Drinks in the Library

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

On Beauty by Zadie Smith follows two feuding families—the liberal Belseys and the conservative Kippses—whose lives collide in a New England university town, exploring themes of race, family, politics, and love through sharp satire and witty dialogue.

Kirkus Reviews calls Marriage and Other Monuments, Virginia Pye’s recently published book, “A fascinating and audacious novel of family, marriage and a society in flux.” It is a #1 Amazon bestseller in New Southern FictionVirginia’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, Publisher’s Weekly, Writer’s Digest, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She has taught writing at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, and, most recently, at GrubStreet in Boston. Virginia is Fiction Editor of the literary journal Pangyrus and serves on the board of the Women’s National Book Association, Boston Chapter.

Drink this week: The Zadie Smith - obvi! This recipe is from the book: Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women - Check it out!

In this Episode

Marriage and Other Monuments by Virginia Pye
Style Weekly Best of Richmond 2026
Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women
Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica is a dystopian horror novel where a virus makes all animal meat poisonous, leading to the legalization and industrialization of human cannibalism! Yes, it’s quite a story by Argentine author Bazterrica, but it also does what great horror does so well, that it makes you think about parallels in our real world, and led to an amazing conversation between myself and author Ashley Peters!

Author Ashley Peters resides in East Austin, Texas, with her partner, Danny, and their three rescue mutts—Bently, Fredrik, and Bruno. A self-declared bibliophile and lifelong storyteller, she has been crafting tales since childhood, along the way writing for various scholarships and minor publications before fully committing herself to the realm of novel creation.
When she is not writing, she can be found immersed in nature, far from the noise of the world—hiking, kayaking, savoring inventive cuisine, or enjoying a matcha latte. At home, her garden and personal library serve as sanctuaries, though she deeply appreciates the artistic and quirky spirit that defines Austin. Having traveled extensively, she credits each place and community with shaping her life in meaningful and lasting ways. While she cannot predict what lies ahead, she embraces each new chapter as an opportunity for adventure, always ready to choose a daring side quest over a mundane path.

Our drink is a very dark Blackberry Margarita, and the reason we picked it? Well, I’ll let you figure that one out 😂

Blackberry Margarita

Ingredients
2 oz silver tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz blackberry syrup
0.5 oz grenadine
Black sugar, for rimming
Crushed ice
Fresh blackberries, for garnish

Directions
Prepare your glass. Use a lime wedge to moisten the rim of a margarita or cocktail glass. Dip the rim into a shallow plate of black sugar, rotating gently to coat evenly. Set aside.
Combine ingredients. In a cocktail shaker, add the silver tequila, fresh lime juice, blackberry syrup, and grenadine. Fill the shaker with crushed ice.
Shake thoroughly. Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 15–20 seconds, until the outside of the shaker feels frosty and the drink is well chilled.
Serve. Fill the prepared glass with fresh crushed ice. Strain the mixture into the glass.
Garnish. Add a few fresh blackberries on top. Serve immediately!

In this Episode

Tickets to my Live Interview with Award Winning Author Meg Medina at the Bon Air Book Festival
Bon Air Book Festival
Monkeypaw Productions
Thrutopian Fiction