Spokane is Reading hits 20 years

SPOKANE — The Spokane Is Reading program has announced its Writers Recommend Booklist for 2021 in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Over the years, readers throughout Spokane County have enjoyed books by wonderful authors as part of this community reading program. “We asked some of those past Spokane Is Reading authors to recommend books that brought them hope, joy, or laughter during the last year,” Spokane County Library officials said in a news release. “The result is this year’s booklist.”

A goal of Spokane Is Reading is to encourage reading by adults. Most years, the author of the selected book is invited to come to Spokane County for two free author events. This year, the program decided not to host an in-person event, and instead is offering a booklist full of great reads selected by the authors celebrated since 2001.

The Writers Recommend Booklist for 2021 includes:

● The Hearing Trumpet, by Leonora Carrington

● Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan

● Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing

● Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home, by Nina Stibbe

● The Souvenir Museum, by Elizabeth McCracken

● Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch, by Rivka Galchen

● Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher

● I Came as a Shadow: An Autobiography, by John Thompson

● Writers and Lovers, by Lily King

● Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman

● Earthly Possessions, by Anne Tyler

● Transcendent Kingdom, by Yaa Gyasi

“We encourage everyone to read one or several titles from this booklist of recommendations from past Spokane Is Reading authors,” officials said. “And of course, we would love it if you read them all.”

Learn more about these titles, including who recommended them and what they love about them, at www.spokaneisreading.org. To get copies of these titles, you can borrow or purchase from three sponsoring organizations: Spokane Public Library (www.spokanelibrary.org), Spokane County Library District (www.scld.org), and Auntie’s Bookstore (www.auntiesbooks.com). 

Spokane Is Reading is a community read designed to encourage reading and is one of the longest-running community reads in Washington. Over the years, it has celebrated such authors as Jess Walter, Mary Roach, Maria Semple, Karen Russell, Anthony Marra, Wiley Cash, Amy Stewart, and Madeline Miller.

Support for Spokane Is Reading comes from the Friends of the Library groups in Spokane County and the City of Spokane. Spokane Is Reading is a collaborative effort of Spokane Public Library, Spokane County Library District, and Auntie’s Bookstore.