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Mix Things up with Hybrid Genres

Books & Bites Podcast, Ep. 92

JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.

On this episode, we discuss books that are hybrids of at least two genres, one of the prompts on the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge.

Jacqueline’s favorite romantasy novels are a good example. They combine elements of romance and fantasy. Other books mash up elements of science fiction and horror or, in the case of both Michael’s and Carrie’s picks, Westerns and dystopian fiction.

Some nonfiction titles blend different genres, too, such as A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa or The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock. Both mix the authors’ personal memoirs with biographies of historical women.

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Prompt to Page with Kaitlyn Hill

JCPL librarian interviews published writers about their favorite writing prompts—exercises that can help inspire, focus, and improve your creative writing. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, a novelist, essayist, or poet, you’ll find ideas and advice to motivate you to keep writing. 

Brought to you in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

Listen to Episode 34

Kaitlyn Hill, who writes young adult romantic comedies, didn’t always take those stories seriously, even though she was drawn to them. “It was just really powerful for me to come to the realization that there is so much value in stuff that is fun and light and happy,” she says.

As Kaitlyn’s writing prompt illustrates, she tries to keep fun in her process. Kaitlyn also shares how reading fueled her desire to be a writer, her love of fan fiction, and more. Listen below!

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Books by Authors with Disabilities

Books & Bites Podcast, Ep. 91

JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.

July is Disability Pride Month! Learn more about the history, experiences, and contributions of the disabled community by reading books by authors with disabilities.

On this episode, we also introduce the Summer-Fall Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge.

Teens and adults, from now through December 30, 2024, keep track of books you read or listen to by writing the title and author in the matching square. Complete all 25 squares for a chance to win a $100 Joseph-Beth gift card or an Amazon Kindle. You’ll also earn an enamel pin (while supplies last).

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Prompt to Page with Sandra Gail Lambert

A JCPL librarian interviews published writers about their favorite writing prompts—exercises that can help inspire, focus, and improve your creative writing. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, a novelist, essayist, or poet, you’ll find ideas and advice to motivate you to keep writing. 

Brought to you in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

Listen to Episode 33

Sandra Gail Lambert, author of My Withered Legs and Other Essays, started writing in her forties. She believes her age helped her cope with the “rough and tumble world” of publishing.

“There’s so much rejection [in publishing], and there’s so much feedback that is not necessarily accurate or kind,” Sandra says. “And when we’re older, we just have tougher skin.”

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Books with Maps

JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.

No matter the genre, when you read a book with a map, you’re in for an adventure. This month, we share a YA historical fiction meets fantasy novel; a mystery set in 1920s Bangalore; and a dystopian novel set during a future American Civil War.

Don’t forget to turn in your bingo sheets for the Winter-Spring 2024 Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge by June 30, 2024! If you still need book suggestions, check out the book lists on our Books & Bites page.

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Prompt to Page with George Ella Lyon

A JCPL librarian interviews published writers about their favorite writing prompts—exercises that can help inspire, focus, and improve your creative writing. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, a novelist, essayist, or poet, you’ll find ideas and advice to motivate you to keep writing. 

Brought to you in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

Listen to Episode 32

Do you wonder if you have a book inside you? According to Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame member George Ella Lyon, “you have to write to find out.” George Ella says writers “have to dwell in uncertainty. Because that’s the one thing that’s certain, is that you’ll be uncertain.”

George Ella, who writes for all ages in multiple genres, shares the prompt that inspired her to write Many Storied House: Poems. So take out some paper (two sheets of at least 8.5 x 11″) and get ready to draw your way into your next story, poem, or essay.

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Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with books by AAPI authors! It’s one of the prompts on the Winter-Spring 2024 Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. Our suggestions include an action-packed adventure tale, a YA romance, and a comic but realistic immigration story.

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Prompt to Page with Robin LaMer Rahija

A JCPL librarian interviews published writers about their favorite writing prompts—exercises that can help inspire, focus, and improve your creative writing. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, a novelist, essayist, or poet, you’ll find ideas and advice to motivate you to keep writing. 

Brought to you in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

Listen to Episode 31

If you’re a writer who works another job to make a living, poet Robin LaMer Rahija has some advice for you. “I think ideas and thoughts and little tiny chunks of motivation come to all of us throughout the day,” she says. “Just stop and write them down and save them for later. And get in the habit of not ignoring that impulse toward a creative act.”

Robin says her favorite writing prompt “feels like a dare” and is especially helpful “when you want to do something new and crazy.” Up for a challenge? Listen below!

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Get Outdoors with a Good Book

Books & Bites Podcast, Ep. 88

JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.

On this episode, we discuss books set in or about the outdoors, one of the prompts on the Winter-Spring 2024 Books & Bites Bingo reading challenge. We recommend a memoir by a teenage naturalist and environmental activist; a popular YA dystopian nove; and a horror novel set in Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Listen below!

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