The Free Bin

Science nerds Denyse and Harrison exchange fun and informative science titles, with feedback from literature nerd Deb. Also, Deb and Harrison misidentify a hippopotamus. In this episode: "All in a Drop" by Lori Alexander "Caterpillar and Bean" by Martin Jenkins "A Dinosaur Named" Ruth by Julia Lyon "The Disappearing Spoon" by Sam Kean "Find Out About Animal Babies" by Martin Jenkins "The Geek Dad...

Content warning: This episode contains references to violence, crime scene science and intimate anatomy (not at the same time, fortunately). Harrison shows Deb some weird, wild, unique and unusual titles from our collection. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are... something else. In this Episode: "The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo," a semi-autobiographical novel by Oscar Zeta Acosta "Death Inv...

Deb and Harrison explore the weird and messy symbiotic relationship between libraries and the world of publishing. Expect takes of varying temperature on such topics as digital rights management (DRM), bestseller lists, academic journal subscriptions, and the many devious ways in which public libraries continue to victimize the downtrodden, shivering and unshod CEOs of various multinational publis...

Deb and Harrison discuss some books they read in 2022, and some they are looking forward to in 2023. Deb challenges the Crown while Harrison shaves Sasquatch.    Discussed in this episode: The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff  Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? by Harold Schecter and Eric Powell The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill Heinerth How...

Deb listens to some of Harrison's favorite strange and/or historically significant sounds. In this episode: Ötzi Nesyamun Phonautograph Frank Lambert's Talking Clock Alessandro Moreschi Radu Marian Upsweep UVB-76 University of Twente's WebSDR

Harrison shares a short Christmas story from 1908 about Santa Claus battling an army of goblins. In this episode: The Goblins' Christmas by Elizabeth Anderson "Goblin Mode"

Author Lee Lynch joins Denyse and Harrison to discuss her career in lesbian fiction, from the time of Stonewall to her most recent work. Discussed in this episode: Lee Lynch

Deb, Denyse and Harrison discuss junior fiction and young-adult reading, with a focus on the books that made them who they are today (oops!). Deb reveals the shadowy syndicate behind Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Denyse shares her deep identification with Fern from Charlotte's Web, and later Harrison absolutely fails to befriend a spider. Also, Deb and Harrison share an exciting announcement abou...

Deb and Harrison share a couple of their favorite stories for you to enjoy while you slightly overcook the turkey and realize you forgot to get butter when you were at the store. Hey, it's OK! In this episode: "The Mezzotint," from Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James "The Will-o-the-Wisp is in the Town, Says the Moor Woman," from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

November is National Novel Writing Month, and this week Deb is joined by the "Jew Girls" (the Newport-based writing team of Jess Bondy, Sara Heimlich and Carla Perry) to discuss their new globe-trotting adventure novel! Topics include the collaborative writing process, reconnecting with heritage, the meaning of Purim, and (of course) a very special talking animal sidekick. Discussed this week: The...

November is National Model Railroad Month! Harrison is joined by Lisa Watson, Alan Holzapfel and Ray Cauduro of the Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society (YPRHS) to discuss big happenings at the Library and the YPRHS museum, and to chat about all things trains (from Z-scale to full-scale). Discussed in this episode: Holiday Express (Oregon Rail Heritage Center) National Model Railroad Associ...

Library staff and friends perform some dramatic scenes from Shakespeare. Rehearsals? Never! Theater experience? No! Familiarity with the source material? Sometimes. Soundboard full of goofy sound effects? Check! Errata: We can't find a Region 1 DVD of Al Pacino's Richard III performance, nor can we find a copy of his documentary about it. We've linked to the Wikipedia entry on it below. In this ep...

Content warning: this episode includes discussions of violence, war, trauma and sex. It's for grown-ups! Deb and Harrison talk about the relationship between vampires and times of cultural transition--specifically Europe's tumultuous years following WWI. Some of their many digressions include: how to simulate an artillery barrage with your fingers, Anne Rice's dog statue, Bauhaus buying a hearse,...

Deb and Harrison share some of their favorite online resources for eBooks, audiobooks and more! Discussed in this episode: Internet Archive , and Books to Borrow at Internet Archive Internet Sacred Text Archive LibriVox Open Culture Project Gutenberg Standard eBooks Storynory SYNC Thought Audio

Blackstone Audio's Jesse Bickford joins Deb and Harrison for a behind-the-scenes look (or, rather, listen) at audiobook production! Discussion topics include regional dialects, the proofing process, what it takes to be a narrator, and the pronunciation of made-up words. Discussed in this Episode: Blackstone Publishing Ireland by Frank Delaney Sh ō gun by James Clavell

Deb, Denyse and Harrison discuss the very best of the very worst movies with Joel Gaddis from Portland's renowned video rental institution, Movie Madness. Topics include the value of earnestness, mouth-pinball supercomputers, anti-Frankenstein bigotry, the Wayans Brothers, and why Joel and Harrison have vaguely similar voices (they're cousins!). C'est la poupée! As a palate cleanser, the discussio...

Deb, Denyse and Harrison talk about what it's really like to work at the library. Topics include Lizzo's crystal flute performance; some cranky but good-natured myth-busting about book donations and library professionals' imagined reading habits; books bound in human skin; and the ever-present ghost of Melvil Dewey. Further reading: The Anthropodermic Book Project Olson, H. A., & Ward, D. B. (2013...

Laurie Bridges from Oregon State University drops by to tell Deb and Harrison all about Wikipedia! Mentioned on this episode: Wikipedia and Academic Libraries: A Global Project by Laurie Bridges, Raymond Pun, and Roberto A. Arteaga (Eds.) Wikipedia Wikidata

Denyse and Harrison each bring a hefty stack of graphic nonfiction titles to discuss. Topics include trips to the moon, the challenges of adolescence, the nigh-unattainable grownuptitude of Sheriff Buford Pusser, braces, and the unique occupational hazards faced by 20th-century Ukrainian anarchist horses. Errata: Harrison talks about the Kent State shootings in the context of the "late '60s." The...

Deb, Denyse and Harrison explore the ever-popular mystery genre(s), from Scooby-Doo to Agatha Christie to neo-noir Batman. Mentioned in this episode: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris "Death on the Nile" (2022) "Knives Out" (2019) "The Batman" (2022) The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett* *This book was adapted to film twice, in 193...

Deb and Harrison discuss the challenges of returning to school for teachers and students. They also discuss technology troubles, Mikhail Gorbachev's death and Woodstock '99.   Mentioned in this episode: "Gorbachev. Heaven" (2020)

Content warning: This episode includes brief mentions of threats of racialized violence depicted in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Deb and Harrison share their answers to the question "What fictional character would you choose to be your best friend?" The conversation takes them to classic and current literature, Deb's childhood experiences as a back-alley hydrol...

Deb and Harrison talk about the concept of magic in fiction and life. Never sniff a necromancer's beard! Note: Harrison was indeed wrong about Nicolas Flamel, who was not an architect but a scribe and bookseller who designed his own tombstone. Mentioned in this episode: Queen Victoria's Book of Spells, Introduction: Fantasy, Magic, & Fairyland in 19th Century England Grimorium Verum Nicolas Flamel...

The gang discusses lifelong learning and personal growth and what it means to them. Topics: Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI), North Korea, wine, unconscious social biases, audio signal processing, "The Munsters."  Mentioned in this episode: KYAQ , Lincoln County's public radio station "The Munsters" (2022) Trailer #1 The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo L...

Deb and Harrison share their favorite bedtime story choices for good dreams and bad. Stephen King contributes to both categories. Quirky manga, proto-punk, Rumpelstiltskin and Samuel L. Jackson make appearances. Deb shares book recs from a luxury blanket company. Harrison says Norway when he means Sweden. Recommendations in this episode: "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman "Notes From a Small Is...