Top Shelf Librarians

This month is a wild one, y'all. Brittany kicks us off with some very important news, while Heather has a confession to make: she ate Cop Sausage! Then Brittany starts a conspiracy theory, Heather recounts a horrific tale of the Donner Party and bologna, and then she reminds us that she is, in fact, not Laurel.

We would like to take the time to remind you that this is a Pro-Orca Podcast, as well as a Judy Greer Appreciation Episode. Somewhere along the way we ruminate on the important things in life, like Moldy Lo Mein and what even are Millennials anyway?

Book Mentions:

Brittany:

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal EL-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Saga vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

GrowVeg: The Beginner's Guide to Easy Vegetable Gardening by Benedict Vanheems

Heather:

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.

We're back with the next installment of the multi-award winning graphic novel series, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. If you thought Volume One was a trip, then buckle up, because things get... hairy.

Welcome to Two Queers, One Quilt Room – um, we mean, Top Shelf Librarians! We just happen to be in together in one room this month. Yes, a quilt room. We'll explain later. The gist of this show is, your educator friends are not all right, so buy them wine! Also, Brittany admits she is a Dragon Age Dummy, Heather's French is even worse than Brittany's German, and we hear the Sam J. Miller speech. Again.

Then we share Force Awakens stories, fangirl about Fangirl, and Brittany confesses to a literary crime. So, you know, the usual show.

Book Mentions:

Brittany:

Saga vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Dragon Age: The Missing #4 by George Mann et al.,

Steering the Craft: A 21st Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. LeGuin

Kid Wolf and Kraken Boy by Sam J. Miller

When the Moon Turns to Blood: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and a Story of Murder, Wild Faith, and End Times by Leah Sottile

Heather:

Saga vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Roll Call (Dungeon Club #1) by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma

Scattered Showers: Stories by Rainbow Rowell

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.

Welcome to the very first episode of our new spin-off series, The Saga Saga! Brittany and Heather are re-reading their all-time favorite graphic novel series Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, and lucky for you Dear Listeners they're doing a drunken deep dive on each volume. So buckle up, because Saga is strange enough when you're sober.

If you haven't read Volume One yet, don't worry. You have a month to read Volumes One and Two before the next episode comes out. Trust us, you're going to want to read it after listening to this episode. It's that weird (affectionate).

We'll be posting episodes of The Saga Saga between the regularly scheduled episodes of Top Shelf Librarians, so now you get to hear from us every two weeks! Enjoy...

It was the first warm week of spring, and the cider and tequila were FLOWING. Sure, we talk about books. But! We also rant about Portland and mental health and video games. We struggle through some truly wild technological difficulties, and Craig gets... creepy. Y'know. The usual.

Book Mentions:

Heather:

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis, LPC

Love Poems for Anxious People by John Kenney

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

Brittany:

Plutona by Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox

Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, Vol. 2 by Ben Gelinas et al.

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.

When we say these are wild times to be a librarian, what we really mean is: These are Wild Times for These Librarians in Particular. And when things get out of control, Fandom Obsessions are always there for you. So follow along as Heather and Brittany talk all things Booze, Books, Dragon Age, V.E. Schwab, Buzzfeed Unsolved, Watcher Entertainment, Saga, Below Deck, and and and...

Point is, there are a lot of rants in this episode, but also a fun little announcement! So buckle up, and have some fun!

Book Mentions:

Heather:

Spare by Prince Harry

City of Ghosts by V.E Schwab

Tunnel of Bones by V.E. Schwab

Bridge of Souls by V.E. Schwab

Brittany:

The Change by Kirsten Miller

Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse

The Eleventh Hour by Clint McElroy and Carey Pietsch

The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum

Dragon Age: The Missing (Issues 1-3) by George Mann et al.,

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.

We think we can all agree that February is just a weird month, right? Right. So it only stands to reason that this episode of Top Shelf Librarians is a little extra weird, right? Good, we're glad you agree! This month Brittany gets cringier than usual, Heather admits heartburn will be a factor, and we absolutely slay this episode. We explore reading related injuries, the natural lesbian habitat, and Heather teaches Brittany that doodlebugs are, in fact, real and gay af. 

Prepare yourself for the return of Brené Brown and Jeff Bezos, and of course, our Beautiful Bear Bast*rd, Craig. 

Told you things were gonna get weird...

Book Mentions:

Brittany:

Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen

Welcome to the Writer's Life: How to Design Your Writing Craft, Writing Business, Writing Practice, and Reading Practice by Paulette Perhach

Frontier Grit: The Unlikely True Stories of Daring Pioneer Women by Marianne Monson

Wild Words: Rituals, Routines, and Rhythms for Braving the Writer's Path by Nicole Gulotta

Your First 1000 Copies: A Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tom Grahl

The Salem Clique: Oregon's Founding Brothers by Barbara S. Mahoney

Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark

Heather:

Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, Illustrated by Jason Griffith

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.

Welcome to Season 3, Dear Listener, where things are as unhinged and unplanned as ever! Heather has her bi-monthly existential crisis, this time over some required reading. Brittany acknowledges that she has a superpower, Heather struggles with the British accent, we give thanks to Scientists. We explore the Four Corners of Fiction, Heather takes medical advice from TikTok, and Brittany desperately wants to be BFFs with Erin Morgenstern. 

Just a typical evening with the Library Pros™.

Book Mentions: 

Heather:

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness

Brittany:

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse

Saga, vol. 10 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell by Tom Clavin

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.

Things are getting wild in the Top Shelf Librarians recording studio, gang. Heather's got 99 problems, and Bluetooth's one. Brittany's chock-a-block full of advice, from recommended social media (hint: it's tumblr) to the best foods to eat when you know you're just gonna barf it back up in fifteen minutes. We say goodbye to the Goodreads Challenge, discuss our 2022 faves, and Heather vows to Betty Crocker This Shit in the Cooking Corner Formerly Known as Matt's. 

By now you know that things usually get weird on the show, but in 2023, we're choosing violence. Buckle up.

Book Mentions:

Brittany:

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

Vincent & Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

The Prometheite by Ari S. Mulch

Heather:

Bad Vibes Only (and Other Things I Bring to the Table) by Nora McInerny

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.

Half of us are under the weather, but we're all here! This month we introduce a new member of the team, Craig the Producer! Heather invites you to drink doctored up Apple Piss™ this holiday season, Matt and Brittany get in a fight, and Laurel keeps things wholesome with a book about... arsonists? We beg Alice Oseman to be our friend, solve the Jack Hanna(h) Mystery you didn't know existed, and teach Matt how to use a microphone after two years of podcasting.

We swear this is a podcast about books...

Book Mentions:

Heather:

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Brittany:

The Witch's Hand (The Montague Twins, vol.1) by Nathan Page and Drew Shannon

The Devil's Music (The Montague Twins, vol.2) by Nathan Page and Drew Shannon

The Deer Kings by Wendy N. Wagner

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian

The Lost Metal (Wayne & Wax #4) by Brandon Sanderson

Laurel:

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham-Jones

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin

Matt:

Garth Marenghi's TerrorTome: Dreamweaver, Doomsage, Sunday Times Bestseller by Garth Marenghi

As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers of Silvermansound.com for the use of VHS Dreams as our intro and outro music.