When the summer sun baptizes your day with its rich rays of light, would you rather dwell in the darkness instead? While others are prancing about and enjoying the splendors of nature, do you go for the morbid realities of humanity? As families chuckle over life’s silly little happenings, are you cackling with a sadistic glee as you learn of men’s unfortunately humorous woes? Well then this is the list of materials for you. Ranging from the mildly malicious to the unbearably bleak, these will surely satisfy your cravings for black humor.
Louie
A TV show directed by and centered on comedian Louis C. K., Louie is an unapologetic blunt program that pushes the envelope far more than your average sitcom. Louie, a single comedian, must support his two daughters on his meager earnings from his stand-up shows while also struggling against an oddball variety of events that will have you giggling with amusement one moment and painfully grimacing the next. Blending segments of his own stand-up work with clips of his original stories, Louie’s painfully real comedy series has been nominated for over a dozen Emmys and many other awards across the board. Like it or not, Louie’s here to stay to keep you both laughing and wildly uncomfortable.
The Goon by Erick Powell
As an homage to the gritty noir classics of olden, Powell’s comic, The Goon, hits all the right marks. With his vibrant, yet gloomy artwork, Powell’s comics creates a rich atmosphere of crime and wickedness with every gangster facet one should expect: murder, debauchery, mystery, zombies, trans-dimensional travel, cannibalistic hobos, a telekinetically-gifted seal, killer robots, and a gang of giant fish men. Perhaps it’s a little out of the norm, but that certainly makes it all the more entertaining. Telling the story of legendary enforcer Goon and his partner, Frankie, The Goon follows their zany, mysterious, and excessively violent adventures throughout the creepy, crime-ridden city in which they dwell. The only thing you can ever come to expect is bloodshed and obscenity in all of its humorousness.
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
Don’t be fooled, this book merely dabbles in the topics of diabetes and owls. The rest is a profoundly unsettling, yet undeniably hilarious compilation of Sedaris’s fantastically written essays. Critically-acclaimed for his other popular works including Me Talk Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Sedaris continues to lay on his superbly dismal wit he recounts tale after tale of traumatic childhood incidents. Not for the faint of heart or pure of taste, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls is another Sedaris book that’s truly in a league of its own.
Thank You for Smoking
America’s tobacco industries have an impossibly powerful presence in politics, fueled by lobbyists determined to keep the land of the free puffing away. Thank You for Smoking chronicles a portion of one of these lobbyist’s career. This lobbyist just so happens to be the slickest in the game. Aaron Eckhart plays Nick Naylor, spokesman for cigarette giant, Big Tobacco. As he schemes with fellow spokespeople, played by Maria Bello and David Koechner (an alcohol and gun lobbyist respectively), and teaches his son the rights and wrongs of manipulating the people, this story is brought to life with the morbid wit of Jason Reitman, the film’s writer and director. Although Naylor’s situation becomes increasingly harrowing, the movie maintains a macabre, upbeat pace throughout that keeps the giggles coming. Based on the novel by Christopher Buckley
The Greenwood Library is looking for members to join the Teen Adviser Board during the school year! The TAB meets once a month for an hour and half at the Greenwood Library and is a great way to earn volunteer hours while doing a variety of awesome things. If you do join TAB you are expected to do something every month and will earn 3+ hours of service depending on how involved you get.
You can help out in a variety of ways including:
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know kids on the TAB as well as the kids that come to the events. If you’re artistic, enjoy books of all kinds and even maybe some basic science, this is the opportunity for you!
**In case you’re wondering, there is no shelving books kind of thing.**
Editor’s Note: Camilla, a 19-year-old intern at 826 Seattle, has selected some excellent work that 826 students are producing this summer to share with us on Push To Talk.
Camilla’s Note: This piece is from a long-running collaboration with the Puget Sound Goat Rescue. Students went on a field trip where they met and observed the goats, and later turned those experiences into talk show—style interviews. This is one of those interviews.
THE FIRST GOAT ON MARS
By Miles R.
INTERVIEWER: Hello, everybody! Today, I am proud to present to you Scooby, the first goat on Mars!
SCOOBY: Thank you, everybody, thank you!
The applause fades, then ceases.
INTERVIEWER: We understand NASA sent you to test soil and atmosphere on the red planet. How was it up there?
SCOOBY: Peaceful. But no alder leaves to munch on, and no one to play with.
INTERVIEWER: Was the launch scary?
SCOOBY: Very! When the engines launched, it smashed me against my seat. When we where breaking the atmosphere, it heated up like a frying pan, and rattled like a rattlesnake. When we reached space, the gravity change threw me into the air and my horns got stuck on the ceiling, and it took me ten minutes to get out, and even longer to repair the ceiling! But that’s the way it goes.
SCOOBY sighs; it sounds like a bleat.
INTERVIEWER: Exciting! Did you send out any space probes?
SCOOBY: Yes!
INTERVIEWER: How many?
SCOOBY: Five, but only four came back.
Whistling noises begin, then the sound of an explosion. Sirens start.
SCOOBY: Oh, there it is! Well, I need to go to lunch!
INTERVIEWER: It’s been nice having you here.
SCOOBY: It’s been nice being here. Goodbye!
Title: Bone
Author: Fae Myenne Ng
This book was a little hard for me to get into, due to the fact that it goes backwards. It starts with the conclusion and ends with the beginning , if that makes any sense. It took me 5 chapters to get into the book and it was great to read. I thought that the book was moving, sweet, and nicely written.
This book follows three sisters Leila, Ona, and Nina. Leila is narrating the story. This book is basically about figuring out why Ona, the middle sister, decided to commit suicide by jumping off a building. It reveals in the first chapter that Ona has committed suicide and as each chapter goes by, we get closer and closer to figuring out why she did. It’s kind of like playing a puzzle game, each piece gets you closer and closer to figuring out what the picture is going to look like and that’s how the book is kind of interpreted with Ona’s death. This book also features the relationship problems of Mah and Leon. Leon is Leila and Ona’s stepfather and Nina’s real dad. Mah and Leon have a lot of complications going on in their relationship that affect the lives of the three sisters.
I thought that the book was good and it gave me more insight on the Chinatown in San Francisco. I really liked how some the of the writing in the book would always go back to the title. This book was interesting and I recommend people to read it.
From 4 – 5 @ High Point: Drop In Chess. Come play a game of chess! Children and teens are invited to drop by for fun and casual games of chess. All skill levels are welcome. Chess sets and guidance by an adult chess coach will be available.
From 5 – 7 @ Magnolia: Hands on Science Lab. Dive into science and learn something new! We’ll do a variety of fun experiments to find out how things work and why.
From 6 – 7:30 @ Green Lake: First Annual Green Lake
Library Veggie Walk. We’re walking our veggies and reading to them at Green Lake. Leash up your veggie and join us! Where’s the most unusual place to read a book? At the First Annual Green Lake Library Veggie Walk! Bring your favorite book, a veggie and a leash to the library! We’ll walk the lake for a bit and then sit and read to our veggies.
From 2 – 3 @ Northgate: Art of Manga. Calling all sketchbook warriors! Do you have a stash of drawings itching to be shared? Need help with a tricky plot point? Share your frustrations and skills with other mangaka in the making.
From 2 – 3:30 @ Queen Anne: Vintage Photo Poetry. Explore captivating images from the Museum of History and Industry’s archives and create poems and short stories using vintage typewriters!
From 3 – 4:30 @ Northeast: Summe
r Teen Adviser Program. As part of the Teen Advisers, middle and high school students can earn service learning credit at The Seattle Public Library. Teen Advisers are ambassadors for reading and the Library, help at programs, and work on creative projects. It’s fun, and there are snacks! Applications are required.
From 3 – 5 @ Greenlake: Teen Adviser Meeting. As part of our Teen Adviser Group, students entering high school can earn service learning credit at The Seattle Public Library while working on special projects as a group. Teen Advisers meet every other week to work on special projects, create media content for the library blog, tweet for the library’s Twitter account, create video book reviews. Snacks are provided, come join us! Applications are required.
Robot Pencil Sharpener
From 3 -5 @ Northeast: Teen Re-Creation Drop-In. Need some space and support for your digital projects this summer? Drop in for help, ideas and snacks!
We’d love to hear back from you if you attend a program. You can take pictures, make visual art, write us a reaction post, or just share general thoughts. Touch-base with your local librarian, or e-mail them to us and we’ll share them here or at our new Tumblr!
A Wrinkle In Time – Cover
Meg Murry has always felt like the odd one out. She’s bullied at school, teased by most everyone in the town, mostly the post woman. Here’s the thing, Meg’s father has disappeared and she hasn’t heard from him for years now. Meg’s life seems to be dragging along until one day Charles Wallace, her younger brother who is practically a genius, brings home an elderly woman called Mrs. Whatsit (that’s really what they call her, weird I know).
Along with Mrs. Whatsit comes Calvin O’Keefe, a tall and lanky athletic boy who is older than Meg and lives with his crazy mother. Mrs. Whatsit, along with Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which (two other elderly women), take the three children, Meg, Charles and Calvin, and ‘tesser’ or wrinkle (travel) accross the 5th dimension to save Meg and Charles Wallace’s father who is trapped on Camazotz, a planet on which a mysterious evil force called IT resides.
Throughout the rest of the novel, it’s a power struggle between IT and the darkness against the children, who have the fate of the Earth resting in their hands.
To summarize this book in 6 words? Three kids tessering (time-traveling) to save Earth.
I would give this book 8/10 stars because it is definitely one of the better books I’ve read.
I started reading this book one afternoon as to humor my mom who had been wanting me to read it for years now, and once I got going, I couldn’t stop.
My gut reaction to this book was: action and time travel, with a couple of totally awesome kids. Continue reading
Editor’s Note: Camilla, a 19-year-old intern at 826 Seattle, has selected some excellent work that 826 students are producing this summer to share with us on Push To Talk.
Camilla’s Note: This is a lovely story that combines folkloric elements and contemporary environmental concerns into a charming fable. It was inspired by a field trip to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle’s University District.
Why the Salmon Need Trees by the River
By Riley
Long, long ago, when animals could talk, there was a river. It was a very healthy river and all the salmon came and went to the ocean and back to their hatching grounds along it. The river was so healthy because of the trees. The trees kept the dirt from going into the river, and gave shade to make the river cool. But one day, some people of the nearby village wanted to make houses and sell them to make money. So they cut down the trees and made the houses out of wood. Then the next year when all the salmon came back to reach their hatching grounds, they could not get through the river because it was so dirty and hot.
Mike lived in a house near the river. He loved animals and would sit outside in the forest and watch the salmon on their annual return. But when the salmon did not come back, he was really worried. He looked and looked for the salmon. Then, in the corner of his eye, he saw a Chinook salmon that was trying to swim upstream to get to his hatching grounds.
“Hey Chinook, why are you so warm and why are you struggling so much to get up the river?” Mike asked the salmon.
“Because all the trees were cut down and the trees help us to survive,” the salmon panted.
What bad people must have cut down the trees? thought Mike. Continue reading
My Opinion on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
(Warning: May contain Spoilers)
Where to start with this book: well first off it is five books in one. It is the entire Hitchhiker’s Guide series in one large book as well as a short story. The series is great with humor being the greatest driving force for it.
I am going to split the review into a few parts. The first part is the first three books together and the other being the last two. If you are wondering why it is split this way is because the first three books have their end being the start of the next book while book four and five are more separate.
This part will be the biggest and most complete because I am still in the middle of book five and this is three books. Okay let us start the review (finally). The three books are composed in a brilliant way with laughs at every corner. You follow Arthur Dent, a normal human, and his friends as they travel around the galaxy. How that ended up like that I am not going to say, because spoilers. Whether it is the depressed robot Marvin or the dramatic Zaphod things just end up going a bit weird. In this series, though, that is when the hilarities ensue.
Now on to the shorter part… books four and five. So these two books are a bit slower and slightly more confusing for me at least. The fourth book is mostly about Arthur finding love with a little bit of Marvin at the end. It is interesting to read but not nearly as good as the first three. Book five is mostly about a parallel universe and it gets a little confusing. Still it is interesting but once again not as good as the first three.
In short, this book is highly enjoyable and fun to read. You will be laughing your head off at some points in the book and the time that you are not doing that you are still laughing.
Push to Talk 