Shaena and Jenna talk about three types of books that they "hate." These are the books that they are tired to seeing on the new book shelves at the library and wish would be banished to the overflow stacks. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh, and Jenna talks about Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose. The episode ends on a positive note, where Shaena and Jenna share the trends that they love. What do you think of current book trends? Share your...

Shaena and Jenna discuss the many facets of professionalism. What does it mean to be professional in appearance and behaviour? Does it even matter anymore? They get into the nitty gritty on issues such as wearing jeans to work (gasp!), using clothes to build confidence, cell phone usage and bringing your personal life to work. Jenna also shares her dreams about loose punctuality policies. On the Reading Break (21:30-27:50), Shaena talks about The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler, and...

Shaena and Jenna talk about the 5 children's books that were nominated for the Governor General's Literary Awards (2020). The books are: Nevers by Sara Cassidy, Pine Island Home by Polly Horvath, Harvey Holds His Own by Colleen Nelson, The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson, and The King Of Jam Sandwiches by Eric Walters. Did these titles deserve to be nominated? What book did we think was going to win? Is it hard to read children's books as an adult? The conversation covers all these...

Shaena shares her love of romance by giving ten book recommendations that have diverse main characters. Jenna gets schooled in romance terminology, such as "H.E.A" and "forced proximity." On the Reading Break (21:52 - 28:37), Jenna talks about Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo and The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher, and Shaena talks about The Dating Plan by Sara Desai. The books mentioned in this episode are: the Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert, the Bergmen Brothers series...

Shaena and Jenna discuss the slippery slope of censorship in public libraries. Prompted by recent headlines (Dr. Seuss, Halifax Public Library etc.), the conversation explores the tension between standing up for what's right and protecting freedom of speech. On the Reading Break (17:10-24:25), Shaena talks about Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert, and Jenna talks about The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Censorship is a complex topic, and this conversation just scratches the surface. Share...

In some not-so-casual small talk, Shaena and Jenna open the episode with a discussion about the most memorable programs they've attended. Shaena shares some research about the evolution of children's programs, and then they get into some of the pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises of virtual programming during a pandemic. During the Reading Break (36:15-30:28), Shaena talks about "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman, and Jenna talks about "Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo and "Nevers" by Sarah...

Shaena and Jenna talk about the differences between literary fiction and genre fiction by comparing the first few pages of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs. The conversation touches on award culture, book snobbery and if you should challenge yourself when reading. During the Reading Break (26:00-33:10), Shaena talks about The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman and Jenna talks about City Of Thieves by David Benioff. Do you enjoy literary fiction or...

No customers are allowed in our library buildings right now, due to COVID-19. Do library staff actually miss having them in the building? Shaena and Jenna discuss their thoughts. The conversation covers how their jobs have changed during curbside service, the problem with one-sided reference questions, the chaos of creating book bundles and if they still find the same fulfillment at work. On the Reading Break (25:45-38:03), Shaena talks about "Talking to Strangers" by Malcolm Gladwell and...

Shaena and Jenna share their experiences with reading on their Kobos and consider abandoning paper books altogether. Maybe it's okay, maybe it's not. Jenna (Kobo-newbie) also explains the history of the ereader, and Shaena (Kobo-pro) shares her ereader journey. In the second half of the podcast, the idea of books as "art objects" is discussed. During the Reading Break (22:11-31:00) Jenna talks about "A Court Of Silver Flames" by Sarah J. Maas, and Shaena talks about "A Deadly Education" by...

Welcome back to another season of Library Life! Shaena and Jenna each share some professional goals for 2021 and get caught up on how life's been going. Shaena talks about returning to school and some new duties at work. Jenna shares her struggles with finding the work-from-home/life balance, as well as an idea for a future training session. On the Reading Break (20:22-28:15), Shaena talks about "The Midnight Bargain" by C.L. Polk, and Jenna talks about the "Rockton Series" by Kelly...

Like any good library-themed project, we begin with the stats for season two of Library Life. Next, we look at our favourite and least favourite episodes of the season. We reflect on the year's ups and downs and chat about where we want the show to go in season three. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about her Christmas-themed book, Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, and Jenna talks about The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. Thanks for another great season! We'll see you in the new...

How do you maintain good boundaries in the library? We attempt to answer this question and dive into the many complexities of providing good customer service without giving too much of yourself. This conversation is filled with personal examples of how we've over-extended ourselves and our strategies to improve our own boundaries. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire and Homework by Julie Andrews. Jenna talks about The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John...

We are joined by our friend Elizabeth, who just started working as a shelver. We talk about how Covid has affected the shelvers' regular duties, the library hierarchy and how working at the library shapes reading habits. During our Reading Break we talk about a Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab, A Study In Scarlett Woman by Sherry Thomas, Would Like To Meet by Rachel Winters, and Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. You can find Elizabeth on Instagram @elizabethreda. Music Used: Thorn Horn...

The day has finally come! Shaena has read one of Jenna's all-time favourite books, Still Life by Louise Penny. We laugh a lot and discuss our thoughts on this mystery novel. There is fangirling (by Jenna) and musings on the actual number of trees in Three Pines (by Shaena). The conversation strays to topics including the middle-aged women POV and the many themes of Can Lit. Heavy spoilers occur from 32:37-38:39. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab,...

Sometimes good people have big library fines. We talk about how shame keeps people away from the library, and Jenna's friends kindly share some of their own library shame. We also talk about how no overdue fines (as a COVID-19 relief effort) has changed the experience of "library shame."  During the Reading Break Shaena talks about A Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw, and Jenna talks about Highfire by Eoin Colfer. This episode was inspired by a CBC article called "I'm a bookaholic... and a bad...

This is a bit of a departure from our usual content, but Jenna wanted to share some big news: she finished writing her book! Shaena interviews her, and Jenna shares the story of why she wrote a novel that's set in a library. The conversation gets into different aspects of the writing life and how part-time library jobs make room for creative pursuits. Jenna also gets real about self-doubt and the need for perseverance in any kind of art. To continue the conversation, reach out on social...

In this "micro" episode Shaena and Jenna talk about the books they've read this summer.  They each share a highlight and a lowlight. The books that they talk about are The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart, Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz, No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper and Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews. We hope you enjoy this shorter episode! Music Used: Thorn Horn by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

Shaena talks about her anxieties surrounding the reopening of her library during the pandemic and what happened when the customers finally returned for browsing.  She also shares some of the mechanics of reopening a library and offers some words of advice. On the Reading Break, Jenna talks about how reading urban fantasy went and The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart. Shaena talks about The Custard Protocol series by Gail Carriger and Who Speaks for the Damned by C.S. Harris. Enjoy! Music Used:...

In this episode, Shaena introduces Jenna to the world of Urban Fantasy through book recommendations. We also talk about the books that we are currently reading and just finished in our Reading Break. The books mentioned in this episode are: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moing, Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch, Angel Blood by Nalini Singh, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, Hounded by Kevin Hearne, Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, Spider's...

Jenna's gone back to work at the library! Shaena interviews her to see what it's like to work at a library during a pandemic. She talks about safety measures, having no customers in the building and curbside pick-up. In the second half of the episode, we look back at our 2020 library predictions and see if they'll still stand up in the post-pandemic world. On the Reading Break, Shaena talks about Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice and Hounded by Kevin Hearne, and Jenna talks about...

In this episode, we talk about how libraries can engage with the Black Lives Matter movement. We have a frank discussion about our own shortcomings in this area and discuss practical ways that libraries can to support people of colour. As always we have our Reading Break where we discuss the books that we have just finished, just started, and anticipate reading. The books that we talk about are: The Waking Land by Callie Bates, My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, and Wolf of the Plains by...

Join us for a casual chat on the podcast. We talk about what we've been up to during quarantine, the effect it has on our reading routines, what the future might look like and the state of our mental health. During Reading Break, Shaena talks about Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong and House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas. Jenna talks about The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. We'd love to hear how you're doing, so reach out to us on social media! Music Used: Thorn...

In times like these, books can be a great source of comfort. In this episode we talk about books that let you escape into another world.  There is no official Reading Break, but we talk about a number of books in this episode and our current reads towards the end. You can see the complete list here: https://bit.ly/3bKhEkP . Let us know your favourite books to get lost in! Music Used: Thorn Horn by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com 

This episode we read Google Reviews of libraries! We share a few laughs, and get serious about some of the issues brought up. The conversation touches on "risky play," paying for parking, being too noisy, homelessness and more. In the Reading Break, Shaena talks about When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton and Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas. Jenna talks about A Court of Misty and Fury by Sarah J. Maas as well as Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. (P.S. None of the reviews are about...