Books and Bites

This episode, we mark the 250th anniversary of the United States with books about American history, one of the prompts on the Summer Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge.  Carrie and Michael share nonfiction about people and events that are often left out of the historical record, while Jacqueline discusses a teen novel about the more recent past. Listen below! Our Picks Wild Girls: How the O...

On this episode, Carrie, Michael, and guest-host Charlotte discuss So Far Gone  by Jess Walter , one of the prompts on the Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . This witty, suspenseful, and timely novel follows a reclusive journalist who goes on a quest to rescue his kidnapped grandchildren. It not only features a road trip, the audiobook makes a great pick for a road trip thanks to E...

May is abloom thanks to these books with flowers on the cover, our latest prompt from the Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . This prompt is more versatile than you might think, with plenty of options beyond gardening books. (Yes, there’s even horror, as Michael shows!) Our Picks Wolf Worm  by T. Kingfisher paired with North Carolina Style Pulled Pork Inciting Joy  by Ross Gay paire...

Give your reading a fresh start with the Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge .   From now through June 30, 2026, keep track of books you read or listen to on the Spring Books & Bites Bingo Card. Complete all 9 squares for a chance to win a $50 Joseph-Beth gift card.  On this episode, we visit fictional small-towns from Mississippi to Northern Ireland.  Our picks include an emotion...

This month, we discuss books where the weather plays a major role, one of the prompts on the Winter Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . From hurricanes to snowstorms, this episode has all the major weather events covered! If you’re participating in Winter Books & Bites Bingo, don’t forget to turn in your bingo card by the end of March. Turn your card in at the Customer Service Desk to...

This month, we discuss books set on trains or ships, a prompt on the Winter Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge .  Travel the high seas with our recommendations: a graphic novel horror story about a mermaid-like creature; a lyrical, suspenseful novel about a woman following what might be the Arctic Tern’s final migration; and a YA novel about a young artist who is slowly disconnecting from r...

We're kicking off the Winter Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge with audiobooks read by multiple narrators! These multi-voiced productions make audiobooks even more engaging.  Tune into our action-packed choices: a YA dystopian novel, a horror/thriller hybrid, and a sweeping, historical Western. Jacqueline's Pick The 5th Wave  by Rick Yancey Pairing: Homemade bread Michael's Pick Spider to...

We're saying goodbye to 2025 with this episode, and with it our Summer-Fall Books & Bites bingo card! What better way to ring out the old year than with some of our favorite books published in 2025? Our picks include a darkly comic adventure story, a YA fantasy-mystery, and a novel that reinvents the werewolf story. Carrie's Pick So Far Gone  by Jess Walter Pairing: Turkey Pot Pie Jacqueline's...

On this episode, we discuss books with dragons. It’s one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge .  Our picks include a slow-burn romantasy, a speculative fantasy that takes place during the 1950s and 1960s, and a YA sci-fi and fantasy mashup. Michael’s Pick Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame  by Neon Yang Pairing: Dragon’s Milk Ice Cream Float Carrie's Pic...

On this episode, we talk to Mary Anna Evans about her book, The Dark Library . Want to discuss the book in person? Join us at Book Club: The Dark Library on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 pm. The first 10 people to register may pick up a free copy of the book at the Customer Service Desk. Reading The Dark Library (or another book set in a library) is one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bi...

National Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15-Oct. 15, so what better time to discuss books by Hispanic-American authors? It’s one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge ! Michael's Pick Tiny Threads  by Lilliam Rivera Pairing: The mojito , a classic Cuban cocktail  Jacqueline's Pick Breathe and Count Back from Ten  by Natalia Sylvester Pairing: Aji Verde , a sp...

On this episode, we discuss feel-good fiction, a prompt on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge ! Our picks include two summer-soaked novels set in New England; a classic mystery; and a cozy fantasy so good, it busted Michael out of his reading slump. Carrie's Picks Musical Chairs  by Amy Poeppel Flying Solo  by Linda Holmes Pairing: Homemade Maple-Sweetened Blueberry Muffins...

On this episode, we discuss books about the internet or social media. It's one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge !  Whether horror, dystopian fiction, or a mystery, our picks will make you think about what it means to be human in a digital world. Michael's Picks We Had to Remove This Post  by Hanna Bervoets The Handyman Method  by Nick Cutter and Andrew F....

We’re wrapping up the 2025 Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge with science fiction!  Our picks include a prequel from a popular YA dystopian series; a novella for fans of Star Trek: First Contact ; and a bittersweet comic novel about an alien sent to Earth to learn about humans. Don’t forget to turn in your completed bingo sheets at the Customer Service, Ask a Librarian, or Te...

 On this episode, we discuss books in translation, a prompt on the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . From Iceland to Argentina with several stops in between, come travel the world with us from the comfort of home. Carrie's Pick Miss Iceland  by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Pairing: Icelandic rice pudding Jacqueline's Pick The Beast Player  by Nahoko Uehashi Pairing: Japanese Enoki...

We're in a celebratory mood this April. Not only is it National Poetry Month, it's also our 100th episode! Whether you're a new or longtime listener, we appreciate you tuning in to our podcast. This episode, we discuss books of poetry and novels in verse, a prompt on the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . Our picks include a book by a former Kentucky poet laureate, an update...

Join our discussion of Rednecks by Taylor Brown, winner of the 2025 Southern Book Prize! On this episode, Michael Cunningham, Carrie Green, and guest John David Hurley share their thoughts on this novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars of 1920-1921. Want to talk with other book lovers about the novel? Register for our in-person book club discussion of Rednecks , which will take place on Tuesday,...

This month we're getting nostalgic with books set in the 1990s, one of the prompts in the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . Teenagers all figure prominently in our picks: a YA mystery, a thriller that celebrates horror's babysitter trope, and a novel where two teens accidentally start a moral panic. Don't miss this episode—it's the bomb! Jacqueline's Pick The Face on the Mi...

Start the new year with the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge ! We hope our prompts will inspire you to read and have fun while doing it. Up first, we share wintry books perfect for reading by the fire. Our picks include an Irish Christmas story, a horror novel set in a Pennsylvania orphanage, and a YA fairy tale. Carrie's Pick Time of the Child  by Niall Williams Pairings: F...

It's time to wrap up the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge! On this episode, we discuss books published in 2024. Our picks include a suspense novel that is also an immersive alternate reality game, a National Book Award-winning adaptation of an American classic, and a YA mystery by a bestselling author. Michael's Pick We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer Eve Palmer answers th...

On this episode, we discuss books about chosen or found family, one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge .  According to library database NoveList, books with this theme focus on families "formed by choice, rather than birth." Close friends, nontraditional families, and people who bond over their circumstances can all form chosen families. Our picks include a...

On this episode, we discuss Southern Gothic books, one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . Southern Gothic is a sub-genre of Gothic fiction--or, as Michael says, it's "Gothic with a twang."  According to Book Riot , some of the characteristics of Southern Gothic include, “eccentric, flawed characters, sinister events, elements of the supernatural or fantas...

 On this episode, we discuss books with kings and queens, one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . Our picks include a page-turning history of the Magna Carta; a novel about Mary, Queen of Scots; and a YA novel that imagines an American royal family. Michael's Pick Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty by Dan Jones Dan Jones crafts a historical narrative that i...

On this episode, we discuss books that are hybrids of at least two genres, one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge .  Jacqueline's favorite romantasy novels are a good example. They combine elements of romance and fantasy. Other books mash up elements of science fiction and horror or, in the case of both Michael's and Carrie's picks, Westerns and dystopian f...

July is Disability Pride Month ! Learn more about the history, experiences, and contributions of the disabled community by reading books by authors with disabilities. On this episode, we also introduce the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge . Teens and adults, from now through December 30, 2024, keep track of books you read or listen to by writing the title and author in the mat...