Semi Bookish

With the second year of recording officially behind us, Semi Bookish reflects on its finer moments before turning its gaze to the future. Tune in to reminisce and to get a sense of what is, or might be, in store.

Jennifer, ADL's Adult and Teen Services Librarian extraordinaire, is leaving us to chase new and exciting opportunities. Although we will miss her, we're also celebrating her future. And how best to wish her the best then to discuss Historical Fiction, which is one of Jen's jams, in case you haven't been listening.

Dive into the realm of Dungeons & Dragons along with the stalwart crew of Semi Bookish and their fearless Dungeon Daddy. Along with wishing the late and nerdy Gary Gygax a happy birthday, we explore the popular TTRPG's evolution from its earliest stages to the gaming juggernaut that it is today.

Semi Bookish strays from the straight path to take Queer Television to task, doling out praise and criticism with an equally heavy hand. 

Just days into Summer Reading, Semi Bookish takes to the microphone to explore their personal, and often hilarious, reading histories, experiences.

With six seasons and two movies released, the Semi Bookish takes a figurative trip to Downton Abbey, exploring the ups and downs of the fictional aristocrats and those beneath them. 

For the good, bad, or purely ridiculous reasons, Semi Bookish talks about books they've wanted (or still want) to throw out a window. What about you? Can you name a few?

With Free Comic Book Day just around the corner, Semi Bookish invited Rad Raptor's Tim Ambrose to be nerdy, talk fandoms, and shed light on one of the coolest comic book shops in Michigan!

Leaning into the Ish (and down one member of the team), we explore a collection of movies that we think are underrated, or, at least, deserve to be talked about and have copious amounts of praise heaped upon them.

As a special follow-up to our previous Middle-Grade episode, Semi Bookish paddles out to the deeper section of fiction - Young Adult. It's a brilliant genre that's definitely more than meets the eye, and definitely worth your time, even if you are an adult.

Semi Bookish decided to express our collection of issues with the debate between Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, specifically in where they overlap and how they are very different. Pour yourself a hot tea, turn up the volume, and get ready because Toni is not at a loss for words on the subject.

Selected by Toni Lea, (a.k.a. "Mouth From The South"), Semi Bookish talks about Lisa Moore Ramée's middle-grade novel, "A Good Kind of Trouble," and how it beautifully encompasses the experience of a pre-adolescent woman encountering issues of racial tensions, ethnic identity, and bodily agency. Truly, this is an absolute gem of a book, and we don't think you should pass it up.

Tune in for this special Bridgerton episode of Semi Bookish because our resident experts have tea that would make Lady Whistledown green with envy. Pros and cons of the show, differences between book and show, and why Shonda Rhimes' anachronistic romantic fantasy works. Guard your sensibilities for the episode's latter half. We discuss a few aspects of the story that are a bit on the mature side,...

Come aboard the U.S.S. Semi Bookish as your stellar crew from Adrian District Library boldly traverse the genre of science fiction. Oh, you might need to buckle up because where we're going, we don't need roads.

In the last episode of the year, Semi Bookish leans into the "ish" with a bit of holiday flavor. Oh, and we loosely construct our personal Hallmark Holiday Specials, so there's that. Happy New Year!

Although we're a bitter later to the game than we'd like, join the Semi Bookish as we take our first dive into the psyche of author, myth, and legend Frank Herbert and his seminal novel, "Dune."

Join the Semi-Bookish crew as the Supreme Overlord takes over hosting duties. Today's Topic? It's National Picture Book Month! We're discussing our favorite picture books, and talking about what actually makes a picture book...a picture book!

Still reeling in adoration following the consumption of "The Taking of Jake Livingston," Semi Bookish invited the author, Ryan Douglass, to join us all the way from Georgia (via Zoom) and let us pick their brain. Within you'll discover some goofy morsels about Ryan, get a few writing tips for your future endeavors, and even hear what Ryan's working on next (and we hope it comes to fruition).

The Horror genre is scary expansive, so there's no way we can tackle the entire topic in a single podcast. There's just so much to be said for this spooky tradition, be it literary or cinematic, so let's dive right in.

Semi Bookish is leaning into the Ish and discussing a medium for entertainment that has, since its still relatively recent inception, eclipsed many major industries, including music and film. So, open a can of your favorite pop, take a seat, and let's talk video games!

With C.S. Lewis' birthday not too far off, Semi Bookish takes to the microphone to discuss his most esteemed contribution to literature: The Chronicles of Narnia. Additional errata finding its way into the conversation include why Lucy is the most controversial character, whether or not Tolkien even liked Lewis' work, and why post-war Lewis is a legit snack.

In one corner we have "The Great Gatsby. In the other corner, we have "Their Eyes Were Watching God." And we have 60 minutes in which only one can emerge victorious in the Clash of the Classics!  Now, as Michael Buffer would say, "let's get ready to rumble!"

Turning our critical and quite skeptical eyes to the notion of reading lists, Semi Bookish attempts to break down the differences between good and not-so-good lists as well as the problem with lazily assigned reading.

Diving into the great literary lineage of fantasy, Semi Bookish talks what fantasy tickles their fancy as well as attempting to define and delineate the amazing, (almost) all-encompassing genre. Buckle up, because we're about to take you on a trip ranging from C.S. Lewis to V. E. Schwab and beyond.

First off, we're not talking about, ya' know, that F-word. We're talking about "fluffy," the oft-times maligned pseudo-genre of literature. Sure, it has been used to shame others for their reading choices, but others have used it eagerly and with pride. Of course, what does it really mean when we say a book is fluffy?