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. Check out our live show on Dec. 4 ! 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...
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. Check out our live show on Dec. 4 ! Food memoirs: 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 ...
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 f...
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 Ba...
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 Newma...
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 Ana...
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: 4 0 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...
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 Chl...
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 Latin o stereotypes Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott 1984 by George Orwell The new HBO series " Random Acts of Flyness " BridgeUp's podcast on La...
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 t...
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, ...
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!
Gwen is so moved by one of the three poems she brings to the studio that she can't even read it (she tried!). And Frank is transported by a novel about a marriage in Nigeria he can't NOT talk about it. Plus: the perils of social media and why Frank feels he is pretty much free of FOMO. Frank's Book Recommendation Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo You can also listen to the author discuss this book on the NYPL podcasts here . Gwen's Poetry Recommendations “ Airplanes ” by Maggie Smith , in the Spri...
Gwen and Frank discover some surprising pieces of family history when Rhonda Evans, Electronic Resources Librarian at NYPL, arrives in the studio with a pile of documents and connects the dots from long-ago paper trails. Plus: Guessing game shenanigans.
Frank and Gwen share thoughts and reading recommendations about immigration, families, and children at the border. Plus: Frank asks what-if and Gwen ponders three recent books on motherhood.
Dr. Shayne Figueroa joins Frank and Gwen to discuss books and food nostalgia, Amish soul food (it's a thing!), and how NYC's free school lunch program is attempting to lift an age-old stigma. Plus: Frank's secret childhood eating habits and another guessing-game stumper.
Frank and Gwen revisit the recent Booker Prize winner, Lincoln in the Bardo, as Frank gets serious about the afterlife and our understanding of history. Then Gwen turns the studio in a sauna with a gay Regency romance packed with period details and subplots that add depth to the steamy novel.
Gwen and Frank get a visit from Elisa Garcia, Supervising Librarian of Teen Services at the Bronx Library Center, who brings the guessing-game drama and recommendations galore. Plus: Elisa talks about moving to and growing up in the Bronx, the global influence of '90s hip-hop, and all around back-in-the-day coolness.
Frank confesses his sometimes-complicated relationship with certain books and his bouts of book insecurity. Plus: What happens when Frank and Gwen serendipitously read the same book around the same time but don't quite remember it the same way? And an unpublished work from the early 1930s finallly gets the recognition it deserves.
