Our hosts discuss the book they read together, and Crystal says goodbye to the podcast!

Our hosts are back this week to discuss books, culture, and the short stories they've read!

Frank and Crystal discuss what they read this week and reveal the theme for next month's read. Be sure to listen to find out what it is so you can reserve a book at your local library!

Dr. Carla Hayden sits down with Gwen and Frank to discuss what it really means to lead the Library of Congress—which, by the way, isn't only FOR Congress. Plus: lessons she learned from storytime, how she organizes her home library, and the first time she ever saw herself reflected in a book.

It's the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and Jason Baumann—NYPL curator and Grand Marquessa of All Things Stonewall—joins Gwen and Frank to discuss the Library's new anthology about the uprising and its role in the LGBTQ civil rights movement. And then he walks us through some yoga breathing, and it's legit.

The Stonewall Reader in our catalog and the NYPL shop

Love and Resistance: Out of the Closet Into the Stonewall Era in our catalog and the NYPL shop

City of Night by John Rechy

City Boy: My Life in New York during the 1960s and 70s (and more books) by Edmund White

The History and Practices of Hatha Yoga by James Mallinson

Kay Tobin Lahusen's photographs in our Archives & Manuscripts Division

Jason's first appearance on The Librarian Is In (episode 2!)

And check out more of the exhibition and the rest of the Library's Stonewall coverage at nypl.org/stonewall50.

Aminatou Sow, writer and co-host of the popular podcast "Call Your Girlfriend," talks with Gwen and Frank about poetry, the mental treadmill of the Internet, and her childhood best friend: the librarian. 

Book Recommendations

Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry by Imani Perry

Magical Negro by Morgan Parker

If They Come for Us by Fatimah Ashgar 

Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks

Also mentioned: 

Microsoft Encarta '95

PEN15

"won't you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton 

"Final Notations" by Adrienne Rich can be found in her collection, An Atlas of the Difficult World

What makes a place home? Frank follows a book rec from a listener and discovers a powerful memoir that makes him rethink the American dream. Gwen's book is a new fairytale retelling... sort of... that involves feudalism and magical gingerbread and... well, maybe you should just have a listen.

Book Recommendations

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

Also mentioned:

The recent Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America by Eliza Griswold

The Netflix series "Working Moms"

The network TV show "The Rookie"

Our Poetry Bonanza has arrived! In this episode --titled to pay homage to Frank's favorite Emily Dickinson stanza-- he and Gwen get to read and hear poetry recommendations from their listeners.

Listener Poetry Recommendations:

"My Mother Says I am Sickening" in The New Kid On the Block: Poems by Jack Prelutsky

“Good Hot Dogs” by Sandra Cisneros in A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poems for Children by Caroline Kennedy

"Why I Am Not a Good Kisser" in Selected Poem by Mary Ruefle

"Kal" in  If They Come for Us by Fatima Asghar

The title poem in What the Living Do: Poems  by Marie Howe

"What Resembles the Grave But Isn't" by Anne Boyer

IRL by Tommy Pico

The title poem in Inventory by Dionne Brand

"I want a dyke for president" by Zoe Leonard 

"Girls of the Wild" in Wild Embers  by Nakita Gill

"Fold" in You & Yours by Naomi Shihab Nye

"Scientific Romance" by Tim Pratt

"Where the Mind is Without Fear" from Gitanjali (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore

Also mentioned:

NYPL's Poem in Your Pocket Day

Gwen and Frank meet a handful of characters who aren't bothered by what other people think. Plus: the pros and cons of reading reviews, the extra voice in translations, and the no-person's-land between picture books and middle-grade fiction. 

Book Recommendations:

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata,  translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Sarah Berman's Closet by Maira Kalman

The Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, art by LeUyen Pham

Also mentioned:

The End of Eddy  and History of Violence by Édouard Louis 

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

NYPL's Poem in Your Pocket Day

Shrill — the Hulu series and the book by Lindy West

How on earth can you read when you have a newborn? Stephanie Anderson—a new mom and a professional book selector for NYPL and the Brooklyn Public Library—comes to talk about the shifting habits of a reader with a new baby. Plus: Frank channels Supernanny! Again.

Book Recommendations: 

Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy  by Angela Garbes

Cesearian Section: An American History of Risk, Technology and Consequence by Jaqueline H. Wolf

The board books:  Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr and Global Babies 

Also mentioned:

The New York Times article on cute aggression—why you want to squish and eat that baby! 

In the Witch Elm by Tana French 

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Happyland by J. Robert Lennon

The films Back to the Future and The Terminator

Angela Garbes' article, "The More I Learn About Breast Milk, the More Amazed I Am"

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Lauren Childs

Bull by David Elliott

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Greek mythology and contemporary fiction join forces this week! Gwen and Frank read two books that make readers ask, what would you do—or, what should you do?

Book Recommendations: 

Golden Child by Claire Adam

Circe by Madeline Miller

The audiobook of Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North  by Blair Braverman

Also mentioned:

A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

Mythology by Edith Hamilton

The Odyssey , translated by Emily Wilson

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Here Come the 123s!  by They Might Be Giants, and also please watch the amazing video of the "Never Go to Work" song (guaranteed to change your life for the better)

Okay, what's the deal with librarians and musical theater? This week's guest, newly minted children's librarian Kevin Kelley, traces his origin story back to the stage. He also discusses kids' books about the queer experience and offers up a brand-new first for the guessing game.

Book Recommendations: 

New Kid by Jerry Craft

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

Non-Book Recommendations:

"The Prom," a musical now playing on Broadway (LOTS of dancing!)

Have a laugh with the podcast "Throwing Shade" 

And look back at episodes of "Gilmore Girls... still so enjoyable.

Also mentioned:

Go the Way Your Blood Beats: On Truth, Bisexuality and Desire  by Michael Amherst

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

Hurricaine Child by Kheryn Callender

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle

Feminasty: The Complicated Woman's Guide to Surviving the Patriarchy Without Drinkng Herself to Death by Erin Gibson

Over 200 years ago, a teenage girl started a literary legacy that continues to haunt us today. Why do we still keep telling this story and how does it reflect our darkest fears? The New York Public Library's curators join monster theory scholars and best-selling authors to trace the history of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley’s classic. This special podcast episode unpacks the genius of Shelley’s novel, its origins and evolution—from the British Romantics to Black Lives Matter—to uncover how it’s helped us better understand ourselves, our humanity, and our future.

Frank and Crystal discuss Speak Memory and 2 YA books: The Secret Battle of Evan Pao and The Many Meanings of Meilan!

Audre Lorde and Pat Parker were close friends who fought fiercely for social justice. In this episode, Frank and Gwen discuss a powerful book of letters between the two Black feminist poets. 

Book Recommendation

Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Parker 1974-1989, ed. by Julie Ensure

More by Audre Lorde and Pat Parker:

The Complete Works of Pat Parker, ed. by Julie Enszer

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde  includes the poem "Power" mentioned in the epsiode.

I Am Your Sister: Collected and Unpublished Writings of Audre Lorde  includes the essay "There is No Heriarchy of Oppression"

Get rowdy with Roxanne Coady, indie bookstore owner and host of the Just the Right Book podcast. Roxanne finds common ground with Frank and Gwen, talking about places where people seek connection and community with books at their heart. 

Roxanne's Book Recommendation

My Sister, the Serial Killer  by Oyinkan Braithwaite 

Also mentioned:

A Drinking Life by Pete Hamill

Lucky by Alice Sebold

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Guilded Age by Tim Wu

The Common Good by Robert Reich

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Embers by Sándor Márai

You can visit Roxanne's bookstore, RJ Julia, in Madison, Conneticuit and check out one of their events. And definitely have a listen to her podcast Just the Right Book for more book recommendations and interviews with a wide-range of authors and guests. (Including Frank and Gwen!)

Gwen's quest to learn more about Carol Channing took both her and Frank to a place where divas and dames truly reign- Broadway! Plus: Frank's book taps into the cultural obsession with visiting the past (repeatedly) to figure out the future, leading us into the arms of "Russian Doll" creator Natasha Lyonne. 

Book Recommendations 

Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater by Eddie Shapiro

The Heavens by Sandra Newman

Non-Book Recommendations 

Check out the new Netflix series "Russian Doll," and you'll obsess over it too!

And watch "Happy Death Day" for more time loops, laughs and life on other planes.

Books have lives too! Frank and Gwen take a break from talking about the words on the page and get into the stories of items in NYPL's archives. In this specially curated tour, meet the Mary Poppins doll that made peace between author and illustrator, hear about a woman spymaster during the Civil War, and find out what limp vellum is. Plus: Nancy Drew has a secret. 

Guest: Meredith Mann, Librarian for Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books at NYPL

You can learn more about the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division here.  Also check out Meredith's blog posts to discover more about NYPL's living artifacts. There is even one on marcas del fuego (marks of fire) and the Mexico City imprint that is discusssed in this episode.

Meredith's Book Recommendation 

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

... or the joy of evolution? Frank's book traces the whole history of humankind and Gwen's is a short narrative about big changes. Plus: You can't talk about joy without talking about Christine Baranski. It's the law.

Book Recommendations 

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala

Sapiens: A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Non-Book Recommendation

The pure and consuming joy of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Book synergy abounds! Frank rediscovers Anne Frank's diary in a newly released graphic novel, Gwen becomes obsessed with a group of time-traveling historians, and everyone absorbs the small details of day-to-day lives during World War II. 

Book Recommendations

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Ari Folman and illustrated by David Polonsky

Blackout by Connie Willis (All Clear is the second book in the series, plus much more of her work in the catalog)​

Non-Book Recommendations

Sandhya Menon's Twitter post that helped Gwen understand how people feel when you mispronounce their names.

Frank and Gwen celebrate the life and work of Mary Oliver by reading a handful of her poems and doing something she might approve of—letting it all go and singing about dogs.

Have you ever truly grieved over the loss of someone in a book? Together with Eric Molinsky, host of the Imaginary Worlds podcast, Frank and Gwen dive into the psychology of readers' responses to character deaths. Don't worry, it's not as depressing as it sounds! Maybe!

Eric's podcast, Imaginary Worlds, the "Imaginary Deaths" episode, the fanfiction episode, and the Madeline Miller episode

Some books with deaths we've mourned:

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin (the Red Wedding is in the third book, A Storm of Swords)

• "Dr. Who" -- the David Tennant season
• The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch (available in many formats at the Library) and Riverdale (always)

Gwen gets fired up about reading—you guessed it—new fiction this year, while Frank dips into the backlist of a new favorite author. Plus: New Year's resolutions, The Bachelor, and the best short stories of 2018.

Best American Short Stories 2018, ed. by Roxane Gay

The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley

Encocylopedia Britannica's quick summary of "Beowulf"—or check out lots of versions of the actual poem from the Library

• The panel Gwen is speaking on at ALA Midwinter: “So You Want to Podcast." Come say hi!
• Vice
• Nina LaCour's podcast, Keeping a Notebook 
• The Bachelor

Glory Edim, creator of the coolest book club on the Internet, joins Frank and Gwen to discuss book clubs and beyond! They talk about Well-Read Black Girl, empowered storytelling, the potentials and pitfalls of making book recommendations, Black writers in the diaspora and the canon... and focusing on the things that unite us all. Happy new year, friends! 

Frank and Crystal discuss their free read book choices.

Aca-scuse me? It's an impromptu celebration of our favorite feel-good a capella movie... and, oh yeah, some book recommendations, too. Frank goes for a soul-searching memoir about spirituality and religion, and Gwen suggests a fantastical flipbook for kids.

Welcome to our first-ever live show, recorded in Frank's very own Jefferson Market Library! Gwen and Frank talk to Eric Klinenberg, sociologist and author of a new book about libraries and social infrastructure. Plus: the audience offers an invaluable assist during the guessing game.

Aristotle famously (er, probably) said that anger is a gift, and Gwen's been given one this year: Rebecca Traister's book about the power of women's rage, "Good and Mad." Plus, Frank finds more presents in The New Yorker archives and NYPL announces its year-end Best Books lists.

We're obsessed with libraries loaning unconventional items: seeds, toys, tools, clothes, games, museum passes... and sculptures. Local artist Wendy Richmond joins Gwen and Frank to talk about her work and her new installation, which encouraged patrons to take home her incredible sculptures of her own hands.

Frank and Gwen will be talking to Eric Klinenberg, author of Palaces for the People, at Frank's own Jefferson Market Library! Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. -- click here for all the details.

Whether you're cooking turkey for 20 or opting out of Thanksgiving entirely, books about food are always in season. Frank and Gwen talk about their favorite cookbooks and chef memoirs with NYPL's resident foodie, Jeanne Hodesh, and offer some family recipes of their very own.

• The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones
• Memories of a Lost Egypt by Colette Rossant
• Blood, Bones, & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
• Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser
• The audiobooks of Anthony Bourdain
• Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichel

• The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen (and the Moosewood archives at Cornell University Library)
• Fannie Farmer cookbooks
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Salt Fat Acid Heat

• My Soul Looks Back by Jessica B. Harris
• Consider the Oyster and Long Ago in France by MFK Fisher
• My Life in France byJulia Child

What makes a good story time? Anthony Murisco, youth librarian extraordinaire, joins Frank and Gwen to talk all things kids and books. Plus: everyone's favorite lazy cartoon cat, a true stumper of a guessing game, and a flurry of pop-culture recommendations.

In This Episode:

Anthony's library: The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library

NLS: The National Library Service for the blind and physically handicapped

A book Anthony likes for storytime: Jump  by David McPhail

NYPL's Best Books for Kids and Teens and Anthony's 2017 list with Bookshare links

"Book That Talk and Books You Touch": Jill Rothstein's TLII episode about technology for print-disabled patrons

Kris Jenner... and All Things Kardashian (and her cookbook)

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner

Jabberwalking by Juan Felipe Herrera

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Roberto Aguierre-Sacasa (and RIVERDALE!)

Garfield: The Complete Works, 1978-1979 (coming soon to the Library!)

DinosaurDracula.com

Macy's Thanksgiving Day parades on YouTube

The Grinch Menu at iHop

Golden Girls Pez

A library podcast about a book about libraries? Sign us up! Frank goes meta this week with an in-depth review of Susan Orlean's new page-turner, and and Gwen sees an author of children's classics in a new light.

Frank & Gwen's Recommendations

The Library Book, The Orchid Thief, and several other books  by Susan Orlean

Check out the Library Talks podcast (after Sunday, Nov. 11) to hear an interview with Orlean! 

The works of Canadian children's author Robert Munsch:

• Angela’s Airplane
• Paper Bag Princess
• Love You Forever
• and many more

And “The Story Behind ‘Love You Forever’ Is Probably Not What You Thought”

It's almost Election Day. Do you know where your voting rights are? Christopher Famighetti, professor at Jefferson Market University, joins Frank and Gwen for an in-depth convo about voting — and what libraries have to do with it. Plus: a different take on Tolstoy and the surreal films of Luis Buñuel.

It's almost Halloween, and it got so creepy we scared Gwen away. Frank braves the gore with Isaiah Pittman, horror aficionado and adult services librarian at NYPL. They talk scary books AND movies.

Book Recommendations 

Paperbacks From Hell: The twisted history of 70's and 80's horror by Grady Hendrix

The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell

Night Shift by Stephen King

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Final Girls: A novel by Riley Sager

The series-- Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

You Were Neve Really Here by Jonathan Ames and the film adaptation 

Non-Book Recommendations

Kanopy-- stream movies for free with you NYPL card!

Check out Gas Station Horror, the monthly improv show in NYC that turns bad horror movies into comedy.

Gwen and Frank tackle a near-future dystopian novel about space colonization and a sobering work of journalism about the fallacy of modern philanthropy. Plus: why pho is objectively the best food ever. 

Frank and Gwen's Recommendations

Haaaave you read "The Yellow Wallpaper" yet? Try the Insta Novel! 

Frank's old favorites: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, Pure Hollywood and Other Stories by Christine Schutt, I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Foe by Iain Reid 

Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas, and his recent conversation with Joy-Ann Reid 

His previous book, The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas, which won NYPL's Bernstein Award in 2015

Crystal and Frank are back! Join them as they discuss Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi.

Frank and Gwen are all about feminist texts this week. They go back in time with the classic short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" — which is also NYPL's newest Insta Novel — and then hit the present (hard) with "Red Clocks." In between, there's a beautiful picture book for kids. Plus: Frank figures out a literary puzzle.

When we asked our book experts about books that changed their lives, we fell in love with their picks — and we wanted you to hear what they had to say, in their own voices. Plus: Frank and Gwen add their own childhood game-changers.

Check out the full list: 40 Books that Changed Librarians' Lives 

Gwen and Frank discover two very different alternate worlds that speak to our present times. Their seemingly mismatched books offer stellar writing and clever takes on fantasy, dystopias and cringe-worthy identity politics. Plus: Frank has some, um... words for the author of his book.

Book Recommendations

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk

Rosa Caballero-Li, manager of Ask NYPL, has all the answers! Rosa tells Frank and Gwen about the ins, outs, ups, and downs of the Library's multifaceted reference service, staffed by real-live human people. Plus: a story within a story presents some guessing game twists.

Need assistance? Have a question? Get in touch with Ask NYPL. 

Book Recommendation 

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado

Non-Book Recommendations

"Lots of People Love ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’ Roxane Gay Isn’t One of Them."

The album "Dirty Computer" by Janelle Monae

The best way to support this podcast is with a gift to The New York Public Library. Click here to donate.

Which books do you wish you'd read in high school? Frank and Gwen offer up some ideas and then move on to city novels with urban themes and a picture book about a dog who tries to be a fork. Plus: what to do if you can't get enough of the Queer Eye guys.

Book Recommendations

"NYT: If You Could Add One Book to the High School Curriculum, What Would It Be?"

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Bull by David Elliott

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The City and the City by China Miéville

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Non-Book Recommendations

Short videos of the Queer Eye guys on YouTube, such as 9 Things They’ve Never Done Before (in which Jonathan and Tan bedazzle a tie), a round of Never Have I Ever, and a bizarre social-media compliment battle. 

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter, Gwen and Frank fall hard for the wise and wonderful Vanessa Zoltan of the Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast! We talk Harry and Jane, try the spiritual practice of lectio divina, discuss the healing power of romance novels, figure out Frank's Tinder profile... get ready for some serious revelations.

Vanessa's book recs:

• My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
• Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Frank and Gwen get a visit from BridgeUP, NYPL's holistic academic support program for NYC teens. They talk to a teen scholar and program leader about this unique library initiative, what students want and need outside the classroom, and everything that goes into getting them where they want to go in life.

Discussed this week:

BridgeUp's podcast on Latino stereotypes

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

1984 by George Orwell

The new HBO series "Random Acts of Flyness"

Answer: anything! Frank and Gwen discuss why for-profit businesses cannot and should not take libraries' place in society. Plus, recommendations for two small books that contain very big worlds.

Book Recommendations

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova Bailey

The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

Oleg Kagan's opinion piece about how libraries are not companies, and more information about Forbes deleting the original op-ed.

The best way to support this podcast is with a gift to The New York Public Library. Click here to donate.

It's our third annual Summer Reading Challenge! This year, Frank and Gwen picked America Is Not the Heart, a debut novel by Elaine Castillo, about language and love and revolution and family and the meaning of home—it's about everything, and it's incredible. 

Frank and Gwen break down romance novel stereotypes with fellow NYPL librarian Anne Rouyer. The genre often gets dismissed as fluff, but romance can subvert the traditional confines of gender, power, class, and more. (Gay Regency, anyone?)

Anne's Recommendations

Social Intercourse by Greg Howard

The Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah Maclean 

Unmasked by the Marquess and It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan (for those who love Me Before You by Jojo Moyes)

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison

And for a non-book recommendation: 'Hiyori's Bed & Breakfast'

Heya! Frank and Crystal are back from their break and ready to dive back into all the great books they've read! Join us as they discuss their free read picks this week. 

We're finding our midsummer vacation reading groove! Gwen is spectacularly awed by a debut novel and Frank gets drawn into a thriller (with a dash of reader real-estate jealousy).

Our Book Recommendations 

"There There" by Tommy Orange

"One Dark Throne" by Kendare Blake

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

"The Incendiaries" by R.O. Kwan

"The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn

Non-Book Recommendations

Frank: The film "Shadow of a Doubt"

 Gwen: These seriously comfortable boxer briefs

We're 100 episodes old! Frank and Gwen mark their centennial by responding to listener messages and revisiting some favorite themes. Plus: a list of our favorite episodes for new (or new-ish) listeners.

It's time again for our Summer Reading Challenge! In this mini-episode, Frank and Gwen pick a book to dive into together and invite you to read along with them, so place those library holds for a copy of "America Is Not the Heart" by Elaine Castillo. Discussion to air August 9!