Quick Picks

Though there are so many sub-genres of fantasy and science fiction, and so many formats to enjoy, Nick joins me to talk about some of our favorite books, movies, and video games.

Discussed:

Song of Ice and Fire, by George RR Martin

Roadside Picnic, by Arkady Strugatsky

Pacific Drive (video game)

Dead Silence, by SA Barnes

Circe, by Madeline Miller

Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

God of War (video game)

Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baldree

Stardew Valley (video game)

Uprooted, by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik

Temeraire series, by Naomi Novik

The Scholomance trilogy, by Naomi Novik

Alice Isn't Dead, by Joseph Fink

Welcome to Night Vale (fiction podcast)

Sworn Soldier series, by T. Kingfisher

The Lighthouse Witches, by CJ Cooke

The O.A. (Netflix)

The Odyssey, by Homer

The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

Annihilation (Southern Reach trilogy), by Jeff VanderMeer

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Poor Things (movie)

Heartstopper (manga series), by Alice Oseman

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

Other recommendations from our library:

The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater

Six Crimson Canes by Elizabeth Lim

Caraval series by Stephanie Garber

Monsters of Verity by Victoria Schwab

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo

Ark of a Scythe by Neil Schusterman

Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed series) by Octavia Butler

Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight trilogy) by Katherine Arden

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

Anything by Neil Gaiman

Anything by Douglas Adams

Anything by Terry Pratchet

Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Martian by Andy Weir

Artemis by Andy Weir

Rat Queens by Kurtis Weibe

I Hate Fairyland by Skottie Young

Poppy War by RF Juang

Bone by Jeff Smith

Arrival by Shaun Tan

All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones

Hell's Library series by AJ Hackwith

After the Forest by Kell Woods

Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

Tana saves the day with her vast knowledge of all the Oscar nominations for Best Motion Picture and shares her predictions and favorites.

Discussed:

American Fiction

Anatomy of a Fall

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

Zone of Interest

The surest way to give books free publicity and promotion is to point fingers at them and attempt to ban them. Often those books are so valuable, enlightening, and great for forging connections, that depriving certain people of the ability to experience them is a hot topic. Nick Rodriguez, our Teen Librarian, is starting a Banned Book Club at our local high school and he joins me to talk about potential titles for this program and the importance of fighting censorship.

Discussed:

Maus, by Art Spiegelman

Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

1984, by George Orwell

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien

Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo

Flamer, by Mike Curato

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe

Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Alice Isn't Dead, by Joseph Fink

Video game: Outer Wilds

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Crank, by Ellen Hopkins

Every episode of Quick Picks is essentially a list of stuff we recommend, but the list of our favorite books at the end of the year is the episode Tana and I look forward to the most. Below are the books we discussed and a list of the books others at the library thought were the best.

Discussed:

Calling for a Blanket Dance, by Oscar Hokeah

Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

All the Sinners Bleed, by S.A. Cosby

The Queen of Dirt Island, by Donal Ryan

Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano

Small Mercies, by Dennis Lehane

The Running Grave, by Robert Galbraith

Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

The Fox Wife, by Yangsze Choo

The River We Remember, by William Kent Krueger

House with Good Bones, by T. Kingfisher

I Have Some Questions for You, by Rebecca Makkai

Lone Women, by Victor Lavalle

Delicious Monsters, by Liselle Sambury

The Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow

We Meant Well, by Erum Shazia Hasan

The Celebrants, by Stephen Rowley

The Last Devil to Die, by Richard Osman

Vampires of El Norte, by Isabel Cañas

September House, by Carissa Orlando

Twyford Code, by Janice Hallett

Highway of Tears, by Jessica McDiarmid

Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, by Michiko Aoyama (Alison Watts (Translator)

Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride

Bea Wolf, by Zach Weinersmith

Other recommendations:

The Change, by Kristen Miller

Blood and Ash series, by Jennifer Armentrout

Red, White, and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

Rhapsodic, by Laura Thalassa

Children of Chicago, by Cynthia Pelayo

Once Upon a Broken Heart series, by Stephanie Garber

If He Had Been with Me, by Laura Nowlin

Before We Were Strangers, by Renee Carlino

Sword Catcher, by Cassandra Clare

Small-Town Crafter series, by Tom Watts

Battle Mage Farmer series, by Seth Ring

Not all holiday movies need to be squeaky clean kids' stuff. There's a lot out there for adults as well and Nick Rodriguez joins me to discuss some of our favorite off-beat holiday favorites.

Discussed:

Elf

Nightmare Before Christmas

Christmas Story

Bad Santa

Krampus

Black Christmas

The Ref

Home Alone

Bad Moms Christmas

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas

Christmas With the Kranks

Love Actually

Stepmom

The Holiday

Muppets Christmas Carol

Spirited

Klaus

Jingle Jangle

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Frosty the Snowman

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1965)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Charlie Brown Christmas

It's a SpongeBob Christmas

Ed, Edd 'n Eddy's Jingle Jingle Jangle

Wish For Wings That Work

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Star Wars Holiday Special

Tana and I have some spooky, creepy, gory, and frightening books for this spooky season for you, almost all of them new releases.

The Vampires of El Norte, by Isabel Cañas

The Hacienda, by Isabel Cañas

Murder Road, by Simone St. James

Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, by Grady Hendrix

How to Sell a Haunted House, by Grady Hendrix

Spite House, by Johnny Compton

My Heart is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones

Don't Fear the Reaper, by Stephen Graham Jones

Crossroads, by Laurel Hightower

Arnold's Letter, by Michael Van Der Voort

All Hallows, by Christopher Golden

Downpour, by Christopher Hawkins

Delicious Monsters, by Nichelle Samburg

Nightmare Man, by J. H. Markert

Nestlings, by Nat Cassidy

Let Him In, by William Friend

Winter People, by Jennifer McMahon

Ghost 19, Simone St. James

Loss and dealing with it is a life lesson we learn early on, and it can come up in so many different ways, with us all dealing with it in different ways. Michelle joins me today to talk about some books that were meaningful to us and imparted empathy for characters going through losing someone they love. These are not just books that address grief. There are so many stories and so many characters, they just each have a burden of loss they carry with them.

Discussed (Tissue rating, out of 5):

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt (3 tissues)

Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston (3 tissues)

The Guncle, by Stephen Rowley (5 tissues)

The Celebrants, by Stephen Rowley

Before I Let Go, by Kennedy Ryan (4 tissues)

Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (5 tissues)

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrik Backman

Beartown, by Fredrik Backman

Killers of a Certain Age, by Deanne Raybourn (2 tissues)

The Half Moon, by Mary Beth Keane (2 tissues)

Amazing Grace Adams, by Fran Littlewood

Go As a River, by Shelley Read

Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer

Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Other recommendations from Michelle:

The Supremes at Early's All-You-Can-Eat, by Edward Kelsey Moore

The Secret to Hummingbird Cake, by Celeste Fletcher McHale

The Accidental Text, by Becky Monson

The Ways We Hide, by Kristina McMorris

Surviving Savannah, by Patti Callahan

The Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, by Marianne Cronin

P.S. I Love You, by Cecilia Ahern

Truly Madly Guilty, by Liane Moriarty

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, by Lisa See

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, by Balli Kaur Jaswal

The Unsinkable Greta James, by Jennifer E. Smith

A Year on Ladybug Farm, by Donna Ball

Under the Southern Sky, by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Smells Like Tween Spirit, by Laurie Gelman

One True Loves, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, by Phaedra Patrick

Thank You For Listening, by Julia Whalen

Truths I Never Told You, by Kelly Rimmer

House of Eve, by Sadeua Johnson

Under the Magnolias, by T.I. Lowe

A Wish for Winter, by Viola Shipman

The Secret of Snow, by Viola Shipman

Tana is back and we share our favorites from this summer

Books:

Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano

The Bookbinder, by Pip Williams

The Celebrants, by Steven Rowley

Queen Hereafter, by Isobel Schuler

Monstrilio, by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

The Anomaly, by Hervé Le Tellier

TV:

The Lincoln Lawyer

Movies:

Oppenheimer

Mission Impossible

Summer reads are a favorite theme of mine and I am always looking for fun books that fall into this category, so I'm sharing my recommendations with you with the hopes that you might also find some good ones.

Literary Fiction:

Keeper of Lost Things, by Ruth Hogan

Return to Valleto, by Dominic Smith

The Librarianist, by Patrick deWitt

The Guncle, by Steven Rowley

Cozies:

The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules, Catherine Ingelman-Sundberg

Carlene O'Connor books: Irish Village Mysteries, County Kerry Mysteries, and Home to Ireland Mysteries

Richard Osman books: Thursday Murder Club series

Alan Bradley books: Flavia de Luce series

Rom-Coms:

Beth O'Leary books: The Flatshare, The No-Show, The Road Trip, and The Switch

Sophie Kinsella books: Shopaholic series, Remember Me, and I've Got Your Number

Lily Bennett's Bucket List, by Katherine Dyson

Steamy Romance:

Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang

Darynda Jones books: Charley Davidson series, Betwixt & Between series, and Sunshine Vicram series.

Chick Lit:

Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, by J. Ryan Stradal

Mary Alice Monroe books: Beach House series

Sandra Dallas books

Liane Moriarty books: What Alice Forgot, Truly Madly Guilty, Apples Never Fall and Big Little Lies

Dude Lit:

Reed Farrel Coleman books: Gus Murphy series

Last Flight of Poxl West, by Daniel Torday

IQ series, by Joe Ide

Harry Dresden series, by Jim Butcher

Alex McKnight series, by Steve Hamilton

SF/Fantasy:

Ink Blood Sister Scribe, by Emma Törzs

The Binding, by Bridget Collins

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

The Measure, by Nikki Erlick

House In the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett

Books about Greek myths: Circe, by Madeline Miller; Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller; Clytemnestra, by Costanza Casati; Psyche & Eros, by Luna McNamara; Atalanta, by Jennifer Saint; House of Names, by Colm Toibin

Mystery/Thrillers:

The Hawthorne and Horowitz Investigate series, by Anthony Horowitz

All the Sinners Bleed, by SA Cosby

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson

On a Quiet Street, by Seraphina Nova Glass

Harlan Coben books

Sally Hepworth books

Peter Swanson books

Jane Harper books

Nonfiction:

Soul of an Octopus, by Sy Montgomery

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, by Fredrik Backman

Memoirs: As You Wish, by Cary Elwis; Bossypants, by Tina Fey, Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh; Solutions and Other Problems, by Allie Brosh; anything by David Sedaris

A Walk In the Woods, by Bill Bryson

Mary Roach books: Stiff, Gulp, and Grunt

Nick joins us again this time to talk about the three most recent books he's discussed with his book club from March to May, and a sneak preview of upcoming books to be read and discussed over the summer.

Discussed:

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, by Akwaeke Emez

The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner

Once There Were Wolves, by Charlotte McConaghy

Upcoming:

Pineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson

The Half Moon, by Mary Beth Keane

Pieces of Blue, by Holly Goldbert Sloan

Tana is back to discuss some of our favorite memoirs by folks who are not celebrities, who have, arguably better stories to tell.

Discussed:

The Girl Who Smiled Beads, by Clemantine Wamariya

I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet, by Shauna Niequist

Almost American Girl, by Robin Ha

We Ate Wonder Bread, by Nicole Hollander

I'm Still Alive, by Roberto Saviano

Poppies of Iraq, by Bridgitte Findakly

Ducks, by Kate Beaton

Educated, by Tara Westover

Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance

Brain on Fire, by Suzannah Cahalan

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed

All That You Leave Behind, by Erin Lee Carr

The Liar's Club, by Mary Carr

In a Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado

The Dirty Life, by Kristen Kimball

Stitches, by David Small

Maus, by Art Spiegelman

Discussed:

Movies

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Rainman

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Forrest Gump

Girl, Interrupted

The Other Sister

Snow Cake

Silver Linings Playbook

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Still Alice

Please Stand By

The Accountant

Perks of Being a Wallflower

TV Shows

Big Bang Theory

The Good Doctor

As We See It

Nanette

Books

10 Steps to Nanette, by Hannah Gadsby

The Reason I Jump, Naoki Higashida

The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion

The Maid, by Nita Prose

Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus

Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon

Miracle Creek, by Angie Kim

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Good Sister, by Sally Hepworth

The Hilarious World of Depression, by John Moe

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

Fan Girl, by Rainbow Rowell

Unlike me, Tana is a big movie-watcher and she's joining me this episode to discuss all the movies nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and we'll also discuss a few others in other categories or nominees for other major awards.

Oscar: Best Picture

All Quiet on the Western Front

Avatar: The Way of Water

The Banshees of Inisherin

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

Top Gun: Maverick

Triangle of Sadness

Women Talking

Tár

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Nominated for Supporting Actress, Costume Design, Original Song, Visual Effects, Makeup and Hairstyling)

Menu (Nominated for Golden Globe Actor in Musical or Comedy)

Woman King (Nominated for Golden Globe Best Actress, BAFTA and others, snubbed by Academy)

RRR (Nominated for Original Song)

Tell It Like a Woman (Nominated for Original Song)

Argentina, 1985 (Nominated for International Film)

For Valentine's Day, Tana and I are happily talking about some of our favorite books with our favorite dogs, because the love of a dog is the purest love there is. We focus on modern books but pull from fiction, nonfiction, romance, memoirs, and children's books, and we will let you know if the dog dies. If ever in question and you need to know before committing to something, you can check www.doesthedogdie.com to find out if you'll need privacy, tissue and pet hugs or if it's safe to read while in public.

Discussed:

The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez (Dog: Apollo, may or may not die, ending ambiguous)

London's Number One Dog Walking Agency, by Kate MacDougall (Many dogs, one dies)

Love Story of Missy Carmichael, by Beth Morrey (Dog: Bob, dies)

Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow (Dog: 'Bad, does not die)

Lessons In Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus (Dog: 6:30, does not die)

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, Fredrik Backman (Dog: The Wurse, dies)

Once There Were Wolves, Charlotte McConaghy (Dog: wolf pack, some die)

Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Klune (Dog: Apollo, is a ghost)

Daily Coyote, by Sherve Stockton (Dog: Charlie the coyote, does not die)

Mongrel, by Steven Graham Jones (Dog: family of werewolves, do not die)

Stay, by Allie Larkin (Dog: Joe, does not die)

Fairy Tale, by Stephen King (Dog: Radar, doesn't die in the story, but does in the epilog)

Mountaintop School For Dogs, by Ellen Cooney (Dog: many, none die)

Ryder Creed series, by Alex Kava (Dog: many, none die in book 1)

Bernie and Chet series, by Spencer Quinn (Dog: Chet, does not die)

Andy Carpenter series, by David Rosenfelt (Dog: Tara, does not die)

Mrs. Murphy series, by Rita Mae Brown (Dog: many)

No Ordinary Dog, by Will Chesney (Dog: Cairo, dies)

War Dogs, by Rebecca Frankel (Dog: many, some die)

Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech (Dog: Sky, dies)

Before You Were Mine, Maribeth Boelts (Dog: two of them, one dies, one does not die)

With the end of the year, in every area of entertainment, you can find lists of the best, and between reading everyone else's lists, Tana and I compiled our own book lists and we're happy to share with the hopes you might also find something to love.

Tana's List:
The Winners, Fredrik Backman

Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt

Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

Cover Story, Susan Rigetti

Book of Goose, Yiyun Li

Signal Fires, Dani Shapiro

Mad Honey, Jodi Picoult

The Lioness, Chris Bohjalian

Swimmers, Julie Otsuka

Fresh Water for Flowers, Valérie Perrin

Honorable mention:

Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson

Last House on the Street, Diane Chamberlain

Nikki's List

The Winners, Fredrik Backman

Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt

Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

The Golden Enclaves: #3 in Scholomance Series, Naomi Novik

Take My Hand, Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Nine Lives, Peter Swanson

Ink Black Heart, Robert Galbraith

Fever, Mary Beth Keane

Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmer

Honorable mention:

Killers of a Certain Age, Deanna Raybourn

Woman in the Library, Sulari Gentill

The Hacienda, Isabel Cañas

The Book of Cold Cases, Simone St. James

Once There Were Wolves, Charlotte McConaghey

On a Quiet Street, Serafina Nova Glass

Thistlefoot, JennaRose Nethercott

At my library, Nick has an Adult Popular Fiction book discussion group and he joins me today to discuss the more recent books they've read. I'd like to apologize for some of the audio glitches that occurred while Nick spoke -- we had hours of technical difficulties and at the end, I accepted whatever I could get.

Discussed:
Joan is Okay, by Weike Wang

Last Night at the Lobster, by Stewart O'Nan

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Jacqueline in Paris, by Ann Mah

One Italian Summer, by Rebecca Serle

Briefly mentioned:

This Time Tomorrow, by Emma Straub

Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A lot of popular series have a new book that either just came out or is coming soon and Tana joins me to discuss our recent favorites.

Discussed:

The Mason Series: The Confession Club, by Elizabeth Berg

The Jaipur Trilogy: The Perfumist of Paris, by Alka Joshi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series: Before Your Memory Fades, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Finlay Donovan Series: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, by Elle Cosimano

Beartown Series: The Winners, by Fredrik Backman

Scholomance Series: The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik

Thursday Murder Club Series: The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Osman

I don't know what it is about summer that makes me want to read only fun books but I know I'm not alone. Whether it's a good thriller, a visit to a French graveyard, a safari, or a humorous letter to a man's son about life, we have a bunch of books that you can devour in a warm afternoon by the pool or on a road trip while there's still time. Buckle up, we've got some doozies.

Discussed: 

The Lioness, by Chris Bohjalian

Fresh Water for Flowers, by Valérie Perrin

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt

Music of Bees, by Eileen Garvin

The Winners, by Fredrik Backman

The Stranger, by Harlan Coben

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, Fredrik Backman

The Old Woman With the Knife, by Gu Byeong-mo

The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill

What better time to talk about patriotism and what it's like to be an American than Independence Day? And no matter how you feel about events going on in the country right now, you know deep down you have love and a pride in the idea of America, what it is, and what it could be with some work. Here are books that epitomize American life throughout history, the good and the bad.

Discussed:

Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann

There, There - Tommy Orange

Round House and The Sentence - Louise Erdrich

Flight - Sherman Alexie

Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer

The Witches - Stacy Schiff

Five Days at Memorial - Sheri Fink

1776 - David McCullough

Band of Brothers - Stephen E. Ambrose

The Good Soldiers and Thank You For Your Service - David Finkel

War Dogs - Rebecca Frankel

Midnight Assassin - Skip Hollandsworth

The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule

Black Dahlia - James Ellroy

Devil in the White City - Erik Larson

I'll Be Gone In the Dark - Michelle McNamara

Missoula - Jon Krakauer

Beloved - Toni Morrison

Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys and Harlem Shuffle - Coleson Whitehead

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Hate You Give - Angie Thomas

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

Twelve Years a Slave - Solomon Northup

I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sanchez

Ask a Mexican - Gustavo Arellano

The Devil's Highway - Luis Alberto Urrea

Operation Pedro Pan - Yvonne Conde

Hillbilly Elegy - JD Vance

Educated - Tara Westover

Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer

Malcom X, autobiography

Lost Continent and I'm a Stranger Here Myself and A Walk In the Woods - Bill Bryson

Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - Kim Michele Richardson

The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah

Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult

This Is Where It Ends - Marieke Nijkamp

Alex & Eliza - Melissa de la Cruz

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chobsky

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

The Crucible - Arthur Miller

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Happy Pride Month! We have a number of Pride-related programs going on at our library this month and in addition, Tana and I have lots of books to recommend from authors who identify as LGBTQ+ or have main characters who do. We hope there is something for everyone on our list. 

Discussed:

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, by Mariko Tamaki

Check, Please! (series), by Ngozi Ukazu

The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang

Vence (series), by C.S Pacat

The Times I Knew I Was Gay, by Eleanor Crewes

One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston

Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey

The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai

Outlawed, by Anna North

And the Band Played On, by Randy Shilts

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Guncle, by Steven Rowley

Aristotle & Dante (series), by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Burn It All Down, by Nicholas DiDomizio

In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado

Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo

Author T.J. Klune

Peaces, by Helen Oyeyemi

This Is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel

Author Sarah Waters

The Cabin at the End of the World, by Paul Tremblay

Mrs. Everything, by Jennifer Weiner

The Portrait of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

The Danish Girl, by David Ebershoff

Beartown (series), by Fredrik Backman

Naked Nutrition, by Daniel O'Shaughnessy

Nick, our commercial announcer, has a new book club at our library called Adult Popular Fiction, which meets the third Saturday of every month, and he has just finished the third book, so we thought we'd share the books he's had for the book discussion and what he thought of them.

Discussed:

Peaces, by Helen Oyeyemi

The Tiger Mom's Tale, by Lyn Liao Butler

Women of Salt, by Gabriela Garcia

May is Asian Heritage Month and to celebrate we are highlighting Asian authors who have written books we've loved that we wanted to share. There are a lot of countries in Asia and we don't have representation for all of them today, but stay tuned and we will surely have more to come.

Discussed:

Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Housekeeper and the Professor, by Yōko Ogawa

Pachinko, by Lee Min-jin

Last Story of Mina Lee, by Nancy Jooyoun Kim

Author Julie Otsuka: When the Emperor Was Divine; Buddha in the Attic; Swimmers

On Earth We're  Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong

Time Is a Mother, by Ocean Vuong

Night Tiger, by Yangsze Choo

Dial "A" for Aunties, by Jesse A. Sutanto

Clark & Division, by Naomi Hirahara

Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

Traveling Cat Chronicles, by Hiro Arikawa

Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, by Kim Fu

Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

Searching for Sylvie Lee, by Jean Kwok

They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei

The Mountains Sing, by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Library of Legends, by Janie Chang

White Chrysanthemum, by Mary Lunn Bracht

Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan

Other staff recommendations:

A Taste for Love, by Jennifer Yen

Cursed Bunny, by Bora Chung

Lonely Castle in the Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura

Author: Gen Luen Yang

Persepolis, by Maryjane Satrapi

She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan

The Chosen and the Beautiful, by Nghi Vo

The Cat Who Saved Books, by Sōsuke Natsukawa

Farewell My Concubine, by Lilian Lee

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden

March is many things to many people: the change of seasons, spring break, Lent, and the start of Daylight Savings. However, we are going to focus on Women's History Month to highlight female authors writing short stories. It's a shorter podcast but we still have quite a few suggestions for everyone and hope you find something you like among them.

Southern Lady Code: Essays -- Helen Ellis

Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light -- Helen Ellis

Simple Murder -- Linda Castillo

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall -- Diana Gabaldon

Everything Inside -- Edwidge Danticat

The Souvenir Museum -- Elizabeth McCracken

Stone Mattress: Nine Tales -- Margaret Atwood

Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket -- Hilma Wolitzer

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good -- Helene Tursten

Classics: 

Daphne du Maurier

Agatha Christie

Nick's Library Suggestion:

Steve joins me in this episode to discuss the results of our library's Best of 2021 ballots in many categories, including books and media. 

Fic:

Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell

Razorblade Tears - SA Cosby

The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah

The Other Emily - Dean Koontz

The Man Who Lived Underground - Richard Wright

She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan

The Lincoln Highway - Amor Towles

Mys/Thrill:

Razorblade Tears - SA Cosby

The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman

Firekeeper's Daughter - Angeline Boulley

You Love Me - Caroline Kepnes

The Other Emily - Dean Koontz

Rom:

Talk Bookish To Me - Kate Bromlet

Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows - Balli Kaur Jaswal

The Ex Hex - Erin sterling

The Becoming - Nora Roberts

Jay's Gay Agenda - Jason June

Sci-Fi/Fan:

The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune

Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doerr

Kingdom of Souls - Rena Barron

The Becoming - Nora Roberts

Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Jhao

She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan

Nonfic:

Notes on Grief - Chimamanda Ngozi Adeichie

Unforgotten: The Wild Life of Dian Fossey and Her Relentless Quest to Save Mountain Gorillas - Anita Silvey

The Comfort Book - Matt Haig

From Whisper to Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement - Paula Yoo

On Juneteenth -  Annette Gordon-Reed

How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America - Clint Smith

Cookbooks:

SkinnyTaste Air Fryer DInners - Gina Homolka

Tik Tok Recipes

Everyday Dinners: Real-Life Recipes to Set Your Family Up for a Week of Success - Jessica Merchant

I Hate to Cook Cookbook - Peg Bracken

Fast Easy Cheap Vegan - Sam Turnbull

Bio/Mem:

Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir - Michelle Zauner

The Soul of a Woman - Isabel Allende

Be a Work in Progress: And Other Things I'd Like To Tell My Younger Self - John Cena

YA:

Firekeeper's Daughter - Angeline Boulley

Take Me Home Tonight - Morgan Matson

Girlhood: Teens Around the World in Their Own Voices - Masuma Ahuja

The Corpse Queen - Heather Herrman

GN/Manga/Comic

Prince Freya - Keiko Ishihara

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks - Don Brown

In Love & Pajamas: A Collection of Comics About Being Yourself Together - Catana Chetwynd

Cat Massage Therapy - Haru Hisakawa

Youth Fic:

Finding Junie Kim - Ellen Oh

Milo Imagines the World - Matt de la Pena

Pic. Book:

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story - Kevin Noble Maillard

Milo Imagines the World - Matt de la Pena

Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued - Peter Sis

Album:

Red (Taylor's Version) -- Taylor Swift

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power -- Halsey

Haughty Melodic -- Mike Doughty

Song:

"Lil Bit" by Nelly & Florida Georgia Line

"Yonaguni" by Bad Bunny

"I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" by Halsey

"You're Not Alone" by Semisonic

Podcasts:

Quick Picks

Casefile

Spittin Chiclets

Daily Shine

Pretty Messed Up

Stolen: The Search for Jermain

Over My Dead Body: Fox Lake

For most people, the holiday season means family time, which can be wonderful or it can be incredibly frustrating. Tana is back to discuss some of our favorite books that are about family, the good and the bad.

Discussed:

The Lost Man, by Jane Harper

Tallgrass, by Sandra Dallas

Razorblade Tears, S. A. Cosby

The Survivors, by Jane Harper

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, by Heather Webber

The Mountains Sing, by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Dutch House, by Ann Patchett

Mentioned:

Persian Pickle Club, by Sandra Dallas

Patchwork Bride, by Sandra Dallas

Prayers for Sale, by Sandra Dallas

Blacktop Wasteland, S. A. Cosby

Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett