Books & Bites Podcast, Ep. 102
JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.
We’re wrapping up the 2025 Winter-Spring Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge with science fiction!
Our picks include a prequel from a popular YA dystopian series; a novella for fans of Star Trek: First Contact; and a bittersweet comic novel about an alien sent to Earth to learn about humans.
Don’t forget to turn in your completed bingo sheets at the Customer Service, Ask a Librarian, or Teen Desks by June 30, 2025 for a chance to win a $100 Joseph-Beth gift card.
Can’t make it into the library? Submit your bingo card online.
Thanks for reading along with us! Look for the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge in July.
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Jacqueline’s Pick
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
This novel is the second prequel in the Hunger Games series and the latest in these popular YA dystopian books.
It tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy, a character first introduced to readers in 2008. While he has played a significant role in the original trilogy, this book gives us a deeper look into his past and the events that shaped him.
Pairing: Soft White Dinner Rolls
Michael’s Pick
The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
This riveting and atmospheric novella is set aboard a battered, aging generation ship limping back to Earth after a failed colonization attempt.
As acting captain Jacklyn Albright juggles ship repairs, food shortages, and the threat of hunger riots, she begins investigating strange noises reported on board. What she discovers is chilling: they’re not alone.
Pairing: Xenomorph Egg Cups
Carrie’s Pick
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
In her early childhood, Adina Giorno believes she’s as human as her parents. But when she’s four years old, she’s knocked down some steps. She resumes consciousness to find that she’s been “activated.”
Adina is an alien, and she’s been sent to Earth to report back on human life to her “superiors” living on a distant, dying planet. This bittersweet comic novel explores what it means to be human from an outsider’s perspective.
Pairing: a sesame seed bagel from Pearl’s Pizza