On this special edition of Russell Reads with the Rach(a)els, Russell and Rachel get the opportunity to sit down with National Bestselling Author Alencia Johnson to discuss "Flip the Tables; The Everyday Disruptor's Guide to Finding Courage and...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael chat with our guest Susanne Bell, Senior Program Officer at Danville Regional Foundation, about setting realistic reading goals, recommending the right book, and a horrifying movie adaptation of one of our favorite ...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss our April challenge, childhood favorites, with one of our favorite childhood experts here in the library, Jess McAllister. We discuss how children's literature shaped us, opened our worlds, and continues to ...

Russell and solo Rachel chat with our guest, Scott Longerbeam, city GIS coordinator, about almost every Stephen King book, filming locations, and the love of a good librarian.Books we discuss include:“Foucault's Pendulum” by...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss our March challenge, first book in a series, with surprise guest Colton. Consequently there are a lot of dad jokes in this one. Listener beware.Books we discuss include:“The Dark Is Rising...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael chat with our guest, Honorable Doctor Corey Williams about his long title, and many other titles that shaped his love for reading.Books we discuss include: “The Word Bird” by Nicola Davies, A...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss  our next challenge, love stories and go on an important tangent about 90's teen movies.Books we discuss include:“The Princess Bride” by William Goldman“Romeo and Juliet” by...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael chat with our guest Catherine Carter, owner of The Dog-Eared Page bookstore and teahouse. We discuss the deep and abiding friendship between libraries and bookstores, books about rabbits, and so much more.Bo...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss our January challenge, Memoirs and Autobiographies, and new Rachael lore just dropped.Books we discuss include:“Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood” by Gary Paulsen“Son...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael chat with our first two-time guest, Chrislyn Gardner, about our favorite winter holiday reads past and present.Books we discuss include:“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens“Rudolph the...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss our December challenge, award winning books, and learn a lot about the fortitude of the human spirit. Books we discuss include:“James” by Percival Everett (National Book Award for Fi...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael chat with Charles Perkins, known to us as “Jerry Beardman”. Listen to find out why.Books we discuss include:“The Ministry of Time” by Kaliane Bradley“The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss our November challenge, books written by an Indigenous author.Books we discuss include:“The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich“Where Wolves Don’t Die” by Anton Treuer“The Absol...

Colleen Barnes, DPS coordinator for ELA and Media Specialists, joins Russell and the Rach(a)els to discuss her favorite books, DPS reading challenges, and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Books we discuss include:B...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss our October challenge, books with a supernatural (or spooky) element. Books we discuss include:“My Darling Dreadful Thing” by Johanna van Veen“‘Til Death” by Jason Anspach

Amanda Paez, assistant to the city manager, and wearer of many hats, talks about her library crimes.*CORRECTION: A note from Rachael - Our Classics book club meets on Monday, September 30 at 5:30 PM to discuss “And Then There W...

Russell and the Rach(a)els explore works by authors with Hispanic heritages. Book we discuss include:“The Bullet Swallower” by Elizabeth Gonzalez James“Family Lore” by Elizabeth Acevedo“Fruit of the Dr...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael welcome our first guest from beyond the library walls, Michelle Larking, IB Literature teacher at Galileo Magnet High School. We discuss how to foster a love of reading through education and whether Russell should h...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael discuss our August challenge, books set by the beach or sea, and regrettably did not prepare any sea shanties.Books we discuss include:“A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks” by David Gibbi...

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael welcome guest Jess McAllister, Youth Library Services Specialist, to talk about every book ever written and how to read at light speed.Books we discuss include:“Tracker” by Gary Paulsen“...

Russell, Rachel and Rachael discuss our July challenge, books set in another country, and a few extras just for good measure. Books we discussed include:“The Women” by Kristin Hannah“Sooley” by John Grisham

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael welcome guest Jess Austin, Technical Services Librarian, to talk about 'book joy'. Books we discussed include:“Holy City” by Henry Wise“Razorblade Tears” by S. A. Cosby“The...

Russell and the Rach(a)els discuss the June reading challenge and what it means to go on an adventure.Books we discussed include:“The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien“The Chronicles of Narnia” series by C.S. Lewis

Russell, Rachel, and Rachael welcome guest Chrislyn Gardner, Youth Services Librarian, to discuss Summer Reading, literary favorites, and childhood memories.Books we discussed include:“The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn

The reading challenge continues into May with graphic novels. A lot of titles get discussed on the show. The many, many books we discussed include:“Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History” by Joel Christia...