Join Briana & Christy as they interview Friends of the Russell Library, Sandy Becker and Mary Keating.  Learn all about the big upcoming Booksale on June 14-15. Sandy and Mary will discuss what it takes to become a Friend of the Library and why you should consider joining the team. If you're looking for a way to build community surrounded by thousands of books, this might be the volunteer opportunity for you! Stay tuned after the interview for important Russell Library announcements with Kim & Shannon, followed by our staff recommendations with Stephanie, Kate, & Briana.

Book Recommendations

The Prospects by KT Hoffman
Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice by Anna Lapera
Dear Wendy by Ann Zhou
Harley Quinn trilogy (DC Icons) by Rachael Allen
The Princess Who Flew With Dragons by Stephanie Burgess
Deadman's Castle by Iain Lawrence
Felice and The Wailing Woman by Diana Lopez

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Join Christy, Stephanie, Kate and Briana as they talk about upcoming summer reading and their reading recommendations to get you started. Summer Reading Kick-off is Saturday, June 15th for All AGES! Sign up in person or online at www.russelllibrary.org. Choose your tracker and complete library prompts to earn tickets for a drawing with fantastic prizes. Join us for the Summer of 2024 at Russell Library!

Book Recommendations

The Other Americans a Novel by Laila Lalami
Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck
My First Book of Vietnamese Words by Katy R. Kudela
My First 100 Words Book-English/Pashto
My First Ukrainian Animal Book: Poems About Animals in Ukrainian Language by Anna Young
A World of Recipes: Festival Foods by Jenny Vaughan and Penny Beauchamp
Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle
No Place Like Home by James Bird
How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly
Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly
We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxana Asgarian

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Join Stephanie, Christy, and Kate as they interview the newest member of the podcast team, Dillon (me the editor) about all things Manga.  As well as some important announcements and upcoming events from Shannon and Kim in TTSU followed by more book recommendations from Stephanie, Christy, and Kate in Shelf Life.

Book Recommendations

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Lore Olympus (Vol 1) by Rachel Smythe
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Maus by Art Spiegelman
March by John Lewis
El Deafo by Cece Bell
The Fire Never Goes Out by ND Stevenson
Genderqueer by Maya Kobabe
Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
Science Comics: Coral Reefs by Maris Wicks,
The Bat by Elise Gravel

The Library Vault Blog Posts

https://thelibraryvault.com/2023/12/18/animation-that-excites-manga-that-inspires/
https://thelibraryvault.com/2024/02/05/lost-in-translation-the-confession/

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

When it comes to romance, readers have historically landed squarely on one side of the fence... love em' or hate em'. As the genre evolves, however, we're starting to see a new wave of romance fans. In today's episode, Stephanie, Christy, and Briana strive to deconstruct the contemporary romance genre. They'll explore a variety of tropes; such as, second chance romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, and friends to lovers, just to name a few. They'll also cover terminology and language specific to this genre, along with book recommendations from BIPOC  and queer authors. Fans of romance and skeptics alike will have a lot to learn from this episode. Share the love with Middletown Strong! 

Book Recommendations:
With Love From Cold World by Alicia Thompson
We Could Be So Good By Cat Sebastian
You Don’t have a Shot by Raquel Marie
Stars in their Eyes by Kacen Callendar
New Adult by Timothy Janovsky
As You Walk on By by Julian Winters
Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson
Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly
Behind the Scenes by Karina Stetz-Waters
Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Love at 350 Lisa Peers
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Do you identify as an Oscar buff? Are you fascinated by the history and lore surrounding this annual cinematic event? If so, this episode is for you! Kate, Kim, and Christy sit down with special guest, Jeremy Bond, to chat about all things related to the world-renowned Academy Awards. Pull up a comfy chair, grab some popcorn, and get inspired to celebrate the best pictures of 2024!

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

The winter solstice is upon us! Too many of us enter the darker months with a feeling of dread, but what if it didn't have to be this way? The solstice is a time to embrace the return of the light and rejoice in the gifts that the colder months have to offer. In this conversation, Kate will share a little history surrounding the winter solstice. Shannon will offer ideas for solstice celebration and Cate will share positive winter practices inspired by the Nordic and Scandinavian culture. Enjoy winter hikes in the woods, intentional time with loved ones, cozy reading sessions by the fire, and endless cups of tea! Happy Solstice!

Book Recommendations

loria Buenrostro is NOT My Girlfriend by Brandon Hoang
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Lost and Found by Kathryn Schulz

Hygge Episode

https://middletownstrong.buzzsprout.com/1546903/11994340-hygge-christy-stephanie-kate-cate

Resources

https://scienceatl.org/science-of-the-winter-solstice/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/well/mind/Scandinavia-Norway-Winter-Mindset.html

Live at Stonehenge: Winter Solstice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a66kvYnGc_c

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

We are thrilled to bring this episode to our listeners on the last day of Indigenous People's Heritage Month! The Russell Library recently had the pleasure of partnering with Kyle O'Neil and her father and Wangunk Elder, Gary O'Neil, to showcase Kyle's 20 year retrospective journey as an artist. This conversation includes a retelling of Briana and Christy's experience hosting this beautiful event, along with sound bites of conversation from Gary and Kyle taken during a guided tour of the collection. We invite you to view Kyle's incredible artwork at the library throughout the month of December.

The land the Russell Library sits on is Wangunk land; we are honored to bring awareness and recognition to the Wangunk people, who are sometimes referred to as a “lost tribe.”

Book Recommendations

Misewa Saga 1: The Barren Grounds by David Robertson
Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Collection edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr
First Laugh -Welcome, Baby!  by Rose Ann Tahe, Nancy Bo, and Jonathan Nelson
Powwow Day by Traci Sorell
We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson 

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Do urban legends intrigue you? Does local folklore spark your imagination? If so, you won't want to miss our second spooky episode of the season! Librarians, Shannon, Briana, and Christy sit down with our Assistant Director of Public Services, Mary, to share CT urban legends. Where did these stories start? What was their intended purpose? Is there truth behind the myth?... You decide... And stayed tuned for a behind-the-scenes unexplained event that happened after the recording of this conversation. The Secrets of Russell Library continue to unfold!

Book Recommendations

Clown in a Cornfield & Frendo Lives  by Adam Cesare
Vampires of  El Norte by  Isabel Cañas
The Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
The Witch Boy by  Molly Ostertag
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones


This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Spooky Season is almost here and the Russell Library Podcast Team couldn't be happier about it! In preparation for our Secrets of Russell Library Tours, Kim and Briana interviewed Ursula Wiebusch and Melissa Whited from the Eastern CT Paranormal Society. Ursula supports ECPS as an investigator/photographer and Melissa serves as an investigator and Karuna Reiki® II Practitioner. This conversation explores their journeys to ECPS, common misconceptions about the work they do, and spirited experiences they've had throughout CT. They'll even give you a few sneak peeks into the 2-night investigation conducted at our very own Russell Library! If you're a fan of a good ghost story, you won't want to miss this episode!

https://www.easternctparanormal.com/
https://russelllibrary.org/secrets/

Book Recommendations

Nightmaresby Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
Patricia Wants to Cuddle by  Samantha Allen
Mister Magic by  Kiersten White
Mexican Gothic by  Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Most of us have had the experience of curling up with a cup of tea and a good book, but have you ever tried pairing that book with a bowl of ice cream? If not, we highly recommend it! The podcast team took this episode on the road and visited AL's Ice Cream Shoppe located at 696 Main Street. We combined AL's exciting array of flavors with summer book recommendations. The results were a little sweet, a little salty, and entirely delicious! We hope you're inspired to cool off this summer with you own tasty combo. Enjoy!

https://www.alsicecream.com/

Book Recommendations

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
Princess Pistachio and the Pest by Marie-Louse Gay
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Imogen Obviously by Becky Albertalli
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire by Clare Frank

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US