22 episodes

Check Us Out covers books and all things library.

Check Us Out Montclair Public Library

    • Education

Check Us Out covers books and all things library.

    May 2021 - Hiatus

    May 2021 - Hiatus

    A message from our director, Peter Coyl, about our podcast going on hiatus.

    • 1 min
    May 2021 - Book Talk Discussion

    May 2021 - Book Talk Discussion

    This month's episode is from an Instagram Live session where Adrienne, Ken, and Kiersten discuss books they loved and ones they did not!

    Books discussed:

    Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch
    These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
    Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
    Standing at the Scratchlines by Guy Johnson
    Echoes of a Distant Summer by Guy Johnson

    • 31 min
    March 2021 - Author Valerie Wilson Wesley

    March 2021 - Author Valerie Wilson Wesley

    This month Selwa interviews local author Valerie Wilson Wesley on her recent book, "A Glimmer of Death."

    Books discussed:
    A Glimmer of Death by Valerie Wilson Wesley
    The Tamara Hayle mystery series by Valerie Wilson Wesley
    The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson

    • 29 min
    Feb 2021 - African American History Month, Award Winning Recommendations, Author Gabrielle Glaser

    Feb 2021 - African American History Month, Award Winning Recommendations, Author Gabrielle Glaser

    Maurice highlights African American History Month, career development, and leisure programs. Molly talks about four Open Book/Open Mind events as well as a few more. Kiersten shares fiction titles that won Youth Media Awards in 2021 that are available digitally or physically in our collection. Ken shares new February adult fiction titles. Adrienne explores the beginning of There There by Tommy Orange. Ariel interviews local author Gabrielle Glaser on her new book, "American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption."

    Books Discussed:
    A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke
    The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood
    The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
    Blood Grove by Walter Mosley
    Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibrim X. Kindi
    Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story, by Daniel Nayeri
    Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
    Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
    We Are Not Free by Tracy Chee
    All the Days Past, All the Days to Come,” by Mildred D. Taylor
    Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
    This is My Brain in Love by I. W. Gregorio
    Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
    We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
    You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
    Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
    This Light Between Us, by Andrew Fukuda
    They Went Left by Monica Hesse
    X: A Novel, by Kekla Magoon, co-written by Ilyasah Shabazz
    How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
    The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
    Fire in the Streets by Kekla Magoon

    • 40 min
    Jan 2021 - Adult School Winter Classes Begin, Exciting New Adult Novels, Author Jessica Henry

    Jan 2021 - Adult School Winter Classes Begin, Exciting New Adult Novels, Author Jessica Henry

    In the January edition of Check Us Out: Molly discusses upcoming business and author programs in January and February as well as Creativebug. Maurice talks about the Winter classes beginning Tuesday January 19. Ken gets excited about this month's new adult releases. Kiersten promotes new YA releases all available as either Ebooks or Eaudio. Adrienne dives deep into "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents". Selwa interviews local author Jessica Henry, author of "Smoke but No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes that Never Happened."

    Books discussed:
    The Unquiet Englishman: A Life of Graham Greene by Richard Greene
    Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
    A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
    The Fall of America Journals by Allen Ginsberg
    That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry
    The Cousins by Karen McManus
    A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir
    It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne
    Admission by Julie Buxbaum
    Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Dec 2020 - Open Book/Open Mind, New Crime and Memoir Books, Author Harvey Araton

    Dec 2020 - Open Book/Open Mind, New Crime and Memoir Books, Author Harvey Araton

    In the December edition of Check Us Out: Maurice talks about 3 upcoming December programs, Molly shares information about an essential oils program and Open Book/Open Mind, Ken is excited about new crime and memoir adult books, Kiersten discusses recent young adult releases, Adrienne dives into "The Book of Night Women," and Alex interviews local author, Harvey Araton, on his new book, “Our Last Season: A Writer, a Fan, a Friendship.”

    Books Discussed:

    We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
    The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
    The Searcher by Tana French
    No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox
    This Is Not My Memoir by Andre Gregory
    Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon
    These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
    The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein
    Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch.

    • 39 min