book Clubs Coordinator) an email at sbreaux@thirdplacebooks.com with your book club name, number of members, and when you meet. We love supporting the local book clubs in our community :)
Independent Bookstore Day is here!!! A wonderful day to pick up a new book and support your favorite local indie bookstores this Saturday April 24th :) We've got exclusive merch and special edition books available in-store and online to celebrate! Due to Covid-19, Seattle Independent bookstores will not be holding our usual festivities with the challenge to visit all participating stores in a single day. However, there is a NEW and wonderful challenge that is happening this year that will allow people to safely participate amidst the pandemic called the 10-10-10 Challenge!
From April 24th - May 3, you can participate by making a purchase at 10 participating bookstores within 10 days and win a limited-edition Seattle Independent Bookstore Day Tote Bag! You can complete this challenge in-person or online. You can pick up a passport in-person at a participating bookstore or click here to print one out. With your passport you can keep track of all the different bookstores you make a purchase from. To see a list of all participating bookstores and how to submit your receipts, check out the Seattle Independent Bookstore Day website!
*** On this particular patch of Earth, I'm in the traditional territory of the Duwamish people. This month especially, I want to express immense gratitude for the Tribe's stewardship of and respect for the land.***
I won't take up too much of your time (because hopefully you're outside or headed in that direction), but I'm just here to say...Happy Earth Day 2021!!!!!!! If that statement brings you joy, then YAY! I hope you find interesting and informative suggestions below to keep you engaged with nature all year long. If it fills you with trepidation or only reminds you of those photocopy coloring pages of recycling bins, that's understandable too. Natural landscapes and environmental education can be ridiculously unaccessible, but hopefully you'll find something in this post (there's books, podcasts, Instagram accounts, local organizations, and places to visit) that helps to (re)ignite your connection with this beautifully wild world.
What better way to celebrate April than with poetry books! I am a bit biased as someone who reads poetry not only during National Poetry Month but every other month as well. But I’m here because I love poems and I want more people to love them too.
Studying it in college, reading it during my lunch breaks, and writing it in my spare time, I am very familiar with the eye rolls and shrugs I get from people when I mention poetry. And, believe me, I understand when they say they just don’t get it because I don't get all of it either. One of the most common responses I hear is that school ruined it for them because required reading sometimes has a way of doing that.The overanalyzing in high school English class, your teacher and their unforgiving red pen, deters readers and nonreaders alike from picking up some of these amazing writers that are doing incredible things with language. Like Billy Collins writes, "all they want to do / is tie the poem to a chair with rope / and torture a confession out of it." You don't need a rope, a chair, or a confession - I promise.
