Eight Books That Made Me

Librarian Natalie McCall chats with debut author Ryan Douglass. Ryan’s book, The Taking of Jake Livingston, is about a teenage boy who has to deal with ghosts and racism at his mostly white college prep school. It’s a horror coming-of-age story that offers both scares and the exploration of real-world issues. Natalie and Ryan talk about what it’s like being horror-loving children, spooky racism, and what the editorial process is really like. This episode is a must-listen for any aspiring writers! Ryan’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall chats with New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed. Saeed has written books for both teens (Written In the Stars, Yes No Maybe So) and children (Amal Unbound, Bilal Cooks Daal). She has also contributed essays and short stories in various collections (Hope Nation, Our Stories, Our Voices, Once Upon An Eid). Natalie and Aisha talk about rewriting Goldilocks (to depict her as the little house-destroying criminal she was!), letters to Judy Blume, and how stories about people of color can be just as universal and relatable as “classics” about white people. Aisha’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall chats with Jasmine Warga. Warga is the author of the New York Times bestseller Other Words For Home. Other Words For Home earned multiple awards, including a John Newbery Honor. She is also the author of young adult books, My Heart and Other Black Holes and Here We Are Now, which have been translated into over twenty different languages. The Shape of Thunder, her next novel for middle grade readers, will be published in May 2021. Originally from Cincinnati, she now lives in the Chicago-area with her family. Natalie and Jasmine talk about books as a vehicle to ask questions about the thorny topics of life without being prescriptive, the randomness of grief, how books about girly girls can be universal for all readers, and modern reading culture (blogs! Reviews! Goodreads! Oh my!). Jasmine’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall chats with Justina Ireland, author of fantasy novels for young adults including the New York Times bestseller, Dread Nation (a genre-bending historical novel featuring finishing school zombie slayers). Justina also writes for the Star Wars franchise, including the books Lando’s Luck, Spark of the Resistance, and A Test of Courage. Her middle grade novel Ophie’s Ghosts comes out in May. Natalie and Justina talked about whether The Great Gatsby is actually any good or if readers have been brainwashed into thinking it’s a classic, the behind the scenes working of the hype machine in YA publishing, and the portrayal of “Black pain” in literature. Justina also gives hope to aspiring writers when she describes selling her most successful book to a publisher when it seemed like her career was over. Justina’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall chats  with Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of books for children and teens (The Voting Booth, Little & Lion, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, Finding Yvonne, Pointe, The Only Black Girls In Town). Brandy was born and raised in the Ozarks (Springfield, Missouri!) and has a degree in journalism. She is on faculty at Hamline University’s MFA program in writing for children and lives in Los Angeles. Natalie and Brandy talked about both the magic and colonialism in their favorite children’s classics, loving feminism with a bloody edge, and what it’s like to be the only black girls in town (and literature!). Brandy’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall talks with Kim Johnson, author of This Is My America, a thrilling mystery that explores racial injustice and the American justice system (think The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy). Kim was active in social justice as a teen and college student and now mentors student activists and leaders in her role as a college administrator. Natalie and Kim talked mysteries (are you the type of reader who sits back and enjoys the ride or the type that searches for clues to solve the case?), the limited opportunities which have existed for Black writers in American publishing, and whether young readers should be protected from reading about dark or frightening topics. Kim’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall talks with Christina Hammonds Reed, author of the New York Times best-seller, The Black Kids. This extraordinary coming-of-age novel explores race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy, black teenage girl in Los Angeles during the 1992 Rodney King Riots. Beautifully written and thoughtful, the novel also sheds light on modern day America and Black Lives Matter. Natalie and Christina  met over the phone (Natalie in the Library’s purple-walled recording booth and Christina in Southern California) and chatted about how The Great Migration impacted generations of black families, the importance of reading both painful history and joyful stories, and how emotional they still get over Little Women.  Christina’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall talks with Nina LaCour, the bestselling and Michael L. Printz Award-winning author of four critically acclaimed young adult novels: We Are Okay, Hold Still, The Disenchantments, and Everything Leads to You. Born and raised in the East Bay, Nina received her undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University and an MFA in Creative Writing at Mills College. Her graduate thesis became her first novel, Hold Still, which received a William C. Morris honor from the American Library Association. Before the terms, “social distancing” and “shelter-in-place” were part of our daily vocabulary and experience, Natalie and Nina met in the Library’s cozy, purple-walled recording booth and chatted over a small stack of books that impacted Nina’s life as a child, teenager, young woman, and burgeoning writer. They talk about why adults should read picture books for their own pleasure (and edification), whether children should be protected from certain content in the books they read, and the beauty of relating to a character in a book who is outwardly different than you in every way.

Librarian Natalie McCall talks with Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month and co-founder of 100 Word Story. He has two books on writing: Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Prompts to Boost Your Creative Mojo and Brave the Page, a writing guide for teens. In November 2019, Faulkner gave a talk at the Mill Valley Public Library about the creative benefits of trying to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month. Find his podcast, Write-minded: Weekly Inspiration for Writers on your favorite podcasty app. The Librarian and the Director talk about the appeal of the homesteading life, a book that’s all about walking through the city, and writing for the joy, not the publication, of it.

Librarian Natalie McCall chats with Traci Chee, New York Times bestselling author of the Reader trilogy (an imaginative fantasy with suspense, magic, and mysterious objects called books). Her historical novel, We Are Not Free (about four San Francisco teens forced into Japanese Internment camps during World War II) will be released in June 2020. The two book obsessives talk about how revisiting childhood favorites can lead to epic disappointment, the cat that started following Traci home when she read House of Leaves, and book art.

Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas shares the eight books that made him, and you can sense a theme: from James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son to Carlos Bulosan's America is in the Heart through Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Vargas seeks out the underheard voices of overlooked people. Hear his in this wide-ranging interview.

Librarian Natalie McCall chats with award-winning Canadian author Mariko Tamaki in this episode of 8 Books Remix. In 2015, Tamaki received the Michael L. Printz Award and a Caldecott Honor for her graphic novel This One Summer (two of the three major literary awards for youth awarded by the American Library Association). Her most recent book, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, is a sweet, spirited graphic novel about a Bay Area teen whose girlfriend keeps breaking up with her. Tamaki is one of the few graphic novelists with the distinction of writing comic books for both Marvel and DC (about characters from Harley Quinn to She-Hulk to the X-Men). Natalie and Mariko talk about the book that invented the term “Generation X” back in the day, what it’s like to be a girl in rural Canada, and hitchhiking across the galaxy.  Mariko’s Eight

Hey, sometimes you just gotta do a double album, and in this generous portion of 8 Books Remix, librarian Natalie McCall chats with Megan Whalen Turner, recipient of a Newbery Honor for The Thief, the first installment of a classic, still-continuing, book series with passionate (obsessive?!?) fans of all ages and backgrounds. The endorsements on her book jackets are a who’s who of some of the biggest names in fantasy for children and young adults. If you love them, Megan probably inspired them! Natalie and Megan talk about why kids should read old books even when they are #problematic, the awesomeness of hypercompetent characters (no scrubs or slobs for Megan), and the struggle to get people to read fabulous books with hideous covers.

Librarian Natalie McCall chats with Misa Sugiura, author of award winning, contemporary young adult fiction. Her latest novel, This Time Will Be Different is a coming-of-age novel about a Japanese American teenager who struggles to understand the reverberating repercussions of her family being interned during World War II.  Natalie and Misa bond over being nerdy English majors, reading problematic classics, the iconic literary heroine Harriet the Spy, and Tim O’ Brien’s brilliant evocation of the Vietnam War. Misa’s Eight

Librarian Natalie McCall knew she wanted to chat with Randy Ribay after reading his novel After the Shot Drops, her favorite book about school and basketball since Hoop Dreams. His latest book, Patron Saints of Nothing, is a National Book Award finalist. It’s a gripping coming-of-age story about a teenager who travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth about his cousin’s life and murder. Randy’s eight books ranged from children’s fantasy to b-boy poetry to short stories. The two James Baldwin fans talked about everything from writing as an instrument for justice to trying to understand your 8 year old mind to the life changing magic of seeing yourself in a book. Randy’s Eight

Linda Michel-Cassidy talks to Alice Quinn, who recently retired as the Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America (PSA), during which time she established partnerships with prominent cultural organizations, organized hundreds of events across the US, and expanded the Poetry in Motion program. Quinn is the editor of a book of Elizabeth Bishop’s writings, Edgar Allan Poe & the Juke-Box: Uncollected Poems, Drafts, and Fragments, as well as a forthcoming book of Bishop’s journals. This episode contains Plenty of Poetry!

In episode 3, Natalie McCall talked to the fabulous Lisa Ramee. Lisa’s debut novel, A Good Kind of Trouble, is one of the buzziest children’s books of the year. It’s about Shayla, a girl trying to understand and maybe even participate in the Black Lives Matter movement while also trying to sort out the drama of junior high (crushes, changing friendships, and adults who just don’t understand).  They chatted about money (maybe being rich isn’t all that great?), race (colorism and learning how to love yourself), and ESP (oops! did you accidentally push your sister down the stairs with the power of your mind?!?) Dust off your favorite headphones, pull up your favorite podcast app and hang out with them! And if you love it, tell your book loving friends and leave a review.   Show Notes Check this list to see Lisa’s 8 books (and to check them out from the library!) https://marinet.bibliocommons.com/list/share/639059627_millvalleystaff_kids/1485819829_8_books_remix_lisa_ramee

In 8 Books Remix episodes, librarian Natalie McCall talks with the most talented and innovative authors in Young Adult Literature about five books they fell in love with during formative periods of their lives and three books they wish both teens and adults would read. Anyone who loves books, whether they’ve read any contemporary Young Adult Literature or not, will love these conversations between passionate book lovers.    Brendan Kiely is The New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), Tradition, The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel in Winter. His work has received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award and was chosen as a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best pick. A teacher and a writer, he lives with his wife in Greenwich Village. In March of 2019, he spoke at one of our After Hours events about toxic masculinity, racism, and the responsibilities of privilege in the wake of the MeToo movement. In this episode Brendan talks to librarian Natalie McCall about loving art that wasn’t created for you, teaching in a school with no walls, and how reading for pleasure can save your life. Brendan’s Eight

Author Stacey Lee chats about the books that influenced her life and career, from the controversial children’s classic readers love (or hate) to the first book she ever read with a character who shared her Chinese-American background. Stacey and our host discuss some controversial questions, such as: will Disney ever make a fairy tale movie with a dark ending? And: does seeing an award sticker on a book cover make you want to pick up a book or run away from it? Stacey Lee is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction including the books Under a Painted Sky and Outrun the Moon. A native of Southern California, a fourth-generation Chinese American, and a former lawyer, she is one of the founders of We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit that promotes diversity in children’s literature and publishing. Her fourth novel, The Downstairs Girl, comes out on August 13th.

Journalist Clare Malone gives us the scoop on the books that have influenced her, from the quirky Bagthorpe Saga series of children's books to thrilling Tudor tale Wolf Hall. Clare and our host discuss works of journalism, Elena Ferrante, and everyone's favorite epic poem about Satan.