← Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
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- [00:00]
Jen
Hello, everyone. It's Jen from Faded Mates, and Sarah cannot be with us, but I have two very exciting guests with us today. Kate and Grace from the New York Public Library. Welcome.
- [00:13]
Kate
Hello.
- [00:16]
Grace
Hello.
- [00:17]
Jen
Okay, so one of the reasons that we're really having this, like, really fun little talk today is that the New York Public Library has just put out a really fun list in advance of Valentine's Day, you know, high holy holidays of the Bromancelandia. And they are going to kind of be here today to talk to us about, like, the list itself. You'll be able to. You'll be able to look at the list. I'll make sure there's a link underneath this on YouTube. And also to, like, talk to us about, like, kind of how and why the library loves romance readers. So can we start off by talking about the list itself and why? I don't know. Like, is this something you guys. Something you do every year, you all. Yes.
- [01:07]
Kate
We actually started this in 2021. It was during the. The Great Pandemic, and we were all working from home. We need stuff. So there are a bunch of adult committees started. So we would. We made, like, the 10 top 10 best romances of the year. And the reason it's always, like, the best new romances, even though it's for, like, last year, this list used to come out in November, and now it's time to come out in Valentine's Day.
- [01:36]
Jen
And, Kate, I'm sorry. I, like, kind of. I had, like, a whole list of things we were gonna do, and then I went out of order because I.
- [01:42]
Grace
The books.
- [01:43]
Jen
So, Kate, what is your job at the New York Public Library?
- [01:46]
Kate
I am a young adult librarian at the Bloomingdale branch on the Upper west side. No. No relation to Bloomingdale's. And we used to get a lot of phone calls for them as well.
- [01:56]
Jen
Okay, that's hilarious. Okay. And, Grace, what about you? What's your job at the library?
- [02:01]
Grace
I am also a teen librarian at the St. George branch in Staten Island.
- [02:06]
Jen
Okay, perfect. I am a middle school teacher. So together, right? We could probably rule the world. Or at least get everyone.
- [02:14]
Grace
We probably could, right?
- [02:16]
Kate
Yeah.
- [02:17]
Jen
But this is not. I want to make clear to everybody, this is not a list for. This is an adult. A list of adult romances, Right?
- [02:25]
Kate
Very adult.
- [02:26]
Jen
Yes.
- [02:26]
Grace
Okay, so how.
- [02:29]
Jen
If you're teen librarians, how did you end up on the adult romance beat?
- [02:34]
Kate
It's great. We actually put out a call out for anyone who works at NYPL who loves reading romance to join this committee. So we've had not just librarians, we've had clerks, we've hypotheses, we've had information assistance. Just people who are just really, really super excited about romance and just want to talk romance every month. And it's fantastic. And everyone has such incredibly different tastes as well. So it helps us make a really robust and diverse list.
- [03:05]
Jen
Okay, and this list, I think we're recording, is it today? The day that it went live?
- [03:11]
Kate
I think so.
- [03:12]
Jen
What's the goal of a list like this from your point of view?
- [03:16]
Grace
It just helps us curate a list for other librarians to recommend to readers. And it's a great jumping off point because our system has a very robust catalog so that it's like a good jumping off point. So when we go to recommend a book, we can also point out read alikes and things like that in our fancy little catalog.
- [03:40]
Jen
Yeah, and Rita likes everybody. If you're ever. This is like one of these little, like, librarians have all the secret, awesome vocabulary. This is like, a thing. I'm actually not kidding. I told my mom this, and she was like, oh. And I was like, if you Google, like, the name of a book you like and read alike, I guarantee you that a librarian somewhere in this country has made a list because there are lots of people like you in the world. Right. So having a list with, like, read alikes and other things like that can also just really help people. Like, so, you know, everybody wants you look at this list later. You might be like, oh, I love this book. That's going to help librarians help you find more books like that, right?
- [04:24]
Kate
Yeah. And it's also helpful because we'll get anywhere from, like, teens to adults are like, oh, I saw this book and I really want to read it. And you look at the full list, it's like 800. So I'll put one hold for this. But in the meantime, we have similar books that are in stock right now that you can take home with you tonight, and that helps them as well.
- [04:47]
Jen
So what's your process for making the list?
- [04:50]
Grace
It involves chaos sometimes so much chaos. We have monthly meetings with our committee. Everyone brings every book that they've read that month. Well, not physically, but, like, talks about it. And people nominate their favorites, and we call the list down, in a sense, in a series of weekly meetings. Towards the end of the committee, in a mid. In the midst of all the chaos, we're reading constantly. It's so much fun.
- [05:24]
Kate
Except the week I had. Except the week I had to read nine. What was it? Enemies to lovers. Like, I love a good enemy to lovers. And I think I was like, ready to throw every enemy lever off a balcony. I was like, I can't read another one of these for like a year.
- [05:40]
Grace
That was a bad week.
- [05:42]
Jen
Essentially, if I'm understanding this right, what you're doing is you're saying, like, we're essentially in the process of making the list for a full year.
- [05:50]
Kate
Yes. We start in February and we go until December. So our list was actually finalized right before Christmas 2024, and then it was annotation time and putting heat levels. So if you have someone who's really into mild romances and they only want mild romances, they can just find the mild romances on the list. Up to spicy. Super spicy. And scorching. And our committee usually makes fun of me because I'll be like, this book is like, really scorching. And they're like, that's like, just spicy. I'm like, oh, okay, okay.
- [06:29]
Jen
So once you make the list, are you buying all these books, like, in advance? Like, are you knowing that circulation numbers will match this? Or like, what if somebody brings up? Do they have to already be in the system to be considered?
- [06:44]
Kate
Like, that is such a good question. Like, that is like the best question. So all the books have to be acquirable by the library. And we are really, really lucky. Our the head of selection for the entire New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library. Stephanie. She is a big romance nerd. So. And she'll come to the meetings and she'd be like, oh, my. Yeah, if you guys all love this. Yeah. Oh, I can get this for the library. So we kind of like helped influence the collections as well.
- [07:16]
Jen
Yeah, well, because I would imagine you would anticipate like a spike in circulation of those books. Like once you sort of say, like, these are the ones we like best.
- [07:26]
Grace
Yeah. And that's how we got the Rubber Ducky book. Yes. Purchased from the library.
- [07:33]
Jen
Oh, is this one of those sentient object romances?
- [07:36]
Kate
Yes, the Rubber Ducky Shifter next Door by Mia Harlan.
- [07:41]
Jen
We deserve nice, everyone. That's all I deserve.
- [07:43]
Kate
Nice things. And it's also if you're looking for a really quick read, if you're a fast reader. It's like 30 minutes. It's great. And I don't think we should apologize, but we should say, you're welcome, everyone. This book is now in your library. It's really cute.
- [08:01]
Jen
This is a challenging time for a lot of libraries. Right. Like, you know, depending on where people like our listeners live, you know, they might. There might be challenges to specific titles or book bans. There might be funding, you know, funding issues, right? Like, there's. I'm sure every librarian in the world is constantly, like, thinking about 800 million other things before we wrap up at the end. I'm going to ask them to, like, sort of pitch a couple that they thought were really fun and that people might enjoy. But before we get to that, how can people in their local communities help support their library? I mean, I know it's like a big question, but, like, what do librarians love for patrons to say or do to show their support for the library?
- [08:47]
Kate
I mean, one of the first things is just be nice to your librarians. We get yelled at. We get. It's like, we're just doing our job, just being up, be pleasant, a smile, post so long, such a long way. It just like, kind of, oh, yay. There is a reason I'm doing this, because we're in this job because we like helping people and we love helping connect people with books.
- [09:08]
Grace
And go to your library, get your library card, check out books, use the online resources. Just show that the resources that we provide are being utilized, and just use your library. We're always there.
- [09:25]
Kate
And yeah, we're a third space. You're. You can come, you can hang out. You don't have to spend money. And a lot of library systems will have things like museum passes for nypl. We have Culture Pass, which you can access with your library card. Other library systems have something similar. I think a few systems also will, like, lend out, like, cookie cutters, fishing rods, like, so it's like, we have things. And we also have programs for people who are like little tiny babies to the elderly. I know my coworker does a Monday movie every. Every week at 12 noon, and he gets a bunch of senior citizens, and they love it, and they all watch a movie together and they have a blast.
- [10:09]
Jen
Well, and I just think, too, it's like, in a lot of ways, because they're third spaces. So many people see libraries as, like a community center, right? So in Chicago, they did a whole pilot where you could get Narcan at the. Right. At the library for free. And then, like, so when my son went back to college, I, like, sat down with him and I was like, here's what this is, and you could save someone's life. And we're going to watch this video about how to use it. And, like, I would not have known that you could, like, go to a library for that, right? And So I think one of the other things to do is, you know, like, you could just talk to any librarian and just be like, what's a really cool thing our library does that? Like, you know about that? I don't. Right. Because they're going to know, oh, my gosh, we, you know, we have a tool lending library or whatever.
- [11:03]
Kate
Honestly, we could use a tool lending library because the amount of times I'm like, do we have this weird, like, tool? Like, I have 8,000 IKEA XT keys, but it's like, like don't know where my screwdriver is.
- [11:15]
Jen
Using the library is the most important thing because it just shows that, like, the money they spend on ebooks, on books that circulate on tools, on whatever it is, you know, is. Is being used by the people in the community.
- [11:31]
Kate
And there's also specialty libraries, too, which are open to the public. Like, we have the library we. The Andrew High School Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired. So any NYPL card holder can go there. But if you are legally blind, you are eligible for more services to get, like, books by mail. And it's like on audio team.
- [11:51]
Jen
And I think the other thing to do is if there are things that. So let's say that someone out there is like, oh, my gosh, look at this amazing list, which I promise we're gonna talk about in a minute. I don't think my library has these books. Right. One of the things you can also do is, like, go to your library and say, I mean, I know it's really hard to sort of like, get up the gumption if you think you can't do person, you can write a letter. I'm a romance reader and I found this really cool list from the New York Public Library. And I know that we are not the New York Public Library. Right. But I looked and, you know, I wish we had more romance. Like, I think librarians love to hear, like, what their people in their community want to read. Right?
- [12:33]
Kate
Yes. Yeah. It makes us, like, really happy. Like last year, actually past March, like, our romance and our urban books were in the same bookcase, and they were very crowded. And I was able to get some bookcase face moves. So the urban books now have their own section. And my urban readers are, like, excited because now they don't have to like, like, basically be crouching on the floor to get the books. We have more space. And then the romance section, because now we had more shelves that exploded. So. And I will take this to my dying day. A patron came up to me he's like, that romance section got so much better.
- [13:08]
Jen
I'm like, yeah, your library can only know that you want that if you tell them, right? If you're checking out those materials, if you are, you know. And so like I said, if you think you can't, like, walk up to them and say, I'm a romance reader. Where's your romance section? You could, like, you know, look and then send them a letter later. Hey, you know, I promise they're not gonna, like, stop you at the door.
- [13:29]
Kate
And if anything, you'll find out your librarian's a closet romance reader, too, and be like, let's talk in the corner.
- [13:35]
Grace
Yes, I love that.
- [13:36]
Jen
Okay, so let's talk about the list. How many books ended up on the list? And then, like, tell us about some of the ones that you just think are the best that Fated Mates listeners might want to read about or read.
- [13:49]
Kate
We have a total of 50. And because I was listening to the podcast from the other week, and Sarah was talking about the little birds outside her window, I'm wondering if birding with benefits would be a big hit, which was so cute. And I'm like. And of course, it's like, I read this book months ago, and I'm quickly, yes, Celeste is a divorcee. She is just doing her uri. Yes. And she winds up accidentally involved in a birding competition and as this guy's fake girlfriend. And it's so sweet. And also, I'm also a bird person. I have four parakeets. They are not here right now. That's why it's quiet. And it was delightful for me. I was like.
- [14:33]
Jen
Yeah. And that's like, an example of, like, it was a debut romance last year, too. So it's also nice, like, a lot of people. It might not be on your radar because this is a new. A new author. Okay, Grace, what about you? What's. Give us one of your favorites.
- [14:47]
Grace
I can't give you one, but I can give you a whole block of them.
- [14:50]
Jen
I'll take it.
- [14:51]
Grace
Towards the end of the committee, I realized there wasn't a plethora of historicals on the list. So I nominated constantly. Like, I think I may have nominated 12 on one Saturday.
- [15:06]
Kate
I think I cried a little bit.
- [15:10]
Grace
Because they all had to read them, like, in one week. I'm so sorry. That was horrible of me, but.
- [15:15]
Kate
And I was the person who had to send the email going, like, hey, guys. Blaine, Grace.
- [15:19]
Grace
But Grace had a small breakdown. But, yeah. So seven of them made it on the list, I think, and they're all really wonderful. Julianne Long's new one's on there.
- [15:32]
Jen
Yeah. So good.
- [15:33]
Grace
Amelie Howard had a pirate romance that was on there. Any Duke in a Storm, which I've been working my way to getting a pirate romance on this list.
- [15:42]
Kate
She has.
- [15:43]
Grace
And now I feel like I've culminated and I'm happy with my life now. Yeah. And there are a whole bunch of others that are on the list.
- [15:50]
Kate
Oh, Sophie Jordan.
- [15:52]
Grace
Yes, the Sophie Jordan.
- [15:54]
Kate
Oh, my God, I love that one.
- [15:56]
Grace
Yeah.
- [15:58]
Jen
Oh, yeah. The next in the.
- [16:00]
Kate
It was the Duchess.
- [16:00]
Grace
The Duchess.
- [16:02]
Jen
The Duchess. Yeah.
- [16:03]
Grace
Yeah, yeah.
- [16:04]
Kate
So, like, yeah, last year for me, it was like, that's my favorite. It was like moody historicals and also baseball romances. And it's like the historicals made sense. Baseball does not. I'm not a big understander of baseball, but I was like, I was there.
- [16:18]
Jen
We talk all the time about discoverability and how hard it is. There is a flood of books out there. There's so many. And so having someone. And especially like, you know, a list like this where it's not just a listicle. Right. Librarians read these books and they are the ones saying, these are great reads. So that means that these are like, for a lot of people. You know, I was looking at the list. There are books I had not heard of or there are other books where I was like, oh, I. This was on my radar. I forgot about it. And so it was exciting to see that like, sort of pop up again for me. And the fact that they're all essentially pretty recent. Right. These were all 20. 2024. Right. Means that you could definitely get to the point where, you know, you're like, oh, there's a. There's definitely a book, you know, a book I can find that I'm an. And it's all different kinds of sub genres. So it's not just know, rom coms or, you know, like, there's really something for everyone on this list.
- [17:19]
Grace
We're all a bunch of diverse readers and we all. And the list reflects that. It's. It's a very diverse and varied list and we're very proud of it.
- [17:30]
Jen
You should be. It's terrific. And we're really happy to have, like, have this, you know, have this happen. So, you know, next year maybe we'll get it together and like, actually get you on a little bit further in advance. Like, this kind of all came at us in a rush. But, you know, this is a big, fun weekend. This is also a time I would imagine a lot of people are Willing to try a romance.
- [17:57]
Grace
Right?
- [17:57]
Jen
Like, maybe they've never done it before. And so this is a great, great. It's a great place to start. And it's a. It's a terrific list. Anything else you want to share with fated mates listeners before we go?
- [18:13]
Kate
There may have been some undignified screaming and cheering when we got the email that you wanted to.
- [18:24]
Jen
I'm really happy that this. We could do this because we know that. Listen, every single romance reader I know was made a romance reader at a library, right? Because we read too fast to really. Unless you're really independently wealthy, you're really relying heavily on the library. And I, you know, I tell the story all the time. I grew up in Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County Public Library is where we would go to, like, you know, the North Olmsted branch was my branch. And my mom, like, you guys, I love the story. My son thinks this is, like, the funniest story ever. My mom had to, like, go up and make special borrowing privileges for me because I, like, she got them to. To move me from, like, 20 books to 50 or whatever, because I just was, like, moving through them so fast. And we had, like, a whole, like, like, system in my house. Like, all the books stayed in one place, and I would, like, take them and put them back. And you know, I. And you know what else I feel like thinking back, right? Like, I was a teenage romance reader, and those. The people in that branch never questioned me, right? They never said, should you be reading this or. Right. Like, they trusted me as a reader and to know what I wanted to read. And I, like, that's the greatest gift that any reader could ever have is someone who says to them, this is what you want to read. Let me make that happen. And I'm not going to question you. And I. So, from me, I just want to say thanks to all the librarians, but I think a lot of us have had that experience, so thank you, Grace and Kate and all of the librarians everywhere. You're the ones who make us. Who make us great because we couldn't do without you, literally. I would be. I would be. Well, I'd be destitute in the street of the library.
- [20:20]
Kate
I mean, I. Grace, do you also have to be, like. Have to have, like, a mind over with you to the gripped bodice? Because I'm like, I'm afraid to go in there. Like, I'm like, like, should I just keep in my, like, wallet? Like, can you guys fold it and only let me buy, like, three books? And four stickers.
- [20:38]
Jen
Yeah. The first time I went into the rip bodice, I. I gave myself, like, a number. I was like, I can spend this much money in here.
- [20:46]
Grace
Yeah.
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Kate
I think I actually started crying in there. I was so overwhelmed with joy.
- [20:51]
Grace
I went to the ripped bodice after I went ax throwing, which I'm very good at, by the way. Nobody would expect this of me.
- [20:59]
Kate
I do.
- [20:59]
Grace
I had to bring my sister with me. I had to bring my sister with me, and she gave me two books and one trinket, and that was it. I did not obey it.
- [21:08]
Jen
Yeah.
- [21:09]
Grace
I did not obey her. I walked out with two shopping bags.
- [21:13]
Jen
Listen, don't obey in advance. We know the rules for 20, 25.
- [21:18]
Kate
And when I'm one of my girlfriends lives right by there, and she's like, I have to walk by with the winders, so she doesn't go there right after work every day.
- [21:28]
Jen
But you don't have to feel that way at the library. You can get whatever you want. Right? Exactly. And you know what, though? It's. You know, we joke. It's not free. Like. Right. Our tax dollars pay for the library. And we are. We get to. We deserve the library. That. You know what? We deserve the library. And it's a wonderful thing. One of the. Literally the most magical things. So this is a great list. I think it's going to be a re. It's terrific to know that it exists and really nice to know that it's out there. All right, well, thank you so much. And this is going to show up on our YouTube channel so everybody will see our, like, smiling faces. And if you were ever at their branches, you should definitely say hi. And I know I have a friend who lives on the Upper west side, so if I'm ever there, maybe we'll walk over.
- [22:18]
Kate
That would be great.
- [22:19]
Jen
I've never been to Staten Island, Grace, so I'm sorry. That might not happen for me and you. You.
- [22:22]
Grace
But it's totally fine. It's a journey.
- [22:25]
Kate
But the ferry is free.
- [22:27]
Grace
The ferry is free.
- [22:28]
Jen
That's true.
- [22:29]
Kate
The fairy is free.
- [22:30]
Jen
I know that because of Working Girl, the movie.
- [22:33]
Grace
I love that movie.
- [22:34]
Jen
I know because it's. That's the best.
- [22:37]
Grace
It is the best.
- [22:38]
Jen
Great romance. What a way to end. All right, thank you so much.
- [22:44]
Kate
Thank you. And have a great Valentine's Day.