Iowa City Public Library - On Air: The ICPL Podcast

Episode 1

Mon, 23 Jun 2014 09:19:52 -0500

In this episode, Brian and Jason make book and movie recommendations, and a Death Match is held between two beloved young adult novels: Eleanor and Park & Fangirl, both by Rainbow Rowell.

Episode 2

Sat, 19 Jul 2014 09:20:00 -0500

A literary death match between Rainbow Rowell's two adult fiction novels: Attachments and Landline, Brian does Read This, Watch That, and Jason gets everyone to remember books that they loved at different parts of their lives. Join host Meredith Hines-Dochterman, Jason Paulios, Melody Dvorak, Brian Visser, and producer Bond Drager for another episode of On Air.

Episode 3

Fri, 29 Aug 2014 09:20:13 -0500

Bond guests on the podcast to chat with Jason about his favorite albums of the year, Melody chimes in with Bill Murray's history of films with Wes Anderson, and we do a deep dive into non-new non-fiction books (yes, that's a thing).

Episode 4

Thu, 02 Oct 2014 09:21:57 -0500

New Fall Releases and LGBT History Month

00:57 Jason talks about the 2014 Mercury Prize List including FKA Twigs and Young Fathers.
03:34 Brian talks about The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy
05:29 Melody is reading Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
06:12 Meredith discusses J.D. Robb and Janet Evanovich. How long is too long for a mystery series?

08:03 Brian - Lock In by John Scalzi
11:08 Brian - What If? by Randall Munroe
15:04 Melody - Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
0:51 Jason - The Secret Place by Tana French
26:20 LGBT Materials for LGBT History Month
28:14 Jason - Gay Lives by Robert Aldrich
30:18 Jason - Art & Queer Culture by Katherine Lord & Richard Meyer
34:00 Melody - Invisibles: Vintage Portraits of Love & Pride by Sebastien Lifshitz

Episode 5

Tue, 04 Nov 2014 09:22:31 -0600

"Favorite Picture Books & The Book Genre Dating Game"

01:15 Brian talks the TV show Arrow
02:26 Jen is watching Inspector Lewis
04:00 Jason is listening to the new Caribou album
06:30 Meredith is watching The Walking Dead and reading This is Where I Leave You

07:52 It's National Picture Book Month so the staff are recommending both old and new favorites.
Old favorites:

Jen shares Just Grandma and Me by Mercer Mayer,
Brian likes Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina,
Jason loves the Berenstein Bears series,
Meredith likes the Eloise series by Kay Thompson.

Jason recommends Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers,
Brian likes Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt,
Jen shares The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson,
Meredith is a fan of The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers.

30:39 It's the Book Genre Dating Game - Jen will ask the other panelists questions and they will answer as the book genre of their choice. At the end Jen promises to choose one and read a recommended book!

Episode 6

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 09:22:35 -0600

How to Survive the Holidays Using Library Resources
00:52 What we're reading/watching/listening to

Brian - My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories - Edited and with a story by Stephanie Perkins
02:17 Jason - The Secret Place by Tana French, and Veep
04:51 Melody - Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive
06:50 Meredith - Habibi by Craig Thompson

08:53 How to Survive the Holidays with Library Resources

09:58 Melody (Stimulating conversations) - What to Talk About: on a plane, at a cocktail party, in a tiny elevator with your boss's boss by Chris Colin and Rob Baedeker, National Geographic's Extreme Weather Survival Guide, History Books, including Ada's Algorithm by James Essinger, Digging for Richard III by Mike Pitts, The Roman Guide to Slave Management by Jerry Toner The Brewer's Tale by William Bostwick, Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi
17:19 Jason (Music You Won't Hate) - Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, David Bowie Nothing Has Changed, Queen - Forever, Paul McCartney - Wings Over America, Wilco - What's Your Twenty, Now That's What I Call Music
24:03 Brian (Movies to Watch at a Family Gathering) - Hundred Foot Journey, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Begin Again, Bend It Like Beckham, Million Dollar Arm, Maleficent, King's Speech, Saving Mr. Banks, Jersey Boys
32:43 Meredith (Menus for Guests with Dietary Considerations) - Gluten Free & Vegan Bread by Jennifer Katzinger, Eating Well Fast and Flavorful Meatless Meals by Jessie Price & the EatingWell Test Kitchen, Vegan desserts by Hannah Kaminsky, How to Cook a Turkey by the editors of Fine Cooking Magazine

37:57 Melody - ICPL's Online Magazine Collection - Guess the Magazine by the Headline

Episode 7

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 09:22:38 -0600

This month we're talking about 2014 Year End! Do we really need another best of list? Sure! We also talk about things we started watching or reading but just couldn't get into, and reading resolutions for 2015.
Top picks for 2014 Books, Movies and Music:

00:55 Brian talks about Andrew Smith's books 100 Sideways Miles and Grasshopper Jungle
06:46 Jason loves Bob's Burgers and Owen Pallett's album In Conflict
14:44 Melody talks Best Essays. Her top five of the year are Loitering by Charles D'Ambrasio, Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan, Young Widower by John Evans, and honorable mentions for True Stories, Well Told and Happiness: Ten Years of n+1.

18:52 Reluctant Reads and Watches

19:38 Brian brings on a lively discussion about Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and why we should always start with season 2)
29:52 Jason talks Neil Gaiman's American Gods
36:10 Meredith's choices are Grapes of Wrath and Da Vinci Code, plus Jason mentions Moby Dick and Brian never got around to reading Catch 22.

40:12 The group shares their Reading Resolutions for 2015.

Episode 8

Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:22:41 -0600

Books that make you look smart, and short books to help you fulfill your resolution to read more books this year.
First up, what we're reading/watching/listening to:

00:47 Melody finished Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series and is on to her Alpha and Omega books
02:26 Brian is reading Brandon Sanderson's Reckoners series
04:18 Jason is reading Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Emma Rios. He's also enjoying music from Father John Misty who will be at Mission Creek this spring.
07:46 Bond likes My True Love Gave to Me Edited by Stephanie Perkins and Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar

Books that Make You Look Smart

10:54 Melody suggests Nabokov among other Russian authors. She also suggests Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and Sonnets to Orpheus by Roca, among other poets.
20:03 Brian brings up Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty as an example of a book we think people check out but don't actually read, and talks literary fiction mentioning Nicole Krauss's History of Love
25:05 Jason talks poetry and adds Nikolai Gogol as a Russian author making a comeback, plus The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
29:22 Bond mentions a bunch of filmmakers if you're looking to get started in Cinema with a capital C, and suggests Kubrick and Malick as more approachable jumping off points.

Short books to help you fulfill your resolution to read more this year
35:10 Jason suggests 4 short novels to get you started on a year of reading

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide
We the Animals by Justin Torres

Episode 9

Thu, 26 Feb 2015 09:22:44 -0600

This month's very special episode is an interview with the staff of City of Literature: John Kenyon and Rachael Carlson. They'll talk about books, reading, and writing in Iowa City and what their organization does. They also talk about the upcoming One Book Two Book Festival. More information on that can be found here: www.onebooktwobook.org

Episode 10

Mon, 23 Mar 2015 09:22:47 -0500

This month the gang discusses Great Movies that Didn't Win Oscars plus Jen is back with follow up on how her Blind Date with a Book went.

What we're reading/watching/listening to

00:41: Jen: Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
01:19 Brian - The Martian by Andy Weir
03:21 Melody - Tim Johnston's Descent
04:41 Jason - Louise Penny
6:02 Melody Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction
06:40 Meredith - Maeve Binchy's new biography

08:35 Great Movies that Didn't Win Oscars

09:10 Brian - LA Confidential loses to Titanic
14:35 Jason - Movie Scores - Psycho
19:25 Melody - Bechdel Test Movies - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night/Before Midnight
26:27 Jen - Sense and Sensibility
28:03 Meredith - Shawshank Redemption
30:17 Brian - Short Term 12
32:39 Jason - Last of the Mohicans
36:53 Jen - The Descendants

41:37 Jen's Dating Game Follow Up - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Episode 11

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 09:22:50 -0500

This month the gang discusses when to quit an ongoing series. Also, entertainment binge-consuming and book clubs!

00:50: What we’re reading/watching/listening to. Brian- "Fadeout", by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
01:46: Jason- “Vesper for a New Dark Age” by Missy Mazzoli
03:25: Roomfull of Teeth
04:11: Meredith- “A Little Something Different” by Sandy Hall
06:04: Melody- “Dead Heat” by Patricia Briggs
07:05: When do you quit reading a series?
18:45: TV Binge-Watching
22:33: Binge Listening Music
26:25: Consuming Comic Books
29:45: Melody- Online Book Clubs
30:00: Facebook, A Year in Books
31:30: Literary Classics Online Book Club
33:23: Good Reads
34:22: Vaginal Fantasy, Led by Felicia Day
36:30: Discussion on Classic, In-Person Book Clubs

Episode 12

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 09:22:53 -0500

In which the gang goes off the rails.
This month we have a special guest, Anne from Collection Services. It's summertime and the livin is easy, and so are the things we are reading, watching, and listening. Also Anne brings a segment on "Go Set a Watchman" and other over hyped releases. Spoiler alert: Brian loves Star Wars.

01:10 What we're reading/watching/listening to

Anne: Penderwicks Series
Jason: The Wire
Melody: As If: The Oral History of Clueless
Brian: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Meredith: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

11:34 Easy reading/watching/listening

Brian: Weezer, Dune Books
Melody: The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne, Road Warrior, The Dresden Files Series Audiobooks
Anne: Girl Walks Into a Bar by Rachel Dratch, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett, Jaws
Jason: Kurt Vonnegut novels, Hot Chip's album Why Make Sense, Back to the Future trilogy
Meredith: The Great Outdoors

30:52 Go Set a Watchman and other over hyped releases

Brian: Star Wars prequels
Jason: Elliot Smith's posthumous album From a Basement on the Hill
Melody: Grand Budapest Hotel
Anne: Louisa May Alcott's A Long Fatal Love Chase
Meredith: Maeve Binchy's Chestnut Street

Episode 13

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 01:18:34 -0500

Maeve from Adult Services joins the group and we can't stop crying. Plus we'll talk all things Music is the Word

00:52 What we're reading/watching/listening to

Brian: Ex Machina
03:50 Jason: Mr. Robot
09:14 Maeve: Dead Wake by Erik Larson

12:30 Things that make us cry

13:30 Maeve: Where the Red Fern Grows
14:22 Brian: Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Up
21:35 Jason: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Alive Inside
27:30 Meredith: Sophie's Choice, Homeward Bound
29:25 Crowdsourced: Where the Red Fern Grows, Bridge to Terabithia, Field of Dreams, Remains of the Day
31:35 Meredith: Rudy, Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans

33:55 Music is the Word
Watch the Musical Revue here

Episode 14

Tue, 03 Nov 2015 06:01:10 -0600

Librarian Life Hacks! aka Favorite Books of All Time and Horror Recommendations from Wimpy Librarians

What we're reading/watching/listening to

00:52 Melody: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
02:02 Jason: Beach House - Depression Cherry
05:24 Brian: Star Wars Rebels
08:45 Meredith: Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall

10:20 Favorite Books Ever

11:40 Brian: The Giver by Lois Lowry
15:10 Jason: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
18:32 Melody: Naked by David Sedaris
20:30 Meredith: 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
23:13 Bond: The Giver - SPOILER ALERT - Spoiler free at 24:10

26:55 Horror recommendations from wimpy librarians

28:54 Meredith: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
33:36 Jason: Bloodletters & Badmen by Jay Robert Nash
37:10 Melody: The Innocence, Dead of Night, Isle of the Dead
41:20 Brian: Evil Dead Trilogy, It Follows, The Babadook

Episode 15

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 03:03:07 -0600

Great picture books to celebrate National Picture Book Month

What we're reading/watching/listening to

0:44 Casey: Little Bird's Bad Word by Jacob Grant, Song of the Sea
1:40 Morgan: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
2:25 Meredith: Maybe in Another Live by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Great picture books for young readers

4:02 This is Sadie by Sara O'Leary and Julie Morstad
4:42 Simon's New Bed by Christian Trimmer and Melissa van der Paardt
5:15 Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco
8:33 Fox's Garden by Princess Camcam and The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche
10:08 Lost. Found. by Marsha Diane Arnold and Matthew Cordell
14:03 Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson and David Shannon

Other materials for young readers

18:11 The Stinky Cheese Man and other fairly stupid tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
18:53 The Porcupine Mouse by Bonnie Pryor and Mary Jane Begin and The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
20:18 Peabody by Rosemary Wells
27:14 The Story of Diva & Flea by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi
28:12 Mockingjay Part II

Bonus Episode: Holiday survival with ICPL

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 03:10:23 -0600

Special Bonus Rerun Episode - This episode originally posted in November, 2014 How to Survive the Holidays Using Library Resources
00:52 What we're reading/watching/listening to

Brian - My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories - Edited and with a story by Stephanie Perkins
02:17 Jason - The Secret Place by Tana French, and Veep
04:51 Melody - Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive
06:50 Meredith - Habibi by Craig Thompson

08:53 How to Survive the Holidays with Library Resources

09:58 Melody (Stimulating conversations) - What to Talk About: on a plane, at a cocktail party, in a tiny elevator with your boss's boss by Chris Colin and Rob Baedeker, National Geographic's Extreme Weather Survival Guide, History Books, including Ada's Algorithm by James Essinger, Digging for Richard III by Mike Pitts, The Roman Guide to Slave Management by Jerry Toner The Brewer's Tale by William Bostwick, Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi
17:19 Jason (Music You Won't Hate) - Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, David Bowie Nothing Has Changed, Queen - Forever, Paul McCartney - Wings Over America, Wilco - What's Your Twenty, Now That's What I Call Music
24:03 Brian (Movies to Watch at a Family Gathering) - Hundred Foot Journey, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Begin Again, Bend It Like Beckham, Million Dollar Arm, Maleficent, King's Speech, Saving Mr. Banks, Jersey Boys
32:43 Meredith (Menus for Guests with Dietary Considerations) - Gluten Free & Vegan Bread by Jennifer Katzinger, Eating Well Fast and Flavorful Meatless Meals by Jessie Price & the EatingWell Test Kitchen, Vegan desserts by Hannah Kaminsky, How to Cook a Turkey by the editors of Fine Cooking Magazine

37:57 Melody - ICPL's Online Magazine Collection - Guess the Magazine by the Headline

Episode 16: Mama's Materials

Thu, 17 Dec 2015 01:17:53 -0600

Mama's Materials with Meredith, Melody, and Bond

What we're reading/watching/listening to

01:40 Bond: The Outlander Series, books, audiobooks, and tv series
05:23 Melody: The Witches: Salem, 1692
2:25 Meredith: Friends with Kids

Mama's Materials

15:23 Melody: Easy Labor by William Camann, The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg, Mama Tried by Emily Flake
27:00 Bond: The Happiest Baby on the Block Guide to Great Sleep by Dr. Harvey Karp, Sweet Sleep by La Leche League International
34:20 Meredith: I'm Going to College--Not You edited by Jenniver Delahunty, Bound for College Guidebook by Frank Burtnett, The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2016, How to have a New Teenager by Friday by Kevin Leman, Surviving Your Child's Adolescence by Carl Pickhardt, Romeo and Juliet by Gareth Hinds, CliffsNotes A Tale of Two Cities by James Weigel

Episode 17: All things Hamilton!

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 03:29:37 -0600

Do you love musicals? Do you hate musicals but like hip hop? Do you hate musicals and hip hop but love American history? Have you heard of Hamilton but have no idea what it is? Brian and Anne have the low down and they're going to help you out. They'll also share ideas of lots of other great books and materials to enjoy.
All things Hamilton with Anne, Brian, and Meredith

What we're reading/watching/listening to

00:42 Brian: Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach
03:28 Anne: Once in a Great City by David Maraniss
05:04 Bond: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenedes
07:07 Meredith: Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hamilton the Musical

12:00 Hamilton the Musical
20:28 Aaron Burr, Sir
23:54 You'll Be Back
26:48 John Adams Miniseries
29:12 War of Two by John Sedgwick
31:05 Duel with the Devil by Paul Collins
34:40 Brian's list of other musicals similar to Hamilton

Episode 18

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 07:17:16 -0500

The old gang is back together! Meredith, Brian, Jason, and Melody are chatting about books and travel - destinations they want to visit because of a book or places they've actually visited due to reading. They're also talking about movie adaptations of popular books. Of course, they'll share ideas of lots of other great books and materials to enjoy.
Books and Travel for Summertime

What we're reading/watching/listening to

00:41 Jason: The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss and Day of the Dead by Various Artists (distributed by 4ad)
03:38 Brian: The Strumbellas
06:50 Melody: Shattered by Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid Series)
08:34 Meredith: Audiobooks from Digital Johnson County

Books and Travel (but not Travel Books!)

12:30 Brian: The Road Headed West: a 6,000-Mile Cycling Odyssey through North America by Leon McCarron, Going Somewhere by Brian Benson, Life is a Wheel by Bruce Weber
20:50 Jason: Sixpence House by Paul Collins
25:05 Melody: Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
30:25 Meredith: Centennial TV Show/book, Road Food by Jane & Michael Stern

Book to Movie Adaptations

33:45 Brian: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
37:50 Melody: Adaptation based on The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
39:20 Jason: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
42:43 Meredith: Love Story by Erich Segal
43:58 Brian: Room by Emma Donaghue