I Missed Book Club

We discuss books our library's book clubs have covered in the last six months and offers som tips to making your book club successful.  Here is a partial listing of the discussed titles: January Chapters: The Swimmers January Facts: Ultra Processed People January Rise & Read: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl (Tso-Chil) Gonzales February Rise & Read: Instructions for a Heat Wave  by Maggie O'F...

Librarians Veronica Reynolds and Joe Barbieri dive into the historical record on The Bard and discuss his family, his life and the questions that surround his work. 

Veronica and Joe are back! They celebrate their return with a dive into the life of Mary Shelly, author of Frankenstien and The Last Man.  Shelley's life matches the captial 'R' Romantic that she was at heart. 

Librarians Veronica Reynolds and Joseph Barbieri begin a new series that asks the question: what is the great American novel? The most frequently listed title is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Joe and Veronica re-read the book and dive into it's highs and it's lows. Do they think it's the great American novel? What other books should they tackle in this series?

Veronica Reynolds and Joe Barbieri talk about twelve music videos that feature libraries, the fate of music videos in general and the fate of the monoculture.

Discover the amazing and tragic life of a literary figure that still looms large, one hundred and twenty-three years after his death. Witty, brilliant, and proud, Oscar Wilde left behind a legacy both troubled and rich.

Father, son and grandson all lead fasinating lives. So fasinating there's only time for father and son as we race through two amazing lives.

Veronica Reynolds tells Joe Barbieri about the origins of the language we use every day! A quick romp through history tells us so much about how language evolves!

Librarians Veronica Reynolds and Karen Ostertag discuss paranormal romance, horror, and recommend several titles while also talking about the subtle differences of genre, themes of early weird fiction, and what this whole speculative fiction thing even means.

Veronica Reynolds is joined by Brian Jennings as they discuss the Grapes of Wrath, the allure of a good cookbook, brown butter and the perfect cookie recipe.

Veronica Reynolds and guest co-host Joe Barbieri explore the lives of Elmer and Berta Hader, authors and illustrators of over 70 children's books. The Haders are local legends in Rockland County, NY with their gracious storybook home Willow Hill a sweet memory for both hosts.

With guest co-host Nancy Moscowitz, we discuss the amazing spectrum of mystery novels with their varied detectives and amateur sleuths. Topics range from favorite detectives, to what makes something a mystery and not horror, and some the amazing output of Nora Roberts!

In this bittersweet episode, we bid goodbye to Dana as she starts off on her next adventure. The discussion turns to the books that shaped both Dana and Veronica's lives most profoundly touching on rabbits, 90s feminism, 9/11, narrative nonfiction and motherhood. What are the books that change our lives and why do they have such an impact?

Dana Munsch and Veronica Reynolds are joined by Mark Gervino, Head of Support Services, who also runs a book club. Mark likes to bring challenging, issue-based books to his lively group and this month was a divisive pick. They discuss Choke, inevitably detour into Fight Club and more!

Dana and Veronica discuss the award-winning bestseller Hamnet, what gets left out of the historical record and some Shakespeare facts.

Dana and Veronica discuss the traditional definition of a classic, the strict, homogenous view of the western canon as laid out by Harold Bloom, and the more generous criteria set out by Italo Calvino. They also talk about their own relationship with 'classics'.

Dana and Veronica attempt to define literary fiction. Instead they discuss magical realism, the power of genre fiction, and if making something difficult to read also makes it great.

Dana and Veronica discuss Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy. They cover wolf conservation, synthesia, the draw of unlikeable characters, and the blur the book makes between genres.

Dana and Veronica change the subject a little and talk about the four ways people enter books: plot, character, setting and language. They bring up old favorites, their own preferences and the magic of writing.

Dana and Veronica talk about the themes of mother-daughter relationships, the difficulties of being the person that breaks down barriers, and take a detour to talk about why they like book clubs so much.

This week we discuss Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia, touching on non-linear storytelling, generational trauma, and how Dana choses books for Chapters.