From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian

One of the many goals that the State Library works towards is exciting Washingtonians about reading books.  Our staff gets especially excited about books that represent our state and the larger Pacific Northwest region.  We all have our favorite reads: fiction lovers get very passionate about their preferred genres and stylistic sub-genres,  non-fiction fans range from those who enjoy a wide range of popular topics to others who focus in one subject, gathering as many details as they can find. Some people just love a good read, regardless of where it falls in terms of content.

Librarians and library staff love to share their thoughts on books, and past Washington State Librarians have put out regular book recommendations over the years. We thought it might be time to play around with this idea a bit and inject some variety, so we are inviting some other enthusiastic readers to join in on the action. Next week the state library will begin regular postings of recommendations from library staff. These recommendations will feature compelling reads in fiction and non-fiction, both recent and classic titles, which feature the Pacific Northwest. These posts will contain links for locating a copy nearest you, and will provide information on availability as an electronic resource or title for visually impaired. In the next few weeks you can see these posts as part of an upgraded library blog that will be located at https://blogs.sos.wa.gov/library/ or as a standalone feature within the blog at https://blogs.sos.wa.gov/library/wareads.aspx

We will also feature other events where Washington State Library participates in literacy and reader’s advisory, such as Letters About Literature and the National Book Festival.

For the time being you may see earlier Washington Reads and other bibliographies produced by the Washington State Library at http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/bibliographies.aspx