The Forgotten Library

In this episode, we're going to take a look at "The Little People," a psychological horror novel that asks, "What if leprechauns, but also Nazis?" Does it work? Tune in to find out!

The prequel to the Dollanganger family series by V.C. Andrews. We're back with another gothic-y, incest-laden tale. This WAS the final installment but it looks like there are three more newish books telling the story from Chris' point of view. Should we look into them? Take the poll on Spotify!

In addition to romance, war, and superheroes, there were also a lot of horror, suspense, and mystery comics published in the 1940s/50s. On this episode, we're going to look at a few from Baffling Mysteries, a title published by Ace Comics. We've got animal/human hybrids, murderous paintings, and witches and werewolves . . .of course!

Happy Belated New Year! It's been a long time, I know, so have a slightly longer episode - that's also part 1 of 2. We're discussing Elsie Dinsmore, a priggish, milquetoasty little gal who was the protagonist of a book series spanning 28 volumes over the late 19th and early 20th century. The second episode (up soon) will discuss the second book, which takes off immediately from the end of this one. Shitty adults, annoying af children, and lots of Jesus-y talk can be found here. Join me, won't you? 

Women, are you having trouble with your partner? Perhaps this book from the 1960s showing you how you should act would help! (No, it won't. Please don't take advice from this). Are you ready to let your man be a king, and you the servant? Strap in and cringe along with me!

On this episode, we're taking a look at Atomic War!, a four-issue comic set in a fictional World War III. Lots of nuclear warfare, planes, and tanks tanks tanks!

On this episode, we're taking a look at the Good Housekeeping Marriage Book, which was published in 1938. Come for the insane price list, stay for the sexism and eugenics! 

Happy New Year! Take a ride in my time-machine and let's travel back to 1923, where the flapper craze was running high and parents clucked their tongues at the promiscuous youth. In fact, this book was written by a journalist under a pseudonym in order to avoid criticism for the "scandalous" content! 

For our final episode this year, let's uncover what sexual education might have looked like for a 19th century boy with a book by a Lutheran minister. 

I'd also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to YOU, dear listener, for being entertained by my cynical eye on forgotten and ridiculous books.

It's spooky season, y'all, so how about this little gem that was published in the 1980s during the Satanic Panic by the same guy who said all your beloved toys are evil incarnate? That's right, Phil Phillips is back, with a sidekick this time, nattering on about witches and devils and how you shouldn't let your children trick or treat. Or at least, that's what it's supposed to be, but Phillips becomes unhinged a third of the way through and loses his thesis statement. Join me, won't you?

Hello, my lovely listeners, I am BACK with another installment. We're looking at Seeds of Yesterday by V.C. Andrews, or as I like to call it, Get ON with it already!

On this episode, I'm taking you through a brief run of teen comics that are tangentially connected to the romance comics that were previously discussed. Andy and Ernie are the same character, but for some reason, the publishing powers that be renamed him for a few more issues. 

By now, you've been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) in some way. Some libraries are closed and others probably will follow suit. What if you can't get digital resources because EVERYONE is trying to get them now that print is off the table? And your kids are home and bored, too? Listen in as your friendly neighborhood librarian offers up a lifetime's worth of free books and resources for you and your wee ones. 

Happy New Year, my lovely listeners! It's still January as I upload this, so let's start the new year off right by delving back into the V.C. Andrews canon and the continuing saga of the Dollenganger family, If There Be Thorns!

In this episode of Biblio Bites, we take a look at prison libraries and their eclipse by predatory tech companies claiming to offer inmates a bunch of free books and multimedia - but are they really? 

This is a special news bulletin. If you check out ebooks from your public library, you might wanna take a few minutes and listen to this mini-sode. MacMillan, one of the Big Five publishers, is changing the rules about their ebooks in libraries. Think the online queue is already long for the newest and popular? Yeah, it's gonna get worse. This is completely opposite of equitable access for all, which is the whole POINT of libraries, y'all. 

Here's what you can do (as talked about in the show):

If you were a child of the 80s, you likely played with He-Man, She-Ra, GI Joe, Smurfs, and so on. We had SO much fun, didn't we? But did you know that those toys were actually full of Satanic influences, and that your adult mind is probably warped? Phil Phillips, an evangelist operating at the height of the Satanic Panic, wrote this book to warn your parents of the dangers! Tune in to this episode for some entertaining thoughts on your favorite cartoon shows!

Partial source list:

Adams, K. M., & Dickey, S. A. (2003). Home and Hegemony: Domestic Service and Identity Politics in South and Southeast Asia. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

As promised earlier this week, this is the continuation of our look at All Romances from Ace Magazines. I also talk a bit about my sources. 

Sources:

Nolan, M. (2008). Love on the Racks: a History of American Romance Comics. McFarland Books. 

In this episode, we're going back to 1949 once again to take a look at some more Golden Age comics. The series was called All Romances and ran for a year. I also provide more history of the romance comic genre. This episode ran long, so this is only part one. Part two will be published later this week. 

Sources:

Nolan, M. (2008). Love on the Racks: a History of American Romance Comics. McFarland Books. 

On this episode, we're gonna take a deep dive into an old medical treatise from 1844, which basically states that if fall into the patterns of pleasure, you are headed for an early grave!

Transcript available here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MIkpjlkrmkFCC7gOSKX0YLQGg9T9Dq8Z

 Sources:

Englehardt, H.T. (2013). The Disease of Masturbation: Values and the Concept of Disease. Meaning and Medicine: a Reader in the Philosophy of Health Care. 

Howe, J.W. (1883). Excessive Venery, Masturbation and Continence. Available via Internet Archive, Google Books, HathiTrust, etc.

Hughes, J.R. (2003). Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte: did he have seizures? Psychogenic or epileptic or both? Epilepsy & Behavior 4, 793-796. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2003.09.005

JAMA. Book reviews. 1884;II(13):358-359. doi:10.1001/jama.1884.02390370022010

In this episode, we're going to take a look at some genre comics from the 1940s - a series called All Love. These were ubiquitous during the post WWII era, and I'm dragging up a few gems for you.  I also have a special guest!  Transcript can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gtSpnZBxq_Ujjpxh6KiERUY_vllx9E4J

Source materials for this episode:

 WARNING: this episode contains mentions of rape and incest. Listener discretion is advised.

On this episode, your librarian tour guide brings you on a nostalgia trip! If you're a woman of a certain age, the very name V.C. Andrews in raised type on a book cover probably made you stop in your tracks back in the day. Hop on back into my Ridic Fic time machine as we talk about the first installment of the Dollenganger family saga, Flowers in the Attic.

On this episode, we delve into What a Young Girl Ought to Know, by Dr. Mary Wood-Allen (1897), a "purity education" book that was purported to tell children about sex (but really didn't).  This podcast is marked explicit because I occasionally use four-letter words.