(That's library talk). We had an official inspection at the library Service Center today from the Issaquah Fire Department. They never expected to find their calendar or to pick up a "Find, Read and Release" book.
But since they were here, it was a great way to promote The Big Read!

Were you there? Click on ‘Comments’ below and let us know what you thought...

One of our volunteers placing books around the county as part of the "Find, Read and Release" promotion sent some photos of books waiting to be discovered.

Are you going to argue with him? Of course not!

We had members of the Rebel Alliance, Alpha Base and Garrison Titan (Imperial Army) at Crossoads Bellevue on Saturday to kick off The Big Read.

Special thanks to the wonderful members of both groups!

Were you there? Click on ‘Comments’ below and let us know what you thought...

Fantasy author Charles de Lint presented programs for King County Library System while on tour for his book, Little (Grrl) Lost and attending Foolscap Con in Bellevue. At a Middle School in Shoreline School District, he sang some songs he's written about characters in his book, including "Crow Girls".

His lovely wife, Mary Ann, joined him to present a short concert as part of the program at Kirkland Library.

Charles spoke about his writing and some of the recurring themes in his books. One of the ideas that comes up book after book is the difficulty many people face when they need to ask for and then receive help. As individuals, he pointed out, we feel we need to be independent and self-reliant, even though we have family, friends and loved ones we can reach out to to help us.

It was a good reminder to all of us, that sometimes "toughing it out alone" isn't the only, nor the best path.

Were you there? Click on ‘Comments’ below and let us know what you thought...

Charles (on the left) on meeting Ray Bradbury at the San Diego Comic Convention:

You never know who will drop by your table. Several years ago Mr. Ray Bradbury himself attempted to purchase a copy of my ‘Circle of Cats’ book. It quickly became a gift to a writer whose work I will always treasure deeply. What a thrill!

Let’s see where these books travel and what adventures they have along the way!

The Story: Fireman Guy Montag starts to question his work – the burning of books and the persecution of the people who protect them.

Read it. Talk about it. Give it away. Tell us where you found this book, share your opinion about it and tell us where you left it for the next reader. Click on ‘Comments’ below and let us know...

The Story: In Tally’s world everyone is made “pretty” on their sixteenth birthday.

Read it. Talk about it. Give it away. Tell us where you found this book, share your opinion about it and tell us where you left it for the next reader. Click on ‘Comments’ below and let us know...

The Story: Humans, faeries, dreams, and folklore co-exist in this novel set in the fictional town of Newford.

Read it. Talk about it. Give it away. Tell us where you found this book, share your opinion about it and tell us where you left it for the next reader. Click on ‘Comments’ below and let us know...

The Story: A new virus may be a by-product of the evolution of the human species in this futuristic thriller.

Read it. Talk about it. Give it away. Tell us where you found this book, share your opinion about it and tell us where you left it for the next reader. Click on ‘Comments’ below and let us know...