Books and Bites

We're saying goodbye to 2025 with this episode, and with it our Summer-Fall Books & Bites bingo card!

What better way to ring out the old year than with some of our favorite books published in 2025? Our picks include a darkly comic adventure story, a YA fantasy-mystery, and a novel that reinvents the werewolf story.

Carrie's Pick

• So Far Gone by Jess Walter
• Pairing: Turkey Pot Pie

Jacqueline's Pick

• Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia
• Pairing: Cranberry Salsa

Michael's Pick

• When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
• Pairing: Harvest Moon cocktail

On this episode, we discuss books with dragons. It’s one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. 

Our picks include a slow-burn romantasy, a speculative fantasy that takes place during the 1950s and 1960s, and a YA sci-fi and fantasy mashup.

Michael’s Pick

• Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang
• Pairing: Dragon’s Milk Ice Cream Float

Carrie's Pick

• When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
• Pairing: Ultimate Vegan Grilled Cheese

Jacqueline's Pick

• The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen
• Pairing: Dragon Flame Meringue Cookies

On this episode, we talk to Mary Anna Evans about her book, The Dark Library.

Want to discuss the book in person? Join us at Book Club: The Dark Library on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 pm. The first 10 people to register may pick up a free copy of the book at the Customer Service Desk.

Reading The Dark Library (or another book set in a library) is one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. 

Plus, if you read the book and 1) attend our Book Club discussion of it or 2) listen to the this episode of the Books & Bites podcast, you'll earn a free square of your choice!

To download two recipes featured in The Dark Library, visit our website.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15-Oct. 15, so what better time to discuss books by Hispanic-American authors? It’s one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge!

Michael's Pick

• Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera
• Pairing: The mojito, a classic Cuban cocktail 

Jacqueline's Pick

• Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester
• Pairing: Aji Verde, a spicy Peruvian green sauce

Carrie's Pick

• How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
• Pairing: Dominican pastelitos

On this episode, we discuss feel-good fiction, a prompt on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge!

Our picks include two summer-soaked novels set in New England; a classic mystery; and a cozy fantasy so good, it busted Michael out of his reading slump.

Carrie's Picks

• Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel
• Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
• Pairing: Homemade Maple-Sweetened Blueberry Muffins

Jacqueline's Picks

• Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
• Pairing: Tea Cakes

Michael's Picks

• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
• Pairing: Thimblets, a biscotti-like treat served at Legends & Lattes

On this episode, we discuss books about the internet or social media. It's one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge! 

Whether horror, dystopian fiction, or a mystery, our picks will make you think about what it means to be human in a digital world.

Michael's Picks

• We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets
• The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan
• Pairing:  A Smoked Old-Fashioned from OBC Kitchen

Carrie's Pick

• Gliff by Ali Smith
• Pairing:  Lemon Rice Pudding with Roasted Peaches from the book Apples for Jam or Creamy Vegan Rice Pudding from Minimalist Baker 

Jacqueline's Pick

• Influence by Sara Shepard and Lilia Buckingham
• Crostino, Tomato, and Burrata

We’re wrapping up the 2025 Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge with science fiction! 

Our picks include a prequel from a popular YA dystopian series; a novella for fans of Star Trek: First Contact; and a bittersweet comic novel about an alien sent to Earth to learn about humans.

Don’t forget to turn in your completed bingo sheets at the Customer Service, Ask a Librarian, or Teen Desks by June 30, 2025 for a chance to win a $100 Joseph-Beth gift card. 

Can’t make it into the library? Submit your bingo card online.

Thanks for reading along with us! Look for the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge in July.

Jacqueline's Pick

• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
• Pairing: Soft White Dinner Rolls

Michael's Pick

• The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
• Pairing: Xenomorph Egg Cups

Carrie's Pick

• Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
• Pairing:  a sesame seed bagel from Pearl's Pizza

 On this episode, we discuss books in translation, a prompt on the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. From Iceland to Argentina with several stops in between, come travel the world with us from the comfort of home.

Carrie's Pick

• Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
• Pairing: Icelandic rice pudding

Jacqueline's Pick

• The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
• Pairing: Japanese Enoki and Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Michael's Pick

• The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
• Pairing: Churrasco Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

We're in a celebratory mood this April. Not only is it National Poetry Month, it's also our 100th episode! Whether you're a new or longtime listener, we appreciate you tuning in to our podcast.

This episode, we discuss books of poetry and novels in verse, a prompt on the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. Our picks include a book by a former Kentucky poet laureate, an updated translation of a classic epic poem, and a middle-grade novel in verse.

Michael's Pick

• Load in Nine Times by Frank X Walker
• Pairing: Tanzania Peaberry Lyamungo, a medium roast coffee from Sunergos Coffee

Carrie's Pick

• Beowulf: A New Translation, translated by Maria Dahvana Headley
• Pairing: your favorite bro-ey beer

Jacqueline's Pick

• Alone by Megan E. Freeman
• Pairing: Crispy Sourdough Grilled Cheese

Join our discussion of Rednecks by Taylor Brown, winner of the 2025 Southern Book Prize! On this episode, Michael Cunningham, Carrie Green, and guest John David Hurley share their thoughts on this novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars of 1920-1921.

Want to talk with other book lovers about the novel? Register for our in-person book club discussion of Rednecks, which will take place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 6:30 pm. 

If you're participating in Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo, you can earn another free square by reading the book and either listening to this episode or attending the book club.

Pairings

• Garlicky White Soup Beans and Indian Creek Skillet Cornbread from Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson 
• Pepperoni Rolls from Victuals by Ronni Lundy 
• Butterscotch Pie and Maypop Tea from Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food: Recipes & Stories from Mountain Kitchens by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley