The Book Drop

This month on New Title Drop, Angela and Melanie swap moving stories, both memorable and challenging, while OPL staff gear up for the exciting transition to the new Central Library.

Check out this month's titles and place holds here or visit omahalibrary.org/podcast. 

• The Glorians: Visitations From the Holy Ordinary by Terry Tempest Williams
• The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann
• The Star From Calcutta by Sujata Massey
• Ruins by Lily Brooks-Dalton
• How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself by Jenny Lawson
• Frida's Cook by Florencia Etcheves
• El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory by Jazmine Ulloa
• You With the Sad Eyes: A Memoir by Christina Applegate
• Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West

 Check in with us on the first Tuesday of every month to hear about books we think you should be excited about. 

This week on The Book Drop, OPL’s podcast, we are delighted to welcome Collection Processing Manager, Ben Brick, back to the show. Ben joins Amy and Maggie to highlight the most historic of hobbies: stamp collecting. In honor of the centennial anniversary of the Omaha Philatelic Society, you’ll hear about the fascinating world of philately.

All the books and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast.

What’s Happening at OPL:

Páginas y Pláticas | Saturday, Feb. 28, 1-2 p.m. at Willa Cather Branch

Seed Starting Indoors |Saturday, Feb. 28, 2-3:30 p.m. at South Omaha Library

Share and Solve: Genealogy Discussion Group | Wednesday, March 4, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at W. Clarke Swanson Branch

Explore all upcoming events at omahalibrary.org/events.

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us what you’re planting in your garden this spring! Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!

We’re talking about the brand-new Omaha Public Library Central Library that is weeks away from opening, April 19, 2026. We’ve gathered some incredible behind-the-scenes insights from the librarians, architects, and community leaders who are bringing the vision of Central Library to life.

All the books and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast.

What’s Happening at OPL:

Writers Workshop: Love Poetry | Saturday, Feb. 21, 10 a.m. to noon at A.V. Sorensen Branch

Designer's Den: LED Card Making | Tuesday, Feb. 24, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Milton R. Abrahams Branch

Friends of OPL Book Sale | Thursday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at W. Clarke Swanson Branch

Explore all upcoming events at omahalibrary.org/events.

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us what you're planting in your garden! Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!

Happy Valentine’s Day. In this episode of The Book Drop, Amy and Maggie are joined by Grace Trembath, recently selected as Assistant Branch Manager for the Central Library team, for a conversation on love stories!

This episode is your companion for the Reading Challenge theme to read a love story. OPL’s Reading Challenge is an annual program designed to push outside of your reading comfort zone.

All the books and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast.

What’s Happening at OPL:

• Reading Challenge Book Club | Saturday, Feb. 14, 2 to 3 p.m. at W. Clarke Swanson Branch
• Seed Starting Indoors | Thursday, Feb. 19, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Bess Johnson Elkhorn Branch | Registration required 
• Writers Workshop: Love Poetry | Saturday, Feb. 21, 10 a.m. to noon at A.V. Sorensen Branch | Registration required 

Explore all upcoming events at omahalibrary.org/events.

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us your favorite local content creators and influencers! Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!

This week on The Book Drop, we’re turning the show over to 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning for a full-on takeover with Paul B. Allen and Buddi3 Da Gawd. They dive into Black literacy during Black History Month, the excitement around Omaha Public Library’s future, and the books, films, and archives that help preserve untold community stories. Think civic conversation, North Omaha history, and lots of love for libraries as places of truth and connection.

All the books and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast. 

What’s Happening at OPL:

• Out & About Storytime: The Joslyn | Saturday, Feb. 7, 11 to 11:30 a.m. at The Joslyn
• Cybersecurity Threats | Tuesday, Feb. 10, 3 to 4 p.m. at A.V. Sorensen Branch
• Designer's Den: LED Card Making | Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Milton R. Abrahams Branch

Explore all upcoming events at omahalibrary.org/events.

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us your favorite local content creators and influencers! Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!

On the latest episode of the new title drop, Angela and Melanie discuss what they love about the Winter Olympics before getting into their book recs for February 2026.

Check out this month's titles and place holds here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast. 

1. Skate It Till You Make It: A Novel by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
2. Bloodfire, Baby by Eirinie Carson
3. Crown City by Naomi Hirahara
4. Autobiography of Cotton: A Novel by Cristina Rivera Garza
5. Where the Wildflowers Grow: A Novel by Terah Shelton Harris
6. One Bad Mother: In Praise of Psycho Housewives, Stage Parents, Momfluencers, and Other Women We Love to Hate by Ej Dickson
7. Bad Asians by Lillian Li
8. The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster by Shelley Puhak
9. Kin: A Novel Tayari Jones

Check in with us on the first Tuesday of every month to hear about books we think you should be excited about. 

This week on The Book Drop, we dive into News Literacy Week with special guest Daniel Vanourney, Lance staff member and circulation manager for The Lance, Westside High School’s student-run print publication. Together, we explore the importance of news literacy—the ability to evaluate whether information is trustworthy—and the vital role student journalism plays in an informed community.

All the books and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast.

What’s Happening at OPL:

• Pout Pout Fish Visits Storytime | Saturday, Jan. 31, 10:30 to 11 a.m. at Benson Branch
• Out & About Storytime: Fontenelle Forest | Wednesday, Feb. 4, 10:30 to 11 a.m. at Fontenelle Forest
• Share and Solve: Genealogy Discussion Group | Wednesday, Feb. 4, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Genealogy & Local History Room

Explore all upcoming events at omahalibrary.org/events.

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us your favorite local content creators and influencers! Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!

This week on The Book Drop, your hosts Amy and Maggie are joined by Learning Librarian Emily Beasley to kick off the Reading Challenge with a discussion on the theme to read a book to boost your happiness! Emily submitted the theme idea, which was picked by OPL’s collection development team.

All the books and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast.

About the Reading Challenge:
OPL’s Reading Challenge is an annual program created to push you outside your comfort zone and into new literary realms. You can complete the challenge themes monthly or on your own timeline. When you finish, turn in your reading log at any branch for a prize. 

To find the entire 2026 Reading Challenge List, along with book lists of suggested titles for each theme, go to omahalibrary.org/reading-challenge or visit your nearest branch for a tracking booklet (available in English and Spanish).

What’s Happening at OPL:

• Mark Twain and The Gilded Age | Sunday, Jan. 25, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Genealogy & Local History Room 
• Resources for Starting or Growing Your Small Business | Monday, Jan. 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Charles B. Washington Branch
• Seed Starting Indoors | Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Downtown Branch

Explore all upcoming events at omahalibrary.org/events.

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us what's the top of your TBR for 2026? Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!

This week on The Book Drop, we’re looking back at some of our favorite moments here on The Book Drop. We had some great guests, delightful book recommendations and meaningful conversations!

All the books and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast. 

Happening at the Library: 

• Writers Workshop: Tastes Like Home: The Unwritten History of Our Culinary Traditions | Saturday, Jan. 17, 1 to 3 p.m. at South Omaha Library 
• Stories in Motion: Music and Movement Around the World | Tuesday, Jan. 20, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Benson Branch
• Start Your Genealogy at OPL (Virtual Program) | Thursday, Jan. 22, 5 to 6 p.m., Online event

Explore all upcoming events at omahalibrary.org/events.

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us what's the top of your TBR for 2026? Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!

Happy New Year! On the latest episode of the new title drop, Angela and Melanie discuss new year reading goals and what’s actually working, or not working, when it comes to building better reading habits.

Check out this month's titles and place holds here or by visiting omahalibrary.org/podcast.

Check in with us on the first Tuesday of every month to hear about books we think you should be excited about.

The Book Drop with Amy and Maggie will return after a short break on Jan. 16, 2026! 

Join the conversation for the next episode! Tell us "What's at the top of your TBR (to be read) list for 2026? Share your answers by email at [email protected] or DM on social media!