Susanna Ryan

I love Seattle Walk Report, and I love discovering interesting tidbits about the city where I live. Every city has its secrets, and Susanna Ryan has a way of ferreting them out, mainly by taking long, contemplative rambles through every neighbourhood. In this volume, she tells stories about buildings, parks, streets, and features from architectural flourishes to standpipes. I'm nothing if not a fan of minutiae, and this book definitely satisfies that inclination. I hope I can find my way to some of these hidden gems, many of which can be found in my own neighbourhood!… (altro)

It has been over a year since I bought this book, after attending its launch at the public library. It sat on my bedside shelf, tempting me, but for whatever reason I never picked it up. And what a delightful volume it is! The author/artist clearly loves her city (also my city, now) and shows it in her charming cartoons and witty captions. In the conclusion she says she hopes readers will be inspired to take a walk—around the block or across town—and I certainly am. I have always been a walker, and it is a preferred way for my husband and me to get around, but the level of observation she achieves is way out of my league. I hope the next time we explore on foot, we will do it with our heads held a little higher, our eyes open a little wider.… (altro)