The Books We Loved

Today's epsiodes is full of shenanigans, silly quizzes, weird questions, and a little backstory on your hosts. Thank you for helping us make it to 4yrs! 

A short and sweet ep -- the ladies each share three recent reads worth checking out:
Best Offer Wins, Kashino
The Merge, Walker
 The Road to Tender Hearts, Hartnett 
The Small and the Mighty: twelve unsung Americans who changed the course of history, from the founding to the civil rights movement, McMahon 
The Names, Knapp
Heart the Lover, King 
 

Today the gals take a break from chatting books, and share funny stories from their years being librarians. Sit back and enjoy as the gals spill the tea! 

Today the gals count down the top 12 most requested titles (here at TPL) for the first quarter of 2026. Hopefully you'll get as many good recs as they did! List of titles below:
12. My Husband’s Wife, Alice Feeney
11. James: a novel, Percival Everett
10. The Women, Kristin Hannah
9. The Secret of Secrets, Dan Brown
8. Fourth Wing, Yarros
7. The First Time I Saw Him, Dave
6. Twice, Mitch Albom
5. My Friends, Backman
4. Broken Country, Clare Leslie Hall 
3. Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. The Correspondent, Virginia Evans
1. The Widow, Grisham

Today the gals take on Garth Williams. Williams was an American author and illustrator, known for his gorgeous illustrations in such classics as: Charlotte's Web; the Little House on the Prairie series; The Cricket in Times Square, and many more beloved books. 

Today the gals celebrate National Poetry Month by sharing bits and bobs from some of their favs. 
Poetry titles shared today:
“Wild Geese” – Mary Oliver
“Mountain Dew Commercial Disguised as a Love Poem” – Matthew Olzmann
“A Primer” – Bob Hicock
“Dirtbag” – Leigh Lucas
“How to Like It” – Stephen Dobyns
“What I Didn’t Know Before” – Ada Limon
“Unchopping a Tree” – W.S. Merwin
“Digging” – Seamus Heaney
“I Sing the Body Electric” – Walt Whitman
“Darkling I Listen” – Adam Clay
“Funeral Blues” – W.H. Auden
“Try to Praise the Mutilated World” – Adam Zagajewski
“Nostalgia” – Billy Collins
“Feet” – Ross Gay
“Maple Valley Branch Library, 1967”

Today the gals share some ideas about how to break your reading slump, and offer up some titles that helped them get back into reading.

Olivia and Manda discuss their recent reads during today's episode. Remember, if you're looking for personalized recs, send an email to: podcast@troypl.org
 

Today the gals host Danielle (from Digital Services) for a robust discussion about the inspiring and controversial photographer, Sally Mann, and her 2025 book, Art Work: on the creative life.  
 

A girl and her pig, a spider, and so many more memorable characters are up for discussion today, as Olivia and Manda chat about the beloved children's classic, Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White. Did it hold up to the test of time for our discerning librarians? You'll just have to listen and see!