Advertise on podcast: Books and Bites

We're kicking off the Winter Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge with audiobooks read by multiple narrators! These multi-voiced productions make audiobooks even more engaging.  Tune into our action-packed choices: a YA dystopian novel, a horror/thriller hybrid, and a sweeping, historical Western. Jacqueline's Pick The 5th Wave by Rick YanceyPairing: Homemade breadMichael's Pick Spider to the Fly by J.H. MarkertPairing: S'mores BrowniesCarrie's Pick The Cold Millions by Jess WalterPairing: Minestrone from An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler

We're saying goodbye to 2025 with this episode, and with it our Summer-Fall Books & Bites bingo card! What better way to ring out the old year than with some of our favorite books published in 2025? Our picks include a darkly comic adventure story, a YA fantasy-mystery, and a novel that reinvents the werewolf story. Carrie's Pick So Far Gone by Jess WalterPairing: Turkey Pot PieJacqueline's Pick Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn CavalanciaPairing: Cranberry SalsaMichael's Pick When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat CassidyPairing: Harvest Moon cocktail

On this episode, we discuss books with dragons. It’s one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge.  Our picks include a slow-burn romantasy, a speculative fantasy that takes place during the 1950s and 1960s, and a YA sci-fi and fantasy mashup. Michael’s Pick Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon YangPairing: Dragon’s Milk Ice Cream FloatCarrie's Pick When Women Were Dragons by Kelly BarnhillPairing: Ultimate Vegan Grilled CheeseJacqueline's Pick The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott ReintgenPairing: Dragon Flame Meringue Cookies

On this episode, we talk to Mary Anna Evans about her book, The Dark Library. Want to discuss the book in person? Join us at Book Club: The Dark Library on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 pm. The first 10 people to register may pick up a free copy of the book at the Customer Service Desk. Reading The Dark Library (or another book set in a library) is one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge.  Plus, if you read the book and 1) attend our Book Club discussion of it or 2) listen to the this episode of the Books & Bites podcast, you'll earn a free square of your choice! To download two recipes featured in The Dark Library, visit our website.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15-Oct. 15, so what better time to discuss books by Hispanic-American authors? It’s one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge! Michael's Pick Tiny Threads by Lilliam RiveraPairing: The mojito, a classic Cuban cocktail Jacqueline's Pick Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia SylvesterPairing: Aji Verde, a spicy Peruvian green sauceCarrie's Pick How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie CruzPairing: Dominican pastelitos

On this episode, we discuss feel-good fiction, a prompt on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge! Our picks include two summer-soaked novels set in New England; a classic mystery; and a cozy fantasy so good, it busted Michael out of his reading slump. Carrie's Picks Musical Chairs by Amy PoeppelFlying Solo by Linda HolmesPairing: Homemade Maple-Sweetened Blueberry MuffinsJacqueline's Picks Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha ChristiePairing: Tea CakesMichael's Picks Legends & Lattes by Travis BaldreePairing: Thimblets, a biscotti-like treat served at Legends & Lattes

On this episode, we discuss books about the internet or social media. It's one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge!  Whether horror, dystopian fiction, or a mystery, our picks will make you think about what it means to be human in a digital world. Michael's Picks We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna BervoetsThe Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. SullivanPairing:  A Smoked Old-Fashioned from OBC KitchenCarrie's Pick Gliff by Ali SmithPairing:  Lemon Rice Pudding with Roasted Peaches from the book Apples for Jam or Creamy Vegan Rice Pudding from Minimalist Baker Jacqueline's Pick Influence by Sara Shepard and Lilia BuckinghamCrostino, Tomato, and Burrata

We’re wrapping up the 2025 Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge with science fiction!  Our picks include a prequel from a popular YA dystopian series; a novella for fans of Star Trek: First Contact; and a bittersweet comic novel about an alien sent to Earth to learn about humans. Don’t forget to turn in your completed bingo sheets at the Customer Service, Ask a Librarian, or Teen Desks by June 30, 2025 for a chance to win a $100 Joseph-Beth gift card.  Can’t make it into the library? Submit your bingo card online. Thanks for reading along with us! Look for the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge in July. Jacqueline's Pick Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne CollinsPairing: Soft White Dinner RollsMichael's Pick The Scourge Between Stars by Ness BrownPairing: Xenomorph Egg CupsCarrie's Pick Beautyland by Marie-Helene BertinoPairing:  a sesame seed bagel from Pearl's Pizza

 On this episode, we discuss books in translation, a prompt on the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. From Iceland to Argentina with several stops in between, come travel the world with us from the comfort of home. Carrie's Pick Miss Iceland by Auður Ava ÓlafsdóttirPairing: Icelandic rice puddingJacqueline's Pick The Beast Player by Nahoko UehashiPairing: Japanese Enoki and Shiitake Mushroom SoupMichael's Pick The Unworthy by Agustina BazterricaPairing: Churrasco Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

We're in a celebratory mood this April. Not only is it National Poetry Month, it's also our 100th episode! Whether you're a new or longtime listener, we appreciate you tuning in to our podcast. This episode, we discuss books of poetry and novels in verse, a prompt on the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. Our picks include a book by a former Kentucky poet laureate, an updated translation of a classic epic poem, and a middle-grade novel in verse. Michael's Pick Load in Nine Times by Frank X WalkerPairing: Tanzania Peaberry Lyamungo, a medium roast coffee from Sunergos CoffeeCarrie's Pick Beowulf: A New Translation, translated by Maria Dahvana HeadleyPairing: your favorite bro-ey beerJacqueline's Pick Alone by Megan E. FreemanPairing: Crispy Sourdough Grilled Cheese

Join our discussion of Rednecks by Taylor Brown, winner of the 2025 Southern Book Prize! On this episode, Michael Cunningham, Carrie Green, and guest John David Hurley share their thoughts on this novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars of 1920-1921. Want to talk with other book lovers about the novel? Register for our in-person book club discussion of Rednecks, which will take place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 6:30 pm.  If you're participating in Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo, you can earn another free square by reading the book and either listening to this episode or attending the book club. Pairings Garlicky White Soup Beans and Indian Creek Skillet Cornbread from Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson Pepperoni Rolls from Victuals by Ronni Lundy Butterscotch Pie and Maypop Tea from Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food: Recipes & Stories from Mountain Kitchens by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley 

This month we're getting nostalgic with books set in the 1990s, one of the prompts in the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. Teenagers all figure prominently in our picks: a YA mystery, a thriller that celebrates horror's babysitter trope, and a novel where two teens accidentally start a moral panic. Don't miss this episode—it's the bomb! Jacqueline's Pick The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. CooneyPair with Homestyle Pot RoastMichael's Pick Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth VeronaPair with Tipsy Chicken Pizza from Big City PizzaCarrie's Pick Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin WilsonPair with your favorite Little Debbie snack cake

Start the new year with the Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge! We hope our prompts will inspire you to read and have fun while doing it. Up first, we share wintry books perfect for reading by the fire. Our picks include an Irish Christmas story, a horror novel set in a Pennsylvania orphanage, and a YA fairy tale. Carrie's Pick Time of the Child by Niall Williams Pairings: Fish and Chips, classic Irish pub food. Or sip an Irish tea. Michael's Pick Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi Pairing: Smoked Over-the-Top Chili, one of Michael's favorite wintertime dishes. Jacqueline's Pick Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones Pairing: German Vanilla Crescent Cookies

It's time to wrap up the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge! On this episode, we discuss books published in 2024. Our picks include a suspense novel that is also an immersive alternate reality game, a National Book Award-winning adaptation of an American classic, and a YA mystery by a bestselling author. Michael's Pick We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer Eve Palmer answers the door on a cold, snowy night to a family wanting to know if they can take a quick look around since the father, Thomas, used to live there as a child.  Eve, still waiting for her partner to get home, reluctantly invites them in. As they’re touring the house, Thomas’s daughter goes missing. Eve and Thomas begin their search in the basement, and that’s when Eve notices some disconcerting things. We Used to Live Here is part of an ever-evolving immersive alternate reality game that allows you to hunt clues and decipher messages in web code, message boards, and social media accounts long after you've finished the book. Pairing: A hot dish of Totchos (Loaded Tater-Tot Nachos) Carrie's Pick James by Percival Everett This National Book Award-winning novel retells Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the point of view of Jim, the enslaved man who travels down the Mississippi River with Huck.  While the novel pays homage to the original, it also challenges some of Twain's nineteenth-century conventions and deepens Jim's humanity. The risks Jim--who prefers to be called James--faces on this journey, his love for his family and for Huck, all make for a compelling, suspenseful read. Pairing: Grilled Catfish with Tomato Blackberry Salsa, a dish that combines the two foods most readily available to James and Huck. Jacqueline's Pick The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson In this YA mystery, 18-year-old Bel Price was just two years old when her mother, Rachel, disappeared. Now, a struggling British documentary filmmaker is making a film about her disappearance. One evening, Bel sees a  woman who looks just like her mother stumbling around in front of her house. At first, Bel thinks it's the actor playing Rachel during a reenactment scene, but the woman claims she is the real Rachel. Bel thinks the woman is lying and works to uncover the truth. Pairing: A salty, sweet, rich recipe for peanut butter cookies.

On this episode, we discuss books about chosen or found family, one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge.  According to library database NoveList, books with this theme focus on families "formed by choice, rather than birth." Close friends, nontraditional families, and people who bond over their circumstances can all form chosen families. Our picks include a YA novel about a found family of unhoused teens trying to save the world; an alternative history about a ragtag crew working to rid the Mississippi River of its feral hippo problem; and a historical novel about a chosen family in post-World War II England and Italy. Jacqueline's Pick: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan Riordan weaves Norse mythology into a mythical fantasy novel for modern day teen readers. When main character Magnus’s mother is murdered in their Boston apartment by wolves, he becomes homeless.  Magnus keeps ahead of the truant officers and the wolves who killed his mother with the help of two other homeless teens. The three teens become close and look out for each other on the streets of Boston. On his sixteenth birthday, Magnus learns that he is the son of a Norse god, Frey. Magnus is the only one who can retrieve weapons that can save the world from doomsday (Ragnarök). Pairing: Perfect homemade falafel in honor of Arab American character Sam. Michael's Pick: River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey This alternate history tale introduces us to a late 19th Century U.S. where hippos have been introduced into the Mississippi River that runs through Louisiana.  The story opens with the federal government hiring Winslow Houndstooth, a former hippo rancher, to assemble a crew to take care of the feral hippo problem before the river's crumbling dam fails. This ragtag group forms a highly dysfunctional chosen family.  This hippo caper, or operation, as Winslow would say, is action-packed with hippo mayhem and full of colorful, interesting characters. Pairing: A 19th century hippo romp calls for a 19th century New Orleans cocktail, the La Louisiane. Carrie's Pick: Still Life by Sarah Winman Still Life is a witty, sprawling historical novel about art, love, and friendship. It opens in WWII-era Florence, Italy, where 24 year-old British soldier Ulysses "Temps" Temper meets a kindred spirit, sixty-something art historian Evelyn Skinner. Their time together in Florence is brief, with Temps and Evelyn's lives diverging into parallel narratives. Each forms their own chosen families, but will these two friends ever reunite? Still Life spans the years 1901-1979, and plenty of things happen during that time. But relationships are the focus of this character-driven, leisurely paced novel. Pairing: Pasta with olive oil and chili. Learn how to make two fresh pasta versions on the Pasta Grannies YouTube channel: "How to make an easy garlic, chilli & pepper pasta - with a twist!" and "Enjoy Maria's garlic, chili pepper & olive oil dressed 'sthridhlja' pasta!"  Or make it using dried pasta with a recipe from the blog Saturdays in Rome.