Books with Betsy

On this episode, Samiksha Gaur, a mom and baker who has found herself enjoying dark romance recently, talks to me about her life engaging with bookish social media. We talk about a bunch of series that she loves, how she got back into reading later in life, and we give a big shoutout to Tanima Kazi for getting us connected!   Follow Samiksha on Instagram    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab New People by Danzy Senna  King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby    Books Highlighted by Samiksha: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross Broken Bonds (The Bonds that Tie Series #1) by J. Bree A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR Series #1) by Sarah J. Maas  The Kat Bunglar by Tanima Kazi  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Quicksilver by Callie Heart Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  Lady Iris's Lover by Kelsey Painter Mindf*ck by S.T. Abby  Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Famous Five by Beja & Nataël  Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene Goosebumps by R.L. Stine  Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton  Never Lie by Frieda McFadden  There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak  Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros  Caraval by Stephanie Garber  Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber 

On this episode, Jess Abra Sandy, a self-described lapsed opera singer and cyber security expert talks about how poetry has provided for her in different ways as her seasons of life change. We also talk about books that make us want to throw them across the room, how her reading life has changed as her kid has grown, and Jess shares a lot of very insightful thoughts about the reading life.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Devil House by John Darnielle Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet  Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson   Books Highlighted by Jess: What Narcissism Means to Me by Tony Hoagland Priest, Turned Therapist, Treats Fear of God by Tony Hoagland Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor I Sailed with Magellan by Stuart Dybek The Ocean in the Next Room by Sarah V. Schweig Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss  The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones East of Eden by John Steinbeck My World - And Welcome to It by James Thurber    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin  Nancy Drew #1: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene The Wasteland, Prufrock, and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot  Fox by Joyce Carol Oates  The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop & Amy Sherman-Palladino  White Teeth by Zadie Smith  Midwest Shreds by Mandy Shunnarah  Good Bones by Maggie Smith  Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson  Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson  Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

On this episode, Caroline Pilman, a fellow Chicago Public Schools teacher, and I discuss the many ways of reading, all of which are acceptable. We also discuss a shared pet peeve in children's literature, how a seasonal career can affect the reading life, and how Chicago Public Schools does one thing right.    American Library Association Lists  CPS Battle of the Books 2025   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak  Amatka by Karin Tidbeck Devil House by John Darnielle   Books Highlighted by Caroline: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt  One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Kristy's Great Idea (The Babysitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin The Giver by Lois Lowry  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle  Dog Man by Dav Pilkey The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson  Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson

On this episode, Meara McNitt, a social media professional who loves stories of all types, discusses her love for all kinds of books, including an interest that her friends suggest she doesn't yell about in the bookstore. She talks about a lot of books that haven't appeared on the show yet and I go on a bit of a rant about one of my favorite hot takes.    Meara on TikTok    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak  Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe    Books Highlighted by Meara: Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell  That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams  Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson  Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig  They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas  The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  Divergent by Veronica Roth  Matched by Ally Condie  Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots: Bailey School Kids #1 by Debbie Dadey  Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne  The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz & Stephen Gammell  Unwind by Neal Shusterman  Scythe by Neal Shusterman  House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig  Hose of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig  Small Favors by Erin A. Craig  The Belladonna Collection by Adalyn Grace  All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace  A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi  The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict  Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell  My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite  Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite  Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh  Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas  The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  Severance by Ling Ma Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson  The Lamb by Lucy Rose  A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers  Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda  1984 by George Orwell  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley  Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell's 1984 by Sandra Newman

On this episode, Austin Waters, a friend of mine from high school, describes how he has had lots of experience with many different types of reading and writing. We discuss reading plays, how we read so many good books in high school, and how competition in reading can be detrimental.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge  There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak    Books Highlighted by Austin: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut  Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie  In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Assata: an Autobiography by Assata Shakur  Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun There are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America by Alex Kotlowitz  Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes  The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon Someone Like You by Roald Dahl My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist by Mark Leyner Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live by Rob Dunn    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Educated by Tara Westover  Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson & GB Trudeau  A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole Redwall by Brian Jacques  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Animal Farm by George Orwell  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz  Decoded by Jay-Z  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  The Banshees of Inisherin by Martin McDonagh  Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri by Martin McDonagh  On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong  The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong  Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders  Yellowface by R.F. Kuang  The Epic of Gilgamesh trans. Andrew George  Nothing to Be Frightened Of by Julian Barnes  The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes  Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez  Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba  Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan  The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver  Hamlet by William Shakespeare  The Tempest by William Shakespeare  Macbeth by William Shakespeare  The Odyssey by Homer  No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman  Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon  Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton  On The Calculation of Volume Book I by Solvej Balle, trans. Barbara J. Haveland  House of Fury by Evelio Rosero, trans. Victor Meadowcroft  On The Clock by Claire Baglin, trans. Jordan Stump

On this episode, Chelsey Stone, a freelance writer and book tour leader, describes herself as someone who reads to learn. She brings a lot of really great non-fiction books to the show, and while some of them can be a bit of a bummer, these books help Chelsey learn more about herself and the world while facing reality through reading.    NatGeo article about the Chicago River Read and Run on the Road in DC  Guided Tour of Lemont's Waterways    Book Talk and Signing for The Kat Bunglar with Tanima Kazi    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich  West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge    Books Highlighted by: Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe  Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barabara Demick The Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Investigation by Alexander Solzhenitsyn The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of WWII by Iris Chang Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher R. Browning  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson  Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb  Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos  All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque  How to Read a Book by Charles Van Doren and Mortimer J. Adler    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Instagram for Dummies by Corey Walker, et al  Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe  Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck  Cannery Row by John Steinbeck  To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck  Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo  The Address Book by Deirdre Mask  Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders  A Woman's Place Is in the Brewhouse by Tara Nurin & Teri Fahrendorf  Life of Pi by Yann Martel  Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard  Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe  The Fate of Africa by Martin Meredith  One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler  The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler 

On this episode, Johannah @memydogandbooks who loves to shout about books on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and I discuss leaning into cozy hobbies, reading widely and eclectically, and an overlapping prize interest for us. We also discuss how horror is an underrated genre and why it works, even for scaredy-cats!   Find Johanna on Instagram Find Johanna on TikTok Find Johanna on YouTube    Book Talk and Signing for The Kat Bunglar with Tanima Kazi    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Mean Girl Feminism: How White Feminists Gaslight, Gatekeep, & Girlboss by Kim Hong Nguyen The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich    Books Highlighted by Johanna: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi The Reformatory by Tananarive Due  Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez  Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero Duck Feet by Ely Percy On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart  Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, trans. Sarah Moses Doppleganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Never Flinch by Stephen King  Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix Betty by Tiffany McDaniel  The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, trans. Sarah Moses  Cackle by Rachel Harrison  Lock Every Door by Riley Sager  The Return by Rachel Harrison So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison  Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens  A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry  I'm Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy  The Between by Tananarive Due The Secret History by Donna Tartt  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin  Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart  Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

On this episode, Hannah Gordon, a fellow CPS teacher and I discuss the importance of the library as a public service, how your reading life can turn around from what people expect of you as a child, and she brings some really great books to the show that haven't been talked about yet.    Find Hannah on TikTok Book Talk and Signing for The Kat Bunglar with Tanima Kazi    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Are You Happy? By Lori Ostlund On the Calculation of Volume (Book 1) by Solvej Balle  The Kat Bunglar by Tanima Kazi    Books Highlighted by Hannah: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson My Death by Lisa Tuttle  The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares, trans. Ruth L.C. Simms  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner  Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali, trans. Maureen Freely & Alexander Dawes  Penance by Eliza Clark  Woman at Point Zero by Nawal el Sadaawi I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, trans. Ros Schwartz   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Severance by Ling Ma  How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu  Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado  In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado  Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros  Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

On this episode, Christopher Hermelin, host of the podcast So Many Damn Books and I discuss his life that revolves around books, our shared love for stories on the continuum of weird, and we both go on a bit of a tear about over-comped books. You can also hear me get totally sucked in by something Christopher recommends.    So Many Damn Books The Roving Typist    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Are You Happy? By Lori Ostlund   Books Highlighted by Christopher: Skippy Dies by Paul Murray  Earthlings by Sayaka Murata  Bear by Marian Engle 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino  Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli  Heart of Junk by Luke Geddes The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters 17776 What Football will Look Like in the Future by Jon Bois Bluets by Maggie Nelson   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio  On the Calculation of Volume Book 1 by Solvej Balle, trans. Barbara J. Haveland  Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal  Nutshell by Ian McEwan  Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume Redwall by Brian Jacques  The Twits by Roald Dahl  The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender  Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender  Bunny by Mona Awad  We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad  The Magicians by Lev Grossman  The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman  Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link  Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, trans. Anton Hur  Mumbai New York Scranton by Tamara Shopsin  Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin  LaserWriter II by Tamara Shopsin  Parakeet by Marie-Helene Bertino  Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino  Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino  You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman  Good Girl by Aria Aber  Something New Under the Sun by Alexandra Kleeman  Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang  The Bee Sting by Paul Murray  The Mark and the Void by Paul Murray  Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata  Bear by Julia Phillips Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli  Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn  The Secret History by Donna Tartt  If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio  The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin  The Martian by Andy Weir  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern  The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas 

On this episode, my mom, Mary Hopper Welander, and I discuss shared reading memories from my childhood, how much the library has impacted both of our reading lives, and how her reading life has changed in retirement. She also gives some great advice about how to develop a love of reading in your child.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  On the Calculation of Volume (Book 1) by Solvej Balle  Moms Like Us by Jordan Roter   Books Highlighted by Mary: The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny  Bel Canto by Ann Patchett A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Pachinko by Min Jin Lee  Trust by Hernan Diaz  Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson  The Women by Kristin Hannah Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Come, Have Breakfast: Meditations on God and the Earth by Elizabeth A. Johnson The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg  Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell  The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun  The Black Wolf by Louise Penny  The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman  The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis  My Name is Barbara by Barbara Streisand  Animal Farm by George Orwell  Political Theology Based in Community by Marty Tomszak  Rules of Civility by Amor Towles  The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles  The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict  Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson  Gilead by Marilynne Robinson A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle  Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle 

On this episode, Alayna Mills, a college writing teacher, discusses their love for reading everything all the time, by incorporating reading into all parts of their day. We also talk about their wide reading preferences, we get deep on a few specific books, and we find a shared notebook of book prize stress.    Follow Alayna on Instagram   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  On the Calculation of Volume (Book 1) by Solvej Balle  Audition by Katie Kitimura  Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah    Books Highlighted by Alayna: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab What If We Get it Right: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte  On the Calculation of Volume (Book 1) by Solvej Balle The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe  Oye by Melissa Mogollon Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke Ghosts by Dolly Alderton Exalted by Anna Dorn Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown Prodigal Summer by Barabara Kingsolver  The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave  The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver  The Details by Ia Genberg  Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa  Dune by Frank Herbert  All Fours by Miranda July  Heir by Sabaa Tahir  All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir  Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon  Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond

On this episode, Bre @Brezzylovesbooks, a therapist who also runs the Raleigh chapter of Well-Read Black Girl, and I discuss our shared love of book communities, problematic characters, and why romance isn't our reading preference. I also give a rare TV recommendation!    Follow Bre on Instagram More info about Well-Read Black Girl in Raleigh  Well-Read Black Girl Raleigh Instagram   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda On the Calculation of Volume (Book 1) by Solvej Balle    Books Highlighted by Bre: Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson  There There by Tommy Orange  Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology ed. by Amber Flame & Elaina Ellis Girl, Gurl, Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic by Kenya Hunt   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel  The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats  Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain  Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe  A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen  Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury  The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri  The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri  Heavy by Kiese Laymon  Pushout by Monique Couvson The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones  Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange  Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan 

On this episode, Trevor Dykes, a fantasy reader who has written his own fantasy saga, and I discuss how he fits in reading as a father of two young kiddos, what piques his interest in a fantasy, and how much of a commitment some of the long series are. We also get into the difference between the second in a trilogy versus the second in a series - there's a difference!   Get Trevor's Book, Titan's Garden Crimson Wolf here!  Support my Open Books fundraiser   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Anita De Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez  The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa   Books Highlighted by Trevor: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson  Thrawn (Star Wars) by Timothy Zahn The Boyfriend by Frieda McFadden  The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson  The Passengers by John Marrs Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Red Rising by Pierce Brown  A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony SNicket  The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson  Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi  A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  Jade City by Fonda Lee  Storm Front by Jim Butcher

On this episode, Maggie Brennan, a loyal member of the Off Color Book Club, and I discuss the retellings she will always read, how being an oldest sister impacted her reading life, and the way that her Irish family has impacted her reading life. She also talks about her favorite fantasy and sci-fi and how these genres can tell stories that reflect our reality.    Support my Open Books fundraiser   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat  Before the Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kurian Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis    Books Highlighted by Maggie: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas  The Daughters of Temperance Hobbes by Katherine Howe Bride of the Tornado by James Kennedy  In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver  Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins  Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang  On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan  Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Kindred by Octavia Butler  Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler  Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler  Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  Trust by Hernan Diaz  White Tears by Hari Kunzru  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 

On this episode, Deedi Brown, who runs The Booker of the Month book club, and I discuss the crossover love of literary fiction and genre, getting sucked in by award lists, and how being more involved in books turns into a snowball!    Follow Deedi on Instagram  Find Deedi's Substack here  Get more information about Booker of the Month Club   Support my Open Books fundraiser   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat  Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis    Books Highlighted by Deedi: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Crescent City Series by Sarah J. Maas The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo  The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller  The Actual Star by Monica Byrne The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez  Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton Fed is Best: The Unintended Harms of the “Breast is Best” Message and How to Find the Right Approach for You and Your Baby by Christie del Castillo-Hegyi, B. Jody Segrave-Daly, & Lynnette Hafken  Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Wisdom of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Choosing to Run by Des Linden, Bonnie D. Ford  The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride  Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann  Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo  Lenny by Max Porter  The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead  Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James  Disappearing Earth by Julia Philips  Trust Exercise by Susan Choi  Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange  This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud  Playground by Richard Powers  Bel Canto by Ann Pachett  The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht  Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros  Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros  Circe by Madeline Miller  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

On this episode, Meredith Turits, debut novelist, and I discuss the process of making her book come to life, how amazing her editor is, and the best ways to support friends who are writers. We also discuss her book, Just Want You Here, which I encourage anyone to go pick up!   Order Just Want You Here!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden   Books Highlighted by Meredith: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Wedding People by Alison Espach The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm by Emmeline Cline The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Watership Down by Richard Adams  East of Eden by John Steinbeck A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving  American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis  Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis  Anthropology of the American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann  The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer  Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer  Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  The Wayside by Caroline Wolff  Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake  Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

On this episode, Rebecca Schinsky and Jeff O'Neal of Book Riot sit down and talk to me about their reading lives. We talk about their professional work in the world of books, how Oliver Burkeman would feel about my bad bookish habit, and how any book can be interesting if you're curious enough.    Listen to the Book Riot Podcast  Listen to First Edition Better Living Through Books Newsletter (and the rest of the Book Riot Newsletters!)  Jeff and Rebecca Live at Powells!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker   Books Highlighted by Rebecca & Jeff: Sula by Toni Morrison  The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro  The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt  Lab Girl: A Memoir by Hope Jahren  Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes  We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry The Street by Ann Petry How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur The Orchard: A Memoir by Adele Crockett Robertson Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman  When Women Were Birds: Fifty-Four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams  Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott  Conscious Business: How to Build Value through Values by Fred Kofman    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson  House of Cotton by Monica Brashears  Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy  Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman by Callum Robinson  Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchinson  Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life by Shigehiro Oishi  Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by Oliver Burkeman  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card  The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien  The Shining by Stephen King  Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro  My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover  All Fours by Miranda July  Passing by Nella Larsen

On this episode, Betsy Kipnis, a multi-hyphenate who loves a wide variety of authors, and I discuss some shared favorites, great Chicago bookstores, and she has some great stories. She discusses books that are multi-sensory and we get spicy about a beloved author.    Betsy's Blog - Bookisshh Barbara Kingsolver's Recovery Center    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Road to the Salt Sea by Samuel Kọláwọlé Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis     Books Highlighted by Betsy: Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris  How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold  Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak  The Vegetarian by Han Kang  Human Acts by Han Kang  Native Son by Richard Wright  Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by Oliver Burkeman    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Chocolat by Joanne Harris  Annie Bot by Sierra Greer  Hum by Helen Phillips  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood  Colored Television by Danzy Senna We Do Not Part by Han Kang  Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews  Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume  Rouge by Mona Awad  Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah  Yellowface by R.F. Kuang  Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano  Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu  Breasts and Eggs by Meiko Kwakami  Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka  Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance  Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy  Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover  The Guest by Emma Cline The Girls by Emma Cline  Luster by Raven Leilani  The Bean Trees by Barabara Kingsolver  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan  There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America by Alex Kotlowitz  Oedipus Rex by Sophocles  There are Rivers in the Sky by Eilf Shafak  Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann  In Cold Blood by Truman Capote To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee  Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

On this episode, Jordan Hernandez, who organizes the book community Completely Booked and I discuss what diverse books means to her, how to curate a feed that provides diverse options, and so many amazing book recommendations. If you want to join Completely Booked, you can send Jordan a DM on Instagram to get added to the email list!   Follow Completely Booked on Instagram Double Dough  HobokenGirl   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Less by Andrew Sean Greer  The Road to the Salt Sea by Samuel Kọláwọlé   Books Highlighted by Jordan: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas  Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams  James by Percival Everett Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson Notes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson  The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero  Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen  On the Come Up by Angie Thomas  This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan  Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan  Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan  Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour  Isaac's Song by Daniel Black  Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black  The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese  Finding Me by Viola Davis  Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Tunde Oyeneyin More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine Welteroth  You Are a Badass(r): How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero  Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin

On this episode, bookstagrammer and journalist Jocelyn Aspa and I discuss books with extensive character development, how everything makes us cry, and why we gravitate towards books with low ratings on Goodreads. We also discuss how we determine books to pack on a trip which can be a little extra.    Follow Jocelyn on Instagram   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Devil is Fine by John Vercher  Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing    Books Highlighted by Jocelyn: 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster  Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, trans. Sarah Moses A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara  Same as it Ever Was by Clarie Lombardo  The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels  A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: There's a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer  Normal People by Sally Rooney  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Secret History by Donna Tartt  My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt  We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler  The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo  The Wedding People by Alison Espach  Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Fire Exit by Morgan Talty  Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty  Orbital by Samantha Harvey  American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede

On this episode, indie author David Jay Collins and I discuss his work writing books in and about Chicago, how he keeps going by honoring his characters, and the unique ways that he connects with his readers. We also discuss his reading life, including a current fast from horror content which blows my mind!   Follow David on Instagram  Order any of David's books from his website  Where you can see David in 2025!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Lilith by Eric Rickstad  A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda Just Want You Here by Meredith Turtis    Books Highlighted by David: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster  Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and We Work by Reeves Wiedeman  Dry. A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs  The Death of the Artist: How Creators are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech by William Deresiewicz  The Man With the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: John Adams by David McCullough  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

On this episode, Ree @Read_withree on instagram, discusses her love for thrillers and mysteries. We also talk about a shared favorite author, the joy that book people can bring, and how to make bookstagram a place of enjoyment.   Follow Ree on Instagram   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes, Jr.  Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen   Books Highlighted by Ree: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby The Passengers by John Marrs  Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan  Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole  The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden  Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps #1) by R.L. Stine  Holes by Louis Sachar  Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots by Marcia Thornton Jones Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby  King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby  Legendborn by Tracy Deonn  Oathbound by Tracy Deonn The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup  A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  The Only One Left by Riley Sager

On this episode, Leah Rachel von Essen, whose job is books, and I discuss our shared love of translated literature, especially genre fiction from other countries, and our shared love of reading and walking. She also talks about her very entertaining experiences with the library as a child and shares about her current work with Chicago Books to Women in Prison.    Follow Leah on Instagram! Find Leah's posts about books in translation here  More information about how to support Chicago Books to Women in Prison   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell  Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix    Books Highlighted by Leah: This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, trans. Ann Goldstein The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen  Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin  The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, trans. Stephen Snyder Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi, trans. Jeffrey Zuckerman Palestine +100 ed. Basma Ghalayini They Will Drown in Their Mother's Tears by Johannes Anyuru, trans. Saskia Vogel  The Waves by Virginia Woolf Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler  The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit  The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Freedom by Jonathan Franzen  To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

On this episode, Shakia Perry, a very creative book lover who creates amazing book-related experiences for friends and family, discusses how she loves fiction to get into the messiness of other people. We also discuss our love for the library, reading pretty much wherever, and how much Libby can stress you out.    Follow Shakia on Instagram!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  All Fours by Miranda July    Books Highlighted by Shakia: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams  Reel by Kennedy Ryan  Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry  Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi Perfect Peace by Daniel Black Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson  Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe I'm Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Soothe Your Nerves: The Black Woman's Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Fears by Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin  The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner  The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah  Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest by Fawn Weaver  Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen  The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton  The Teacher by Frieda McFadden  Isaac's Song by Daniel Black  The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden  It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover  Will by Will Smith & Mark Manson  Bits and Pieces: My Mother, my Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg  Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis  Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell 

On this episode, past guests of Books with Betsy and I share our favorite books of 2024! Listen to hear about lots of great 2024 books and the excellent backlist we got to this year.    Books mentioned in this episode:    Betsy's Top 11 Books (in no particular order):  Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe  The Reformatory by Tananarive Due  Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad  Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe  My Friends by Hisham Matar  Punk Rock Karaoke by Biana Xunise  Headshot by Rita Bullwinkle  Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner  We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer  Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  James by Percival Everett    Books Highlighted by Guests: Sam Luchsinger The Biography of X by Catherine Lacey The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig Wellness by Nathan Hill  Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice Francesca Musumeci  Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout by Laura Jane Grace  One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon  Nestlings by Nat Cassidy Cynthia Okechukwu Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan  Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler  Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe  Rachel Kilthorne The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib Anyone's Ghost by August Thompson The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship with our Wild Neighbors by Erika Howsare The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Annette LaPlaca The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living by Alan Noble Slough House by Mick Herron  Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall Allison Yates Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell The Color Purple by Alice Walker  Jenn Moland-Kovash Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck Take What You Need by Idra Novey The Husbands by Holly Gramazio  The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer  Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara  Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez Mike Finucane A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders  The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions by Jonathan Rosen Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer Come, Have Breakfast: Meditations on God and the Earth by Elizabeth Johnson  Couldn't Keep it to Myself: Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters ed. Wally Lamb Carolyn Latshaw The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric That Time I got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy  Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale Monika Janas Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  When Among Crows by Veronica Roth The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells Elantris by Brandon Sanderson  Tim Mueller The Thirteen Ways we Turned Darryl Datson into a Monster by Kurt Fawver Helliconia Spring by Brian Wilson Aldiss  The Room by Hubert Selby  The Terror by Dan Simmons Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 

On this episode, past guests of Books with Betsy and I share our favorite books of 2024! Listen to hear about lots of great 2024 books and the excellent backlist we got to this year.    Books mentioned in this episode:    Betsy's Best Categorically (books that…):  Shocked me:  How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix  None of This is True by Lisa Jewell  The Night House by Jo Nesbø Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra  Made me Cry: North Woods by Daniel Mason  The Bee Sting by Paul Murray  Underrated: God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas  Witness by Jamel Brinkley  Victim by Andrew Boryga  Fire Exit by Morgan Talty  Recommend Widely: Erasure by Percival Everett  Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar  Hard to Recommend:  Yr Dead by Sam Sax  Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina  Made me Think About my Life Differently: When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era by Donovan X. Ramsey Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman    Books Highlighted by Guests: Mawuli Grant Agbefe:  Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel and Ebert Changed Movies Forever by Matt Singer  Having and Being Had by Eula Bliss  Your Face Belongs to Us: A Tale of AI, a Secretive Startup, and the End of Privacy by Kashmir Hill Mean Girl Feminism: How White Feminists Gaslight, Gatekeep, and Girlboss by Kim Hong Nguyen We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson Mapping the Stars: Celebrity, Metonymy and the Networked Politics of Identity by Claire Sisco King Sam Wilmes:  Such Kindness by Andre Dubus III  We Spread by Iain Read We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer  My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell   The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro Amie Medley:  Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen  Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  North Woods by Daniel Mason  The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño Tanima Kazi:  The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi  One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig  Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig  Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose  The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose  Stacy Jezerowski:  We Solve Murders by Richard Osman  Beautiful Villain by Rebecca Kenney Sarah Sabet:  Klara & The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro  Atonement by Ian McEwan  Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden  The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen Anna Deem:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna Cat Shieh:  Give Me Space But Don't Go Far: My Unlikely Friendship with Anxiety by Haley Weaver Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber  Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates  I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee  Mo Smith:  The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley  The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker  Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens Leah @Dishingonbooks:  Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen  Grief is For People by Sloane Crosley Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán  James by Percival Everett  A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole  Emily McClanathan:  Babel by R.F. Kuang  Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood by Gretchen Sisson  Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan  A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings

On this episode, Stephanie Majercik, a reader who reads widely, and I discuss our shared tricks for Book of the Month, why passing around books is great, and how her reading chair revolutionized her reading life. We also discuss her book club and the bookish names she has for her collection of house plants.    Read & Run Chicago - The Great Believers   Stephanie's Reading Chair   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner  Good Material by Dolly Alderton   Books Highlighted by Stephanie: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal  Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habcek The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson The Midnight Library by Matt Haig  People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life by Christie Tate  Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie  Sleeping Murder: Miss Marple's Last Case by Agatha Christie  Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls  Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls  BFF: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate  Lock Every Door by Riley Sager  The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough  The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes  The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

On this episode, Bernie Lombardi, a professor and researcher, discusses how his popular bookstagram and award lists are intertwined, along with his experiences reading the lists and even getting to go to the final ceremonies of a few awards! We also hear about his new author obsession and a very cool way that he tracks his reading each year.    Bernie's Instagram The Read & Run Chicago Gift Guide    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix Held by Anne Michaels  Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner    Books Highlighted by Bernie: Milkman by Anna Burns  Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli  The Road by Cormac McCarthy  We the Animals by Justin Torres  The Promise by Damon Galgut  Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman  Beautiful World, Where are You by Sally Rooney   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan  Atonement by Ian McEwan  An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro  The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden  Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell  The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell Intermezzo by Sally Rooney  Prophet Song by Paul Lynch  The Bee Sting by Paul Murray  Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein  Orbital by Samantha Harvey  James by Percival Everett  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain  Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar Blackouts by Justin Torres

On this episode, Jenn Moland-Kovash and I discuss our shared interest in thrift-store book sections, the joy of walking around a bookstore and pointing out the books we have read, and her theories about why romantasy is popular. Jenn also gets me on a roll about the difference between book collecting and reading and why sprayed edges mean nothing to me.    The Mail-a-Book program is still alive and well! The Read & Run Chicago Gift Guide    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The City and It's Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami  How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix  Yr Dead by Sam Sax  Not my Father's Son by Alan Cumming  Still Life by Louise Penny    Books Highlighted by Jenn: Beartown by Fredrik Backman Us Against You by Fredrik Backman  The Winners by Fredrik Backman  The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee  First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston  The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland  World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil & Fumi Nakamura  Take What You Need by Idra Novey The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing by Kevin Young Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies that I've Loved by Kate Bowler    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan  Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor  The Color Purple by Alice Walker  Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger  The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey  The Abominable by Dan Simmons  A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver  Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe  This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  Divergent by Veronica Roth  Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar  How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair  The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln & Claire Powell  The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde

On this episode, Cynthia Okechukwu, the founder of Black Girls Read Chicago, and I discuss books that make you cry, her love of hardcover books, and what kinds of audiobooks work for both of us. She also gets to share an incredible story of getting a critical book put into her hands at a young age.    Black Girls Read Chicago Instagram  The Read & Run Chicago Gift Guide    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The City and It's Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami  How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix  Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman   Books Highlighted by Cynthia: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn  The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism by Benedict Anderson Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Little House Box Set by Laura Ingalls Wilder  Matilda by Roald Dahl  Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe  Original Sins: The (Mis)Education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing  Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side by Eve L. Ewing Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson  Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport that Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella Désir Will by Will Smith & Mark Manson The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey  Caucasia by Danzy Senna  It by Stephen King The Help by Kathryn Stockett 

On this episode, Susanna Chapman, an illustrator who loves picture books, discusses her career in books, her love for an audiobook mausoleum, and why she loves the beginning of a book. We also destigmatize her concern around her main reading format and she tricks me into answering one of my own questions.    The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith  Pre-Order Dragonflies of Glass: the True Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley  The City and It's Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami  How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix    Books Highlighted by Susanna: Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang Twenty Questions by Mac Barnett & Christian Robinson This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki  Charlotte's Web by E.B. White Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst & Ray Cruz The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz The Bear & The Moon by Matthew Burgess & Catia Chien I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott & Sydney Smith Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni Daughters & Rebels by Jessica Mitford Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Where Butterflies Fill the Sky: A Story of Immigration, Family, and Finding Home by Zahra Marwan It Came From the Trees by Ally Russel This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewel & Aurelia Durand Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious by David Dark Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back by Blake Chastain  How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi  The People's Plaza: Sixty-Two Days of Nonviolent Resistance by Justin Jones  Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams & William Nicholson  After the Fall by Dan Santat  Roaming by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Snail and Worm: Three Stories about Two Friends by Tina Kügler  The Crossover by Kwame Alexander & Dawud Anyabwile  Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney  Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne  The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats  Seeing, Saying, Doing, Playing by Taro Gomi  Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford  Spinning by Tillie Walden  On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong  The Napping House by Audrey Wood & Don Wood  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë East of Eden by John Steinbeck  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck  Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow & Ann Friedman  The Woman in Me by Britney Spears  I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib It Won't Always Be Like This: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshefgh  The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin  The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl  Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl  Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson  Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein  Ulysses by James Joyce  The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster & Jules Feiffer

On this episode, Annette LaPlaca, a self-proclaimed church lady who loves mysteries and thrillers, discusses her career in editing, how she developed a love of reading in her children, and why it's ok to have a lot of books. We also discuss the moral and empathetic benefits of a murder book and why people shouldn't shy away from them.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Dearest by Jacqui Walters  Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda  Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro  How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix    Books Highlighted by Annette: Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith  Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers  Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt  The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman  The Storied Life A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis  Matilda by Roald Dahl 1984 by George Orwell  One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  Leap Over a Wall by Eugene H. Peterson  The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta  Puritan Pleasures of the Detective Story by Erik Routley Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott  Peace Like a River by Leif Enger  I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger  Case Histories by Kate Atkinson  The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott  The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle  Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle  Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard  The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt  Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne  The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun  Moby-Dick by Herman Mellville  Trust by Hernan Diaz  The Chosen by Chaim Potok  Life After Life by Kate Atkinson  The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt  Life of Pi by Yann Martel  Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey  Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey  The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Silas Marner by George Eliot  Middlemarch by George Eliot  Emma by Jane Austen  The Keeper of Lost Causes: The First Department Q Novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen  The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell  Father Brown: The Essential Tales by G.K. Chesterton  Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker  The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro  Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro  An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro

On this episode, Amie Medley, who loves a long book, discusses her big reading project, which is reading every author who has won a Nobel Prize in Literature, and what she has discovered through that endeavor. We also discuss the ups and downs of book clubs, the benefits she finds from ereaders, and her love for a book that I can't help but roll my eyes at.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan  Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro    Books Highlighted by Aime: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace  The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein  The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich  Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Faith, Hope, and Carnage by Nick Cave and Seán O'Hagan  Satantango by László Krasznahorkai Beloved by Toni Morrison  Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  North Woods by Daniel Mason  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  2666 by Roberto Bolaño  Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron Charlotte's Web by E.B. White  The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle  Animal Farm by George Orwell  The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Gilead by Marilynne Robinson  Jack by Marilynne Robinson Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson  Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen  The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story by Olga Tokarczuk  The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann  My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante  Erasure by Percival Everett  Exit West by Mohsin Hamid  Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesamyn Ward  Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk  Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson  The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe  Verity by Colleen Hoover  The Melancholy of Resistance by László Krasznahorkai  The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño  M Train: A Memoir by Patti Smith  The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

On this episode, Cat Shieh, a Caliornian transplant to Chicago and former ethnic studies professor, discusses her hesitancy when people ask for recommendations and recommend books to her. She's not afraid to drink the haterade, give a hot take, and make me guess what her answer is going to be to my questions. We talk about sad books (about reality) and some of our shared pet peeves about the reading world.    Here is the Claudia Rankine excerpt that Cat read on the episode.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson, trans. Saskia Vogel  Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio    Books Highlighted by Cat: High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Jessica B. Harris NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette by Nathan Pyle A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power Hold These Truths by Jeanne Sakata Red State Revolt: The Teacher's Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics by Eric Blanc Pruitt-Igoe by Bob Hansman Transgender 101: A Simple Guide to a Complex Issue by Nicholas Teich White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America by Margaret Hagerman  The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall   The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir by Curtis Chan  Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine  I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib  Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless  Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer  Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer  The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen  White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin Diangelo  Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side by Eve L. Ewing  Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle  How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi  We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love  Serve the People; Making Asian America in the Long Sixties by Karen L. Ishizuka & Jeff Chang  Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas  The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race by Anthony Christian Ocampo

On this episode, Jennifer Moe, a professor and former bookseller, discusses her love for books that fully envelop the reader in a setting. We reminisce about our adventures with Twilight, our shared love for library magazines, and when it might be ok to leave a note or two in a library book. She also gives some    Preorder Nobody's Perfect, the book in which Jennifer has a chapter.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  My Friends by Hisham Matar  Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner  Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo    Books Highlighted by Jennifer: The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn  The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling Open Book by Jessica Simpson Educated by Tara Westover  Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov  Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of Disenchantment by Charles Taylor    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling  Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder  Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen  Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens  Becoming by Michelle Obama  Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

On this episode, Ian Gillham, @criticalgayze on Instagram, and I discuss our shared love of book lists, book awards, and reading these lists. We also discuss Ian's Substack project focusing on the Pulitzer Prize and how it has morphed throughout the years. Also, stick around for some hot takes about super popular books!   Here is the link to Ian's Substack so you can follow along with his prize project.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  My Friends by Hisham Matar  Colored Television by Danzy Senna  Summerdale by David Jay Collins    Books Highlighted by Ian: Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet Any Person is the Only Self by Elisa Gabbert Wolfsong by T.J. Klune A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers Biography of X by Catherine Lacey Devil House by John Darnielle  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Gilead by Marilynne Robinson  Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzalúda   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: All Fours by Miranda July  The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun  The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon  How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell & Emily Arnold McCully  A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket & Brett Helquist  The Giver by Lois Lowry  Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix & Cliff Nielsen  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley  Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead  A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman  This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud  Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange  Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips  Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park  Wednesday's Child: Stories by Yiyun Li  Trust by Hernan Diaz  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver  Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob  The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers  James by Percival Everett  Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain  Blake; Or the Huts of America by Martin R. Delany, Sandra M. Grayson, & Patty Nicole Johnson  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar  Telephone by Percival Everett  Orbital by Samantha Harvey  11/22/63 by Stephen King  The Long Walk by Stephen King  The Institute by Stephen King  The Shining by Stephen King  Matrix by Lauren Groff  Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff  The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff  Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  The Running Man by Stephen King  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara 

On this episode, Nina Li Coomes, who was once described as genre promiscuous by a professor, discusses her traumatic early reading experiences, and how her identity as a writer has developed. We also discuss some shared favorites, how much she loves a hate-read, and why it can be good to read books you might not like.    Click here to support Eman Alhaj Ali, the writer in Palestine that Nina has been working to support.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliot Trust by Hernan Diaz  My Friends by Hisham Matar  Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías, trans. Heather Cleary   Books Highlighted by Nina: How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee  Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones  Earthlings by Sayaka Murata The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka A Play for the Living in the Time of Extinction by Miranda Rose Hall The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas  Grimm's Fairytales by Grimm Jacob and Wilhelm  The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee  The Searcher by Tana French In the Woods by Tana French  The Best Possible Experience: Stories by Nishanth Injam  The Aeneid by Virgil  The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka  When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka  Moby-Dick by Herman Melville  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood  Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood  Homeland: Dungeons & Dragons: Book 1 by R. A. Salvatore  The Magicians by Lev Grossman  The Duke and I: Bridgerton by Julia Quinn  Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple  The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

On this episode, Leah, @Dishingonbooks on Instagram, and I discuss our shared love of intense reads, how to find more books that open up the world, and her love for the Women's Prize. We also give a lot of recommendations for books that are not for everyone but hit both of us in just the right spot.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones Orbital by Samantha Harvey Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliot Trust by Hernan Diaz    Books Highlighted by Leah: The Street by Ann Petry  On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, trans. Sarah Moses  The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagahara  Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie  Piranesi by Susanna Clarke  The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.  The Color Purple by Alice Walker  The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagahara  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky  Men we Reaped by Jesmyn Ward  Girls Burn Brighter by Shoba Rao  The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood  Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin  Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews   Little Girl Lost by Drew Berrymore  Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach  Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi  Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi  You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi  Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin, trans. Megan McDowell  Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken  Entitlement by Rumaan Alam  Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam  White Tears by Hari Kunzru  Earthlings by Sayaka Murata  Yr Dead by Sam Sax Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen  The 1618 Project: A New Origin Story by Caitlin Roper, Irena Silverman, et al Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Keisha N. Blain & Ibram X. Kendi  The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Iasbel Wilkerson

On this episode, Sam Luchsinger, an eclectic reader and artist, talks about their love of picking up whatever strikes their interest, beautiful book covers, and the joy of reading children's books into adulthood. They also discuss their love of graphic novels and some tips on how to get into the format that might feel a little overwhelming.    Books mentioned in this episode:    If you want to get ahead and join us at Off Color Book Club:  October 15 - Trust by Hernan Diaz  November 19 - Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro  January 21 - The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai   What Betsy's reading:  Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe  I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones Orbital by Samantha Harvey Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliot   Books Highlighted by Sam:  Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock  Moby Dick by Herman Melville  Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe  The Brendan Voyage: Sailing to America in a Leather Boat to Prove the Legend of the Irish Sailor Saints by Tim Severin All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews  Swing Low: A Life by Miriam Toews Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake and Jon Klassen  Brazen: Rebel Ladies who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu  The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's Atomic Bomb by Neal Bascomb The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa  The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode:  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien  Little Women by Lousia May Alcott Bimwili and the Zimwi by  The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle  The Bells of London by Ashley Wolff Sloth's Birthday Party by Diane Redfield Massie  The Brave Brushtail Possum by Diane Redfield Massie  The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki  The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki  The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo Siren Queen by Nghi Vo The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett  Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir  A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin  Clever Girl: Jurassic Park by Hannah McGregor  Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond Productivity Culture by Jenny Odell  The Forgetting Room by Nick Bantock If We Were Villans by M.L. Rio  The Secret History by Donna Tartt  Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed  The Magicians by Lev Grossman  Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate  Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert MacFarlane Runes of the North by Sigurd F. Olson  Twists of Fate by Paco Roca  The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel  Wrinkle inTime: The Graphic Novel by Hope Larson and Madeleine L'Engle  Perpetua's Journey: Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire by Jennifer A. Rea and Liza Clarke  March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, et al.  Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home by Nora Krug 

On this episode, Jordan Cross, a resource librarian for a large interior design firm, discusses her love of audiobooks, books that are based on something true, and how memoirs about hard topics are important and meaningful. She also brings a topic to the show that I hadn't thought to ask about!   The big list of books from NPR - best of the year since 2013!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe  Mister Magic by Kiersten White  The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu   Books Highlighted by Jordan:  The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian The Shining by Stephen King The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley  Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn  I'm Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy  Know my Name by Chanel Miller  Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage  Night Film by Marisha Pessl The Huntress by Kate Quinn All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller  Work in Progress by Leanne Ford & Steve Ford   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode:  The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner and L. Kate Deal  Kristy's Great Idea (the Baby-Sitter's Club #1) by Ann M. Martin A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle  Left Behind the Kids by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket and Brett Helquist  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  1984 by George Orwell  Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson 11/22/63 by Stephen King Pet Sematary by Stephen King Tom Lake by Ann Patchet  The Dutch House by Ann Patchett  Doctor Sleep by Stephen King  Dreamcatcher by Stephen King  The Push by Ashley Audrain  The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls  Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover  The Alice Network by Kate Quinn  Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty  The Green Mile by Stephen King  Misery by Stephen King  Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple 

On this episode, Kathy Donofrio, an artist from the Chicagoland area, discusses how she came to enjoy reading later in life. She provides some amazing, fun book recommendations, including an impressive laundry list of favorite authors. Also, I finally get to hear the Pope Book story that my mom has been telling me about!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear by Mathhew Hongolz-Hetling The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet    Books Highlighted by Kathy:  Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross  Step on a Crack (Michael Bennet) by James Patterson  Relic (Pendergast Series) by Preston & Child Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson The Women by Kristin Hannah The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman  The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn Louisiana Longshot (Fortune Series) by Jana DeLeon   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Kathy's List of Favorite Authors:  Louise Penny Ann B. Ross  Annie Hansen  C.J. Harris Caleb Carr  Catherine Coulter  Craig Johnson Daniel Silva  David Baldacci  David Ellis  Donna Leon Harlan Coben J.D. Robb James Patterson  Janet Evanovich  Jeffrey Archer  Kate Quinn  Lee Childs  Michael Connelly  Preston & Child Mitch Albom  Robert Dugoni  John Grisham

On this episode, Stacy Jeziorowski, who is not a terrible reader, discusses her resurgence as a reader after grad school and how thrillers that have kept her on the edge of her seat motivate her to read more. We also discuss our shared favorite, which we both collect, and how amazing the library is as a resource for our lives.    The AI generated holiday romance movie   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Fire Exit by Morgan Talty  The Radium Girls by Kate Moore  The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet    Books Highlighted by Stacy:  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune  The Women by Kristin Hannah Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan Still House Lake by Rachel Caine Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles   Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish and Fritz Siebel  Dollface: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties by Renée Rosen  The Woman in Me by Britney Spears  A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins  The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune The Midnight Library by Matt Haig  Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner  Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover  The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls  A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson  None of This is True by Lisa Jewell  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah  Send for Me: A Novel by Lauren Fox

On this episode, Allison Yates and Fernanda Wetzel come on to talk about their organization, Read and Run Chicago, a book and run club that features specific books with coordinated runs in Chicago. They describe how accessible their organization is, open to anyone who might be interested in participating, and we get to talk about some incredible books that feature information and stories that open and affirm experiences that have been historically ignored.    Read and Run Chicago Fall Event Calendar  Allison's Small Pack Camping Chair  Italic Type book tracking    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas  Koresh by Stephan Talty  The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin   Books Highlighted by Allison and Fernanda:  The Alice Network by Kate Quinn The Change by Kirsten Miller The Midnight Library by Matt Haig  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara  The Idea of You by Robinne Lee Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng  Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer  Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo  Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Letters from Cuba by Ruth Behar  The Push by Ashley Audrain   Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Temper by Layne Fargo  The Women by Kristin Hannah  Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See  Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski The Hundred Year House by Rebecca Makkai  Fieldwork: A Forager's Memoir by Iliana Regan  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Yellowface by R.F. Kuang  Erasure by Percival Everett  I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez 

On this episode, Emily McClanathan, a Chicago Public Library superuser, discusses her love of character-driven stories and excellent prose. She also talks about how reading has helped her become a better writer, as she writes both book reviews and theater reviews in Chicago. We get into some shared loves and Emily gets to share a hot take about a book she thinks is overrated.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay  Headshot by Rita Bullwinkle    Books Highlighted by Emily::  The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield  The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph  Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse by Maya Phillips  My Mess is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety by Georgia Pritchett  Born to be Mild: Adventures for the Anxious by Rob Temple Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire Everybody's Favorite: Tales From the World's Worst Perfectionist by Lillian Stone One in a Millenial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy  This is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something - Anything - Like Your Life Depends on It by Tabitha Carvan  The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free by Linda Kay Klein    Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray  Better the Blood by Michael Bennett  Return to Blood by Michael Bennett  Any Human Heart by William Boyd  Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell  The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen  The Eye of the World: Book One of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan  David Copperfield by Charles Dickens  Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein  Zorrie by Laird Hunt  Wolf Hall by Emily Mantel  Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally  Washington Black by Esi Edugyan 

On this episode, Ben Ustick, the taproom manager at Off Color Mousetrap and I discuss some of our shared favorite books, the excellence of contemporary fiction, and his goal to read Percival Everett's entire oeuvre this year. Get ready to be shocked yourself when you hear the book that shocked Ben. If you want to visit us at Off Color Book Club, check my instagram for the information on the next meeting!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay    Books Highlighted by Ben:  True Biz by Sara Nović Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank   The Hustler by Walter Tevis   The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Less by Andrew Sean Greer  Victim by Andrew Boryga    Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   The Firm by John Grisham A Time to Kill by John Grisham  The Client by John Grisham  The Chamber by John Grisham  Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton  The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster  Different Seasons: Four Novellas by Stephen King  The BFG by Roald Dahl  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams  Erasure by Percival Everett  James by Percival Everett  Telephone by Percival Everett  I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett  The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger  The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey  Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  Trust by Hernan Diaz  The Color of Money by Walter Tevis  The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis  Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer  The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

On this episode, Mawuli Grant Agbefe and I discuss his love for fascinating non-fiction, including one of my absolute favorite books ever that he recommended to me in January! We also discuss our shared love of being readers in Chicago, based on the gorgeous places to read and the incredible resource the Chicago Public Library is.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne    Books Highlighted by Mawuli:  The Official Preppy Handbook by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Lisa Birnbach The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy by Stephanie Kelton  Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Tragedy and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes  Mean Girl Feminism: How White Feminists Gaslight, Gatekeep, and Girlboss by Kim Hong Nguyen  Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as we Know it by Kashmir Hill How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith  Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber    Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   How the Other Half Banks: Exclusion, Exploitation and the Threat to Democracy by Mehrsa Baradaran  Take Ivy by Shosuke Ishizu and Toshiyuki Kurosu His Name is George Floyd by Toluse Olorunippa and Robert Samuels  Columbine by Dave Cullen  The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

On this episode, Tanima Kazi, a writer (get her novel here!) who loves language, shares her love of romance novels, favorite parts of her favorite books, and how her day job helps her build ideas for her own writing. She describes how books speak to her and even shares excerpts from her favorite books.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange  The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon  Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne    Books Highlighted by Tanima:  Circe by Madeline Miller  Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert How to Order the Universe by María José Ferrada, trans. Elizabeth Bryer Siddartha by Herman Hesse   The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware  Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron How to Escape an Arranged Marriage in High Heels by Tanima Kazi  Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Addicted by Zane  Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert  On the Road by Jack Kerouac   Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   The Babysitters Club by Anne M. Martin  Are You There God? It's me, Margaret by Judy Blume  Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella  Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella  Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes  Watermelon by Marian Keyes  This Charming Man by Marian Keyes  London Seance Society by Sarah Penner  Jezebel by Megan Barnard  Becoming by Michelle Obama  Know My Name by Chanel Miller  Vengeance by Zane

On this episode, Mike Finucane, a campus minister at a high-school in St. Louis, and I discuss how books can help develop empathy. He also gives a great tip from his dad about how to tackle a large non-fiction text. We also confirm that collecting books shouldn't be considered a bad habit if you love it. We talk about a lot of really intense books but I hope that our discussion will inspire readers to do a deep dive into some of the topics.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon    Books Highlighted by Mike:  Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke  Stories of Your LIfe and Others by Ted Chiang  Exhalation by Ted Chiang  The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz  Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick Gilead by Marilynne Robinson  The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin  Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle City of Bohane by Kevin Barry  The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden World Around Us by Ed Yong   Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky  The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro  The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain  How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens  God Knows by Joseph Heller  Catch-22 by Joseph Heller  Your Duck is My Duck: Stories by Deborah Eisenberg  Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe  Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe  Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe  The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin  There are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 

On this episode, Rachel Kilthorne, a self-processed nerd's nerd, discusses her love of both fantasy novels and going deep on a subject in non-fiction. She names many series and discusses how she determines when to re-read or when to let go of a series. I also get to go on a soapbox rant about reading diversely, especially in genre fiction.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon  Woodworm by Layla Martinez We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer    Books Highlighted by Rachel:  The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones  The Wayfarer Series by Becky Chambers  The Sabriel Series by Garth Nix Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez  Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk  The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein  The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.A. Schwab  A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood  His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik  Babel by R.F. Kuang  Saga by Brian K. Vaughn American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee  The Dresden Files Series by Jim Butcher The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler  Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer  An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz   Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan  The Essential Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson  The Sandman by Neil Gaiman  Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi  Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir  Death Valley by Melissa Broder  The Pisces by Melissa Broder  The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King  The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie  A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin  The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin  The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin  Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  Blackouts by Justin Torres  The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty  Zorrie by Laird Hunt  The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig  The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss  The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang  Yellowface by R.F. Kuang  Erasure by Percival Everett  The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd  The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman  Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer  The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

On this episode, Rachel Rolland, a hobby-enthusiast, discusses her love for weird books, including two authors with a decently large backlist that I've never heard of. We discuss how a book about accounting can help investigate the way we see the world, how some books just shouldn't be adapted to screen, and her love for the bookstores where she worked.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon  No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall  None of This is True by Lisa Jewell    Books Highlighted by Rachel:  Milkman by Anna Burns Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut  A Song of Ice & Fire by George R.R. Martin  Animal Farm by George Orwell  Watership Down by Richard Adams The Book Thief by Markus Zusak  Keeping the House by Ellen Baker  13 ½ Lives of Captain Blue Bear by Walter Moers  The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers  Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris  Less by Andrew Sean Greer Les Miserables by Victor Hugo  Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance by Jane Gleeson-White   Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen  Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina  The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte  Hamlet by William Shakespeare  Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde  Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde  Jonathan Strange & MR Norrell by Susanna Clarke  Piranesi by Susanna Clarke  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon  Dune by Frank Herbert  Grant by Ron Chernow  Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut  Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut  Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut  Catch-22 by Joseph Heller  The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd  Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris  I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris

On this episode, Monika and I discuss her love of fantasy, she mentions so many series, some longer than others, and we share the joy of staff picks in an indie bookstore. We also talk about the magic of airplane reading and how amazing Libby can be. If you are interested in the Reddit thread Monika mentions, you can find that here.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  Exhibit by R.O. Kwan  The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean  Bear by Julia Phillips  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon    Books Highlighted by Monika:  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon  The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson  The City & The City by China Miéville  To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah  Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan  Persuasion by Jane Austin  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir  Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley  1984 by George Orwell  War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy    Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou  Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games are Made by Jason Schreier  Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder  Twilight by Stephanie Meyer The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth  The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner  The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein  The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski  The Stormlight Archive Series by Brandon Sanderson  Becoming by Michelle Obama  Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama  Seveneves by Neal Stephenson  A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin  Too Like the Lightning: Book One of Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer