A LITTLE TOO QUIET: THE FERNDALE LIBRARY PODCAST

Completing a trilogy of episodes on the romance genre, we have an interview with award-winning Michigan-based romance author BEVERLY JENKINS. https://beverlyjenkins.net/   Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for multicultural romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of ...

Ensconce yourself in a really cozy nook and read these books! Kricket, Jeff and Sarah are sharing reading recommendations for the Fall!  The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart We Have Alwyas Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Almost anything by Ray Bradbury, ever (but also: From The Dust Returned)  Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell  Scare...

This week, ahead of Banned Books Week, we're talking about the new grassroots coalition, MI Right To Read, organized by the Michigan Library Association to oppose any attempts to ban books from Michigan libraries based on content subjectively deemed inappropriate. You can find more information online at: https://www.mirighttoread.com/take-action  

[ENCORE] This week, we're listening back to our 2nd episode ever, way back in January of 2020, talking about the modern history of our library with Kevin Deegan Krause, former Board Director & Friend of the Library. We talk a lot about civic refurbishment, renovations, architecture, and science fiction! And we'll be back next week with another NEW episode, so stay tuned!

Finally, an episode for the nonfiction fans. Today, we're talking about our favorite narrative nonfiction books - books that tell true stories but are written with the flair of a novel.  Titles discussed include: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis  The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin Just Mercy by Brian Stev...

Can our librarians describe Top Gun having never seen it? Today on the podcast, our staff are playing a little game: trying to accurately describe a popular novel, film, or other ephemera from pop culture solely by what we've HEARD about it..., and then we'll judge each other's responses. This should be fun. The alternate title of this episode is "Everyone's Muppets."  Titles discussed (SPOILER al...

Mary Grahame & Rodi join Jeff to, once again, discuss the romance genre. We talk about the Flea Bag-ification of Jane Austen adaptations; the Failure to Launchization of animated book covers, the lost art of the Rom Com, a few of our particular favorite romance novelists, and we especially discuss Bridgerton. [Content warning for Bridgerton Season 1, from 22:45-23:15 & 27:30-28:00]  Authors discus...

We've started a new Graphic Novel Book Club! (First meeting is August 16).  So, this week on "A Little Too Quiet," we're discussing GRAPHIC NOVELS! Just in time for the tv adaptations of Sandman and the Paper Girls). Titles discussed include:  Moms by Yeong-Shin Ma Babymouse by Jennifer Holm Goblin Girl by Moa Romanova  Coyote Doggirl by Lisa Hanawalt Stone Fruit by Lee Lai  In case you need them...

Joining us on our podcast this week is acclaimed bestselling author Mohsin Hamid ('Exit West'), discussing his latest book, 'The Last White Man.' In the book (out this week), people awake in new incarnations, uncertain how their neighbors, friends, and family will greet them. Are these transformations the long-dreaded overturning of the established order, or will this change take on a different sh...

Jeff and Aby welcome April Baer, award-winning broadcast journalist and host of Michigan Radio (91.7)'s Stateside--explicitly to discuss ALL THINGS MARVEL! It's a post-Comic-Con / post-Phase-5 announcement RECAP episode! We talk about what it is about these films that we admire so much, and we wind up hitting upon some fairly emotional / deeply philosophical / dare-we-say existential points, all i...

Today on the podcast, Rodi, Jeff, and Mary Grahame discuss DISNEY, particularly their favorite films and their least-favorite films. What's worked? Sometimes when Disney has been daring, and tried something a little more experimental, the results have PARTICULARLY connected with US, if not with the rest of mainstream audiences...  

On this week's episode, Damon, Jeff, Kerrie and Simon are discussing VIDEO GAMES, which is one of the many items that our library circulates! We're talking about our favorite games from our formative years, as well as the games we enjoy playing today! We also talk about some of the misconceptions commonly held over "gaming" as a recreation. You can find "A Little Too Quiet" wherever you get your p...

Kayla Cottingham is a Boston-based YA author and librarian. She is passionate about connecting young people with books featuring diverse voices so they can see themselves and their communities represented on the page. We're discussing Kayla's debut novel, My Dearest Darkest, a cosmic horror story about boarding school students who unknowingly awaken a supernatural evil. https://www.kaylacottingham...

Rodi and Jeff welcome Aby back to the podcast to discuss anime & manga. We particularly talk a lot about our favorite anime shows, genre breakdowns, favorite narrative tropes, and how there really is "an anime for everyone."  Titles discussed include: Demon Slayer Attack on Titan Gundam Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Carole & Tuesday et. al.) Jujutsu Kaisen My Hero Academia Gangsta Dragonball...

Jeff and Kelly discuss some of their favorite audiobooks, particularly their appreciation for each title's narrator! Then, in the second half of the episode, (at 25:44) we feature an interview with Dan John Miller , an award-winning Detroit-area audiobook narrator (as well as musician/actor), discussing the nuances of the profession and what he enjoys most about performing a book.  Dan has garnere...

Tune in to hear sci-fi and fantasy recommendations from two librarians, specifically presenting books for readers who haven't tried either of these genres yet and are curious..., or perhaps you have and just haven't found the right book yet?  Titles discussed include: Damon Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (Skyward series) Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (Reckoners series) Scythe by Neal Shusterman Ga...

We're at it again! Rodi and Mary Grahame join Jeff to discuss why we are drawn (or repulsed) by certain antagonistic characters, or villains, in literature. The books we talk about the most include the Winternight Trilogy, the Murder of Mr. Wickham, and a classic: Les Miserables. 

Librarians Sarah Bowman & Kricket Hoekstra join Jeff to discuss "beach reads," along with some of this summer's most anticipated books. We also delve into books that either evoke pure "summer vibes" or favorite books we've all read "during" the summer.  Books discussed include:  Domestic Thrillers by Lianne Moriarty Maybe some Dostoevsky? Kiley Reid - Such a Fun Age Judy Blume - Summer  Sisters Li...

In Far Company, we hear Cindy Hunter Morgan thinking about the many ways we carry the natural world inside of us as a kind of embedded cartography. Many of these poems commune not only with lost ancestors but also past poets.  Morgan's previous book, Harborless, was a Michigan Notable Book of 2018. We spoke with Morgan about her new collection of poems, out this week via Wayne State University Pre...

"Ding ding on the 'Gothic Bell'"  |  We started out talking about the films of Guillermo del Toro but quickly realized just how much of a similarity his films have with classic gothic literature! So, just in time for World Goth Day, we bring you the venn diagram between one of our greatest living directors and the books of Shelley, Bronte, and even Horace Walpole! 

Today, we're talking about games! The incredible variety of board games and video games that are fun for ALL AGES, and particularly the titles that are engaging for adult audiences. You can check out board games and video games from the library! Try a few and see which ones you like!   

"You're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind...." Journey with us, as Rodi and Jeff welcome Josh Malerman (author of Bird Box) back to the podcast to discuss the enduring influence and cultural impact of the Twilight Zone's original television run from 1959-1964--a masterclass in short storytelling, just in time for SHORT STORY MONTH.  

Music in a library! It's not a novel-ty... And we encourage all the artists who perform here to be as loud as possible! Take a trip down memory lane with us, looking back at 12+ years of concerts hosted inside the library and hear a preview of what's to come...

This week, we're talking about twice-told tales and retellings. We go from Greek Mythology to Fairy Tales to Shakespearean Plays, and quite a bit of Arthurian Legends, and discuss the ways in which these centuries-old stories are revitalized today, while also talking about amazing contemporary authors like Silvia Moreno-Garcia and graphic novel series like Once & Future. 

Today, we're chatting with school librarian Julie Saunders, who serves students in Ferndale Public Schools' Lower & Upper Elementary! What are some misconceptions about what a school librarian does? What does a typical day look like for a school librarian? How are they approaching STEM and information literacy? We talk about it all on the latest episode of "A Little Too Quiet."