Episodes

  • Episode 31: Dinosaurs and Compelling Fiction

    Episode 31: Dinosaurs and Compelling Fiction
    Jul 10 2026
    We’re joined by Mark N., from our Tech Services department, to talk fun finds and fascinating reads.
    Cheryl’s Books:
    Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter by Ada Ferrer
    Mare: A Novel by Emily Haworth-Booth
    Mentioned:
    Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer
    Books by Stephen “Steve” Brussatte
    These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
    The Yellow House: A Memoir by Sarah M. Broome
    Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush
    Jessica’s Books:
    The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present by Steve Brusatte
    Whistler by Ann Patchett
    Mentioned:
    Mother Tongue by Sara Nović
    Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
    Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
    Trash!: A Garbageman's Story by Simon Pare-Poupart
    Mari’s Books:
    Landslide by Betty Culley
    Chickens and Other Dinosaurs: How Dinosaurs Became the Birds We Know Today by Ben Lerwill
    Mentioned:
    I Used to Be a Dinosaur by Casey Lyall and Laurie Keller
    Lena the Chicken: (But Really a Dinosaur!) by Linda Bailey
    Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones: A Book about Animals that Lay Eggs by Ruth Heller
    Mark N.’s Books:
    Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress by Lorissa Rinehart
    A Good Animal by Sara Maurer
    The Monuments of Paris by Violaine Huisman
    The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley
    Mentioned:
    The Book of Mother by Violaine Huisman
    My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley
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    55 mins
  • Episode 30: Summer Reading, Pride, and Audiobooks

    Episode 30: Summer Reading, Pride, and Audiobooks
    Jun 9 2026
    June brings the start of CADL’s summer reading program, plus we talk Pride picks and listens for Audiobook Month.
    Cheryl’s Books:
    Lolly Willowes: Or, the Loving Huntsmen—Sylvia Townsend Warner
    Mother Tongue: A Memoir—Sara Nović
    Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood Marjane Satrapi
    March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women—Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado and Jane Smiley
    Mentioned:
    A Room of One’s Own—Virginia Woolf
    Catherine, Called Birdy—Karen Cushman
    True Biz—Sara Nović
    Persepolis (Film)
    Persepolis 2—Marjane Satrapi
    Jessica’s Books:
    Dearly Departed—Chip Pons
    Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History—Helen Zoe Veit
    Let Us Play: Winning the Battle for Gender Diverse Athletes—Harrison Browne & Rachel Browne
    Mentioned:
    Heated Rivalry—Rachel Reid
    Under the Whispering Door—TJ Klune
    In the Lives of Puppets—TJ Klune
    Deaf Utopia—And a Love Letter to a Way of Life—Nyle DiMarco
    The Quiet Ear: An Investigation of Missing Sound: A Memoir—Raymond Antrobus
    Avi has a few medieval titles including: The Book Without Words and the Crispin series.
    Mari’s Books:
    Rock Star: How Ursula Marvin Mapped Moon Rocks and Meteorites—Sandra Neil Wallace
    The Queen’s Granddaughter—Diane Zahler
    The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy—Angela Cervantes
    Mentioned:
    The Silent Child—Chris Overton
    Give Me a Sign—Anna Sortino
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    47 mins
  • Episode 29: The Romance Genre and More

    Episode 29: The Romance Genre and More
    May 1 2026
    Special guest Meccah from the Lansing Libraries joins us for a dive into favorite romance picks and the romance genre in general, along with our regular diverse range of picks for the month. Cheryl’s Books: Nothing Compares to you: What Sinéad O’Connor Means to Us edited by Sonya Huber and Martha BayneRed Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather ClarkLondon Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden KeefeBeatrix Potter’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places that Inspired the Classic Children’s Tales by Marta McDowellMentioned: Hanif Abdurraqib writing about Sinéad O’Connor (Instagram post) InstagramSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden KeefeEmpire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden KeefeRecollections of My Nonexistence by Rebecca SolnitEmily Dickinson’s Gardening Life: The Plants & Places that Inspired the Iconic Poet by Marta McDowell Jessica’s Books: Archangel’s Eternity by Nalini SinghGet a life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert The Beginning Comes After the End by Rebecca SolnitMentioned: Angel’s Blood (first book in series) by Nalini SinghNalini Singh’s wide range of titles.Talia Hibbert titles, “The Brown Sisters” trilogy.The author I blanked on was Jasmine Guillory.Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit Mari’s Books: Love, Sivvy: A Novel Inspired by the Life, Letters, and Diaries of Young Sylvia Plath by R.L. ToalsonThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Poet and the Bees: A Story of the Seasons Sylvia Plath Kept Bees by Amy NoveskyNavigating Night by Julie LeungOur Lake by Angie Kang Meccah’s Books: Before I Let Go by Kennedy RyanMore titles by Kennedy RyanTia Williams titlesTwenty-Four Seconds From Now: A Love Story by Jason ReynoldsWe Go Slow by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie
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    46 mins
  • Episode 28: Teen Books and American History for All

    Episode 28: Teen Books and American History for All
    Apr 14 2026
    Special guest Kat from CADL Holt joins our hosts to chat about great teen book reads, more America 250 titles, and some other recent gems.
    Cheryl’s Books:
    Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas by Michelle Cusolito
    Until the Last Gun Is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and The Fight to Save America’s Soul by Matthew F. Delmont
    Mentioned:
    The War Within a War: The Black Struggle at Vietnam and at Home by Wil Haygood
    Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad by Matthew F. Delmont

    Jessica’s Books:
    Vigil by George Saunders
    Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls by Rob Edwards
    P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance by Vanessa Díaz and Petra R. Rivera-Rideau
    Mentioned:
    Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
    America 250: https://www.cadl.org/america250
    Bad Bunny syllabus: https://www.badbunnysyllabus.com/home

    Mari’s Books:
    Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi
    Bing’s Cherries by Livia Blackburne
    My Bicentennial Summer: True Adventures from the Most Epic Family Road Trip of All Time by G. Neri

    Kat’s Books:
    Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale
    Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai
    I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker
    Mentioned:
    Switch by A. S. King
    Costumes for Time Travelers by A. R. Capetta
    Song For You and I by Kay O’Neill
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    56 mins
  • Episode 27: March is Reading Month!

    Episode 27: March is Reading Month!
    Mar 6 2026
    Read anything and everything—picture books, memoirs, poetry, novellas or dense, but fascinating history. Cheryl’s Books: Rumpelstiltskin retold by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Carson EllisThe Company of Owls: A Memoir by Polly AtkinNight Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya MilesEvery Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah by Charles KingMentioned: Extra Yarn by Mac BarnettAll That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya MilesWild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation by Tiya Miles (Jessica discussed in Episode 3)Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century by Charles King Jessica’s Books: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children series)Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire (Bk 11)The Flower Bearers by Rachel Eliza GriffithsDanger to the Minds of Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and the Fight to Modernize Literature by Adam MorganCustodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive by Eliot SteinMentioned: Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman RushdieSquare Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars by Francesca Wade (Cheryl discussed in Episode 25)Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone by Diana Gabaldon Mari’s Books: Words with Wings and Magic Things by Matthew BurgessThe Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People by Alice Faye DuncanA Year Without Home by V.T. BidaniaMentioned:Shel Silverstein PoetryDoug Salati BooksThe Astrid and Apollo series by V.T. BidaniaThe Extraordinary Eliana series by V.T. Bidania He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox
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    52 mins
  • Episode 26: America 250, Picture Books, and Popular Reads

    Episode 26: America 250, Picture Books, and Popular Reads
    Feb 9 2026
    This episode highlights CADL’s America 250 Reading Challenge, a round up of great picture books, and a mix of extremely popular and under the radar picks.

    Cheryl’s Books:
    Bottom of the Pyramid: A Memoir of Persevering, Dancing for Myself, and Starring in My Own Life by Nia Sioux
    Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
    If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall

    Mentioned:
    Books written and/or illustrated by Julie Morstad
    Lessons from Plants by Beronda L. Montgomery covered in Reader's Roundtable Episode 40: Summer Wrap-Up
    Dead and Alive: Essays by Zadie Smith
    Books written and/or illustrated by Sophie Blackall


    Jessica’s Books:
    Game Changer and Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid (book one and two of the Game Changer series)
    When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America's Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery
    Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer. Vol. 1 by David Crownson
    Mentioned:
    The Correspondent by Virgina Evans
    Theo of Golden by Levi Allen
    Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael Twitty
    South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry
    All that She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles
    Mari’s Books:
    Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn’t by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Chris Hsu
    This is Orange: A Field Trip Through Color by Rachel Poliquin, illustrated by Julie Morstad
    The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser
    Our Gorgeous Baby by Smriti Prasadam-Halls, illustrated by Eve Coy
    Floor It! by Bex Tobin Fine, illustrated by Federico Fabiani
    Mentioned:
    2026 Newbery Awards

    CADL’s America 250 landing page including the Reading Challenge and decade reading lists: https://www.cadl.org/america250
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    42 mins
  • Episode 25: Winter Reading and... Dogs?

    Episode 25: Winter Reading and... Dogs?
    Jan 14 2026
    Okemos Library Assistant Laura joins the group to talk Mysteries, winter reading, enthralling history and dogs. Cheryl’s Books: Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars by Francesca WadeNever Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Mentioned:Never Let Me Go movie The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (book)The Remains of the Day movieThe Secret History by Donna TarttJessica’s Books: All of Us Murderers by KJ CharlesWater Moon by Samantha Sotto YambaoQueer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers Lawbreakers, and Homemakers by Anthony DelaneyMentioned: Gentleman Jack by Anne Choma The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao (Jan 20th release)Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Mari’s Books: Whodonut? : A Holiday Mystery by Josh FunkAgatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Marci Kay MonsonWhy Did the Chicken Cross the Road? A Hard-Boiled Mystery by Brianna Caplan SayresBeth Is Dead by Katie BernetMentioned:The Case of Old MacDonald and His Farm by Mark Teague (coming soon)Lauras’s Books: The Finders by Jeffrey B. BurtonAt First Light by Barbara NicklessNettle & Bone by T. KingfisherMentioned:The Dead Years by Jeffrey B. BurtonDark of Night by Barbara NicklessThe Twisted Ones by T. KingfisherA House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
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    42 mins
  • Episode 24: Year End Wrap Up

    Episode 24: Year End Wrap Up
    Dec 8 2025
    Cheryl, Jessica, and Mari talk CADL Best Books of 2025 (our staff voted picks) and their last reads for 2025.

    Cheryl’s Books:
    Dead and Alive: Essays by Zadie Smith
    Bread of Angels: A Memoir by Patti Smith
    Whiskey Tender: A Memoir by Deborah Jackson Taffa

    Mentioned:
    White Teeth by Zadie Smith
    Just Kids by Patti Smith
    M. Train by Patti Smith

    Jessica’s Books:
    One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
    Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Siegal Spratford
    Cinder House by Freya Marske
    Christmas at the Women’s Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery

    Mentioned:
    Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery
    Last Binding series by Freya Marske

    Mari’s Books:
    The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri
    Hunger’s Bite by Taylor Robin
    How To Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Miyares
    Wind Watchers by Micha Archer

    Mentioned:
    Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
    Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer
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    38 mins