Middle Ground Books: After Hours

Megan, Debra, and Lance sit down for a casual get-to-know-us episode about the choices, accidents, and small acts of welcome that helped shape Middle Ground Books into more than just a shop over the past two years.In this chapter, the hosts celebrate two years of Middle Ground Books and the unexpected moments in their lives that have stuck with them to this day. They talk small business, community, and upcoming book clubs, all while painting a portrait of the people behind the counter. There’s also a surprise guest and a story about Africa that you wouldn’t expect.📚 Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.🌎 Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.📖 Print and Ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooks🎧 Audiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooks🏪 If you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.📅 You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.com📱 Follow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community. 📚✨📅 Store Events and News🎉 Middle Ground Books 2nd Anniversary Celebration(Father’s Day weekend at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, Kansas)✍️ Meadowlark Writing Workshop(June 18th at Middle Ground Books)📚 Fantasy Book Club(Discussing The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins on June 25th)🛸 UFO Book Club(Reading The Close Encounters Man by Mark O’Connell)📚 Family Story Time(Every Saturday at 11 AM)📖 The Covered PagesThe Library at Mount Char by Scott HawkinsThe Close Encounters Man by Mark O’ConnellReverse Centaur’s Guide to Build Better AI by Cory DoctorowStarting a Business QuickStart Guide by Ken Colwell, PhD, MBAHow to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You by The OatmealTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com (@CosmicAtomSounds)

A dead author’s unfinished book. Children forced into someone else’s plan. An ancient soul weighing. A flock of sheep solving a murder. Megan, Debra, and Lance talk about the stories people leave behind, who gets control of them, and why scotch may or may not count as soup.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebooks https://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobooks https://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📅 Store Events and News🎉 Middle Ground Books 2nd Anniversary Celebration (Father’s Day in June at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, Kansas)🎬 Page to Screen Book Club (Launching in June, led by Kai)📚 Family Story Time (Every Saturday at 11 AM)🧢 Research Mode Hats Now In Stock (Green Middle Ground Books hats with the shop logo and the listener favorite “Research Mode” detail)📖 The Covered PagesThe Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke Heirs by Faridah Àbíké Íyímídé The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin Dad Brain by Darby Saxbe, PhD The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Papyrus Ani, compiled by E. A. Wallis Budge Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann Big Bad Wolf by Leonie SwannMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com

June is packed, and so is this episode. Megan, Debra, and Lance break down the biggest new releases hitting the shelves, including Ann Patchett’s quietly unsettling Whistler, Melissa Albert’s dark fairy tale adult fiction The Children, Isabel J. Kim’s buzzy sci fi thriller Sublimation, and Marion, a feminist Psycho retelling where this time, the knife is in her hands.Then a customer asks for fantasy novels without romance, and the shelf gets complicated fast. Project Hail Mary, Murderbot, Discworld, Piranesi, gothic fiction, Miss Marple, self defense, Harlequins, and Lance’s possible 500 subscriber romance punishment all end up inside the no mance debate.Can you recommend great books without romance, especially in fantasy?Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are!Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📖 The Covered PagesBooks by Melissa AlbertThe ChildrenThe Hazel Wood duology and companionBooks by Terry PratchettMortHogfatherGuards! Guards!Books by Susanna ClarkePiranesiJonathan Strange & Mr. NorrellBooks by Ann PatchettWhistlerBooks by Isabel J. KimSublimationBooks by Katherine ArdenThe Unicorn HuntersBooks by Maggie O’FarrellLandBooks by Lisa SeeDaughters of the Sun and MoonBooks by Leah RowanMarionBooks by Jennifer N. BrownThe Last Book of Elizabeth BartonBooks by John ScalziStarter VillainBooks by Martha WellsMurderbot DiariesBooks by CzajkowskiGreen City WarsBooks by Alex MichaelidesThe Silent PatientBooks by J. R. R. TolkienLord of the RingsBooks by Stephen KingMiseryBooks by Edwin AbbottFlatlandMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com ( ⁨@CosmicAtomSounds⁩)

Summer reads, childhood memories, and a whole lot of books. Megan, Debra, and Lance talk public pools, farm work, county fairs, and the stories they snuck in after dark. Plus June book club picks, a store birthday, discounts, and what is on their reading lists for the season.What childhood book still feels tied to summer in your memory?Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebooks https://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobooks https://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📖 The Covered PagesEscape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key The Trouble With Miss Switch by Barbara Brooks Wallace The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clark The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins The Close Encounters Man by Mark O’Connell The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe The Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst A Far Flung Life by M. L. Stedman The Light Between Oceans by M. L. StedmanMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com ( @CosmicAtomSounds⁩)

An episode recorded near Christmas 2025, sent forward like a bookstore time capsule. Megan, Debra, and Lance have a conversation that somehow involves a naked detective over Los Angeles, imprisoned gods, betrayal, lost Narnia doors, and food comparisons that we have now grown accustomed to.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📖 The Covered PagesThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. JemisinStripped for Murder by Richard S. PratherEmbers by Sandor MaraiThe Lost Story by Meg ShafferThe Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. LewisMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com

Lit RPG takes over the shop as Megan, Debra, and Lance dig into Dungeon Crawler Carl, A Parade of Horribles, and the strange pull of stories built around game mechanics, monsters, and impossible odds. The conversation branches into isekai, Aethon Books, sci-fi versus fantasy, Reddit reactions, and why Matt Dinniman’s series hits harder than its premise suggests.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📖 The Covered PagesStrange Buildings by Uketsu Silvercloak by L. K. Steven The Close Encounters Man by Mark O'Connell The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman (Book 8 of Dungeon Crawler Carl) Delvers LLC by Blaise Corvin He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon The Primal Hunter by Zogarth Hell Difficulty Tutorial by Cerim The Martian by Andy Weir Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir The Three Body Problem by Liu CixinMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com

Debra, Megan, and Lance settle in after a long week for a looser, after-hours recording. The conversation drifts through Emporia Kansas events, Comic Con memories, merchandise ideas, and the podcast’s unexpected international reach, with side tangents that stretch from Bob Ross to Scooby-Doo. Another chance to spend time with the hosts outside the usual book talk. Well…for the most part.Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.📖 The Covered PagesAmerican Fantasy by Emma StraubThe Egyptian Book of the Dead by E. A. Wallis BudgeProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirAbsent by Brendan P. BellacourtOh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. SeussWill the Pigeon Graduate by Mo WillemsYou’re On Your Way by Melanie WattMarcie and the Giraffe by Kim Gregory12 Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. BeaulieuThe Dragons of Deepwood Fen by Bradley P. BeaulieuA Veil of Spears by Bradley P. BeaulieuMiddle Ground Books After Hours is produced and audio engineered by Cosmic Atom Sound Studios. If you’re working on a podcast, business media, or creative project and need audio, video, or media assets, learn more at https://www.cosmicatomsounds.com

Independent Bookstore Day is almost here, so the shop is in prep mode. There are plans for a costume event for kids, raffle prizes, local authors coming through, and a couple golden tickets hidden somewhere in the store. In between all the planning, the trio still finds time to give the rundown.When a bookstore turns an event into something interactive, does it bring people in or just add to the noise around it?Support Middle Ground Books wherever you are.Physical books and ebooks are available worldwide through the shop’s Bookshop page, and audiobooks are available through the store as well.Print and ebookshttps://bookshop.org/shop/middlegroundbooksAudiobookshttps://libro.fm/middlegroundbooksIf you’re near Emporia, Kansas, visit Middle Ground Books and Gifts at 606 Commercial Street, Emporia, KS to browse in person, meet the team, and find your next great read.You can also explore upcoming events, book clubs, and everything happening at https://www.middlegroundbooks.comFollow and subscribe to @middlegroundbooks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay connected with the shop and the reading community.This chapter centers on Independent Bookstore Day at Middle Ground Books, with plans for a costume event, raffle prizes, local authors, and a couple golden tickets hidden somewhere in the store. Megan, Lance, and Debra talk through what’s coming together, what’s already in motion, and what they’ve been reading in the middle of it all, from mystery and horror to a few unexpected standouts.📖 The Covered PagesThe Wishing Game by Meg ShafferThe Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. HarrowA Song to Drown Rivers by Ann LiangMy Husband’s Wife by Alice FeeneyKingdom of Ash by Sarah J. MaasVicious by V. E. SchwabProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirDante’s Inferno by Dante AlighieriDelvers LLC by Blaise CorvinDungeon Crawler Carl: The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt DinnimanThe Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey HartmanShroud by Adrian TchaikovskyWhat Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher