In the final episode of season three, Elyssa and her guest Jody, JCPL’s marketing manager and sometimes podcast producer, dig into great true stories. They discuss Erik Larson, Stephen Ambrose, Timothy Egan, Melissa and others, and the Back Stories are revealed.

Are you looking for your next great read, or want to learn

Here are the books and resources discussed in this episode.

Thriller Books

 Beach Reads

Inspirational Books

Dystopian Books

Nonfiction Books

 Resources Talked About

Podcasts Discussed

Jesse Biggerman, Johnson County Recycling District Executive Director, discusses presidents, historians and Dr. Seuss, while Elyssa examines science fiction books, movies and more.

JCPL’s Franklin Branch Manager, Tiffany Wilson, examines the stories behind Dame Agatha Christie and shares her experience acting in and directing several of Christie’s plays. Elyssa digs into Ruth Ware, an Authors at JCPL visitor in 2023 and a self-proclaimed Agatha Christie fan. Play it now and see if they both live to the end of the podcast!

Susan Crisafulli, president of the Imagination Library of Johnson County, joins Elyssa for a behind-the-scenes look at the mission and growth of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in our county. The Imagination Library of Johnson County has mailed more than 149,000 books.

Elyssa and her guest Erin share the books, resources and other details about their latest “Behind the Page” event. Here are the resources and book titles they discussed or mentioned in this podcast.

Adventure Books

Cozy Mysteries

Nonfiction Books

Paranormal Books

RomCom Books

Books that People Shared

Resources Talked About

Elyssa and her guest, Stephanie, of JCPL's White River Branch Library, give you the backstory of Frankenstein and Dracula.

In this Back Stories bonus episode, Elyssa is joined by Erin from JCPL’s Clark Pleasant Branch. Erin provides the backstory on the Local Author Fair, which is scheduled for April 13, 2024. Forty-five authors are registered. Genres include picture books, memoirs, young adult novels, Christian self-help, gardening essays, poetry, romance, non-fiction and more.

Elyssa and Library Director Lisa Lintner provide the backstory on how the Snuggle Up with a Book Ball came to be and how it supports bringing New York Times bestselling authors to Johnson County as part of the Authors at JCPL series.

You will get an inside look at this fun ”event you don’t attend,” as well as authors and some of Lisa’s favorite books.

Your host, Elyssa, takes a look at Stephen King. She notes he writes pretty much everything except for Amish romance.

Elyssa’s guest is Franklin Branch Children’s Librarian Katie. Despite being a children’s librarian, she is also here to discuss horror. Although she started reading Stephen King when she was ten, she is here to give you the backstory on Grady Hendrix, the author of “How to Sell a Haunted House” and many other horror novels. Katie says, “There is such a playfulness” to his books.