That Stack of Books listeners, I am back with an interview with none other than Nancy Pearl. Nancy has written her first novel, "George and Lizzie." It's a love story, with one partner, Lizzie, trying to figure out just how committed she is to George, who seems to be going along with a heart full of love and a head full of patience. We met in Seatt…

Classic cover of a classic book Don’t Reject Science Fiction or Books That Take You Outside The Box or Why Nancy Hates Categorizing Books! Again we are dealing with the basic issue that rankles Nancy Pearl. When you put books into categories or label books as this but not that, too many readers skip over wonderful reading experiences. She knows som…

Nancy and Steve had the opportunity to spend some time with King County Librarian Aarene Storms and a great group of young readers at the Teen Pizza and Books group at the Lake Forest Park Library meeting room. You should drop by. The next one at the Lake Forest Park Library is scheduled for June 7th. By the way, there are numerous reading groups f…

Stewart O'Nan's newest novel. “In post-World War II Jerusalem, a concentration camp survivor becomes involved in the underground resistance movement against the British.” That is the straightforward description of Stewart O’Nan’s newest novel, “City of Secrets.” Brand, the camp survivor navigates between loss and hope in violent Jerusalem. Stewart …

Last week we talked about books that make us happy. For balance, we take up books that make a reader sad, that take the reader into the darkest places of the human experience. Here are some books that are such an emotionally tough read, they might best be read In the sunny days of summer. The Bryant Corner Cafe is a warm and cozy place. The sunshin…

We have had some remarkably wonderful spring days here in Seattle. Record April high's in the 80's have put smiles on our faces and have us thinking happy thoughts and reaching for books that make us happy. We have tasked ourselves, those of us sitting around the table at the Bryant Corner Cafe and those of basking in the weather in our homes, on t…

Toure Toure, the writer, TV commentator and social critic, was the Signature Speaker at the University of Washington lecture series on Equity and Difference . Steve spoke to Toure about his work, including his book, "Who is Afraid of Post-Blackness: What it is Like to Be Black In America Now." Here is a short excerpt from the interview. For the ent…

Nancy and Steve talk about two books that look at the history of the American civil rights movement. But one book sparks another suggestion. Carry Me home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution,” by Diane McWhorter. Nancy says that if you are going to read one book about how young people challenged Jim Crow instit…

Why do we know the name of an early 20th century Russian mystic? Why is it that the story of Rasputin has become a mini-industry of myth and folklore, well into the 21st century? Here is a That Stack of Books Extra, an author interview about a forthcoming book. Steve Scher talked to historian Douglas Smith at Folio, the new independent library and …

When Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18th, 1980, 57 people were killed. What were they still doing in harm's way on the mountain, after months of warnings by scientists and rumblings from the volcano? Steve Olson has gone back to tell their stories in his new book, "Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens." We spoke at Town Hall, in Seattle.…

The political season is in full throttled shout now. So we figured this might be the time to pick up some books to put our American system into some context. A few of the books we discussed in this episode. All The King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren Advise and Consent, Allan Drury Lincoln, Gore Vidal Burr, by Gore Vidal America, by John Stewart All …

Steve had the chance to talk to a few Northwest based writers who have new books on the way. That prompted Nancy to share a few new books by Northwesterners that she is reading right now too. “Lovecraft Country,” by Matt Ruff. Nancy says Ruff takes the thriller into new and surprising territory. This story begins as a very realistic novel, set in 1…

The rigors of the mystery test our panel. We debate authors, series, and definitions. And we have quite a list. Before we got started on our mysteries, Nancy Decided to add to our stack of sad books. “The Velveteen Rabbit,” by Margery Williams “The House of Mirth,” Edith Warton “Charlotte’s Web,” by E.B. White “When Breathe Becomes Air,” by Paul Ka…

You get that dreaded phone call from your loved one, who tells you, “I have cancer.” How do you share the pain and the fear? Nancy is off this week and we have an interview Steve did with a northwest author. In a sense it is following up on last week's episode about romance and love. Here is a true love story. For writer Abbe Rolnick, the love and …

What is the difference between a love story and a romance? Which do you prefer? We sat down at the Bryant Corner Café to talk about love. Valentines Day had everyone thinking about it, but we got into a pretty substantive discussion about the difference between love stories and romances. Finally, different kinds of love, between different people em…

"While The City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and A Young Man's Descent Into Madness," is a compassionate and clear-eyed account of the 2009 murderous attack on Seattle residents Jennifer Hopper and Theresa Butz. Teresa Butz was killed. Isaiah Kalebu, a mentally ill man who had spent much of his life in and out of underfunded courts and deficient …

Martha Hawkins Martha Hawkins serves soul food at Martha's Place in Montgomery, Alabama. Born poor in a Jim Crow State, Hawkins is now a successful restaurateur and speaker. She uses her story to try and inspire people to stretch their sense of their own worth. Her book is “Finding Martha’s Place: My Journey Through Sin, Salvation and Lots of Soul …

When Nancy wrote the first “Book Lust,” she included a section she called three-hankie reads. While we might not agree on books that make us laugh, it seems that books that make you sad touch many of us equally. Then we started to wonder why it is that so many of the books we read in high school are so sad. What do we want kids to learn by assignin…

Back from a trip to India, Nancy Pearl brought out a list of new novels coming out early in 2016 that she is pretty excited about. Here are a few of the novels we discussed in this episode. “My Name is Lucy Barton,” the new novel by Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer-prize winner for “Olive Kitteridge.” “The Portable Veblen” by Elizabeth McKenzie “Why We C…

Nick Licata set out to be a citizen activist long before he took his politics into the Seattle City Council. He continues the work now that he is retired, writing, raising alarms and encouraging the next generation of activists. Licata believes you can fight city hall, and you can join it. Elected politicians respond to citizens who organize, rally…

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall Recorded at The Bryant Corner Café in Seattle. With so much turmoil in the world, sometimes a reader just wants to reset before plunging back into the intellectual fray. Nancy Pearl is calling the books you might turn to as palate cleansers. Pretty quickly, though, the readers around the big table at the Bryant…

We had a lovely group of folks both onstage and in the audience at Town Hall talking about the books they might like to give around the holidays and offering suggestions for new books to add to their stacks. We will be back at The Bryant Corner Café in January. Check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for dates and times. The Books Discussed on our…

We convene a panel of elementary school librarians. They join our table at the Bryant Corner Café to share some of their favorite books of the year and talk about encouraging reading in the age of the always-distracting cell phone and Internet. Their favorites: “The Best Pet of All,” by David LaRochelle. Wonderful story with lovely illustrations by…

Don't Forget to join us at Town Hall December 13th at 6:30 for a show about great books for gifts. What attracts you to a book? What are you looking for when you are seeking out a book? We learned quite a few interesting things this time around. For instance, the difference between a mystery and a thriller. Mystery writer Lisa Scottoline says in a …

We met at the Bryant Corner Café for cookies, coffee and a survey of what’s on everyone’s stack of books. Nancy also had some news about the finalists for National Book Award Short List for Young Adult Novels Laura Rubey “Bone Gap” Neal Shusterman, ”Challenger Deep” Noelle Stevenson, “Nimona” She also had news about the finalistsfor the Carnegie Aw…

Political Books for a Political Season We recorded this episode on November 3rd. All the off year electioneering had us thinking about the books that delved into political issues, both fiction and non-fiction. But let's face it, so many books are tinged with politics. The Books we discussed this episode. Alan Drury, “Advise and Consent.” Robert Pen…

We are back at the Bryant Corner Cafe with a tough task from Nancy Pearl. What has been the best book of 2015. Some of us chose books published this year- which is what Nancy was aiming for, in fiction and non-fiction. Others just mentioned their best read so far. In addition, we offer an excerpt from Steve's interview with Patrick Kennedy about hi…

That Stack of Books at Town Hall, October 18th, 2015. Puns, grammar jokes, a festive audience great guests and prizes galore. Our guests, Martha Brockenbrough, founder of National Grammar Day and author of "Things That Make Us (Sic)", and Frida Clements, artist and illustrator, author of "Have a Little Pun." Hope you enjoy our show at Town Hall. Lo…

Nancy Pearl has some book news for October, we hear about a whole bunch of great books and author Amy Stewart talks about her first novel, "Girl Waits With Gun." It is a novel of strong women living in the early 20th Century who do not suffer the depredations of bullies silently.By Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall

That Stack of Books, the Town Hall Summer Edition. Nancy Pearl, Katy Sewall and Steve Scher were at Town Hall July 23rd, helping celebrate 15 years of great programs at the young, robust and august cultural center. We hope you like this show. If you do, please join us at Town Hall Sunday October 18th at 6:30- after the Seahawks game. Tickets are ju…

A great armchair travel book can take you to places you just might not ever want to go to in person, too cold, too hot, too many snakes. Armchair Travel Books from this episode Bill Bryson, “A Walk In The Woods”, “In A Sunburned Country” (Jan) James Morris, “Coronation Climb” and others by Morris Jon Krakauer, “Into Thin Air” Redmond O’Hanlon, “Int…

We discuss biographies this episode. Their power resides in their place in history. New facts emerge, new understandings reshape our understandings of the person. Biographies remind us the ways the present influences the past. Biographies we mentioned in this episode “Steve Jobs, Insanely Great” by Jesse Hartland “Jonas Salk, A Life,” by Charlotte …

“I’d Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them,” is the first novel from writer and Air Force officer Jesse Goolsby. Wars impact lingers. It shapes a nation’s life. It also shapes the lives of the combatants, their friends and family. Goolsby wrestles with the ways the war in Afghanistan has shaped his characters and how their characters are reshap…

People who translate between languages make books accessible to those of us who might otherwise never be able to enjoy the literature of the whole world. Many of us, probably way too many of us, don’t speak, let alone read, a language other than the one we were born into. Nancy Pearl talks about a translator who has done award-winning translation. …

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and the folks at the Bryant Corner Cafe talk about graphic novels and our imaginative powers. Now here is a contentious episode. Really, you wonder, contentious? Yes, because we discuss the value of the graphic novel and the comic strip and the comic book. The contention comes in when we start to debate whether…

Nancy Pearl talks to Steve Scher and the folks around the table about their favorite books. We had such a good time asking this question a few weeks back, we thought we'd ask folks again to bring in a favorite book they'd saved on the bookshelf at home. We thought asking for a favorite would be a much easier choice then asking a reader to pick the …

For some readers, the love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew. Here are some suggestions for mystery readers from Nancy Pearl and the folks around the table at the Bryant Corner Cafe. Nancy Pearl says her enjoyment of mysteries is limited by some wince-worthy writing. But she avoids those writers. The books Nancy recommended and some suggestions …

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and folks at the Bryant Corner Cafe share some of the books they just couldn't part with. The Lions of Al Rassan , Guy Gavriel Kay The Wright Brothers, David McCullough A Canticle For Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller The Tough Guide to Fantasyland:The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel, Diana Wynne Jones A Thread of …

Nancy Pearl brings a book she says is going to be the book all the Harry Potter fans will flock to. "The Iremonger Trilogy, written and illustrated by Edward Carey. "Heap House" is the first of the trilogy. Nancy says that ever since the Harry Potter books, she has been looking for the next book that will appeal to Potter fans with a story that is …

The past, present and future walk into a bar. Bartender says, "you need a drink. You're tense." Here is a discussion offering some funny books to read. Here also are some satires. Here are some books that are laugh out loud funny and some that might need some historical context to truly get the jokes. Also here, a discussion we just started, really…

We sat down at the Bryant Corner Café after a few weeks away, so we took a survey of what folks have just completed. We also remember the great and generous writer, Ivan Doig. Books from this episode: The Belly of Paris, Emile Zola Days of Rage, Bryan Burrough The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman The Circle, Dave Egger…

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and the big table of readers at the Bryant Corner Cafe talk about the status of the memoir these days. We all lead lives that generate stories. Do these stories only have credibility when they are shared with others? Do we need to try to get them published to feel good about our efforts? Some critics are wonder…

Nancy Pearls tells Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and our table full of readers at the Bryant Corner Cafe her thoughts on book awards. We get some behind the scenes glimpses of the awards process, and find out, among other things, that the publishers self nominate for some awards. How do you use awards to help you find the next book to read? Nancy recomm…

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher and Katy Sewall nibble at the Bryant Corner Cafe while talking about two books that offer different approaches to the same overarching theme- how empire builders move across the landscape into history. The first is an historical account of the American Vietnam War. Christian Appy, “American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Ou…

Steve Scher's pilgrimage to the American South triggers a conversation with Nancy Pearl and all the folks around the table about southern writers. But pretty soon we are trying to define the essence of a region and describe the cover of "Mandingo." If you are looking a place to start thinking about southern writers, here are a few websites to check…

Nancy Pearl talks about the benefits of book clubs with Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and the rest of folks around the table at The Bryant Corner Cafe. Nancy says there are some rules to follow that can make the book selections and the book chats much more meaningful. We will be back recording at the Cafe Tuesday, March 24th at 3:15. Please join us. You…

Nancy Pearl, Steve Scher, Katy Sewall and our great readers are at the table at the The Bryant Corner Cafe again. We are talking about the books to read for March, Women's History Month. We also get into a discussion of just whether or not these months set aside to particular groups are a positive or not. If you want to donate some books the Seattl…

Steve Scher and Nancy Pearl take up Katy Sewall's question, what books shaped you in high school? Our friends around the table have their own favorites. What are the books that shaped you?By steve scher, Nancy Pearl, Katy Sewall

Who recommends books to you? We survey the different ways we try to sort through all our choices. Do you get your ideas for your next book from newspapers, librarians, friends? Maybe you follow your book club lists, or listen to the radio. How do you decide what to read next? If you have other unique ways for finding the books you want to read, ple…

We gather again at The Bryant Corner Cafe to talk about books. Two new fiction works garnered glowing reviews from Nancy Pearl, the novel "Vanessa and Her Sister" by Priya Parmar and "Single Carefree, Mellow," short stories by Katherine Heiny. Then we take up the perils and pleasure's of re-reading books. Find us on Facebook. We twitter @thatstack.…