Tag Archives: Snohomish

More New Books by Local Authors, Just in Time for Holiday Giving

Please excuse my absence last week and consider this a public service announcement:  Back up your computer files everyday if you want to keep them, because you never know when your computer will decide to present you with a blue screen and nothing more. If you use an online backup service, find one recommended by others who have had to deal with how that service recovers information. I did have an online service and an external hard drive, but I haven’t been able to get back any of my Word files, Excel charts or my photos.

I had promised you more books for middle grade readers and young adult novels from authors in Washington State so here they are.

Middle Grade Novels

Suzanne Williams partners with Joan Holub to write the Goddess Girls’ series. Two new releases are Aphrodite the Beauty and Artemis the Brave. Although the stories may depart from the actual myth portrayed, a kernel of the myth still remains. Artemis the Brave will be available December 7, 2010.

Royce Buckingham used the Eastern Washington town of Richland as the setting for The Dead Boys because he grew up near Hanford, which is close by. Could the giant sycamore tree in Richland, horribly mutated by nuclear waste, somehow take its nourishment from local boys? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

I just finished the delightful Case of the Terrible T.rex by Michele Torrey. In researching the book she actually spent a week in the Montana Badlands digging for fossils and found a T.rex tooth. The book, another in the Doyle and Fossey:  Science Detectives’ series, makes learning science fun and memorable.

Young Adult Books

Recently released Adios, Nirvana, by Conrad Wesselhoeft, tells the story of a teenager who survives the first anniversary of his twin brother’s death with special help from friends, a WWII veteran and a special guitar.

Janet Lee Carey’s seventh novel, The Dragons of Noor, describes what happens when a mysterious Wild Wind begins stealing young children, including lead character’s, Miles and Hannah, little brother. Will they be able to save him?

Karen Kincy used her hometown of Snohomish as a backdrop for Other, which follows a shapeshifter girl named Gwen as she uncovers a mystery.

Waiting on my bookshelf is Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala. Miranda knows her bad-girl sister took a big secret to her grave and she’s intent on finding out what it was. Cupala started writing novels as a teen and to this day writing has become hope for her in times of despair.

Caridad Ferrer retells a new version of the opera Carmen in When the Stars Go Blue.  The author calls on her own experiences in the competitive world of drum and bugle corps to get the story told.

I hope you’ve seen a book or two on this list that would make someone on your gift list smile when he or she unwraps it.

 

20 Free Things To Do In Western Washington

Olympia's Capitol building in the background

Here are some options for totally free activities to help stretch your budget.

In Seattle:

Frye Art Museum

704 Terry Ave.

Seattle

206-622-9250

Always free

Center for Wooden Boats

1010 Valley St.

Seattle

206-382-2628

Free “Living Museum” and free boat rides on Sunday afternoons

Ballard Locks

3015 NW 54th St.

Seattle

Free guided tours from March – November

Call for tour times, 206-783-7059

Museum of Flight

9404 East Marginal Way South

Seattle

206-764-5720

Free from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. the first Thursday of every month

Coast Guard Museum

Pier 36, 1519 Alaskan Way S.

Seattle

206-217-6993

Free admission

Washington Park Arboretum

3501 NE 41st St.

Seattle

206-543-8616

Free guided tours

McCaw Hall

321 Mercer St.

Seattle

206-733-9725

Free tours the first Tuesday of every month

Benaroya Hall

200 University St.

Seattle

206-215-4800

Free tours on Tuesdays and Fridays at noon and 1 p.m.

Paramount Theatre

911 Pine St.

Seattle

206-682-1414

Free tours the first Saturday of every month

In Tacoma:

Washington History Museum

1911 Pacific Ave.

Tacoma

888-238-4373

Free from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month

Free on your birthday

Tacoma Art Museum

1701 Pacific Ave.

Tacoma

253-272-4258

Free from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month

Tacoma Nature Center

1919 S. Tyler St.

Tacoma

253-591-6439

Free self-guiding paths with wildlife observation

In Olympia:

Washington State Legislative Building

416 Sid Snyder Ave. SW

Olympia

www.ga.wa.gov/Visitor/

Free tours

In Keyport:

Naval Undersea Museum

1 Garnett Way

Keyport

360-396-4148, x220

Free admission and free parking

In Long Beach:

Marsh’s Free Museum

409 S. Pacific

Long Beach

360-642-2188

Always free

In Snohomish:

Blackman House Museum

118 Avenue B

Snohomish

360-568-5235

Open Saturday and Sunday from noon – 3 p.m.

Free, donations accepted

Labor Day Weekend, 2010:

Olympia Harbor Days in Olympia

www.harbordays.com

Bremerton Blackberry Festival in Bremerton

www.blackberryfestival.org

On September 25 & November 11:

Free admission to Olympic National Park

Free admission to Mt. Rainier National Park