Drinks in the Library

There is no getting around this: I was THRILLED when Lisa agreed to come on the podcast. Lisa is the Executive Director of the Virginia Library Association, immediate past chair of the Virginia Beach Public Library Board, and a member of the ALA Policy Corps focusing on Unite Against Book Bans . She also was named the LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR 2024 by Library Journal, an award she won because of her a...

Hello Libration  Nation! This week I am discussing From the Dust Returned with Harry Szabo. Harry is a writer and union organizer. Their books, What Big Teeth and We All Fall Down , explore bad queer representation. They live with their three cats in Richmond, Virginia. From the Dust Returned has such an Addams Family vibe, so for our drink I went with the red wine The Fugitive by C.A. Dry Creek b...

Hello Libration Nation - I’m back! So, after all these interviews talking with wonderful people about their favorite books, I felt it was time to share some of my own things, and who better to do that with than my husband Bill as our first guest host?! This week we are talking Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont, one of my favorite books, and a source of inspiration for doing this podcast as well. Our dri...

Hello Libration Nation! So this week I am announcing that I am taking a tiny two week break from the podcast BECAUSE I am working with my friends at EveryLibrary to host some author interviews over the next two weeks. EveryLibrary is the only political action committee for libraries, and I’m thrilled to be partnering with them and doing my favorite thing, promoting storytelling and libraries! Here...

We are going under the sea, 20,000 leagues worth to be precise! It was sincerely so wonderful to talk with Keely Blue about this novel that she loves dearly and learn all the ways it has impacted her. Keely is a library worker by day and singer by night. She fronts the alternative indie band The Tea Lights. In her spare time, she loves walking, collecting records, and escaping into fictional world...

I’m so thrilled this week to be talking with Dr. Nan Carmack about a book that profoundly impacted her, Ahab’s Wife, or the Star-gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund. This book is a brilliant recapturing of the life of Ahab’s wife from Moby Dick and is the author, Nasland’s demonstration of a beautiful female journey in juxtaposition of Melville’s inherently male story. The life of our protagonist, Una, is...

This week I am discussing The Friday Night Club : A Novel of Artist Hilma af Klint and Her Creative Circle by Sofia Lindberg, Alyson Richman and MJ Rose. I was so pleased that my friend and museum educator Izzie Call came on the pod and shared her passion and inspiration in learning about “The Mother of Abstract Art” Hilma af Klint. Izzie is a passionate educator who loves art and reading, and lis...

Libration Nation is going International! This week we are discussing the German book Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp, which was the winner of the Dublin Literary Award 2023. Also, this Mother’s Day Week, my guest is none other than the Queen of Libration Nation herself, my mother Patricia Smith!  Marzahn, Mon Amour   is about the experiences of a woman who becomes a pedicurist in Marzahn, Berli...

Hello Libration Nation! This week I am talking with writer, library worker and avid reader Heather Knapp about a book that had a big impact on her as a child and kicked-off her love of reading: The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick. One of the characters in this story LOVES Chocolate, so Heather and I paired it with a Chocolate Martini Mocktail! Chocolate Martini Mocktail 3/4 cups milk...

But I gotta know what’s your Romanta-ta-cy? If you are Hannah “H Bomb” Hauck the answer to this is Fourth Wing and everything else that is coming next from Rebecca Yarros. This is a fun romp with my BFF as we discuss Fourth Wing and everything around the creation of this story, deep diving into both the smut and the publishing industry. Seriously, where else are you going to find this kind of cont...

This week I am talking with librarian James Hudson about The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, an American classic and a book that had a huge impact on James as a teenager. We recorded this episode on St. Patrick’s Day, and decided to celebrate with a Guinness Beer , probably the least phony beer out there and hopefully a choice Holden would respect. In this episode The Catcher in the Rye by JD S...

Giddy-up folks, we are talking about everyone’s favorite topic: DEATH. I loved talking with Kierston about all things death, funeral practices from around the world, grief, and love. Kierston is a library customer services supervisor and loves to read, especially books that teach her something new. You can follow her beautifully curated Instagram: @ oursharedshelves For our discussion Kierston cho...

This week I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Lau, she is research faculty in the School of Education at VCU, she has a Masters of Arts in Teaching as well as a PhD in Public Policy and Administration. She is also a wife and mom of two young boys, and on top of all this she has co-run our neighborhood bookclub with me since 2021! Stephanie picked one of the many books we have read for bookclub, Olga Dies...

Did you read the Anne of Green Gables series as a young girl and then walk through the woods pretending to be Anne and Diana? Yes? So did I and so did my friend Deanna! Talking with Deanna about this book was so much fun, celebrating Anne and the cultural impact this story has had. A famous Anne quote is: “I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”. Well, I’m so glad I live in a w...

Hello Libration Nation! This week I talk with realtor and small business owner Allison Schwalm about the book Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. This book is about all things hospitality and customer service and Allison expands on how it inspires her own business practices. It’s a great book for anyone who is aiming to grow their business, or is interested in showing caring and respect thro...

Hello Libration Nation! This week I’m joined by Haley Houghton, an educator and book enthusiast. The book we discuss is “ Lessons in Chemistry ” by Bonnie Garmus . For our drink we chose coffee (this was recorded in the morning and as busy moms we weren’t quite ready to get at it), and Haley added a little chemistry twist by making it in an Aeropress . In this episode we discuss turning 40, our tw...

Hello Libration Nation! This week’s episode features librarian Beka Castagna as we discuss her latest fantasy obsession, the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson . Beka walks me through the premise of the book, its characters, and the series role as one of the biggest-name fantasy series on the market. We also discuss this Wired article , which was my entree into the insanely complicated world of...

Hello Libration Nation! This week horror film enthusiast Matthew Knotts is here to talk about one of his favorite books and films “ The Exorcist ” by William Peter Blatty. The episode touches equally with the film side of the story as well as the book and was delightful and hilarious to record. For our drink we went with the Exorcist Cocktail from this website. The ingredients are: 3/4 oz of Lime...

I could not pick a better first guest than my life-partner, Bill! We discuss one of his favorite books Hyperion, land some pretty decent jokes, and consider the potential that we get cancelled on this very first podcast episode. Kidding (I hope!) The book is Hyperion by Dan Simmons , and Bill choose to pair our household beverage, a Gin & Fresca, or as we call them “A Girlfriend” (GF, get it?!...

Drinks in the Library is thinly library where drinks aren’t just allowed, they are required! Each episode librarian Gigi Howard interviews a guest about a much loved book and we pair it with a drink! Instagram: @DrinksintheLibrary www.drinksinthelibrary.com