Featured Events in Bothell in May, 2025 (May Updated)

World War II spy, Filipino guerrilla fighter, war hero, Medal of Freedom recipient, leprosy survivor, teacher, peacemaker . . . The legendary and inspiring life and work of Josefina “Joey” Guerrero is introduced to middle grade readers by bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly.Third Place Books is thrilled to welcome Newbery Medal winner Erin Estrada Kelly to our Lake Forest Park store for a discussion of her new book, At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom. Local children's author Tae Keller will join in conversation. This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. RSVP is recommended in advance. About At Last She Stood. . .World War II spy, Filipino guerrilla fighter, war hero, Medal of Freedom recipient, leprosy survivor, teacher, peacemaker . . . The legendary and inspiring life and work of Josefina “Joey” Guerrero is introduced to middle grade readers by Newbery Medal winner and bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly. For fans of Steve Sheinkin and Candace Fleming. Josefina “Joey” Guerrero, a native of the Philippines, was diagnosed with leprosy (Hansen’s disease) as World War II unfolded in Europe and Asia. Soon after the Japanese occupied the Philippines, Joey—believing she would die soon—joined the guerilla movement to complete covert missions in support of the Allies. Because of her condition, she was rarely searched by Japanese soldiers, which allowed her to courier secret messages, including an invaluable minefield map that she taped to her back. She was eventually awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and admitted to the National Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana, where she lived for nine years. When she was cured and released, she found it difficult to find work because of racial discrimination and her health history and was forced to pawn her Presidential Medal to make ends meet. Eventually, she shed her previous identity. When she died in 1996, her obituary identified her as a secretary from Manila. But Joey Guerrero was much more than that—she was a hero who changed the course of history. Erin Entrada Kelly’s engaging nonfiction debut combines themes of the Philippines, World War II, the Asia-Pacific War, spy stories, Louisiana, immigration, disease and medicine, racism, perseverance, religious devotion, and hope. Illustrated with photographs, maps, and other illustrative material and featuring sidebars that clearly illuminate key moments in history, At Last She Stood is for readers and educators who love Candace Fleming, Deborah Heiligman, Christina Soontornvat, and Steve Sheinkin. Includes an author’s note, source notes, index, and other back matter. Erin Entrada Kelly is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning novels Hello, Universe and The First State of Being, which was also named a finalist for the National Book Award. She received a Newbery Honor for her acclaimed novel We Dream of Space. Erin Entrada Kelly grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and now lives in Delaware. She teaches in the MFA in writing for children and young adults program at Hamline University. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Philippines Free Press Literary Award for Short Fiction and the Pushcart Prize. Before becoming a children’s author, Erin worked as a journalist and magazine editor and received numerous awards for community service journalism, feature writing, and editing from the Louisiana Press Association and the Associated Press. Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut novel, Blackbird Fly, was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, an ALSC Notable Book, and an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book. She is also the author of The Land of Forgotten Girls, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature; You Go First, an Indie Next Pick; Lalani of the Distant Sea, an Indie Next Pick; Those Kids from Fawn Creek, named to numerous best-of-the-year lists; and five popular novels for younger readers, Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, Surely Surely Marisol Rainey, Only Only Marisol Rainey, Your Turn Marisol Rainey, and Felix Powell, Boy Dog, which she also illustrated. Tae Keller is the Newbery Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, When You Trap A Tiger, and The Science of Breakable Things. She was born and raised in Honolulu, where she grew up on purple rice, Spam musubi, and her halmoni's stories. After high school, she moved in search of snow, and now lives in Seattle. Visit her at TaeKeller.com, follow her monthly love letters at bit.ly/lovetae, and find her on Twitter and Instagram. (Photo Credit: Saavedra Photography) About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Twenty-nine of today’s most inspiring flower farmers present stories, how-to-cultivate expertise, and favorite new varieties in a lushly photographed guide to feed your every floral fantasyThird Place Books are pleased to welcome Debra PrinzingandRobin Avnito our Lake Forest Park store for the release of their new book, The Flower Farmers: Inspiration & Advice from Expert Growers. Flower farmers are the Top Chefs of the gardening world, with dedicated social media channels and hundreds of thousands of avid fans who dream about the lifestyle and of having a lush cutting garden of their own. Today’s gardeners follow celebrity growers to gather ideas and expert advice regarding planting techniques and the best varieties and seasonal plants to choose. The Flower Farmers presents a curated group of favorite growers, from industry leaders to pioneering newcomers. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance. About The Flower Farmers. . .Flower farmers are the Top Chefs of the gardening world, with dedicated social media channels and hundreds of thousands of avid fans who dream about the lifestyle and of having a lush cutting garden of their own. Today’s gardeners follow celebrity growers to gather ideas and expert advice regarding planting techniques and the best varieties and seasonal plants to choose. The Flower Farmers presents a curated group of favorite growers, from industry leaders to pioneering newcomers. Each grower shares their specialty knowledge and seasonal practices so that readers will be able to create a similar relationship with flowers and discover sustainable techniques for their own gardens. Dedicated sidebars dig deeper, with information on everything from raising a unique cultivar to the best floral varieties for long-lasting arrangements. Gorgeous photography illustrates each farmer’s profile, highlighting the beauty of their farms, floral passions, and the flowers themselves. Includes an introduction by Christina Stembel of Farmgirl Flowers (@farmgirlflowers). Debra Prinzing is a Seattle-based writer, speaker and leading advocate for domestic, local and seasonal flowers. Through her many Slow Flowers-branded projects, she has convened a national conversation that stimulates consumers and professionals alike to make conscious choices about their floral purchases. Debra is the producer of SlowFlowers.com, the online directory to American grown farms, florists, shops and studios who supply domestic and local flowers. Each Wednesday, approximately 2,500 listeners tune into Debra's Slow Flowers Podcast, available for free downloads at slowflowerspodcast.com, or on iTunes and via other podcast services. Debra is editorial director and co-founder with Robin Avni of BLOOM Imprint, a boutique publisher that identifies and develops creative book ideas by and about members of the Slow Flowers Movement. In 2016, the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a farm-to-florist cooperative, honored Debra with the first Growers Choice Award for her outstanding contributions to revitalizing the local floral community. She is a 2016 inductee to the Garden Writers Association Hall of Fame and a 2019 inductee to Professional Floral Communicators International. Debra has authored 12 books, including Slow Flowers, The 50 Mile Bouquet, Where We Bloom, and, most recently, The Flower Farmers (Abrams Books 2025). Robin Avni works with authors and creatives to produce well-organized, informative, and beautifully designed books and publications. She is a creative veteran in the media + high-tech industries, including 15+ years in the media and publishing industry and eight years at Microsoft in design and creative management. Robin has successfully managed innovative, award-winning design teams and high-profile projects as well as receiving numerous national design awards and photo editing honors for her own work. She has produced 18 books, including seven in collaboration with her BLOOM Imprint co-founder Debra Prinzing. Robin received a BA in journalism from Indiana University, Bloomington, and a Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship at the University of Michigan, a grant program awarded for outstanding achievement in journalism; she holds a Master of Communication in Digital Media from the University of Washington with a focus on visual communication. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Inside Story is the Western Washington Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' biannual celebration of book creators. This May, SCBWI invites their membership, area booksellers, teachers, and librarians to attend and hear from authors and illustrators. Arrive by 6:30 PM to mingle with friends, peruse and buy books! Speakers will begin at 7pm, including: Jenna Lee-Yun, The Last Rhee Witch and the Nine-Tailed FoxRachel Wilson, How to Pee Your Pants: the Right WayCraig Orback, Passover on EverestWill Taylor, The School for Wicked Witches 2: Wicked Never WaitsVictor Evans, The Double Case of Sticky Fingers: An Evan Sinclair MysteryMartha Brockenbrough, A Gift of DustCurtis Manley, Grace Builds an Almost-Perfect DogAmy Hevron, Poo Pile on the PrairieSuma Subramaniam, V. Malar - Greatest Host Of All TimeSuzanne Kaufman, Dog/HumanVanessa Torres, On the Wings of la NocheMary Boone, Pedal Pusher: How One Woman's Bicycle Adventure Helped Change the WorldDori Butler & Sunshine Bacon, Rabbit RabbitHaving trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

From Eisner Award-winning author Aron Nels Steinke comes a heartfelt and funny middle-grade graphic novel about friendship, anxiety, and expressing yourself.Third Place Books is pleased to welcome Aron Nels Steinke, author of the Mr. Wolf's Class series, to our Ravenna store for his new middle grade graphic novel, Speechless: A Graphic Novel. This event is free and open to the public. Readers of all ages welcome! For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Tickets:This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance. About Speechless. . .Middle school was supposed to be a fresh start for Mira, who struggles to speak in class even though she can speak at home without a problem. Her former best friend, Chloe, has become her worst enemy, and Mira's only solace is making videos for her secret stop-motion animation channel. But when Chloe's mom has to travel for a family emergency, Mira is horrified to learn that her family has volunteered to let Chloe stay with them. When it feels like everything is going wrong, will Mira ever find her voice? Aron Nels Steinkeis the creator of the bestselling Mr. Wolf's Class series, the Eisner Award-winning illustrator and coauthor, with Ariel Cohn, of The Zoo Box, and is a former classroom teacher. When he's not writing, drawing, or visiting schools, Aron can be found taking long walks with his family and his dog, Ginger, in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. His favorite thing is to go swimming in the Sandy River when it's just barely warm enough to do so. Visit him online at mrwolfsclass.com. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Tuffaha's poems interweave Palestine’s historic suffering, the challenges of living in this world full of violence and ill will, and the gentle delights we embrace to survive that violenceThird Place Books is honored to welcome Lena Khalaf Tuffaha to our Lake Forest Park store for a reading and discussion about Something About Living, winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Poetry. Tuffaha will be joined in conversation by poet Gabrielle Bates, author of Judas Goat. This event is free and open to the public. “Something About Living opens with a single bird and ends in a dazzling meteor shower, and in between lies something of a marvel—an electric and sobering song crackling with possibilities for a homeland fractured and besieged by Empire. Lena Khalaf Tuffaha writes, ‘Love is paying attention,’ and this impressive collection serves as a powerful exemplar of devotion—brilliantly rendered in surprising forms—and profoundly teaches us 'a million ways to love.’” —Judges’ citation, National Book Award for Poetry For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! This event is in partnership with MENA Heritage Month. Join us in coming together with the Middle Eastern & North Africa community to celebrate and share our various cultures, in April 2025 and beyond Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. RSVP is recommended in advance. About Something About Living. . .2025 ALA Notable Book Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Poetry Winner of the 2022 Akron Poetry Prize It’s nearly impossible to write poetry that holds the human desire for joy and the insistent agitations of protest at the same time, but Lena Khalaf Tuffaha’s gorgeous and wide-ranging new collection Something About Living does just that. Her poems interweave Palestine’s historic suffering, the challenges of living in this world full of violence and ill will, and the gentle delights we embrace to survive that violence. Khalaf Tuffaha’s elegant poems sing the fractured songs of Diaspora while remaining clear-eyed to the cause of the fracturing: the multinational hubris of colonialism and greed. This collection is her witness to our collective unraveling, vowel by vowel, syllable by syllable. “Let the plural be a return of us” the speaker of “On the Thirtieth Friday We Consider Plurals” says and this plurality is our tenuous humanity and the deep need to hang on to kindness in our communities. In these poems, Khalaf Tuffaha reminds us that love isn’t an idea; it is a radical act. Especially for those who, like this poet, travel through the world vigilantly, but steadfastly remain heart first. —Adrian Matejka, author of Somebody Else Sold the World Lena Khalaf Tuffaha is a poet, essayist, and translator. She is the author of three books of poetry: Something About Living (UAkron, 2024), winner of the 2024 National Book Award and winner of the 2022 Akron Prize for Poetry; Kaan & Her Sisters (Trio House Press, 2023), finalist for the 2024 Firecracker Award and honorable mention for the 2024 Arab American Book Award; and Water & Salt (Red Hen, 2017), winner of the 2018 Washington State Book Award and honorable mention for the 2018 Arab American Award. Her writing has appeared in journals including Los Angeles Review of Books, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Nation, Poets.org, Protean, Prairie Schooner, and many others. Tuffaha’s work has also been anthologized widely, including in The Long Devotion (Georgia Press), We Call to the Eye and the Night (Persea Press), and Gaza Unsilenced (Just World Books). She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington and an MFA from Pacific Lutheran University’s Rainier Writing Workshop. Tuffaha lives with her family in Redmond, Washington. Gabrielle Bates is the author of the poetry collection Judas Goat (Tin House, 2023), a New York TimesBook Review 'The Shortlist' pick and a Chicago Review of Books 'must-read' book of 2023. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Bates currently lives in Seattle, where she works for Open Books: A Poem Emporium, co-hosts the podcast The Poet Salon, and teaches occasionally through universities and arts organizations. A Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship finalist, her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Poem-a-Day, Ploughshares, The Slowdown show, and elsewhere. On Twitter: @GabrielleBates. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Third Place Books is delighted to welcome Diana Mato our Lake Forest Park store! She will be discussing her two latest novels, Rainbow Fair and Force of Chaos. Rainbow Fair is set against the backdrop of a middle school cultural fair, where twelve-year-old Sophie learns about her family's Hui (Chinese Muslim) identity. Force of Chaos is a young adult novel in the universe of the Power Rangers, following teenager Trini Kwan as she takes up the mantle of the Yellow Ranger.This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance. About Rainbow Fair. . .Set against the backdrop of a middle school cultural fair, this tenderhearted and funny novel fromThe Unbeatable Lily Hongauthor stars twelve-year-old Sophie Hu—who discovers the power of defining oneself as she navigates friendship drama, family expectations, and learning about her Hui, Chinese Muslim, identity. Sophie’s work on the Chinese booth at last year’s Rainbow Fair is a point of pride for herself and her parents, even if Sophie and her best friend, Katie, think the whole thing is a little silly. Sophie’s family is Hui, Chinese Muslim. The Muslim part is something she doesn’t know much about. Her parents prefer to keep it private. So when it gets slipped to an overenthusiastic teacher that Sophie is Muslim, the only Muslim in her class, suddenly Sophie is in charge of debuting a booth representing the Islamic religion she doesn’t practice, an assignment she is determined to keep secret from her parents. Having to choose between leaving the Chinese booth or taking on double the workload leaves Sophie feeling conflicted. Why does she have to choose which part of herself to represent? Is it an issue with her or with how the Rainbow Fair is organized? Between juggling both booths, old and new friends, and learning more about her Muslim faith and ancestry, Sophie notices how her working on two booths starts to spark change throughout the student body. It turns out Sophie isn’t the only one at Monroe Middle School whose identity isn’t so simply categorized by the Rainbow Fair’s limited booths. One thing is for sure: this year’s Rainbow Fair won’t look anything like it did in the past, and Sophie beings to realize that that might not be a bad thing at all. About Force of Chaos. . .From the world of Hasbro’s Power Rangers entertainment franchise comes an action-packed, original YA novel from the point of view of Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger. Trini Kwan is trying to get through high school unnoticed. Nobody knows that she has trained for years in martial arts, and she prefers to let her classmates think she’s just the shy Asian girl. But Trini’s world turns upside down when the homecoming game is attacked by an otherworldly winged beast with an army of clay soldiers. Unable to sit by while innocent people get hurt, Trini springs into action—alongside science genius Billy, her childhood best friend Zack, popular jock Jason, and new girl Kimberly. In the aftermath, the five teenagers are recruited by an alien warrior named Zordon to become the new Power Rangers, charged with protecting the planet from an evil sorceress who recently escaped imprisonment. Suddenly thrust in the middle of a millenniums-long intergalactic war is hard enough, but getting her new teammates to work together proves to be a difficult task. Can Trini help the others move past their rocky first impressions—and her own complicated history with Zack—to protect their home from destruction? And will she be able to finally accept her full self—and this new role? Diana Ma is a Chinese American author of Middle Grade and Young Adult books and an anti-oppressive educator. She was a 2019 We Need Diverse Books mentee and a 2021-2023 Highlights Foundation Muslim Storytellers Fellow. Her debut novel Heiress Apparently was a 2021 Washington State Book Award finalist in Young Adult Literature. She teaches at North Seattle College and believes that it’s important for all kids to recognize themselves as the heroes of the books they read. Her belief that diverse books help us create a better world is what drives her writing and teaching. More information can be found about Diana on her website: Dianamaauthor.com About Third Place Books Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

In a tale inspired by Peru’s Andean cosmovision and earth-centered spirituality, Call of the Owl Woman is a gripping coming-of-age story for people who like to immerse themselves in other times, places, and cultures, people who love adventure, and those who are drawn to the mystical and magical.Third Place Books is pleased to welcome K.M. Huberto our Lake Forest Park store for the launch of her new young adult novel, Call of the Owl Woman: A Novel of Ancient Peru. Huber will be joined in conversation by Suzanne Morrison. This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. RSVP is recommended in advance. About Call of the Owl Woman. . .In sixth-century Peru, the Nasca people have flourished for centuries, their faith and ingenuity keeping the desert valleys green in a land where water is scarce. But a prolonged drought now fuels dangerous unrest. Cunning sorcerers and brutal priests vie for control, and Water Guardians like Patya’s father, who refuse to favor the powerful, are under attack. Devastated by her grandmother’s sudden death, fifteen-year-old Patya retreats into dance and music. She does not want to become a healer like the long lineage of women in her family before her. Even her grandmother had hinted she was born for something else. But, in the wake of a deadly earthquake, Patya must not only help the healers, she must do things she never thought possible. As she begins to conquer her self-doubts and trust her own sense of justice, she will also have to outwit men of power to keep her little brother from being sacrificed by religious extremists at the coming solstice. As Patya begins to realize and grow into her own power, she also discovers her grandmother’s secret legacy and prepares to step into an unexpected destiny. k. m. huber (Kathi, she/her) grew up surrounded by trees and mountains in the Pacific Northwest. She left her verdant homeland for the desert coast of Peru where she lived for more than 20 years, working as a teacher and librarian while exploring Andean folklore and traditions. She co-created an award-winning documentary about deforestation in southern Peru, and wrote two books published there. Huber's essays, stories, and poetry can be found in Vice-Versa, Earth Island Journal, Post Road, Rougarou, The Macguffin, and Latin America Press, among others. She now lives with her husband in East Tennessee, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Suzanne Morrison is the author of Yoga Bitch (Random House), which was an Indiebound bestseller, a Crosscut Best Northwest Book and has been translated into seven languages. Yoga Bitch had its start as a long-running one-woman show of the same title, which played in New York, London, and across the United States. A recipient of grants from the Seattle Arts Commission, 4Culture, and Artist Trust, her fiction and essays have appeared in American Short Fiction, Popshot (UK), Litro, Salt Hill, Washington Square, the Chicago Tribune, and elsewhere. She teaches creative writing at veteran centers through the Red Badge Program and is at work on a trio of linked novels. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Third Place Books welcomes Dr. Emily M. Bender and Dr. Alex Hanna for a conversation about their new book,The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want. They will be joined by fellow AI researcher Dr. Margaret Mitchell, recognized in 2023 as one of TIME's Most Influential People. This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. RSVP is recommended in advance. About The AI Con. . .Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to put authors, artists, and others out of business? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything? The answer to these questions, linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna make clear, is “no,” “they wish,” “LOL,” and “definitely not.” This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as “AI hype.” Hype looks and smells fishy: It twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft, motivating surveillance capitalism, and devaluing human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. In The AI Con, Bender and Hanna offer a sharp, witty, and wide-ranging take-down of AI hype across its many forms. Bender and Hanna show you how to spot AI hype, how to deconstruct it, and how to expose the power grabs it aims to hide. Armed with these tools, you will be prepared to push back against AI hype at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account. Together, Bender and Hanna expose AI hype for what it is: a mask for Big Tech’s drive for profit, with little concern for who it affects. Dr. Emily M. Bender is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington where she is also the Faculty Director of the Computational Linguistics Master of Science program and affiliate faculty in the School of Computer Science and Engineering and the Information School. In 2023, she was included in the inaugural Time 100 list of the most influential people in AI. She is frequently consulted by policymakers, from municipal officials to the federal government to the United Nations, for insight into how to understand so-called AI technologies. (Photo credit: Susan Doupé) Dr. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) and a Lecturer in the School of Information at the University of California Berkeley. She is an outspoken critic of the tech industry, a proponent of community-based uses of technology, and a highly sought-after speaker and expert who has been featured across the media, including articles in the Washington Post, Financial Times, The Atlantic, and Time. (Photo credit: Will Toft) Dr. Margaret Mitchell is a computer scientist and researcher focused on machine learning (ML) and ethics-informed AI development in tech. Her main areas of study include natural language processing, natural language generation, assistive technology, and AI ethics. In 2023, she was recognized as one of TIME's Most Influential People. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Third Place Books is pleased to welcome Joe Abercrombie to the stage at Lake Forest Park for the release of his latest novel, The Devils, called Devilish fun, an unholy delight. Wielding his trademarked grit and stiletto-sharp prose, Abercrombie is at his bloody best weaving a tale of monstrous heroes who discover the humanity in themselves” by Pierce Brown, author of Red Rising. He will be joined in conversation byRobin Hobb, author of Assassin's Apprentice. Tickets are required in advance. What you need to know: All tickets must be purchased through Eventbrite. Pre-order of book will not grant you access to the event.There are two ticket options. Book-bundled tickets include a copy of the featured book. General Admission includes a donation to the Books to Students Fund.All tickets also include a special edition Jakob of Thorn’s Crusade Pin (gold metal + enamel)If you are unable to attend the event, your book will be placed on hold at our Lake Forest Park store. You may request to have your book placed on hold at our Ravenna or Seward Park location. Please allow time for transfer.Copies of The Devils and other books by Joe Abercrombie will be available for purchase at the store. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book in advance! For accessibility inquiries, please contact events@thirdplacebooks.com Click here for more about our COVID-19 policies for in-person events. Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:Tickets are required in advance. All tickets include a special edition Jakob of Thorn’s Crusade Pin (gold metal + enamel). About The Devils. . .A brand-new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie, featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends. Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side. Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, England, studied psychology at Manchester University, and worked as an editor of documentaries and live music before his first book, The Blade Itself, was published in 2006. Two further installments of the First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings, followed, along with three standalone books set in the same world: Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country. He has also written the Shattered Sea trilogy for young adults, the Age of Madness trilogy for old adults, and Sharp Ends, a collection of short stories. He lives in Bath, England, with his wife and three children. The Devils is his thirteenth novel. Robin Hobb is an American writer of Fantasy novels, including the award-winning Realm of the Elderlings series. She has also written and published extensively under the name Megan Lindholm. Her best known work is The Farseer Trilogy, now celebrating it's 25th birthday with a lavish illustrated edition, with work by the talented Magali Villeneuve. Other works include The Liveship Traders Trilogy, The Tawny Many Trilogy, The Rain Wild Chronicles, and The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. Robin resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives on a 14 acre pocket farm near Roy, with her family, which includes two rescued Belgian Malinois, Ginger and Molly, fifteen chickens, a gander and 8 ducks, numberous volunteers mallards and a cat named Little Black Dog. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Third Place Books and the North Cascades Institute present Alison Jean Cole as part of our Spring 2025 Nature of Writing series! Cole will be discussing her new book, A Rockhound’s Guide to Oregon & Washington. The Pacific Northwest’s complex geologic history makes it a treasure trove for rockhounds. Collected here are 60 sites where you can explore ancient sea-floors, epic lava flows, glacier-carved landscapes, and evidence of 200 million years of tectonic action. Discover agates and jaspers in the volcanic Cascade Range and marine fossils along the Oregon Coast. Search for concretions along the Olympic Peninsula, petrified wood in the Owyhee Uplands, and much more. This event is free and open to the public. This event is co-sponsored by the North Cascades Institute, a nonprofit conservation organization working to inspire environmental stewardship through transformative learning experiences in nature. Learn more at ncascades.org. For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance. About A Rockhound's Guide to Oregon & Washington. . .An authoritative, colorful guide to the best rockhounding sites in Washington and Oregon Features 60 outstanding rockhounding sites Emphasizes rockhounding basics, sustainable collecting, and Leave No Trace principles Each location features an overview of the area’s geologic history along with what types of rocks and fossils you may find The Pacific Northwest’s complex geologic history makes it a treasure trove for rockhounds. Collected here are 60 sites where you can explore ancient sea-floors, epic lava flows, glacier-carved landscapes, and evidence of 200 million years of tectonic action. Discover agates and jaspers in the volcanic Cascade Range and marine fossils along the Oregon Coast. Search for concretions along the Olympic Peninsula, petrified wood in the Owyhee Uplands, and much more. In addition to detailed information on where exactly to begin a rock hunt, every location features an overview of the area’s geologic history and age, what types of rocks are worth finding there, needed tools, land manager, and collection limits. Clear driving directions with GPS coordinates, road quality and trip safety information, best season to go, and an informative map round out each description. Whether you are a geology enthusiast or a die-hard rockhound, a fine arts jeweler or a lifelong pebble puppy, I wrote this book with every type of rock-lover in mind. Out here, interesting rocks are everywhere. Let’s go find them. --FROM THE INTRODUCTION Alison Jean Cole is a geology enthusiast and artist. Frequently traveling all over the western states in search of material to use in her lapidary craft, she leads rockhounding expeditions, runs a geology festival in Utah, and is a proud member of the Mount Hood Rock Club. She is the author of Beautiful Rocks & How to Find Them, and publishes THUNDEREGG, a zine that focuses on the changing face of rockhounding culture. She lives in Portland, OR. Visit Alison online at alisonjeancole.com or Instagram @alisonjeancole.. About Third Place Books Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Third Place Books is delighted to welcome Seattle-based travel writer Marissa Pedersen to our Lake Forest Park store! She will be discussing Moon Washington State: National Parks, Local Food & Wine, Year-Round Recreation, an updated guide introducing visitors to the best of Washington and inviting locals to embark on new adventures. This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Click here for more about our COVID-19 policies for in-person events. Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance. About Moon Washington State . . .Stunning coastline, seaside towns, and a breathtaking array of natural wonders: Experience the best of the Evergreen State with Moon Washington State. In these pages, you'll find: Flexible itineraries, whether you're checking out the national parks, visiting the scenic Columbia River Gorge, or road-tripping the whole state.Can't-miss experiences and unique activities: Watch the fishmongers at Pike Place Market, enjoy panoramic views from the iconic Space Needle, or visit the charming towns of the San Juan Islands. Sample world-class wines in Walla Walla, savor fresh seafood, and soak up the atmosphere in a cozy coffee shop.Outdoor adventures:Hike through wildflower meadows in Mt. Rainier National Park, stroll through the lush Hoh Rainforest, and go sea kayaking in Friday Harbor. Take a whale watching trip, marvel at the varied landscapes of the North Cascades Scenic Byway, or bike along the Spokane River.Expert insight from Washington local Marissa Pedersen on when to go, where to stay, and how to get around.Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout.Thorough background information on the culture, landscape, climate, and wildlife, plus handy recommendations for international visitors, families with kids, travelers of color, solo travelers, and more.Focused coverage of Seattle, the Olympic Peninsula, the San Juan Islands, the North Cascades, Mount Rainier and the South Cascades, the Columbia River Gorge, and Eastern Washington.Marissa Pedersen is a Seattle-based travel writer who enjoys writing about local getaways, national parks, and road trips for her two travel websites, Postcards to Seattle and Road Trip Wanderers. When she's not traveling around the Pacific Northwest, you'll find her at the beer gardens at Seattle breweries, finding her new favorite hike around Washington, and planning her next adventure. About Third Place Books Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite

Third Place Books is delighted to welcome Elena Taylor and Jeff Ayersto our Lake Forest Park store! They will be discussing their novels A Cold, Cold World and Cold Burn. A Cold, Cold World follows a female sheriff striving to fill her late father's boots as a deadly snowstorm engulfs her small Washington mountain town. Meanwhile, in Cold Burn, mysterious deaths at several national parks signal a looming global catastrophe. This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here. Tickets:This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance. About A Cold, Cold World. . .A female sheriff tries to fill her late father’s boots and be the sheriff her small Washington State mountain town needs as a deadly snow storm engulfs the town, in this dark, twisty mystery. The world felt pure. Nature made the location pristine again, hiding the scene from prying eyes. As if no one had died there at all. In the months since Bet Rivers solved her first murder investigation and secured the sheriff’s seat in Collier, she’s remained determined to keep her town safe. With a massive snowstorm looming, it’s more important than ever that she stays vigilant. When Bet gets a call that a family of tourists has stumbled across a teen injured in a snowmobile accident on a mountain ridge, she braves the storm to investigate. However, once she arrives at the scene of the accident it’s clear to Bet that the teen is not injured; he’s dead. And has been for some time. . . Investigating a possible homicide is hard enough, but with the worst snowstorm the valley has seen in years threatening the safety of her town, not to mention the integrity of her crime scenes – as they seem to be mounting up as well – Bet has to move fast to uncover the complicated truth and prove that she’s worthy of keeping her father’s badge. About Cold Burn. . .Agent Michael Walker returns when multiple deaths at Glacier Bay National Park are just the first steps in a potential global disaster. National Park Service investigator Michael Walker is battling smugglers stealing priceless artifacts when he’s dispatched to Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, where, in the first stage of a potential global disaster, a team of scientists has gone missing. Meanwhile, in Florida’s Everglades National Park, FBI special investigator Gina Delgado traces the murder of an environmental science intern back to another U.S. Geological Survey team’s ongoing experiments that are decimating the fragile ecosystem. That is before she’s dispatched to the scene of a sunken U.S. nuclear submarine, the entire crew of which has inexplicably been killed. The connection between these disparate investigations lies in a deadly prehistoric organism, frozen for thousands of years in the ice until global warming brings it back to life in what could mean the death of all life on Earth. An organism that a rogue billionaire sees as the ultimate fuel source and a Russian strongman views as the ultimate weapon that can shift the global balance of power forever. Against that backdrop, Walker and Delgado find themselves desperately doing battle across multiple fronts against an ancient, unstoppable enemy. Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to novels. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries—written under the name Elena Hartwell—introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime-fighting duo. The Bet Rivers mystery series returned Elena to her dramatic roots, with darker, more atmospheric novels. Elena is a senior developmental editor with Allegory Editing and writes the Wait, Wait, Don't Query (Yet!) series of short books on writing craft. Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she and her hubby own south of Spokane, Washington. Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph. D from the University of Georgia. Jeff Ayers is the author of several books, including Voyages of Imagination. He has been a book reviewer for the Associated Press, Library Journal, and Booklist, and currently reviews for Criminal Element and firstCLUE. He is a retired public librarian and lives near Seattle, Washington. A. J. Landau is the pseudonym for two authors, Jon Land, the award-winning, bestselling author and co-author of more than fifty books, and Jeff Ayers, reviewer, former-librarian, and author. About Third Place BooksFounded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events. Information Source: Third Place Books | eventbrite