Book excerpt: Nathan Vass has been driving a Seattle city bus at night for the last decade. He began writing a popular blog, The View from Nathan's Bus, about his encounters with the riders of the No. 7 bus, which cuts through the heart of the city's Rainier Valley, one of the most racially and ethnically diverse zip codes in the US. Nathan's blog entries grew into this book. His stories and photography illuminate an overlooked part of urban life and highlight the simple connections people make on a daily basis. His depictions of interactions on the city bus range from heartbreaking to hilarious to inspiring.