Miner Recs

On this episode, Quinn, Dana, Christa, and Camryn discuss some of the rising trends and themes in fantasy and science fiction books and recommend their favorite examples.

On this episode, Angelo, Ariana, and Quinn preview the 2026 Oscars, sharing their predictions and opinions on the films nominated.

On this episode, Angelo, Sarah, Pico, and Amy talk about The Canvas, DPPL's new makerspace, discussing the equipment and resources that are now available to patrons.

On this episode, Angelo, Lynne, Ariana, and Quinn talk about DPPL's 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, detailing the events the library will be hosting for kids, teens and adults alike. (Find out more information about summer reading at dppl.org/summer!)

On this episode, Angelo, Amy, Ariana, and Quinn preview the 2025 Oscars, sharing their predictions and opinions on the films nominated.

On this episode, Angelo, Amy, Annie, and Quinn discuss board games, with an emphasis on games that can be checked out here at the Des Plaines Public Library.

On this episode, Quinn, Amy, Alicia, and Tia discuss zines, the small-circulation handmade booklets that provide an easy and fun way for anyone to self-publish and circulate their art and ideas.

On this episode, Angelo, Amy, Charlie, and Quinn discuss movies that are so bad they're good, including Troll 2, Vampire's Kiss, Clifford, The Master Of Disguise, Madame Web and more.

On this episode, Angelo, Alicia, Ariana and Sarah discuss Banned Books Week, an annual event seeking to promote and celebrate open and easy access to information and the freedom to read what you want.

On this episode, Angelo, Christa, Sarah, Quinn, and Cameron discuss works nominated at the 2024 Hugo Awards, science fiction and fantasy's most prestigious awards ceremony.

On this episode, Angelo, Sarah, Michelle, and Annie discuss comic books, graphic novels, and the conventions that celebrate them.

On this episode, Angelo, Ariana, Quinn and Charlie discuss the 2024 Oscars, including their own picks and predictions of movies nominated, opinions about actors and films that have been unfairly snubbed, and suggestions to the Academy for future categories.

On this episode, Angelo, Amy, Quinn and Sarah talk about the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

On this episode, Angelo, Maureen, Michelle and Charlie and Lynne talk about some of their favorite film experiences of 2023, from Barbenheimer to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

On this episode, Angelo, Sarah, Charlie and Lynne will go boldly where this podcast has never gone before with a discussion of Star Trek, from the original series to the movies, all the way through the new shows premiering on Paramount+. 

On this episode, Annie, Maureen, Alicia and Elizabeth talk with Shannon Downey, a Chicago-based crafter and activist and founder of Badass Cross Stitch.

On this episode, Charlie, Maureen, Tia, Angelo, and Christa talk about music, from the new albums and concerts they're excited about, to their recommendations of books and documentaries about popular musicians, as well as a discussion about the role of AI in creating music.

On this episode, Charlie, Alicia, Maureen and Michelle talk about Disney: the classic animated films, the recent live-action remakes, the TV shows, the parks, the video games, the toys and everything in between!

On this episode, Charlie, Angie, Nina and Maureen talk about Colleen Hoover, the popular fiction author and BookTok, an online community of book enthusiasts on the social media platform TikTok.

On this episode, Sarah, David, Maureen and Jessica talk about this year's summer reading programming at the Des Plaines Public Library, as well as the theme of the challenge: dinosaurs! 

On this episode, Charlie, Ariana, Angelo, and David discuss The Menu, a dark comedy/horror film released in 2022, and the celebrity chef/foodie culture that the film satirizes.

On this episode, Charlie, Angelo, Nina and Maureen talk about Jennette McCurdy's bestselling memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, as well as some other recently-released and revelatory celebrity autobiographies and documentaries.

On this episode, Charlie, Angelo, Ariana, and Maureen talk about the forthcoming 95th Academy Awards, with discussions of the films Elvis, The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Tár, Women Talking, Fire of Love and more.

On this episode, Charlie, Ariana, Lydia and Joel discuss their likes and dislikes when it comes to horror films. They discuss the horror-comedy Tucker & Dale vs. Evil at length, and also touch on other scary films such as Midsommar, Young Frankenstein, The Blair Witch Project and more!

On this episode, Charlie, Ariana, Elizabeth and Joel discuss true crime, a genre that documents real stories of illegal behavior. They talk about the recent documentary adaptation of Michelle McNamara's book I'll Be Gone In The Dark, true crime podcasts such as My Favorite Murder, and debate the ethics involved in producing a narrative about real traumatic events.