Book Bites

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first Tuesday of every month!This month, we're talking to Ana about one of her favorite authors,  Julio Cortázar, and his collection of short stories, Bestiario. We discuss a lot about the author's background, innovative techniques, and the value of reading short stories. Ana discusses how Cortázar's writing spoke to her rebellious nature and need to break down the rigid traditions of literary fiction.Items Referenced:Bestiary - Julio CortázarRayuela - Julio CortázarFever Dream - Samantha SchweblinNuestra Parte de Noche - Mariana EnriquezLas Cosas que Perdimos en El Fuego - Mariana Enriquez

Enjoy this bonus episode that highlights recent YA books by some of LBPL's favorite AAPI authors!Items Referenced:These Violent Delights - Chloe GongSkyhunter - Marie LuBeyond the Gender Binary - Alok Vaid-MenonSuper Fake Love Song - David YoonLast Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda LoWe Are Not Free - Traci Chee

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first Tuesday of every month!This month, we're celebrating Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage month with LBPL staff member, writer, and youth advocate Pamela, who recommended a book by Filipino-American author Randy Ribay titled Patron Saints of Nothing. The book is a heartfelt but raw look at the violent war on drugs still ongoing in the Philippines and a Filipino-American teen's search for answers about the murder of his cousin.In this episode, we touch on themes of identity and belonging as a result of the diaspora, the social and educational pressures put on young people, and the effects of social media on activist movements.Items Referenced:Patron Saints of Nothing  - Randy RibayMy Heart Under Water - Laurel Flores FantauzzoAmerican Panda - Gloria ChaoAswang (Trailer)

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first Tuesday of every month!I had the pleasure of talking with Christina about a recent release that we both loved: Frankly in Love by David Yoon. It's not-your-typical romcom that centers around a Korean-American teen falling in love for the first time--with a girl that isn't Korean--and his plan to set up a fake relationship with a Korean girl from his parents' friend group. We explore identity and how we can feel like outsiders in our own community, the need for more representation of APIA folks in media, code switching, and Southern California as a setting in teen books.Items Referenced:Frankly in Love by David YoonTo All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny HanThe Education of Margot Sanchez by Liliam RiveraSuper Fake Love Song by David Yoon

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first Tuesday of every month!We're talking to Brian for this month's episode and discussing one of his favorites: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It's your classic coming of age story written in an interesting format by a young man with a troubled past but looks optimistically to the future while he experiences many of his "firsts". We talk about the strong current of popular culture that flows through the story, the value of mixtapes, and the universality of the "teen experience."Items Referenced:The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyCatcher in the Rye by J. D. SalingerHouse on Mango Street by Sandra CisnerosFarenheit 451 by Ray BradburyDead Poets Society

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first Tuesday of every month!We have Jeff back on the show to talk about one of Josh's favorites: The Toll/Arc of a Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman. The science fiction trilogy follows protagonists Citra and Rowan as they become Scythes--people chosen to glean the population (permanently kill) to prevent overpopulation. The Toll is the series's thrilling conclusion that sees the duo team up against the corrupt Scythe Goddard. In this episode, Jeff and Josh talk about the pros and cons of living in a future utopia and the how challenging it is to wrap up stories like the Arc of a Scythe.Items Referenced:The Toll by Neal ShustermanThunderhead by Neal ShustermanScythe by Neal ShustermanThe White Mountains by John Christopher

Between each of our full-length episodes, I'm going to be talking about some of my favorite new releases! We're calling these mini-bites because they're shorter and will not feature a guest. I'm still going to be recommending similar books, movies, music, TV, and food, but just in an even more bite-sized format! These episodes will be released the third Tuesday of every month.In this week's episode, I talk about the captivating fantasy Each of Us a Desert, the sophomore effort by Mark Oshiro. The novel tells the story of a young woman who has the magic ability to take people's stories and offer them as appeasement to her sun god. It's a great book that I've been excited to share!Items Referenced in this Episode:Anger is a Gift - Mark OshiroThe Giver - Lois LowryThe Grief Keeper - Alexandra VillasanteAmbient 4: On Land - Brian EnoWithin the Wires

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first and third Tuesday of every month!This month, we're talking to Carl about Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It's the story of a young asylum-seeker fleeing Nigeria for England in search of the family that saved her life. Carl and I discuss how difficult books like this can give perspective while teaching us more about the world; we also talk about the often unfair hurdles asylum seekers and migrants must overcome when entering a new country.Items Referenced:Beloved by Toni MorrisonHis House (Trailer)

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first and third Tuesday of every month!We'll be talking with Alana about To Stay Alive in this week's episode, a harrowing recounting of the ill-fated Donner Party that set out for the idyllic West Coast but was met with unforeseen challenges that doomed the party. We'll be talking about novels in verse and which celebrity would help most in our Oregon Trail party.Items Referenced:To Stay Alive by Skila BrownThe Crossover by Kwame AlexanderTerrible Typhoid Mary by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Between each of our full-length episodes, I'm going to be talking about some of my favorite new releases! We're calling these mini-bites because they're shorter and will not feature a guest. I'm still going to be recommending similar books, movies, music, TV, and food, but just in an even more bite-sized format! These episodes will be released the third Tuesday of every month.In this week's episode, we go out of this world with Tillie Walden's Hugo-nominated On a Sunbeam. This graphic novel has so much packed into its story including LGBTQ representation, a found family, beautiful art and more! I will also discuss the validity and merits of graphic novels as a legitimate literary format.Items Referenced in this Episode:On a Sunbeam - Tillie WaldenSpinning - Tillie WaldenAre You Listening? - Tillie WaldenDepression Cherry - Beach HouseProspect  (DVD)Prospect (Kanopy Streaming)Recommended Reading (Graphic Novels):Maus - Art SpiegelmanThe Sandman Series - Neil GaimanPersepolis - Marjane Satrapi

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first and third Tuesday of every month!This week's episode features Sheridan, one of the folks leading the library's Vida Latina programming for Hispanic Heritage Month. We'll be talking about The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, a novel in verse about a young man who finds Drag as a form of self-expression.Items Referenced:The Black Flamingo by Dean AttaGiovanni's Room by James BaldwinBorderlands: la Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa

Between each of our full-length episodes, I'm going to be talking about some of my favorite new releases! We're calling these mini-bites because they're shorter and will not feature a guest. I'm still going to be recommending similar books, movies, music, TV, and food, but just in an even more bite-sized format! These episodes will be released the third Tuesday of every month.I'll be talking about A. S. King's Dig. This is an artfully crafted book that explores a broken family descendant from wealthy potato farmers as they come to terms with generational abuse, racism, and mental illness. King's interesting take on narrative makes Dig. a must-read!Items Referenced in this Episode:Dig. by A. S. KingThe Hate U Give by Angie ThomasAll Boys Aren't Blue by George M. JohnsonPet by Akwaeke Emezi

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first and third Tuesday of every month!This week's episode features Luisa, librarian extraordinaire and co-creator of LBPL's Cuentos y Cantos bilingual storytime. We'll be discussing Gabby Rivera's Juliet Takes a Breath and which artists we would put in our badass feminist mixtapes.Items Referenced:Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby RiveraThe Moon Within by Aida SalazarBorderlands by Gloria Anzaldúa

Between each of our full-length episodes, I'm going to be talking about some of my favorite new releases! We're calling these mini-bites because they're shorter and will not feature a guest. I'm still going to be recommending similar books, movies, music, TV, and food, but just in an even more bite-sized format! These episodes will be released the third Tuesday of every month.This episode is all about Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. It's a page-turner about a young girl, her best friend, and an otherworldly creature searching their utopian town of Lucille for a "monster," which is what the inhabitants of Lucille call bad people. Turns out that monsters don't always look like monsters!Items Featured in this Episode:Pet by Akwaeke EmeziThe Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí ClarkSplendor & Misery by clipping.

Welcome to Book Bites! Hosted by teen services librarian Josh Sanchez, each episode will feature a guest who will talk about one of their favorite YA or teen books. We'll make recommendations for similar books, as well as movies, music--even food. New episodes are released on the first and third Tuesday of every month!This week's episode features Jeff, Special Collections Librarian and host of Don't Know Beach About History: Short Histories of Long Beach. We'll be discussing M. T. Anderson's Feed, whether or not we would want the internet implanted in our brains, and what flavor of ice cream pairs best with Feed.Items Referenced in this Episode:Feed by M. T. AndersonThe Circle by Dave EggersReady Player One by Ernest Cline