The Desk Set

A bookish podcast for reading broadly. Librarians interview authors, share reading suggestions and explore literary topics through lively conversations. Each episode is based on reading challenge categories, which encourage listeners to expand their reading horizons. You can find show notes, including a list of books discussed in each episode and transcripts at kcls.org/deskset.

The Best Books of 2021 12/28/2021

The Best Books of 2021 Librarians talk about staff picks for the best books of 2021. We also chat about books we're looking forward to reading in 2022 and the value of reading broadly. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/21619223

Epistolary Time Travel 09/17/2021

Epistolary Time Travel Hear interviews with authors Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone, and E.J. Koh. El-Mohtar and Gladston chat about their spy novella, This Is How You Lose the Time War. Koh discusses her memoir, The Magical Language of Others. Each author talks about how letter writing can act as a form of time travel. We also share some of our other favorite epistolary works. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/20515931

Race, Place, and Coming of Age 08/17/2021

Race, Place, and Coming of Age Hear interviews with authors Monica West and Brittany Ackerman. West talks about Revival Season, a story about a Black evangelical family and a crisis of faith. Ackerman chats about The Brittanys, a novel about teen friends growing up in Florida. We also discuss our picks for books set where we were born. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/20176124

Feed Drop: Mateo Askaripour 06/24/2021

Feed Drop: Mateo Askaripour Hear Mateo Askaripour, author of Black Buck, in conversation with Marcus Harrison Green of the South Seattle Emerald moderates. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/19596731

The Future, Real and Imagined 06/09/2021

The Future, Real and Imagined Explore the future through the lens of science and fiction. We chat with scientist Kelly Weinersmith about the nonfiction book Soonish. Then, we talk to Sarah Pinsker, author of the science fiction novel, We Are Satellites. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/19417832

Feed Drop: Syed Masood 04/13/2021

Feed Drop: Syed Masood Syed Masood, author of The Bad Muslim Discount, in conversation with Shahina Piyarali. This feed drop is an audio recording of a live webcast event. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/18712487

Wild Characters and Re-Reading 03/12/2021

Wild Characters and Re-Reading Hear interviews with authors: Emily St. John Mandel (The Glass Hotel, Station Eleven) and Kira Jane Buxton (Hollow Kingdom) We chat about revisiting Station Eleven during the pandemic and writing nonhuman characters. Librarians Emily and Britta also have a conversation about rereading old favorites. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/18303932

Fake It Til You Make It 02/16/2021

Fake It Til You Make It Authors Rachel Lynn Solomon and Gabrielle Korn join us as guests to chat about their new books. Rachel talks about her adult debut The Ex Talk, a romantic comedy set at a Seattle public radio station. In the book, Shay and Dominic fake a past relationship as a pretense for the podcast they host together. Then, Gabrielle talks about her memoir Everybody (Else) Is Perfect. The book shares her experiences working in women's media, recovering from an eating disorder, street harassment, queer identity, and overcoming imposter syndrome as the youngest Editor-in-Chief at NYLON. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/17976218

Reading and Reflecting in 2021 02/02/2021

Reading and Reflecting in 2021 We interview Jenny Odell, the author of How To Do Nothing and chat about reading in 2021. We talk about new books we're excited to read and discuss our personal reading goals. We also reveal this year's library reading challenge categories. Then, Jenny Odell shares how persuasive design keeps our attention in digital spaces. She talks about connecting offline, reflecting on values, and redefining productivity. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/17795315

The Best Books of 2020 12/28/2020

The Best Books of 2020 Librarians share the best books of the year. In this episode, we're joined by KCLS staff members Vicki Huggins and Rachel Adams. We also chat about how reading was different in 2020, whether or not we met our reading goals, and more. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/17348030

Long-distance Book Club 12/14/2020

Long-distance Book Club We talk with Sarah Gailey, author of Upright Women Wanted. Then, Emily chats with two friends about Tana French's new novel. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/17194346

Feed Drop: Cristina Henríquez 11/24/2020

Feed Drop: Cristina Henríquez Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans, joins us for a conversation about immigrant experiences, writing a novel with multiple voices to avoid the "single story," research for writing historical fiction, and the National Book Awards judging process. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/16943537

Feed drop: Nancy Pearl 10/16/2020

Feed drop: Nancy Pearl In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Emily talked to super librarian Nancy Pearl about her new book, The Writer's Library, what she learned talking to writers about their reading lives, her pandemic reads, and more. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/16342265

Feed Drop: Terese Marie Mailhot in conversation with Sara Ortiz 10/09/2020

Feed Drop: Terese Marie Mailhot in conversation with Sara Ortiz In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Enjoy a conversation between Terese Marie Mailhot, author of Heart Berries, and writer and educator Sara Ortiz. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/16341995

The Great Outdoors 10/02/2020

The Great Outdoors We're talking about books about nature and books about journeys. We chat with Nancy Blakey, author of By the Shore, about the benefits of spending time in nature and some of her favorite Pacific Northwest outdoor experiences. Then, we hear from cartoonist, Seattle Public Library employee, and Washington State Book Award finalist Susanna Ryan, author of Seattle Walk Report, about some of her favorite journeys through Seattle and the best way to start your own walking journey. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/16254233

Feed Drop: Pramila Jayapal in conversation with Nick Licata 09/21/2020

Feed Drop: Pramila Jayapal in conversation with Nick Licata In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Enjoy a conversation about political engagement with U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, author of Use the Power You Have. Jayapal was joined in conversation by former Seattle City Councilmember and author of the book Becoming a Citizen Activist, Nick Licata. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/16101545

Feed Drop: Molly Wizenberg and Katrina Carrasco In Conversation 08/28/2020

Feed Drop: Molly Wizenberg and Katrina Carrasco In Conversation In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Seattle writer Molly Wizenberg joined us for a discussion of her new memoir, The Fixed Stars. Katrina Carrasco, author of The Best Bad Things, moderated the conversation. They discussed queer identity, favorite LGBTQ+ writers, and more. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/15797546

Staff Picks: We Love Inclusive Romance 08/24/2020

Staff Picks: We Love Inclusive Romance On this episode of the Desk Set, we're talking diverse and inclusive romance. If you're working on this year's 10 to Try reading challenge, all the books we mention count as books recommended by KCLS Staff. Adult Services librarian Jennifer Fairchild joins us to talk to bestselling author and romance superstar Jasmine Guillory about her new book, Party of Two, and then we talk about diversity in romance more generally, including some of our favorite authors. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/15734261

Juneteenth 06/22/2020

Juneteenth This special episode of The Desk Set is a feed drop recording of a live webcast we shared in celebration of Juneteenth. Author Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race) spoke with her brother Ahamefule Oluo, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, writer, and stand-up comedian. They discussed Black joy, liberation, and creativity. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/14924036

2020 Reading Goals 01/24/2020

2020 Reading Goals In this mini-episode, we're talking about reading in the new year! We share our personal reading goals, discuss this year's 10 to Try challenge, and talk about 2020 titles we're looking forward to reading. We also announce that the podcast is going on a hiatus - we'll be back with new episodes this summer. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/12876956

Best Books of 2019 12/20/2019

Best Books of 2019 Librarians share their picks for the best books of 2019. Hear KCLS staff talk about the titles they loved the most, including adult fiction and nonfiction, teen reads, and children's books. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/12486131

The Challenge of Poetry 11/04/2019

The Challenge of Poetry Three authors share their perspective on the rise of Instagram poetry, the challenge of finding poetry you love, and the unique power of the medium. First we talk with Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint, a historical novel in verse for teens. Next we chat with Washington State Book Award Winner Tara Hardy, author of the collection My, My, My, My, My. Finally, we talk to Laura Da', Hugo House's Poet in Residence and author of Instruments of the True Measure. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/11904026

Immigrant stories 09/06/2019

Immigrant stories We interview author Angie Kim about her novel , a mystery and legal thriller that's centered on a family of Korean immigrants and a single mother accused of murder. Then we chat with Jo Anderson Cavinta, KCLS's diversity services coordinator, about the programs and services that KCLS offers for immigrants, refugees, and new arrivals. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/11153114

'90s Kid Reads 08/05/2019

'90s Kid Reads Take a nostalgic look back at some of the most popular children's book series published in the '80s and '90s. First, we interview Gabrielle Moss, author of Paperback Crush. Then we talk with Destinee Sutton, a children's librarian at KCLS. We chat about school book fairs, free pizza, and the books that made us lifelong readers. Spoiler alert: We all wanted to be as cool as Babysitter's Club member and style icon Claudia Kishi. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/10786184

Books about history 07/08/2019

Books about history We talk to Amy Stewart about her historical mysteries, starting with Girl Waits With Gun, inspired by the real-life Kopp sisters, as well as Stewart's nonfiction on plants, bugs, and more. Then, Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan discusses her historical thriller Manhattan Beach, her research process, and the lives of American women in the 1940s. Finally, Jeopardy champion and author Ken Jennings chats with us about overdue library books, his podcast Omnibus, and presidential snacks. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/10448576

Queer Voices in Literature 06/04/2019

Queer Voices in Literature Seattle writer Katrina Carrasco talks to us about her book The Best Bad Things, a historical crime novel set in Port Townsend's seedy underbelly. Then, we chat with artist and author Keezy Young about Taproot, her cute and creepy graphic novel. Finally, we're joined by two KCLS staff members to talk about more great books by LGBTQ+ authors and the library's programming for Pride Month. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/10051073

Sex, Sobriety, Shame: Books About Difficult Topics 05/02/2019

Sex, Sobriety, Shame: Books About Difficult Topics Journalist Bonnie J. Rough, author of Beyond Birds & Bees, talks about the difference between the American and Dutch approaches to sexuality and parenting. Then, Kristi Coulter talks about her essay collection, Nothing Good Can Come From This, which tackles alcoholism and sobriety. Finally, KCLS's Older Adults Program Coordinator Wendy Pender shares her picks for books that address death, dying, grief, and memory loss. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/9631433

Read a book about family 03/30/2019

Read a book about family Journalist Angela Garbes joins us to discuss her book Like A Mother: A Feminist Journey Through The Science And Culture Of Pregnancy. Then we chat with Laurie Frankel, author of This Is How It Always Is, Like Frankel, the mother in her novel is the supportive parent of a transgender child. Finally, we talk about some of our favorite fictional families and share some suggested reads. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/9202922

True Crime Books 02/27/2019

True Crime Books Journalist Ken Armstrong, the author of A False Report, joins us to talk about his work investigating the rape of a young woman in Lynnwood who recanted her original report, even though it later turned out to be true. Then, we interview Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of A Body. They talk about how Alex's experience as a legal intern working on a death penalty case inspired the book, which weaves together memoir and true crime. Finally, we recommend some of our favorite books about crime. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/8798909

New Year New Books 12/14/2018

New Year New Books Read more in 2019 with tips from librarians, get a sneak peek at the most anticipated books that will be released in the new year, discover books to help you meet your new year resolutions and hear our announcement of new reading challenge categories to inspire you to read more broadly. /episode/index/show/deskset/id/7764857

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