Beyond the Desk cover art

Beyond the Desk

Beyond the Desk

Written by: West Allis Public Library
Listen for free

About this listen

 A West Allis Public Library podcast about books, resources, lifelong learning and what makes this Milwaukee area community great. Join WAPL librarians as they chat with fellow staffers, authors, neighbors and each other about true stories and fiction that moved them—and that they hope will inspire you.West Allis Public Library Art
Episodes
  • Favorite Reads 2025

    Favorite Reads 2025
    Dec 26 2025

    Staffers Sarah, Desirae and Brynne talk about the best books they read the past year.

    Books mentioned: A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko; The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey; The Wrong Daughter, One Small Mistake, The Perfect Match and The Wedding Vow by Dandy Smith; All Fours by Miranda July; The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo; and Love, Mom by Iliana Xander.

    Also mentioned: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson; Wild by Cheryl Strayed; The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim by Pete McBride; the documentary Into the Canyon; Biography of X by Catherine Lacey; The Last Word by Taylor Adams; author Freida McFadden; Ninth House, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo; Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke; and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

    Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.

    Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Mona Awad's Bunny Books

    Mona Awad's Bunny Books
    Nov 30 2025

    Co-hosts Brynne and Desirae discuss Mona Awad's novels Bunny (2019) and We Love You, Bunny (2025) following the latter's release. The novels follow five women in a fictional MFA writing program at a presitgious university and delves into their unique, unsettling, and magical creative processes.

    Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.

    Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • The Frozen River

    The Frozen River
    Oct 24 2025

    Staffers Sarah, Karen and Emily talk about The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, the historical novel follows the 18th-century midwife as she delivers babies, prepares to testify in court, and deals with a patriarchal culture in her small community in Maine.

    Also mentioned: A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and the documentary A Midwife’s Tale.

    Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.

    Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
No reviews yet