Drinks in the Library

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger is a techno-thriller and family drama about the moral fallout of a fatal crash involving an autonomous minivan. The novel follows the Cassidy-Shaw family as they confront guilt, secrets, and the ethical questions surrounding AI after their teenage son, Charlie, is involved in the accident while the car is in self-driving mode. It explores themes of technology's impact on human relationships, corporate greed, and the complex dynamics between parents and teenagers.

My guest this week is Barbara Ferrara. She is a librarian, mother, lifelong learner, passionate reader who loves to travel and is currently learning Spanish.

Our drink this week is an Old Fashioned, since it is the opposite of AI. I also made sure to pick a Virginian bourbon, since the author, Bruce Holsinger, lives here in Virginia! I went with the Tarnished Truth Bourbon, which is brewed in the famous Cavalier Hotel at Virginia Beach!

Old Fashioned Recipe

1 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon water
2 ounces bourbon (or rye whiskey, if preferred)
Garnish: orange twist

In This Episode

Meta AI book heist
Descript
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

We All Want Impossible Things is a tender, darkly funny novel about friendship, grief, and letting go. It follows Ash as she supports her best friend Edi through the final stages of illness, capturing the small, intimate moments that define a lifelong bond. The story balances humor and heartbreak while exploring love, loss, and what it means to say goodbye.

Lindsey Goldstein is the author of Gap Year Her essays about love and parenting have appeared in The New York Times, The Chicago Story Press, Kveller, and The Sunlight Press. She lives in Irvine, CA with her husband, kids, and rescue mutt. You can find her on her website Lindseygoldsteinauthor.com and on Instagram and Threads @GoldsteinLindsey

We recorded this with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, a favorite of Lindsey’s and one I recommend for Spring! In particular I drank a glass of Leia Vinters Sauvignon Blanc.

In This Episode
The Dinosaurs on Netflix
Crone Sandwich -Catherine Newman’s Substack
Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

Nature's Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy argues that everyday homeowners can play a critical role in reversing biodiversity loss by transforming their yards into thriving ecosystems. Tallamy explains how replacing traditional lawns with native plants supports insects, birds, and other wildlife that depend on them for survival. The book offers a hopeful, practical roadmap for collective environmental impact through small, local actions.

Leslie Eva Tayloe is an award winning children’s picture book author. She’s the author of The Attic Door, a 2024 Story Monster’s Approved Award, and a 2025 Literary Titan Gold Book Award, Save the Trees, a 2024 Moonbean Bronze Medalist for environmental issues, and Longlisted for the 2025 Green Earth Book Award, and I’m Fishing with Pop-Pop Today. Leslie also authored an article titled, Marketing Group Helps Writers (Children’s Book Insider, April 2023). She is a former analyst with the federal government, and a substitute teacher for elementary school-aged children. Leslie lives with her partner, Michael, in Virginia. When Leslie isn’t writing, she loves to fish on the Rappahannock River, read, do crafts, and take long walks with her dog, Frankie.

In this episode we both enjoyed a glass of 19 Crimes Cali Red Wine, which is a favorite of Leslie’s!

In this Episode
Invasive vs. Native Plants )Virginia)
Homegrown National Park
Fredericksburg Goat Farm
Aldo Leopold
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wollenben

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez follows sisters Patria, Minerva, María Teresa, and Dedé Mirabal as they defy the brutal regime of Rafael Trujillo. It’s a powerful story of courage, sisterhood, and the price of resistance.

Fran Dorsey is a mom, digital content manager, and writer who grew up loving the internet. When she’s not writing or busy with her kids and husband, she’s trying to close the rings on her Apple Watch. She’s also always ready with a book recommendation for her friends. You can find her on Instagram and Threads @FranDorsey—don’t miss her hilarious memes—and check out her Substack, Frannie Pack.

Cuba Libre Drink

Ingredients
2 ounces rum
1 lime wedge
Coca-Cola, to top
Garnish: lime wheel

Steps
Fill a highball glass with ice and add the rum.
Squeeze in the juice from 1/4 of a lime and drop in the spent peel.
Top with the Coca-Cola, then give a brief and gentle stir.
Garnish with a lime wheel.

In this Episode
The Mirabal Sisters
Hobnail Drinking Glasses - AKA the Millennial glasses
Mariposa Cocktail
Hermanas Mirabel Province
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
Open Book by Jessica Simpson
Style Weekly Best of Richmond - Vote!
Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

Gone by Michael Grant is a gripping dystopian novel in which everyone over the age of fifteen suddenly disappears from a small California town, leaving the kids to survive on their own inside a mysterious barrier. As food runs out and strange powers begin to emerge, the remaining children must confront fear, chaos, and the struggle for control in a world with no adults.

Fiona Fenn is an author of fantasy novels that put complicated “heroes” front and center. A fan of villains, redemption arcs, and intense explorations of healing in all its forms, her debut novel,
The Crack at the Heart of Everything, is a love letter to every villain who wanted to do better but never got the chance. The City that Shattered the World is the second book in the series and will be coming out in October 2026!

Drink Blackberry Survival Smash

Ingredients
2 oz bourbon or dark rum
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz honey syrup
4–5 blackberries (muddled)
2–3 mint leaves
Splash of soda water
Instructions
Muddle blackberries, mint, and honey syrup in a shaker.
Add bourbon and lemon juice with ice.
Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over ice.
Top with a splash of soda and garnish with a blackberry.

In This Episode
Sarah J. Maas
The Spoken World Podcast - Michael Grant Episode
Sweet Valley High Books
Heated Rivalry
Our Rogue Fates by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Style Weekly Best of Richmond - Vote!
Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th