The best book recommendations don’t come from algorithms. They don’t come from influencers, either. The best book recommendations come from friends. In this case, that friend is Thomas Kohnstamm, the author of Seattle Met’s first ever book club selection, Supersonic. 

Thomas reached out earlier this year to suggest that we consider the book that has now become our second selection: Moira Macdonald’s Storybook Ending. This is fitting, because Storybook Ending is, among other things, a book about the books we read, and how while reading is in some ways a solitary activity, it’s also a communal one. Its setting—a Seattle bookstore that will look very familiar to our subscribers—is a place where books are treasured, shared, and sometimes become more than just books.

When I read Storybook Ending, I couldn’t help but make the typical “ooh I recognize this” face. Nor could I help myself from turning page after page in rapid succession. The book is  part romance, part comedy of manners. And it’s very Seattle in 2025.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll have guest posts from the author, who also happens to be a longtime arts critic for The Seattle Times, sharing details and insights about her book. We hope you pick it up from your favorite independent bookstore or library branch and read along ahead of our live event with the author on October 29. You can also sign up here for emails with more information.