Beyond the Shelves - Best of 2023

Beyond the Shelves: Reading Through the Decades

On the latest episode of Beyond the Shelves, Jes and Sarah time travel through the decades, picking a plethora of books set in the past 60 years. Plus, Book Bulletin features the inaugural Libby Awards - what they like, what they don't like, and what they have an issue with!

What They're Reading

• Where the Lost Wander, by Amy Harmon
• Clean Sweep, by Ilona Andrews
• The Fragile Threads of Power, by V.E. Schwab
• The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
• Normal People, by Sally Rooney
• The Reformatory, byTananarive Due

Decade Book Picks

• 1960s
  • The Women,by Kristin Hannah
  • The Great Reclamation,by Rachel Heng
• 1970s
  • ​​​​​​​Bright Young Women, by Jessica Knoll
  • Secret Identity, by Alex Segura
• 1980s
  • ​​​​​​​When Crack Was King, by Donovan X. Ramsey
  • Tell the Wolves I’m Home, by Carol Rifka Brunt
• 1990s
  • ​​​​​​​Rainbow Black, by Maggie Thrash
  • Big Girl, by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
• 2000s
  • ​​​​​​​Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke,by Eric LaRocca
  • How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water,by Angie Cruz
• 2010s
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​How We Named the Stars, by Andres N. Ordorica
  • The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls, by Anissa Gray

Beyond the Shelves: Stats, Numbers, and Tech with DMPL Systems Administrator Katie

Jes and Sarah are joined by DMPL Systems Administrator Katie on the newest epsiode of Beyond the Shelves! Katie knows all the numbers and stats about the library that you can imagine, and she gives us some fun facts about circulation, programs, technolgoy, and more. It's a great peak behind the curtain about parts of the library you probably don't know about!

Also, what famous author recently said he lied about having cancer? Stay tuned all the way to the end of the podcast for the Book Bulletin segment!

What Our Hosts Are Reading

• The Salvation Gambit, by Emily Skrutskie
• Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson
• Say You'll Be Mine, by Naina Kumar
• Technically Yours, by Denise Williams
• A Tempest at Sea, by Sherry Thomas
• Come and Get It, by Kiley Reid
• Penance, by Eliza Clark

DMPL Podcast: Megan Bannister, Author of 'Secret Iowa'

Secret Iowaauthor Megan Bannister joins the DMPL Podcast. She discusses traveling across the state to discover the fun, unknown sites featured in this book, her favorite roads in Iowa, and what famous authors she outsold at a bookstore in Iowa last year.

Show Notes

• Secret Iowaat the library
  
• Iowa Supper Clubs, by Megan Bannister
  
• Megan Bannister's website

Beyond the Shelves: All About Romance

It's February, and love is in the air! Get your HEA (happily ever after) by listening to Sarah, a romance aficionado, and Jes discuss the history of the romance genre, current trends, cross-genre romance books, and what some of their favorite stories are within different romance tropes.

Currently Reading

• The Book the Wouldn't Burn,by Mark Lawrence
• Ruthless Vows,by Rebecca Ross
• Beautyland,by Marie-HeleneBertino
  
• Good Material,by Dolly Alderton
  
• Light from Uncommon Stars,by Ryka Aoki
  
• The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi,by Shannon Chakraborty

Trope Picks

• Enemies to Lovers
  
  • ​​​​​​​Act Your Age, Eve Brown,by Talia Hibbert
• Grumpy Sunshine
  
  • ​​​​​​​Well Met,by Jen Deluca
  • It Happened One Summer, by Tessa Bailey,
  • Delilah Green Doesn't Care, by Ashley Herring Blake
• Only One Bed
  
  • The Rogue Not Taken, by Sarah Maclean
  • Float Plan, by Trish Doller
  • Happy Place, by Emily Henry
• Marriage of Convenience
  
  • ​​​​​​​How to Catch a Queen, by Alyssa Cole
  • Tempest,by Beverly Jenkins
• Forbidden Love
  
  • ​​​​​​​Red, White, and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston
  • Hate to Want You, by Alisha Rai
• Fake Dating
  
  • ​​​​​​​Boyfriend Material, by Alexis Hall
  • Yours Truly, by Abby Jimenez
• Second Chance
  
  • ​​​​​​​Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams
  • Recipe for Persuasion, by Sonali Dev
• Amnesia/Mistaken Identity
  
  • ​​​​​​​The Girl With the Make Believe Husband, by Julia Quinn
  • Spoiler Alert, by Olivia Dade.
• Sports:
  
  • Check Please, by Ngozi Ukazu
  • Intercepted,by Alexa Martin
  • Bromance Book Club, by Lyssa Kay Adams
• Funny-Paranormal
  
  • ​​​​​​​My Roommate is a Vampire, by Jenna Levine

Other Books Discussed

• Ghosts, by Dolly Alderton
  
• Patricia Briggs - books
• Laurell K. Hamilton - books
• Johanna Lindsey - books

Beyond the Shelves - 2024 Reading Goals

Welcome to the New Year! On the latest episode of 2024, Jes and Sarah review their 2023 reading goals and talk about what they want to do in 2024.

Show notes

• What they're reading:
  • The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters
  • Mall Goth, by Kate Leth
  • If You'll Have Me, by Eunnie
  • A Guest in the House, by Emily Carroll
  • Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett
  • Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams
  • The Book that Wouldn't Burn, by Mark Lawrence
  • The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
• Other books discussed:
  • Who is Maud Dixon?, by Alexandra Andrews
  • Shutter, by Ramona Emerson
  • How Can I Help You?, by Laura Sims
• News items
  • Storygraph is so popular the app crashed to start the year
  • Cait Corrain loses her publisher and agent after review bombing fellow debut authors
  • A federal judge blocks enforcement of an Iowa law banning books in schools
  • What's in and out in 2024