The Free Bin

Content warning: this episode includes discussions of violence, war, trauma and sex. It's for grown-ups! Deb and Harrison talk about the relationship between vampires and times of cultural transition--specifically Europe's tumultuous years following WWI. Some of their many digressions include: how to simulate an artillery barrage with your fingers, Anne Rice's dog statue, Bauhaus buying a hearse,...

Deb and Harrison share some of their favorite online resources for eBooks, audiobooks and more! Discussed in this episode: Internet Archive , and Books to Borrow at Internet Archive Internet Sacred Text Archive LibriVox Open Culture Project Gutenberg Standard eBooks Storynory SYNC Thought Audio

Blackstone Audio's Jesse Bickford joins Deb and Harrison for a behind-the-scenes look (or, rather, listen) at audiobook production! Discussion topics include regional dialects, the proofing process, what it takes to be a narrator, and the pronunciation of made-up words. Discussed in this Episode: Blackstone Publishing Ireland by Frank Delaney Sh ō gun by James Clavell

Deb, Denyse and Harrison discuss the very best of the very worst movies with Joel Gaddis from Portland's renowned video rental institution, Movie Madness. Topics include the value of earnestness, mouth-pinball supercomputers, anti-Frankenstein bigotry, the Wayans Brothers, and why Joel and Harrison have vaguely similar voices (they're cousins!). C'est la poupée! As a palate cleanser, the discussio...

Deb, Denyse and Harrison talk about what it's really like to work at the library. Topics include Lizzo's crystal flute performance; some cranky but good-natured myth-busting about book donations and library professionals' imagined reading habits; books bound in human skin; and the ever-present ghost of Melvil Dewey. Further reading: The Anthropodermic Book Project Olson, H. A., & Ward, D. B. (2013...

Laurie Bridges from Oregon State University drops by to tell Deb and Harrison all about Wikipedia! Mentioned on this episode: Wikipedia and Academic Libraries: A Global Project by Laurie Bridges, Raymond Pun, and Roberto A. Arteaga (Eds.) Wikipedia Wikidata

Denyse and Harrison each bring a hefty stack of graphic nonfiction titles to discuss. Topics include trips to the moon, the challenges of adolescence, the nigh-unattainable grownuptitude of Sheriff Buford Pusser, braces, and the unique occupational hazards faced by 20th-century Ukrainian anarchist horses. Errata: Harrison talks about the Kent State shootings in the context of the "late '60s." The...

Deb, Denyse and Harrison explore the ever-popular mystery genre(s), from Scooby-Doo to Agatha Christie to neo-noir Batman. Mentioned in this episode: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris "Death on the Nile" (2022) "Knives Out" (2019) "The Batman" (2022) The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett* *This book was adapted to film twice, in 193...

Deb and Harrison discuss the challenges of returning to school for teachers and students. They also discuss technology troubles, Mikhail Gorbachev's death and Woodstock '99.   Mentioned in this episode: "Gorbachev. Heaven" (2020)

Content warning: This episode includes brief mentions of threats of racialized violence depicted in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Deb and Harrison share their answers to the question "What fictional character would you choose to be your best friend?" The conversation takes them to classic and current literature, Deb's childhood experiences as a back-alley hydrol...

Deb and Harrison talk about the concept of magic in fiction and life. Never sniff a necromancer's beard! Note: Harrison was indeed wrong about Nicolas Flamel, who was not an architect but a scribe and bookseller who designed his own tombstone. Mentioned in this episode: Queen Victoria's Book of Spells, Introduction: Fantasy, Magic, & Fairyland in 19th Century England Grimorium Verum Nicolas Flamel...

The gang discusses lifelong learning and personal growth and what it means to them. Topics: Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI), North Korea, wine, unconscious social biases, audio signal processing, "The Munsters."  Mentioned in this episode: KYAQ , Lincoln County's public radio station "The Munsters" (2022) Trailer #1 The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo L...

Deb and Harrison share their favorite bedtime story choices for good dreams and bad. Stephen King contributes to both categories. Quirky manga, proto-punk, Rumpelstiltskin and Samuel L. Jackson make appearances. Deb shares book recs from a luxury blanket company. Harrison says Norway when he means Sweden. Recommendations in this episode: "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman "Notes From a Small Is...

Deb, Denyse and Harrison discuss summer memories and share some of the books they've been reading. Topics include fireflies, wyverns, aggressive unicorns, the pervasive nature of misogyny, and underwater marital strife.

Deb and Harrison say hello, clarify which Toledo they're in, talk shop, reveal the town's dark secret, and try to give a sense of things to come. Stay tuned!