A LITTLE TOO QUIET: THE FERNDALE LIBRARY PODCAST

Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian-American author born in Michigan (currently based in Nashville), writing deep-diving and engaging historical fiction that unravels captivating mysteries while also transporting the reader on a journey to discover lesser-known moments and figures from our past!  A Fortune of Sand, the latest by bestselling author Ruta Sepetys, is a gothic 1920s historical thriller set i...

JACKIE KHALILIEH is a Palestinian Canadian writer based outside of Toronto, Canada, with a penchant for Samoyeds, to-do lists, and staying up way too late. She is passionate about positive representation within her writing. Something More, her debut YA novel, was shortlisted for several notable awards and was selected for several Best of 2023 lists.  Her next book, Everything Comes Back To You, co...

Dr. Emma Southon is the acclaimed author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which we covered in a recent episode. This week, we're discussing her new book (out June 30): Not Built In A Day - a groundbreaking history of Ancient Rome that explores how the empire was built, fueled, and shaped by its enslaved people. With humor, wit, and expertise, Emma Southon invites us into the absu...

Amanda Uhle is Executive Director and Publisher of McSweeney’s, known for its award-winning quarterly literary journal, humor website and eclectic book publishing program. For more than 11 years, Uhle was executive director of 826michigan, a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for school-aged students in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti. Uhle is deeply involved with numerous youth writing organ...

One of the most important roles librarians serve is strengthening and supporting information literacy. Included in that, especially in our current moment, is broadening and deepening our understanding of Artificial Intelligence. Tune in for an overview from one of our librarians, including recommendations for how to interpret and handle instances of misinformation and even alternatives when it com...

Emma and Jeff are chatting with authors Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos, looking ahead to the next installment in the Homegrown Magic series: a cozy, queer adult romantic fantasy series, with Homeward for a Spell due out in mid August! The series blends wholesome cottagecore vibes with rich worldbuilding and high-stakes family drama! Plus, we talk a lot about The Fast & The Furious, D&D, Re...

Gabriella Gamez is a Mexican American author living in South Texas. She writes about incredibly messy, well-meaning women trying their best and accidentally falling in love. Her latest, 'Second First Dates,' is out at the end of July! And Gabby has a history with our cohost Emma, so we start off with a charming bit of anecdotes that led to their friendship! 

A sweeping novel of one Kentucky family’s rise and fall throughout the 1980s—a tragicomic tour de force about love and marriage, parents and children, and the perils of mixing family with business, from the acclaimed author of The Animators  https://kaylaraewhitaker.com/returns-and-exchanges/  

We'll tell you ALL about the best week of the year, and how to celebrate it properly :) 

Erin Cambron, co-owner/manager of LOVE & OTHER BOOKS, joins us to talk about her store as it nears its two year anniversary. Cambron talks to us about curating a charming, cozy vibe, and a culture, too, as a combination of romance novels and children's books, but also serving as an events space, particularly for book clubs and storytimes.  April 25 is Indie Bookstore Day, so that's an excellen...

Jason Klamm is a Detroit-based author, actor, voice actor, podcast host, director, and author of two published books of nonfiction, including We're Not Worthy: ...How 90's Sketch Comedy TV Changed The Face of Comedy, and his latest, Ferris Bueller You're My Hero: The Story of the World's Most Famous Day Off.  We talk about Klamm's passion for comedy, writing, and more, along with his experience re...

Michigan's own Josh Malerman, author of Incidents Around the House and Bird Box, joins us to talk about a particular film (which also has deep Michigan roots), 1981's The Evil Dead. Josh wrote and published his first work of nonfiction late last year, Watching Evil Dead: Unearthing The Radiant Artist Within; we're discussing that book AND the upcoming adaptation of last year's smash hit Incidents...

We're back with new podcast episodes! This week, we're chatting with local author LISA PEERS about her latest romance novel, Motor City Love Song!  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771481/motor-city-love-song-by-lisa-peers/   No one knows why the queen of indie rock vanished from the Detroit scene twenty years ago. Now, her ex-girlfriend is determined to track her down—and what she uncover...

Help us write the next chapter of the Ferndale Library!  Contact us if you have any questions.  Thank you, in advance, for taking this survey! Visit www.fadl.org or click here

The Berkley Public Library, with support from the Friends of the Berkley Library, have been hard at work reimagining their media room to not only refresh the space, but also to show patrons who are more interested in television and movies than books that the library is a place for them, too. Lisabeth Posthuma, from Berkley's circulation department, is here on the podcast to discuss the vision of:...

A conversation on the horror genre in literature, with a rundown of recent reads and top recommendations! The List:    The Reformatory by Tananarive Due You Weren't Meant to Be Human - Andrew Joseph White The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones Episode Thirteen - Craig DiLouie (Audiobook!)  From Below, Ghost Camera, the Gravekeeper Series - Darcy Coates The Twisted Ones, What Moves the De...

We've got another podcast episode with our panel of romance readers diving into a nuanced topic around the popular genre: this time, we're running through our wishlists of things, tropes, devices, and twists that we'd like to see more of (or less of?) when it comes to romance novels! And, p.s., our next ROMANCE BOOK CLUB meets on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 pm at Urbanrest! P.p.s.: We now have our own...

This week, Becca from the Royal Oak Public Library joins Jeff & Mary Grahame, here at Ferndale, to chat about some deeply held appreciations for historical fiction, particularly from the late 90's and into the early 00's, with a focus on the American Girl book series, along with Dear America, and others! This inevitably leads into discussions of Banned Books Week, which, by the way, we're in t...

Today, we're joined by Emily and Savannah, the President and Vice President of the Friends of the Ferndale Library! We'll talk about all the mighty work that this volunteer organization does to support the library, its programming and resources, as well as its staff, AND we'll talk about all the amazing events that the Friends host throughout the year, including their Park & Read program AND t...

Our Romance Panel discusses the nuances of the subgenre that combines fantasy and romance! You'll hear hot takes, you'll get recommendations, and, together, we'll consider the virtues of finishing a book only to see the culmination of its subtly compelling subplots. 

Do you remember when you signed up for your very first library card? Has it been a while since you've had one? Well, tune in to our panel discussion this week when Rae from the Madison Heights Library and Becca from the Royal Oak Library join Jeff and Mary Grahame to revel in the wonders of having a library card! Did we mention it's Library Card Sign-Up Month? 

You could win fabulous prizes just by using your library card! And in case you've forgotten, or never paused to appreciate fully, just how fantastic your life could be when you fully utilize the wonders and whimsy of a library card, well..., then tune in to this week's podcast to hear all about it! We'll also share details about our current Bingo Challenge, which you can participate in through Bea...

We're back to finish up a short RPG game, with our players returning, taking on the roles of monster hunters, to investigate and resolve a supernatural mystery! Stay tuned, because we'll be announcing details about our new (quarterly) TEEN RPG Group, starting in October! 

This week, our Romance Reading Squad is talking about the particular subgenre known as historical romance, including their recommended favorites, some of the prevailing tropes, the highs, the lows, and the Bridgerton-of-it-all... Tune in! 

This week, our staff are playing a live one-shot Tabletop RPG Game called Monster of the Week: where they'll take on the roles of a group of monster hunters who have to get creative when facing off against the terrors that prey on humanity... Wild! In harmony with the spirit of this "game" today, we not only host a Tabletop RPG Group for middle-schoolers, but we'll SOON be introducing a recurring...