Episode 610: Pandemic

episode 610 logo

Hi everyone! Welcome back to your book group podcast, Reading With Libraries! We are here to talk about books, to enjoy some beverages, and to have this time together. Thanks for joining us!

It’s hard to be an expert on ALL of the great books out there! So we pick a new genre each week to chat about and hopefully provide you with some insight into what may be an unfamiliar area for you!

We are the Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and we are here to support all of our 300 member libraries. They all like books, we like to share books with our patrons, and we know you like books too. So let’s jump in here and discuss some books in today’s genre!

Your ears do not deceive you. We have indeed discussed this topic; it’s a pretty big topic of discussion around the world right now. You can listen to Episode 512 from last season for some other ideas. As in that episode, the books we discuss will be so much scarier than our current reality that it will probably make you feel better just to listen to them.

And our returning Guest Host is Kelly from St. John’s and St Ben’s College libraries!

Beverages:

Each week we like to connect the theme of our books with our beverages, and we each came prepared with our own drink to enjoy while we talk about our books. You are an important part of this book group, so if you don’t have a beverage go ahead and get one now. Each of our beverages will have a recipe or a link on our episode page, so you can try them yourself!

This week’s beverages are a little obscure: they are the most-Googled beverage in each state from our area of the country.

Minnesota: Oliveto

Recipe adapted from Marvel Bar, Minneapolis, MN

Ingredients                                   
  • 2 ounces dry gin
  • 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ ounce rich simple syrup (2:1)
  • ¼ ounce Licor 43
  • ½ ounce full-bodied extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 fresh egg white
  • Ice                               
Directions                               

In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, Licor 43, olive oil and egg white. Shake well to emulsify. Add three large ice cubes and shake until most of the ice is gone. Strain into a stemless wine glass and serve.

Wisconsin: Grasshopper Cocktail

This cocktail is like a chocolate after-dinner mint in a glass. Skip dessert and go straight for a grasshopper.

  • ¾ fluid ounce creme de menthe
  • ¾ fluid ounce white creme de cacao
  • ¼ fluid ounce heavy cream
  • 1 cup ice

Combine creme de menthe, creme de cacao, cream, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Cover and shake until chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

North Dakota: Kamikaze

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces vodka
  • 1 ounce lime juice (fresh)
  • 1 ounce triple sec
  • Garnish: lime wedge​

Genre Discussion:

As we are recording this, we are having a global pandemic. As you are listening to this, we are having a global pandemic. We hope you are doing your part to slow down the situation: wear a mask, stay home, keep yourself socially distant when you can’t do that. It is literally the least you can do to help out your family and your community. And to help out with that, we are going to give you a bunch of books you can read while you stay home!

Of course, we are all working our way through our current COVID pandemic, but there have been all sorts of other pandemics in reality and in fiction – and many of them are much worse than the reality we are experiencing right now.

The Chicago Public Library says “Fiction helps us cope with reality by allowing us to think our way through scenarios, confront our worst fears and reclaim our humanity in the face of danger. With classics like The Plague by Albert Camus and The Stand by Stephen King currently climbing bestseller charts around the globe, here are some more titles to inspire and distract you.”

Here are a few additional resources for check out for more pandemic materials:

Book Discussion

Now we are a little more familiar with this week’s genre, and we have enjoyed some of our special beverages, let’s get to the book discussion!

You can click on any of these links to go to Amazon.com for more information about the books we shared this week. If you buy anything while you are there, Amazon will give us a small percent of their profits from your purchase. Thanks in advance for helping to support the mission of CMLE – we appreciate it!

Lock In, by John Scalzi

A Beginning at the End, by Mike Chen

A Song for a New Day, by Sarah Pinsker

Wanders, by Chuck Wendig

The Pull of the Stars, by Emma Donoghue

The Dreamers, by Karen Thompson Walker

The Peripheral, by William Gibson

The End of October, by Lawrence Wright

The Last One, by Alexandra Oliva

The Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

Conclusion:

Thank you so much for joining us on Reading With Libraries!

Join us next Thursday with another genre, more guest hosts for our book group, and more books to share and discuss. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss a single episode!

 And if you want to hear more about the work we do in libraries or expand your library skills, check out our podcast Linking Our Libraries!

Bring your book ideas, bring your beverages, and join us back here on Thursday!