Your Shelf or Mine

Becky and Jey talk about books of the 1930s including: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff, and Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink.  Check out American Indians in Children's Literature here: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/  Find our reading challenge here: https://longviewlibrary.beanstack.com/   

We are counting down to the Longview Library's 100th anniversary in April 2026 by reading and discussing books from one decade each month. You can read along with us and track your participation on our Beanstack page: longviewlibrary.org.  This month, Becky, Jo, and Austin talk about books from the 1920s: Millions of Cats by Wanga Gag (Wanga Gag: The Girl Who Lived to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray and Before They Were Artists: Famous Illustrators as Kids by Elizabeth Haidle) The Brownies' Book The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery and more!

Becky, Austin, and Holly talk about the work of National Book Award winner Percival Everett, including Erasure (and the movie adaptation "American Fiction"), God's Country, Watershed, So Much Blue, Telephone, The Trees, James, and more!

Becky, Jennifer, Jo, and Jakob talk about library book club selections from September through November 2024! Including: Looking for Alaska by John Green, The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld, Monica by Daniel Clowes, Air by Monica Roe, The Getaway by Lamar Giles, Mexikid by Pedro Martin, Witchlings by Claribel Oretga, the Samantha books from American Girl, and much more!

Becky and Jakob talk about Christmas books, including: Santa's Gotta Go by Derrick Barnes A City Full of Santas by Joanna Ho Love, Santa by Martha Brockenbrough One Foggy Christmas Eve by Kerilynn Wilson Santa's First Christmas by Mac Barnett How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney by Mac Barnett The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Natalie Andrewson Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June Make My Wish Come True by Rachel Lippincott and Alyson Derrick How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow and more!  

Becky, Jenny, Jakob, and Heather talk about the work of Stephen Graham Jones including: The Only Good Indians  My Heart is a Chainsaw  I Was a Teenager Slasher Mongrels and more!

Becky, Jakob, Heather M, and Jennifer talk about Misery by Stephen King, the 1990 movie starring Kathy Bates, and season two of Castle Rock. Plus more! Spoilers abound, plus some discussion of graphic violence in the book, movie, and show.

Becky, Jennifer, Austin, Jakob, and Jo talk about library book club selections from summer 2024.

Becky and Austin talk about the work of Ann Patchett including: These Precious Days, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, Tom Lake, The Patron Saint of Liars, The Magician's Assistant, The Dutch House, Commonwealth, and more! Introductory reading from Commonwealth. Listen to Ann Patchett in conversation with Cheryl Strayed at Literary Arts here: https://literary-arts.org/archive/ann-patchett-cheryl-strayed/ The Tom Lake jam is no longer available, but other Michigan jams are from American Spoon: https://spoon.com/collections/cherries Visit Parnassus Books here: https://www.parnassusbooks.net/ 

Becky, Austin, and Jakob talk about the work of M.T. Anderson including: Feed (2002);  Landscape with Invisible Hand (2017);  Landscape with Invisible Hand movie (2023);  Elf Dog & Owl Head (2023);  Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad (2015);  The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. I: The Pox Party (2006);  The Daughters of Ys (2020) introductory reading from Feed.  Wired article: https://www.wired.com/story/m-t-anderson-feed-20-years-later/

Becky and Jo dish on contemporary romance novels, particularly the work of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood including: "Love, Theoretically" by Ali Hazelwood; "Check & Mate" by Ali Hazelwood; "People We Meet on Vacation" by Emily Henry; "Happy Place" by Emily Henry; "Funny Story" by Emily Henry; Introductory reading from "Book People" by Emily Henry.

Becky, Austin, and Shelley talk about the work of Rita Mae Brown including: Six of One;  Rubyfruit Jungle;  Wish You Were Here (Mrs. Murphy #1);  and more!

Becky, Jo, Jakob, Jennifer, and Austin talk about Longview Public Library book club selections from March, April, and May! Including those from our: Adult Book Club, Romance Book Club, Graphic Novel Book Club, Kids Book Club, Little Kids Book Club, Evergreen Teen Book Club, and American Girl Book Club! Books discussed include: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Subeik Lubeik by Deena Mohammed, Family Style by Thein Pham, Bride by Ali Hazelwood, The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga, The Red Palace by June Hur, Melody: No Ordinary Sound by Denise Lewis Patrick, Lola Levine is Not Mean! by Monica Brown, and more!

Becky, Austin, and Jennifer discuss various poets and their own personal experiences with poetry. Discussed topics and poets include: E.E. Cummings Shel Silverstein Chen Chen Kwame Alexander William Stafford Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Foundation Mary Oliver and more! Introductory reading "Some Things I Like" by Lemn Sissay Other readings: "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein "Ask Me" by William Stafford "Mountain Dew Commercial Disguised as a Love Poem" by Matthew Olzmann "Fire" by Matthew Dickman "In the Desert" by Stephen Crane  

Becky and Austin discuss the work of children's author Kate DiCamillo including: The Puppets of Spellhorst The Beatrice Prophecy Mercy Watson to the Rescue Raymie Nightingale and more! New Yorker profile: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/09/18/what-kate-dicamillo-understands-about-children Betsy Bird review: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/03/08/review-of-the-day-ferris-by-kate-dicamillo/ Ann Patchett at Literary Arts: https://literary-arts.org/archive/ann-patchett-cheryl-strayed/   

Becky, Jo, Jakob, and Austin talk about the books from this past season's book clubs including:  Secret Explorers series by DK and SJ King Rainbow Days series by Valerie Bolling Miles Lewis King of the Ice by Kelly Starling Lyons Time Villains by Victor Piñeiro Courtney Changes the Game and Courtney Friendship Superhero by Kellen Hertz Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo The Sentence by Louise Erdrich The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez Knock Out by Sarah MacLean Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and more!

Becky, Austin and Jakob discuss the work of author Kekla Magoon including: The Rock and the River, X, Revolution in Our Time, How It Went Down, The Minus-One Club, and Chester Keene Cracks the Code. Introductory reading from Revolution In Our Time. 

Becky and Jakob talk about the work of author N.K. Jemison, particularly her novel "The Fifth Season." Introductory reading from "The Fifth Season." 

Becky and Austin talk about the work and life of Shirley Jackson, including: "The Lottery and Other Stories," "The Haunting of Hill House," "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," and more! Introductory reading from "We Have Always Lived in the Castle."

Where Becky, Jakob, and Austin talk about the work of Maggie Stiefvater! Including: "The Raven Boys;"  "Shiver;"  "The Scorpio Races;"  and more! introductory excerpt from "The Scorpio Races." 

Becky, Austin, and Heather M. talk about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.! Including: "Slaughterhouse-Five" (1969);  "Player Piano" (1952);  "A Man Without a Country" (2005);  "Breakfast of Champions" (1973) "Welcome to the Monkey House" (1968) "Hocus Pocus"(1990) "Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time" documentary (2021);  Salman Rushdie's essay "What Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse-Five' Tells Us Now": https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/what-kurt-vonneguts-slaughterhouse-five-tells-us-now "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson;  "Civilwarland in Bad Decline" by George Saunders; and more!

In this special Longview Centennial episode, Becky talks to Mark and Roger Peters about their father, Amos J. Peters, who constructed the Nutty Narrows Bridge in 1963. They share about their family, their father's legacy, the history of the Nutty Narrows Bridge, and other Peters Construction projects that have had a lasting impact on our community, particularly Campus Towers.  Learn more about Squirrel Fest on their website here: https://lvsquirrelfest.com/ Nutty Narrows wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutty_Narrows_Bridge Longview Library digital archive http://contentdm.longviewlibrary.org/ search "Nutty Narrows." Content is being continually added to the archive!

Becky, Jo, and Austin can't get enough Judy Blume. We talk about: "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," the book;  "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," the movie;  "Forever";  "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing";  "Blubber";  "Judy Blume Forever," the documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neWsO1Rk_q0  and more! Learn about Judy's editor Dick Jackson: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81494-dick-jackson-remembered.html  Charlamagne Tha God Conversation with Judy Blume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HihS5EPb6o  Katie Couric interview: https://katiecouric.com/podcast/next-question/judy-blume-forever-documentary-banned-books/  Judy Blume archives at Yale: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/11/resources/11190  SNL Kotex Classic sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBlR7qVQ0X8  Read with Jenna selected Summer Sisters for August 2023: https://www.today.com/popculture/read-jenna-book-club-pick-august-2023-t292373  Austin mentions "The Invisible Bridge" by Rick Perlstein introductory reading from "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"

Where Austin, Jakob, and Jo talk about the work and style of David Sedaris including:  "Me Talk Pretty One Day,"  "Holidays on Ice,"  "The Best of Me,"  "Happy-Go-Lucky,"  "Calypso,"  and more!  

In this special Centennial episode, Becky and Jo talk with Diane Burch and Karen Rasmussen, two daughters of late Longview community stalwart Archie Anderson. In 2000, the former Highlands Park on Alabama Street, between 22nd and 21st Avenues, was renamed Archie Anderson Park in his honor. 

On this Longview Centennial episode, Becky talks to Robert Mumford and Gary Schmauder about their December 9, 2012 wedding, what it was like to be the first gay couple married in Cowlitz County, and their hopes for the future of Longview. 

with Jennifer Jensen! Where we talk about:  Elena Ferrante;  The Lost Daughter (book);  The Lost Daughter (movie);  My Brilliant Friend (book);  My Brilliant Friend (HBO series);  The Lying Life of Adults (book);  The Lying Life of Adults (Netflix series)  and more! Introductory reading from "The Lying Life of Adults." 

Becky and Austin talk to journalist Andre Stepankowsky, who was part of the staff at the Longview Daily News that won a 1981 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Mt. St. Helens story. Andre retired from the Daily News in 2020 and currently writes the Lower Columbia Currents substack at https://andrestepankowsky.substack.com/ as well as a column for the Columbia River Reader. 

Where Becky, Jakob, and Austin talk about: Jacqueline Woodson;  Brown Girl Dreaming;  Red at the Bone;  The World Belonged to Us;  National Poetry Month;  and more!

Where Becky and Austin talk about: Edith Wharton;  The Mount;  Mr. Jones;  Edith Frome;  The House of Mirth;  The Custom of the Country and mention:  Inventing Anna https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/my-favorite-anti-semite-edith-wharton https://www.newyorker.com/books/second-read/what-edith-wharton-knew-a-century-ago-about-women-and-fame-in-america Introductory reading from "The House of Mirth."  

Becky and Angela talk to Joseph Govednik from the Cowlitz County Historical Museum about World War II and Longview. Visit the museum in person at 405 Allen Street in Kelso or online at: https://cowlitzcountyhistory.org/

With Jo Dallas! Where we talk about: Julia Quinn; Netflix's Bridgerton; The Duke and I; The Viscount Who Loved Me; And more!

Becky and Angela talk to Sue Piper, editor of the Columbia River Reader, and Hal Calbom, author of their upcoming book "Empire of Trees: America's Planned City and the Last Frontier." "Empire of Trees" takes a look at Longview's 100 year history and builds off of Hal's column "People + Place."  Visit Columbia River Reader online: http://crreader.com/ 

With Jennifer Jensen and Jakob Collins! Where we talk about: Lynda Barry; One! Hundred! Demons! Making Comics; What It Is; Picture This; Syllabus; The Greatest of Marlys And more!

A special Centennial episode with Longview 23 Club members Cal Fowler and Abe Ott!  Learn more about them or contact the club here: http://www.longview23club.org/ Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067339691727  An image of the original 1924 log archway that Abe mentions in the podcast can be found on the library's digital archive here: http://contentdm.longviewlibrary.org/digital/collection/lvr/id/2164/rec/1 Learn more about Centennial celebrations here: https://www.longview100.org/ 

Where we talk about:  Buffalo, Wyoming;  Longmire (TV show);  The Cold Dish;  Death Without Company;  Kindness Goes Unpunished;  As the Crow Flies;  The Serpent's Tooth;  Christmas in Absaroka County;  and more! introductory reading from "The Cold Dish."

Where we talk about the works of Nora Ephron, including: Everything Is Copy (HBO Documentary);  Wallflower at the Orgy;  Crazy Salad;  Heartburn (novel);  Silkwood;  When Harry Met Sally;  Sleepless in Seattle;  Mixed Nuts;  Michael;  You've Got Mail;  Hanging Up;  Julie & Julia;  I Feel Bad About My Neck;  and more!

with special guest James Newkirk! Where we talk about: Ursula K. Le Guin's  "The Wave in the Mind,"  "A Wizard of Earthsea,"  "The Tombs of Atuan,"  "Solitude" (included in the anthology "Diverse Energies"),   "The Left Hand of Darkness,"  "The Language of the Night,"  "Is Gender Necessary?"  "Dancing at the Edge of the World,"  "Catwings" and: "Tales from Earthsea" directed by Goro Miyazaki;  "The Left Hand of Darkness" BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatization;  2014 National Book Award Speech video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2v7RDyo7os  text: https://parkerhiggins.net/2014/11/will-need-writers-can-remember-freedom-ursula-k-le-guin-national-book-awards/  introductory reading from "A Wizard of Earthsea." 

Where we talk about Toni Morrison! Including: "The Bluest Eye;"  "Beloved;"  "Home;"  "Song of Solomon;"  "Remember: the journey to school integration;"  "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am" directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders;  "The Radical Vision of Toni Morrison" by Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/magazine/the-radical-vision-of-toni-morrison.html and mention: "Miss Chloe: a memoir of a literary friendship with Toni Morrison" by A.J. Verdelle;  "The Toni Morrison Book Club" by Piper Kendrix Williams, Cassandra Jackson, Winnifred R. Brown-Glaude, and Juda Bennett. Introductory excerpt from "The Bluest Eye."

Where we talk about: The work of Susan Orlean: The Orchid Thief;  The Library Book;  Rin Tin Tin;  Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan; and more!

Where we talk about: RFID tagging;  These Precious Days by Ann Patchett;  Louise Erdrich;  Birchbark Books;  LaRose;  The Round House;  The Plague of Doves;  The Sentence;  The Birchbark House;  The Night Watchman;  Love Medicine;  The Beet Queen;  Tracks;  The Blue Jay's Dance;  Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country;  The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse;  Tales of Burning Love;  and more! Intro excerpt from the first edition of Love Medicine, 1984

Where we talk about: Armistead Maupin;  Tales of the City (1978 book);  Tales of the City (1993 TV miniseries);  More Tales of the City (1980 book);  The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017 documentary);  and more!

Where we talk about: Herman Melville;  Moby Dick;  Bartleby the Scrivener; Billy Budd;  Herman Melville at Home by Jill Lepore: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/29/herman-melville-at-home ;  The Beige Moth blog: https://beigemoth.blog/moby-dick/ ;  In the Heart of the Sea;  Drifting Dragons;  and more!

Where we talk about: Seed Library;  NW Voices: http://longviewlibrary.org/nwvoices.php ;  David Rakoff;  Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish;  Half Empty and more! Our Friend David: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/472/transcript ;  Invisible Made Visible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P7V0UKySaI ;  Lindsey Ellis on Rent: https://youtube.com/watch?v=q0qfFbtIj5w ;  Article from 2020: https://www.timesofisrael.com/locked-down-open-up-to-david-rakoffs-defensively-pessimistic-wit/ ;  Poems to get you through hard times: https://www.oprah.com/spirit/poems-that-get-you-through-hard-times/all ;  Ira Glass on making the audiobook: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/books/david-rakoffs-last-deadline.html ; 

with Joanne Dallas, Austin Brigden, and Jakob Collins where we talk about: Story Walks;  Fatima's Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq;  Oi Frog! by Kes Gray;  Beverly Cleary;  Drop Everything and Read Day;  Henry Huggins;  A Girl from Yamhill;  Ramona the Pest;  Ramona and her Mother;  Beezus and Ramona;  My Own Two Feet;  Dear Mr. Henshaw;  Walking with Ramona: Exploring Beverly Cleary's Portland by Laura O. Foster;  https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/6456  Beverly Cleary Endowed Professorship: https://ischool.uw.edu/faculty-affairs/beverly-cleary-professorship  Corrections: Beverly Clearly was 104 when she died;  Becky refers to Beverly several times as "Ramona." :)  Excerpt from "Ramona the Pest" by Beverly Cleary, published by Harper Collins Publishers.

excerpt from "Long Way Down," by Jason Reynolds, published by Simon and Schuster. Where we talk about: the work of Jason Reynolds;  Long Way Down;  Ghost;  All American Boys;  Brendan Kiely;  Ain't Burned All the Bright;  Jason Griffin; Stuntboy, in the Meantime;  Raul the Third. His picture books are the "Vamos!" series: "Vamos! Let's Go to the Market," "Vamos! Let's Go Eat!" and "Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge." Tired as F*ck by Caroline Dooner;  Breathing Fire by Jaime Lowe;  and more!

Where we talk about: The 2022 Our Shelf Reading Challenge;  www.longviewlibrary.beanstack.org ;  The 2022 Printz Award;  https://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz-award#previous ;  Library building restoration;  The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang;  The Bride Test by Helen Hoang;  The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang;  and more!

with Jennifer Jensen! Where we talk about: Carrie by Stephen King;  Carrie directed by Brian de Palma;  Maneaters by Chelsea Cain;  and more!

where we talk about: library news;  new library staff;  Becky and Austin's road trip;  Glacier National Park;  Deep Creek by Pam Houston;  Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy;  Pine Creek Lodge and the Montana Gang of writers;  Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison;  The Traveling Feast by Rick Bass;  The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Erlich;  The Meadow by James Galvin;  Outlawed by Anna North;  The Eagles of Heart Mountain by Bradford Pearson;  They Called Us Enemy by George Takei;  Longmire show and series by Craig Johnson;  and more!

with Austin Brigden where we talk about: Summer Reading 2021; East of Eden by John Steinbeck; other works by John Steinbeck; and more! Watch our Summer Reading Promotional Video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZwyHlZ71-0 

With special guest Elizabeth Partridge! Recorded May 7, 2021 Where we talk about: Her work at Manatee County Libraries; Navigating the management of libraries during COVID; Audiobooks; Learning from the Germans by Susan Neiman; Radical Candor by Kim Scott; Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen; Devolution by Max Brooks; The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt; The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst; Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell;      Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater;   All Rise by Nick Offerman; Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders;   And more!