Any reader will tell you that there are a lot of books in the world. So many in fact that it can be difficult keeping track of what's available, what you've already read, and what you enjoyed. Our librarians take a dive into how they track their reading from using Goodreads resources to what they used in the days before the internet. Join us for a data-loving book nerd's dream in this discussion about how we organize reading in our daily lives and what you can do to encourage more reading in yours.

Resources Mentioned:

www.goodreads.com

www.librarything.com

It's the end of the world in this episode! We cover the Wichita-area Big Read event, the impact of communal reading, and talk all about the 2018 book selection, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Our librarians discuss the terrifying realities portrayed in the book, why we're so enticed by dystopian literature, and why it's a good thing to know someone who makes knives in their basement!

http://www.wichitalibrary.org/bigread/Pages/default.aspx

Books Mentioned:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

It gets real, and it gets weird! That’s what to expect from this Author Spotlight episode on national bestseller David Sedaris. Self-proclaimed as the Davidettes, librarians Dawn Best and Ashley Pohlenz are Sedaris fan girls. They discuss why Sedaris is such a wonderful author, what makes him so unique, and what it was like to meet the man behind the magic when he visited Wichita. If you are looking for an author to give you belly laughs, cringe fests, and even a few tear jerkers, check out this episode then check out Sedaris!

Collection of David Sedaris’ works:

Barrel Fever

Holidays on Ice*

Naked

Me Talk Pretty One Day*

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules

When You Are Engulfed in Flames

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

Theft by Finding: Diaries

Calypso*

Other Recommendations:

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Riders by Jilly Cooper

Bossypants by Tina Fey

How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

From navigating the vast online resources and databases to interviewing your resistant relatives about their childhood, we get into it all in this candid conversation about researching your family, building your family tree, and even some of the secrets and scandals surrounding our own community.

Resources Mentioned in Episode:

www.ancestry.com

www.familysearch.com

www.myheritage.com

www.genealogytrails.com

www.usgeneweb.org

www.23andme.com

www.ancestry.com/dna

www.ancestrylibrary.com

www.newspapers.com

www.fold3.com

Pre-Order Celebrating Derby’s Sesquicentennial here: https://www.derbyinformer.com/site/forms/online_services/derby_150_book_order/

From cookbooks to the joys of grandma's house, our librarians cover it all in this delicious episode. Get some great advice about making some awesome recipes and tips on starting out as a cook or baker. Gather excellent resources to improve your cooking experiences, and even learn how our home cooks get their families involved. Hope you're hungry because the librarians are in the kitchen!

Resources/Books mentioned:

The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer

The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Whole Food, Whole Family by Julie Piatt and Rich Roll

The Runner's World Cookbook

No Meat Athlete by Matt Frazier and Matt Ruscigno

Thug Kitchen by Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis

The Colorful Kitchen by Ilene Godofsky Moreno

Hot For Food Vegan Comfort Classics by Lauren Toyota

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg

The Beauty Detox by Kimberly Snyder

Barefoot Contessa: Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten

Everyday Food

Dining In by Alison Roman

The Essential New York Times Cookbook

The New York Times Food App

Evernote

Pinterest

Bloglovin' Daily Digest

It's the queen of British historical fiction! Featured in this podcast episode is an author spotlight on Philippa Gregory, writer of many novels including The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen. We talk with one of Gregory's biggest fans, librarian Ashley Polenz, about getting started with historical fiction, what makes Gregory's books so tantalizing, and why Ashley has the most epic girl crush ever on Anne Boleyn. Check out any of Philippa Gregory's books at our library, and let us know what you think!

Recommended Works by Philippa Gregory:

The Other Boleyn Girl

The White Queen

Changeling: Order of Darkness Series # 1 (Young Adult)

Other Mentioned Works:

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

Mata Hari's Last Dance by Michelle Moran

Our library hosted a Tween Radio Play program in the summer of 2018 where our community's young people produced an original radio play. The School of Phobias tells the story of a group of friends living at Madame Maudsley's School of Disquietude, a boarding school that treats students with phobias. When a student goes missing, it is up to his friends to face their fears and save their friend. Sit back, relax, close your eyes, and be taken away by this epic production!

Writer's support group meets existential discussion in this episode! Writers of any interest or level will take away from this in-depth and candid conversation about the art, struggles, and methods of writing. Join author Kristen Bradshaw of the young adult novel, The Guardians of the Cross, and writer extraordinaire, Chelsea Moore, as they motivate, challenge, and encourage you to keep writing.

Books/Authors Mentioned:

Ray Bradbury

Margaret Atwood

Janet Evanovich

Alice Hoffman

Leigh Bardugo

Rae Carson

Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Dave King

Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert Podcast

Hear it all from the teens! In this Teens Talk Segment, our panel of Teen Advisory Board Members share their thoughts on today's music, the music industry, how music has impacted their lives, and what they are looking forward to musically. Get some great musical recommendations and hear some funny, fearless, and poignant discussions from our community's young people!

If you are a parent, grandparent, nanny, or caregiver to small children, you will definitely want to listen to this episode! We're talking all about our library's story time and getting tips and advice from our story time librarian! We cover everything from what makes a good read-aloud book to how to encourage resistant readers to love stories.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Journey by Aaron Becker

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The Pigeon Series by Mo Willems

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst