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Shelf Motivated

Shelf Motivated

Mt. Lebanon Public Library

Shelf Motivated is a library book chat podcast. Join librarians Sharon, Sarah, and Eric as they discuss books and reading, what they're currently reading and what they want to read next, book recommendations, and all things library related.
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Top 10 Shelf Motivated Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Shelf Motivated episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Shelf Motivated for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Shelf Motivated episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Shelf Motivated - Episode 12

Episode 12

Shelf Motivated

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11/14/23 • 59 min

Jolabokaflod and navigating the tricky waters of giving books as gifts, Nobel Laureate Jon Fosse, Britney Spears, 20th Century Romanian poetry, Eric sings Paula Cole, and new and different cozy adventures!

Books discussed: Dandelions by Thea Lenarduzzi Wheel with a Single Spoke and Other Poems by Nichita Stanecsu trans. by Sean Cotter Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal trans. by Jessica Moore Tremor by Teju Cole The Librarianist by Patrick DeWitt The Woman in Me by Britney Spears Cozy: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

TBR: Upside-Down World by Benjamin Moser Gen X Pittsburgh by Davis Rullo It Did Happen Here ed. by Moe Bowstern et al. The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 11

Episode 11

Shelf Motivated

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10/24/23 • 55 min

Our Spooky Season Special! We talk about how we started reading horror, reading age appropriate (and possibly age inappropriate) books, and everything from Jewelle Gomez to Stephen King to William Butler Yates. Come for the dramatic interpretation of the Paperbacks from Hell cover of Stage Fright, stay for the Louise Gluck poem at the end. As always, a cozy mystery recommendation, and our ever-growing list of to-be-reads (all horror this time). Happy Halloween!

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez The Valencourt Book of World Horror Vol 1 ed by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix Stage Fright by Garret Boatman The Manningtree Witches by AK Blakemore Terrifying Transformations: An Anthology of Victorian Werewolf Fiction ed by Shannon Scott and Alexis Easley The Other by Thomas Tryon Lolly Willowes or The Loving Huntsman by Sylvia Townsend Warner Caught Dead Handed (Witch City Books #1) by Carole J. Perry

TBR:

Crota by Owl Goingback John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology ed by Richard Wells

RIP Louise Gluck

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 13

Episode 13

Shelf Motivated

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12/13/23 • 57 min

Our End of the Year Reading Extravaganza! We talk about our 2023 reading goals (ones we met, and some that weren't meant to be), and what we're looking forward to in terms of reading (and shelf design and organization!) in 2024. We talk about everything from Herman Melville, Flannery O'Connor, and Duff McKagen, to Zou Jingzhi, Gary Indiana, what we mean when we say we've "read a book," the difficulty of nonstandard punctuation, reading what we already own, noticing Sharon's penchant for light and dark in books, and more!

We also discuss The Pepsi Cola Addict by June Gibbons Septology by Jon Fosse

TBR Goth: A History by Lol Tolhurst Lord Jim at Home by Dinah Brooke Osebol: Voices from a Swedish Village by Marit Kapla Cozy TBR: A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 2

Episode 2

Shelf Motivated

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01/24/23 • 33 min

With a new year of reading in mind, we discuss our love/hate relationship with reading challenges, our best reads of 2022 and our reading aspirations for the early part of 2023.

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 16

Episode 16

Shelf Motivated

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04/02/24 • 51 min

Come for the Crested Grebes, stay for the conspiracy theories! This time around on the podcast we check in with our own book-prize judge Sarah as her current Book Tube judging comes to an end, we get into the difficulty of discussing short story collections in book clubs, and broach the topic of the “glacially beautiful” in literature. Sharon provides a raft of Irish Writers for March, and Eric reads books debunking conspiracy theories, and a novel about the end of the home video rental era. Oh, and also... cats!

Books discussed include:

Long Time, No See by Dermot Healy Bliss Montage by Ling Ma Minka and Curdy by Antonia White Seven Steeples by Sara Bayme Wild Embrace by Anja Murray Trust the Process by Will Sommar Republic of Lies by Anna Merlan Last Days of Video by Jeremy Hawkins Cozy: Magical Bakery Mysteries by Bailey Cates

TBR:

Song for a New Day by Sara Pinsker James by Percival Everett

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 10

Episode 10

Shelf Motivated

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09/29/23 • 45 min

Join us as we discuss Fall and Winter reading, our takes on what gets published when, and some of Sarah's least favorite things about how books look.

Sarah discusses:

  • The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
  • The Fraud by Zadie Smith
  • Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
  • Rouge by Mona Awad

TBR:

  • Dracula by Bram Stoker Paperbacks From Hell series, particularly The Nest of Nightmares by Lisa Tuttle

Eric discusses:

  • The Last Devil to Die (A Thursday Murder Club book) by Richard Osman

TBR:

  • Julia by Sandra Newman
  • Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
  • The 272 by Rachel Swarns
  • Secret Hours by Mick Herron

Sharon discusses:

  • Covid Reads:
  • The Hopkins Manuscript by R.C. Sherriff
  • Landscapes of the Detectorists edited by Innes M. Keighren and Joanne Norcup
  • Akenfield by Ronald Blythe
  • I Could Read the Sky by Timothy O'Grady and Steve Pyke

TBR:

  • Return to Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village in the 21st Century by Craig Taylor
  • Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff

Briefly Mentioned:

  • The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius by George Orwell
  • Wifedom by Anna Funder
  • Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit
  • Backlisted podcast
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Shelf Motivated - Episode 15

Episode 15

Shelf Motivated

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03/05/24 • 60 min

You know what they say... “Genre, genre, genre!” Well, OK, maybe nobody is saying that, but on this episode, we discuss genre, A LOT! Come for the genre, but stick around for a check-in on Sarah’s Book Tube judging, multiple literary trips to Italy, the book-as-object and how disgruntled book people get about certain things publishers do (“that should be illegal!”), analog and digital, and who gets described as “a long-winded Elizabeth Strout.” Books discussed include: Grove: A Field Novel by Esther Kinsky Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri Angel of Oblivion by Maja Haderlap Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler Winter Love by Suyin Han Divine Days by Leon Forrest At the Café by Errico Malatesta The Revenge of Analog by David Sax The Last Days of Video by Jeremy Hawkins Hiss Me Deadly by Miranda James

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 1

Episode 1

Shelf Motivated

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12/22/22 • 30 min

This episode we discuss what kinds of books we read most, A Christmas Carol, reading to our partners, and our ever-growing to-be-read lists. Books include Rock Crystal: A Christmas Story by Adalbert Stifter (translated by Marianne Moore), True Biz by Sara Nivoc, A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette, The Great Beanie Baby Bubble by Zac Bissonnette, Twelve Nights by Urs Faes (translated by Lee Searle), The Evenings: A Winter's Tale by Gerard Reve (translated by Sam Garret).

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 5

Episode 5

Shelf Motivated

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04/12/23 • 46 min

Sarah, Sharon and Eric discuss strategies on how to read outside your comfort zone. Eric treats us to a beautiful reading from Sarai Walker's Cherry Robbers, and Sharon discusses the magic of folklore.

Eric

  • The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker
  • The Taliban Cricket Club: a Novel by Timeri N. Murari
  • The Kebab Kitchen Mysteries by Tina Kashian
  • The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller

Sarah

  • Frontlist--Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire
  • Backlist--Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
  • TBR--Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan, translated by Chi-Young Kim

Sharon

  • The Other Irish Tradition Edited by Rob Doyle
  • Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain by Amy Jeffs
  • Orlam by PJ Harvey

Also Referenced:

Backlisted Podcast

BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast

Raised on Radio Interview with PJ Harvey on her book Orlam- YouTube

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Shelf Motivated - Episode 9

Episode 9

Shelf Motivated

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08/22/23 • 49 min

Summer Reading is drawing to a close. On this episode we talk whaling, nature writing, southern gothic novels, and housecats. We discuss some exciting to-be-reads, and as always, a cozy mystery.

Books discussed in this episode:

Sharon

  • On Lighthouses by Jazmine Barrera trans. by Christina McSweeney
  • The Outermost House by Henry Beston
  • The Whale by Philip Hoare
  • TBR- Soundings by Doreen Cunningham

Sarah

  • The Lion in the Livingroom by Abigale Tucker
  • The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - Robert Dugoni
  • TBR - The Murderer by Roy Heath

Eric

  • The Violent Bear It Away - Flannery O'Connor
  • Wise Blood - Flannery O'Connor
  • Cozy- Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Ann Lindsey
  • TBR - The Notebooks 1936-1947 by Victor Serge
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FAQ

How many episodes does Shelf Motivated have?

Shelf Motivated currently has 22 episodes available.

What topics does Shelf Motivated cover?

The podcast is about Podcasts, Books and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on Shelf Motivated?

The episode title 'Episode 4' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Shelf Motivated?

The average episode length on Shelf Motivated is 49 minutes.

How often are episodes of Shelf Motivated released?

Episodes of Shelf Motivated are typically released every 33 days, 19 hours.

When was the first episode of Shelf Motivated?

The first episode of Shelf Motivated was released on Dec 22, 2022.

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