BOOKED SOLID: A New Canaan Library Podcast for Adventurous Readers Across All Genres

Kathleen and James talk about what they learned from the nonfiction book selection of the season, Everything is Tuberculosis, by John Green. The hosts discuss the surprising impact of tuberculosis on society, the difficulties and advances made in treating a disease that has been with us from antiquity, and how author John Green is able to make such a challenging topic approachable. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

Kathleen and James step into a reimagining of the 1930s Dust Bowl in Karen Russell's genre-bending novel The Antidote. The hosts discuss the book's magical realism, its incredible use of language, and its argument for how history can be more deeply connected than one might expect. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

For the first episode of season 7, Kathleen and James visit the windswept island of Shearwater in Charlotte McConaghy's thrilling book, Wild Dark Shore. They discuss the book’s breathtaking setting, how the story explores the themes of climate change and despair, and why hope and community are so important in the face of disaster. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

Kathleen, Kat, and James get wrapped up in the mystery of Liz Moore’s thrilling novel, The God of the Woods. Join our hosts for a discussion on how they approach mystery fiction, narrative structure, and the importance of a good reveal. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

Kathleen, Kat, and James travel through time to discuss Kaliane Bradley’s science fiction romance book, The Ministry of Time. Our hosts talk about genre fiction, out-of-time romance stories, and all the questions they have about time travel ethics, shady government experiments, and the suspicious convenience of having an inadvisable roommate. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

This month, Kathleen, Kat, and James get a taste of Italy with Jhumpa Lahiri’s excellent collection of short fiction, Roman Stories. Join us as we celebrate the Library's Lit Lunch pick with a discussion about the unique strengths of short stories, connection and belonging, and a deeper dive on three of our hosts' favorite pieces from the collection. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

With Season 5 of Booked Solid fading into the rearview mirror, hosts Kathleen, Kat, and James are on break until the fall… but not before they recommend some of the best books they’ve read this year and highlight the upcoming summer releases they can’t wait to get their hands on. If you’re looking for your next summer read, be sure to check out this episode of Booked Solid!

Kathleen, Kat, and James travel down the Silk Road and encounter con artists, storytellers, and danger around every corner in Daniel Nayeri’s book The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams. Join our hosts as they discuss unreliable narrators, historical jokes, and the joy of finding a book that works for all ages. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

This month, Kat, Kathleen, and James read the first nonfiction book of the season, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. The group discusses the horrific conspiracy that the book documents against members of the Osage Nation in the 1920s, the shocking systems of oppression and exploitation that enabled and outlived it, and the excellent writing and skill of the author in covering such a difficult topic. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

This month, Kathleen, Kat, and James venture into the unexplored depths of Julia Armfield’s haunting book, Our Wives Under the Sea. Kat loves the characters, Kathleen is fascinated by the mystery, and James can’t stop thinking about a tragic fateful decision. Join our hosts as they discuss grief, relationships, and the terrible fear and pull of the unknown. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

Kathleen and James channel their inner teen detectives and dive into Holly Jackson’s devious YA thriller, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. This month the discussion focuses on intrepid teen sleuths, the trouble with using homework as an excuse for investigating a murder, and fun with localization. Kathleen is in her element with this murder mystery, while James is lost in the woods. Will he piece together the clues, solve the mystery, and put this season’s final episode behind bars? Find out in this episode of Booked Solid. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

This month, Kathleen and James read the lush and lyrical novel in verse Me (Moth) by Amber McBride. Tune in for a discussion about identity, self-discovery, and spirituality, as seen through the lens of the life cycle of a moth. James and Kathleen love the language, but will the story haunt them just as much as the prose? Find out in this episode of Booked Solid—and stick around for bonus content James recorded against his will. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future. To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.