Cook Memorial Public Library Podcast

In this episode, Amy and Leah talk about authors who cross genres, topics, and age groups -- and why the change can be great for readers.

Authors mentioned in this episode: 

Madeleine L'Engle

Judy Blume

Holly Black

Brandon Sanderson

Elizabeth Acevedo

Leigh Bardugo

Nicola Yoon

Ali Hazelwood

Click here to register for the Fall Book Buzz.

Click here to learn more about our new Silent Book Club.

For a personalized list of suggestions, visit our Ask A Bookie page.

Email us at [email protected].

 

 

 

Readers' Advisors Hannah and Marianne share their thoughts about all things historical fiction.

Titles mentioned in this episode:

George Orwell - 1984

Isabel Banta - Honey

The Sicilian Inheritance - Jo Piazza

All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitaker

Wild and Distant Seas - Tara Karr Roberts

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

James - Percival Everett

Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

The Familiar - Leigh Bardugo

North Woods - Daniel Mason

I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home - Lorrie Moore

The Women - Kristin Hannah

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

The Matrix - Lauren Groff

Three Fires - Denise Mina

The Rachel Incident - Caroline O’Donoghue

Tom Lake - Ann Patchett

 

Click here to request a personalized reading recommendation.

Contact us at [email protected]

Book Club Associate Amy and Readers' Advisor Marianne share titles guaranteed to get your book club talking.

Titles mentioned in this episode:

 

• This Tender Land, William Kent Krueger  
• James, Percival Everett
• The Lincoln Highway and Table for Two, Amor Towles
• Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell
• The Diamond Eye, Kate Quinn
• Solito, Javier Zamora
• Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
• Yellowface, R. F. Kuang
• Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld
• Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
• Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
• The Guncle, Steven Rowley
• Land of Milk and Honey, C Pam Zhang (Marianne's review)
• Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar
• Happiness Falls, Angie Kim 

Click here to request a list of personalized reading recommendations.

Click here to register for the Summer Book Buzz.

Click here for details on Summer Reading 2024 (registration opens June 1)

To contact Amy about a book club, email [email protected].

To contact us, email [email protected]

 

Erica and Brooke, one of the Library's Maintenance staff, talk about two new historical fiction titles and what we can learn from them.

Titles and authors mentioned in this episode:

• The Women by Kristen Hannah
• Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
• China Beach (TV Series)
• Lou Berney
• S.A. Cosby
• Dwyer Murphy
• The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon

For a personalized list of reading suggestions, fill out our Ask A Bookie form.

Contact us at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

Erica and Bronwyn, the Library's Communications Coordinator, talk about the romantasy series that has taken over the internet: Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses, the RenFaire, and how books are better with friends.

Titles mentioned in this episode:

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• The Crescent City Series by Sarah J. Maas
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
• Game of Thrones: the television series
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• Dune: the films
• The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1) by Robert Jordan
• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• Outlander: the television series

 

Want more ACOTAR readalikes? Fill out our Ask A Bookie form for a personalized list of suggestions.

Contact us at [email protected].

 

 

For the 9th year in a row librarians Becky and Nate discuss last night's Academy Awards ceremony and celebrate the year in film.

Listen and discover the highlights - the movies recognized by the Academy and the movies that were overlooked but not to be missed.

Then find out how your library card is the ultimate ticket to the movies.

Readers' Advisors Erica and Amy share three recent books that bring their worlds -- a tense near-future, a legendary past, and present-day America - to life in vivid and unexpected ways.

Books featured in this episode:

• Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
• The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
• Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity by Michele Norris

Click here to register for the Spring Book Buzz.

For personalized book recommendations, visit www.cooklib.org/bookies.

For the library's blog, visit shelflife.cooklib.org.

Email us at [email protected].

 

 

 

Erica and Marianne are sticking to their reading resolutions by digging into great historical fiction featuring real-life banditos and midwives. Then, Marianne gives us the inside scoop on this year's One Book, One Community series.

Titles discussed in this episode:

The Bullet Swallower, by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon

The Violin Conspiracy, by Brendan Slocumb

For details on all of the One Book, One Community events, visit 1book.org.

For personalized book recommendations, visit www.cooklib.org/bookies.

For the library's blog, visit shelflife.cooklib.org.

Email us at [email protected].

Find out the who’s who of national celebrities and historical figures that have made appearances in Libertyville through the years. Enjoy part two of the series. Mentioned in the Podcast: Catch every episode! Subscribe to the Cook Memorial Public Library Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Erica and Hannah talk about the top titles of the year, our annual Staff Favorites booklets, and the books they can't wait to read in 2024. Thanks for a great year of reading and listening!

For a copy of our Favorite Fiction and Nonfiction booklets, stop by Cook Park or Aspen Drive Library, or visit our website.

Titles discussed in this episode:

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

I am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore

North Woods by Daniel Mason

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford (February 2024)

The Extinction of Irina Rey by Jennifer Croft (March 2024)

The Book of Love by Kelly Link (February 2024)

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (April 2024)

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (September 2024)

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca (August 2024)

Please note some upcoming titles are not yet available in the catalog - we've linked to the authors so you can enjoy their backlist while you wait!