The Lives of Butterflies: A Natural History of Our Planet’s Butterfly Life

David G. James and David J. Lohman 

Princeton University Press: 2024

This comprehensive, authoritative, and beautifully illustrated book by Washington State University entomologist David James describes the biology, ecology, and lives of butterflies around the world.

 

Indigenizing Archaeology: Putting Theory into Practice

Edited by Emily Van Alst and Carlton Shield Chief Gover

University Press of Florida: 2024

Early-career Indigenous scholars conducting research in North America are advancing archaeological study done with, by, and for members of Native-descendant communities. Van Alst, assistant professor of anthropology at WSU, and other contributors highlight examples of Indigenous methodologies and approaches to research.

 

The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime

Eija Sumner (’90 Gen. Stu.) and Nici Gregory 

Tundra: 2024

Don’t even think about telling this fierce and ferocious, spirited, and perhaps a bit stubborn little mermaid to go to bed. Sleep, as this whimsical under-the-sea children’s book declares, “is for guppies.” Sweet dreams⁠—they’re “for garden eels.” Will the “scary” little mermaid ever settle down and catch some zzz’s?

 

Game Theory: An Introduction with Step-by-Step Examples

Ana Espinola-Arredondo and Felix Muñoz-Garcia 

Palgrave Macmillan: 2023

WSU economists Ana Espinola-Arredondo and Felix Muñoz-Garcia provide a student-focused introductory textbook on game theory, which helps readers understand how people make choices while anticipating the decisions of others.

 

Four Anxious Armadillos

Lauri Cruver Cherian ’86 Ed., illustrated by Marianela Muller

Bookbaby: 2024

Nilda, a nine-banded armadillo, is on a quest to cure herself of anxiety in this children’s book that ventures through the wilds of Argentina. Along the way, Nilda and three armadillo friends face a jaguar, an anaconda, and more while practicing coping skills and just maybe teaching you some Spanish.

 

Living, Loving, and Laughing with Animals, The Adventures of a Country Veterinarian

Raymond “Ray” Ediger ’61 DVM

2023

Raymond “Ray” Ediger, who runs Green Spring Farm in Maryland, spent more than six decades as a veterinarian. His charming memoir is full of life lessons and humorous, heartwarming stories about animals, the octogenarian author’s own family, and his Oregon childhood.

 

In the Spaces between Us

Yvonne Higgins Leach ’83 English

Kelsay Books: 2023

Yvonne Higgins Leach, who splits her time between Spokane and Vashon Island, writes lyrically about nature, neighbors, home, family, shelter dogs, wild animals, and the love and understanding found in in-between spaces. This exquisite collection of poems, her second full-length poetry book, is a finalist for the Sally Albiso Poetry Book Award and the Wandering Aengus Book Award.

 

The Bowels of Madness: A Journalist’s Manic, Delusionary Journey in California’s Mental Health System

Steve Diddy ’94 Comm.

Page Publishing: 2023

KMPH-Fresno reporter and anchor Steve Diddy explores his own tumultuous battle with mental health professionals, antipsychotic medications, jail confinement, and psychiatric facilities in this irreverent memoir.

 

A Muckleshoot Poetry Anthology: At the Confluence of the Green and White Rivers

Curated by Susan Landgraf

WSU Press: 2024

This slim but compelling volume features the work of two artists and more than 50 poets of Indigenous heritage living on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation near Auburn and writing about identity, loss, home, and family.

 

I, Albert Peabody: Confessions of a Serial Killer

Jerry P. Schellhammer ’87 English

Austin Macauley: 2023

Set in Spokane and Eastern State Hospital, this psychological thriller takes readers into the mind of an 85-year-old serial killer as he chronicles the calculated killings he’s committed over the course of decades.

 

Unique Eats and Eateries of Spokane

Adriana Janovich

Reedy Press: 2024

Explore more than 80 interesting and iconic restaurants⁠—from Anthony’s at Spokane Falls to Zip’s Drive-In⁠—with this lively and approachable guide to dining out in Spokane. Adriana Janovich served as the food editor at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane from 2013 to 2019 before joining the staff at Washington State Magazine as associate editor.

Web exclusive: A talk with Adriana Janovich about the Spokane restaurant scene