Table of Contents
What’s better than a good book? A good book written by your neighbor (or former neighbor). Brew up a batch of your favorite cup of tea or coffee and get ready to meet your next read, because we’re talking about locally written books in Seattle.
Fiction
- “Hollow Kingdom” by Kira Jane Buxton | Release date: Aug. 6, 2019 | A zombie apocalypse tale narrated by a snarky crow? That’s so Seattle.
- “Middle Passage” by Charles R. Johnson | Release date: Jan. 1, 1990 | UW’s professor emeritus wrote this modern classic about a free Black man in the 1830s who jumps aboard a slave ship to find the members of a long-lost tribe.
- “Patricia Wants to Cuddle” by Samantha Allen | Release date: June 28, 2022 | We just have four words for you: lesbian Sasquatch horror comedy. Book club’s going to be lit.
- “Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson | Release date: Sept. 12, 1994 | This award-winning novel intertwines a suspenseful murder case on a Puget Sound island with the complexities of post-World War II trauma.
For the family
- “Book Crush: For Kids and Teens” by Nancy Pearl | Release date: March 1, 2007 | There may be no better way to get the kiddos excited about reading than with sage advice from this legendary local librarian.
- “Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything In It” by Sundee T. Frazier | Release date: Jan. 1, 2007 | All ages will be delighted by this charming + thought-provoking story centered on a science-loving 10-year-old discovering his roots.
- “I Am Not a Penguin: A Pangolin’s Lament” by Liz Wong | Release date: Jan. 19, 2021 | A pangolin with an identity crisis attempts to lay down the facts for his animal friends in this uproarious tale.
- “The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy” by Martha Brokenbrough | Release date: June 25, 2013 | You’ll giggle about a tooth fairy from the Mesazoic era who abandons her museum home to chase after a little girl’s pearly whites.
Expand your worldview
- “Jackson Street After Hours” by Paul de Barros | The former music editor for the Seattle Times gives a comprehensive history of the Central District’s lively jazz scene — starring the likes of Quincy Jones, Little Richard, and others.
- “Like a Mother” by Angela Garbes | Release date: May 29, 2018 | Angela drew on her own experiences to explore pregnancy and motherhood — from physiology to psychology — busting a few myths along the way.
- “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeomo Olou | Release date: Jan. 16, 2018 | Embrace some uncomfortable conversations guided by longtime journalist Ijeomo, recently named as one of Seattle’s most influential people.
- “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown | Release date: June 4, 2013 | Roars + oars abound in this story of the UW rowing crew that won Olympic gold in Nazi Germany.
Part of a series
- “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler | Release date: Oct. 1, 1993 | The gripping first book of the “Earthseed” series is an excellent intro to the late, iconic sci-fi author who once lived in Lake Forest Park.
- “The Boneshaker” by Cherie Priest | Release date: June 1, 2009 | Steampunk fans will dig this adventure set in Seattle’s early Klondike rush days — it’s one of five books in the “Clockwork Century” series.
- “The Duke and I: The Bridgertons Book 1" by Julia Quinn | Release date: Jan. 5, 2000 | Yes, that Bridgerton — the one that got Netflix watchers all hot + bothered — was a romance novel first, and a darn good one.
- “The Glittering Court” by Richelle Mead | Release date: April 5, 2016 | You may know Richelle from her megahit “Vampire Academy,” but her epic, interwoven fantasy of countesses, palaces, and wild forests shouldn’t be overlooked.
Personal stories
- “Heart Radical: A Search for Language, Love, and Belonging” by Anne Liu Kellor | Release date: Sept. 7, 2021 | Anne — a Hugo House writing teacher — recounts the years she spent in China reconnecting with her heritage.
- “I’m in Seattle, Where Are You?” by Mortada Gzar | Release date: April 1, 2021 | Mortada opens up about his life as a gay artist in Iraq and the unlikely love affair with an American soldier that brought him to the US.
- “Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman” by Lindy West | Release date: May 17, 2016 | One of Seattle’s sharpest voices takes on fat shaming, gender politics + Internet trolls in this hilarious, no-holds barred memoir.
- “The Good Rain” by Timothy Egan | Release date: Jan. 1, 1990 | Seattle’s New York Times correspondent mines his own journeys to delve into the fisheries, logging towns + untamed landscapes that form the PNW’s spirit..
Need more recommendations? Stop by Ada’s Technical Books and Cafe, Elliott Bay Book Company, Third Place Books, or Twice Sold Tales to get expert advice from Seattle’s local booksellers. 📚
