Category: podcast

Kylie and Audrey talk about the 2024 new releases they enjoyed this year, as well as the ones patrons have been raving about.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
• Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio 
• You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
• Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
• The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
• Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
• The Selkie’s Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan
• Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller
• Eight Nights to Win Her Heart by Miri White
• The Material by Camille Borders
• Lightning in her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
• The Genius of Judy by Rachelle Bergstein
• Unraveled by Shannon Messenger
• Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
• Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim
• Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White 
• Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
• Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
• Storybook Ending by Poppy Alexander 
• Sandwich by Catherine Newman
• God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• The Women by Kristen Hannah
• Funny Story by Emily Henry
• The Teacher by Frieda McFadden

Music is Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2 in D-flat major.

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How many times have you heard yourself say “The book was better“? Audrey and Kylie talk about how to adapt a book into a movie (Dune 2021) and how NOT to adapt a book into a movie (Dune 1984).

Not on Spotify? No worries! Listen to the episode directly on our website below:

Olivia and Audrey have a conversation about the changing media landscape. With the increasing accessibility of audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels, and other ways to read…. what really counts as reading? What about podcasts and comic books? There are so many ways to enjoy media, how do you choose?

Next time, Foster and the People will move on to movies: what makes a good adaptation and why TV DOESN’T make your brain rot, actually.

Edited by Audrey Dubois. Music: Ständchen, D 889 by Franz Schubert, transcribed for solo piano by Franz Liszt.

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Olivia and Audrey wrap up the year by discussing their favorite recent releases!

Check out the staff recommendations page to read about the books that our librarians loved. We look forward to holding monthly book club meetings in 2024 as well– stay tuned for more info!

Let us know what your top new books are below. We’ll give you a shoutout in our next episode!

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton*
• The Wager by David Grann
• Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann†
• Olive, Mabel, and Me by Andrew Cotter*
• This is How I Roll by Debbi Michiko Florence
• The King’s Pleasure by Alison Weir*
• The Marriage Game by Alison Weir*
• Enter the Body by Joy McCullough
• Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith
• Crown and Scepter by Tracy Borman†
• Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I by Tracy Borman
• Hi Honey, I’m Homo! by Matt Baume
• Spare by Prince Harry
• Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford
• Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
• System Collapse by Martha Wells
• Witch King by Martha Wells
• Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
• Penance by Eliza Clark
• The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
• How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen†

*available at Tyler Free Library

†available at Foster Public Library

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Edited by Audrey Dubois. Music: Happy New Year by Benny Andersson. (Yes, the guy from ABBA!)

When you hear “homeschool,” there’s probably a specific image that pops into your mind: six hours at the kitchen table doing classwork with no socialization. Olivia and Audrey are joined by Lauren and Elyse, who tell us about their experience as local homeschool parents and the ways that home education is changing in the 21st century.

Not on Spotify? Listen directly on our website below!

Edited by Audrey Dubois. Music: Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez.

Olivia and Audrey are back with a short podcast about some haunting Foster legends, and talk a little about the history of the town and the nature of folklore. Learn about Dolly Cole, Nancy Young, Peleg Walker, and the mysterious Aunt Lonnie, and where in Foster you can find them.

Not on Spotify? You can still listen directly on our website below!

October 1-7 is Banned Books Week! Audrey and Olivia discuss the theories behind book banning from Plato to today, the thorny issues that arise when you try to come up with a standard policy, and recommend some novels both new and old that tackle the issue.

Fiction books about book banning:

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
• The Day They Came to Arrest the Book by Nat Hentoff (1982)
• The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden (1999)
• Ban This Book by Alan Gratz (2017)
• Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes (2018)
• Answers in the Pages by David Levithan (2022)
• Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King (2022)

Not on Spotify? You can still listen directly on our website below!

Olivia and Audrey are joined by Becky Adams, a local writer who has been a part of the Foster community for years. She tells her story, gives writing advice, and talks about how to express the inexpressible.

Please note this episode mentions topics of suicide and grief. Listen with care.

Tending the Garden of Memories and Closer Than We Appear will soon be available to borrow from Foster Public Library.

Here’s where you can find Becky’s work:

• Becky’s website
• Becky’s Amazon page
• Facebook and Instagram
• The Matt Alsfeld Memorial Fund

Not on Spotify? You can still listen directly on our website below!

On today’s podcast, Olivia and Audrey talk about some books that were formative to their childhoods, and talk about some newer releases for grown-ups that contain echoes to these nostalgic faves. Here’s what other staff members had to add!

Lona says: “I must have been 12 or 13 and remember reading Little Women and Little Men by Louisa May Alcott. Then I read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. They were my introduction to historical fiction, which I still read today.”

Cathy says: “Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink, illustrated by Helen Sewell. OMG, I must have read and reread this book a hundred times, no word of a lie. It’s about 2 young sisters who are shipwrecked with 4 babies and their ability to step up to the responsibility and keep everyone alive and happy. It’s a story of courage and nurturing and adventure… I hesitate to say that I still have it. For 8-12 year olds, but in this day and age, I’d say 8-10.”

What about you? Share your faves below and we’ll give them a shoutout in the next episode!

Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller*
• Open Wide, Tooth School Inside by Laurie Keller
• Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller†
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter*
• Corduroy by Don Freeman*†
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown*†
• In the Great Green Room by Amy Gary
• The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward*†
• Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel*†
• Frog and Toad are Doing Their Best by Jennie Egerdie*
• Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park*†
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett*†
• The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber*
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen*†
• The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen*
• Good Masters, Sweet Ladies by Laura Amy Schlitz*†
• A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket*†
• The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch*†
• A Whole Nother Story by Gerry Swallow†
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke*†

*available at Tyler Free Library

†available at Foster Public Library

Not on Spotify? You can still listen directly on our website below!

Edited by Audrey Dubois. Music: Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15: Dreaming by Robert Schumann.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of our new podcast! Olivia and Audrey discuss how the Libraries of Foster used creative solutions to adapt to pandemic restrictions, and how we are bringing the libraries back in full force this year!

Not on Spotify? You can still listen directly on our website below!

Edited by Audrey Dubois. Music: Raindrop (Prelude Op. 28 No.15) by Frédéric Chopin.