The Seattle Public Library - Programs & Events

Schroeder's biography, "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" recounts the life and times of the legendary Omaha investor. Buffett, who has never written a memoir, allowed Schroeder unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is this personally revealing and complete biography.

In the three decades since recounting his grand tour by train through Asia, much has changed. The Soviet Union has collapsed, China and India have risen. Theroux captures the texture, sights, smells, and sounds of the changing landscape, traveling as the locals do - by stifling train, rattletrap bus, illicit taxi, and mud-caked foot. Paul Theroux's highly acclaimed travel books include "Riding the Iron Rooster," "The Old Patagonian Express," "Fresh Air Fiend," and "Dark Star." He is also the author of the novels, "The Mosquito Coast" and "Half Moon Street," among others.

Christopher Kimball is the founder, editor, and publisher of "Cook's Illustrated" and "Cook's Country Magazine." He is also the host of "America's Test Kitchen," a public television cooking show now in its seventh season.

Set in the same locale and at the same time as her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "Gilead," "Home" tells a moving story about families, family secrets, and the passing of the generations, about love and death and faith. Marilynne Robinson is the author of the novels "Gilead" and "Housekeeping," which won the PEN/Faulkner Award, and two books of nonfiction, "Mother Country" and "The Death of Adam."

Best known for his insightful writing on the contemporary Middle East, his essays collected here, taken from his writings for the Saturday Independent, cover many topics: terrorism, but also the sinking of the Titanic; Iraq and Israel, but also Ireland and Fisk family history. Robert Fisk is one of the world's most experienced journalists covering the Middle East. He has reported from across the Arab world for the past 30 years.

Starting with Hendrix's birth in 1942, Roby traced the legend's life through rare photos, video, and audio.

While recovering from a car accident, retired book critic August Brill is living with his daughter, recently left by her husband, and granddaughter, whose boyfriend has just died. Paul Auster is the bestselling author of "The Brooklyn Follies" and "Oracle Night." "I Thought My Father Was God," the NPR National Story Project anthology, which he edited, was also a national bestseller.

The president of the United States, unhappy with the Senate for rejecting his nominees, decides to get even by nominating America's most popular TV judge to the Supreme Court. Buckley has been editor in chief of Forbes FYI since 1989, and has written for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, among others.

The proliferation of neighborhood blogs around Seattle is changing not just the local media landscape but also how community conversations are taking place in an increasingly digital world. This panel discussion included bloggers from The B-Town Blog, The West Seattle Blog, Myballard, The Rainier Valley Post and the Seattle Public Library's Shelftalk. The conversation was moderated by Seattle P-I reporter and blogger Monica Guzman.

Seattle author and educator Eric Liu and entrepreneur/venture capitalist Nick Hanauer explore what patriotism means and how some Americans have managed to inspire the country to new levels of greatness. Their new book, "The True Patriot," offers a moral map for political life that can serve to guide us back to the principles of true patriotism - country above self, responsible stewardship, equality, shared sacrifice, and service.

Joshua Prince-Ramus, president and principal of REX, and Office for Metropolitan Architecture's (OMA) Rem Koolhaas were principal designers of the award-winning Central Library building, along with Seattle-based LMN Architects. The presentation was a key highlight of a daylong celebration of the successful conclusion of The Seattle Public Library's 10-year "Libraries for All" building program.

He was joined by Kim Thompson, translator of "Epileptic" and co-owner of Fantagraphics Books, influential publisher in comics history. "Epileptic," a 361-page classic, creates a unique, fantastic mythology out of a youth spent alongside an epileptic older brother. David B. co-founded the artist-run publisher L'Association, a group that revolutionized European comics and brought them market success in the English language. This program was part of "La Semaine de la Bande Dessinée" (a weeklong, multi-venue tribute to the French graphic novel).

Through a compilation of essays and blog entries on myriad issues including health care, employment, stem cells, and finances, "This Land Is Their Land" presents cutting and provocative social commentary on the Bush years. A frequent contributor to Harper's and The Nation, Ehrenreich has been a columnist at The New York Times and Time magazine.

In her new book, Lawrence presents a series of collages that explore popular concepts of the sublime. For the project, she combined images and texts to illuminate the results of a survey she conducted in November of 2004.

When Philmont Castle, a man with wealth, respect, and connections, is found dead on the grounds of a Harlem mansion, a young writer and the woman he loves are pulled into a 20-year search for the truth. Stephen L. Carter is the bestselling author of the novels, "New England White" and "The Emperor of Ocean Park," in addition to several works of nonfiction. He is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale University, where he has taught since 1982.