First Fifty Pages: Recent Episodes
Jenn Delperdang, Kelsey Patterson
The First Fifty Pages is the Sioux City Public Library's podcast about books, library culture, and current reading trends. Each month, Kelsey Patterson and Jenn Delperdang chat with authors, discuss what they're reading, what's popular in our community, and what's happening at the Library! Who knows, they might even help you find your next great read! Highlighting the transformative power of stories and the amazing work that libraries do, this podcast is not to be missed!Produced by Siouxland Public Media.
In this episode of the First Fifty Pages, Jenn and Kelsey chat with author Stuart Turton about his latest book,The Last Murder at the End of the World--an 'almost accidental' science fiction mystery. AI, Agatha Christie, and existential issues...the voice in your head is telling you not to miss this episode.
In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, Kelsey and Jenn talk with perennial best-selling author Jodi Picoult about her new book, By Any Other Name - a story about the women wrote volumes before they were allowed. We dive into hidden histories, the dangers of book banning, and the things that keep us up at night.
In this episode of the First Fifty Pages, Kelsey and Jenn chat with Ruth Ware about her new mystery, One Perfect Couple. Intriguing characters, reality TV, a tropical paradise, murder and so many moral dilemmas! You'll be hooked!
In this episode of the First Fifty Pages, Katherine Center joins Kelsey and Jenn to talk about how stories are uniquely able to change our lives, the aggressively misunderstood happy ending, and why love stories matter. Let the banter begin!
In this episode of the First Fifty Pages, Jenn and Kelsey talk with beloved storyteller and two-time Newberry medal winning author Kate DiCamillo about connecting with young readers and finding our way back to the magic of reading.
In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, Jenn and Kelsey are joined by author Erik Larson, a perennial favorite among nonfiction readers. They discuss his latest book The Demon of Unrest, how his curiosity drives his work, and the way history can inform our present.
In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, Jenn and Kelsey have a thrilling chat with bestselling author and #booktok darling Jeneva Rose about her latest book, Home is Where the Bodies Are, a grilling and chilling take on grief, sibling rivalry, and the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the family closet.
Jenn and Kelsey talk with master storyteller Kristin Hannah about her blockbuster, best-selling book The Women, and the power that stories have to expand history and create space for remembrance, gratitude and shared experiences.
In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, Kelsey and Jenn discuss the author's latest literary feminist boarding school mystery, I Have Some Questions for You— a book that explores the importance of our memories and the impact of time on our own individual stories. If your present self could reckon with the past, what would you try to resolve?
In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, Jenn and Kelsey have a lively chat with Australian author Benjamin Stevenson about his latest book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. We dig into why fair play mysteries are seeing a resurgence in popularity and why Aussie crime writers are so good. Can you solve this one before the detective does?
Kelsey and Jenn talk with best-selling author Ali Hazelwood about her fan fiction roots, favorite romance tropes, background in academia, and the power of STEMinist love stories—where the heroines break barriers just as easily as they break hearts.
Kelsey and Jenn talk with award-winning author Kate Manning about finding threads to the past to uncover women's stories, the courage and resilience of the women in her novels, and her new book Gilded Mountain. Romance, drama, history, and fierce women—we're all in!
Textual Complexity: a conversation with E. Lockhart on heartbreak, reaching young readers, and our postmodern condition.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff joins Jenn and Kelsey in this episode of The First Fifty Pages to discuss her revelatory new biography about one of our nation's least known but arguably most essential Founding Father, The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams.
Listen for a discussion about how war trauma becomes part of the tapestry of the immigrant experience across generations. And--some fun insight into Korean zombie movies--you won't be disappointed!
Making her thriller debut with The Fields, author Erin Young joins Kelsey and Jenn in this episode of The First Fifty Pages.
Author, actress, and brand-storyteller Gina Sorell joins Kelsey and Jenn in this episode of The First Fifty Pages. Gina talks about her latest novel, The Wise Women, and shares some thoughts on how memory, legacy, and perspective shape the stories we tell.
Emily St. John Mandel--the bestselling author behind the critically acclaimed novels Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel--joins Kelsey and Jenn on this episode of The First Fifty Pages. Emily talks about her love of Science Fiction, the un-romantic process of revision, and about how her latest novel, Sea of Tranquility, moves through time and space. (!) Spoiler -- the future is not a catastrophe...
Read for Joy! In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, Kelsey and Jenn chat with New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center about her essay "READ FOR JOY." Katherine shares what this means to her and why it is important to trust yourself to find the stories that you most need to hear.
In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, internationally best-selling author Allison Larkin chats with Jenn and Kelsey about her compelling new book, The People We Keep. We explore the connection to authentic characters, dealing with rejection in the publishing business, and the 1990s as historical fiction (yes, you read that right!).
Did you loveThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue as much as we did? In this episode of The First Fifty Pages, Kelsey and Jenn chat with author Victoria “V.E.” Schwab about her bestselling novel, opening doors for readers, and what it’s like to hang out with Neil Gaiman.
Alice Hoffman, the spellbinding author behind bestsellers like The Marriage of Opposites and Here on Earth, joins Jenn and Kelsey in this episode of The First Fifty Pages to talk about the magic of books and her much beloved Practical Magic series' final novel, The Book of Magic.
Golden Voice audiobook narrator Julia Whelan joins Kelsey and Jenn in this episode of The First Fifty Pages to talk about her work as a storyteller, how she creates transformative moments for listeners, and how the audiobook industry is evolving. We get to talk about some of our favorite books that Julia has narrated, and we even get a tea recommendation!
Everyone's favorite science writer Mary Roach joins Jenn and Kelsey in this episode of The First Fifty Pages to talk about her new book, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.