Soundside Yay books! Soundside's 2025 in letters
Dec 18, 2025
Misha Stone, a reader services librarian at the Seattle Public Library, and Spencer Ruchti, author events manager at Third Place Books, share their top reading picks before the year closes. Misha highlights 'Crawl,' emphasizing its unique trans masculine narrative. Spencer explores 'Is a River Alive?' and its thought-provoking take on river personhood. They discuss emerging bookstore trends, emotional ties to physical books, and guilty pleasures like vampire stories. A treasure trove of recommendations awaits for anyone looking to embrace more reading!
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Episode notes
A Hybrid Look At Elena Garro
- Spencer praises The Queen of Swords by Hasmina Berria, a hybrid biography/essay about Mexican writer Elena Garro.
- He notes the book resists categories while exploring Garro's life and role in magical realism.
Pulitzer Winner Reframes A Classic
- Libby shares favorites: Percival Everett's James (Pulitzer winner) and Jeff Chang's Water Mirror Echo on Bruce Lee and Asian American history.
- She praises James for reframing Huck Finn from Jim's perspective and for emotional depth.
Short Genre Books Boost Reading Targets
- Spencer admits to enjoying short, fast-paced genre fiction like Martha Wells' Murderbot novels as low-effort reading wins.
- He notes slim volumes can help readers rapidly hit year-end goals without guilt.