The Free Bin

Cindy and Harrison discuss some successful (and not-so-successful) book-to-movie adaptations. In this episode: "Black Klansman" by Ron Stallworth "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter S. Thompson "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien "My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf "No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman "Sahara" by...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide. Don't try to lay no boogie woogie on the king of rabbit holes! In search of the origins of a favorite song, Harrison leads Cindy on a manic trip down memory lane that begins with a blues singer in England and ends with a puppet show in Portland. Along the way, they encounter Dolly Parton, Sonic the Hedgehog, Rod Stewart, Gul Dukat, and...

Harrison chats with Donna Carter and Karen Fitzgibbon of the Yaquina Fiber Arts Guild to discuss the many facets of their work, as well as some upcoming events! Along the way, they encounter spinning techniques old and new, various sheep, a wandering 4-year-old, a bag of dog hair, "art yarn," and some interesting rabbit tricks. The Yaquina Fiber Arts Guild will be holding their annual "Spin In" th...

Harrison shares a few titles for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  In this episode: "Hellhound on His Trail" by Hampton Sides "The Kneeling Man" by Leta McCollough Seletzky "March" by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin "MLK/FBI" dir. by Sam Pollard "My Life, My Love, My Legacy" by Coretta Scott King, as told to the Rev. Barbara Reynolds

In preparation for the Toledo Public Library's upcoming digital literacy workshops (made possible by the Public Library Association and AT&T), Cindy and Harrison share their personal stories of how they first encountered the digital world, way back in the 1900s! Along the way, they learn and forget how to write code, play online games while the kids sleep, imitate a dialup modem, share medium-hot...

Harrison shares some notable works that entered the public domain on January 1, 2025. The art, literature, music, and films of the 1920s are now in the public domain Dancing skeletons, several famous novels, and a sleazy Mickey Mouse are now free to use and re-use! In this episode: "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Razaf, Waller, Brooks) "Blackmail" directed by Alfred Hitchcock "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest H...

Santa Claus himself stops by the library to share Francis Pharcellus Church's classic 1897 newspaper editorial " Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus ."  In this episode: The Public Domain Review's write-up of the editorial  "This article was originally published on  The Public Domain Review https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/yes-virginia-there-is-a-santa-claus-1897/ under a Creative Commo...

Richard Fetrow from the Seashore Literacy Ukulele Group (SLUGs) stops by to chat with Cindy and Harrison about the group's origins, activities, and community service efforts. The SLUGs will be performing at the Library December 21, 2024, at 1 p.m. to celebrate the holiday season!

Harrison reads the short, humorous poem " Pumpkin Pie " by Mary Mapes Dodge.

It's National Model Railroad Month again! Lisa Watson, Executive Director of the Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society (YPRRHS), pulls into the station to teach Cindy and Harrison about the history of the model railroad hobby, and how it relates to the history of railroads in general. Cotton candy vanishes. An ancient temple wonder rotates. Napoleon III earns himself a "World's Greatest Dad"...

Get your 20-sided dice ready! Cindy and Harrison sit down with esteemed local Dungeon Master (DM) Thomas Rogers to discuss all things Dungeons & Dragons (DnD). Topics include gameplay basics, the role of narrative, Thomas's tools of the trade, unexpected celebrity players, and DnD's strange cultural moment as a target of the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s. Harrison can't find the on-ramp, Thomas rol...

Harrison shares a selection of titles for Veterans' Day. In this episode: "In the Company of Soldiers" by Rick Atkinson "Jarhead" by Anthony Swofford "No Easy Day" by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body" by Lyle Jeremy Rubin "We're Seabees, Not Regular Navy" by Paul Ferrell "What It Is LikeTo Go To War" by Karl Marlantes

Harrison and Cindy chat with the Lincoln County Library District's hardworking cataloger/integrated library system (ILS) administrator, Christopher Davis, to learn about internet privacy and boldly imbibe a baffling beverage. Below is Christopher's fantastic resource list, with his own annotations: Background information: https://libguides.up.edu/dpc For those of you who like to research- many art...

Harrison joins Brittney and Joshua from Swords & Starships , the Coos Bay Public Library's excellent sci-fi and fantasy podcast (listen wherever you get your podcasts)! The intrepid trio discuss monster and paranormal romance literature in all its myriad manifestations. Content warning for younger or sensitive listeners: This episode deals with human (and non-human) sexuality, so it gets a little...

For The Free Bin's 100th(ish) episode, Harrison welcomes the Library's newest team member (and podcast co-host), Cindy! Cindy shares her favorite book and a very blue soda. In this episode: Found Magazine "The Keeper of Lost Things" by Ruth Hogan "Broadchurch" (TV Series) "Midsomer Murders" (TV Series) "Shetland" (TV Series)

Denyse and Harrison discuss their recent leisure reading endeavors.  In this episode: "The Clockwork Sparrow" by Katherine Woodfine "Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers" by Frank Figliuzzi    

Denyse and Harrison celebrate Banned Books Week with a couple of stories from history, a quiz game, and a strange liquid. Joyce causes trouble. "Obscene" material goes down a Canadian's pants. Puritans attempt to solve problems.  Pynchons persist. In this episode: "Ban This Book" by Alan Gratz "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg " The Meritorious Price of Our...

Denyse and Harrison exercise their right of selecting and discuss the complaint tablet(s) to Ea-Nasir--the much-maligned merchant, miscreant, and modern meme. Nanni is furious. Arbituram is confused. Imgur-Sin is tired. In this episode: "Carly Only Eats Carbs" by Katrina Liu " Complaint Tablet to Ea Nasir " (UET V 81) by Nanni "Foreign Trade in the old Babylonian Period" by W.F. Leemans "The Great...

It's readers' advisory time! Harrison briefly shares a few new and newly-acquired items.  In this episode: "The Animator's Survival Kit" by Richard WIlliams "The Great Book of Amber" by Roger Zelazny "Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life" by Richard Beck "Legend" by Marie Lu The "Miss Fortune Mystery" series by Jana DeLeon    

Harrison reads Margaret St. Clair 's humorous fantasy short story " The Autumn After Next " (1960).

Denyse and Harrison wrap up their packed summer schedule by sharing the items they are/will be reading/watching. Inspired by actual events. In this episode: "America Fantastica" by Tim O'Brien "Chain Gang All-Stars" by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah "Fifth Sun" by Camilla Townsend "The Long Game" dir. by Julio Quintana "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" by Chris Van Allsburg "Stopmotion" dir. by Robert M...

Denyse and Harrison share some road trip memories for American Adventures Month. Denyse feeds a notable hippo and visits a "treesort." Harrison eats a notable hot dog and encounters oversized bovine anatomy among the redwoods.  In this episode: "Beekle" by Dan Santat "Campground Kids" series by C.R. Fulton "Oregon Ghost Towns" by Lambert Florin "Oregon Off the Beaten Path" by Myrna Oakley "Tommy B...

Denyse and Harrison celebrate International Clown Week 2024 with some clown, comedy, and circus-related titles. Denyse shares her family connection to clowning. Clown-shaped gaps in the library collection are identified. The Man in the Yellow Hat continues to confound. Denyse describes a mechanical corndog. Music used during topic introduction: "Circus Tent" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License...

Thanks to a fortuitous geographical mix-up, Harrison has a chat with self-published author and medical student Vinnie Grewal from Toledo, Ohio. Vinnie's current project is a series of novels with overlapping events and characters. Here, he shares details of his inspirations, philosophy, and writing process.  In this episode: " Bruised and Bemused " by Vinnie Grewal "The Fault in Our Stars" by John...

Denyse and Harrison share some books about fish, the sea, and related topics. Denyse becomes a puffin. Harrison gets carried away with fish stuff.  In this episode: "Eyewitness Handbooks: Aquarium Fish" by Dick Mills "Goldfish: A Complete Introduction" by Robert Mertlich "Life on the Rocks" by Juli Berwald "My Pet Goldfish" by Catherine Rayner "Odder" by Katherine Applegate "Puffins" by Colleen Se...