The Books We Loved
The Books We Loved is a podcast about revisiting old favorites with an open mind and a new perspective. Despite the title, we won’t be limiting ourselves to books-- movies, music, TV shows, and other aspects of pop culture will be up for discussion. Hosts and TPL Librarians, Manda and Olivia (alongside some special guests from the Troy community!), will be asking themselves: does this book hold up? Tune in to revisit your old favorites while adding some new titles to your TBR list.
Episodes
It's pretty much what you'd expect! In this bonus episode, four TPL librarians review the life and legacy of the Queen of Country, our Lady of Literacy, the Chieftess of Charitable Giving, our beloved Dolly Parton.
Today the gals celebrate 100 years of that silly, old bear, Winnie-the-Pooh! Learn about the real-life inspiration, a little about A.A. Milne, and hear some lovely quotes from this timeless classic!
Materials @TPL:
- Finding Winnie: the true story of the world's most famous bear, Mattick, illus. by Blackall
- Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear, Brandreth
- Who Was A.A. Milne?
- Winnie-the-Pooh books/movies
Articles/websites menti...
On today's quick episode, the girls share what books they're reading as summer wraps up! Titles covered include:
The Midnight Train, Haig
The Charity Shop Detective Agency, Boland
The Take, Yang
Famesick: a memoir, Dunham
Democracy Awakening: notes on the state of America, Cox Richardson
American Rambler: walking the trail of Johnny Appleseed, Fitzgerald
Today the ladies discuss the wonderfully funny and cheeky children's classic, Matilda, by Roald Dahl. So, get your hair tonic, your hat, and your chocolate cake, and settle in for a silly conversation.
Matilda at TPL:
Today the girls field a request from Eliza, focusing specifically on "hidden gems." Titles discussed in today's episode include:
KIDS:
Orris and Timble, DiCamillo
The Questioneers series, Beaty:
Today the gals review the upcoming movie, The End of Oak Street, starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.
Today the gals give recommendations for every reader, based on Zodiac signs!
In the order discussed:
AQUARIUS:
Homebound, Elan
Truly Devious, Johnson
LEO:
Half Drowned King, Hartsuyker
Harriet Tubman: the road to freedom, Clinton
PISCES:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: a therapist, HER therapist, and our lives revealed, Gottlieb
Evening, Minot
VIRGO:
The Maid, Prose
The Gifts of Imperfection, Brown
ARIES:
Today the girls are joined by repeat-guest, Angie, to discuss Jane Austen's classic, Emma.
Books Angie recommended during the episode include:
Book of Doors, Gareth Brown
Wild Reverence: a novel, Rebecca Ross
The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
Today the gals chat about a podcast favorite, Ann Patchett, and her newest novel: Whistler.
A couple readalikes Olivia shared:
- Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
- Anything by Liane Moriarty
- The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
- Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
- Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro
- This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
- Circe, Madeline Miller
- Babel, R.F. Kuang
- Mistborn: The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
- A Rover’s Story, Jasmine Warga
- ...
Today the ladies take on C.S. Lewis' beloved 1950 classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as part of their Summer Book Club series.
Shoot the girls a message if you'd like tailored book recommendations.
Today the ladies share a few titles of books they've recently read, or are currently enjoying. Titles included:
James, Everett A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Mandanna Here Lies the Librarian, Peck Villa Coco, Greer Adult Braces: driving myself sane, West Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About: a memoir, Klee Go Gentle, SempleToday Olivia and Manda are joined by Cassie, for a trip to the past, as the ladies discuss Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved, Little House on the Prairie series.
SOURCES:
Today the ladies are joined by local picture book connoisseur, Ben, for a chat about summer-themed picture books your family will love! To check out Ben's picture book recommendations, he can be found on Substack or Instagram .
Titles discussed include:
- Big Mama's, Donald Crews
- Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey
- It Began with Lemonade, Gideon Sterer
- Summer is for Cousins, Rajani LaRocca
- I'm the Biggest Thi...
Today the gals discuss author, Margaret Wise Brown, creator of the beloved classic, Goodnight Moon, and many other books.
Recommended reads:
Kids:
The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown, Mac Barnett
Adults:
Margaret Wise Brown: awakened by the moon, Leonard Marcus
In the Great Green Room: the brilliant and bold life of Margaret Wise Brown, Gary
Sources:
- The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
- The Tradition...
Today Olivia and Manda share their thoughts on The Correspondent by Virginia Evans; a 2025 release that continues to appear in the New York Times Best Sellers list (Hardcover Fiction).
Also, in case you couldn't jot it down, Olivia announced this year's Summer Reading list, aka the Brit Lit edition, and titles are as follows:
June: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
July: Emma, Jane Austen
August: Matilda, Roal...
A speedy episode where each of the ladies share two titles apiece. Books recommended:
- Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March, Lynda Blackmon Lowery
- How to Read a Book, Monica Wood
- A Woman of No Importance: the untold story of the American spy who helped win World War II, Sonia Purnell
- This Story Might Save Your Life, Tiffany Crum
Today the gals racked their brains and came up with recommendations of books they think would be a great choice for your Book Club! Books discussed:
- Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor
- Survive the Night, Riley Sager
- The Rachel Incident, Caroline O'Donoghue
- Belonging, Nora Krug
- Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano
- Daughter of Fortune, Isabel Allende
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
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