KUOW Book Club's November pick is pulled from the blog of PNW great Ursula K. Le Guin

The KUOW Book Club is reading "No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters" by Ursula K. Le Guin this month.

Le Guin, the celebrated speculative fiction author perhaps best known for her "Earthsea" series, died in Portland in 2018. But to say to she continues to inspire readers and writers alike is an understatement that is about as vast as the worlds she created.

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I've been looking for the right way to bring her to the club, and "No Time to Spare" is it. I happened upon a used copy of the book recently, which feels like kismet, so I'm leaning into it.

This is not one of her incredible works of speculative or science fiction. "No Time to Spare" is actually a collection of the best pieces from her blog of the same name, which she took up writing late in her life. The blog was where Le Guin meditated on aging, the state of literature, and even breakfast. It has a little something for everyone from one of the best writers to have ever lived in this region.

I also picked this book because I'll be out of the country for the latter half of November. That means I'm on a tight schedule this month, so we're doing things a little differently for the reading.

Here's my proposal:

• Read "Catching Up, Ha Ha" (page 18) and at least one other piece from part one or two by November 10.
• Read "About Anger" (page 136) and at least one other piece from part three or four by November 24.

I'll send out a newsletter on each date, as per usual, but of course, there will not be an author interview this month. I'm hoping to revisit Le Guin's work at some point and plan to reach out to former colleagues, friends, and protégés as I did when we read "Fledgling" by Octavia Butler.

RELATED: 'Fledgling' is Octavia Butler's unfinished but fundamental legacy

Subscribe to the book club newsletter here, and join the conversation by emailing me directly at kcampbell@kuow.org.