Shawnee County Public Library In Topeka Podcasts

There's always more than one way to tell a story. In this episode, our hosts discuss how there are ways other than blocks of text to tell a story explore a few examples of unique storytelling narratives. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedl…

In this episode, our hosts discuss how they read. Audiobooks, ebooks, print, graphic novel and fiction and non -- there's no wrong way to read... even if that means the book is upside down.

At the end of Season 2, our hosts unboxed some advanced reader copies of new books and assigned one to each other. In this episode our hosts are back from hiatus with their homework. It took the dark humor of a lesbian atheist with a penchant for death, but we finally got genuine laughs out of Chris. After reading Everyone in This Room Will Someday…

It has come to the end of the season and the hosts of The Bookmark are celebrating with an unboxing! Chris, Miranda and Autumn unbox a delivery of Advanced Reader Copies (books scheduled to be released in the future) just in time for you to add them to your summer reading list! Tune in next season to see which of these books the hosts have read and…

Do you have a bingo yet on your Top City Reads Bingo Card? With our hosts' help, you should go for a blackout! This week, the square we're focusing on is "A book with your favorite color or an animal on the cover". Tune in to hear about books with covers that have an animal, a color, or both. Maybe your favorite part will be the tangents our hosts …

Chris' curiosity has him asking questions about books – 23 questions to be specific. Discover interesting things about our hosts such as what imaginary world from a book would each most want to live in to weird reading habits and favorite flawed characters. Tune in to find out the answers to these questions and 20 more! That's 69 answers and tons o…

The Bookmark is back to helping you with your Top City Reads Bingo card and this week it's all about debut authors. Autumn says she specifically seeks debut authors out because it's fun to discover new authors and recommend them to other people. It's like having your own secret you can't wait to tell. Speaking of "telling", is it obvious that a deb…

Personalized Browsing for You is just one of the services we have launched this year. In this episode of the Bookmark, Miranda reads real browsing requests to Chris and Autumn; a flurry of book recommendations follow. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and…

So, what *is* a beach read? Our hosts debate the definitions and give examples of what they think perfect beach reads would be. Their best conclusion is that a beach read is anything that you would read at the beach (or a location you'd prefer to the beach). More specifically, whatever type of book is relaxing to you. Our hosts conclude with a robu…

Movie and television adaptions of books are pretty popular. In this episode, our hosts discuss what works and which ones just don't. We discuss how adaptions that are too close to the book tend to bore us because they do not add anything. There are also times when the adaptions are so different you feel like it is unfair to compare them. This episo…

In this episode, our hosts play a game of "Would You Rather" with books. Each one reads a blurb from two different books without giving away the title or the cover of either book. This begs the question, what are YOU missing because of knowing the title or seeing the cover of a book before reading the blurb?…

Let's play a game! Join in as our hosts read a blurb from a book they have never read and then free-associate whatever book the blurb makes them think of and then the book *that* makes them think of and on and on! You'll be impressed with our extra long book-list for this episode.

Being a genre reader doesn't make you a bad reader. Sometimes you know what you like and you just like what you like. Do the genre stickers on the spines of books help or hinder? Do they stop you from reading something you might otherwise pick-up? Not all books fit neatly into one specific genre. Sometimes the only way you find out about books out …

Journey back with us to when our hosts were teenagers and listen to them talk about what grabbed their angsty teen attention. Listen to them talk about favorite titles, favorite authors, and even "forbidden" books they may or may not have "borrowed" from older relatives.

Ever find yourself just not liking a book? Sometimes you hate a characters, hate the plot, hate some other aspect of the book. Sometimes it is because the book just fell flat. It did not live up to your expectations. Turns out that's okay. Our hosts take turns giving titles that either they hated or fell flat for them. They admit that sometimes the…

Book covers tell a story and publishers go through numerous steps just to produce one cover. In this episode, our hosts discuss how they judge books by their covers, what catches their eyes, what puts them off.

What makes a book rereadable? Which of our hosts does the most rereading? And where do they find new books to read? The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.…

The Bookmark hosts are helping you out with your 2021 Bingo cards from community group Top City Reads in their 50th episode! This episode is to help you out with your square "An Author New to You". It goes without saying that it also covers the square for a book you heard on the Bookmark podcast! It's always an adventure when, as a reader, you read…

Lists of what books to expect in 2021 have been posted all over the place and our hosts have been paying attention. Autumn's been taking advantage of her access to Advanced Readers Copies (ARCs) and has even read some of the great books she's recommending in this episode. Join our hosts as they tell us the books they are excitedly anticipating, whe…

On this second part of The Bookmark, our hosts discuss more of the books that made 2020, using the Goodread's Choice Awards as a starting point. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books…

On this episode of The Bookmark, the team overviews titles on 2020's Goodread's Choice Awards. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.…

We've all read titles that forced us out of our comfort zone. These books encouraged The Bookmark Team to step out of their usual reading 'box'. Chris not only read a romance, he read a disturbing tale that reminded him of Heathers. We did mention Chris read a ROMANCE, right? Autumn surprised us with a "well-written and not dry" business management…

Sometimes things are just not quite like they're supposed to be. Sometimes a clerical error sends someone into the afterlife early or a person being in the right place at the wrong time finds that their life isn't as perfect as they had assumed. A perfect little street can hold secrets and someone can think they're right where they're supposed to b…

We're recommending books that talk about the end of the world, take place after the end of the world, and some that are just the end of the world for the characters. Our hosts discuss how and why the world could end and whether they truly do feel fine about it. Read these books for an emotional rollercoaster that might leave you ugly-crying or feel…

There are plenty of bird jokes and puns as our hosts discuss both literal birds and people that flock together. There's an established pecking order for many of these characters. They are assigned a flock and expected to wear those feathers. Some fly the coop and some are pushed out of the nest.

The holidays mean different things to different people. For us it means cookies, cider and cozy books. The books we recommend include some holiday magic, which in this case can include ghost stories, the Brontes, time loops, and small island communities. Oh, and you can't forget the coffee and Keanu Reeves. The Bookmark podcast is your place to fin…

Family defines who we are and what we're willing to do for each other. Sometimes family means everything, including jail. Not knowing who your family is sometimes means not knowing oneself. But knowing family can also mean knowing way too much about certain people and certain things. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. …

The battle lines have been drawn and the battle cries have been sung. Survival is the goal and this week the chances of the characters in these books are challenged. Take away the familiar terrain and any assurances of who your allies are and who your enemies might be. These books have our protagonists battling both the literal land and other chara…

Which is scarier: literal demons or the demons that haunt only you? Sometimes the devil is charming, but sometimes he makes you suffer. Sometimes he even needs to be invoked to make a point of political importance. From scandalous crushes to personal hauntings, these devilishly clever titles will make great additions to your 'spooky' reading list. …

IKEA is deceptive. Things that seem so easy to pick out or put together turn out to be way more complex than we could have imagined. These books aren't as simple to piece together as you might think, which makes them all the more delightfully challenging. Bring your lingonberries and follow this journey or get lost in translation. Don't miss golden…

Just like gold, these books are solid! The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you'll want to add to your reading list.

Ever feel like you don't quite belong? Or maybe you can't get something to fit in with others. Sometimes you're expected to be part of a culture by default and you can't help but just be a square peg in a round hole. That culture can be related to the country you are from, a team you are a part of, the friends you choose, or the school you go to. T…

Can you keep a secret? This week's theme is all about secrets spilling over. Unearth some of our hosts' secrets as they tell you about books in which the secrets just can't stay secret. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librari…

Whether it’s the space between words or the space between worlds, it’s all covered in this week’s theme. Our hosts discuss the need for space between people and people who just need some space. They also talk about outer space. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker a…

This episode of The Bookmark has our hosts focusing on the connections between music and literature. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you'll want to add to your reading list.…

These books are fire! From stories that feature flames to those that show us the best of friends, these books are like a house on fire. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you'll want to a…

Gee... have you not felt like reading during the last few months? Tune into the Bookmark for your reliable book discussion and maybe you'll find yourself adding to that TBR (To-Be-Read) list. Zero pressure from our hosts and a reminder that the books will wait. Chris' selections during quarantine show he had royalty on the brain. From real royalty …

This episode we discuss the books Autumn read while working from home. Autumn’s list has an unintentional theme of accidents and amnesia. Join our hosts for some memorable recommendations and jokes that write themselves. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autu…

We're back, and kicking off season two with a few 'lighter' reads (and face masks). Join our hosts as they discuss a selection of the books Miranda read while working from home. Miranda's selections offer some light romance and soul-searching that will leave you with a casual feel-good vibe. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next grea…

Ginger joins us to share some of her favorite romantic comedies. The Bookmark podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you'll want to add to your reading list.…

This episode is all about book clubs! Autumn, Chris, and Miranda discuss some of the best book club reads. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading li…

Stephanie is back and she’s brought some old flames. Featuring Boys Next Door, Boys Out of This World, and Badass Boys. Join our hosts as they talk about how rereading old favorites can be just as juicy as the first time. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker…

Megan is back with more historical reads! Last time was all about American Presidents; now let’s hear about British monarchs. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add…

Rachael is back with plenty of shiny new recommendations. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.…

This episode, Areli joins us and shares her culturally eclectic reading list. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.…

Michelle is back to share her most recent favorites. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.

If you could send a Valentine to any book, which one would you choose? Autumn, Chris, and Miranda really love books! Listen in for recommendations for books that just might find their way into your hearts, too, or at least onto your reading list. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Mirand…

On this episode of The Bookmark, recurring reader Meredith joins us and shares some of her favorites. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.…

On this episode of The Bookmark, Alex Henault joins us and shares some of her favorites. The Bookmark Podcast is your place to find your next great book. Each week, join regular readers Miranda Ericsson, Chris Blocker and Autumn Friedli along with other librarians as they discuss all the books you’ll want to add to your reading list.…