The Desk Set

Librarians talk about staff picks for the best books of 2021. We also chat about books we're looking forward to reading in 2022 and the value of reading broadly.

Hear interviews with authors Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone, and E.J. Koh. El-Mohtar and Gladston chat about their spy novella, This Is How You Lose the Time War. Koh discusses her memoir, The Magical Language of Others. Each author talks about how letter writing can act as a form of time travel. We also share some of our other favorite epistolary works.

Hear interviews with authors Monica West and Brittany Ackerman. West talks about Revival Season, a story about a Black evangelical family and a crisis of faith. Ackerman chats about The Brittanys, a novel about teen friends growing up in Florida. We also discuss our picks for books set where we were born.

Hear Mateo Askaripour, author of Black Buck, in conversation with Marcus Harrison Green of the South Seattle Emerald moderates.

Explore the future through the lens of science and fiction. We chat with scientist Kelly Weinersmith about the nonfiction book Soonish. Then, we talk to Sarah Pinsker, author of the science fiction novel, We Are Satellites.

Syed Masood, author of The Bad Muslim Discount, in conversation with Shahina Piyarali. This feed drop is an audio recording of a live webcast event.

Hear interviews with authors: Emily St. John Mandel (The Glass Hotel, Station Eleven) and Kira Jane Buxton (Hollow Kingdom) We chat about revisiting Station Eleven during the pandemic and writing nonhuman characters. Librarians Emily and Britta also have a conversation about rereading old favorites.    

Authors Rachel Lynn Solomon and Gabrielle Korn join us as guests to chat about their new books. Rachel talks about her adult debut The Ex Talk, a romantic comedy set at a Seattle public radio station. In the book, Shay and Dominic fake a past relationship as a pretense for the podcast they host together. Then, Gabrielle talks about her memoir Everybody (Else) Is Perfect. The book shares her experiences working in women's media, recovering from an eating disorder, street harassment, queer identity, and overcoming imposter syndrome as the youngest Editor-in-Chief at NYLON. 

We interview Jenny Odell, the author of How To Do Nothing and chat about reading in 2021. We talk about new books we're excited to read and discuss our personal reading goals. We also reveal this year's library reading challenge categories. Then, Jenny Odell shares how persuasive design keeps our attention in digital spaces. She talks about connecting offline, reflecting on values, and redefining productivity.

Librarians share the best books of the year. In this episode, we're joined by KCLS staff members Vicki Huggins and Rachel Adams. We also chat about how reading was different in 2020, whether or not we met our reading goals, and more.

We talk with Sarah Gailey, author of Upright Women Wanted.  Then, Emily chats with two friends about Tana French's new novel.

Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans, joins us for a conversation about immigrant experiences, writing a novel with multiple voices to avoid the "single story," research for writing historical fiction, and the National Book Awards judging process.

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Emily talked to super librarian Nancy Pearl about her new book, The Writer's Library, what she learned talking to writers about their reading lives, her pandemic reads, and more. 

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Enjoy a conversation between Terese Marie Mailhot, author of Heart Berries, and writer and educator Sara Ortiz. 

We're talking about books about nature and books about journeys. We chat with Nancy Blakey, author of By the Shore, about the benefits of spending time in nature and some of her favorite Pacific Northwest outdoor experiences. Then, we hear from cartoonist, Seattle Public Library employee, and Washington State Book Award finalist Susanna Ryan, author of Seattle Walk Report, about some of her favorite journeys through Seattle and the best way to start your own walking journey. 

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Enjoy a conversation about political engagement with U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, author of Use the Power You Have. Jayapal was joined in conversation by former Seattle City Councilmember and author of the book Becoming a Citizen Activist, Nick Licata.

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Seattle writer Molly Wizenberg joined us for a discussion of her new memoir, The Fixed Stars. Katrina Carrasco, author of The Best Bad Things, moderated the conversation. They discussed queer identity, favorite LGBTQ+ writers, and more.

On this episode of the Desk Set, we're talking about diverse and inclusive romance. If you're working on this year's 10 to Try reading challenge, all the books we mention count as books recommended by KCLS Staff. Adult Services librarian Jennifer Fairchild joins us to talk to bestselling author and romance superstar Jasmine Guillory about her new book, Party of Two. Then we chat about diversity in romance and some of our favorite authors.

This special episode of The Desk Set is a feed drop recording of a live webcast we shared in celebration of Juneteenth. Author Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race) spoke with her brother Ahamefule Oluo, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, writer, and stand-up comedian. They discussed Black joy, liberation, and creativity.   Visit our blog for show notes, including a transcript: https://kcls.org/the-desk-set-podcast/

In this mini-episode, we're talking about reading in the new year! We share our personal reading goals, discuss this year's 10 to Try challenge, and talk about 2020 titles we're looking forward to reading. We also announce that the podcast is going on a hiatus - we'll be back with new episodes this summer. To stay up to date on 10 to Try in the meantime, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, sign up for the newsletter, or visit kcls.org/10toTry.

Librarians share their picks for the best books of 2019. Hear KCLS staff talk about the titles they loved the most, including adult fiction and nonfiction, teen reads, and children's books.

Three authors share their perspective on the rise of Instagram poetry, the challenge of finding poetry you love, and the unique power of the medium. First we talk with Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint, a historical novel in verse for teens. Next we chat with Washington State Book Award Winner Tara Hardy, author of the collection My, My, My, My, My. Finally, we talk to Laura Da', Hugo House's Poet in Residence and author of Instruments of the True Measure.

We interview author Angie Kim about her novel Miracle Creek, a mystery and legal thriller that's centered on a family of Korean immigrants and a single mother accused of murder. Then we chat with Jo Anderson Cavinta, KCLS's diversity services coordinator, about the programs and services that KCLS offers for immigrants, refugees, and new arrivals.

Take a nostalgic look back at some of the most popular children's book series published in the '80s and '90s. First, we interview Gabrielle Moss, author of Paperback Crush. Then we talk with Destinee Sutton, a children's librarian at KCLS. We chat about school book fairs, free pizza, and the books that made us lifelong readers. Spoiler alert: We all wanted to be as cool as Babysitter's Club member and style icon Claudia Kishi.

We talk to Amy Stewart about her historical mysteries, starting with Girl Waits With Gun, inspired by the real-life Kopp sisters, as well as Stewart's nonfiction on plants, bugs, and more. Then, Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan discusses her historical thriller Manhattan Beach, her research process, and the lives of American women in the 1940s. Finally, Jeopardy champion and author Ken Jennings chats with us about overdue library books, his podcast Omnibus, and presidential snacks.

Seattle writer Katrina Carrasco talks to us about her book The Best Bad Things, a historical crime novel set in Port Townsend's seedy underbelly. Then, we chat with artist and author Keezy Young about Taproot, her cute and creepy graphic novel. Finally, we're joined by two KCLS staff members to talk about more great books by LGBTQ+ authors and the library's programming for Pride Month.

Journalist Bonnie J. Rough, author of Beyond Birds & Bees, talks about the difference between the American and Dutch approaches to sexuality and parenting. Then, Kristi Coulter talks about her essay collection, Nothing Good Can Come From This, which tackles alcoholism and sobriety. Finally, KCLS's Older Adults Program Coordinator Wendy Pender shares her picks for books that address death, dying, grief, and memory loss.

Journalist Angela Garbes joins us to discuss her book Like A Mother: A Feminist Journey Through The Science And Culture Of Pregnancy. Then we chat with Laurie Frankel, author of This Is How It Always Is, Like Frankel, the mother in her novel is the supportive parent of a transgender child. Finally, we talk about some of our favorite fictional families and share some suggested reads.

Journalist Ken Armstrong, the author of A False Report, joins us to talk about his work investigating the rape of a young woman in Lynnwood who recanted her original report, even though it later turned out to be true. Then, Britta interviews Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of A Body. They talk about how Alex's experience as a legal intern working on a death penalty case inspired the book, which weaves together memoir and true crime. Finally, we recommend some of our favorite books about crime (Emily's Picks | Britta's Picks) and shout-out KCLS's recommended mystery and true crime reads.

Read more in 2019 with tips from librarians, get a sneak peek at the most anticipated books that will be released in the new year, discover books to help you meet your new year resolutions and hear our announcement of new reading challenge categories to inspire you to read more broadly. 

The best books of the year have been chosen by KCLS Librarians. We share some favorites from the lists, talk about themes and trends, recommend our picks for gifting, and more! Read more on our website featuring KCLS's Best Books of 2018. 

Cookbooks, food writing, and the art and science of taste. We chat with author and chef Becky Selengut (How to Taste) about the art and science of taste. Then, we explore the relationship between pie and whiskey with authors, bakers, and cocktail makers Sam Ligon and Kate Lebo (Pie & Whiskey). Finally, we visit The Book Larder, a cookbook store in Seattle, to talk to store owner Lara Hamilton. We also share suggestions for other books about food that we think are worth checking out.

Marissa Meyer, banned books, and very graphic novels. We chat with young adult author Marissa Meyer about her new series, Renegades, the power of fairytale retellings, and which Sailor Scout she wants to be. Then, we talk about banned books, including the most banned books of 2017, and why comic books and graphic novels so often top the list of most banned books. Plus we share our top picks for under-appreciated young adult books to try when you've finished all the best sellers.

Learn how Harry Potter gets translated for global audiences and hear interviews with Kristin Hannah and Megan McDowell. We chat with Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone. We also talk to Megan McDowell, who was recently nominated for a Man Booker International Prize for her heart-stopping translation of Samanta Schweblin's Fever Dream. Then, hear about our favorite books set in places you might not have been. Plus, we explore the unique challenge of translating the magical world of Harry Potter for a global audience.

Jordan Peele brings Lovecraft Country to the screen, we chat about the best and worst book adaptations plus interviews with Matt Ruff and Kim Fu. Author Matt Ruff joins us to talk about his book Lovecraft Country. Inspired by mid-century African-American travel guides and classic sci-fi and horror, the book is being adapted in a miniseries for HBO. Then, we talk about book-to-screen adaptations: the ones we love, the ones we hate, and the ones we can't wait to see. Kim Fu, author of The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, talks with us about her book, why children make interesting characters, and the difference between writing poetry and prose.

#MeToo, memoirs and interviews with authors Rebecca Roanhorse and Litsa Dremousis. We chat with Hugo-Award winning author Rebecca Roanhorse about her Navajo-inspired urban fantasy Trail of Lightning and her award-winning short story, "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™". We also sit down with Seattleite and memoirist Litsa Dremousis to talk her about her memoir, Altitude Sickness, and her role in the #MeToo allegations surrounding Sherman Alexie. Plus, we recommend some memoirs we love.