Beyond the Desk

Epizode

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  Mysteries and Thrillers 27.07.2026 32min

  Whether you enjoy a character-driven mystery, cozy or suspenseful ride, you’re sure to discover something to add to your TBR list in this episode featuring librarians Desirae and Sarah.Books mentioned: Missing by E.A. Jackson, How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin, That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally, With My Little Eye and Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson, Heartwood by Amity Gaige, Whidbey by T Kira Madden, Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers and Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Q. Sutanto, and A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny.Find the bonus chapter of That’s Not My Name here: https://www.meganlallywrites.com/tnmn-bonus-chapterCheck out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Raising Hare 29.06.2026 22min

  Angie, Brynne and Sarah discuss Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. The award-winning memoir follows the author’s surprising relationship that develops with a wild hare during the pandemic shutdown.Also mentioned: Pet by Chloe Dalton (forthcoming), H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman, A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg, and The Serviceberry and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Atmosphere 02.06.2026 27min

  Desirae and Sarah talk about Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The novel follows Joan as she becomes one of the first women scientists in NASA’s space shuttle program in the 1980s and finds love.Also mentioned: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, film adaptations of Batman and Little Women, Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr, To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage, John Irving, In the Quick by Kate Hope Day, and Lesbians in Space.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Heart the Lover 27.04.2026 30min

  Sarah and Brynne discuss Lily King’s latest novel, Heart the Lover, a moving exploration of love, friendship and how our choices are everything.Also mentioned: Writers & Lovers, Euphoria, and the story collection Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King and Normal People by Sally Rooney.Read Lily King’s essay here: https://www.vogue.com/article/boyfriend-best-friend-love-storyFind instructions to play Heart the Lover here: https://lilykingbooks.com/htl-card-gameCheck out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Books In Verse 27.03.2026 39min

  Librarians Katie and Desirae talk about books in verse just in time for poetry month! Books mentioned: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, Enter the Body and Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Crank, Glass, and Fallout by Ellen Hopkins, Starfish by Lisa Fipps, Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi, Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Shout, Speak, and Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson, and One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones. Also mentioned: The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, Beautiful Boy by David Sheff, Tweak by Nic Sheff, and the movie Trainspotting. You can find Cristal Morris on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@cristalthetford4791 Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org. Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Romantasy 27.02.2026 29min

  Sarah and Kaitlyn discuss what romantasy is as well as popular titles in the genre—including A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) and Fourth Wing.Books mentioned: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas, and Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.Also mentioned: A Game of Thrones and Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin; the TV series Bridgerton, based on the books by Julia Quinn; the Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent; and From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Freida McFadden 30.01.2026 39min

  Staffers Desirae and Karen talk about the author Freida McFadden and two of her twistiest books. Books mentioned: The Housemaid, The Boyfriend, and The Tenant.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com,hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visitwestallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Favorite Reads 2025 26.12.2025 25min

  Staffers Sarah, Desirae and Brynne talk about the best books they read the past year. Books mentioned: A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko; The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey; The Wrong Daughter, One Small Mistake, The Perfect Match and The Wedding Vow by Dandy Smith; All Fours by Miranda July; The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo; and Love, Mom by Iliana Xander.Also mentioned: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson; Wild by Cheryl Strayed; The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim by Pete McBride; the documentary Into the Canyon; Biography of X by Catherine Lacey; The Last Word by Taylor Adams; author Freida McFadden; Ninth House, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo; Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke; and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Mona Awad's Bunny Books 30.11.2025 58min

  Co-hosts Brynne and Desirae discuss Mona Awad's novels Bunny (2019) and We Love You, Bunny (2025) following the latter's release. The novels follow five women in a fictional MFA writing program at a presitgious university and delves into their unique, unsettling, and magical creative processes.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  The Frozen River 24.10.2025 28min

  Staffers Sarah, Karen and Emily talk about The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, the historical novel follows the 18th-century midwife as she delivers babies, prepares to testify in court, and deals with a patriarchal culture in her small community in Maine. Also mentioned: A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and the documentary A Midwife’s Tale.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Secrets of the Nile 26.09.2025 31min

  Librarians Sarah and Brynne discuss the Secrets of the Nile duology featuring What the River Knows and Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez. The historical fantasy novels follow Inez from Argentina to Egypt, where she seeks answers about her parents’ deaths. Along the way she discovers magical objects, adventure and romance.Also mentioned: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie and the movie adaptation from 2022, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff, Dinner with King Tut by Sam Kean, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor, and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Beautiful Ugly 27.08.2025 33min

  Librarians Desirae and Sarah talk about the atmospheric thriller Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. When a writer’s wife goes missing, his career stalls. Then his agent gives him an opportunity to start fresh on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. But it’s filled with secrets and mysteries, and he begins to see his wife everywhere.Also mentioned: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, the movie The Wicker Man, The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and His & Hers and Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Saltwater by Katy Hays 28.07.2025 31min

  Librarians Desirae and Sarah talk about this suspenseful novel that follows a woman trying to uncover the truth of her mother’s death 30 years prior on the Italian island of Capri. On an annual family visit there, one of their party goes missing, and the decades-old case gets reopened.Also mentioned: The Cloisters by Katy Hays, The White Lotus TV series, Revenge TV series, The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins, Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (see episode 47), Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Q&A with Harini Nagendra 26.06.2025 36min

  Sarah, a librarian at WAPL, interviews Harini Nagendra, author of the Bagalore Detectives Club Mystery series. Her most recent novel, Into the Leopard’s Den, takes amateur detective Kaveri Murthy to the mountains of Coorg while investigating a series of murders.Also mentioned: The Bangalore Detectives Club, Murder Under a Red Moon and A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra; Tommy and Tuppence mysteries by Agatha Christie; Sherlock Holmes books by Arthur Conan Doyle; Baroness Emma Orczy; the Wyndham & Banerjee Mysteries by Abir Muhkerjee (see episode 4); and the Perveen Mistry Series by Sujata Massey.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Sunrise on the Reaping 28.05.2025 32min

  Librarians Katie and Sarah chat about Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. This Hunger Games prequel follows Haymich Abernathy as he navigates his way through a Quarter Quell, in which twice as many tributes compete in the Hunger Games. It’s a worthwhile page-turner with an emotional punch.Also mentioned: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and The Battle of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins; The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and the TV series; the movie Mean Girls; and “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Q&A with Meg Kissinger 25.04.2025 35min

  May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so Sarah sat down to talk with Meg Kissinger, author of While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence. Meg grew up in a large family, and some family members struggled with bipolar disorder and depression. But even as they struggled to understand what was happening, they were a close-knit clan whose humor helped them cope with loss.For more about Meg, visit megkissinger.com. To request her book from the card catalog, go to tinyurl.com/bduabsjm.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  The Twilight Saga 28.03.2025 46min

  Librarians Desirae and Katie sit down to discuss the lasting impact of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight book series.Works mentioned: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, Midnight Sun, Forever Dawn, and Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer; The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan; Looking for Alaska by John Green; The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld; Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling; The movie Avengers: Infinity War; The Fast and the Furious movies; The movie Mickey 17People mentioned: Walter Dean Myers; Nikki Grimes; Meg Cabot; Maureen Johnson; E. Lockhart; Billy Burke; James Patterson; Sarah J. Maas; Rebecca Yarros; Taylor Swift; Rami Malek; Robert PattinsonCheck out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Kristin Hannah's The Women 28.02.2025 27min

  West Allis resident Tammy joins WAPL staffers Sarah and Karen to discuss the bestseller The Women by Kristin Hannah. It tells the story of Frankie, a sheltered young woman who joins the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam and encounters difficulty reacclimating to civilian life upon her return.Also mentioned: The TV series M*A*S*H, about the Korean War; the movie Born on the Fourth of July; the TV series China Beach; The Nightingale and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah; Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West; The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell; The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, The Island of Sea Women, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.To listen to a soundtrack of songs from The Women, go to https://tinyurl.com/womensoundtrack.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  Representation in Romance 02.02.2025 46min

  Librarian Desirae and library assistant Bianca sit down to discuss the importance of representation in romance and highlight three of their favorite reads. Works mentioned: Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf, Electric Idol by Katee Robert, and How to Dance by Jason B. Dutton. Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org. Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay
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  The God of the Woods 26.12.2024 27min

  WAPL staffers Desirae, Sarah and Karen discuss The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. This standout literary mystery follows the disappearance of a teen in the same woods where her brother went missing years before. Also mentioned: Long Bright River by Liz Moore. Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org. Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay