Behind the Books

Debby Scherholz, Friends of the Hickory Corner Library President, shares the magic that happens behind the scenes of one of our invaluable Friends groups. Jonathan Gould discusses his latest book, Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock. Shannon Tuorto provides an overview of A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna during "60 Seconds with Shannon."

Intro and Welcome

3:13 Interview with Debby Scherholz

13:29 Programs and Services @ MCLS

17:38 60 Seconds with Shannon

18:49 Interview with Jonathan Gould

32:47 Summary and Closing

Learn more about Jonathan Gould at https://www.jonathangouldauthor.com/

Learn about the 2025 Amateur Photo Contest, "Our Vibrant World" at https://mcl.org/events/amateur-photo-contest/

More information about Friends of the Library groups at the different branches is available at https://mcl.org/about/friends-of-the-library/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

60 Seconds with Shannon features A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, which is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠⁠⁠⁠SoulProdMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠ via ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠; music between segments is provided via ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Tyler Restucci discusses with Anna and Bob her role at the Twin Rivers Branch. Contemporary fiction author XiXi Tian delves into her upcoming novel, All the Way Around the Sun, available September 30. Shannon Tuorto is back with a "60 Seconds with Shannon" to share her thoughts on Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell.

Intro and Welcome

3:12 Interview with Tyler Restucci

13:34 Programs and Services @ MCLS

17:50 60 Seconds with Shannon

19:21 Interview with XiXi Tian

32:07 Summary and Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about XiXi Tian at https://www.xixiwrites.com

Additional information about the 2025 Summer Reading program is available at https://mcl.org/events/summer-reading-program/

Learn about the 2025 Amateur Photo Contest, "Our Vibrant World" at https://mcl.org/events/amateur-photo-contest/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

60 Seconds with Shannon featured Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell, which is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠⁠⁠SoulProdMusic⁠⁠⁠ via ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠; music between segments is provided via ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠.

Rebekkah Siegelheim provides the inside scoop of a student assistant's work amidst the carts of books at the Hopewell Branch. Angela M. Sanders discusses the last installment of her Witch Way Librarian Mysteries series, Witch and Tell, as well as a A Whiff of Murder -- a debut spin-off from Witch Way Librarian Mysteries -- due out February 2026.

Intro and Welcome

3:05 Rebekkah Siegelheim

10:31 Programs and Services @ MCLS

13:38 Interview with Angela M. Sanders

26:41 Summary and Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about Angela M. Sanders at https://www.angelamsanders.com/

Additional information about the 2025 Summer Reading program is available at https://mcl.org/events/summer-reading-program/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠⁠SoulProdMusic⁠⁠ via ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠; music between segments is provided via ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠.

Jennifer French discusses her role at the Ewing Branch with Anna and Bob. Mia Sosa, an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, discusses her most recent book, When Javi Dumped Mari. Shannon Tuorto is back with a "60 Seconds with Shannon," featuring a selection of "beach reads" for our listeners.

Intro and Welcome

3:52 Interview with Jennifer French

11:57 Programs and Services @ MCLS

15:38 Sixty Seconds with Shannon

16:50 Interview with Mia Sosa

30:58 Summary and Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about Mia Sosa at https://miasosa.com/

Additional information about the 2025 Summer Reading program is available at https://mcl.org/events/summer-reading-program/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

Learn more about Arm in Arm and its services at: https://arminarm.org/

Titles shared during "60 Seconds with Shannon" are available from MCLS: Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, Love Haters by Katherine Center, as well as Deep End and Problematic Summer Romance both by Ali Hazelwood. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl

Angela Fee-Maimon from the West Windsor branch, shares her library experience with Anna and Bob.  Novelist and poet Laurie Sheck discusses her most recent novel, Cyborg Fever.  Shannon Tuorto provides an overview of Our Infinite Fates, by New York Times bestselling Young Adult author Laura Steven, during "60 Seconds with Shannon."

No Cyborgs Here

Intro and Welcome

5:14 Interview with Angela Fee-Maimon

14:11 Programs and Services @ MCLS

17:50 Sixty Seconds with Shanno

18:57 Interview with Laurie Sheck

30:15 Summary and Closing 

Show Notes:

Learn more about Laurie Sheck at https://www.lauriesheck.com/

Additional information about the 2025 Summer Reading program is available at https://mcl.org/events/summer-reading-program/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at ⁠https://events.mcl.org/⁠

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl 

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠SoulProdMusic⁠ via ⁠Pixabay⁠; music between segments is provided via ⁠Pixabay⁠.

Darya Tahvildar Zadeh discusses her role at the Hightstown Memorial Library Branch with Anna and Bob. Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author, Anne Wynter discusses her recent picture book, So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey. Shannon Tuorto is back with a "60 Seconds with Shannon," featuring an overview of #1 New York Times bestselling author, Fredrik Backman's newest release, My Friends.

Faces and Places

Intro and Welcome

4:29 Interview with Darya Tahvlldar-Zadeh

14:38 Programs and Services @ MCLS

18:07 Sixty Seconds with Shannon

19:27 Interview with Anne Wynter

32:16 Summary and Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about Anne Wynter at https://annewynter.com/https://annewynter.com/

Additional information about the 2025 Summer Reading program is available at https://mcl.org/events/summer-reading-program/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl

Opening and closing music provided by SoulProdMusic via Pixabay; music between segments is provided via Pixabay.

Kartika Shree shares her experience at the West Windsor Branch with Anna and Bob.  Award-winning poet and novelist Diane Wald discusses her most recent novel, The Bayrose Files, as well as transitioning back and forth between poetry and fiction.  Shannon Tuorto is back with "60 Seconds with Shannon," featuring an overview of the newest release, The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds, by USA Today bestselling author, Jennifer Morgan.

Intro and Welcome
3:16 Interview with Kartika Shree

13:06 Programs and Services @ MCLS

16:41 Sixty Seconds with Shannon

17:51 Interview with Diane Wald
30:16 Summary and Closing 

Show Notes:

Learn more about Diane Wald at https://dianewald.org/

Additional information about Whazoodles is available at https://mcl.org/new-at-mcls-whazoodle-speaker-sidekick/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

The Vanishing of Josephine Baker by Jennifer Moorman is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl 

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠⁠SoulProdMusic ⁠⁠via ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠; music between segments is provided via ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠.

Anna and Bob talk with Susan Cox about her role in the Circulation Department at the Hopewell Branch. Juana Martinez-Neal discusses her experience as a picture book illustrator/writer, sharing details about illustrating the recently released, Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa (written by Sara Andrea Fajardo), as well as the upcoming release, A Gift of Dust (written by Martha Brockenbrough). Shannon Tuorto is back with a "60 Seconds with Shannon," featuring an overview of the picture book, Don't Trust Fish, written by Neil Sharpson and illustrated by Dan Santat.

Intro and Welcome

4:47 Interview with Susan Cox

15:02 Programs and Services @ MCLS

17:39 Sixty Seconds with Shannon

18:52 Interview with Juana Martinez-Neal

31:11 Summary and Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about Juana Martinez-Neal at https://juanamartinezneal.com/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

Don't Trust Fish, written by Neil Sharpson and illustrated by Dan Santat is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠SoulProdMusic ⁠via ⁠Pixabay⁠; music between segments is provided via ⁠Pixabay⁠.

Marwa Khurshid discusses her role at the Hightstown Memorial Library Branch with Anna and Bob.  Emmeline Duncan talks cozy mysteries with a twist -- specifically her recent release, Fatal Brouhaha from the Ground Rules series, as well as the next installment of the Halloween Bookshop series, Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding (forthcoming July 29, 2025).  Shannon Tuorto is back with a "60 Seconds with Shannon," featuring an overview of the newest release, Death of the Author, by science fiction/fantasy author, Nnedi Okorafor.

Ground Rules @ the Library

Intro and Welcome

2:54 Interview with Marwa Khurshid

11:05 Programs and Services @ MCLS

15:06 Sixty Seconds with Shannon

16:19 Interview with Emmeline Duncan

29:21 Summary and Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about Emmeline Duncan at https://emmelineduncan.com/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠SoulProdMusicvia ⁠Pixabay⁠;music between segments is provided via ⁠Pixabay⁠.

Anna and Bob talk with Lauren Fredrick about her position in the Youth Services Department at the West Windsor Branch.  Alka Joshi shares her pathway to being a writer, as well as insight to her newly released novel, Six Days in Bombay. Shanon Tuorto is back with a "60 Seconds with Shannon," featuring an overview of the newest release, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by horror/thriller author, Grady Hendrix.

Intro and Welcome

3:57 Interview with Lauren Fredrick

13:07 Programs and Services @ MCLS

16:55 Sixty Seconds with Shannon

18:06 Interview with Alka Joshi

34:00 Summary and Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about Alka Joshi at https://www.alkajoshi.com/

Additional information about A Poetry Happening: Mercer Poets Read can be accessed via https://mcl.org/call-for-poems/

Register for upcoming virtual programs and branch events, using the MCLS Event Page, located at https://events.mcl.org/

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is available from MCLS. Check the MCLS Catalog via https://merl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/mcl

Opening and closing music provided by ⁠SoulProdMusic⁠ via ⁠Pixabay⁠;music between segments is provided via ⁠Pixabay⁠.