Drinks in the Library

Transcendent Kingdom is a 2020 novel by Yaa Gyasi that follows Gifty, a Ghanaian-American neuroscience PhD candidate at Stanford, as she studies addiction and depression in mice while grappling with her family's history of trauma, addiction, and faith. The story explores the tension between science and religion, memory, and the search for meaning after her brother's opioid overdose and her mother's severe depression, all while reflecting on her upbringing in Alabama. 
Deanna Allbrittin is the main evening anchor and Development and Engagement Manager at WRIC - 8News. That means she leads station community engagement initiatives and special projects, while mentoring early-career journalists in investigative and community-centered reporting. In addition to wearing all those hats, Deanna has earned regional Murrow, Emmy and Associated Press awards. You may have also seen her moderating nationally televised debates for Virginia's closely watched U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races.

Also, Deanna hosts the podcast All About Books which is a video podcast AND we recorded this episode, so head over there if you want to see the episode as we recorded it here at my home studio in Richmond! Thank you also to videographer Nikita for help make that happen!

Sobolo Tea Recipe - Sobolo is a traditional Hibiscus tea served at Ghanaian parties and picnics. Deanna was kind enough to make and share it for us to sip during the episode. Incredible! This is her modified recipe, originally from Black Foodie

Sobolo
Ingredients
1 Pineapple
 2 Large thumbs of ginger, peeled (about 1/3 cup)
 15 Grains of selim
 7 African nutmeg
 2 1/2 tbsp Cloves
 1 tbsp Black peppercorn
 1 tsp Grains of paradise
 1 cup Dates, pitted
 16 cups Water
 2 cups Hisbiscus flowers, dried (sorrel)
 Sugar, to taste
 White vinegar
 2 Cinnamon sticks

DIRECTIONS (Adapted)

1: Clean the pineapple by soaking in a water and vinegar solution for 10-15 minutes. Lightly brush with a produce brush to fully clean extra dirt from the skin.

2: While the pineapple is soaking, soak the dates in warm water then drain when nice and soft.

3: Pluck several leaves from the pineapple crown and peel the pineapple. Cut it into 2-inch chunks, making sure that the core is removed.

4: In a blender, blend the pineapple fruit with the ginger and dates till smooth.

5: In a pot, add the pineapple leaves, skin, blended mixture, and spices with 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Do not cover the pot otherwise it will splash. 

6: Once the water has come to a boil, add the hibiscus leaves/sorrel and bring the heat down to allow the mixture to steep at a rolling boil.

7: Let the mixture steep for 30-45 minutes, then turn the stove to simmer.

8: Add sugar to taste. I added ~ 1 cup of brown sugar, a quarter of a cup at a time until it was just slightly less sweet than I wanted. Allow it to continue to simmer for 5-10 additional minutes, then turn the stove off.

9: Let the mixture cool till the drink is room temperature. Then, strain the sobolo with a fine mesh strainer, pour it into a bottle and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy it!

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Set in a totalitarian superstate, George Orwell's 1984 follows Winston Smith, an official tasked with rewriting history to align with state propaganda. Driven by a desperate yearning for truth and individuality, Winston rebels against the regime by keeping a forbidden diary and pursuing a secret love affair. Ultimately, he is captured by the Thought Police, subjected to brutal psychological torture, and brainwashed into unquestioning submission.

My guest this week is the 2025-26 President of the American Library Association, Sam Helmick! They work as a Community and Access Services Coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library. Sam has served as a member of the ALA Executive Board and as president of the Iowa Library Association. They previously served as chair-elect of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table and chair of the Iowa Governor’s Commission of Libraries. They have served on many committees within the American Library Association and have held leadership roles at multiple levels. Sam is a 2016 Emerging Leader, as well as an author, consultant, and instructor in social media marketing and graphic design.

Sam and I had this conversation over a Smokey Whiskey, which felt like some of the moments in the book, held in smokey bars and back rooms. My exact recommendation is the Bourbon & Spire Oak and Eden, forever one of my favorites!

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Set in a world where every person’s soul exists outside their body in the form of an animal companion called a dæmon, The Golden Compass follows a brave young girl named Lyra Belacqua as she uncovers a sinister plot involving kidnapped children. Lyra journeys from the halls of Jordan College to the frozen Arctic in search of answers to her questions about power, knowledge, and free will.

Laura McAsh a writer of whimsical worlds and a creator of quirky characters. A library clerk by day, Laura is a neurodivergent nerd passionate about diversity, inclusion, and representation. Beginning her undergrad at the University of Guelph, she completed her Bachelor of General Studies (Arts and Sciences Designation) with distinction at Athabasca University. A collector of hobbies and interests, she is a lover of all animals and is always down for grabbing nachos with friends or snuggling with her cat, Dinosaur. Don’t miss her debut novel Alison’s Adventures in Time!

Our drink this week is a Hungarian Wine, a reference to a scene in the story where Lord Asriel, Lyra’s uncle is almost poisoned with Hungarian white wine. You can pick any brand you like, I went with Kiwi Cuvee Pinot Grigio.

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In Nikesha Elise Williams’ The Seven Daughters of Dupree, it's 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother, Nadia, keeps her secrets close, while her grandmother Gladys remains silent about the family's past, including why she left Land's End, Alabama, in 1953. As Tati’s search deepens, she uncovers a legacy of family secrets, where every generation of Dupree women has posed more questions than answers.

Guest

Even as she pursued degrees in Textile Technology, Organizational Leadership and finally, Adult Education, Rhonda McKnight’s love for books and desire to write stories was always in the back of her mind. She loves reading and writing stories that touch the heart of women through complex plots and interesting characters in crisis. She writes from the comfort of her South Carolina home. Don’t miss her latest books of women’s fiction Bitter & Sweet, and Writer in Residence, which you can pre-order now and will be published on September 8, 2026! You can find Rhonda on Instagram & Threads @AuthorRhondaMcKnight.

Southern Peach Sweet Tea
Ingredients
4 black tea bags
4 cups water
3 ripe peaches, sliced
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
Ice
Fresh peach slices for garnish (optional)

Directions
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil 
Turn off the heat and add the tea bags. Let the tea steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags.
Add the sliced peaches and sugar to the hot tea. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Let the peaches sit in the tea for about 20 minutes so the flavor comes through.
Pour the tea through a strainer into a large pitcher or bowl and allow to cool.
Fill mason jars with ice and pour in the peach sweet tea.
Garnish with fresh peach slices if you like, and serve cold.

In How to Save Your Own Life, Erica Jong follows novelist Isadora Wing as she grapples with fame, aging, marriage, and the search for personal freedom after the success of her earlier books. Blending sharp humor with emotional honesty, the novel explores identity, desire, and self-reinvention in the face of midlife uncertainty.

Award-winning author and creator Selene Castrovilla explores the courage, conscience, and reinvention that shape both nations and ourselves. She has written historical books for children including George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles: the glasses that saved America.She has a book for adults called Love the Ones Your With under the pen name SJ Perrault which will be coming out later this year. She also hosts a podcast Life in Jest with her best friend Pascale, which will feature me in an upcoming episode, I’m so excited! You can find out more at her website https://selenecastrovilla.com/ and also under her SJ Perrault name on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/s.j.perraultauthor
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@s.j.perraultauthor

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Our drink this week needs no explanation:
The Life Saver Cocktail

Ingredients
3 oz dry champagne
½ oz triple sec
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Directions
Pour the triple sec and fresh lemon juice into a champagne flute.
Top slowly with chilled dry champagne.
Give it a gentle stir and serve immediately.