Good Librations - A Kiama Library Podcast

We are joined by very special guest, bestselling and Aurealis Award-winning author Kell Woods as we venture into the deep dark woods of children's tales. Hold the lantern high as we breadcrumb our way through boarding school mysteries and gingerbread houses and wicked stepmothers.

And the winner is.... Duracell? What do batteries have to do with literary awards? Who snubbed the Nobel? Why on earth would anyone set themselves a challenge to read the entire Booker Prize shortlist? Find these answers and more in our examination of literary awards. And in the spirit of prize culture, let us know whether you think we deserve a gold star.

Yeehaw podcast pardners! Jump into the saddle and join us on a journey into the wild West as we take a look behind the fringed leather curtain of the humble Rope Opera. We'll chinwag about the good, the bad and the deeply problematic and find out how the cowboy really got his chaps. We'll also discover why Westerns won't be riding off into the sunset anytime soon.  

It's Alive! Plug in and enter the fray as we look at science fiction through the ages. Also, we discuss who the father - or mother - of Science-Fiction really is; how Star Trek very nearly fell at the final frontier and was saved by Lucille Ball; and whether science-fiction is reaching its event horizon. And seriously, Homer, you don't belong in this episode.

What really are 'trashy' books and why are they so verily looked down upon? This month we inspect the shame and snobbery around readership. And to lighten things up, we leave season 3 with a puddle of bloopers.

What makes a classic book? Come along on a journey through the classics as we discover how a book becomes exalted above others - and whether they're still relevant today. Oh, and, yeah, the Odyssey makes its episodic appearance.

When George Eliot wrote "don't judge a book by it's cover' in the Mill on the Floss in 1860, it is certain she did not know just how strange a relationship we would have to her enduring idiom 160 years later. Open the book on a journey through the history and importance of cover design from clay tablets to jewel-encrusted tomes to open-shirted men - we find out why we're s...

What might be achieved in a single day? Come with us as we stride across an investigation of pacing and character and breadth and in which we find out what connects Aristotle to a 16th century Italian humourist to Shakespeare to James Joyce to Ferris Bueller.

What's in a name? Quite a lot, it turns out. This month we take a deep dive through the history of pseudonyms - who has them, who dropped them and wherefore art thou?

Come on a literal - and literary! - journey with us across the continents as we visit the storied places and spaces of our favourite reads and beloved authors. From Shakespeare to Potters both Beatrix and Harry, pack your bags for a whirlwind trip! 

Come with us, if you will, for a wander around the uber-popular writer's festival. We discover what's behind the rise and rise of the literary festival; take a gander at their history and why they're still important today.

Shadow Daddies gather! This month we're falling into the realm of Romantasy, the hybrid love child of fantasy and romance. Come for the world-building, stay for the spice.

Do you read on a plane? Do you read in the rain? Do you read while others sleep, or in a hammock on a beach? Come along and find out the weird and wonderful habits of readers. We also wade into the murky world of AI and how it is already impacts what we read - and how.

From Socratic-era Greece to a freshly colonised Massachusetts Bay to Oprah Winfrey Studios in Chicago to loungerooms and cafes across the world, come along on a journey through the powerful history and modern eminence of book clubs.

Welcome to the final episode for season 2! Peek a little further behind the curtain at library life; what were the Kiama Library librarian's favourite reads of 2023? And we give you a great list of podcast recommendations. If you like us, you'll love them. And it would be an end of season episode without a few bloopers!

This month we're talking about writing! Come on a journey through different styles of writing styles, where we discuss short stories, creative non-fiction and scriptwriting. We also find out what the Lobelia Sackville-Baggins test is, and dive into the agony and the ecstasy - but mostly the agony - of James Joyce. And, oh look, its The Odyssey.  Again. Shocker.

Come along on a music adventure as we discover why story and song have long been in perfect harmony. What was the first ever song about? Who wrote a middle-ages musical version of the 1-star hotel yelp review? What do Tenacious D , the Little Mermaid and Stravinsky have in common? And, oh look. It's the Odyssey. Again. Join in, and sing along if you know the words.

Come along on a journey full of quests and monsters as we discover if there really are only seven great stories in the world. This month we ask what are the actual odds of going from rags to riches? What was the worst makeover in cinematic history? Why do we love stories about our darker halves? And, oh look, it's The Odyssey. Again. Listen along as we break down the world's favourite ta...

Inscribed above the entrance library chamber belonging to King Ramses the II were the words 'The house for healing of the soul.' So described humanity's relationship with reading as a therapeutic practice, both in 1300BCE and today. Listen along as we discover how reading can heal more than just our souls, why we have such a connection to stories and words, and what books your hosts...

Join us in discussion with The Mapmaker Chronicles and Maven and Reeve author, the wonderful A.L. Tait and our fabulous children's librarian Elizabeth Skorulis to  discuss all things middle grade! What is behind the rise and rise of stories for pre-teens? What goes in to making books for middle grade readers authentic and relatable? Learn this and more! 

We're back for another month with another journey behind the literary curtain! This episode we dip our toes into the sometimes muddy but always fascinating waters of Fan Fiction and LitRPGs. Come along with us as we discover which of Shakespeare's plays is fanfic, what Kirk and Spock have to answer for, and look at the increasing impact of gaming on literature.

Fellow word nerds unite! Join us as we dip into the sometimes tumultuous ocean of language, pronunciations and, ahem, swearing. Also, what did the Victorians find so unmentionable? What is a 'dord'? Find out if you have you ever had the 'Coochie-Proochles'. And will we ever really know what Piffy on a Rock Bun is all about? Find out all this and more in this month's episod...

This month we dive into a whizz-banging tricky one as we discuss the recent revising of language in children's books. From Roald Dahl to Enid Blyton to Dr Seuss, we take a look at what got cut and why, and what it might mean for the future of children's books.  

We love to love love, don't we? Let us take your hand and lead you on a romantic adventure through the agony and the ecstasy of love stories. From Greek tragedies to Shakespeare biting his thumb at love to the sumptuousness of Bridgerton and beyond, we explore just what it is about love stories that make  romance novels the biggest literary market in the world.

This episode we get up close and personal with the staff of Kiama and Gerringong Libraries. Hear our personal journeys toward librarianship, our favourite reads and why we love being librarians! Also, join us for some of our more...ahem, CHALLENGING moments with a blooper reel that we hope will make you laugh as hard as we did.