Thursday Themes

Bestseller Spotlight: Summer Reading = The Odyssey

Every Wednesday, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association publishes the regional bestseller list. On Thursdays, we celebrate Thursday Themes to shine a spotlight on some of the books from the list and give our brains a different way of thinking about books. The movie is certainly driving a lot of purchases of versions of The Odyssey and related mythological titles, but we remember back when it was assigned summer reading. Isn’t it wonderful to get to choose what you want to read? And isn’t …

Jul 30, 2026

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Jul

29

2026

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True Color: The Strange and Spectacular Quest to Define Color–from Azure to Zinc Pink by Kory Stamper

Calling all linguaphiles: don’t miss this entertainingly nerdy book about efforts to define colors in mid-century U.S. I always enjoy learning about people who singularly devote themselves, either as a professional or amateur, to something extremely niche. An interesting read to me as someone fascinated by language, but also as someone who once bought a …

Jul

28

2026

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The Fire Agent by David Baerwald

Based on the author’s grandfather’s story, this book checks all the boxes for me: ✓ Family saga ✓ Historical fiction ✓ Espionage ✓ Reads like a thriller ✓ Page-turner ✓ Damn good –Judy, Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, WA Find your next book that checks all your boxes at Queen Anne Book Company and other …

Jul

27

2026

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The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk

Written by historian Ned Blackhawk, The Rediscovery of America is a sweeping retelling of U.S. history that centers Native American nations as essential to the nation’s story. Drawing on five centuries of interconnected Indigenous and non-Indigenous histories, Blackhawk reveals how Native peoples have shaped key moments in American development, from colonization and revolution to modern policy and …

Jul

24

2026

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The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The Wedding People reminds me of a movie I saw years ago called “A Wedding” which starred numerous big names, including Carol Burnett, who was a hoot. Actually, the two stories aren’t really alike, but they are both big weddings filled with tons of people and a particular person who drops in to wreak havoc. …

Jul

23

2026

Thursday Themes

Bestseller Spotlight: Cats vs. Dogs

On Wednesdays, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Bestseller List is published. Every week, we love to see what books have been most popular in independent bookstores around our region. As we peruse the list, we look for something special to showcase. Then we present this weekly feature: Thursday Themes. It’s been a while since we featured cats and …

Jul

22

2026

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Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is the story of Skotch, the usual sort of private investigator, who gets involved in the usual sort of shady job that PIs get saddled with. His clients aren’t telling him everything. The missing individual he’s supposed to find has something that everyone wants. And it’s likely that a few dozen folk are going …

Jul

21

2026

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Cool Machine: A Novel by Colson Whitehead

It is a bittersweet moment when you turn the last page of a world that has been such a vivid part of your life for the past five years. Spending over 900 pages in Colson Whitehead’s New York of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, with Ray Carney, Elizabeth and Pepper, has been one of the …

Jul

20

2026

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Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives by Lucy Mangan

My ultimate comfort read is a memoir of sorts, but totally focused on the writer’s relationship with books and reading. I can’t get enough, especially when the author is from the UK. Lucy Mangan is the television critic for The Guardian and this is her second reading memoir, after Bookworm, which focused on her childhood …

Jul

17

2026

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Legs Hearts Minds: Loss and Its Remedies by Chris Jones

Legs Hearts Minds by Chris Jones is a powerful pick for readers who love sports, underdogs, or deeply moving memoirs, offering a honest account of heartbreak and how the author’s devotion to his sons and an English soccer team (Burnley F.C.) becomes a path toward rebuilding his life and rediscovering the redemptive power of sports …

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