Book Buzz

Episode 128 - Air date: Nov. 16, 2025

JESSICA:

Hi, this is Jessica Russell. I’m the assistant director of collection services at Sno-Isle Libraries. And welcome to Book Buzz.

Today's two reading recommendations are both climate fiction novels published in 2025.

First, we’re going to hear from Kat, librarian at the Edmonds Library, for a story of an unexpected relationship in troubled times. Over to you, Kat.

KAT:

In “Awake in the Floating City” by Susanna Kwan, it has been raining for years, so much rain that Bo’s beloved San Francisco is literally under water. Bo has remained in a high-rise apartment where people navigate the city via bridges that connect rooftops.

For those who want to leave, opportunities are very hard to come by, but Bo’s cousin has worked tirelessly to arrange for her passage on the next available boat. Days ahead of her planned departure, she gets a note from a centenarian, Mia, a resident of her apartment building, requesting her caretaking services. Mia is not an easy person to be with. Still, Bo is paralyzed with indecisiveness. Should she honor her cousin and uncle and leave or honor her own profession by being caretaker for Mia.

Bo forges new beginnings through her evolving relationship with Mia. In time Mia reveals her own immigrant story and kindles in Bo the desire to reconnect with her art. Through her art Bo finds a way to commemorate her city, her own family’s immigration story and that of so many others. The beauty of her art is its ephemeral quality.

“Awake in the Floating City” examines identity, what it means to feel connected to your home, family, and community and does it beautifully.

JESSICA:

Thanks, Kat! I’ve heard this is an impressive debut novel.

Next, let’s hear about an isolated family trying to survive in the face of catastrophe, from Jennifer, library associate at the Camano Island Library. Take it away, Jennifer.

JENNIFER:

Thanks, Jessica. Set on the remote Shearwater Island — loosely based on Macquarie Island between Australia and Antarctica — “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy explores themes of grief, isolation, survival, and the fragile bonds of family in a world teetering on the edge of environmental collapse.

Dominic Salt, a widowed father, has spent eight years raising his three children on Shearwater, a former research station now abandoned due to rising sea levels. The island houses the Shearwater Global Seed Vault, a last-ditch effort to preserve biodiversity in case of global catastrophe. As the family prepares to leave, a mysterious woman washes up ashore during a violent storm, setting off a chain of events that unravel long-buried secrets and emotional tensions.

“Wild Dark Shore” is not just a thriller — it’s an exploration of what it means to protect those we love in a world that’s unraveling. The novel asks urgent questions: What future is worth surviving for? What do we choose to save when not everything can be preserved?

Oh – and there are little vignettes throughout the novel with fascinating information on the jobs of different plants and how interconnected life is.

“Wild Dark Shore” left me having big, big thoughts about life, love, family and survival.

I hope this book becomes a movie!

JESSICA:

Thanks, Jennifer! A thriller that explores family and survival sounds like a wild ride.

Our recommendations this week are: “Awake in the Floating City” by Susanna Kwan and “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy.

Join us next time, when we’ll explore more great reading recommendations — interesting books you can find at your favorite local bookstore or at your local library.

Until then, I’m Jessica Russell from Sno-Isle Libraries.

Thanks for joining us for Book Buzz on KSER.