Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card. That’s a mantra Mychal Threets, or Mychal the Librarian, has practiced since childhood. He’s a librarian and literacy advocate who brings his library love to life on TikTok and Instagram. Millions of views later, he was named the new host of the recently rebooted Reading Rainbow on PBS. Plus, Ontario musician Evan Redsky on the book that provided him with two years of inspiration.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy, illustrated by Lorraine Nam

One Native Life by Richard Wagamese

Lisa Bailey says this latest chapter of her life is like the plot of a rom com. Daughter leaves the big city to return to her hometown to help run her Dad’s used bookstore. Now, Bailey Books in St. Albert has caught the internet’s attention with videos showcasing their rare used books and knack for book binding and repair. Plus, Terese Mason Pierre shares the black speculative fiction novels that made her fall in love with the genre.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

The Bachman Books collection by Stephen King

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta

It was a childhood love of magical stories of dragons, wizards and fantasy that ignited the idea for K.J. Aiello’s book, The Monster and the Mirror: Mental Illness, Magic, and the Stories We Tell. In the book K.J. tells their story of trying to understand their life and mental illness, and how that world of magic and fantasy helped shape who they are. Plus, Nova Scotia musician Maggie Andrew recommends The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay

The Monster and the Mirror: Mental Illness, Magic, and the Stories We Tell by KJ Aiello

The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest