Stacks and Stories

Join Katie and Russell as they talk about long books, long book series, and everything big and chonky! Books mentioned in this episode: The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke The Stand by Stephen King The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel

Join Katie and Riley as they discuss memoirs and why they like them. Listen in as they talk about death, eels, families, ships, and more, so stay tuned. Books Mentioned The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World by Patrik Svensson Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah I'm A Terminal Cancer Patient, But I'm Fine by...

Join Charlie and Elisabeth as they talk their favorite picture books: past classics, current faves, and new books they're looking forward to!   Titles discussed in this episode include: Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke, illustrated by Khoa Le Doña Flor by Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colón ¡Fiesta! A Festival of Colors by Duncan Tonatiuh Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Re...

Join Tracy and Zach as they discuss what kooky structures and narrations mean to them, why they like them, and some of their favorite examples, so stay tuned. Books Mentioned The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone Wellness b...

Amanda's a fan of YA and hasn't read much horror. Riley's a fan of horror and hasn't read much YA. Join us at Amanda & Riley each read a recommended book from the other's favorite genre and discuss their forays into the wider world of reading!

Join Alex and Amanda as they talk all things book covers! From books that are better than their cover, covers that are better than their books, cover reprints that are just kind of bad, cover trends, and cover marketing, they cover (get it?) almost everything in the wide world of book design!   As a note, Alex mentions a book with an orange cover set on Jupiter that she can't remember the title of...

Join Riley, Shellie, and Tracy as they discuss dark academia, why they enjoy it, and if not, what they do enjoy that’s adjacent. Books Mentioned Blue Angel by Francine Prose Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman The Maidens by Alex Michaelides Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth Possession by A.S. Byatt The Secret History by Donna Tartt A Separate Peac...

Join Alex and Tracy as they discuss the influential children’s book writer Beverly Cleary. Listen as they talk about their favorite books by her, toothpaste, wigs, and bad accents.

Join Katie and Natalie as they discuss why they prefer nonfiction to fiction, what their favorite nonfiction reads are, and more. Books Mentioned 1776 by David McCullough A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy by Joyce Kaufman Educated by Tara Westover The Encyclopedia of the Cat edited by Bruce Fogle The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold In the He...

Join Shellie and Tracy as they talk about authors and panels they're looking forward to at this year's Mississippi Book Festival!

This year’s collaborative summer library program theme is ‘All Together Now’. The theme focuses on friendship, unity, kindness, and togetherness. We’ve asked various MLC staff to give a quick overview of a book or movie they love that they feel fits the theme. Want to hear seven different recommendations? Then stay tuned!   Books and films mentioned in the episode: Calendar Girls, directed by Mari...

Join Shellie and Tracy on this installment of Shelf Absorbed as they discuss what they’ve recently read and if one of them has started appreciating rereads. So, stay tuned. Books Mentioned Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff Fifteen by Beverly Cleary Gigi, Listening by Chantel Guertin “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith The Spectacular by Fi...

Join Katie and Lacy as they talk about adaptations and reworkings of books! They talk Mississippi movies, Mississippi musicals, and Mississippi books based off of previously existing books in three, quick, five minute MLC Moment snippets.

If you turn on the Mississippi Public Broadcasting radio station on Saturdays at 11 am, you’ll hear a short, five minute little MLC Moment from us. These are quick tidbits of information, all drawn from what you can find at your local public library. Because they’re so short, we’re combining some of them into a longer episode for our regular podcast feed. This episode is all things historical. Joi...

What's 'middle grade' mean to begin with? Join Charlie and Elisabeth as they talk all things middle grade, from past to present to future!   Books mentioned in the episode: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder The Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery The Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine The Birchbark House series by Loui...

Join Tracy and Elisabeth as they talk about their favorite modern Mississippi authors!   Authors mentioned: Angie Thomas Brad Watson Beth Ann Fennelly Kiese Laymon Natasha Tretheway

Join Tracy as she chats with Akeylah, Amanda, and Colleen about the mystery genre. Listen as they discuss what they like about this series, and what mystery novels and shows they enjoy.  Books Mentioned: All of Us by N.F. Carter The Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by George Gould and Walter Pyle  A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia Diagnosis: Solving the Mos...

Join Charlie and Lawrence as they dive into the wide world of patents and trademarks! Learn about plant patents, the Batmobile, and monkeys taking selfies. Relevant links: https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html (patent number 3216423) https://patents.google.com/patent/USD205998S/en  

Join Colleen, Katie, and Russell as they talk all things long book series! They talk both series involving long books as well as series that consist of ten or more books. They talk about what draws them to these long series, what types of series they enjoy, and provide recommendations for readers and each other.   Books mentioned: The Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben The Dresden Files by Jim B...

Shelf Absorbed, a YouTube series started by the Mississippi Library Commission during the pandemic, returns as a regular podcast feature with Tracy and Shellie! Join them as they discuss books about friendships and how even adults struggle to navigate these relationships on this episode of Stacks and Stories. Books Mentioned 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff The Friend Who Got Away: Twenty Wo...

2023 is almost here! Join Tracy and Shellie as they discuss their favorite books (and a few they did not even finish) in 2022. They will also discuss a few of their reading goals for 2023. We hope you enjoy this look back at reading during 2022 on this episode of Stacks and Stories. Books, Authors, and Podcast Mentioned Barbara Pym Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham The Candy House by Jennifer Egon...

Join Charlie and Elisabeth as they talk all things picture books! From old classics to newer titles, they've got recommendations for actual children as well as your own inner child. Books mentioned in this episode: Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey Berry Song by Michaela Goade The Food Group series by Jory John Nigel...

You got game? We sure do! Join Alex, Elisabeth, and Katie as they talk about gaming in the library, from Dungeons and Dragons to Dutch Blitz. Stay tuned!

Readers' advisory? What is it? How do librarians do it? Do all librarians do it the same way? Join Katie as she chats with Akeylah, Elisabeth, and JD about their takes on readers' advisory.

Required reading. Those books that teachers forced you to read in school. No matter how long it's been since you were in school, there probably was that one book you loathed and that one book you loved. Join Amy, Elisabeth, Mary Rodgers, Shellie, and Tracy as they talk all things required reading—with a bonus round of other books they dislike. Titles mentioned in this episode: Ethan Frome by Edith...