Seattle: At the front of the literacy pack
In Spring of 2008, Seattle was named the 2nd most literate city in the country (trailing behind chilly Minneapolis, Minnesota). So cool, right?! The study, conducted by Central Connecticut State University, was based on six literacy criteria - newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and internet resources.
And Seattle's been in the top 10 (including a couple years as number one) since the rankings started in 2003.
So what does this mean? It means you should get out there and stretch your literacy muscle, dawgs! Check out an upcoming reading at Third Place Books (bonus - you can grab coffee at Honey Bear Bakery while you're there or browse used books in addition to new), an event at Elliott Bay Book Company, or take advantage of the incredible resources available to you at your local library, whether here at UW, in Seattle proper, or in the greater Puget Sound. Want to patronize only independent bookstores? Well you're in luck, you savvy Seattlite - NW Source's "Peoples Picks" includes a Favorite Independent Bookstore category.
And here's the fun thing - just because you spend all year reading academic textbooks doesn't mean that reading can't still be fun (seriously!). Check out the lists of recommended reads from local libraries (like KCLS's "Books We Like" page), browse the list of topsellers at Barnes and Noble's website or other online retailers, or check out the New York Times' best seller list, which includes everything from chick lit beach reads to non-fiction and biography.
Read any good books lately? Have a favorite bookstore you want to give a shout out to? We welcome your comments!
