The Librarian Is In

It's almost Halloween, and it got so creepy we scared Gwen away. Frank braves the gore with Isaiah Pittman, horror aficionado and adult services librarian at NYPL. They talk scary books AND movies.

Book Recommendations

Paperbacks From Hell: The twisted history of 70's and 80's horror by Grady Hendrix

The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell

Night Shift by Stephen King

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Final Girls: A novel by Riley Sager

The series-- Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

You Were Neve Really Here by Jonathan Ames and the film adaptation

Non-Book Recommendations

Kanopy-- stream movies for free with you NYPL card!

Check out Gas Station Horror, the monthly improv show in NYC that turns bad horror movies into comedy.

Gwen and Frank tackle a near-future dystopian novel about space colonization and a sobering work of journalism about the fallacy of modern philanthropy. Plus: why pho is objectively the best food ever.

Frank and Gwen's Recommendations

Haaaave you read "The Yellow Wallpaper" yet? Try the Insta Novel!

Frank's old favorites: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, Pure Hollywood and Other Stories by Christine Schutt, I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Foe by Iain Reid

Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas, and his recent conversation with Joy-Ann Reid

His previous book, The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas, which won NYPL's Bernstein Award in 2015

Frank and Gwen are all about feminist texts this week. They go back in time with the classic short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" — which is also NYPL's newest Insta Novel — and then hit the present (hard) with "Red Clocks." In between, there's a beautiful picture book for kids. Plus: Frank figures out a literary puzzle.

When we asked our book experts about books that changed their lives, we fell in love with their picks — and we wanted you to hear what they had to say, in their own voices. Plus: Frank and Gwen add their own childhood game-changers.

Check out the full list: 40 Books that Changed Librarians' Lives

Gwen and Frank discover two very different alternate worlds that speak to our present times. Their seemingly mismatched books offer stellar writing and clever takes on fantasy, dystopias and cringe-worthy identity politics. Plus: Frank has some, um... words for the author of his book.

Book Recommendations

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk

Rosa Caballero-Li, manager of Ask NYPL, has all the answers! Rosa tells Frank and Gwen about the ins, outs, ups, and downs of the Library's multifaceted reference service, staffed by real-live human people. Plus: a story within a story presents some guessing game twists.

Need assistance? Have a question? Get in touch with Ask NYPL.

Book Recommendation

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado

Non-Book Recommendations

"Lots of People Love 'To Kill A Mockingbird.' Roxane Gay Isn't One of Them."

The album "Dirty Computer" by Janelle Monae

The best way to support this podcast is with a gift to The New York Public Library. Click here to donate.

Which books do you wish you'd read in high school? Frank and Gwen offer up some ideas and then move on to city novels with urban themes and a picture book about a dog who tries to be a fork. Plus: what to do if you can't get enough of the Queer Eye guys.

Book Recommendations

"NYT: If You Could Add One Book to the High School Curriculum, What Would It Be?"

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Bull by David Elliott

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The City and the City by China Miéville

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Non-Book Recommendations

Short videos of the Queer Eye guys on YouTube, such as 9 Things They've Never Done Before (in which Jonathan and Tan bedazzle a tie), a round of Never Have I Ever, and a bizarre social-media compliment battle.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter, Gwen and Frank fall hard for the wise and wonderful Vanessa Zoltan of the Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast! We talk Harry and Jane, try the spiritual practice of lectio divina, discuss the healing power of romance novels, figure out Frank's Tinder profile... get ready for some serious revelations.

Vanessa's book recs:

• My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
• Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Frank and Gwen get a visit from BridgeUP, NYPL's holistic academic support program for NYC teens. They talk to a teen scholar and program leader about this unique library initiative, what students want and need outside the classroom, and everything that goes into getting them where they want to go in life.

Discussed this week:

BridgeUp's podcast on Latino stereotypes

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

1984 by George Orwell

The new HBO series "Random Acts of Flyness"

Answer: anything! Frank and Gwen discuss why for-profit businesses cannot and should not take libraries' place in society. Plus, recommendations for two small books that contain very big worlds.

Book Recommendations

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova Bailey

The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

Oleg Kagan's opinion piece about how libraries are not companies, and more information about Forbes deleting the original op-ed.

The best way to support this podcast is with a gift to The New York Public Library. Click here to donate.