Start off Mental Health Awareness Month the right way with some meaningful reading recommendations! Whether you want professional insight or are interested in everyday coping techniques, these books can help.

Check out what we talked about:

Books mentioned:

"Find Your Fierce: How to Put Social Anxiety in Its Place" by Jacqueline Sperling. "Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience" by Brené Brown with readalike "Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard" by Chip and Dan Heath. "Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday" by Matthew Sockolov with readalike "The Art of Stopping Time: Practical Mindfulness for Busy People" by Pedram Shojai. "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed" by Lori Gottlieb with readalike "Easy Crafts for the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness and Making Things" by Kelly Williams Brown. "A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression and How We Treat It" by Alex Riley. "Understanding Teenage Anxiety: A Parent's Guide to Improving Your Teen's Mental Health" by Jennifer Browne with readalike "Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls" by Lisa Damour.

Find helplines through the National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/Images/FactSheets/2021-Resource-Directory.pdf

View the "Happiness Chemicals and How to Hack Them" infographic: https://umpqua.edu/hannas-helpful-hints/2377-happiness-chemicals-and-how-to-hack-them-make-time-for-joy-over-the-break

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 34: Help Yourself

Mary and Rachel interview author A.G. Allen to discuss "There Are Dinosaurs in the Library!" a brand new picture book featuring a fun & fantastic tale. Tune in to hear about inspirations, illustrations, and more.

"There Are Dinosaurs in the Library!" hit shelves on September 20, 2023. Purchase a copy by visiting A.G.'s website (https://www.agallen.me) or check out a copy from the Milwaukee County Federated Library System by visiting https://countycat.mcfls.org.

Connect with A.G. Allen online:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16569617.A_G_Allen
Official website: https://www.agallen.me
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agallened

See what children's books A.G. read and enjoyed over the summer:
"Who Cares!" by Barbara Steinitz 
"Dragons Love Tacos" by Adam Rubin
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Mac Barnett
"Endlessly Ever After" by Laurel Snyder
"Teo's Tutu" by Maryann Jacob Macias

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 48: There Are Dinosaurs in the Library! with Author A.G. Allen

In this episode, we reveal our favorite dark romance reads! Mary is READY whereas Rachel is distracted by the interminable ebb & flow of time. 😅 Please note: Some books contain situations or themes that may be triggering. Your hosts remind you to heed any & all warnings provided by an author before turning the page. Your mental health is important.

Check out what we talked about:

Books mentioned:
"The Never King" series by Nikki St. Crowe with readalike "Hooked" by Emily McIntyre. "The Vampire Diaries" series by L.J. Smith including "The Awakening," "The Struggle," "The Fury," and "Dark Reunion." The "Haunting Adeline" duology by H.D. Carlton, including the novella "Satan's Affair," with readalike "You" by Caroline Kepnes. "Blood and Chocolate" by Annette Curtis Klause with readalike series "Den of Shadows" by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. "A Touch of Darkness" by Scarlett St. Clair with readalike "Neon Gods" by Katee Robert. "The Forbidden Game" trilogy by L.J. Smith. Looking for more dark romance tailored to your specific taste? Try fanfiction! Rachel recommends Archive of Our Own and FanFiction.net.

TV shows mentioned:
The Vampire Diaries, The CW
You, Lifetime & Netflix

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Music: Informative Pizzicato by Steven OBrien
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10920-informative-pizzicato
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 49: Enemies *and* Lovers?

The podcast is on break as we prepare a fresh batch of content for 2024. We hope you get a kick out of these outtakes from the past year while you wait!

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 50: Bloopers 2, Electric Boogaloo

It's Library Lovers' Month! Let's celebrate with books written by Wisconsin authors.

Check out what we talked about:

Books mentioned:
"Siren Queen" by Nghi Vo with readalike "The Chosen and the Beautiful" by the same author. "American Dervish" by Ayad Akhtar with readalike "Homeland Elegies" by the same author. "Hello, Transcriber" of the "Dark Harbor" series by Hannah Morrisey with readalike "Figure 8" of the "Northern Lakes Mystery" series by Jeff Nania. "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations" by Chad Lewis with readalikes "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Mysterious Creatures" and "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Gangster Hostpots" by the same author. "The Goblin Emperor" by Katherine Addison with readalike "Nettle and Bone" by T. Kingfisher. "Worse than the Devil: Anarchists, Clarence Darrow, and Justice in a Time of Terror" by Dean A. Strang.

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 51: Library Lovers of Wisconsin

Who are some of your favorite book characters? Find out about Mary and Rachel's top 'fighters' to see who will come out on top!

Check out what we talked about:

Books mentioned:
"Persuasion" and "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen. The "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series by Sarah J. Maas and the "Empyrean" series by Rebecca Yarros. The "Millennium" series by Stieg Larsson and "Daisy Darker" by Alice Feeney. "The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue" by V.E. Schwab and "Haunting Adeline" by H.D. Carlton. "The Witcher" series by Andrzej Sapkowski and "The Dark Tower" series by Stephen King. "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks and "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes.

Movies mentioned:
Persuasion, Director Adrian Shergold
Northanger Abbey, Director Jon Jones

Participate in Oak Creek Public Library's 'Character Championship' this March: https://oakcreeklibrary.org/character-championship

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 52: Character Championship

Celebrate Community Service Month & National Volunteer Week with us this April. Volunteers are integral to the library—they even run our Book Nook! Hmm...are there any good books ABOUT second-hand bookshops? 🤔

Check out what we talked about:

Books mentioned:
"The Lost Bookshop" by Evie Woods with readalike "Small Town, Big Magic" by Hazel Beck. "Bookshops & Bonedust" from the "Legends & Lattes" series by Travis Baldree. "The Paris Bookseller" by Keri Maher with readalike "Little Bookshop of Murder" by Maggie Blackburn. "Confessions of a Curious Bookseller" by Elizabeth Green with readalike "The Lending Library" by Aliza Fogelson. "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" by Abbi Waxman with readalike "Zora Books Her Happy Ever After" by Taj McCoy. "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin with readalike "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by the same author.

Learn more about the Friends of the Oak Creek Public Library: https://oakcreeklibrary.org/friends

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 53: Books about Bookshops

May is National Foster Care month! To encourage adoption, we're highlighting some of the most famous fictional orphans from English & French literature.

Check out what we talked about:

Books mentioned:
"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë with readalike "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. The series "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket with readalike "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. "Matilda" by Roald Dahl. "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine with readalike "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux. "The Lord of the Rings" series by J.R.R. Tolkien with readalike series "Mistborn" by Brandon Sanderson.

Visit dcf.wisconsin.gov/fostercare/become to get more information about becoming a foster parent.

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 54: Adopt-a-Character

Rachel and Mary discuss the last three books they've read. Spoiler free!

Check out what we talked about:

Books mentioned:
"Starling House" by Alix E. Harrow with readalikes "The Twisted Ones" by T. Kingfisher and "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" also by Alix E. Harrow. "Good Bad Girl" by Alice Feeney with readalike "His and Hers" by the same author. "The Hurricane Wars" by Thea Guanzon. "The Kamogawa Food Detectives" by Hisashi Kashiwai and its sequel "The Restaurant of Lost Recipes." "Divine Rivals" by Rebecca Ross and its sequel "Ruthless Vows." "A Year Unfolding: A Printmaker’s View" by Angela Harding with readalike "Wild Light: A Printmaker’s Day and Night" by the same author.

To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast

Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System:
countycat.mcfls.org
hoopladigital.com
wplc.overdrive.com
oakcreeklibrary.org

Episode 55: Last Three

Librarians from Oak Creek Public Library discuss their latest reads and give their favorite reading, watching, and listening recommendations each month! Visit https://oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast for complete transcripts of every episode.

Episode 34: Help Yourself

Not Your Mother's Library

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