The Book Isn't Necessarily Better: A Library Podcast

Wrap up in your coziest blanket with a mug o' hot chocolate as Roxanne, Mikayla, and special guest Kristi talk about that classic cottagecore novel, L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. In this episode: Which Anne quote made it onto Kristi's fantastically decorated office wall? How did a Canadian children's book gain wild popularity in post-WWII Japan? Where do different adaptations of Anne fall on the precocious/charming scale, and can any of them melt Mikayla's whomp-whomp heart? And what exactly is a whomp-whomp, anyway?!

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Join Roxanne, Mikayla, and special guest John Fischer as they trace the evolution of Superman from his brainchild beginnings of two Cincinnati high school students during the Great Depression to his modern day marvels on the silver screen. 

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Join Roxanne and Mikayla as they discuss A Scandal in Bohemia, the first published Sherlock Holmes short story. Learn about the creator of Sherlock, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and how he was inspired to write his first stories about the Consulting Detective. Find out why Doyle killed off his most popular character, and why he brought him back to life just a few years later. Listen to learn all about Irene Adler, Sherlock's female foil, and how she looms large in the canon.

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Join Roxanne and Mikayla as they discuss Sherman Alexie and his 1993 book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. These short stories were adapted into the 1998 movie Smoke Signals, the first wide-release film written, directed, produced by, and starring Native Americans. Learn how Alexie's experiences growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation shaped his often-autobiographical writing and filmmaking focusing on the American Indian experience. Bonus: find out which actor is now Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority in Canada!

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Happy spooky season! The librarians bring you a monster Halloween episode about Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein. This episode is ALIVE with strange facts about the mother of science fiction and her bookish cohorts Lord Byron and Percy Shelley; galvanizing stories from the 1931 film starring Boris Karloff as the Creature with no lines; and a discussion of this gothic book's unique structure and place in literary history.

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Join your spooky librarians Roxanne and Mikayla as they discuss the 1897 classic The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. Find out what "Wells' Law" is in sci-fi and why Wells is considered the Godfather of the genre. Learn about the genius of director James Whale and the astonishing practical effects of the 1933 movie starring Claude Rains. Is the movie actually scary? Not really. Is is chilling, thrilling, and a whole lotta fun? Absolutely. Come and find out why on this Halloween edition of The Book Isn't Necessarily Better.

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Trick or treat? The librarians and guest Kyla choose treat (depending on whom you ask): Stephen King's The Shining. What are the major differences between King's classic novel and Stanley Kubrick's cult classic film? Do the book and the movie still hold interest for someone who's not a fan of the horror genre? And will some of us suffer nightmares because of Jack Nicholson's creepy vibes?! Find out in this special Halloween episode!

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The librarians and special guest Lindsey take on the popular Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire universe from George R.R. Martin. In this episode, we explore: high vs. low fantasy; architect vs. gardener writers (and whether they're obliged to finish the stories they start); how turtles and the Wars of the Roses played into Martin's creations; and whether our favorite characters ended up where we wanted them to in the HBO series. Spoilers!

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The librarians tackle their first adaptation from an original graphic novel (or is it a comic book?), Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. In this episode: What makes a graphic novel or comic book, and why should we read them? Why is it so hard to illustrate in black and white? What do Up, Legally Blonde, and Stepbrothers have in common? Does that discussion pertain at all to Marjane Satrapi?* And what other illustrated memoirs should you pick up if you love Persepolis?

*Hint: tangentially, yes.

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Join Roxanne and Mikayla as they discuss The Color Purple by Alice Walker. In this episode, the librarians explore this modern classic and its star-studded adaptations - the 1985 movie directed by Steven Spielberg and the 2005 Tony winning musical. Learn about Alice Walker's life and influences, what a "womanist" is, and why the 2015 revival of the musical is perfectly cast.

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