One thought that came out of Episode 259 for Chat was the idea of reading books that comfort, relaxation, and extend our imagination. The books that we seek out during this time should provide a little bit of an escape from some of the daily uncertainty we've been feeling. In the past few podcasts, I've talked about books that were emotionally powerful and very worthwhile reads. One of the things that I like about the All the Books Podcast is their use of the term"trigger warnings." I am not a fan of censorship nor am I likely to take a book out of a student's hands that they really want to read wherever it lands on the middle grade/young adult spectrum. I have also suggested to students that books they are anxious to read but may not be quite ready for are worth the wait I have been asked several times over the years if I label books in the collection to inform prospective readers about difficult topics or issues they might encounter. To date, I have not. Somehow hearing the hosts of this podcast using the trigger warning term made me feel more inclined to include that in future book talks. 
In this podcast, though the hosts of All the Books discussed series past and present that were steeped in spycraft, magic, and in most cases "girl power." All of these ideas resonated with me. No trigger warnings needed this week. The first series and one that I have only recently jumped into myself is the Agency Series by Y.S. Lee. A Spy in the House introduces us to Mary Quinn a young thief and pickpocket, in 1850's London who has been sentenced to the gallows for her crimes. Instead of finding herself at the end of the hangman's noose though she is rescued by one of the founders of Miss Scrimshaw's Academy and is offered a singular opportunity for a world-class education for girls. (Read) After finishing her education at seventeen, Mary has reached a crossroad realizing she doesn't want to be a teacher or governess and instead seeks adventure in the wider world. At this point, she is given the opportunity to train and become part of the Agency, a network of young women spies. Mary accepts and finds herself assuming the guise of a young lady's companion, to infiltrate a rich merchant's home and learn what is happening to his cargo ships. Mary quickly learns that the home is filled with danger and deception. She does not know who to trust.
All the Books has what they call Backlisted episodes, books that were published a while ago and are worth a revisit humorously called 1/2 episodes such as they are usually shared between the All the Books Episodes. So in the spirit of giving full credit but also really liking the idea of revisiting books that are worth a second look, next week will talks about "backlisted" books in our "chat from the stacks"