Book Cougars Podcast: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good Read

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Latest Episodes:

Episode 221 - Trial by Ambush with Marcia Clark and John Valeri Nov 19, 2024

We had the good fortune to talk with Marcia Clark and John Valeri about TRIAL BY AMBUSH, Marcia’s first foray into the true crime genre, for which John served as her researcher. TRIAL BY AMBUSH is an investigation into the 1953 trial of Barbara Graham, a petty criminal whose life took a hard turn the night of a home burglary that ended in murder. Graham’s trial was sensational, and the press coverage was a circus. Who better than famed prosecutor Marcia Clark to be the first to dig into the records to find out what really happened during the trial? Should Graham have ended up on death row? During Clark’s investigation, her prosecutorial hero, J. Miller Leavy, surprisingly ends up on trial himself. Neither Chris nor Emily is a true crime reader, but we were both riveted to the pages of TRIAL BY AMBUSH and think you will be, too! Emily has been carrying on with her short story project and discusses four stories: “The Statue and the Bust” from THE COLLECTED SHORT STORIES OF SHIRLEY HAZZARD edited by Brigitta Olubas “Let the Chips Fall” by Emily Ross from the collection DEVIL’S SNARE: Best New England Crime Stories by 2024 edited by Ang Pompano, Leslie Wheeler, and Susan Oleksiw “Debris” from the collection A KIND OF MADNESS by Uche Okonkwo “Good Enough” from the collection A SMALL THING TO WANT by Shuly Cawood Chris finally finished her #Victober book, ARMADALE by Wilkie Collins, and then read two picture books, WHAT FEELING DO WHEN NO ONE’S LOOKING by Tina Oziewicz, illustrated by Aleksandra Zajac and translated by Jennifer Croft and SOMETHING, SOMEDAY by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Christian Robinson. Some other books we discuss are: THIS CURSED HOUSE by Del Sandeen SHRED SISTERS by Betsy Lerner THE NEW MENOPAUSE by Mary Claire Haver, MD WHERE THEY LAST SAW HER by Marcie R. Rendon Chris also read A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY by Brian D. Kennedy. She loved it but doesn’t discuss it in detail as it’s our fourth quarter readalong. To join our Zoom discussion on December 8th at 7 pm ET, please email us (bookcougars@gmail.com). The conversation is free and open to all. As always, we discuss biblio adventures we’ve gone on and more books than we can include here. We hope you enjoy this episode. Happy Reading!

Episode 220 - A Shocking Buddy-Read with Our Mystery Man John Valeri Nov 05, 2024

Welcome to Episode 220 – It’s another 10th episode, which means it’s giveaway time! One lucky newsletter subscriber will win copies of The Gardener’s Plot: A Mystery by Deborah J. Benoit and The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. We send one newsletter per month, and it is free. Sign up on our website, and good luck! We also announce our Patreon giveaway for November: Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir edited by Tod Goldberg. John Valeri, our Mystery Man, is back! He joins us to discuss Murder in the Smithsonian by Margaret Truman, which we buddy-read. John also shares some insider information that might shock Truman fans. Since the last episode, we’ve read several delightful romances, an eerie ghost story, a thought-provoking multigenerational novel, and a charming picture book: Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center “Afterward: A Ghost Story for Christmas” or from the collection Tales of Men and Ghosts by Edith Wharton Real Americans by Rachel Khong What Feelings Do When No One’s Looking by Tina Oziewicz, illustrated by Aleksandra Zajac and translated by Jennifer Croft We also had some wonderful Biblio Adventures, including stops at Breakwater Books and Bennett’s Books and a great virtual event via the North Haven Memorial Library with Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. As always, this episode has more books and adventures than we can list in this blurb. If you don’t catch something while you’re listening, check out the show notes on our website, where you’ll find all the books and places we talk about listed, usually with links. Thank you for listening, and we wish you lots of Happy Reading!

Episode 219 - Exploring Picture Book Art Oct 22, 2024

Welcome to Episode 219! In this episode, we recap some exciting Biblio Adventures, including trips to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, the Montague Book Mill, the Montague Center Library, and an author event at RJ Julia Booksellers with Betsy Lerner. Chris talks about a handful of picture books she read: The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs – written by Chana Stiefel, illustrated by Susan Gal The City Tree – written by Shira Boss, illustrated by Lorena Alvarez I Am Bat – written and illustrated by Morg Hood The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt – written by Riel Nason, illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein – written by Lynn Fulton, illustrated by Felicita Sala Emily read two short stories: “Loot” by Nadine Gordimer from the collection Loot and Other Stories “Seams” by Olga Tokarczuk from The Best Short Stories 2022: The O. Henry Prize Winners And between the two of us, we read three novels: The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens Sandwich by Catherine Newman We also discuss what we’re #currentlyreading, would like to read, and more. Reminder that the fourth quarter readalong for our Year of Reading Romance is A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy. See the show notes for details. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Episode 218 - Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma Oct 08, 2024

Welcome to Episode 218, featuring a Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma about her new Christmas play, MISS MARGARET’S BARTON COTTAGE CHRISTMAS SURPRISE, coming this December to Drama Works Theatre in Old Saybrook. We made up for lost time with a slew of Biblio Adventures, starting with a discussion with James R. Benn at the Mystic & Noank Library, after which we dashed over to see the new home of Bank Square Books in Stonington, who co-hosted the event. Next was the Windham-Campbell Literary Festival at Yale in New Haven, where we bought books curbside at the Possible Futures Bookmobile. Days later, we were thrilled to attend the grand opening of Montgomery & Taggert in Chester – Connecticut’s first Romance Bookstore! Lastly, we saw DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS at Legacy Theatre in Stony Creek. We did some reading, too, since our last episode. Short stories via the Decameron Project: “Clinical Notes” by Liz Moore “Recognition” by Victor LaValle Novels: 📕 THE PERILS OF LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH by Claudia Gray 📗 LONG BRIGHT RIVER by Liz Moore 📘 A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens 📙SWAN SONG by Elin Hildebrand 📘 THE SECRET LIFE OF ALBERT ENTWISTLE: An Uplifting and Unforgettable Story of Love and Second Chances by Matt Cain Nonfiction: 📕 THAT LIBRARIAN: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones We also talk about upcoming Biblio Adventures, what we’re #currentlyreading, and plan to read. You can visit the show notes for everything we mention and links to good bookish stuff. Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode218

Episode 217 - Author Spotlight with James R. Benn Sep 24, 2024

We are thrilled to welcome James R. Benn, author of the Billy Boyle World War II mystery series. The nineteenth book in the series, THE PHANTOM PATROL, is out today! It’s Winter 1944, and Boyle is on a mission that takes him from the beleaguered art world of Paris to the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge. Some of the novels we discuss in this episode include THE MOST by Jessica Anthony, THE GATHERING by C.J. Tudor, DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver, OUT AT THE PLATE: The Dot Wilkinson Story by Lynn Ames, and the third quarter readalong in our Year of Reading Romance, ENVY by Sandra Brown. Emily took a couple of older literary journals off her shelf and read two short stories: “The Miracle Years of Little Fork” by Rebecca Makkai in Ploughshares (Summer 2015 edition) and “Why Were They Throwing Bricks?” by Jenny Zhang in n+1 (Spring 2017). We also talk about what we are #currentlyreading, including two that are out now: A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens and, perfect for Banned Books Week: THAT LIBRARIAN: THE FIGHT AGAINST BOOK BANNING IN AMERICA by Amanda Jones. And two that are forthcoming: THE MIGHTY RED by Louise Erdrich (out 10/1/2024 from Harper) and JANE AUSTEN’S BOOKSHELF: A Rare Bookseller’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney (2/18/2025 from Marysue Rucci Books/Simon & Schuster). In #BiblioAdventures, Emily had a lovely visit to the New Canaan Public Library, and Chris continues to rewatch the Harry Potter movies. As always, we talk about more books and adventures than we can squeeze into this quick preview. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you do, please leave a review on iTunes or wherever you listen or tell a friend about us. Happy Reading! Emily & Chris

Episode 216 - Guest Spotlight with Michael Kelleher, Director of the Windham Campbell Prizes Sep 10, 2024

Emily is back in Connecticut, which means she and Chris were able to record this episode together at Book Cougars HQ. We are grateful for long-distance recording technology, but talking about books in person is much more fun! Our special guest is Michael Kelleher, Director of the Windham Campbell Prizes. Mike explains that these awards are given to writers, not for a particular book, but in four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and playwriting. This year’s festival dates are September 17-20 at Yale in New Haven, CT. If you can’t make it to Connecticut, some events, like Lydia Davis’s keynote and the awards ceremony, will be live-streamed (links in the show notes). The books and stories we read since the last episode include: Envy by Sandra Brown Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez The Truth’s We Hold: An American Story by Kamala Harris Mrs. Saint and the Defectives by Julie Lawson Timmer Big by Vashti Harrison “Disaster Stamps of Pluto” by Louise Erdrich from the collection The Best American Mystery Stories 2005 edited by Joyce Carol Oates and Otto Penzler “Double Birthday” by Willa Cather in The Best American Short Stories of the Century edited by John Updike As always, we also talk about what we’re #CurrentlyReading, what we want to read, and Biblio Adventures. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. Happy Listening and Reading!

Episode 215 - The Midwest Episode Aug 27, 2024

We’re calling this episode “The Midwest Episode” because we recorded it while both of us were visiting the Midwest. Emily is spending time with her daughter and granddaughter in Michigan, and Chris was visiting her mom in Chicago. Newer listeners might not realize that although we both now live in Connecticut, we are transplants from the Midwest. Emily is originally from Ohio, and Chris is from Illinois. Does any of this matter? Who knows. What does matter is that we’ve read some good books and short stories over the last two weeks. Books include HOT AIR by Marcy Dermansky, SO THIRSTY by Rachel Harrison, and SULWE by Lupita Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison. Short stories are “The Hexter Girls” from GOODBYE PROCESS: STORIES by Mary Jones and “The Many Taste Grooves of the Chang Family” by Allison King via Levar Burton Reads. We also had some lovely #biblioadventures to libraries, bookstores, and a historic building with a literary past. Happy Listening!

Episode 214 - Biblio Adventure Extravaganza Aug 13, 2024

Welcome to Episode 214! This episode contains a lot of biblio adventuring. Emily is in Traverse City, Michigan, helping her daughter, getting to know her new granddaughter, and discovering the many excellent Little Free Libraries in the area. She also shopped at Horizon Books and has been spending time at the Traverse City Library. Meanwhile, back in New England, Chris and “Colleen from Chicago” hit the road for a four-day Biblio Adventure Extravaganza that included Melville’s Arrowhead, Wharton’s The Mount, Emily Dickinson’s family homes, The Homestead and The Evergreens, Amherst Books, and The Yiddish Book Center. The former bookstore coworkers capped it off with the annual Moby Dick marathon aboard the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport Museum. Oh, and she forgot to mention that they also went to the Odyssey Bookstore at Mount Holyoke. Phew, what a blast! We managed to finish a few books, too: Emily loved THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey and appreciated its cold Alaska setting while reading in the heat of Michigan’s summer. She listened to the audiobook version of Ann Napolitano's first novel, WITHIN ARM’S REACH, which features six narrators, and then two Audible Original short stories by Alice Hoffman, "The Bookstore Sisters" and "The Bookstore Wedding.” Chris read MOBY DICK by Herman Melville (that’s twice this year) and a novelization about his relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne, THE WHALE: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard. She also read her first book club selection from Book Browse, THE ROSE ARBOR, by Rhys Bowen. Happy Listening!

Episode 213 - "I'll Have What You're Reading" with Booktuber Shawn Breathes Books Jul 30, 2024

Welcome to Episode 213! BookTuber Shawn Breathes Books joins us to celebrate Jenny Colvin and “I’ll Have What You’re Reading,” the memorial buddy read we jointly hosted with him the last few months. We also discuss Andrea Robbin Skinner’s recent revelation about her mother, Alice Munro, and how it has impacted us as readers. Some other highlights: In #CurrentlyReading, we are each reading another chunkster for Sue Jackson’s #BigBookSummer: Emily is cooling off with THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey, and Chris is going back in time with MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS by Antonia Fraser. We have a spoiler-free conversation about FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliot Dark which we both enjoyed. Short stories read since the last episode: “Janus” by Ann Beattie and “In the Gloaming” by Alice Elliott Dark both from the collection THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF THE CENTURY edited by John Updike and Katrina Kenison. “A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You” by Amy Bloom from the collection A BLIND MAN COULD SEE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU: STORIES. “Uncle Valentine” by Willa Cather in UNCLE VALENTINE AND OTHER STORIES, edited by Bernice Slote “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier from the collection THE BIRDS AND OTHER STORIES [This collection was first published in the UK in 1952 with the title, THE APPLE TREE: A SHORT NOVEL AND SEVERAL LONG STORIES] In Biblio Adventures, we recap the great day we had on Long Island, NY We took a ferry from New London, CT, to Orient Point, NY, then drove south to the Barnes and Noble in Bridgehampton to check out their new store layout. Then we headed north to Sag Harbor, where we were delighted by a John Steinbeck and Charley sculpture (“Assistant Editor” by Seward Johnson) and explored Sag Harbor Books. Other stops included Black Cat Books on Shelter Island and the Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport. Check out our vlog of the day on our YouTube channel Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure, thanks to our listener Kathy who told us about a conversation with Percival Everett, Cord Jefferson, and Jelani Cobb via City Arts & Lectures Chris watched LETTERS TO JULIET, a rom-com inspired by the book of the same name by Eve Friedman and Ceil Jann Friedman. She also went on a quick shopping spree at McNally Jackson Books at Rockefeller Center. A reminder that our third quarter readalong is ENVY, by Sandra Brown. There are a few spots left for our Zoom discussion on Sunday, 9/15, at 7 pm ET. Email us if you’d like to join us. bookcougars at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode213

Episode 212 - Author Spotlight with Juliet Grames Jul 16, 2024

Welcome to Episode 212! This episode is different from all of our previous shows because Emily was unexpectedly called out of town to attend her granddaughter’s birth! Baby Neena arrived three weeks early. She and her mom, Rachel, are doing great. And yes, Emily has already read a book to her, SPOT GOES TO THE FARM, by Eric Hill. Instead of recording our regular segments, we share reminders about our current buddy read of FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark, provide the date – 9/15 – for our Zoom discussion of ENVY by Sandra Brown (our third quarter readalong pick in our Year of Reading Romance), announce a BookTube vlog of our recent Biblio Adventure to Long Island, and then jump into our conversation with Juliet Grames. Juliet’s new novel, THE LOST BOY OF SANTA CHIONIA, is a fantastic mystery that has a strong sense of place and characters that leap off the page. We also created a video of our pre-interview chat with Juliet that was too fun and interesting not to share. It has info not discussed in the interview. The link is below if you’d like to watch it. We hope you enjoy this episode. We’ll be back to our regular programming on episode 213. Until then, we wish you lots of Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode212 Long Island Biblio Adventure video https://youtu.be/vfO1JPFEBks Pre-interview video chat with Juliet https://youtu.be/MGnKlJiWL9M

Episode 211 - Deep Dive Into Summer Reading Jul 02, 2024

We dove into summer with our first big Biblio Adventure of the season! It involved art by kids inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers,” lobster, a little free library, and Bank Square Books. A great day! In other Biblio Adventures, Emily went to see Ann Leary talk about her new essay collection, I’VE TRIED BEING NICE, at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. She also found an adorable #LFL in a tree stump! Chris attended a virtual panel discussion of NEW SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATION by the North Central Connecticut Chapter of The International Thomas Merton Society. In the Just Read segment, the books we talk about include: – PEARCE OYSTERS by Joselyn Takacs – THE GUNCLE by Steven Rowley – ARSENIC AND ADOBO by Mia P. Manansala – LOVE AND HOT CHICKEN: A Delicious Southern Novel by Mary Liza Hartong – DIVE! The Story of Breathing Underwater by Chris Gall Three reference books make brief but important appearances: THE READERS’ ADVISORY GUIDE TO ROMANCE by Robin Bradford and both the APA and MLA style guides. Short stories: – “Idle Hands” from the collection CRAFT: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima – “Why Won’t You Die?” by Jessica P. Pryde from the collection SOMEPLACE GENEROUS: An Inclusive Romance Anthology edited by Elaina Ellis and Amber Flame. – “Her Boss” by Willa Cather from the collection UNCLE VALENTINE AND OTHER STORIES: Willa Cather’s Uncollected Short Fiction, 1915-1929 edited by Bernice Slote. We also talk about what we’re currently reading, want to read, and upcoming #biblioadventures. Oh, and we announce our THIRD QUARTER READALONG PICK for our Year of Reading Romance! We hope you enjoy the episode and if so, please consider leaving a review wherever you listen, as it really does help others find us. Happy Listening & Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode211

Episode 210 - Getting Cozy with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri Jun 18, 2024

Welcome to Episode 210, where we have the pleasure of welcoming back Our Mystery Man, John Valeri! For those of you who are new to the Book Cougars, John is a frequent guest. He’s a reader, professional reviewer, and interviewer extraordinaire (check out his BookTube channel, CENTRAL BOOKING). John joins us to not only recommend some hot new mystery/thrillers but also to share insights on the guiding principles of cozy mysteries, making this a conversation you won't want to miss! This episode is packed with a diverse range of books. We share our thoughts on THE AWAKENING: THE DRAGON HEART LEGACY, BOOK ONE by Nora Roberts, our second quarter readalong pick in our year of reading romance. We also delve into other intriguing reads such as THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS by Laurie Frankel, THE MYSTERY GUEST by Nita Prose, and LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE HAUNTED PLACES by Claire Kann. Emily also read two captivating short stories: “Lucky Girls” by Nell Freudenberger from LUCKY GIRLS: STORIES and “That of Which We Cannot Speak” by Alethea Black from I KNEW YOU’D BE LOVELY: STORIES. In Biblio Adventures, we recap an exciting Biblio Adventure to Hartford, CT, where we had the privilege of seeing Michael Harriot (BLACK AF HISTORY: THE UN-WHITEWASHED STORY OF AMERICA) in conversation with Percival Everett about his new novel, JAMES, thanks to the Mark Twain House. Chris attended CULTIVATING VOICES: LIVE POETRY hosted by Sandra Yannone via Facebook. Emily binged some PRESUMED INNOCENT movie/series adaptations. At the Book Barn in Niantic, CT, she found a copy of FELLOWSHIP POINT (which we’re both reading this summer) and a fantastic gift for Chris. Of course, we also talk about what we’re currently reading, want to read, and upcoming #biblioadventures. We hope you enjoy the episode and if so, please consider leaving a review wherever you listen, as it really does help others find us. Happy Listening & Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode210

Episode 209 - Author Spotlight with Sara Paretsky Jun 04, 2024

Welcome to Episode 209! We were thrilled and honored to talk with New York Times bestselling author, mystery legend, and social justice advocate Sara Paretsky. We talk with Sara about her newly published novel, PAY DIRT, the 22nd installment in her V.I. Warshawski series, founding Sisters in Crime, and so much more. Don’t miss our conversation at the end of the episode. We pay tribute to the late Canadian author Alice Munro by reading and discussing her story, “Train.” We try to avoid spoilers in our discussion. The story is available online at Harper’s Magazine. Emily also read “From Outside I Could See” and “The Next Husband Game” from the collection THE GOODBYE PROCESS by Mary Jones (release date 7/30/2024) and “Origin Story” from the ILL-FITTING SKIN by Shannon Robinson. Chris read “Ardessa” by Willa Cather. We also finished a few novels: –PAY DIRT by Sara Paretsky –THE HOUSE THAT HORROR BUILT by Christina Henry –THE AWAKENING by Nora Roberts Biblio Adventures include: – Our Mystery Man, John Valeri, in conversation with author Tom Straw about his new mystery/thriller, THE ACCIDENTAL JOE: THE TOP-SECRET LIFE OF A CELEBRITY CHEF, at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT – A panel event, “On Writing: A Panel Discussion with Authors on Their Craft,” hosted by Bank Square Books and the Westerly Library in Westerly, RI – A poetry reading by Sandra Yannone from her new collection, THE GLASS STUDIO, at the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook, CT We also talk about what we’re currently reading, hope to read, upcoming Biblio Adventures, and a bunch of other bookish things. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. Happy Reading!

Episode 208 - Author Spotlight with Sara B. Franklin May 21, 2024

Welcome to Episode 208, which features a fantastic author spotlight with Sara B. Franklin. Her new biography, THE EDITOR: HOW PUBLISHING LEGEND JUDITH JONES SHAPED CULTURE IN AMERICA, is a must-read. It is not hyperbole to say that everyone reading and eating today has been touched by Judith Jones’s work, and Franklin’s writing is a delight to read. We had a great Biblio Adventure to Brooklyn with Aunt Ellen. Our goal of making it to THE RIPPED BODICE Bookstore has been achieved, and it was worth the wait! Many of our listeners were avid followers of or found us through Jenny Colvin’s podcast, READING ENVY: I’ll have what you’re reading. Jenny passed away in May of 2022. We miss her, and know that many of you do, too. To honor her memory, we are joining our BookTube friend SHAWN BREATHES BOOKS (formerly Shawn the Book Maniac) and doing something we think Jenny would love – reading books together! We are each choosing one book from Jenny’s Goodreads lists. The plan is to read the book by July 1st, Jenny’s birthday. We would love for you to join us by reading along with one of our selections or choosing a book of your own. We have a conversation thread on our Goodreads page, and we’ve created the hashtag #illhavewhatyourereading to use on social media. Let's keep Jenny's love for books alive in our hearts and our reading. In other reading news, you might remember from our last episode that Emily expressed her desire to read Monica Wood’s THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY. And guess what? It magically appeared in one of her beloved Little Free Libraries. Isn’t it a delightful feeling when such serendipitous moments occur? Emily loved the novel. She also read two short stories, “Ernie’s Ark” by Monica Wood from the collection ERNIE’S ARK: THE ABBOTT FALLS STORIES and “Chapter Two” by Antonya Nelson in BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2013, edited by Elizabeth Strout. She savored THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl, while Chris unexpectedly found herself engrossed in another book by Cal Newport, DEEP WORK: RULES FOR FOCUSED SUCCESS IN A DISTRACTED WORLD. Both Chris and Emily have been captivated by JAMES by Percival Everett, especially the audiobook narrated by Dominic Hoffman. Everett’s narrative is a brilliant reinterpretation and expansion of THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, and Hoffman’s performance is simply outstanding. Chris has completed her second reading of MOBY-DICK, an endeavor that was as equally challenging and rewarding as her first encounter with the book. As always, we also talk about what we’re currently reading and hoping to read soon. Happy Listening and Happy Reading! Emily and Chris

Episode 207 - Spotlight with Author & Rare Book Dealer Rebecca Romney May 07, 2024

Welcome to Episode 207. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to talk with rare book dealer and author Rebecca Romney. Her first book was PRINTER’S ERROR: Irreverent Stories from Book History, and she made a significant contribution to the world of romance fiction with her collection, THE ROMANCE NOVEL IN ENGLISH: A Rare Book Survey, 1769-1999. You won’t want to miss our conversation with Rebecca at the end of the episode. Jane Austen fans will be particularly intrigued to hear about her current project! We have had some genuinely delightful Biblio Adventures since the last episode. Two were joint jaunts: seeing Caroline Leavitt discuss her new novel, DAYS OF WONDER, at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, and watching SHIRLEY, a trippy movie about a fictionalized Shirley Jackson based on the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell. Emily and Aunt Ellen visited Yu and Me Books in NYC’s Chinatown. We also each attended different virtual events through the North Haven Public Library. Chris attended “A Literary Examination of Power and Art” with Xochitl Gonzalez, discussing her books ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST and OLGA DIES DREAMING. Emily attended “The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us – A Sweeping History of Food and Culture” with Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson, discussing the book SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN TABLE. See the episode show notes for links to recordings of both events. In our reading lives, we finished a variety of books and stories. BLESS YOUR HEART (cozy horror) by Lindy Ryan, DIGITAL MINIMALISM (self-help/productivity) by Cal Newport, and JAMES (literary fiction) by Percival Everett (the audiobook is fantastic!), THE EDITOR: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America (biography) by Sara B. Franklin, PRIDE AND PRESTON LIN (romance) by Christina Hwang Dudley, HOW TO READ A BOOK (literary fiction/romance) by Monica Wood, and two short stories: “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” from the collection VAMPIRES IN THE LEMON GROVE: And Other Stories by Karen Russell and “The Bookeeper’s Wife” by Willa Cather. As always, we also talk about what we’re reading and hoping to read. We are super excited about an upcoming Biblio Adventure with Aunt Ellen to The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Brooklyn. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. Happy Listening and Happy Reading! Emily & Chris https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode207

Episode 206 - Author Spotlight with Rebecca Rego Barry Apr 23, 2024

Welcome to Episode 206 where we have a fantastic conversation with Rebecca Rego Barry, author of THE VANISHING OF CAROLYN WELLS: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author. One reviewer referred to Barry’s book as a “process biography.” It is true, Barry takes you along on her investigation into the life of Carolyn Wells who, it turns out, wrote more than mysteries. She wrote poetry, plays, screenplays, puzzles, children's books, and a YA series. Wells was also a serious book collector in a time when that pursuit was considered the domain of men. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, this biography would make a great gift. Along with our friend Kate, we did a buddy read of Carson McCullers’ novella, REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE. This was part of our Biblio Adventure to Nyack, NY where McCuller’s lived for the last 30 years of her life (which wasn’t a very long long life: she died at 50, so she actually lived most of her life in Nyack). We explored the grounds of her home (it is not a public author home at this time) and paid our respects at the Oak Hill Cemetery where Carson is buried next to her mother. We visited Big Red Books, a Little Free Library, Pickwick Books, and the gorgeous Nyack Public Library. (Check out our social media for some pics.) We also recap our Biblio Adventure to NYC which was metamorphosed by an earthquake in New Jersey that was felt throughout the Northeast. As always, we talk about what we’ve read, are reading, and want to read. Highlights include PIGLET by Lottie Hazell, THE STOLEN CHILD by Ann Hood (out 5/7), MOBY DICK by Herman Melville, HOW TO READ by Monica Wood (out 5/7), SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY by Edgar Lee Masters, BLESS YOUR HEART by Lindy Ryan, THE EDITOR: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin (out 5/28), and two short stories: “Touchless Bidet” by Omar El Akkad from the collection SMALL ODYSSEYS: Selected Shorts Presents 35 New Stories edited by Hannah Tinti and “A Simple Question” from the collection OLD CRIMES: And Other Stories by Jill McCorkle. If you’ve been enjoying our podcast, please share it with a friend and consider leaving a review on iTunes or whatever app you use to listen. Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading! Chris & Emily

Episode 205 - Author Spotlight with Yulin Kuang Apr 09, 2024

Welcome to Episode 205! April is National Poetry Month and we are here for it. Emily is currently reading YOU ARE HERE: Poetry in the Natural World, a new anthology edited by Ada Limón, and Chris is reading BOATS FOR WOMEN by Sandra Yannone. Since our last episode, Chris finished listening to WAKE UP WITH PURPOSE! What I’ve Learned in my First Hundred Years by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt. She also enjoyed the first issue of DEPROG by Tina Horn, Gab Contreras, Dani Strips, and Lisa Sterle, and dipped into RIVER EAST, RIVER WEST by Aube Rey Lescure (long listed for the Women’s Prize). Emily read two suspense thrillers: INTIMACIES by Katie Kitamura and WHEN THE CICADAS CRY by Caroline Cleveland, and then went to a happier place with A BAKER’S YEAR: Twelve Months of Baking and Living the Simple Life at the Smoke Signals Bakery by Tara Jensen. As always we talk about what we’re reading, what we want to read, and Biblio Adventures we’ve been on, like seeing Rachel Slade discuss her new book MAKING IT IN AMERICA: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. and How It Got That Way, at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. Happy Listening & Happy Reading!

Episode 204 - Author Spotlight with Allison Pataki Mar 26, 2024

We begin Episode 204 with the announcement of our second quarter readalong in our year of reading romance and end with a delightful conversation with author Allison Pataki about her fabulous new novel, FINDING MARGARET FULLER. Since our last episode, Emily has continued with her intention of reading a short story every Monday. She read “Lot” by Bryan Washington from the story collection LOT: Stories and “Postcards from Heaven” from REUNION BEACH: Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank. Chris also read a short story, “Consequences” by Willa Cather from the story collection UNCLE VALENTINE AND OTHER STORIES. We each read an excellent novel – we’re talking Top 10 contenders! Emily read THE FROZEN RIVERr by Ariel Lawhon and Chris finished WE GOT THE BEAT by Jenna Miller. In Biblio Adventures, Chris has rekindled a childhood fascination with Mary Stuart (aka Mary I of Scotland or Mary, Queen of Scots). She watched two movies: Mary, Queen of Scots starring Vanessa Redgrave, and Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan based on John Guy's biography QUEEN OF SCOTS: The True Life of Mary Stuart. She plans to read Antonia Fraser’s biography, Mary, Queen of Scots for Big Book Summer. Emily took a trip to Wilmington, NC where she tried unsuccessfully to shop at Papercuts Bookshop because it was closed for inventory. She did find two Little Free Libraries where she picked up THIRTEEN MOONS by Charles Frazier, INTIMACIES by Katie Kitamura, and EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Back in CT, Emily went to the North Haven public library where she purchased LOTt: Stories by Bryan Washington and WHO’S IRISH?: Stories by Gish Jen from the Friends of the Library sale, and attended a presentation with Linda Civitello author of BAKING POWDER WARS: The Cutthroat Food Fight That Revolutionized Cooking.

Episode 203 - Romance Readalong with INDIGO by Beverly Jenkins Mar 12, 2024

Welcome to Episode 203! Some highlights of this episode: Emily dives into the pages of THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon and the delicious world of baking with THE COOKIE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE cookbook by Nancy Silverton and Carolynn Carreno. Meanwhile, Chris is back in high school with Jenna Miller's new sapphic YA romance, WE GOT THE BEAT. Emily devoured Elle Cosimano's new release, FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE, and was deeply moved by Suleika Jaouad's memoir BETWEEN TWO KINGDOMS. She also read three short stories: "Itinerary" by Lucia Berlin in EVENING IN PARADISE and "Los Angeles" and "Office Hours" by Ling Ma in BLISS MONTAGE: Stories. Chris highly recommends the new and first biography of a once hugely popular woman writer, THE VANISHING OF CAROLYN WELLS by Rebecca Rego Barry. She also revisited ETHAN FROME before reading SUMMER by Edith Wharton. We also discuss INDIGO by Beverly Jenkins, our first-quarter readalong pick. A question for those of you who read it: do you think Hester’s name could be a nod to Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter? In Biblio Adventures, Chris explored The Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Over On Ingredient One, Emily sat down with Louise Miller, author of THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING AND THE LATE BLOOMER’S CLUB.

Episode 202 - Author & Editor Spotlight with Jessica Pryde Feb 27, 2024

Welcome to Episode 202 of the Book Cougars, featuring an Author and Editor Spotlight with Jessica Pryde. Chris and Emily are enjoying and learning from Jess’s ground-breaking anthology, BLACK LOVE MATTERS: REAL TALK ON ROMANCE, BEING SEEN, AND HAPPILY EVER AFTERS. Thanks to listener Katie for putting this book on our radar. We’re both currently immersed in audiobooks. – Chris is reading a new biography, THE VANISHING OF CAROLYN WELLS by Rebecca Rego Barry (available now from Vibrance Press and narrated by Laura Jennings). – Emily is reading a memoir, BETWEEN TWO KINGDOMS: A MEMOIR OF LIFE INTERRUPTED, by Suleika Jaouad (out 3/1 from Penguin Random House Audio and read by the author). And we are both #currentlyreading INDIGO by Beverly Jenkins, the first book in our year of Reading Romance. Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Catherine Oni, whose new romance novel, IF HER LOVE WAS ENOUGH, is available now. Meet Catherine at Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT, on Saturday, March 2nd, from 1-3 pm ET. As always, we talk about what we’ve read, what we want to read, and Biblio Adventures. Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode202

Episode 201 - A Great Last Night with Luanne Rice Feb 13, 2024

Welcome to Episode 201 featuring an Author Spotlight with LUANNE RICE recorded at the beautiful and welcoming Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library in Old Lyme, CT. Luanne’s new novel, LAST NIGHT, is out now. You’ve heard us rave about it in recent episodes and we do our best to keep our conversation with Luanne spoiler free. Some highlights of this episode: After recording with Luanne, we headed to Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT to attend her book launch. She was in conversation with new-to-us author, VANESSA LILLIE. It was a great event and the reception afterwards at The Captain Daniel Packer Inne was filled with love, good conversation, and delicious food. Later that night we both started Vanessa’s new thriller, BLOOD SISTERS. We binged it and highly recommend you check it out. Other books and stories we’ve recently read include THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE by Jo Piazza (out 4/2/2024) and RIVER OF THE GODS: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard. Emily read two short stories:“The Irish Wedding” from the story collection THE SOUVENIR MUSEUM by Elizabeth McCracken and “Such Fun” from the story collection LAST NIGHT by James Salter. Chris also declared that she’s “finished” reading Emily Wilson’s new translation of THE ILIAD by Homer. In Biblio Adventures, Emily went to Charter Books in Newport, RI for the book launch of FLOAT UP, SING DOWN by Laird Hunt. Chris acquired a few more IKEA bookcases and immediately started filling them up with purchases from Barnes & Noble and Blackwell’s. Thanks to the sponsor of this episode, Anthony Ausiello, whose new novel, BROOKLYN ‘76, comes out on 2/20/2024. Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode201

Episode 200 - Two Books We Can't Wait for You to Read (times 18!) Jan 30, 2024

Thank you for listening over the years and helping us reach our 200th episode! To celebrate this milestone, we invited special guests to call the Book Cougars hotline and recommend two forthcoming books they can’t wait for all of us to read. This idea was inspired by Ann Kingman and Michael Kindness, hosts of the podcast Books on the Nightstand, who had a segment called “Two Books We Can’t Wait for You to Read.” Chris and Emily met through Books on the Nightstand; their sunset inspired our sunrise. As an homage, we were thrilled to have Ann and Michael contribute to the segment along with other guests that have been featured on the podcast over the past seven years including Amy Tector, Andrea Wang, Bianca Marais, Caroline Leavitt, Davina from BookBrowse, Fiona Davis, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Jennifer Savran Kelly, Jenna Miller, Rachel Barenbaum, Kelcey Ervick, Luanne Rice, Jung Yun, and our Mystery Man – John Valeri. We asked our author friends to shout out their new or forthcoming books. Your TBR List just might explode! #SorryNotSorry And that’s not the only exciting segment in this episode. We crunched the numbers and share our Listener Top Ten Reads of 2023. They are: Tom Lake – Ann Patchett Hello Beautiful – Ann Napolitano Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store – James McBride Yellowface – R.F. Kuang The Reading List – Sara Nisha Adams Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt The Fraud – Zadie Smith Unlikely Animals – Annie Hartnett Signal Fires – Dani Shapiro Absolution – Alice McDermott The Postcard – Anne Berest As always, we share what we’re currently reading, what we’ve read, and Biblio Adventures we’ve been on. Emily visited White River Books and the Carbondale Public Library in Colorado. She also attended Aspen Words featuring Ann Patchett in conversation with Elizabeth McCracken. Chris paid her respects to the Barnes and Noble closing in Naperville, Illinois (they’re opening a new format store in nearby Oswego), and visited one of her favorite used bookstores, The Frugal Muse in Darien. She also attended Biography International Organization’s Biography Lab, an online forum about the craft. If you’re in the Connecticut area, join us on Friday, February 2nd at 5:30 pm ET at Bank Square Books for the launch of Luanne Rice’s new book Last Night. Then on Sunday, February 11th at 5 pm ET, Chris’s wife Laura Thoma will be reading from her work-in-progress as part of the Chester Arts & Literary Weekend. Reminder: our first quarter readalong book is Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. All the books we mention in this episode are in the show notes at https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode200. Thanks again for listening, and Happy Reading! Chris & Emily

Episode 199 - Our 2024 Reading Intentions Jan 16, 2024

Welcome to Episode 199! We have read A LOT since our last regularly recorded episode in December, so be prepared! In our “Just Read” segment, we talk about books by Lois Hamill, Hisashi Kashiwai, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, Josie Silver, James R. Benn, Alice Hoffman, Kate Jacobs, Tiago Forte, Julie Alvarez, Luanne Rice, Elizabeth Acevedo, Ann Hood, and Abraham Verghese. Phew! Spot any of your favorite authors in that list? The funny thing is, we are also currently reading a bunch of books. Go figure! We also have some fun Biblio Adventures to tell you about. Chris went to the New Bedford Whaling Museum for part of their 2024 Moby-Dick Marathon and then had a lovely browse through the New Bedford Free Library. Emily attended Katherine May’s Book Club with special guest Diane Henry, author of the cookbook Roast Figs Sugar Snow. As always, there is a lot more in the episode than we include in our blurb. But we also want to remind you that our first quarter readalong for our year of reading romance is Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. We hope you’ll join us. Happy Listening & Happy Reading!

Episode 198 - Top Ten Reads of 2023 with BookTuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog Jan 02, 2024

Welcome to our fourth annual Top Ten Reads of the Year episode with BookTuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog! We each talk about our top ten reads of 2023. Some books were published in 2023, and others are a bit older, but they all stirred our hearts and minds and we want to sing their praises. Russell, Emily, and Chris all have such different reading tastes that there is sure to be at least one book in this bunch of 30+ (some people cheated) that you will want to add to your TBR list. We don’t know one another’s lists beforehand, so this is always an exciting episode for us. We also share some of our favorite Biblio Adventures and three books each that we are looking forward to in 2024. And we announce the first quarter pick for our 2024 Readalong theme, ROMANCE! Top Ten Lists are not just about us – we would love to know what your top 10 reads of 2023 were! If you’d like to share, please add them to this handy Google form: https://bit.ly/BookCougarsListenerTopTenBooksof2023. We’ll share Listener Top Ten Reads of 2023 in January.

Episode 197 - Author Spotlight with Pip Williams Dec 19, 2023

Welcome to our last episode of the year! We reflect on our 2023 reading intentions, announce our 2024 readalong theme, and have a delightful conversation with Australian author Pip Williams to cap off our year of reading Books About Books. Some of the books we just read & discuss: – THE HELSINKI AFFAIR by Anna Pitoniak – THE QUEEN OF DIRT ISLAND by Donal Ryan – UNNATURAL DEATH by Patricia Cornwell – THE MAID by Nita Prose – THE BOOKBINDER by Pip Williams In Biblio Adventures, we had a wonderful joint jaunt to Glastonbury, CT where we shopped at River Bend Bookshop’s new location and then walked wide-eyed through the gorgeously renovated Welles-Turner Memorial Library. Emily visited her daughter in Michigan and returned to Bay Books in Suttons Bay where she purchased THE RECIPE BOX by Viola Shipman. Chris attended two virtual events: Robert Darnton’s talk at the Boston Athenaeum about his new book, THE REVOLUTIONARY TEMPER: PARIS, 1748-1790, and Alan B. Farmer’s lecture on “Lost Books: The Dark Matter of the Early Modern English Book Trade” at the Harry Ransom Center. Thank you all for a fantastic year of books, authors, libraries, bookstores, and, in a few cases, mushrooms and mosquitos. Happy Reading!

Episode 196 - Trying Not To Go Viral Dec 05, 2023

Once again, we are grateful for the miracle of modern technology that allowed us to record this episode from two locations. Chris was recovering from the flu and, to keep Emily healthy, we recorded over Zoom. In our Just Read segment, we talk about nine very different books in a variety of genres: epic poetry, memoir, biography, and novels, including a graphic novel. Both Cougars finished THE BOOKBINDER by Pip Williams, our last readalong in our year of reading Books About Books. Chris finally finished THE PARADISO by Dante Alighieri and is happy to have THE DIVINE COMEDY under her belt. She also finished Megan Marshall’s fascinating biography, The PEABODY SISTERS: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism. Taking a break from historically-minded reading, she listened to Ruha Benjamin’s award-winning book, VIRAL JUSTICE: How We Grow the World We Want. Emily dove into history and read THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. Then she switched things up with a middle-grade graphic novel, SEA CHANGE by Frank Viva. She read two books that look at grief through very different windows: Sloan Crosley’s memoir about the death of her best friend, GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE, and a new inspirational rom-com by Emma Grey, THE LAST LOVE NOTE. As always, we also discuss what we’re currently reading, what we look forward to reading, and Biblio Adventures. We hope you enjoy this episode, and we wish you lots of Happy Reading! Listen here https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2023/episode196 or wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 195 - Hooked by Nonfiction November & 2023 Holiday Gift Ideas Nov 21, 2023

Welcome to our 8th Annual Bookish Holiday Gifts episode! The first time we recommended holiday gift ideas was on Episode 2, way back in December 2016. Listeners enjoyed it so much that we’ve done it every year since. We hope you enjoy our ideas this year. Links to items discussed are in the show notes. We would like to note that none of our suggestions are ads or affiliates. They are things we have used or, in the case of custom bobbleheads, something we would like to try! #NonfictionNovember hooked us this year and we are currently reading or have read: Big Heart Little Stove: Bringing Home Meals & Moments from the Lost Kitchen by Erin French The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism by Megan Marshall Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family by Rabia Chaudry Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille T. Dungy In Biblio Adventures, Emily attended some in-person author events. She went to Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT to see Sigrid Nunez discuss her newest novel, The Vulnerables, with Willard Spiegelman whose most recent book is Nothing Stays Put: The Life and Poetry of Amy Clampitt. She also saw Michael Cunningham discuss his new novel, Day, with Amy Bloom at R.J. Julia in Madison, CT. Chris had a lovely visit to Mystic Seaport Museum where she wandered aboard the last wooden whaleship in the world, The Charles W. Morgan, an experience that never gets old! She’s considering a re-read of Moby Dick in 2024. Reminder: our 4th quarter readalong discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams is Sunday, December 3rd at 7 pm (ET). Email us if you’d like to participate in the Zoom discussion. Listen here – https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2023/episode195 – or wherever you get your podcasts. Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

Episode 194 - Author Spotlight with Sarah MacLean Nov 07, 2023

Episode 194 is bookended by Poetry and Romance. We begin with the poem “Only Love” by James Crews from the poetry collection, THE PATH TO KINDNESS: Poems of Connection and Joy. We end with an Author Spotlight with Sarah MacLean. Sarah is a powerhouse reader, advocate, and writer of romance fiction. Her new release is KNOCKOUT, book three in her Hell’s Belles series. We had a great time talking with Sarah about romance cover art, how she got into writing romance, and the un-patriarchal idea that we all deserve love and happy endings. It was both fun and enlightening for us, and we think you’ll enjoy our conversation whether or not you are a romance reader. In between, we talk about a bunch of books we’re currently reading – THE ART OF LIBROMANCY by Josh Cook, FAMILY LORE by Elizabeth Acevedo, and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE by Kerrelyn Sparks – and those we have finished reading like THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS by Pip Williams, THE GOLDEN GATE by Amy Chua, and COUNTRY PLACE by Ann Petry which we both read for the Vintage Book Club. We also recap some Couch Biblio Adventures we’ve enjoyed such as SLOW HORSES, RENFIELD, and KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. We hope you are finding some peace, comfort, and stimulation through your reading. Happy Reading! Chris & Emily

Episode 193 - Book Club Fundamentals with Davina Morgan-Witts Founder & Publisher of BookBrowse Oct 24, 2023

Chris and Emily were thrilled to sit down and talk with Davina Morgan-Witts, the Founder and Publisher of BookBrowse. Founded in 1998, BookBrowse is one of the earliest independent online book resources. Davina and her team of editors and reviewers are committed to being “Your guide to exceptional books.” If you are not yet familiar with BookBrowse, check it out. It is a helpful and fun resource for solo readers and book clubs. Since our last episode, Emily was on the road again and visited two public libraries in Maine. The Curtis Library in Brunswick had a Robert McCloskey exhibit featuring his books Blueberries for Sal, Time of Wonder, One Morning in Maine, Burt Dow Deep-Water Man, and Make Way for Ducklings. She also browsed the Wiscasset Public Library, which claims to be “the oldest continuous circulation library in the country.” (We understand such claims are dicey in the library world and so encourage you to research the matter for your own biblio-edification if you so desire.) Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Chris enjoyed several Couch Biblio Adventures. She watched Eye of the Needle via Kanopy, a 1981 adaptation of Ken Follett’s novel of the same name; the first episode of Lessons in Chemistry an Apple TV series based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus; and The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan’s new horror mini-series on Amazon Prime that’s an homage to several of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales. And we have been reading some great books! Emily is currently reading C. Pam Zhang’s LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, a dystopian novel, while Chris is following Dante’s rise to the Light of God’s Divine Love via THE PARADISO. Some of the books we discuss include COUNTRY PLACE by Ann Petry, AFTERLIFE by Julia Alvarez, MY ROOMMATE IS A VAMPIRE by Jenna Levine, THE QUICKENING by Elizabeth Rush, THE PURGATORIO by Dante Alighieri, AND THE GOTH HOUSE EXPERIMENT by SJ Sindu. We hope you enjoy this episode. As always, if you have any questions or comments, find us on social media or email us at bookcougars@gmail.com. Happy Reading! Chris & Emily

Episode 192 - Author Spotlight with Fancy Feast Oct 10, 2023

Author Spotlight: Chris and Emily have a great time talking with Fancy Feast about her new (and debut) essay collection, NAKED: ON SEX, WORK, AND OTHER BURLESQUES. We bid adieu to Scarlet Summer with a recap of our Biblio Adventure to Boston where we visited sites related to Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first stop was the land upon which Brook Farm operated in West Roxbury, MA where we hiked to the crumbling foundation of Margaret Fuller’s cottage. In Boston’s historic district, we had lunch at Chipotle, the current tenant of the Old Corner Bookstore, saw Elizebeth Pain’s headstone in King’s Chapel Burial Ground, and took a tour of the Boston Athenaeum. We ended the day with a stroll down Pinckney Street, a block where, at different times, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, and the Thoreaus all lived and where Elizabeth Peabody held her kindergarten (the first in America). While on vacation at the Cape, Emily visited Herridge Bookstore, the Provincetown Bookshop, Tim’s Used Books, the Provincetown Public Library, and the Eldredge Public Library. She also read WELLNESS by Nathan Hill and NAKED by Fancy Feast. Chris was a guest on Shawn the Book Maniac’s BookTube channel where she shows and talks about two bookmarks from her childhood (which were made in Emily’s hometown!). She got a lot of reading in and finished ADVERSITY FOR SALE by Jay Jeezy Jenkins, MONSTERS: A FANS DILEMMA by Clair Dederer (which she buddy read with BookTuber Britta of The Second Shelf), THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando, and two kids’s books: WHEN A PET DIES by Fred Rogers and STAIRWAY TO DOOM by Robert Quackenbush. Reminder that our 4th Quarter Readalong is THE BOOKBINDER by Pip Williams. Email us (bookcougars@gmail.com) if you’d like to join our Zoom discussion on Sunday, December 3rd at 7 p.m. ET.

Episode 191 - Something So Good It Can Never Be Enough with Poet Shuly Cawood Sep 26, 2023

Chris and Emily are happy to welcome back author SHULY CAWOOD to talk about her new poetry collection, SOMETHING SO GOOD IT CAN NEVER BE ENOUGH. Shuly reads a poem and talks about her poetic process, and we ask her to discuss our favorite(s) in the collection. We enjoy Shuly’s poetry in part because it is so accessible. Biblio Adventures are always fun and interesting, and we went on one that opened up a huge new-to-us genre, ROMANCE! We recap a conference we attended at Yale, Popular Romance Fiction: The Literature of Hope. Chris watched the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Hearing on Book Bans. We also had a great day in NYC with Aunt Ellen visiting The New York Society Library, The Corner Bookstore, and Kitchen Arts and Letters. Oysters were also involved. Some of the books we’ve read since the last episode include (not surprisingly) two romance novels. Chris read CLEAT CUTE by Meryl Wilsner and Emily read the first in the Hell’s Belles series by Sarah MacNeal, BOMBSHELL. Chris finished THE INFERNO by Dante. Emily goes out on a limb and declares that PROPERTIES OF THIRST by Marianne Wiggins might land on her top 10 list this year. She also finished THIN PLACES by Kerri Ní Dochartaigh and loved ZORRIE by Laird Hunt which was one of our BookTube buddy Russell of Ink and Paper Blog’s favorites in 2021. So many books! And we are thrilled about it. And also happy that it is Autumn, one of our favorite seasons.

Episode 190 - Haunted by Hawthorne & The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman Sep 12, 2023

It’s another 10th episode which means we’re hosting a giveaway for newsletter subscribers! One lucky winner will receive a copy of DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America by Nancy Maclean and THE DANTE CLUB by Matthew Pearl. To be entered to win, head to www.bookcougars.com/subscriber to join our newsletter; the winner will be chosen on September 15th. In between some fantastic Biblio Adventures to Salem, MA, and a Couch Biblio Adventure where we watched the 1934 adaptation of THE SCARLET LETTER, we managed to do some reading. We both read Alice Hoffman’s new novel (and the book that sparked Scarlet Summer), THE INVISIBLE HOUR. Emily devoured LARK ASCENDING by Silas House and Chris took a deep dive into Nathaniel with Brenda Wineapple’s biography, HAWTHORNE: A LIFE. Chris is currently listening to ADVERSITY FOR SALE by Jay Jeezy Jenkins and Emily is listening to THIN PLACES by Kerri Ní Dochartaigh. Scarlet Summer is winding down, but we still have one more Hawthorne-themed Biblio Adventure coming up: on Thursday, 9/21 we are heading to Boston. See you there?

Episode 189 - Author Spotlight with Laurie Lico Albanese Aug 29, 2023

The Book Cougars are thrilled to welcome Laurie Lico Albanese, author of HESTER, our second readalong for Scarlet Summer. Laurie dishes on Hawthorne, shares her inspiration for Isobel, and talks about her writing process. Don’t miss our Author Spotlight with Laurie at the end of the episode. Other highlights include: In our “Just Read” segment we talk about DEER SEASON by Erin Flanagan, THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES by Sangu Mandanna, THE RED GARDEN by Alice Hoffman, THE WITCHES OF MOONSHYNE MANOR by Bianca Marais, and two short stories: “The Profile” by Willa Cather and “The Wehrwolf” by Alma Katsu. We recap our two-day Biblio Adventure to the Berkshires that included finding Hawthorne’s Little Red Cottage, a tour of The Mount, a visit with librarian Nynke Dorhout, an author event with Stacy Schiff in conversation with André Bernard, and a truncated hike up Monument Mountain. In Upcoming Jaunts, we’re heading to Salem, Massachusetts to visit The House of the Seven Gables and other Hawthorne historic sites on Wednesday, 8/30. We’re also planning on attending a conference on our home turf here in New Haven, Popular Romance Fiction: The Literature of Hope at Yale University on September 8-9th. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Episode 188 - Author Spotlight with Erin Flanagan and Katrina Kittle Aug 15, 2023

We had a great time talking with Erin Flanagan and Katrina Kittle. Both authors have new books coming out: COME WITH ME (8/22) and MORNING IN THIS BROKEN WORLD (9/1). Don’t miss our Author Spotlight conversation with them at the end of the episode. What We’ve Just Read: Emily: LET US DESCEND by Jesmyn Ward (out 10/3), a tough but rewarding read, and Peter Heller’s new release THE LAST RANGER, set in Yellowstone National Park. Chris: A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS by Paul Tremblay – a contemporary twisty tale of possession set in Beverly, Massachusetts, a town that was swept up in the Witch Delusion of 1692 We had two fantastic Biblio Adventures. The first was a work day at Simmons University in Boston after which we saw Laura Sims (HOW CAN I HELP YOU) and Paul Tremblay (THE BEAST YOU ARE: STORIES) in conversation at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA. The second was local to us: we lunched at the French bistro Cocotte which is inside the historic James Pharmacy before heading across the street to the Hart House Museum to see their new exhibit, “Family Matters: Inspiration and Insights from the Lives of Anna Louise James and Ann Petry.” As always, we talk about a whole bunch of books. Happy listening, and then Happy Reading!

Episode 187 - Author Spotlight with Alli Frank & Asha Youmans Aug 01, 2023

A Book Cougars first: we interview a writing duo! In our Author Spotlight segment, we talk with Alli Frank and Asha Youmans about their new novel THE BETTER HALF, how they started writing together, their path to publication, and their writing process. Spoiler: matching pajamas! Some episode highlights: We both read Ann Petry’s powerful 1946 novel, THE STREET, for the Vintage Book Club (hosted by Book Club on the Go at Red Heat Tavern in South Windsor). This story about a struggling single mother in 1940s Harlem seems as relevant as ever and generated great discussion. We recommend the audio version narrated by Danielle Deadwyler. Emily read a novel about two women friends by Edgar Award-winning novelist Erin Flanagan. If you like twisty and dark stories about people who are not what they seem, COME WITH ME (out 8/22) is for you. She also enjoyed Jennifer Weiner’s forthcoming beach read, THE BREAKAWAY (out 8/29), about a fat-positive protagonist who leads a bike tour. Emily also crossed off another square on her Scarlet Summer Bingo Card by reading/listening to WE RIDE UPON THE STICKS by Quan Barry, a story set in Danvers, MA with lots of 1980s love. Chris ripped through Laura Sims’ new novel, HOW CAN I HELP YOU, a psychological mystery/thriller/suspense novel set in a small town library that revolves around two women who become obsessed with one another for very different reasons. Teaser: there’s more than a nod to Shirley Jackson. And while waiting out a thunderstorm at the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook, Chris read WHAT DID IT TAKE? a short biography by Whitney McKendree Moore about Anna Louise James. James, a fascinating woman in her own right, was Ann Petry’s aunt. We recap our Biblio Adventure at the Grolier Club in NYC where we did some archival research (Emily is hooked!) and also had a browse at McNally Jackson Books at Rockefeller Center. On Wednesday, August 2nd, we’re heading to Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA to see Laura Sims and Paul Tremblay in conversation. Come join us!

Episode 186 - The Long Afterlife of The Scarlet Letter Jul 18, 2023

Welcome to Episode 186! We chat about what we’re currently reading (How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens and Come with Me by Erin Flanagan) and books we’ve finished ( Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King). We also discuss our third quarter readalong pick, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which means SCARLET SUMMER is in full swing! In Biblio Adventures, we Zoomed in from the Concord Free Public Library for a lively discussion with listeners of The Scarlet Letter that left us with great insights, lots of food for thought, and high anticipation for the other two novels we’ll read for Scarlet Summer: Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese and The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman. Our day in Concord began with a fantastic tour of The Old Manse, the house Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne rented and lived in as newlyweds (and from which they were evicted for not paying rent). Later in the day, we had a walk around the outside of The Wayside, a house the Hawthornes purchased some years later. It’s not currently open for visitors, but it was fun to peek in the window and then walk a path down the block to Orchard House, Louise May Alcott’s Home (which we visited in 2018). No visit to Concord is complete without a browse at The Concord Bookshop and a stop to pay respects at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Hawthorne and other famous 19th-century writers were laid to rest on Author’s Ridge. Our Biblio Adventure to Concord, Massachusetts was a near-perfect day. Our guest for this episode is Charles Baraw, Professor of American Literature and President of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, who joined us to talk about The Scarlet Letter and its long afterlife. We mention a lot of books and recap other Biblio Adventures in this episode. These are all listed in the show notes which you can find here, https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2023/episode186 Happy Listening!

Episode 185 - Book Cougars Prowling in the Midwest Jul 04, 2023

We both recently headed to the Midwest for some family & friend time. Chris went to Chicago and met up with Colleen, our guest on Episodes 27 and 145. We had a browse in Women & Children First, a legendary feminist bookstore and one of Chicago’s oldest indies, after which we had lunch across the street at Lady Gregory’s, an Irish pub named after the legendary Irish dramatist. Chris also got to visit one of her favorite used bookstores, Frugal Muse in Darien, IL, where she found two copies of THE RED GARDEN by Alice Hoffman (it’s a book on our Scarlet Summer Bingo! Card). Emily headed to Michigan to celebrate her daughter’s birthday and gifted her a Little Free Library! They went on a Biblio Adventure together to Blue Vase Book Exchange in Interlochen, MI, a used bookstore with a computer inventory database (so convenient!). Emily also got to visit Bay Books in Suttons Bay, MI where she discovered the books of Viola Shipman, a local author. Shipman is actually the pen name of Wade Rouse whose grandma inspired his writing so he writes under her name. What an amazing way to honor her. We also finished a few books. Chris feels quite accomplished for having finished ULYSSES by James Joyce. Phew! As she says in the episode, it is everything that everyone has ever said it is. Emily read THE RED GARDEN by Alice Hoffman, a collection of related stories that contain a few “Easter Eggs” that’ll show up in her forthcoming novel, THE INVISIBLE HOUR, which comes out in August. She also read THE BETTER HALF by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, who will be our guests on Episode 186. As for upcoming reads and Biblio Adventures, we’ll both be reading THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne this week and are looking forward to our Biblio Adventure to Concord, MA. Reminder that our readalong discussion is on Wed, July 12, 4:30 pm ET at the Concord Public Library. If you’d like to join us in person or on the Zoom call, please email us at bookcougars@gmail.com.

Episode 184 - Author Spotlight with Bethanne Patrick Jun 20, 2023

SCARLET SUMMER kicks off Independence Day weekend! Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthday is July 4th, so we consider it an auspicious start for our summer-long readalong. Our website has a new page, https://www.bookcougars.com/scarletsummer2023, where you can find all the info about SCARLET SUMMER, including a link to download your BINGO! card. As Emily noted in the episode, at least one reader is already making “witchy substitutions” on her card. We listed each of the three readalong books three times to make it easy to win, but feel free to swap out any of the repeat squares for other witch-related or Hawthorne or Albanese or Hoffman books. We are both making progress on our #BigBookSummer reads (DEVIL IN THE GROVE and ULYSSES) and we’ve read a few fun/interesting/thought-provoking books including: —EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END by C.L. Polk (https://bookshop.org/a/17535/9781250849458) —THE WHISPERS by Ashley Audrain (https://bookshop.org/a/17535/9781984881694) —THOUGHTS FROM THE OAK by Audrey Colasanti (https://bookshop.org/a/17535/9781913606602) —GRACELAND by Nancy Crochiere (https://bookshop.org/a/17535/9780063288430) In Biblio Adventures we recap our day in Newport, Rhode Island visiting the Redwood Library & Athenaeum, the Newport Public Library, and Charter Books where we attended their event with Claire Fuller for her new novel, THE MEMORY OF ANIMALS. (https://bookshop.org/a/17535/9781953534873) Chris watched the documentary Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb about their decades-long writer/editor relationship. We recorded this episode in the early afternoon of June 21st and were deeply saddened when news broke later in the day of Gottlieb’s death. Emily had a lovely trip to Manhattan to visit Aunt Ellen who is back on the East Coast for a visit. They went to P&T Knitwear Books (which has a podcast studio you can reserve for free) and Sweet Pickle Books (where you can trade books for pickles!). Our Author Spotlight features a conversation with Bethanne Patrick discussing her memoir LIFE B: OVERCOMING DOUBLE DEPRESSION. (https://bookshop.org/a/17535/9781640091290) As always, thank you for listening and we wish you lots of Happy Reading! Emily & Chris

Episode 183 - Author Spotlight with Sara Nisha Adams Jun 06, 2023

Mushrooms! Librarians! Serial killer victims brought back to life! New friends and life reinvigorated through reading! We’ve had some good reads since our last episode. We’re both digging into our #BigBookSummer reading challenge books. Emily has started DEVIL IN THE GROVE by Gilbert King. Chris has thrown away the reading schedule for ULYSSES by James Joyce but is reading on. In Biblio Adventures, Chris had a browse at the Book Barn in Niantic, CT where she stumbled across TRAVELS WITHOUT CHARLEY by Bill Goralski. She also attended a fall preview event with Simon and Schuster where five authors talked with their editors about their forthcoming fall releases: Safiya Sinclair, Myriam Gurba, Stephanie Land, Nicole Walters, and Melissa Broder. We both enjoyed our 2nd quarter readalong pick, THE READING LIST and were delighted to talk with author Sara Nisha Adams! Just after our conversation with Sara, we announce our 3rd quarter readalong plans. Buckle up for SCARLET SUMMER!

Episode 182 - Biblio Adventure Bonanza: Making Lemonade Out of Lemons May 23, 2023

Welcome to Episode 182! There is a lot of Biblio Adventure recapping in this episode, from author events (Mary Beth Keane at R.J. Julia) to movies (two book adaptations starring Kathy Bates), to bookstore visits in Vermont (Northshire and Monroe Street Books) and New York (Rogers Book Barn and Oblong Books). In the midst of wrapping up library school and plugging away on a huge grant review project, we both managed to actually finish a book apiece: Emily: Budmo! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen by Anna Voloshyna Chris: Shakespeare and Company by Sylvia Beach We are also getting ready for Sue Jackson’s 11th Annual BIG BOOK SUMMER Reading Challenge! We’ve both picked a big book to kick off the summer. Chris chose a novel this year, one she never thought she’d read. It was published in Paris in 1922. Can you guess? Emily chose a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical best-seller about Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. (We’ll add links to the buddy reads for these books in the comments.) Emily also requests your help choosing which novel to read — she has a stack of four and can’t decide — so help a girl out and vote on our Goodreads poll! [vote here] What are your reading plans this summer? As we say in the episode, it doesn’t have to be a big book or anything fancy, we’re just curious if you have special reading plans this summer. Let us know in the comments. Thank you for listening, and we wish you lots of HAPPY READING! Chris & Emily P.S. Listen here https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2023/episode182 or wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 181 - Author Spotlight with Sharon Salzberg May 09, 2023

Episode 180 - Travels with Chris, Emily, and Charley Apr 25, 2023

We talk about a bunch of books and biblioadventures in Episode 180. What’s new, right? #wink Some highlights include books we just read, which took us from a memoir about caring for animals (THE OTHER FAMILY DOCTOR by Karen Fine) to an idiomatic fowl in search of freedom (CHASE OF THE WILD GOOSE by Mary Gordon) and from an island in the Atlantic (SUMMER STAGE by Meg Mitchell Moore) to a road trip around America (TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY by John Steinbeck). Speaking of travel, we had a two-day joint jaunt to Manhattan, where we went our separate ways during daylight hours – Emily volunteered at the CHERRY BOMBE JUBILEE and Chris worked at the STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION LIBRARY. Closer to home, Emily went to see THE QUIET GIRL at the Madison Cinemas and Chris did some archival research at The Beinecke. Some fun biblioadventures are coming up–like Emily moderating two author events at the Newburyport Literary Festival this weekend: Fur, Feathers, and Scales: A Lifetime of Caring for Pets with author Karen Fine and Shaped by Loss: How Tragedy Changed the Lives of Emerson, Thoreau, and William James with author Megan Marshall. Chris is planning to attend a virtual event with author Benjamin Taylor who will be discussing Cather’s MY ANTONIA on Thursday at 7pm CT via the National Willa Cather Center. Reminder: the show notes for each episode lists all of the books and events we mention. Happy Listening, and then, Happy Reading!

Episode 179 - Deep Dive with Poet Shuly Cawood Apr 11, 2023

Happy National Poetry Month! We kick off this episode with Emily reading Lucille Clifton’s poem, “Climbing,” and end with an in-depth conversation with poet Shuly Cawood about her poem, “Starter Marriage.” [The full text of Shuly’s poem is at the end of this description if you’d like to read it before or while listening to the episode.] Both of us have Writing and Creativity on our minds. Emily started Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY, and Chris is listening to WRITING FOR IMPACT by Bill Birchard. And we have some reading/writing synchronicity going on with Natalie Goldberg. Emily is reading & listening to her classic, WRITING DOWN THE BONES, and when visiting McNally Jackson at Rockefeller Center in NYC Chris picked up WRITING DOWN THE BONES DECK. More recently read books include WHY AM I SO ANXIOUS by Tracey Marks, MY DEAREST DARLING by Lisa Franco, BOOKSELLING IN AMERICA AND THE WORLD, ed. by Charles B. Anderson. And thanks to listener Colleen’s birthday book club tradition, we revisited a childhood favorite, Judy Blume’s ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. There’s another #buddyread on our horizon: TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY IN SEARCH OF AMERICA. We’re reading this for the Vintage Book Club which is sponsored by Book Club on the Go and will meet on Thursday, April 20, 1 pm at the Wood Memorial Library and Museum in South Windsor, CT. All are welcome. We had a fantastic biblioadventure together in Boston. After spending the day working in Simmons University’s Beatley Library, we visited the amazing independent bookstore, Brookline Booksmith. Emily is going to be moderating two author sessions at the Newburyport Literary Festival, April 28-30: — The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us about Love, Life, and Mortality by Karen Fine, DVM —Three Roads Back: How Emerson, Thoreau, and William James Responded to the Greatest Losses of Their Lives by Robert D. Richardson with a foreword by Megan Marshall (Emily’s conversation will be with Megan). Chris is bummed that she won’t be able to attend the Newburyport Literary Festival or either of the two Willa Cather conferences this June. She is, however, planning to attend a series of four virtual events with author Benjamin Taylor that the National Willa Cather Center is offering beginning on April 27th. Taylor’s new book, CHASING BRIGHT MEDUSAS: A LIFE OF WILLA CATHER, is to be published in November. Visit the episode show notes for more details and links to the books, places, and events listed above.https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2023/episode179 Happy Reading! Chris & Emily ______ Starter Marriage by Shuly Cawood after Erin Adair-Hodges* First there was the word and the word was trying. Trying the apartment with white walls, popcorn ceilings, footsteps heavy above, thudding over our days. Trying the job I took filing papers into squeaking cabinets, the one you took answering phones for dentists. Trying the brown bag lunches with limp sandwiches and sliced cheese, the softening apple, the room-temperature soda. Consuming it all on church steps, hunched below the overhang as it rained. Trying the cold pool after work with dead insects needing to be netted. Unraveling towels, TJ Maxx suits, the walk back on the no-car driveway. All heat evaporated. Empty stomachs. No one wanted what the other craved. Trying the red Chevrolet with the bad battery, no parking without pay, the bus rides to and from work, your stop, my stop, the sun hitting hard, us squinting at the sky. Your last day, the blue electric toothbrush they gave you as goodbye. Buzzing in your mouth with all those trapped words. Trying the new queen mattress we could not afford but bought anyway. Trying the laundry we toted to the next building, plastic hampers in our arms full of every day’s dirt. Coffee but no creamer, bread but no toaster, sugar hardened in the bag. Day-old everything bagels, buy-one, get-one veggie burritos, dollar theater on Sundays. New job but less pay, new boss but no promotion. Saving for tickets for never vacations. Trying the places we gave up for each other: city salted by an ocean, all those fish and ferry rides; town with three stoplights, two policemen, a forest to get lost in. Your dreams, my dreams, weeds by the parking lot. Trying your face a broken banister, my hands an unused map. *The first nine words are borrowed from “Portrait of Mother: 1985” by Erin Adair-Hodges ______

Episode 178 - Author Spotlight with Jennifer Savran Kelly Mar 28, 2023

Welcome to Episode 178! We are currently reading a variety of genres: Fiction (CHASE OF THE WILD GOOSE by Mary Gordon and VOYAGER by Diana Gabaldon), memoir (LIFE B: OVERCOMING DOUBLE DEPRESSION by Bethanne Patrick), self-help (WHY AM I SO ANXIOUS by Tracey Marks), and a cookbook (COOK AS YOU ARE by Ruby Tandoh). Emily discusses three gripping novels that she recently read: THE MEMORY OF ANIMALS by Claire Fuller, OUR BEST INTENTIONS by Vibhuti Jain, and I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU by Rebecca Makkai. Chris enjoyed a new biography that investigates Edgar Allan Poe’s death, A MYSTERY OF MYSTERIES by Mark Dawidziak. She also finished two novels: DRAGONFLY IN AMBER by Diana Gabaldon and THE WARDEN by Anthony Trollope. We are excited to giveaway a copy of our second quarter readalong pick, THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams. To be entered to win, you simply need to be a newsletter subscriber. If you are not already, act quickly because we are picking the winner on March 29th! Easy sign up here: https://www.bookcougars.com/subscriber Don’t miss our Author Spotlight with Jennifer Savran Kelly. We both love her new novel, ENDPAPERS, a character-driven story about a genderqueer book conservator and book artist who finds a message under the endpapers of an old book that sets her off on an external investigation into the past that helps her solve some of her current internal mysteries.

Episode 177 - Author Spotlight with Amy Tector Mar 14, 2023

There are books and bookstores galore in this episode! Some highlights include – Emily went to see Aunt Ellen in Berkeley, CA, and together they visited two public libraries, a whole bunch of little free libraries, and TEN bookstores! Aunt Ellen gave Emily first dibs on her brand new copy of FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN by Elle Cosimano (now that’s love). Emily also read another book by Maggie O’Farrell, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX. Chris traveled to 1855 England via THE WARDEN, her first Anthony Trollope novel. She also enjoyed a virtual event via the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, “Understanding Katherine S. Days Identity: Interpreting Sexuality in Early 20th Century New England, Four Case Studies in LGBTQIA+ History.” Readalong: We talk about our first quarter readalong, PARNASSUS ON WHEELS (1917) by Christopher Morley. And we announce our second-quarter pick for our year of reading Books about Books. Hint: it was published in 2021 and involves a girl and her grandfather. Author Spotlight: We were thrilled to have a chat with Canadian writer Amy Tector, author of the Dominion Archives Mystery series. SPEAK FOR THE DEAD, the second book in the series, publishes today (March 14, 2023). Check out the show notes for links to all of the books and biblioadventures mentioned in this episode: https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2023/episode177

Episode 176 - We're in a New York State of Mind Feb 28, 2023

On Episode 176 Chris and Emily give a full recap of their two-day Biblio Adventure in New York City. The trip was inspired by a research project that Chris is working on for school that created a need for her to spend time in the archives at the main branch of the New York Public library. Emily tagged along and they had some bookish fun together. Highlights include an abundance of time spent at the main branch of the New York Public Library with a stroll through the Virginia Woolf exhibit and the newly expanded gift shop. Emily attended an event with Elinor Lipman discussing her new novel, MS. DEMEANOR. While she was at the author event, Chris spent a couple glorious hours at Book Culture bookstore. The next morning they brunched at Russ & Daughters Café with the author Matthew Goodman, and before catching the train home stopped at Kinokuniya Books to browse through their seemingly endless aisles of office supplies. Both Chris and Emily are currently reading the first quarter readalong, PARNASSUS ON WHEELS by Christopher Morley. They are particularly enjoying the audiobook narrated by Nadia May. Chris is time traveling between Scotland and Paris with Claire Randall in book two of the OUTLANDER series, DRAGONFLY IN AMBER by Diana Gabaldon. Emily is spending time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with Iliana Regan and FIELDWORK: A Forager’s Memoir. Happy Publication day to ENCHANTMENT: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by our friend Katherine May!

Episode 175 - He’s BAAACK! Our Mystery Man, John Valeri Feb 14, 2023

We just read a stack of books with an interesting variety of subjects! In between mushrooms and swimming, we spent time with an Australian rare book expert, a New Yorker wandering in Ireland, a Queer book artist in Manhattan, restauranteers in Minnesota, and an American publishing legend. We also got to know some folks in a rural hockey town. These books are: Cooking with Mushrooms: A Fungi Lover’s Guide to the World’s Most Versatile, Flavorful, Health-Boosting Ingredients by Andrea Gentl, People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, This Must be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell, Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly, Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J Ryan Stradal, Alfred A. Knopf: A Quarter Century – designed by W.A. Dwiggins, Beartown by Fredrik Backman, and Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui. In Biblio Aventures, Chris talks about making some books for a class assignment (we also created a show-and-tell video on YouTube), and Emily has started watching Dear Edward on Apple TV (based on the novel by Ann Napolitano). We are thrilled, as always, to welcome back Our Mystery Man, John Valeri! John shares some 2023 releases he’s enjoyed and recommends to us all, and he talks about his new Little Free Library.

Episode 174 - Author Spotlight with Jenna Miller Jan 31, 2023

On Episode 174, we share LISTENER TOP 10s of 2022. Thanks to the 70+ listeners who contributed their top 10 lists. Out of 427 books, Emily shares not only what the combined top 10 titles are (actually, 11 titles because there was a tie) but also who the most frequently listed authors are. We also talk about our READING INTENTIONS & GOALS for 2023. Listeners shared their plans and intentions on a Goodreads thread (https://bit.ly/2023_Reading_Intentions_and_Goals). The discussion is ongoing and inspiring. Reminder: PARNASSUS ON WHEELS by Christopher Morley is our first quarter readalong. If you’d like to join our live Zoom conversation on February 26th at 7 PM (ET), send us an email (bookcougars at gmail dot com). Here’s the Goodreads discussion link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/22401319-parnassus-on-wheels-by-christopher-morley In our JUST READ segment, we talk about: ROUGH SLEEPERS: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People by Tracy Kidder HOW THE WORD IS PASSED: A Reckoning with Slavery Across America by Clint Smith A HEART THAT WORKS by Rob Delaney THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT by John Steinbeck And in BIBLOADVENTURES, we recap our day in Boston, where we visited three bookstores: Brattle Books, Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, and Commonwealth Books. We had a blast! Emily had a solo biblioadventure, also in Massachusetts, where she saw Tracy Kidder in conversation with Dr. O’Connell discussing his new book ROUGH SLEEPERS. Books that we have talked about on earlier episodes and are OUT NOW: Small World by Laura Zigman Decent People by De’shawn Charles Winslow Georgie, All Along: An Uplifting and Unforgettable Love Story by Kate Clayborn Exiles by Jane Harper Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT! We are so excited to introduce you to debut novelist JENNA MILLER! We talk with Jenna about her first novel, OUT OF CHARACTER, making friends online, her writing practice, and the growing controversy of butter boards. Happy Listening! Emily & Chris

Episode 173 - Emily's Hidden Reading Slump and Chris's Return to Practical Magic Jan 17, 2023

Emily started 2023 with a bit of a reading slump, but you’d never know it! Some of the books she enjoyed since our last regular episode are Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, The Change by Kirsten Miller, Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (coming out 3/14/2023), and What the Fortune Teller Would Have Said by Shuly Cawood. For the third year in a row, Chris kicked off her January reading with a novel from Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic Series: The Rules of Magic. She’s also brushing up on her stirfrying skills with The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji López-Alt. Speaking of cooking, Emily attended a cooking class with the cookbook author Julia Turshen. Chris visited a couple of used bookstores: The Book Barn in Niantic, CT, and Bennett’s Books in Deep River, CT. We also had a lovely joint jaunt to New Haven, where we checked in on a large Little Free Library in Wooster Square after a yummy lunch at Haven Hot Chicken. We are extending our listener top reads of 2022 submissions until January 22nd, so if you haven’t submitted your Top 10 Reads, please send them our way! We’ll share highlights on Episode 174 (Google form - https://bit.ly/BookCougarsTopTen2022 or email us at bookcougars@gmail.com). Reminder that our next readalong is Parnassus on Wheels by Christoper Morley (Zoom convo on Feb 26th at 7 pm ET). Your purchase of the paperback from Bookshop.org or the audiobook from Libro.fm will help support us (the links go to our affiliate page). Thanks for listening and Happy Reading! Emily & Chris

Episode 172 - Top Ten Reads of 2022 with BookTuber Russell Gray Jan 03, 2023

Happy New Year! Welcome to our third annual TOP TEN READS of the year episode with our special guest, BookTuber RUSSELL GRAY of Ink and Paper Blog. Emily, Chris, and Russell whittled down the books they read in 2022 to ten of our favorites. You’d think this would add up to thirty books, but you’d be wrong. As is customary, we cheated (some more than others) and talk about more than ten books a piece, but what else would you expect from a trio of bibliomanes? We each also share two books coming out in 2023 that we’re excited about. Russell: 1. THE DELUGE by Stephen Markley (1/10/2023 Simon & Schuster) 2. DECENT PEOPLE by De’Shawn Charles Winslow (2/14/2023 Bloomsbury Publishing) Emily: 1. THE WISE HOURS: A JOURNEY INTO THE WILD AND SECRET WORLD OF OWLS by Miriam Darlington (2/7/2023 Tin House Books) 2. CHAIN GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (4/4/2023 Pantheon Books) 3. THE INVISIBLE HOUR by Alice Hoffman (8/15/2023 Atria Books) Chris: 1. THE WRITING RETREAT by Julia Bartz (2/21/2023 Atria/Emily Bestler Books) 2. OUT OF CHARACTER by Jenna Miller (2/7/2023 Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins) All of the books mentioned in this episode are listed in the show notes https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2022/episode171 We also announce our 2023 Readalong Theme: BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS! Our pick for the first quarter was published in 1917 and is one of the first bibliomysteries. Thanks for listening!

Episode 171 - Author Spotlight with Marcie R. Rendon Dec 20, 2022

Welcome to our last episode of 2022! We surprised each other this week with some reading kismet. Each of us arrived at Book Cougars HQ with a poetry collection in hand and a poem we wanted to share. Chris reads the poem “The Margin” from The Historians: Poems by Eavan Boland. Emily reads “Improvement” by Danusha Laméris from How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope edited by James Crews. We’ve also been reading some exciting novels that are coming out in early 2023. Two that we highly recommend are debut novels: — Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton (Ecco Press, release date 1/10/23) — The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (Atria Books, release date 2/21/23) Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance reader copies. In 2022, the focus of our quarterly readalongs were books written by Indigenous Authors. Our fourth and final book of the year was Murder on the Red River: A Cash Blackbear Mystery by Marcie R. Rendon. Both of us really enjoyed the book and had a great time chatting with Marcie on this episode. The next two books in the series are Girl Gone Missing and Sinister Graves. We wish you a Happy Holiday Season filled with lots of love, light, and happy reading!

Episode 170 - 2022 Holiday Gift Ideas and Author Spotlight with Malinda Lo Dec 06, 2022

Episode 169 - Author Spotlight with Marcia Clark and Our Mystery Man John Valeri Nov 22, 2022

We were apart again while recording this episode. Emily was in Colorado visiting her son and daughter-in-law. She also shared part of her salad with a magpie at The Bookworm bookstore and cafe in Edward’s CO. We are so grateful for the technology that allows us to get together to talk about books from wherever we are. As for what we’re reading, Chris is nearing the end of OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon and Emily is reading TAKE WHAT YOU NEED by Idra Novey (release date is 3/14/2023). We both read SWEET THURSDAY by John Steinbeck and also listened to ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King. Chris is dipping into the Library of America edition of CONSTANCE FENIMORE WOOLSON: COLLECTED STORIES and Emily read THE SEAS by Samantha Hunt and SHAME by Annie Ernaux. In Biblio Adventures, after we recorded the last episode we realized we forgot to talk about visiting the fantastic Lenox Library in Lenox, MA! Emily attended a virtual event at the San Francisco Public Library in celebration of their One City One Book selection, THIS IS EAR HUSTLE:: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life; with Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods, moderated by Piper Kerman author of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK: My Year in a Women’s Prison. Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Chris returned books to The Institute Library and then took a walk to visit Grey Matter Books and Barnes & Noble. On November 30th we are heading to Amherst, MA for the screening of the pop opera Emily & Sue at Amherst College hosted by the newly renovated Emily Dickinson Museum. We also got tickets for a tour of Dickinson’s house earlier in the day – we can’t wait to see what’s changed since our last visit. Last call to join in on our readalong discussion of MURDER ON THE RED RIVER by Marcie R. Rendon. If you would like to participate in the Zoom conversation on Sunday, December 4th at 7 PM (ET) please email us (bookcougars@gmail.com). We also have a discussion thread on our Goodreads group if you’d like to chat about the book there. AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: We had a blast talking with author, TV writer, and lawyer Marcia Clark and Our Mystery Man, John Valeri. Marcia’s new standalone thriller, THE FALL GIRL, is out now! We both enjoyed the audio version.

Episode 168 - Author Spotlight with Blair Braverman Nov 08, 2022

Episode 168 - Blair Braverman joins us to talk about her debut novel, SMALL GAME (out now from Ecco Press). It's about five contestants on a survival reality show that goes haywire. It’s a wild ride, and we had a fantastic conversation with Blair. We had an epic Biblio Adventure to The Mount in Lenox, MA. In preparation, we read three ghost stories from WHARTON’S NEW ENGLAND: SEVEN STORIES AND ETHAN FROME. Nynke (Librarian) and Anne (Director of Visitor Services) spent several hours with us, sharing fun anecdotes about Wharton and treasures from her library. Check out the video on the YouTube channel. On the way out of town, we stopped at The Bookstore & Get Lit Bar in Lenox, MA, featured in the documentary Hello Bookstore. REMINDER of our upcoming readalong: MURDER ON THE RED RIVER by Marcie R. Rendon. Please email us at bookcougars@gmail.com if you would like to participate in the Zoom conversation on Sunday, December 4th, at 7 PM (ET).

Episode 167 - Author Spotlight with Kelcey Ervick Oct 25, 2022

We have been hitting the books and hitting road & rails! Emily had a week-long vacation on Martha’s Vineyard and read a ton. She also visited Bunches of Grapes bookstore and FOUR libraries on the island – West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, and Edgartown. Chris attended a virtual event through the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library with Raymond Clemens who shared some of the earliest maps in their current exhibition, The World in Maps, 1400-1600. Check out the link in our show notes to watch Ray’s presentation. We also had two delicious Biblio Adventures together. The first was a literal Couch Biblio Adventure where we sat on the couch at Book Cougars HQ and ate pizza while watching Malinda Lo’s event at Simmons University. Her YA novel LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB was this semester’s joint read at Simmons. Days later we were riding the rails to meet Aunt Ellen at Grand Central in Manhattan. After hugs and a pit stop, we took the subway to Brooklyn where we spent the day walking around and experiencing bookish adventures and culinary delights. Stops included: The Center for Fiction, Smith Street Bagels, Books Are Magic, the Brooklyn Public Library at Carroll Gardens, and La Vara, where we were joined by Aunt Ellen’s partner Chris. We topped off the day with an author event and saw Maggie O’Farrell talking about her new book, THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT, at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church. It was a perfect day. We even had time to grab some pastries from Magnolia Bakery before boarding the train home. Lots of books, good food, and great company. Phew, this is a long episode blurb and we haven’t even mentioned any books yet! We’ll list our “Just Read” titles: CANNERY ROW – John Steinbeck THE FALL GIRL – audiobook narrated by Marcia Clark and Cathy LePard SMALL GAME – Blair Braverman SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE – Claire Keegan MAD WOMEN'S BALL – Victoria Mas (translated by Frank Wynne) LIBRARY GIRL: How Nancy Pearl Became America’s Most Celebrated Librarian – Karen Henry Clark (illustrated by Sheryl Murray) DARK RIVERS TO CROSS – Lynne Reeves release date 11/8/2022 MISS GRIEF AND OTHER STORIES – Constance Fenimore Woolson (edited by Anne Boyd Rioux) OPEN WATER – Caleb Azumah Nelson LOVECRAFT COUNTRY – Matt Ruff THE SALT PATH – Raynor Winn (audio) THE LUNAR HOUSEWIFE – Caroline Woods If the blurb is long, you know the episode is long, too, but stick around to the end (or fast forward if you’re crunched for time) to listen to our conversation with writer, graphic artist, English professor, and athlete KELCEY ERVICK. Her new graphic memoir THE KEEPER: SOCCER, ME, AND THE LAW THAT CHANGED WOMEN’S LIVES is fantastic! We give it four paws up. Check out this wonderful blurb from another graphic memoirist you may have heard of: “The Keeper is a triumph! Kelcey Ervick’s rollicking visual storytelling makes this information-packed lesson in women’s sports history both hilarious and surprisingly moving. Do not be deceived by her loose, exuberant drawings—the level of writerly control at play in this beautiful book is prodigious.” - Alison Bechdel, author of the New York Times bestselling Fun Home and The Secret to Superhuman Strength One more thing and then we’re putting our noses back into our books! Reminder that our current readalong book is MURDER ON THE RED RIVER by Marcie R. Rendon. Please email us (bookcougars@gmail.com) if you would like to participate in the Zoom conversation on Sunday, December 4th at 7 PM (ET). We also have a discussion thread over on Goodreads.

Episode 166 - All Things Audiobooks Oct 11, 2022

Episode 166 is all about audiobooks! Chris and Emily talk about audiobooks in their lives and then have a wonderful chat with Karen Farmer and Craig Silva, hosts of the new Libro.fm Podcast.

Episode 165 - Author Spotlight with Diane Wilson Sep 27, 2022

Welcome to Episode 165! We can’t wait for you to listen to our Author Spotlight with DIANE WILSON! We were honored to talk with Diane about her moving, multi-generational debut novel, THE SEED KEEPER. Diane also talks about her writing process, her next book project, and more. In our Just Read segment, Emily talks about Elle Cosimano’s FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD, THE KEEPER by Kelcey Ervick (a future guest), and a weird short story by Roald Dahl called “Pig.” Chris finished THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS by Isabel Wilkerson, a book of stunning breadth and depth. She both read the paperback edition and listened to the audiobook that was brilliantly narrated by Robin Miles. Both of us also read The Seed Keeper and had such a wonderful time talking with listeners on the Zoom call. Thank you to everyone who joined in on the readalong. In Biblio Adventures, Emily made it to POP! Art Books Culture in Boardman, Ohio. Chris has been binging the Outlander series on Netflix and started Lovecraft Country (HBO) which is based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff. Emily got to see the documentary, Hello Bookstore, which was in town for one night only at the Madison Arts Cinema. And both Book Cougars enjoyed some library time at the E. C. Scranton Memorial Library also in Madison, CT. There’s lots more book talk in this episode and we hope you enjoy it! If you do, please consider reviewing us on iTunes as it can help other book lovers find us. Thank you, and until next time we wish you lots of happy reading!

Episode 164 - Talking About the Booker Prizes with Russell Gray from Ink and Paper Blog Sep 13, 2022

Book Tuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog joins us to talk about his reading of this year’s Booker Prize nominees. He’s read all thirteen books on the long list, talks about the novels on the shortlist, and shares some ideas about which book he thinks will win and why. For two women who claim to have been busy lately, we sure did manage to read a lot since our last episode! Emily even snuck in one more #BigBookSummer novel, THE DISPLACEMENTS by Bruce Holsinger, and two cooking-related books: BLACK, WHITE, AND THE GREY: THE STORY OF AN UNEXPECTED FRIENDSHIP AND A BELOVED RESTAURANT by John O. Morisano and Mashama Bailey, and MISS ELIZA’S ENGLISH KITCHEN: A NOVEL OF VICTORIAN COOKERY AND FRIENDSHIP by Annabel Abbs (audio narrated by Ell Potter and Bianca Amato). She also read a novel that’s first coming out in January 2023 — she couldn’t wait! — SMALL WORLD by Laura Zigman. Chris whipped through the next entry in the Alex Carter series, A GHOST OF CARIBOU by Alice Henderson which comes out November 6th. Then she decided to dig back into the early 20th century and read the first English translation of one of the first lesbian novels, ARE THEY WOMEN?: A NOVEL CONCERNING THE THIRD SEX (1901) by Aimée Duc, translated from German by Margaret Sönser Breen and Nisha Kommattam, and also MISS NOBODY FROM NOWHERE (1927) by Elizabeth Jordan. We’re excited to talk with listeners who are reading our fourth quarter readalong, THE SEED KEEPER by Diane Wilson. Join us for a zoom discussion on 9/18 at 7 pm ET (email us at bookcougars@gmail.com) or over on our Goodreads page.

Episode 163 - Author Spotlight with Shelley Puhak Aug 30, 2022

Welcome to Episode 163! Both of us had some solo Biblio Adventures, but we also went on an EPIC Joint Jaunt to New Hampshire. We visited all three Toadstool Bookstores — Nashua, Peterborough, and Keene — in a day! We left Guilford (CT) at 7 a.m. and got home twelve hours later, just before 7 p.m. In total, we visited four bookshops, two libraries, one Little Free Library (that we forgot to mention in the episode!), and also had a photo op in front of Yankee Publishing in Dublin, NH (Home of The Old Farmer’s Almanac and Yankee Magazine). An awesome day! We are so excited to talk with Shelley Puhak, author of THE DARK QUEENS: THE BLOODY RIVALRY THAT FORGED THE MEDIEVAL WORLD. This joint history of two sixth-century queens, Brunhild and Fredegund, is a well-written, accessible, and fascinating account of two women whose lives and stories are so vital, that they could not be swept under the carpet of patriarchal history (well, at least not forever!). The Dark Queens is a great read for all, even those who consider themselves, like Emily, history-scaredy-cats. The wounds of grade- and high school history reading can run deep. Narrative history like Puhak’s book entertains, educates, and reminds us that history belongs to everyone.

Episode 162 - Just Us and the Insects (or not) Aug 16, 2022

Chris and Emily sit down for a good old fashioned book chat. There’s no interview this episode, just us. Emily is reading an advance copy of Elizabeth Strout’s forthcoming novel, LUCY BY THE SEA (9/20/2022), and Katherine May’s memoir, THE ELECTRICITY OF EVERY LIVING THING: ONE WOMAN’S WALK WITH ASPERGER’S. Chris is deep into MANSFIELD PARK by Jane Austen (#AustenInAugustRBR) and getting back into THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS by Isabel Wilkerson. We’ve read some good stuff since our last episode! THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (issue 4) by Sarah Gailey, THE WOMAN COULD FLY by Megan Giddings, A LOST LADY by Willa Cather (for the Mookse and The Gripes Podcast summer book club), THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MAY by Jamie Ford, and NATURE’S BEST HOPE: A NEW APPROACH TO CONSERVATION THAT STARTS IN YOUR YARD by Douglas W. Tallamy. Emily headed north to Maine for a two-day event with Katherine May and Elissa Altman at The Barn Swallow Book Shop in Rockport. Chris braked hard for a historic marker in Newport, New Hampshire honoring editor, writer, and women’s rights advocate Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (1788-1879). She also attended an online event hosted by Bank Square Books/Savoy Bookshop & Cafe with Dr. Mark Haper, author of CHILL: THE COLD WATER CURE. We also had a Biblio Adventure together to see the movie adaptation of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING. We gave it two thumbs/paws up! We love marshland and all the critters therein except mosquitos and flies which were noticeably absent from the movie. But as conservationist Douglas Tallamy explains, bugs are an integral part of our survival on earth so we will work on our attitudes towards insects. Tallamy writes in NATURE’S BEST HOPE: “As insane as our war against insects may seem, and as effective as it has been, I am nevertheless optimistic that we can form a new relationship with insects and treat them like the good fairies they are. Why am I willing to put a smiley face on this? Two reasons: First, our response to insects is, in part, an oversimplified, innate reaction to things that hurt or annoy us now and in our distant past. If bees sting and mosquitoes bite, it is easy to group all small flying things into one category we label enemy. But we now have knowledge on our side, and with that, we have the capacity to be a bit more discriminating. We can easily learn to distinguish the good from the bad, the helpful from the irritating. By numbers, nearly all insects are harmless and beneficial, and we can learn to appreciate rather than kill the insects that we rely on just as easily as we can learn that dogs, through genetically identical to wolves, can be our loving pets rather than our predators. I am also confident that we can form a new relationship with insects, because we have done it many times before with other creatures. Whales still swim in the sea because we have learned to value the earth’s largest species as majestic living beings instead of as mere providers of lamp oil. Wolfes hunt in Yellowstone again because we now know they are essential to the long-term persistence of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Puffins, auklets, and murres have returned to many Aleutian Islands because we have decided not to let the rats we introduced to those islands eat their brains as they sleep. Fish breed again in the ocean sea kelp beds off California because we now prefer that our sea otters keep sea urchins in check rather than become our fur coats. Egrets fly once more over the Everglades because we value their showy feathers more in flight than on ladies’ hats. And we are well on our way to forming a new relationship with bees, even though they sting, because we have finally realized we cannot exist without their pollination services. These and many more examples of how we have come to appreciate rather than destroy nature have convinced me that we can also learn to share the earth with the most essential of all creatures, the little insect fairies at our feet” (127-128). To see all of the books and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes at: https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2022/episode162

Episode 161 - Rachel Barenbaum Author of ATOMIC ANNA Aug 02, 2022

Episode 161 features fictional mermaids, bears, and time travel adventure to stop the not so fictional nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl. We talk with Rachel Barenbaum about ATOMIC ANNA, her new novel that’s a fascinating mix of historical fiction, thriller, and a family saga about multigenerational women working together to prevent both personal and community catastrophe. Shout outs: THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH by Monique Roffey BEAR by Marian Engle Biblioadventures we’ve been on include seeing Gabrielle Zevin author of TOMORRROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW at RJ Julia’s and a stop at the new Brookfield Public Library. We’re looking forward to events with Mark Harper at the Savoy Bookstore and Cafe, Elissa Altman & Katherine May at Barnswallow Books, and Jamie Ford at the Westerly Library! EAST OF EDEN, one of Emily’s favorite novels of all time, was also a hit with Chris. There’s more John Steinbeck in our future, specifically CANNERY ROW and SWEET THURSDAY.

Episode 160 - A "Horrifying" Chat with the Editors of OTHER TERRORS: Vince Liaguno and Rena Mason Jul 19, 2022

Every tenth episode we do a giveaway and here we are again with not one, but TWO giveaways! All you have to do to be entered to win is be a newsletter subscriber. (Sign up here: https://www.bookcougars.com/subscriber) We announce our third quarter readalong (thanks to everyone who voted!) and, as always, we talk about what we’re reading, just read, and the biblioadventures we’ve been on. We were thrilled to talk with Vince A. Liaguno and Rena Mason, editors of the highly anticipated OTHER TERRORS: AN INCLUSIVE ANTHOLOGY. Wow. The stories in this Horror Writers Association Anthology are amazing. It’s no surprise that Other Terrors has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. Even non-horror readers, like Emily, enjoy this anthology (even if she’s sleeping with the lights on). Available now! If you enjoy our show, please leave a review on whatever podcast app you use to listen to us. Happy Reading!

Episode 159 - On the Prowl Summer 2022 Jul 05, 2022

We have both done some traveling since the last episode. Emily was in Colorado and Utah and Chris was in North Carolina and Illinois. You know we hit some bookstores, which you’ll hear about in our Biblio-Adventures segment. We’ve also checked off two #BigBookSummer reads! Emily finished the Plainsong Series by Kent Haruf and Chris enjoyed her re-read of The Historian by Elisabeth Kostova. Some of the other books we discuss in this episode include Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore, My Autobiography of Carson McCullers: A Memoir by Jenn Shapland, Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro (out 10/18/2022), Cat’s in the Navy by Scot Christenson, and The Local: A Legal Thriller by Joey Hartstone.

Episode 158 - Author Spotlight with Andrea Wang and Debbi Michiko Florence Jun 21, 2022

Episode 157 - A Chat with AudioBook Narrator Simon Vance Jun 07, 2022

Some highlights in this episode: Emily and Chris have kicked off their reading for Sue Jackson’s Big Book Summer reading challenge! Both Book Cougars are starting off with re-reads: Chris is re-reading THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova and Emily is reading Kent Haruf’s Prairie series. She’s already re-read the first novel, PLAINSONG, and is now into EVENTIDE. In biblio adventures, we had a great time at Soho Press’s dinner celebrating two of their authors: Ramona Emerson (SHUTTER, coming out in August) and Marcie Rendon (SINISTER GRAVES, the third book in the Sue Grafton Award-nominated crime series set in the 1970s in the Red River Valley and featuring 19-year-old Cash Blackbear, an Ojibwe woman (pubbing in October). The event was held at Chef Sherry Pocknett’s world-famous Sly Fox Den Too indigenous restaurant in Charlestown, Rhode Island. We had the great privilege of talking with award winning, legendary audiobook narrator SIMON VANCE. As we say in his introduction, if you don’t know Simon’s name, if you’re an audiobook listener, chances are good that you’ know his voice. Happy Listening! P.S. If you enjoy our content, please consider leaving a review on iTunes or on whatever app you use to listen to us. Thank you!

Episode 156 - Announcing Our Big Summer Books with Sue Jackson May 24, 2022

We dedicate this episode to Jenny Colvin, host of the Reading Envy podcast. We were stunned and deeply saddened to learn of her sudden death. Jenny will be deeply missed by the book community. Our thoughts are with her loved ones and family. On this episode we recap our biblioadventure to Manchester, VT for Booktopia at the Northshire Bookstore, which included stops at a charming library and several bookstores on the way there and back. Chris also attended two online events — one through the Maine Women Writers Collection featuring Dawn Potter, Elizabeth De Wolfe, and Carol A. Dana. The other online event was Mondays at Beinecke presentation by Gabrielle Colangelo about her exhibition, “We Are Everywhere: Lesbians in the Archive.” Our second quarter readalong pick was a hit with listeners — TWO OLD WOMEN by Velma Wallis. Thumbs up all around. Emily also read Wallis’ memoir, RAISING OURSELVES: A GWITCH’IN COMING OF AGE STORY FROM THE YUKON RIVER and Chris dipped into BIRD GIRL AND THE MAN WHO FOLLOWED THE SUN. We’ll announce our third quarter readalong on episode 159. Chris enjoyed THE FERVOR by Alma Katsu. We also read two forthcoming novels that we couldn’t wait to get to! Emily read THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark (release date 6/21/22) and Chris SHUTTER by Ramona Emerson (release date 8/2/22). Are you ready for the Big Book Summer Challenge? We are! It’s the 10th anniversary of this popular reading challenge and we had the pleasure of sitting down with creator and host, Sue Jackson. We know half of the world is easing into winter, but here in the US we’re gearing up for summer. The Big Book Summer Challenge runs from Memorial day (May 27) to Labor Day (September 5, 2022). Emily is going to read Kent Haruf’s PLAINSONG SERIES and Chris will read THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS by Isabel Wilkerson. If you’d like to do buddy reads with either (or both!) of us, we’ll have discussion threads up on Goodreads on May 27th. As for what we’re currently reading, listen and find out!

Episode 155 - Death on the Nile with Our Mystery Man John Valeri May 10, 2022

#BuddyRead! We had a fun time talking with our Mystery Man, JOHN VALERI, about Agatha Christie’s DEATH ON THE NILE, both her novel and Kenneth Branagh’s new adaptation. Spoiler alert: mixed reviews. Other books we read and discuss in this episode did not have mixed reviews. We both had some good reads! THOMAS MERTON: An Introduction to His Life, Teachings, and Practices by Jon M. Sweeney (audio) THE YEAR OF THE HORSES by Courtney Maum EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD by Emily Austin MARRYING THE KETCHUPS by Jennifer Close LUCKY GIRL, HOW I BECAME A HORROR WRITER: A KRAMPUS STORY by M. Rickert PYTHON FOR EVERYBODY by Charles Severence We also had some outstanding #biblioadventures both online and in person. We especially enjoyed celebrating Independent Bookstore Day close to home at Breakwater Books and Syd’s Book Shack. What are we reading now? Several things, including the current Book Cougars readalong book, TWO OLD WOMEN by Velma Wallis. We hope you enjoy! And if you do enjoy, please consider leaving a review wherever you listen to us. Reviews can help other listeners find the podcast. Thanks!

Episode 154 - Biblio Adventure to NYC and Author Spotlight with Jess Montgomery Apr 26, 2022

A big welcome back to JESS MONTGOMERY! We have a lovely chat about the new entry in her Kinship Series, THE ECHOES: A Novel. Emily and Chris are both currently reading DEATH ON THE NILE by Agatha Christie for a buddy read with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri. Stayed tuned for our conversation with John about the novel and the new movie adaptation coming up on episode 155. The big news in our lives is that we FINALLY got to head back to Manhattan for some BIBLIO-ADVENTURING with Aunt Ellen! It was so good to be back in the city that we love after a two-year pandemic-induced separation. We got our library cards renewed at the NYPL, walked to the Morgan Library & Museum to see their GWENDOLYN BROOKS exhibit, walked through Central Park for lunch, and then on to the NY Historical Society Museum & Library to see their exhibit, PICTURE THE DREAM: THE STORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THROUGH CHILDREN'S BOOKS. A bonus surprise was walking through the ROBERT CARO exhibit showcasing his writing process. After that, we walked some more to check out a new-to-us bookstore, WESTSIDER RARE & USED BOOKS. What a day! In our Just Read segment, Emily talks about HUNGRY HEART: ADVENTURES IN LIFE, LOVE, AND WRITING by Jennifer Weiner, PEARL by Tabitha King, and TRUE BIZ by Sara Nović. Chris read THE CHILDREN ON THE HILL by Jennifer McMahon, and three picture books: I AM AN AMERICAN: THE WONG KIM ARK STORY by Martha Brockenbrough, Grace Lin, and Julia Kuo; OSNAT AND HER DOVE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD'S FIRST FEMALE RABBI by Sigal Samuel and Vali Mintzi; WE ARE STILL HERE: NATIVE AMERICAN TRUTHS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW by Traci Sorell and Frane Lessac. We also buddy read MAUD MARTHA by Gwendolyn Brooks, a novel we both highly recommend if you can find it! It is out of print but there is a new edition coming out in the UK in early May.

Episode 153 - Author Spotlight with Amy Bloom Apr 12, 2022

Emily and Chris were honored to have the opportunity to talk with author Amy Bloom about her new memoir, IN LOVE: A Memoir of Love and Loss about Amy and her husband Brian Ameche's love and his decision to end his life after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Both Book Cougars are captivated by this beautifully written memoir about love, the agony of dealing with Alzheimer’s, and choosing to end one's life in a society that has no viable options. We are currently doing a buddy read of MAUD MARTHA by Gwendolyn Brooks. We also have an upcoming buddy read in the works with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri. The three of us will discuss DEATH ON THE NILE by Agatha Christie and the new Kenneth Branagh movie adaptation. If you’d like to join us in either of these buddy reads, we have discussion threads on our Goodreads group page. Reminder that our next readalong is TWO OLD WOMEN: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival by Velma Wallis. Check out our show notes for a list of all the books, places, and dates mentioned in this episode: https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2022/episode153. Shoutouts! —The Children on the Hill, Jennifer McMahon (forthcoming April 26, 2022) —Hungry Heart, Jennifer Weiner (audio) —Miss Grief and Other Stories by Constance Fenimore Woolson, ed Anne Boyd Rioux —The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner (forthcoming May 10, 2022) —Stellaluna by Janell Cannon —Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins —Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho —The Murder of Mr. Wickham, Claudia Gray (forthcoming May 3, 2022) —Learning America: One Woman's Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children by Luma Mufleh —Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky (forthcoming June 14, 2022) —The Wise Women by Gina Sorell —Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow —A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn —Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez —Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott —House of Books in Kent, CT

Episode 152 - Author Spotlight with Kathleen Courtnay Stone Mar 29, 2022

Announcing our second quarter readalong! TWO OLD WOMEN: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis. Emily recaps her trip to Washington, D.C. where she was able to visit three awesome bookstores and came across a lovely memorial Little Free Library. We talk about some books we READ. Shout outs to Huma Abedin (BOTH/AND) Dolly Parton & James Patterson (RUN, ROSE, RUN), Erica Ferenick (GIRL IN ICE), Larry McMurtry (DEAD MAN’s WALK), Jasmine Guillory (BY THE BOOK), Renate L. Chancellor (E.J. JOEY: Transformational Leader of the Modern Library Association), Anne Tyler (FRENCH BRAID), Megan Padalecki (SUDAN) and more! Last but not least, don’t miss our Author Spotlight with Kathleen Courtnay Stone. Her new book, THEY CALLED US GIRLS: Stories of Female Ambition from Suffrage to Mad Men, is available now. Connect with us on Twitter @bookcougars If you like our content, become a Patreon sponsor - https://www.patreon.com/BookCougars For show notes and more information about us visit our website - https://www.bookcougars.com/

Episode 151 - Spring is in the air and the Book Cougars are on the prowl! Mar 15, 2022

Spring is in the air and the Book Cougars are on the prowl! Translation: Biblioadventures are ramping up as the weather gets better and Covid rates continue to fall. We can’t remember the last time we had two joint jaunts in the same week, so it was a special treat to visit Riverbend Bookshop in Glastonbury, Connecticut and the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusettes. Emily took a solo bibiloadventure to check out the Westport Public Library’s renovation and Chris attended a Zoom event with the Society for the Study of American Women Writers. A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger, our first quarter readalong book, generated a lively zoom discussion. Thanks to Emily S, Colleen O, Kim, Melinda O, Julie S, Robin G, Nancy M, Aunt Ellen, Sue D, Katie S, Karen N, Kate G, Robey T, Linda P, and Linda J for joining us! Books discussed in this episode include This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub (out 5/17/22), Salt by Catrin Kean, The Gloaming by Melanie Finn, Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford & Floyd Cooper, Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford & Jamey Christoph, Such a Library: A Yiddish Folktale Reimagined by Jill Ross Nadler, It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach, Bubbe & Bart’s Matzoh Ball Mayhem by Bonnie Grubman & Deborah Melmon. Audiobooks we’re currently listening to via Libro.fm: Emily: Both/And: A Life in Many Words by Huma Abedin Chris: Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton & James Patterson Check out our show notes for links to all of the above and more info about upcoming jaunts and what we’re reading next.

Episode 150 - On the Trail of the Jackalope with Michael P. Branch Mar 01, 2022

We are thrilled to bring you our author spotlight with Michael P. Branch discussing his book On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World’s Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer. It published TODAY from Pegasus Books. Every 10th episode we like to celebrate by giving away books. 🎉 This time around we are offering up four books: 📖 Honor by Thruty Umrigar 📖 The Servant Mage by Kate Elliott 📖 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 📖 The Chosen and the Beautiful – Nghi Vo All you need to do in order to be entered to win is join our email list. [https://www.bookcougars.com/subscriber] We will choose the winner on 3/8. This episode is filled to the brim with Book Chat and Biblio Adventures. Give it a listen!

Episode 149 - Author and Podcaster Bianca Marais Stops By for a Chat Feb 15, 2022

We are thrilled to welcome back author and podcaster Bianca Marais! Bianca talks with us about her Audible Original short story THE PRYNNE VIPER and her podcast, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing. In Biblio Adventures we recap our day up in Northampton, MA where we had a delicious lunch at Noodles, walked around Smith College (you know we hit the bookstore), visited the Forbes Public Library, and the Old Book Store. We also both attended excellent online events which netted a laundry list of great books. We finished some excellent reads — THE SWIMMERS by Julie Otsuka, YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT by Daniel Kehlmann (translated by Ross Benjamin), and FURIA by Yamile Saied Méndez to name a few. Reminder about our current readalong, A SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH by Darcie Little Badger. Emily and Chris will discuss the novel on Episode 150 so please get any questions or comments to us by 2/22. There are also a couple spots left for our Zoom group discussion on 2/27 at 7 pm EST (email us if you’d like to attend, bookcougars@gmail.com). For a list of all the books mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes: https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2022/episode149

Episode 148 - Reading Sure Makes Time Fly (how is it already February???) Feb 01, 2022

Books we’ve read since last episode: HONOR by Thrity Umrigar (Algonquin Books) THE PEACOCK by Isabel Bogdan, translated by Annie Rutherford (V&Q Books) YINKA, WHERE IS YOUR HUZBAND? By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn (Pamela Dorman Books) Two picture books: THE GOOD EGG and THE BAD SEED by Jory John and Pete Oswald (HarperCollins) THE SENTENCE by Louise Erdrich (Harper) HER LAST AFFAIR by John Searles (March 22, 2022 Mariner Books) MEMPHIS by Tara M. Stringfellow (April 5, 2022 Dial Press) Our reading since the last episode ranges from the horrific consequences of religious intolerance to a crazed peacock prowling an old Scottish estate; from pressure on Nigerian women to marry to an egg who learns to take care of himself and a sunflower seed who learns to value himself; from a haunted bookstore to an abandoned drive-in theater to the streets of Memphis. Of course we also talk about what we’re currently reading, what we want to read, and biblio adventures! Also, reminder that our current readalong is A SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH by Darcie Little Badger.

Episode 147 - Q1 Readalong Pick, 2022 Reading Plans, and 2021 Listener Top 10s Jan 18, 2022

Our 2022 reading is off to an excellent start! We read and discuss five novels, two memoirs, a biography, and a children’s picture book in this episode. They are:
HOPE AT SEA by Daniel Miyares
I CAME ALL THIS WAY TO MEET YOU by Jami Attenberg
MAGIC LESSONS by Alice Hoffman
FALLING by T.J. Newman
REBECCA HARDING DAVIS: A LIFE AMONG WRITERS by Sharon M. Harris
IN LOVE: A MEMOIR OF LOVE & LOSS by Amy Bloom
RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE by Rita Mae Brown (audiobook narrated by Anna Paquin)
THE LOVE SONGS OF W.E.B. DuBOIS, Honorée Fanzine Jeffers
THE SWELLS, Will Aitken
We also announce our theme for 2022 — Indigenous Writers. Our first Readalong title for the first quarter is A SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH by Darcie Little Badger.
And like many readers, we spent some time at the end of 2021 thinking about what directions we’d like our reading adventures to take us this year. Call them plans, goals, determinations, or intentions, we’ve got some and share them with you.
Thanks to all of the listeners who submitted their Top 10(ish) reads of 2021. Emily compiled them all into a spreadsheet and we discuss highlights. If you’d like a copy of the spreadsheet, email us, or you can see all of the books on our Bookshop.org List: org list: Listeners Top Books of 2021.

Episode 146 - Top Ten Books of 2021 with BookTuber Russell Gray Jan 04, 2022

BookTuber RUSSELL GRAY of Ink & Paper Blog joins the Book Cougars for our annual celebratory sharing of our Top 10 Reads of the year. If you think 3 x 10 = 30, you’d be wrong! Before we dive into our Top 10, Emily and Chris to have a regular, if shortened, episode where we recap our Biblio Adventure to the amazingly curated House of Books in Kent, CT and the Kent Memorial Library. Emily shares some details about Huma Abedin’s conversation about her new memoir BOTH/AND with Hillary Clinton and Samantha Barry at the 92nd Street Y. Chris enjoyed SERVANT MAGE by Kate Elliot and Emily went on a reading tear over the holiday weekend and read THESE SILENT WOODS by Kimi Cunningham Grant, MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis, THE BIRDS OF OPULENCE by Crystal Wilkinson, BOMB SHELTER by by Mary Laura Philpott, and WHO IS MAUDE DIXON? by Alexandra Andrews. What a great end to 2021!

Episode 145 - International Biblio Adventure and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Dec 21, 2021

Episode 144 - Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary! Dec 07, 2021

On Episode 144 we celebrate our anniversary! Join us as we take a walk down memory lane reflecting on the last five years together as the Book Cougars. We chat about memorable biblio adventures and group readalongs, highlight some of our top reads of the past five years, and take the opportunity to thank people that are part of the Book Cougar’s family. Special guests on this episode include Laura Thoma and Aunt Ellen! As a group, we discuss initial reactions when we picked the name “Book Cougars” for the podcast. Both Chris and Emily are reading I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS by Maya Angelou. This book is our next readalong and we would love for you to join the conversation. Check the website details. Emily did some biblio-adventuring in Michigan. A highlight was a stop in Glen Arbor where she stepped into the delightful Cottage Book Shop located in a log cabin. Chris had the opportunity to explore historic navigation books at the Coast Guard Academy Library Special Collections - she touched a book from 1680!

Episode 143 - Author Spotlight with Jenna Blum Nov 23, 2021

Terror, Murder, Death!! Our reading this episode isn’t as bleak as the themes of our “Just Read” books would suggest. Emily seriously enjoyed STATE OF TERROR by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny on audio. The action is great, and she was pleasantly surprised that it is also a story of friendship between two women. After the terror, Emily visited THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman, a fun and clever read about four friends in a peaceful retirement community who get together to discuss unsolved crimes, and then one day find themselves in the midst of their own murder investigation. Chris finished WOODROW ON THE BENCH: Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog by Jenna Blum. This is Jenna’s first memoir and a tribute to her black lab, Woodrow. Known as the George Clooney of dogs, Woodrow lived to be 15. It’s a caretaking memoir that is funny, heartfelt, and bound to bring tears to your eyes. Listen to our Author Spotlight to hear more about Woodrow from Jenna herself.

Episode 142 - O Beautiful Pub Day Conversation with Jung Yun Nov 09, 2021

Both Chris and Emily inhaled Alice Henderson’s second Alex Carter novel, A BLIZZARD OF POLAR BEARS, which is out today, 11/9! Emily has been partaking in the Laurie Colwin renaissance and read HOME COOKING: A WRITER IN THE KITCHEN and her novel, HAPPY ALL THE TIME. Chris enjoyed Our Mystery Man John’s recent recommendation, THE VAMPYRES OF HOLLYWOOD by Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott. And we recount our Joint Jaunt to The Montague Bookmill, a used bookstore located alongside the Sawmill River in Massachusetts. The Book Cougars were thrilled to sit down and talk with Jung Yun about her second novel, O BEAUTIFUL, which is out today, 11/9. This novel is centered around the oil boom in North Dakota. Elinor is a 40-something Korean-American woman who is reinventing herself as a journalist after leaving her first career as a model. She finds herself back in her home state of North Dakota where an important assignment and investigation into the boom prompts a collision between Elinor’s own past and present. The result is a dark and complex story about identity, gender, race, class, and violence, both inter-personal and environmental. O BEAUTIFUL is a masterful exploration into a woman’s experience that sheds light not only on one place and time, but on so much of the discontent and pain in American culture today.

Episode 141 - Author Spotlight with Alice Henderson Oct 26, 2021

Emily is immersing herself in some self-love reading. She’s enjoying The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor and she re-read (!) Being Perfect by Anna Quindlen. Chris meanwhile is on a horror binge — She’s listening to an audio version of Dracula by Bram Stoker and read The Sundial by Shirley Jackson. ’Tis the season! But both Book Cougars fan-girled big time over Alice Henderson author of the new Alex Carter “cli-fi” mystery/thriller series. Wildlife lovers and climate advocates won’t want to miss our Author Spotlight with Alice.

Episode 140 - Our Mystery Man Returns with Spooktacular Recommendations Oct 12, 2021

John Valeri, our Mystery Man and host of Central Booking, returns to offer Halloween season recommendations for middle-grade, young adult, and adult readers. Emily has nothing but high praise for THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS by Ruth Ozeki. She’s also thrilled to discover author Zoraida Cordóva (THE INHERITANCE OF ORQUİEDA DIVINA), and you’ll have to listen to hear her favorite line from the book. And even though she would have preferred to read cupcake books while on vacation, Emily did finish the dark novel, MRS. MARCH by Virginia Feito for book club. Chris finished listening to Farah Jasmine Griffin’s READ UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature, which is part memoir, part literary criticism, and an exploration of African-American cultural themes. She also had a deliciously creepy experience listening to the sexy Audible Original production of CARMILLA by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. And Chris highly recommends the graphic novel SHADOW LIFE about a 70-something woman who fights death by Hiromi Goto and Ann Xu. It’s also another 10th episode, which means it’s GIVEAWAY time! All you have to do to be entered to win is subscribe to our monthly newsletter, which you can do here: https://www.bookcougars.com/subscriber (If you’re already subscribed, you’re in!)

Episode 139 - Author Spotlight with Janice P. Nimura Sep 28, 2021

We wrap up our read along of The Doctors Blackwell with an interview with the author, Janice P. Nimura. Emily explores the life of one Tokyo housewife through Emily Itami’s debut novel, Fault Lines, and finds solace and inspiration from Maggie Smith in her book, Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change. Meanwhile, Chris has been listening to Farah Jasmine Griffin read her new work that is part memoir and part literary & cultural history, Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature. In biblioadventures, Both Book Cougars glow on about a charming seaside library up in Maine, the Ogunquit Memorial Library which has its own look-alike Little Free Library.

Episode 138 - Marilynne Robinson Returns Sep 14, 2021

Mothers, madness, alcoholism, researching slave revolts, wilderness guides — Emily and Chris discuss recent books they’ve tackled that range widely in subject matter but are all excellent reads. And guess who showed up yet again? Marilynne Robinson! We know, we know. She seems to be everywhere. Last episode Robinson was mentioned in a biblioadventure with Peter Heller and this episode her writing came up via William Kent Kruger. Reading synchronicities!

Episode 137 - Author (and Editor) Spotlight with Juliet Grames Aug 31, 2021

Emily finished ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy, her #BigBookSummer challenge read. It was a good read, but — phew! — big and intense. Chris read Kate Moore’s new nonfiction release, THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE, the true story of Elizabeth Packard’s battle against her husband and the system that tried to lock her away. Although the women’s rights movement still has a ways to go, some of the books we’ve read recently have been good reminders of how far we’ve come since the 19th-century. During Hurricane Henri, Chris dove into the deep ocean with BELOW THE EDGE OF DARKNESS by Edith Widder, Ph.D. and Emily plunged into pie making with Ken Haedrich’s PIE ACADEMY. She shares a new-to-her pie crust secret. In biblioadventures, we have some early news about Susan Cain’s new book coming out in spring 2022 and Peter Heller’s next novel (the one coming after his new release, THE GUIDE). We talk about so many good reads — this little blurb just scratches the surface! We were thrilled to finally sit down and chat with author and editor, Juliet Grames. We talk about books, editing, food, and more. Listen now!

Episode 136 - We Discuss Books by Audrey Audrain, S.A. Cosby, Yan Ge, Alice Henderson, William Kent Krueger, Jung Yun, and MORE! Aug 17, 2021

We’ve been having a great reading summer and hope you are, too! In Episode 136 we discuss a slew of different types of books we’re reading, from classics to new releases to some forthcoming novels — LIGHTNING STRIKE by William Kent Krueger and O BEAUTIFUL by Jung Yun (pre-order now or request at your library). Emily was highly impressed by Ashley Audrain’s debut novel, THE PUSH, which Aunt Ellen recommended. She’s also making progress with her #BigBookSummer read, ANNA KARININA. Chris finished BLEAK HOUSE and then dove into two excellent novels, A SOLITUDE OF WOLVERINES by Alice Henderson and RAZORBLADE TEARS by S.A. Cosby. More books and biblioadventures await your listening pleasure! Also, reminder that our next read along is THE DOCTORS BLACKWELL: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women—and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura.

Episode 135 - Finally, an IN PERSON Joint Jaunt! Aug 03, 2021

Both Book Cougars rave about Jung Yun’s forthcoming novel O BEAUTIFUL (St. Martin’s Press, Nov 9). We’ve been (im)patiently waiting for this novel and we give it a solid four thumbs up! Pre-order it now or ask your library to order a copy, or ten. Thanks to Juliet Grimes for sending us a copy of CLARK AND DIVISION by Naomi Hirahara (Soho Crime, Aug 3). Chris highly recommends this historical mystery set in 1944 Chicago about a Japanese-American family from California that is relocated to the Windy City after being incarcerated in a concentration camp by the U.S. Government. Emily read three very different novels. For a good light summer read, she recommends THE APOLOGY PROJECT by Jeannette Escudero (Lake Union Publishing, Aug 1) and if you’re looking for a page-turning thriller, check out HER PERFECT LIFE by Hank Phillip Ryan (Forge Books, Sep 14). A MOUTHFUL OF AIR by Amy Koppelman was originally published in 1992. Two Dollar Radio has a new edition coming out Aug 17. Emily highly recommends this novel that has been compared to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. This is an intense and compassionate novel about a woman struggling with postpartum depression. In Biblioadventures we were thrilled to go on our first IN PERSON author event since the pandemic moved events online. We ventured to the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library to see Clarie J. Griffen talk about her new biography, A REBELLIOUS WOMAN, about Belle Boyd (1844-1900). The event was held on the library’s front lawn. It was so lovely to once again sit side-by-side listening to an author talk about her work. Chris binged the new HEMINGWAY mini-series and Emily went to the Big Apple to visit Aunt Ellen — of course they visited a couple bookstores. Listen to Episode 135 to hear about all of the above and more!

Episode 134 - Announcing Our 18th Readalong! Jul 20, 2021

Chris and Emily are making progress in their #BigBookSummer classics and diving into some brand-new fiction as well. Emily went on a thrilling, if dark, adventure through Paul McLain’s new novel, WHEN THE STARS GO DARK, and Chris time traveled to meet THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN via Marie Benedict’s and Victoria Christopher Murray’s cowritten novel about Belle da Costa Green. We traveled to several states on biblioadventures, both IRL and though Zoomlandia — from Rhode Island to Massachusettes to Colorado. There’s lots more bookish banter in this episode for your listening pleasure, including the announcement of our 18th readalong pick!

Episode 133 - Recording Together from the New Book Cougars Studio! Jul 06, 2021

Emily and Chris recorded together in person in a new space: Emily’s office, AKA the new Book Cougars recording studio! Emily shares her exciting biblioadventures in Colorado and Chris meets up with The Great Gatsby in two books and one documentary. Emily read Beach Read, the novel by Emily Henry, not the concept, and Chris is reading Books for Idle Hours by Dona Harrington-Lueker, about how the concept of summer reading developed in the 19th-century. They’re both diving into their Big Book Summer reads and so much more!

Episode 132 - Author Spotlight with Gina Barreca Jun 22, 2021

Get ready, we reveal our Summer Reading Goals, and Our Mystery Man, John Valeri, stops by to share some of his, as well. Chris takes us along on her biblio adventure to Chicago including her stops along the way. We have a great interview with Gina Barreca, the editor of the flash non-fiction essay collection, Fast Funny Women.

Episode 131 - Readalong Discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass with Jenny from Reading Envy Podcast Jun 08, 2021

We reveal our Big Book Summer Reading challenge books, and a couple of our listeners let us know about their choices, as well. Chris talks about a controversy regarding reader book reviews and Emily got a chance to watch a video with the dynamic duo of John Valeri and Playwright Laura Thoma on the Central Booking YouTube channel. We discuss Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, our joint readalong with Jenny from the Reading Envy podcast.

Episode 130 - Author Spotlight with Whitney Scharer and a GIVEAWAY! May 25, 2021

We recorded together for the first time in over a year! It was amazing to sit and talk about books over the kitchen table. Hashtag grateful. Emily went on a whirlwind adventure with Maggie Shipstead’s GREAT CIRCLE and Chris got down with I WILL SURVIVE, song lyrics by Frederick J. Perren and Dino Fekaris, illustrated by Kaitlyn Shea O’Connor. It’s another tenth episode which means it’s time for another giveaway! Listen for details. We also hope you’ll join us in our buddy Sue’s Big Book Summer Reading challenge this year. Listen for details about this, too.

Episode 129 - Author Spotlight with Chris Tebbetts May 11, 2021

On Episode 129 we chat with author Chris Tebbetts about his book, Me Myself & Him, what it is like to co-write books with James Patterson, and how he keeps in touch with his inner child. Chris reflects on a biblio adventure with one of her favorite writers, Sarah Waters, and Emily dives into one of the hottest book releases of the year, Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead.

Episode 128 - Author Spotlight with Melissa Homestead Apr 27, 2021

On Episode 128 we talk with Dr. Melissa Homestead about her book, The Only Wonderful Things: The Creative Partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis. We had several biblio adventures. Chris shares what she learned about the Emily Dickinson archives housed at Harvard’s Houghton Library and also shares an event via the GLBT Historical Society with a powerful group of panelists. Emily geeks out over a conversation that two chefs have about breadcrumbs.

Episode 127 - Flies & Magpies: Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma Apr 13, 2021

On Episode 127 we talk with playwright Laura Thoma about her play, Magpie, which was recently published with Next Stage Press. Chris and Emily recount a joint jaunt to Old Saybrook to visit author Ann Petry’s childhood home. They also stop by the Acton Public Library and visit the metal sculpture in front; is it a cricket, a fly, or a praying mantis? In honor of National Poetry Month, we share a few poetry collections.

Episode 126 - Saltwater in Our Veins: Author Spotlight with Luanne Rice Mar 30, 2021

We chat with Luanne Rice about our mutual love of the Long Island Sound and beachcombing for treasures. Luanne also shares a candid account of her experience with emotional abuse and how she came to write about it in her newest novel, The Shadow Box. Chris shares the new Dolly Parton book, STORYTELLER, and we discuss the merits of a singer songwriter winning the Nobel Laureate - think Bob Dylan. Emily learns about how to be a better listener, say what?

Episode 125 - Poetry Spotlight with Shuly Cawood Mar 16, 2021

We got the chance to talk with Shuly Cawood about her new poetry collection, Trouble Can Be So Beautiful at the Beginning. Together we ponder how some poetry resonates and some does not. Chris shares exciting news about a new book chronicling the life of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis. A surprise buddy read of Jennifer McMahon’s soon to be released book, The Drowning Kind. And we share lots of Couch Biblio Adventures

Episode 124 - Dr. Charlotte Markey Is Helping Girls Grow Up Fearless Mar 02, 2021

We have a conversation with Dr. Charlotte Markey about The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Less Fearless. The pandemic is keeping us close to home these days, but Chris does some traveling via books to Cairo, Egypt circa 1912 and Boston, Massachusetts. Emily reads a couple of novels that make her uncomfortable, but in a good way. We also make an announcement about our upcoming readalongs!

Episode 123 - Author Kerri Arsenault Promises to Make Us Cretons! Feb 16, 2021

We have a conversation with Kerri Arsenault about her book Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains. Topics covered include archival research, genealogy, toxic chemicals, and local politics. Chris and Kerri also get a chance to reminisce about the pink huffy bikes of their youth. Emily discusses the theme of motherhood and shared familial responsibility that showed up in her reading and listening over the past couple of weeks. Chris shares biblio adventures with Emily Dickinson and Enola Holmes.

Episode 122 - A Visit with Our Mystery Man John Valeri Feb 02, 2021

We welcome back Our Mystery Man, John Valeri. He gives us some book recommendations and tells us about two authors we should all be reading. Chris and Emily went on a Joint Couch Biblio Adventure to hear Min Jin Lee discuss The Great Gatsby. She wrote the introduction for the newly released Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition. We also discuss the complexities of burying a dead body, Our Mystery Man would be so proud!

Episode 121 - Author Spotlight with Jason Pinter Jan 19, 2021

Get ready, our first regular episode of 2021 is packed with a lot of bookish banter! We did a lot of reading over the last few weeks. We also got a chance to chat with Jason Pinter, founder of Polis Books and author of the Rachel Marin series. The second book in the series, A Stranger at the Door, is available now. Also, reminder that we have an upcoming readalong of Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains by Kerri Arsenault.

Episode 120 - Our 2020 Top Ten Books with Special Guest Russell Gray Jan 05, 2021

We talk about our Top Ten Books of 2020 with special guest Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog. There was only one duplicate, so that means 29 books to add to your reading lists! It is a wonderful, eclectic group of books including fiction, horror, memoir, nonfiction, thriller, and more! And we announce our next giveaway! Subscribe to our newsletter by January 10th to be automatically entered to win.

Episode 119 - Author Spotlight with Bill Goldstein Dec 22, 2020

We had the pleasure of chatting with Bill Goldstein about his formative years as a reader, working at Publisher’s Weekly, meeting and interviewing authors, his writing process, and his bookshelves. Bill is a legend in the book industry and we are thrilled to have had the chance to speak with him. Chris is reading about productivity techniques as well as Daring Greatly with Brené Brown. Emily read Olive, Again and then, not wanting to leave the world of Crosby, Maine and Olive Kitteridge behind, managed two Couch Biblio Adventures with the author, Elizabeth Strout.

Episode 118 - Hooray, It's Our 4th Anniversary of Talking Books and Going on Biblio Adventures! Dec 08, 2020

We are excited to celebrate our 4th Anniversary or Birthday!? So many amazing years of books and biblio adventures. In this episode we chat about a Brexit romance, eel behavior, female hysteria, poetry, serial killers, white advantage vs. white privilege, wintering, and more.

Episode 117 - Our Conversation with Patrick Sweeney about EveryLibrary Nov 24, 2020

We talk with Patrick Sweeney to learn more about EveryLibrary and what they are doing to help build support for libraries in the United States. We share a multitude of Couch Biblio Adventures including the Charleston to Charleston Literary Festival, National Book Awards Ceremony, and the Texas Book Festival. And we were pleasantly surprised to discover that we both read Emma Donoghue's newest book, The Pull of the Stars.

Episode 116 - Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi Readalong Nov 10, 2020

We discuss our readalong of Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi. She is the first Omani woman to have a novel translated into English and it is the first novel originally written in Arabic to win the Man Booker International Prize. Lots of firsts for Alharthi! We also chat about a big stack of books, virtual biblio adventures galore, and a surprise upcoming joint read of Emma Donoghue’s newest book, The Pull of the Stars.

Episode 115 - Author Spotlight with Hank Phillippi Ryan and our 2020 Holiday Gift Ideas Oct 27, 2020

We had the pleasure of speaking with Hank Phillippi Ryan who has won 37 Emmy awards for her investigative reporting! She brings this knowledge to the table when she sits down to write her Charlotte McNally Mystery series, Jane Ryland Thrillers, and multiple stand-alone books, including her most recent, The First to Lie. We also discuss the importance of starting your holiday shopping early this year and share our 2020 Holiday Gift Ideas including a chat with the owner of Bookplate Ink, Karen Gardner. Hold on for the ride, this episode is loooong, put packed with goodness!

Episode 114 - Mary Oliver Synchronicity Oct 13, 2020

Chris and Emily share admiration for the poet Mary Oliver and suggest a hack for getting more poetry reading into your life. They both did quite a bit of reading and chat about a lot of books! Authors mentioned include V.E. Schwab, Deesha Philyaw, Jennifer Risher, Kim Powers, P. Djèlí Clark, and Joseph O' Connor, to name a few.

Episode 113 - We Bid Adieu to Our First Recording Studio Sep 29, 2020

On this episode, we bid a bittersweet farewell to our first recording studio. We also chat about a handful of virtual literary events including a joint jaunt via The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s literary festival. The event was titled Audre Lorde and Political Warfare and featured Roxane Gay, Mahogany L. Browne, Tracy K. Smith, and Salamishah Tillet. Chris began reading a memoir about wealth and Emily escaped into the world of Addie Larue.

Episode 112 - We Do Some Alice Hoffman and Louise Penny Fangirling (again) Sep 14, 2020

Chris finished All the Devils Are Here, the newest book from Louise Penny in her Inspector Gamache Series. Emily is reading the soon-to-be published Magic Lessons, by Alice Hoffman, her prequel to Practical Magic and Rules of Magic. They both talk about their affinity for these two authors and what it is like to meet someone you greatly admire, and try to find words to say, when your knees are knocking together from nerves!

Episode 111 - We Talk BIG Books and Announce Our Next Readalong Sep 01, 2020

We chat about the BIG BOOKS we have been reading and announce our upcoming readalong, Celestial Bodies, by Jokha Alharthi. Chris took a drive through Glastonbury where she discovered three libraries. Emily listened to the Quarantine Tapes with Paul Holdengraber and his guest, Min Jin Lee.

Episode 110 - Author Spotlight with Caroline Leavitt Aug 18, 2020

Episode One Hundred Ten Show Notes
– Episode 110 GIVEAWAY –
The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns – edited by Mitzi Szereto
If I Never Find You – Mhairi McFarlane
The Deep – Alma Katsu
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

To be entered to win please subscribe to our email newsletter here. We will choose the winner on August 21, 2020.
– Currently Reading –
A House is a Body – Shruti Swamy (EF)
Forever Amber – Kathleen Winsor (CW)

– Just Read –
The Jane Austen Society – Natalie Jenner (EF)
Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers – edited Natalie Eve Garrett (EF)
Intimations: Six Essays – Zadie Smith (EF)
Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry – Imani Perry (CW)(audio)
Anxious People – Fredrik Backman (EF) release date September 8, 2020

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure watching Bonnie Tsui, author of Why We Swim, the book choice for the La Times Book Club. The conversation included Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer. You can watch the event here.

Our plans to attend the Schomburg Center event hosting Isabel Wilkerson author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and The Warmth of Other Suns were interrupted by a tropical storm. Thankfully it was recorded, you can watch the recording here. Chris also listened to Wilkerson’s interview on the NY Times Book review Podcast. You can listen to the episode here.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
We are going on a joint jaunt to the Hachette Book Club Brunch. It will be virtual this year. Join us on Saturday, October 17 from 10:30–1:00. You can purchase tickets here.
August 18th at 7:30 via the Brooklyn Historical Society, Women + Power: Body Power with Jennifer Finney Boylan and Tressie McMillan Cottom. You can purchase tickets here.
August 20th at 8:00 Yaa Gyasi in conversation with Roxane Gay discussing her book Transcendent Kingdom via Pen America series. You can purchase tickets here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Sea Wife – Amity Gaige (EF)
Betty – Tiffany McDaniel (EF)
From Here to Eternity – James Jones (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Caroline Leavitt –
We chat about her new book With or Without You.
Follow Caroline and her book tour here.
Check out A Mighty Blaze for information about new release books and author tricks of the trade here.
– Also Mentioned –
Book by Book 2020 Big Book Summer
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney
Persuasion – Jane Austen
James Baldwin
Nina Simone
Malcolm X
Langston Hughes
W.E.B. Dubois
Molly Malone Cook
A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman
Thick: And Other Essays – Tressie McMillan Cottom
From Here to Eternity movie
John Irving

Episode 109 - Author Spotlight with Kathleen Rooney Aug 11, 2020

We had the pleasure of talking to Kathleen Rooney about her new book, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, available now!

Episode 108 - Convenience Store Woman Readalong and Author Spotlight with Fiona Davis Aug 04, 2020

Episode One Hundred Eight Show Notes
– Currently Reading –
Looking for Lorraine – Imani Perry (CW)(audio)
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who’s Been There – Tara Schuster (EF)(audio)
The New York Public Library Book – Henry Hope Reed, Francis Morrone, and Anne Day (CW)
Clap When You Land – Elizabeth Acevedo (EF)
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Most Dangerous Man – Mary Trump, Ph.D. (CW)
– Just Read –
Saving Ruby King – Catherine Adel West (EF)
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia (CW)
Impersonation – Heidi Pitlor (EF) release date 8/18/20
The Enchanted Bluff – Willa Cather (CW)
Be a part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project HERE
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney (CW) release date 8/11/20

– 14th Readalong discussion–
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
Her next book to be translated into English is Earthlings which will be released in October 2020
She has two short stories that are available online: A Clean Marriage and Lover on the Breeze

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris went on a Couch Biblio Adventure via the New York Chapter of the The Historical Novel Society with Alaya Dawn Johnson about her new book, Trouble the Saints.
Emily watched a Glam Cam debut spotlight via A Might Blaze with Nancy Johnson introducing Catherine Adel West, author of Saving Ruby King. You can watch it HERE.

Chris visited the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library in Old Lyme, CT. Read more about the adventure on her blog.

Emily went on a Couch Biblio Adventure via Politics and Prose with Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning, and C. Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills is Gold.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Tuesday, August 4 the New York Public Library will be hosting Fiona Davis as her new book, The Lions of Fifth Avenue, is launched. You can register here.
Wednesday, August 5 the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will be hosting Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and The Warmth of Other Suns. You can register for the event here.
Wednesday, August 19 Brookline Booksmith will host Heidi Pitlor, author of Impersonation, in conversation with Caroline Leavitt, author of With or Without You.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Jane Austen Society – Natalie Jenner (EF)
Intimations: Six Essays – Zadie Smith (EF)
Persuasion – Jane Austen (CW)
The film The People’s Palace – produced, directed, and written by Graham Judd (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Fiona Davis –
We chat about her new book The Lions of Fifth Avenue. You can follow Fiona and her book tour here
– Also Mentioned –
W.E.B. Dubois
The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
The Ghostwriter – Alessandra Torre, A.R. Torre
The Shining – Stephen King
Mrs. America with Cate Blanchett
The Frick Collection

Episode 107 - Author Spotlight with Dr. Maysa Akbar Jul 21, 2020

Episode One Hundred Seven Show Notes
– Currently Reading –
Night – Elie Wiesel (CW)(audio)
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Most Dangerous Man – Mary Trump, Ph.D. (CW)
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney (EF) release date 8/11/20

– Just Read –
With or Without You – Caroline Leavitt (EF)
Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder – Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey (CW)
Transcendent Kingdom – Yaa Gyasi (EF)
The Deep – Alma Katsu (CW)
The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World – Melinda Gates (EF)(audio)
Amityville Horror – Jay Anson (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on an adventure to the Durham Public Library. Emily picked up a copy of Cooperstown by Eugena Pilek. Chris picked up The Marrow Thieves by Cheri Dimaline.

Emily tuned into A Mighty Blaze to hear an interview with Anna Quindlen author of Nanaville. and bookclub read The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose and she attended their Zoom conversation.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Tuesday, July 21, a virtual event at The Strand with Amy Poeppel author of Musical Chairs in conversation with Marcy Dermansky. You can register for the event here.

Tuesday, July 28, a virtual event at Books are Magic with Sarah Weinman author of Unspeakable Acts in conversation with Casey Cep. You can register for the event here.

Monday, August 3, a virtual event at The Strand with Laura Lippman author of My Life as a Villainess: Essays in conversation Tafy Brodesser-Akner. You can register for the event here.

Wednesday, August 5 the Schomburg Center will be hosting Isabel Wilkerson author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and The Warmth of Other Suns. You can register for the event here.

The Book Cougars are hosting a biblio adventure! We will be having a virtual readalong discussion of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, July 26th at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

– Upcoming Reads –
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (CW)
Saving Ruby King – Catherine Adel West (EF)
Beyond Ally: The Pursuit of Racial Justice – Dr. Maysa Akbar (CW)(EF)

– Author Spotlight with Dr. Maysa Akbar –
You can learn more about Dr. Akbar and her books on her website.
Beyond Ally: The Pursuit of Racial Justice and Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism
– Also Mentioned –
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk – Kathleen Rooney
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
Also by Alma Katsu: The Hunger, and The Taker Trilogy
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager
Empire of Wild – Cherie Dimaline
Alice Hoffman
The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones
Russell at Ink and Paper Blog
The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough
Lady in the Lake – Laura Lippman
14th Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
Poet Tracy K. Smith

Episode 106 - Author Spotlight with Anne Oman Jul 07, 2020

– Currently Reading –
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto – George M. Johnson (CW)
The Museum of Modern Love – Heather Rose (EF) (audio)
Night – Elie Wiesel (CW)
Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury, and Women’s Voices - Kathy Gunst and Katherine Alford (EF)

– Just Read –
Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close – Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman (EF) release date 7/14/20
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts – Kate Racculia (CW)
The Last Flight – Julie Clark (EF)
My Sister the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite (CW)(audio)
Last Day – Luanne Rice (EF)
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager (CW)
The Revisioners – Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (EF)
Blacktop Wasteland – S.A. Crosby (CW) release date 7/14/20

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris attended a virtual event through RJ Julia Booksellers Richie Jackson author of Gay Like Me in conversation with Matthew Reimer author of We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation.

Emily attended a virtual event via Books are Magic with Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Rodham, in conversation with J. Courtney Sullivan to discuss the release of her book Friends and Strangers.

Emily listened to the Women’s Prize podcast, which can be found HERE.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is going to scout out and make donations to some of the little free libraries created via the organization Help Your Shelves.

Wednesday, July 15 – Chris plans to attend a virtual event via The Center for Fiction with Victor Lavalle in conversation with Stephen Graham Jones about his book, The Only Good Indians.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Topeka School – Ben Lerner (EF)
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney (EF) release date 8/11/20
With or Without You – Caroline Leavitt (EF) release date 8/4/20
The Quarry Fox and Other Critters of the Wild Catskills – Leslie T. Sharpe (EF) (audio)
Fludd – Hilary Mantel (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Anne Oman –
Anne is the author of Mango Rains out from Galaxy Galloper Press.
The book can be found on her website: http://www.mangorains.net/
And bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/MangoRains

– Also Mentioned –
Other books by Elie Weisel: Dawn and Day
Amityville Horror – Jay Anson
The Okra Project
Tayari Jones
Ann Patchett
Paul Tremblay
Tommy Orange
Hilary Mantel Trilogy: Wolf Hall, Bringing Up the Bodies, and The Mirror & the Light

Episode 105 - Book of the Month Club Deal and lots of Bookish Banter! Jun 23, 2020

Episode One Hundred Five Show Notes
We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive three months for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)
– 14th Readalong discussion–
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
The discussion will drop on August 4 via Episode 108, please get questions/comments to us by July 31.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.

– Currently Reading –
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts – Kate Racculia (CW)
Last Day – Luanne Rice (EF)
How To Be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi (CW)
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies – Resmaa Menakem (EF)
My Sister the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite (CW)(audio)

– Just Read –
The Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships – Harriet Lerner (EF)(audio)Chris is spending time with the magazines Fine Books & Collections
The Lions of Fifth Avenue – Fiona Davis (EF) release date August 4, 2020The Book of V. – Anna Solomon (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily browsed inside Savoy Bookstore & Café in Westerly, RI. She picked up a copy of Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui.
Chris was able to go to Guilford Free Library for a curb side pick-up!
Chris attended two virtual events:
Irene Butter discussing her book Shores Beyond Shores with Donna Apidone via CapRadio Reads. You can watch the conversation here.
Erica Ruth Neubaur in conversation with Juliet Grames, discussing her book Murder at Mena House through Bank Square Books. Read Chris’s review here.

Emily enjoyed several episodes of Brené Brown’s podcast, Unlocking Us, including a two-part conversation with Harriet Lerner, author of Why Won’t You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts and Ibram X. Kendi, author of How To Be an Antiracist. Brené Brown is the author of Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone.

Emily listened to and recommends Episode 129 of Terrible, Thanks for Asking with Nora Borealis – Policing and Racial Trauma with Angela Davis.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
June 25 at 7pm – Chris will be attending a virtual event through RJ Julia Booksellers Richie Jackson author of Gay Like Me in conversation with Matthew Reimer author of We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation.

Chris and Emily are heading on a joint jaunt to the Guilford Free Library for an outdoor fair featuring new book releases. Watch the video of our adventure here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager (CW)
The Last Flight – Julie Clark (EF)

– Book of the Month Club –
In order to get your first month at the discounted rate of $9.99 go to www.bookofthemonth.com and use promo code: bookcougars.
The June Book of the Month Club picks are:
The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager
A Burning – Megha Mujumdar
One to Watch – Kate Stayman-London
The Last Flight – Julie Clark

– Also Mentioned –
Book By Book Blog
Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism – Dr. Maysa Akbar
True Grit – Charles Portis
The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
The Dance of Intimacy – Harriet Lerner
The New Yorker
Madeline Miller
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
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Episode 104 - Author Spotlight with Jung Yun Jun 09, 2020

Episode One Hundred Four Show Notes
We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive three months for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more.
– 14th Readalong discussion–
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
– Currently Reading –
Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers – edited Natalie Eve Garrett (EF)
Empire of Wild – Cherie Dimaline (CW) release date July 28, 2020Building Your Ideal Private Practice – Lynn Grodzki (CW)(audio)
– Just Read –
Friends and Strangers – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) release date June 30, 2020Mother Land – Lea Franqui (EF) release date July 14, 2020
Shelter – Jung Yun (EF) (audio)
Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism – Dr. Maysa Akbar (EF)
– Biblio Adventures –
We had a joint jaunt as GUESTS on Our Mystery Man John Valeri’s YouTube channel, Central Booking. You can watch the interview HERE.

Emily attended an event through The Strand Bookstore. Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half, was in conversation with Gloria Edim, author of Well-Read Black Girl.

Chris attended the 65th Annual Willa Cather spring conference: Untethered Cather on the Cusp of the 1920’s. The focus this year was on Cather’s book of short stories Youth and the Bright Medusa. She enjoyed sessions that included author Erica Ryan discussing her book When the World Broke in Two: The Roaring Twenties and the Dawn of America’s Culture Wars and Alex Ross discussing his book releasing on September 15, 2020, Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music.

Chris browsed inside two bookstores, Breakwater Books in Guilford,CT where she purchased How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson. She also visited Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily will be attending a virtual event via Politics & Prose with Megha Mujumdar, author of A Burning, in conversation with C. Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills is Gold.
Chris will attend a virtual event on June 10 at Savoy Bookshop & Café. Erica Ruth Neubaur will discuss her book Murder at Mena House with Juliet Grames. Read Chris’s review here.

On June 11, Chris will tune in to hear author Irene Butter discuss her book Shores Beyond Shores via CapRadio Reads. You can register here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts (EF)
How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge Into Words – Joana Penn (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Jung Yun –
We were thrilled to welcome author Jung Yun to discuss her book, Shelter.
You can learn more about Jung here including news about her forthcoming novel, O Beautiful.

– Also Mentioned –
All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline
Twelve Months To Your Ideal Private Practice: A Workbook – Lynn Grodzki
Matterhorn – Karl Marlantes
The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century – Alex Ross
Kramerbooks
Book By Book Blog
The Creative Pen podcast

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.
Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 103 - Author Spotlight with Emma Viskic May 26, 2020

Episode One Hundred Three Show Notes KEY: CW = Chris Wolak and EF = Emily Fine

– Currently Reading –
Chris dnf’d The Keep – Jennifer Egan (CW)
Resurrection Bay (Caleb Zelic #1) – Emma Viskic (EF)
Friends and Strangers – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) release date June 30, 2020The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York – Matthew Goodman (CW)
A Biography of Loneliness: The History of an Emotion – Fay Bound Alberti (CW) (audio)

– Just Read –
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen – Lucy Knisley (EF)
Redhead by the Side of the Road – Anne Tyler (EF)
Three-Fifths – John Vercher (EF)

– Lucky 13th Readalong discussion–
Go, Went, Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.James Wood’s review can be read here.
Jenny Erpenbeck and Claire Messud in conversation.
– (Couch) Biblio Adventures –
We hosted our own biblio adventure, a virtual readalong discussion of Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck. If you would like to join us for future discussions please subscribe to our newsletter.

Emily attended a Zoom event via RJ Julia Bookseller’s talking with Anna Solomon about her new novel The Book of V.

Chris attended two virtual events: A Q&A with Jennifer Egan and Johnny Temple about her novel The Keep, you can watch it here. A conversation with Tim Gunn and Stacy Schiff about her book Cleopatra.
– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily will be attending a virtual event via the Center for Fiction: Roxane Gay in conversation with Nicole Dennis-Benn about the paperback release of her novel Patsy.
Roxane Gay is offering a free digital care package – check it out here.

Chris will be attending the 65th Annual Willa Cather spring conference: Untethered Cather on the Cusp of the 1920’s on June 4-6, 2020. The focus is on Cather’s book of short stories Youth and the Bright Medusa.

– Upcoming Reads –
Chris is joining in The Sandy Point Correspondence Club and will be reading O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir – Natasha Trethewey (EF) release date 7/28/20
Dear Emmie Blue – Lia Louis (EF) release date 7/14/20Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close – Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman (EF) release date 7/14/20

– Author Spotlight with Emma Viskic –
Emma is the author of the Caleb Zelic series: Resurrection Bay, And Fire Came Down, and Darkness for Light
You can learn more about Emma Viskic HERE.

Emma toured the United States with fellow Aussie writers: Jock Serong, Sulari Gentill, Robert Gott

– Also Mentioned –
Also by Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad and Manhattan Beach
Also by J. Courtney Sullivan: Maine, Saints for All Occasions, The Engagements, Commencement
Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Claire Messud
The Trial – Kafka Franz
Call Your Girlfriend Podcast
American Writers Museum
Australian Women Writers Challenge
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 102 - Author Spotlight with Rachel Barenbaum May 12, 2020

Episode One Hundred Two Show Notes KEY: CW = Chris Wolak and EF = Emily Fine
– Lucky 13th Readalong discussion–
Go, Went, Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE
Our conversation about the book will air on May 26th
– Currently Reading –
Go, Went, Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky) (EF)
– Just Read –Modern Scholars Series: The Author at Work: The Art of Writing Fiction – Jenna Blum (CW)(audio)
Want – Lynn Steger Strong (EF) release date July 7, 2020
Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life – Joan D. Hedrick (CW)
The Late Bloomer’s Club – Louise Miller (EF)
The Country of the Pointed of Firs – Sarah Orne Jewett (CW)
Real Life – Brandon Taylor (EF)
Me and Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline – Loretta Young, Patsy Lynn Russell (CW)
– (Couch) Biblio Adventures –
Chris attended a virtual event through The Center for Fiction: Crime Fiction Writers talk Favorite Films and Books with Megan Abbott, Alison Gaylin, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski, Lauren Wilkinson
Emily attended a virtual event at Reads & Company Bookshop with author’s Mary Beth Keane and Juliet Grames
The Books on the Nightstand: Trapped at Home video can be watched HERE
Emily recommends three podcasts:
Unlocking Us – Brené Brown
Sugar Calling – Cheryl Strayed
Home Cooking – Samin Nosrat
– Upcoming Jaunts –
The Book Cougars are hosting a biblio adventure! Join us for a virtual discussion of our 13th readalong, Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck. The Zoom event will take place on Sunday, May 17th at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to reserve your spot.
– Upcoming Reads –
A Small Thing to Want: stories – Shuly X. Cawood (CW)
The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York – Matthew Goodman (CW)
Redhead by the Side of the Road – Anne Tyler (EF)
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen – Lucy Knisley (EF)
A Bend in the Stars – Rachel Barenbaum (EF)
– Author Spotlight with Rachel Barenbaum –
A Bend in the Stars released in paperback on May 12, 2020
You can learn more about Rachel Barenbaum HERE
Rachel recommends Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy release date August 4, 2020
– Also Mentioned –
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
The Stand – Stephen King
Lonesome Dove – Larry McMurtry
Newburyport Literary Festival
Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe
Catherine Beecher
The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
William Gilmore Simms
The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living – Louise Miller
A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
R.J. Julia Booksellers
Loretta Lynn: Coalminer’s Daughter
Judy Blume
Margaret Atwood
The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott
GrubStreet

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.
Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 101 - Author Spotlight with Will Schwalbe Apr 28, 2020

Chris and Emily have a good old fashioned catch up. They talk about books they have been reading, do some Couch Biblio-Adventuring, and interview author, editor, and podcaster Will Schwalbe.

Episode 100 - Bookstore Owner Annie Philbrick and Author Shuly Cawood Apr 14, 2020

100th Episode Giveaway
We are giving away four $25 gift certificates
To be entered into the giveaway subscribe to our newsletter here.
– Currently Reading –
Kill Creek – Scott Thomas (CW)
Valentine – Elizabeth Whetmore(EF)
Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life – Joan D. Hedrick (CW)
The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age – David Callahan (EF)
– Just Read –
The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott (CW)(EF)
See our BookTube video discussion here
Read Chris’s review of the book on her blog hereSeparation Anxiety – Laura Zigman (EF)
– Interview with Annie Philbrick –
Owner of Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT and Savoy Bookshop and Café in Westerly, RI and Board Member of the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC)
If you want to see Reese’s Bookclub announcement about her partnership with BINC on Instagram click here
To contribute to the bookstore’s Go Fund Me campaign click here.
– Author Spotlight with Shuly Cawood –
For more information about Shuly’s book, A Small Thing to Want: stories, click here.
You can sign up for her newsletter here
You can sign up for her blog here.
– Also Mentioned –
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins
Animal Husbandry – Laura Zigman
Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel and The Men We Reaped: A Memoir – Jesmyn Ward
Roman Fever – Edith Wharton

Episode 99 - You Can't Keep Us Apart! Mar 31, 2020

Episode Ninety Nine Show Notes
KEY: CW = Chris Wolak and EF = Emily Fine

– Lucky 13th Readalong discussion–
Go, Went, Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE
Our conversation about the book will air on May 26th
– Currently Reading –
The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett (EF) release date June 2, 2020The Odyssey – Homer (translated by Emily Wilson) (CW)
the audio version by Clare Danes can be found here
– Just Read –
One Moonlit Night – Caradog Prichard (translated by Philip Mitchell) (CW)
You can learn more about the Wales Readathon 2020 HEREHide Away – Jason Pinter (EF)
The Woman in the Dark – Vanessa Savage (CW)
I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives – Martin Ganda, Caitlin Alifirenka, Liz Welch (EF)
Two Friends – Willa Cather (CW)
Be a part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project HEREThe Giant’s House – Elizabeth McCracken (EF)
Murder at the Mena House – Erica Ruth Neubauer (CW)
– Biblio Adventures –
Chris did some curbside book shopping at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison and Breakwater Books in Guilford and drove by the renovation project of the Scranton Public Library in Madison.
Emily has been enjoying listening to various authors on social media reading aloud and reminisced about reading Summerland by Michael Chabon to her children back in the day.
– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily plans to start Little Fires Everywhere streaming on HULU based on the novel of the same name by Celest Ng.
Chris is meeting with her bookclub virtually to discuss The Gardens of Emily Dickinson by Judith Farr and also Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life: The Plant’s and Places that Inspired the Iconic Poet by Marta McDowell.
A Mighty Blaze virtual book tour brought to you by Caroline Leavitt and Jenna Blum
– Upcoming Reads –
U-505: The Final Journey – James E. Wise (CW)
The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott (CW)(EF)
– Also Mentioned –
Try a free 30 day trial to Scribd
The Mothers – Brit Bennett / Emily discussed this book on Episode 8 and Episode 35
Ain’t Nobody Nobody – Heather Harper Ellett
You can learn more about Jason Pinter’s Henry Parker series HERE
Amityville Horror – Jay Anson
Grey Matter Books
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.
Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 98 - Emily Visits Arizona and Chris Takes a Journey Through the Literature of Wales Mar 17, 2020

Episode Ninety Eight Show Notes
KEY: CW = Chris Wolak and EF = Emily Fine

– Lucky 13th Readalong discussion–
Go, Went, Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE
Our conversation about the book will air on May 26th

– Currently Reading –One Moonlit Night – Caradog Prichard (translated by Niall Griffiths) (CW)
You can learn more about the Wales Readathon 2020 HERE
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed – Lori Gottlieb (EF)(audio)
The Odyssey – Homer (translated by Emily Wilson) (CW)
the audio version by Clare Danes can be found here
Tipping the Velvet – Sarah Waters (CW)

– Just Read –
The Literature of Wales – Dafydd Johnston (CW)
You can read Chris’s review of the book HEREA Small Thing to Want – Shuly X. Cawood (EF) release date May 3, 2020
This Town Sleeps – Dennis E. Staples (EF)
Who Is Vera Kelly? – Rosalie Knecht (EF)
Big Summer – Jennifer Weiner (EF) release date May 19, 2020
Dominicana – Angie Cruz (EF)
– Biblio Adventures –
Emily visited Peregrine Book Company in Prescott, AZ and The Literate Lizard in Sedona, AZ
Oprah SuperSoul Sunday interview with Malcolm Gladwell can be found HERE
Apple TV – Oprah Bookclub American Dirt
Chris spent three days in the archives of the New York Public Library

– Upcoming Jaunts –
A Mighty Blaze virtual book tour brought to you by Caroline Leavitt and Jenna Blum
Caroline Leavitt’s Blog has a lot of author interviews
Chris and Emily are hoping to watch the film, Pokot (Spoor), based on the novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

It’s a great time to start a book series, read a book and watch the movie adaptation. Some examples:

Tipping the Velvet mini-series

Slumdog Millionaire based on the book Q & A by Vikas Swarup

– Upcoming Reads –
The Whole Fish: New Ways to Cook, Eat, and Think – Josh Niland (CW)
Two Friends – Willa Cather (CW)
What are We For?: The Words and Ideals of Eleanor Roosevelt – Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Pelosi (EF)
Dare to Be You: Inspirational Advice for Girls on Finding Your Voice, Leading Fearlessly, and Making a Difference – Marianne Schnall (EF)
Leading the Way: Inspiring Words for Women on How to Live and Lead with Courage, Confidence, and Authenticity – Marianne Schnall (EF)
The Feminist Handbook: Practical Tools to Resist Sexism and Dismantle the Patriarchy – Joanne L. Bagshaw (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
Becoming – Michelle Obama
The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature – Geraint Evans
The Davinci Code – Dan Brown
Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America – Erik Larson
Printer’s Row Lit Fest
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins
Cruel Beautiful World – Caroline Leavitt
With or Without You – Caroline Leavitt
Newburyport Literary Festival
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 97 - Ashley Olson from the Natl Willa Cather Foundation Mar 03, 2020

– Lucky 13th Readalong –
Go, Went, Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE
Our conversation about the book will air on May 26th

– Currently Reading –The Odyssey – Homer (translated by Emily Wilson) (CW)
the audio version by Clare Danes can be found here
This Town Sleeps – Dennis E. Staples (EF)

– Just Read –A Good Marriage: A Novel – Kimberly McCreight (EF) release date May 5, 2020My Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists – Tracy Walder, Jessica Anya Blau (CW)
Lakewood – Megan Giddings release date March 24, 2020The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel – Grady Hendrix (CW) release date April 7, 2020See his website to see his other books
The Red Lotus – Chris Bohjalian (EF) release date March 17, 2020The End of Your Life Book Club – Will Schwalbe (CW)
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home – Tembi Locke (EF) (audio)

Old Mrs. Harris – Willa Cather
Part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project on Chris’s Blog

– Biblio Adventures –Emily visited Broadside Bookshop in Northampton, MA

Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Northshire Bookstore in Manchester to celebrate the release of Simone St James’s new book The Sun Down Motel where she was in conversation with Jennifer McMahon. They also did some Shirley Jackson fangirling in North Bennington on the way, including the John G. McCullough Free Library.

Emily had a couch Biblio Adventure watching Oprah’s Vision 2020 Tour with Michelle Obama

Chris visited the Jefferson Market Library and the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library in New York City.

– Upcoming Jaunts –March 7 – Nationwide anniversary celebrations of the Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
March 15 – Chris Bohjalian will be at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, NH

On May 9, 2020 we will be co-hosting Kimberly McCreight with BOOK CLUB on the Go at Wood Memorial Library in South Windsor, CT. You can preorder the book here.

– Upcoming Reads –A Small Thing to Want – Shuly X. Cawood (EF) release date May 3, 2020Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo (EF)
Black is the Body: Stories of My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and My Time – Emily Bernard (CW)
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau – Michael Zapata (CW)

– Conversation with Ashley Olson from the National Willa Cather Center –
https://www.willacather.org/
You can donate to the Willa Cather Campaign for the Future here

– Also Mentioned –Reading Envy podcast
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Impossible Fortress
Brené Brown
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person
Nikki McClure
The Invited
The Librarian Is In podcast

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Episode 96 - Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead Readalong and Booktopia 2020 Feb 18, 2020

Episode Ninety Six Show Notes KEY: CW = Chris Wolak and EF = Emily Fine
– Currently Reading –The End of Your Life Book Club – Will Schwalbe (CW)
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home – Tembi Locke (EF)
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel – Grady Hendrix (CW) release date April 7, 2020
A Good Marriage: A Novel – Kimberly McCreight (EF) release date May 5, 2020

– Just Read –Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know – Malcolm Gladwell (EF) (audio)
The Sun Down Motel – Simone St. James (CW)
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed – Lori Gottlieb (CW)
My Name is Lucy Barton – Elizabeth Strouth (CW)
Chris DNF’d:
River – Esther Kinsky, Iain Galbraith (translator)
Blood Countess (A Ldy Slayers Novel) – Lana Popovic

– Biblio Adventures –We went on a joint jaunt to see the Broadway production of My Name is Lucy Barton based on the book by Elizabeth Strout.
Chris visited the New York Public Library and worked in the Dewitt Wallace Periodical Room before the play and also visited Books Kinokuniya
Emily took Aunt Ellen and the Gentleman Caller to McNally Jackson where she purchased two books:
Black is the Body: Stories of My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and My Time – Emily Bernard
Night Theater – Vikram Paralkar

– Upcoming Jaunts –May 1-2 – Booktopia 2020 at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT

– Conversation with Dafydd Wood from Northshire Bookstore –Here is the newsletter that shares everything you need to know about Booktopia 2020.
Or, you can see the list of books and authors that will be featured on the website HERE.
Note: You need to purchase tickets before you can receive the 20% discount.

Facebook Fans of Booktopia page

Dafydd also mentions:
The Guest Book: A Novel – Sarah Blake
Who is Vera Kelly? – Rosalie Knecht
– 12th Readalong discussion– Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
Sloan Croasley NY Times review
New Yorker profile on Olga by author Ruth Franklin
William Blake poem Proverbs of HellThe book has been made into a film titled: Pokot (Spoor)

– Also Mentioned –Bryan at Still an Unfinished Person Blog
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins
The Street – Ann Petry
Passing – Nella Larsen
Phillis Wheatley
Attica Locke
See more about Kimberly McCreight’s novels HERE
Revisionist History podcast
See more about Elizabeth Strout’s novels HERE
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder – Caroline Fraser
Reading Envy podcast

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Episode 95 - Author Spotlight with Matthew Goodman Feb 04, 2020

Episode Ninety Five Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
– Currently Reading –Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed – Lori Gottlieb (CW)
Northernmost – Peter Geye (EF) release date April 14, 2020Winterlust: Finding Beauty in the Fiercest Season – Bernd Brunner (CW)
A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories – Lucia Berlin (EF)
Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life – Joan D. Hedrick (CW)

– Just Read –Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator) (CW)
Recipe for a Perfect Wife – Karma Brown (EF)
Epic Solitude: A Story of Survival and a Quest for Meaning in the Far North – Katherine Keith (CW)
Read Chris’s review on her blog.Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid (EF)
Lighthouse Road and Wintering – Peter Geye (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –Chris and Emily went on two jaunts:
Matthew Goodman at the JCC of New Haven discussing his book The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team and Jeanine Cummins at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison discussing her book American Dirt

Chris caught up with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri, at the Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore where she bought two books by Carmen Maria Machado: Her Body and Other Parties: Stories and In the Dream House.

Emily went on a quick trip to Philadelphia where she visited: Shakespeare & Co, The Rosenbach, Penn Bookstore, Penn Book Center, The Last Word Bookshop

Chris had a couch biblio adventure with a friend watching the Bella Lugosi version of Dracula and also went to bid adieu to our buddy Elissa Sweet at Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT.

– Upcoming Jaunts –February 18, 2020 – Chris and Emily are going on a joint jaunt to Northshire Bookstore in Manchester to celebrate the release of Simone St. James new book The Sun Down Motel.

– Upcoming Reads –Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health: How to Prevent and Treat Common Stomach and Gut Problems – Dr. Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S. (CW)
You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters – Kate Murphy (CW)

– Author Spotlight –Matthew Goodman author of:
The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World
The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York
Jewish Food: The World at Table
Matthew is inspired by the works of: Joan Didion, Robert Caro, Colum McCann
Saul Bellow: “A writer is a reader moved to emulation.”
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers award winners that Matthew hinted about.

– 12th Readalong – Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE. Our conversation about the book will air on February 18th.

– Also Mentioned –
So Long – Lucia Berlin
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World – Peter Wohlleben, Jane Billinghurst (Translator)

The River – Peter Heller
PJ Our Way – receive books with Jewish themes
Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions – Valeria Luiselli
American Factory
Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Broken Girls – Simone St .James
The Invited – Jennifer McMahon
Suzanne Clauser
Shuly Cawood
Ten Days in a Madhouse – Nelly Bly
Seabiscuit: An American Legend – Laura Hillenbrand
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary –Simon Winchester
Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann
NPR’s Latino USA: Digging Into American Dirt
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Episode 94 - Sometimes You Can Biblio Adventure from the Couch! Jan 21, 2020

Episode Ninety Four Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
– Currently Reading –Epic Solitude: A Story of Survival and a Quest for Meaning in the Far North – Katherine Keith (CW) (release date 2/4/2020)Becoming – Michelle Obama (CW) (audio)
Recipe for a Perfect Wife – Karma Brown (EF)
Say Nothing: A True Story of Memory and Murder in Northern Ireland – Patrick Radden Keefe (EF)(audio)
The Truth About Magic: Poems – Atticus (EF)

– Just Read –Shadows on the Rock – Willa Cather (CW)
When They Let Them Bleed – Tod Goldberg (EF)
Astrology for the Soul – Jan Spiller (CW)
The Giver of Stars – Jojo Moyes (EF)
Emily DNF’d: The Innocents – Michael Crummey (EF)
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk (EF)
Chris put a book aside: Murder at the Breakers – Alyssa Maxwell (CW)
Dear Edward – Ann Napolitano (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –Emily started the Modern Love TV series on Amazon Prime based on Modern Love essays from the NY Times, and binged the entire first season of Virgin River on Netflix based on the book series by Robyn Carr
Chris is watching the Good Witch and binged the BBC Dracula mini-series on Netflix
Chris went to the New Haven Public Library to learn more about their Local History Room

– Upcoming Jaunts –January 21 ,2020– Matthew Goodman at the JCC of New Haven discussing his book The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team
January 23, 2020 – Jeanine Cummins will be at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison to discuss her book American Dirt
May 1-2, 2020 – Booktopia at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT

– Upcoming Reads –Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe (CW)
Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life – Joan D. Hedrick (CW)
River – Esther Kinsky, Iain Galbraith (translator) (CW)
part of the Reading More German Books 2020 challenge – see their Goodreads PageSuch a Fun Age – Kiley Reid (EF)
The Red Lotus – Chris Bohjalian (EF) release date 3/17/20Northernmost – Peter Geye (EF) release date 4/14/20
the two other books in the Eide family trilogy, available now: Lighthouse Road and Wintering

– Also Mentioned –Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America – Elizabeth Wurtzel
to learn more about her life, read her NY Times obituaryLiterary Disco podcast
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek – Kim Michele Richardson
controversy surrounding this book can be read HERESweetland – Michael Crummey
Reading Envy podcast
William Blake
A Good Hard Look – Ann Napolitano
Dracula – Bram Stoker
Harriet Beecher Stowe Society

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Episode 93 - Our Top Reads of 2019 and Author Spotlight with Jess Montgomery Jan 07, 2020

Episode Ninety Three Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

– Currently Reading –The Hollows (Kinship #2) – Jess Montgomery (CW) release date January 14, 2020The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics: Feminine Pursuits – Olivia Waite (CW)

Epic Solitude: A Story of Survival and a Quest for Meaning in the Far North – Katherine Keith (CW)
The Giver of Stars – Jojo Moyes (EF)

– Just Read –A Death in the Dessert – Willa Cather (CW)
part of the Willa Cather Short Story ProjectNothing to See Here – Kevin Wilson (EF)
Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s review in the NY Times can be found HEREA Burning –Megha Majumdar (EF) release date June 2, 2020The Memory Police – Yoko Ogawa (EF)
Ann Kingman talked about this book on Episode 86The Shape of Night – Tess Gerritsen (EF)
Everything My Mother Taught Me – Alice Hoffman (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to see the new Little Women movie directed by Greta Gerwig
Emily went to see the movie JoJo Rabbit based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens
Chris visited Puck’s Books in Essex, Connecticut and Our Lady of Grace Monastery bookstore

– Upcoming Jaunts –Chris is planning to start the Dracula mini-series on Netflix
January 15, 2020 – New Haven Public Library is hosting an event to learn more about their Local History Room
January 23, 2020 – Jeanine Cummins will be at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison to discuss her book American Dirt
February 8, 2020 – We will head on a joint jaunt to see the broadway production of My Name is Lucy Barton based on the book by Elizabeth Strout

– Chris and Emily Top Reads of 2019 –Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions – Valeria Luiselli (EF)
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder – Caroline Fraser (CW)

Why Religion?: A Personal Story – Elaine Pagels (CW) audio
Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter – Tom Clavin (CW)
How We Fight For Our Lives – Saeed Jones (EF)
Friday Black – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (EF)
Miracle Creek – Angie Kim (EF)
Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna – Juliet Grames (EF)
Ain’t Nobody Nobody – Heather Harper Ellett (CW)
A Student of History – Nina Revoyr (CW)
The River – Peter Heller (CW)(EF)
Free Food for Millionaires – Min Jin Lee (CW)
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller (CW)
The Museum of Modern Love – Heather Rose (CW)
True Grit – Charles Portis (CW)
The Invited – Jennifer McMahon (CW)
Jonah’s Gourd Vine – Zora Neale Hurston (CW)
Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW)
Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane (EF)
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins (EF)
If You Want to Make God Laugh – Bianca Marais (CW)(EF)
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens (EF)

– Author Spotlight –Jess Montgomery author of The Hollows (Kinship #2)
Jess was also with us on Episode 68 discussing The Widows (Kinship #1)
If you want more information about Jess check out her website.

– Also Mentioned –Tipping the Velvet – Sarah Waters
Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
The Family Fang – Kevin Wilson
Darkness for Light (Caleb Zelic #3) – Emma Viskic
Fleishman Is in Trouble – Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Ep 53 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Ep 55 March by Geraldine Brooks
Ep 57 Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Anne Boyd Rioux
Orchard House
Little Women movie circa 1933
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
Mel’s Bookland Adventures
Britta Bohler - The Second Shelf
Minotaur Books
Louise Penny Three Pines Series
Pulpwood Queens Book Club
Tucson Festival of Books

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Episode 92 - Author Spotlight with Heather Harper Ellett Dec 24, 2019

Episode Ninety Two Show Notes
CW = Chris WolaK and EF = Emily Fine
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directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.
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– Currently Reading –Nothing to See Here – Kevin Wilson (EF)
The Companion – Kim Taylor Blakemore (CW) release date January 14, 2020

– Just Read –
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder – Caroline Fraser (CW)
The Hollows (Kinship #2) – Jess Montgomery (EF) release date January 14, 202024/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week – Tiffany Shlain (CW)
Ain’t Nobody Nobody – Heather Harper Ellett (EF)
Darkness for Light (Caleb Zelic #3) – Emma Viskic (CW) release date June 9, 2020 in the USAFar from the Tree – Robin Benway (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –Emily watched The Great Santini based on the book by Pat Conroy
Chris visited Newport, Rhode Island and saw two houses: The Breakers and Marble House. She also discovered a murder mystery that is set in these houses: Gilded Newport Mystery Series

– Upcoming Jaunts –Chris and Emily both hope to see the new Little Women movie directed by Greta Gerwig
January 23, 2020 – Jeanine Cummins will be at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison to discuss her book American Dirt

– Upcoming Reads –The Hollows (Kinship #2) – Jess Montgomery (CW) release date January 14, 2020In West Mills – De’Shawn Charles Winslow (EF)
Who Asked You? – Terry Mcmillan (EF)
Heaven, My Home – Attica Locke (EF)

– Author Spotlight –We got a chance to speak with Heather Harper Ellett author of Ain’t Nobody Nobody
Heather gained an interest in science writing after reading the work of David Quammen
She re-reads the following novels for inspiration:
Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel
White Teeth – Zadie Smith
The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides
You can follow Heather on Twitter @heatherellett
– Also Mentioned –Flights – Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft (Translator)
The Family Fang – Kevin Wilson
The Widows (Kinship #1) – Jess Montgomery
Resurrection Bay and And Fire Came Down – Emma Viskic
Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity – Andrew Solomon
Literary Disco
Anna Quindlen
Anne Boyd Rioux
Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back – Terry McMillan
Bluebird, Bluebird – Attica Locke

Episode 91 - Announcing our 12th Readalong! Dec 10, 2019

Episode Ninety One Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.If you would like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

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– 12th Readalong –
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator) The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE. Our conversation about the book will air on February 18th.
– Currently Reading –
The Hollows (Kinship #2) – Jess Montgomery (EF)
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder – Caroline Fraser (CW)
The Yellow House – Sarah M. Broom (EF)
Farmer Boy – Laura Ingalls Wilder (CW)

– Just Read –
Thin Ice: A Mystery – Paige Shelton (CW)

The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai (EF)
The Sculptor’s Funeral – Willa Cather (CW)
part of the Willa Cather Short Story ProjectThe Great Santini – Pat Conroy (EF)
Sourdough – Robin Sloan (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily took a trip to Portland, Maine and visited Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops and Longfellow Books
Aunt Ellen discovered the Common Books Bookcart where she bought us a copy of Margaret Atwood’s Selected Poems which was published in 1976. You can follow the cart and purchase books by going to Brittany’s Instagram account.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris will attend an adaptation of Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory at the Theatre Artists Workshop in Norwalk, CT

– Upcoming Reads –
How Not to Die Alone – Richard Roper (EF)
Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition – Buddy Levy (CW)
The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich (EF) release date March 3, 2020
Darkness for Light – Emma Viskic release date June 9, 2020

– Also Mentioned –
Nobel Prize in Literature
Peter Handke
Canada – Richard Ford
Harper Lee
Jacqueline Woodson
The Booker Prizes
Margaret Atwood
Bernardine Evaristo
Shamus Award
Road to Perdition – Max Allen Collins
Flights – Olga Tokarczuk
The Widows (Kinship #1) – Jess Montgomery
Wifey – Judy Blume
National Book Awards
Patricia Cornwell
Youth and the Bright Medusa – Willa Cather
South of Broad – Pat Conroy
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel – Robin Sloan
Print: A Bookstore in Portland, Maine
Osprey Island – Thisby Niessen
Louise Penny
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
Harriet Beecher Stowe House
Every Man Dies Alone – Hans Fallada
Resurrection Bay and And Fire Came Down – Emma Viskic
Book Depository
Harry Potter
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Book Review Podcast
Motherless Brooklyn – Jonathan Lethem

Episode 90 - Our 2019 Holiday Gift Ideas! Nov 26, 2019

Episode Ninety Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

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– 90th Episode Giveaway – enter to win by December 1, 2019
Through the Bookstore Window – Bill Petrocelli
In Pieces – Sally Field
Kingdom of the Blind – Louise Penny

– Currently Reading –
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder – Caroline Fraser (CW)
Farmer Boy – Laura Ingalls Wilder (CW)
The Great Santini – Pat Conroy (EF)

– Just Read –
Little House in the Big Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder illustrated by Garth Williams( CW)
This Tender Land – William Kent Kreuger (EF)
Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo (CW)
Friday Black – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (EF)
Women Who Think Too Much: How to Break Free of Overthinking and Reclaim Your Life – Susan Nolen-Hoeksema (CW)
The Last Book Party – Karen Dukess (EF)
Smedley – Jeff McComsey (CW)
Red at the Bone – Jaqueline Woodson (EF) (audio)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Happier Hour an Evening with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft hosts of the Happier Podcast in Providence, RI. You can look for their upcoming events HERE.

Chris went to see Richard J. King at Bank Square Books to hear him discuss his new book Ahab’s Rolling Sea: A Natural History of “Moby-Dick” .
Emily went to the Charleston to Charleston Literary Festival highlights included:
The Price of Everything movie – director Nathaniel Kahn
Authors: Lionel Shriver, Deborah Eisenberg, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, David W. Blight, Judge Richard Gergel, Joyce Carol Oates, Rebecca Makkai, Bill Goldstein. She also visited Buxton Books and Blue Bicycle Books in Charleston.

Emily went to Breakwater Books to hear Juliet Grames discuss her book The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna.
– Holiday Gift Ideas –
1. Custom Embossed Leather Notebook
2. Panasonic Earbuds with microphone model RP-TCM125-K
3. Literary Card Decks
4. Believer Magazine
5. Rolling Library Cart (check out these suppliers: Demco, Brodart, The Library Store)
6. DIY project: watercolor paper and put quotes on them. Cut them into small pieces and place magnets behind or make into bookmarks.
7. Take a friend on a bookish jaunt
– Also Mentioned –
Gibson’s Bookstore
South of Broad – Pat Conroy
Bear Pond Books
Stuart Little – EB White
Ordinary Grace – William Kent Kreuger
Ink and Paper Blog Booktube
Fubar, Volume 2: Empire of the Rising Dead – Jeff McComsey
War is a Racket – General Smedley D. Butler
The Devil’s Cormorant: A Natural History – Richard King

Episode 89 - Min Jin Lee author of Free Food for Millionaires Nov 12, 2019

Chris and Emily discuss Free Food for Millionaires with author Min Jin Lee.

Episode 88 - Sally Field the AUTHOR Oct 29, 2019

Episode Eighty Eight Show Notes
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

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– 11th Readalong –
Free Food for Millionnaires – Min Jin Lee
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE. We will record with Min on October 30th.

– Currently Reading –
Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo (CW)
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamott (EF)
– Just Read –
The Professor’s House – Willa Cather (CW)
The Gifted School – Bruce Holsinger (EF)
A Wagner Matinée – Willa Cather (CW)
part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins (EF) release date January 21, 2020
Thoughts in Solitude – Thomas Murton (CW)
In Pieces – Sally Field (EF)
– Biblio Adventures –
Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see Karl Marlantes talk about his new book Deep River and to see Daniel Leader discuss his new book Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making.

Chris watched the movie Late Night
Chris hosted The Willa Cather Book Club at Wood Memorial Library where they discussed The Professor’s House

Emily watched the first part of Big Little Lies based on the novel by Liane Moriarty

Emily went on a jaunt to NYC and saw the Jefferson Market Library and saw the play Sunday by Jack Thorne
Chris and Emily attended the Hachette Book Group Bookclub Brunch in New York City:
Sally Field in conversation with her editor Millicent Bennett
Emma Straub in conversation with Susannah Cahalan discussing her books The Great Pretender and Brain On Fire
Nonfiction Panel:
Moderator Bill Goldstein – The World Broke in Two: Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forster and the Year that Changed Literature
Ryan Leigh Dostie – Formation: A Woman’s Memoir of Stepping Out of Line
Leslie Jamison – Make It Scream, Make It Burn
Mychal Denzel Smith – Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education
Fiction Panel:
Moderator Karen Kosztolnyik, VP, Editor in Chief for Grand Central Publishing
Kira Jane Buxton – Hollow Kingdom
Leni Zumas – Red Clocks
Alix E. Harrow – The Ten Thousand Doors of January
– Upcoming Adventures –
November 1, 2019 – Happier Hour an Evening with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft hosts of the Happier Podcast
November 7-10, 2019 – Charleston to Charleston Literary Festival

– Upcoming Reads –
Alta California: From San Diego to San Francisco, A Journey on Foot to Rediscover the Golden State – Nick Neely (CW)
The Shape of Night – Tess Gerritsen (EF)
All the F*cking Mistakes: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life – Gigi Engle (EF)
– Also Mentioned –
How We Fight For Our Lives – Saeed Jones
On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft – Stephen King
BOOK CLUB On the Go
A Lantern in Her Hand – Bess Streeter Aldrich
Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions – Valeria Luiselli
The Seven Storey Mountain – Thomas Murton
Matterhorn – Karl Marlantes
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
NaNoWriMo
Maxwell Perkins
Look Homeward, Angel – Thomas Wolfe
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant – Anne Tyler
DSM: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder
Will Schwalbe

Episode 87 - Chris Discovers a Fantastic Debut Mystery Author: Heather Harper Ellett Oct 15, 2019

Episode Eighty Seven Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.
Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– 11th Readalong –
Free Food for Millionnaires – Min Jin Lee
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE. We will record with Min on October 30th.
– Currently Reading –
Free Food for Millionnaires – Min Jin Lee (CW)
The Professor’s House – Willa Cather (CW)
The Gifted School – Bruce Holsinger (EF)

– Just Read –
Free Food for Millionnaires – Min Jin Lee (EF)
Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane (EF)
Why Religion?: A Personal Story – Elaine Pagels (CW) (audio)
A Better Man (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #15) – Louise Penny (CW)
Twenty-one Truths About Love – Matthew Dicks (EF) release date November 19, 2019
Ain’t Nobody Nobody – Heather Harper Ellett (CW)
Chris and Emily stalled and haven’t finished reading:
The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai (EF)
The Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris went to see Bobby Flay in conversation with Kate Middleton to discuss his new book Bobby at Home: Fearless Flavors from My Kitchen: A Cookbook.
Emily went to Books on Pratt in Downtown Hartford where she met Jean P. Moore, author of Tilda’s Promise. She also got to Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven, MA and attended the first annual Connecticut Literary Festival at Real Art Ways in Hartford.
– Upcoming Adventures –
October 17 at 2pm – Chris will be hosting The Willa Cather Book Club at Wood Memorial Library where they will discuss The Professor’s House
October 19-20 – Boston Book Festival
October 23 – Walden’s Carbon Footprint: People, Plants, Animals, and Machines in the Making of an American Book – at the Beinecke Library
October 26 – Hachette Book Brunch
October 26 – Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon
November 7-10 – Charleston to Charleston Literary Festival
– Upcoming Reads –
Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo (CW)
The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr – Susan Holloway Scott (EF)
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins (EF) release date January 21, 2020
– Also Mentioned –
You can subscribe to Jess Montgomery’s newsletter HERE
Louise Penny’s newsletters can be found HERE
Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
A Burnable Book – Bruce Holsinger
The Gnostic Gospels – Elaine Pagels
Silver Sparrow – Tayari Jones
The Baker’s Daughter – Sarah McCoy
Frederick-Douglas Knowles II – Hartford Poet Laureate
CT Center for the Book – Spirit of CT finalists: Michael Belanger, Katharine Weber, Christopher Wigren
In Pieces – Sally Field
Sue from Book by Book blog

Episode 86 - Book Recommendations Aplenty with Ann Kingman, John Valeri, and Elissa Sweet Oct 01, 2019

Episode Eighty Six Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
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– 11th Readalong –
Free Food for Millionnaires – Min Jin Lee
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE . We will record with Min on October 30th.

– Elissa Sweet –
Get a Life, Chloe Brown – Talia Hibbert (release date November 5, 2019)
Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston
Rebel – Beverly Jenkins

Check upcoming dates for the Bank Square Books Romance Book Club HERE

Upcoming Event: KissCon New England October 26, 2019 at 2:00 – Mohegan Sun
Authors include: Loretta Chase, Sarah MacLean, Ilona Andrews,Tessa Dare, Nisha Sharma, Joanna Shupe, Olivia Waite, Megan Frampton, and Caroline Linden

– John Valeri –
Sharon, Lois, and Bram’s Skinnamarink – Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillienstein, Bram Morrison, Qin Leng
The Truth About Magic – Atticus Poetry
Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamott
The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural – Agatha Christie

– Ann Kingman –
The Memory Police – Yōko Ogawa
The Testaments – Margaret Atwood
The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott
The Starless Sea – Erin Morgenstern (release date November 12, 2019)
The Warlow Experiment – Alix Nathan
Mary Toft, or the Rabbit Queen – Dexter Palmer
Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA – Amaryllis Fox
Running With Sherman – Christopher McDougall

– Chris Wolak –
Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo (release date October 8, 2019)
Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls – Jessica McDiarmid
Thin Ice – Paige Shelton (release date December 3, 2019)

– Emily Fine –
The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience – Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton
All This Could Be Yours – Jami Attenberg (release date October 22, 2019)
Pastry Love: A Baker’s Journal of Favorite Recipes – Joanne Chang (release date November 5, 2019)
– Also Mentioned –
The Housekeeper and the Professor – Yōko Ogawa
The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel – Renée Nault, Margaret Atwood
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen – Christopher McDougall
The Middlesteins – Jami Attenberg
Check out Paige Shelton’s website to read about her book series

Episode 85 - Author Spotlight with Mike Branch Sep 17, 2019

Chris and Emily talk all things books including their delightful joint jaunt to hear Madeline Miller discuss her book Circe. They also have a chat with writer and humorist Mike Branch.

Episode 84 - Announcing our 11th Readalong! Sep 03, 2019

Episode Eighty Four Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

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We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– 11th Readalong –
Free Food for Millionnaires – Min Jin Lee
The Goodreads discussion thread will open on October 1st.

– Currently Reading –
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II – Sonia Purnell (CW)
Becoming Willa Cather: Creation and Career – Daryl W. Palmer (CW)
For the Love of Men: A New Vision for Mindful Masculinity – Liz Plank (EF) release date September 10, 2019
The Seven of Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna – Juliet Grames (EF)

– Just Read –
Midnight at the Blackbird Café – Heather Webber (EF)
Scandal – Willa Cather (CW) which is part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison to see author Jessica Francis Kayne discuss her book Rules for Visiting.

Chris visited the Wood Memorial Library in South Windsor, CT. This is the new meeting place for the Willa Cather Book Club; they will be meeting at 2:00 on October 17th discussing The Professor’s House.

Chris had family in town and went to: Mystic Seaport Museum, Savoy Bookstore and Cafe, New York Public Library. Chris got a new Kaweco Classic Sport fountain pen.
– Upcoming Jaunts –
September 5, 2019 – Chris and Emily are planning to go to RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison to see author Madeline Miller discuss her book Circe.

Emily hopes to visit Once Upon a Thyme Bookshop in Beavercreek, Ohio.

– Upcoming Reads –
Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison (CW)
A Better Man – Louise Penny (CW)
The Testaments – Margaret Atwood (CW) release date September 10, 2019
Margaret Atwood: Live in Cinemas event is September 10, 2019
Read about the Long-Distance Pen created by Margaret Atwood HERE
The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai (EF)
Your Duck Is My Duck: Stories – Deborah Eisenberg (EF)
Property: Stories Between Two Novellas – Lionel Shriver (EF)
If: The Untold Story of Kipling’s American Years – Christopher E.G. Benfey (CW)
Hear his interview with Pamela Paul on the NY Times Book Review podcast HERE.
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death – Caitlin Doughty (CW)
Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil – Susan Neiman (CW)

– Also Mentioned –
Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
Middlemarch – George Eliot
Savory Bookstore and Café / Bank Square Books
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe – Fannie Flagg
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
Birds of America – John J. Audobon
Nathaniel Philbrick
The Girl Who Lived Twice – David Lagercrantz
Eye of the Needle – Ken Follett
Donald and the Golden Crayon – P. Shauers
Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson
Barter Hordes Booktube
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too) – Gretchen Rubin
Bookpage Magazine
The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
NY Times 1619 Project
Sapphira and the Slave Girl – Willa Cather

Episode 83 - Chris finishes Middlemarch and Author Spotlight with Linda Kay Klein Aug 20, 2019

Episode Eighty Three Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Toni Morrison –
Books we mention: The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved
If you are interested in participating in the Fans of Booktopia Song of Solomon readalong, the discussion can be found HERE.

– Currently Reading –
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II – Sonia Purnell (CW)
Becoming Willa Cather: Creation and Career – Daryl W. Palmer (CW)
Midnight at the Blackbird Café – Heather Webber (EF)
– Just Read –
Lady in the Lake – Laura Lippman (EF)
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup – John Carreyrou (EF)(audio)
The Farm – Joanne Ramos (EF)
Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW) Chris wrote a review on her blog.
Chris also recommends the audio version performed by Juliet Stevenson and plans to check out the BBC series as well as Rebecca Shoptaw’s adaptation, Middlemarch: The Series.
– Biblio Adventures –
Chris went to Deep River, CT to visit Bennett’s Books
Emily visited Phoenix Books in Burlington, VT
Margaret Atwood: Live in Cinemas event is September 10, 2019

– Upcoming Jaunts –
August 19, 2019 – Chris is planning to go to RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison to see author Jessica Francis Kayne discuss her book Rules for Visiting
September 16-23 – Brooklyn Book Festival
October 26, 2019 – Hachette Book Club Brunch: A Day for Readers 2019

– Upcoming Reads –
Vampires of Vermont (News From the Edge #3) – Mark Sumner (CW)
Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison (CW)
Motherland: A Memoir of Love, Loathing, and Longing – Elissa Altman (EF)
The Seven of Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna – Juliet Grames (EF)

– Author Spotlight –
We had a chance to talk with Linda Kay Klein about her book Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free.
You can learn more about Linda and subscribe to her newsletter HERE.
– Also Mentioned –
Ink and Paper Blog You Tube Channel
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe – Fannie Flagg
Sunburn – Laura Lippman
Did You Ever Have a Family – Bill Clegg
Wilde Lake – Laura Lippman
Tess Monaghan Series – Laura Lippman
Orange Is the New Black – Piper Kerman
Literary Disco podcast
Other books by Mark Sumner: The Monster of Minnesota and Insanity, Illinois

Episode 82 - Author Spotlight with Fiona Davis Aug 06, 2019

Episode Eighty Two Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Currently Reading –
Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW)
Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer – Bren Smith (EF)
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup – John Carreyrou (EF)
The Farm – Joanne Ramos (EF)
Three Women – Lisa Taddeo (EF)

– Just Read –
A Gold Slipper – Willa Cather (CW) which is part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project
How We Fight For Our Lives – Saeed Jones (EF) release date 10/8/19
Check out his essay Alright Now at Gay Mag

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily went to Raven Café an Edgar Allen Poe themed restaurant in Port Huron, MI

Emily made a stop at Traveler Restaurant in Union, Ct

99% Invisible Episode #354 Weeding is Fundamental

Emily went to Wesleyan RJ Julia to see Bianca Marais discuss her new book If You Want to Make God Laugh

Chris hosted the Willa Cather Bookclub to discuss Sapphira and the Slave Girl. Sadly, Bookclub Bookstore & More has closed its doors, but upcoming quarterly meetings will be at the Wood Memorial Library in South Windsor, CT. South Windsor is the birthplace of Jonathan Edwards, a theologian who is famous for the sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Check back, the next meeting of the bookclub will be in October, discussing the The Professors House.

Chris took her friend, Janet, to the New York Public Library to see the Walt Whitman exhibit. She also browse Kinokuniya Books. They also did a whirlwind tour of Connecticut bookstores including: Yale Bookstore, Grey Matter Books, Sterling Memorial Library, Beinecke Library, RJ Julia Booksellers, and The Book Barn.

Emily watched The Inventor documentary about Theranos

Emily went to Savoy Bookshop & Cafe to hear Nancy Burns-Fusaro of Westerly Sun discuss Three Women with author Lisa Taddeo.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
August 8, 2019 – Odyssey Bookshop Mary Doria Russell author of The Women of the Copper Country in conversation with Rose Bookbinder.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Ventriloquist – E.R. Ramzipoor (CW) (release date August 27, 2019)
Women Heroes of WWII: 32 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance, and Rescue – Kathryn J. Atwood (CW)
Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free – Linda Kay Klein (EF)(CW)
So Long: Stories, 1987-1992 – Lucia Berlin (EF)
– Author Spotlight –
We caught up with Fiona Davis when we were at Book Expo. Her new book, The Chelsea Girls, is available now!
Her book tour details can be found HERE.
Fiona mentioned:
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Guest Book by Sarah Blake
– Also Mentioned –
If You Want to Make God Laugh – Bianca Marais
Prelude to Bruise – Saeed Jones poetry collection
Complete Stories of Flannery O’ Conner
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Book Nation By Jen
BookBarCT
Bianca Marais recommended two books: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (release date 1/21/20) and Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid (release date 1/7/20)
Thy Neighbor’s Wife – Gay Talese
Booktuber Jaclyn: Six Minutes for Me
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster – Jon Krakauer
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt
Olive Kitteridge – Elizabeth Strout
The Masterpiece – Fiona Davis

Episode 81 - We're Back! Author Spotlight with Cheryl Suchors and Jean P. Moore Jul 23, 2019

Episode Eighty One Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Currently Reading –
The Dutch House – Ann Patchett (EF) release date 9/24/19
Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW)
– Just Read –
The Butterfly Girl – Rene Denfeld (EF) release date 10/1/19
A Well-Read Woman: The Life, Loves, and Legacy of Ruth Rappaport – Kate Stewart (CW)
Chris wrote a review of this book on her blog.
Never Have I Ever – Joshilyn Jackson (EF) release date 7/30/19
The Hotel Neversink – Adam O’Fallon Price (CW) 8/6/19
City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert (EF)
Evie Drake Starts Over – Linda Holmes (EF)
If You Want to Make God Laugh – Bianca Marais (CW)(EF)
Chris wrote a review of this book on her blog.

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris presented a paper, and generally immersed herself in all things CATHER, at the 17th International Willa Cather Seminar. She went on several field trips including the, Willow Shade (the home where Willa lived with her family for her first nine years, Capon Springs, National Museum of American History and Culture, Winchester Book Gallery, and The Handley Library. She wrote about the Handley Library on her blog.

Emily did a lot of traveling including:
Ireland: Dubray Books & Trinity Library
Portugal: Bertrand Livreiros
Michigan: McClean & Eakin Booksellers

Emily attended a joint event with RJ Julia Booksellers and Meigs Nature Center featuring Bren Smith and his book Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer

– Upcoming Jaunts –
July 24, 2019 – Wesleyan RJ Julia, Bianca Marais author of If You Want to Make God Laugh in conversation with Jennifer Blankfein.
July 25, 2019 – RJ Julia Booksellers, Jill Abramson author of Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts
July 25, 2019- The Willa Cather Book Club at Bookclub Bookstore & More
July 31, 2019 – Savoy Bookshop & Café, Lisa Taddeo author of Three Women

– Upcoming Reads –
Fleishman Is in Trouble – Taffy Brodesser-Akner

– Author Spotlight –
48 PEAKS: Hiking and Healing in the White Mountains – Cheryl Suchors
Author Website: www.cherylsuchors.com
Facebook: Cheryl-Suchors-author
Twitter: @cherylsuchors
Instagram: @cherylsuchors
Tilda’s Promise – Jean P. Moore
Author Website: www.jeanpmoore.com (Be sure to check out the Book Group tab!)
Facebook: /JeanPMooreAuthor
Twitter: @jean_pmoore
Instagram: @jeanpmoore
– Also Mentioned –
Also by Rene Denfeld: The Child Finder and The Enchanted
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters – Anne Boyd Rioux
The Shining – Stephen King
Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals – Michael Pollan
GreenWave
She Writes Press

Episode 80 - Sapphira and the Slave Girl Readalong with Jenny Colvin Jul 09, 2019

Episode Eighty Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member.
You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email
bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– 80th Episode Giveaway –
Enter to win by subscribing to our email newsletter here by July 18th.
48 PEAKS: Hiking and Healing in the White Mountains – Cheryl Suchors
Tilda’s Promise – Jean P. Moore

Cheryl and Jean will be our guests on Episode 81.

– Readalong with Jenny Colvin of Reading Envy –
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE

Be sure to check out Episode 157 of the Reading Envy podcast for our discussion of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE.

– Also Mentioned –
Willa Cather:
My Ántonia
O Pioneers!
The Professor’s House

James Patterson
Grimké Sisters
A Conversation with Cheryl Strayed and Oprah Winfrey at MOUNTAINFILM can be found HERE
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Langston Hughes
Toni Morrison

Episode 79 - Our Book Expo 2019 Interviews! Jun 25, 2019

Episode Seventy Nine Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Tamara – Book Blogger of Traveling With T
Twitter: rockstar1023
Instagram: rockstar1023
Facebook: TravelingWithT
SheReads.org
Kimberly Brock – The River Witch
Fiona Davis
Beatrice Williams
Kristin Hannah – The Nightingale
Margaret Mitchell – Gone With the Wind
Riley Sagers – The Last Time I Lied / Final Girls / Lock Every Door (release date July 2, 2019)
Joshilyn Jackson – Never Have I Ever
Turnrow Book Co. in Greenwood, MS
Reading Women Podcast – Kendra Winchester and Autumn Privett
Twitter: thereadingwomen
Instagram: thereadingwomen
Facebook: thereadingwomen
Jesmyn Ward – Salvage the Bones
Donna Tartt – The Goldfinch
N.K. Jemison – The Broken Earth series
Attica Locke
Sujata Massey – Perveen Mistry series
Leslie Jamison
Kira Jane Buxton – Hollow Kingdom (release date August 6, 2019)
Reading Women BINGO!

Robert – BookTuber at barter hordes
2019 BookTube Prize announcement video
2019 BookTube Prize website
Delia Owens – Where the Crawdads Sing / The Cry of the Kalahari
Fatima Farheen Mirza – A Place for Us
Sigrid Nunez – The Friend
Madeline Miller – Circe
Fiona Davis

Elissa Englund Sweet – Event and Marketing Director at Bank Square Books (Mystic, CT) and Savoy Bookshop & Café (Westerly, RI)
Indie’s Introduce Showcase participant at Book Expo – started with 52 debut submissions and 10 were picked
De’Shawn Charles Winslow – In West Mills
Claudia D. Hernández – Knitting the Fog
Craig Ferguson – Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Hallucinations, and Observations
Adriana Trigiani
Juliet Grames – The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

Sarah Woodford – Library Director of Saint Thomas More The Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University
Paula Byrne – The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things
Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice / Persuasion
Sterling Memorial Library – A Long Night Against Procrastination: Finals Edition
Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning

Episode 78 - Book Expo 2019 Recap! Jun 11, 2019

Episode Seventy Eight Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate
directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Upcoming Readalong –
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather (record date 6/27/19)
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE

– Currently Reading –
Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston (CW)
Mrs. Everything – Jennifer Weiner (EF) release date 6/11/19
– Just Read –
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (EF)(CW)
look for our discussion of this co-readalong with Jenny of Reading Envy – it will air on June 18, 2019
Chris and Emily both watched this documentary – Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel
The Americans on D-Day & in Normandy – Brooke S. Blades (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily attended Book Expo 2019
Chris and Emily were guests on our friend Russell’s Booktube Channel where we reflected on our Book Expo experience, you can see the video HERE.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is off on a trip to Ireland and Portugal and will seek out bookish adventure

– Upcoming Reads –
Chris is going to read lots of Willa Cather in preparation for trip to the Willa Cather Seminar
Never Have I Ever – Joshilyn Jackson (EF) release date 7/30/19
If You Want to Make God Laugh – Bianca Marais (EF) release date 7/16/19
All Grown Up – Jami Attenberg (EF)
The Butterfly Girl – Rene Denfeld (EF) release date 10/1/19

– Also Mentioned –
James Benn Billy Boyle series
The Middlesteins – Jami Attenberg
Red at the Bone – Jacqueline Woodson
They Called Us Enemy – George Takei release date 7/16/19
Words Without Borders
Lost in the Spanish Quarter – Heidi Goodrich release date 9/10/19
Jamilah King co-host of The Mother Jones Podcast
Grace Ellis – Lumber Janes series
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass – Mariko Tamaki release date 9/3/2019
The Gravity of Us – Phil Stamper release date 2/4/20
Deep River – Karl Marlantes release date 7/2/2019
Matterhorn – Karl Marlantes
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Word Bookstores
Loyalty Bookstore
Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves – Glory Edim
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence – edited by Michele Filgate
Light from Other Stars – Erica Swyler
The Book of Speculation – Erica Swyler
Just Ask!:Be Different, Be Brave, Be You – Sonia Sotomayor, Rafael Lopez release date 9/3/19}
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
Check out the Serial Reader App
Hum if You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca Marais
The Middlesteins – Jami Attenberg
Also by Rene Denfeld: The Enchanted and The Child Finder
The Chelsea Girls – Fiona Davis

Episode 77 - Minnesota, Land of the 10,000 Little Free Libraries! May 28, 2019

Episode Seventy Seven Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.
– Upcoming Readalongs –
We are hosting co-reads in June 2019 with Jenny Colvin of the Reading Envy Podcast.
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (record date 6/4/19)
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE

Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather (record date 6/27/19)
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE

– Currently Reading –
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (EF)(CW)
Mrs. Everything – Jennifer Weiner (EF) release date 6/11/19
The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things – Paula Byrne (CW)

– Just Read –
Coming, Aphrodite! – Willa Cather (CW) which is part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project
Miracle Creek – Angie Kim (EF)
Very Nice – Marcy Dermansky (EF) release date 7/2/19
Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun – Sarah Ladipo Manyika (EF)
– Biblio Adventures –
Emily traveled to Minnesota and stayed at the Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville. She visited Birch Bark Books & Native Arts owned by the author Louise Erdrich, Milkweed Editions bookstore Open Books

Chris went to the The Flock Theater to see their adaptation of Pride and Prejudice at the Shaw Mansion

Chris did a camera flip video for Shawn the Book Maniac’s BookTube Channel – check it out HERE

Emily watched the Brene Brown special on Netflix

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily will be attending Book Expo America May 29-31, 2019

Emily will be going to RJ Julia’s Bookseller in Madison, CT to see Jean P. Moore in conversation with Sande Boritz Berger discuss their books Tilda’s Promise and Split-Level

There is a performance of Little Women at The Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC, May 15-June 29, 2019

– Upcoming Reads –
Heart Berries – Terese Marie Mailhot (EF) (Literary Disco discussion of Heart Berries)
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead – Brené Brown (CW) (audio)
Why Religion?: A Personal Story – Elaine Pagels (CW)(audio)
Forged: Writing in the Name of God – Bart D. Ehrman (CW) (audio)
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom – David W. Blight (CW) (audio)

– Also Mentioned –
Jane Austen books: Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey
Russell of Ink and Paper Booktube Channel
Eckhart Tolle
Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop
Little Free Library
Rachel Maddow – Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power
The Gnostic Gospels – Elaine Pagels
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why – Bart D. Ehrman
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl

Episode 76 - Dr. Carla Hayden, Tracy K. Smith, Kevin Young at the Schomburg Center May 14, 2019

Episode Seventy Six Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.
– Upcoming Readalongs –
We are hosting co-reads in June 2019 with Jenny Colvin of the Reading Envy Podcast.:
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (record date 6/5/19)
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather (record date 6/27/19)
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE

– Currently Reading –
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (EF)(CW)
Miracle Creek – Angie Kim (EF)

– Just Read –
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens (CW)
The Lost Family – Jenna Blum (EF)
Lost Laysen: The Newly Discovered Story – Margaret Mitchell edited by Debra Freer (CW)
The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss (CW)
– Biblio Adventures –
Emily attended the Newburyport Literary Festival April 26-27, 2019:
Elaine Weiss: The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote
Linda Hirschman: Sister’s in Law: How Sandra Day O’ Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World
Rachel Slade: Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro
Russell Banks and Steve Yarbrough
A Readable Feast: Jenna Blum, Louise Miller, Miriam Parker
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The event featured Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, in conversation with US Poet Laureate Tracy K Smith moderated by Kevin Young, the Director of the Center. Kevin Young is also the New Yorker Poetry Editor.
Check out the Schomburg Shop.

Chris watched The Try Guys Test Old Age Body Simulators

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is traveling to Minnesota and is hoping to visit Birch Bark Books & Native Arts, Milkweed Editions bookstore Open Books, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, and Wild Rumpus.

Chris will be going to the The Flock Theater to see their adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Chris is heading to an event for The White Mountain: Rediscovering Mount Washington’s Hidden Culture by Dan Szczeny. Check out his website for upcoming events.

Crime Conn is at Ferguson Library on Saturday, May 18, 2019

Chris and Emily will be attending Book Expo America May 29-31, 2019

– Upcoming Reads –
Coming, Aphrodite! – Willa Cather (CW) which is part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project
The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison (CW)
The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things – Paula Byrne (CW)
A Well-Read Woman: The Life, Loves, and Legacy of Ruth Rappaport – Kate Stewart (CW)
The Missing of Claire Delune – Christelle Dabos, translated by Hidegarde Serle (EF)
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) – Sonali Dev (EF)
Around Harvard Square – cj farley (EF)
Mrs. Everything – Jennifer Weiner (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Russell of Ink and Paper Booktube Channel
BookPage
Author Angie Kim’s Website
Those Who Save Us – Jenna Blum
The Tim Ferriss Show interview with Neil Gaiman can be found here
Jabberwocky Books
Book Rack
Safe from the Neighbors – Steve Yarbrough
Author Jill McCorkle’s website
Red Rooster Restaurant
Yes, Chef – Marcus Samuelsson
Wade in the Water: Poems – Tracy K. Smith
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches – Audre Lord
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster – Jon Krakaur
Anne Boyd Rioux
Little A Publishing

Episode 75 - Biblio Adventure Extravaganza: Roz Chast, Patricia Marx, Mary Norris, Delia Owens, and more! Apr 30, 2019

Episode Seventy Five Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Upcoming Readalongs –
We are hosting co-reads in June 2019 with Jenny Colvin of the Reading Envy Podcast.
More details are forthcoming, but the books are:
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE

– Currently Reading –
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens (CW)
The Lost Family – Jenna Blum (EF)
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (EF)
– Just Read –
The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption – Monty Don, Sarah Don (CW)
The World That We Knew: A Novel – Alice Hoffman (EF) (release date 9/24/19)
The Museum of Modern Love – Heather Rose (CW)
gods with a little g: A Novel – Tupelo Hassman (EF) (release date 8/13/19)
Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad – Austin Kleon (CW)
If Beale Street Could Talk – James Baldwin (EF)
A Lost Lady – Willa Cather (CW)
The Marriage of Phaedra – Willa Cather (CW) which is part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily watched the movie If Beale Street Could Talk
Chris attended an event co-sponsored by Bank Square Books and the Lagrua Center where Mary Norris discussed her new book Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen. Check out this article about Mary’s apartment in New York City.
Emily went toRJ Julia Booksellers to hear Patricia Marx and Roz Chast discuss their book Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?: A Mother’s Suggestions

Emily visited Tennessee and North Carolina and caught up with author, Shuly Cawood. She has appeared on two episodes of the podcast:
Episode 22 – where she discussed her memoir, The Going and Goodbye
Episode 64 – the book launch of 52 Things I wish I Could Have Told Myself When I Was 17
They spent a day in Jonesborough, TN visiting the Jonesborough Public Library and the International Storytelling Center (check out their festival October 4-6, 2019). They also shopped at Mr. K’s Used Books, Music, and More.

Chris and Emily had a joint jaunt to hear Delia Owens discuss her book, Where the Crawdads Sing, sponsored by RJ Julia Booksellers but located at The Country School, in Madison, CT.
Other Books by Delia Owens:
Cry of the Kalahari
Secrets of the Savanna
The Eye of the Elephant
Survivor’s Song

Books recommended by Delia Owens:
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
A Sand County Almanac – Aldo Leopold
West with the Night – Beryl Markham

– Upcoming Jaunts –
This weekend, Laura Thoma, playwright, has a play, Meet Me in the Lobby, appearing in the Norwalk Theatre Artists Workshop festival April 26-29, 2019. Laura was on Episode 19 and Episode 66.

Emily will be attending the Newburyport Literary Festival on April 26-27, 2019

Booktopia 2019 at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT is taking place May 3-4, 2019

Chris and Emily will be attending Book Expo America May 29-31, 2019

– Upcoming Reads –
Lost Laysen – Margaret Mitchell (CW)
Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (CW)
The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age – David Callahan (EF)
The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World – Melinda Gates (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Check out Alice Hoffman’s website for her backlist
Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman
Mel’s Bookland Adventures
The Stella Prize
Marina Abramovic Institute
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative – Austin Kleon (CW)
Documentary about James Baldwin: I Am Not Your Negro
Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen – Mary Norris
Lonesome Dove – Larry McMurtry
Russell of Ink and Paper Booktube Channel

Episode 74 - Joint Jaunt to see Kingsolver and Powers, and Emily Eats Her Way Through Philly Apr 16, 2019

Episode Seventy Four Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.
– Upcoming Readalong –
We are hosting co-reads in June 2019 with Jenny Colvin of the Reading Envy Podcast.
More details are forthcoming, but the books are:
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE

– Currently Reading –
The World That We Knew: A Novel – Alice Hoffman (EF) (release date
A Vindication of the Rights of Women – Mary Wollstonecraft (CW)
Click HERE for the readalong with Great Book Study
Welcome to the Writer’s Life: How to Design Your Writing Craft, Writing Business, Writing Practice, and Reading Practice - Paulette Perhach (CW)
From A Whisper to A Riot: The Gay Writers Who Crafted an American Literary Tradition – Adam W. Burgess (CW)
The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption – Monty Don (CW)

– Just Read –
Fascism: A Warning – Madeline Albright (CW) (audio)
The Shortest Way Home – Miriam Parker (EF)
Chris dnf’d Transcription – Kate Atkinson (CW)
Tell Me How it Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions – Valeria Luiselli (EF)
The Marriage of Phaedra – Willa Cather which is part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project
Heavy: An American Memoir – Kiese Laymon (EF) (audio)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went to the 92nd St Y to see Barbara Kingsolver and Richard Powers discuss their books Unsheltered and The Overstory

Chris watched A Discovery of Witches based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

Emily took a trip to Philadelphia and visited the University of Pennsylvania Bookstore and Penn BookCenter and also took a picture of the Curtis Publishing Company building. She also had dinner at Zahav and flipped through a copy of Michael Solomonov’s new cookbook, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking. Click HERE to read the article about Solomonov in the NY Times.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
4/18/2019 – The Willa Cather Bookclub will discuss A Lost Lady at 2pm at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

4/18/2019 – Bank Square Books and the Lagrua Center are co-hosting Mary Norris to discuss her book Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen.

4/23/2019 – Patricia Marx and Roz Chast will be visiting RJ Julia Booksellers to discuss their book Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?: A Mother’s Suggestions. Click HERE to read the article about them in the NY Times.

4/24/2019 – Delia Owens will be visiting RJ Julia Booksellers to discuss her book Where the Crawdads Sing. Note: The event is sold out.

4/24/2019 – Dr. Carla Hayden in conversation with Tracy K Smith at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Tracy K. Smith is the poet Laureate of the United States and has a wonderful podcast, The Slowdown, where she reads a poem each day.

5/30-6/1/2019 – 64th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference

6/17-6/21/2019 – The 17th Annual Willa Cather Seminar

– Upcoming Reads –
A Lost Lady – Willa Cather (CW)
Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell (CW)
Sapphira and the Slave Girl– Willa Cather (CW)
If Beale Street Could Talk – James Baldwin (EF)
Lights All Night Long – Lydia Fitzpatrick (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Faithful – Alice Hoffman
Riff Raff Bookstore in Providence, RI
Lost Children Archive – Valeria Luiselli
The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
White Dog Cafe
The Impossible Fortress – Jason Rekulak
To find the poetry videos from the Book Cougars April 2018 National Poetry Month Celebration head to our YouTube page.
Check out Ryan Ludman on Instagram

Episode 73 - True Grit Readalong! Apr 02, 2019

Episode Seventy Three Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Currently Reading –
Transcription – Kate Atkinson (CW)
Fascism: A Warning – Madeline Albright (CW)
The Shortest Way Home – Miriam Parker (EF)

– Just Read –
The Trial of Lizzie Borden – Cara Robertson (CW)
Good Riddance – Elinor Lippman (EF)
The Invited – Jennifer McMahon (CW) (release date April 30, 2019)
The Wartime Sisters – Lynda Cohen Loigman (EF)
Passing – Nella Larsen (EF)
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens (EF)
The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief – Nora McInerny

– Biblio Adventures –
We went on a joint jaunt to see a panel discussing Writing Trauma at Yale University.
Panelists included: Roxane Gay, Aubrey Hirsch, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Saaed Jones, Terese Marie Mailhot, Melanie Boyd

Emily went to Long Wharf Theater to see a play based on the book Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Chris went to Playhouse on Park to see The Revolutionists by playwright Lauren Gunderson
Check out the NYPL Library Talks Podcast Episode 248: Debut of A Velocity of Being edited by Maria Popova

Chris visited Stepping Stones, the home of Bill and Lois Wilson, co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous

Chris discovered a new bookstore in New Haven, CT: Grey Matter Books

Chris and Emily went to see the Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth exhibit at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily are heading to the 92nd St Y to see Barbara Kingsolver and Richard Powers discuss their books Unsheltered and The Overstory

April 26-27, 2019 – The Newburyport Literary Festival

May 3-4 , 2019 – Booktopia at Northshire Bookstore

April 6th – Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon

– 10th Readalong –
True Grit – Charles Portis
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE.

– Upcoming Readalong –
We are hosting co-reads in June 2019 with Jenny Colvin of the Reading Envy Podcast.
More details are forthcoming, but the books are: Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather

– Also Mentioned –
Russell – Ink and Paper Blog
Seward Park New York Public Library
Alison Law – Literary Atlanta Podcast – Episode 45
Terrible Thanks for Asking Podcast
It’s Okay To Laugh – Nora McInerny
A Student of History – Nina Revoyr
The River – Peter Heller
The Last Woman in the Forest – Diane Les Becquets
Jabberwocky Bookshop
True Grit movie adaptations:
John Wayne version
Coen Brothers version
Upcoming 50th anniversary of John Wayne version look for information here
Donna Tartt – The Secret History and The Goldfinch
At the Edge of the Orchard – Tracy Chevalier
Girl with the Pearl Earring – Tracy Chevalier
The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

Episode 72 - Our Mystery Man Returns with Book Recommendations Galore! Mar 19, 2019

Chris and Emily catch up with Our Mystery Man - John Valeri - be ready, your TBR lists are going to get very big!

Episode 71 - Min Jin Lee, JFK Presidential Library, and Riff Raff Bookstore Mar 05, 2019

Episode Seventy One Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– 10th Readalong –
True Grit – Charles Portis
Send in questions or comments by March 28, 2019 – we will discuss on April 2nd episode.
The Goodreads discussion page can be found HERE.

– Currently Reading –
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill (CW)
Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy – edited by Nicole A. Seitz, Jonathan Haupt (CW)
A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader – edited by Maria Popova & Claudia Zoe Bedrick (EF)
Good Riddance – Elinor Lippman (EF)

– Just Read –
The Flatshare – Beth O’Leary (EF) (release date 5/28/19)
The Street – Ann Petry (CW)
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls – Anissa Gray (EF)
The Last Woman in the Forest – Diane Les Becquets (CW)
Willa Cather Selected Stories: Flavia and Her Artists – Willa Cather (CW) part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project on WildmooBooks

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily caught up with Min Jin Lee at Yale University on 2/18/19

Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston

On the way home we stopped at Riff Raff Bookstore in Providence, RI. We both bought books: Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (CW) and Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions by Valeria Luiselli (EF)

Emily went to Infinity Hall on Hartford on 2/23/19 to see a SpeakUp Storytelling event

– Upcoming Jaunts –
We will head on a joint jaunt on 3/5/19 to see a panel including Roxane Gay discussing Writing Trauma at Yale University

Emily will go to Long Wharf Theater to see a play based on the book Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Emily is heading to Fort Lauderdale for work and will go on the hunt for bookstores!

On 3/7/19 Chris is heading to the Guilford Library for an historical event, The Witness Stones Project and Harriet Beecher Stowe Center present: Guilford, Slavery, and the West Indian Trade

– Upcoming Reads –
The Necessary Hunger – Nina Revoyr (CW)
Women in the Literary Landscape – edited by Doris Weatherford, Rosalind Reisner, and Nancy Rubin Stuart (CW)
Heavy: An American Memoir – Kiese Laymon (EF)
The Wartime Sisters – Lynda Cohen Loigman (EF)
The Quintland Sisters – Shelley Wood (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Alison Law – Literary Atlanta Podcast
Maria Popova – brainpickings
Marie Kondo
Caroline Leavitt – Check out her blog with great author interviews
Jonah’s Gourd Vine – Zora Neale Hurston
Nevada Barr and The Track of the Cat
Diane Les Becquets Events
Min Jin Lee: On Selling Your First Novel After 11 Years
Book by John F Kennedy: Profiles in Courage
A Student of History – Nina Revoyr
The Masterpiece – Fiona Davis
A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True – Brigid Pasulka

Episode 70 - Author Spotlight with Virginia Sole-Smith and A Giveaway! Feb 19, 2019

Episode Seventy Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– 70th Episode Giveaway –

The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt in America – Virginia Sole-Smith

Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America – Nancy Maclean

The Flight Attendant – Chris Bohjalian

Reconstructing Amelia – Kimberly McCreight

– 10th Readalong –

True Grit – Charles Portis
Send in questions or comments by March 28, 2019 – we will discuss on April 2nd episode.

– Currently Reading –
The Street – Ann Petry (CW)

The Flatshare – Beth O’Leary (EF) (release date 5/28/19)

Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill (CW)

– Just Read –
Jonah’s Gourd Vine – Zora Neale Hurston (CW)

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir – Ruth Reichl (EF) (release date 4/2/19)
Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter – Tom Clavin (CW)
Shadow Daughter: A Memoir of Estrangement – Harriet Brown (EF)

Golden Child – Claire Adam (EF)

More Than Words – Jill Santopolo (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –

Chris saw Roxane Gay at Yale University in conversation with Claudine Rankin on 2/5/19

To read Roxane’s essay about her weight loss surgery click HERE

Emily watched some book to TV/Movie adaptations:

The Sisters Brothers based on the book of the same title by Patrick dewitt
Killing Eve based on the book Codename Villanelle series by Luke Jennings

The Durrells in Corfu based on the book My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

Chris is watching The Man in the High Castle based on the book of the same name by Philip K. Dick

– Upcoming Jaunts –

Chris will head to RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT on 2/25/19 to see Pam Huston discuss her new book Deep Creek
Chris and Emily will catch up with Min Jin Lee at Yale University on 2/18/19

Emily is heading to Infinity Hall in Hartford on 2/23/19 to see a SpeakUp Storytelling event

Chris and Emily are heading to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on 2/21/19

And one more joint jaunt on 3/5/19 to see a panel including Roxane Gay discussing Writing Trauma at Yale University

– Upcoming Reads –

An Untamed State – Roxane Gay (CW)

Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir – Cinelle Barnes (EF)

The Crate: A Story of War, A Murder, And Justice – Deborah Vadas Levison (EF)

Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger – Lee Israel (CW)

No Traveller Returns – Louis L’Amour, Beau L’Amour (CW)

Willa Cather Selected Stories: Flavia and Her Artists – Willa Cather (CW)

Willa Cather Short Story Project on WildmooBooks

– Author Spotlight –
We got the chance to catch up with Virginia Sole-Smith author of The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt in America
To find out what Virginia is up to go to: https://virginiasolesmith.com/
Virginia co-hosts a podcast with her friend Amy Palanjian: Comfort Food Podcast

– Also Mentioned –

Ryan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my.books.my.shelf/

Bridget Jones Diary – Helen Fielding

Voxer

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston

Shawn the Book Maniac

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table – Ruth Reichl

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West – Tom Clavin

The Light We Lost – Jill Santopolo

Citizen: An American Lyric – Claudine Rankin

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body – Roxane Gay

Cowboys Are My Weakness: Stories – Pam Houston

Ellen Satter Institute

Episode 69 - A Joint Jaunt to Yale University aka "Searching for Rory Gilmore" Feb 05, 2019

Episode Sixty Nine Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– 10th Readalong –

True Grit – Charles Portis
Send in questions or comments by March 28, 2019 – we will discuss on April 2nd episode.

– Just Read –
We each had a DNF:

An American Quilt: Unfolding a Story of Family and Slavery – Rachel May (CW)

I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff – Abi Jacobson (EF)

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love – Dani Shapiro (EF)

The River – Peter Heller (CW)(EF) (release date 3/5/19)

Read Chris’s review of the book on her blog

French Exit – Patrick Dewitt (EF)

A Student of History – Nina Revoyr (CW) (release date 3/5/19)

The Best American Short Stories 2018 – edited by Roxane Gay (EF)

– Currently Reading –
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir – Ruth Reichl (EF) (release date 4/2/19)

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays – Alexander Chee (CW)

Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking – Samin Nosrat (EF)

11/22/63 – Stephen King (EF)(audio)

– Biblio Adventures –

Chris visited the Newberry Library while she was visiting Chicago

January 19, 2019 at RJ Julia in Madison – Dani Shapiro with her new book Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love

January 28, 2019 – Michael Chabon at Yale University

Emily watched the movie The Wife based on the book of the same name by Meg Wolitzer

Chris stayed close to home and cleaned up her Goodreads TBR list

– Upcoming Jaunts –

Chris is going to see Roxane Gay at Yale University on 2/5/19

On February 13, 2019 at RJ Julia Madison, Emily is going to see Linda Cohen Loigman, author of The Wartime Sisters, and Jane Healey, author of The Saturday Evening Girls Club, moderated by Robin Kall

Chris and Emily are heading to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston

– Upcoming Reads –

Golden Child – Claire Adam (EF)

Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter – Tom Clavin (CW)

Jonah’s Gourd Vine – Zora Neale Hurston (CW)

Willa Cather Selected Stories – Willa Cather (CW)

Willa Cather Short Story Project on WildmooBooks

– Also Mentioned –

Just the Right Book podcast with Dani Shapiro

Celine – Peter Heller

Deliverance – James Dickey

Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad

Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River – Peter Heller

Sisters Brothers – Patrick Dewitt

Broad City

The Odyssey – Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

Delicious! – Ruth Reichl

Elevation – Stephen King

American Writers Museum

Kathleen Rooney

Martin Seay

Amazing Adventures of Cavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West – Tom Clavin

Shawn the Book Maniac

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston

Lee Israel

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Poet Mary Oliver passed away

Mornings at Blackwater

For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond.
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,
the feet of ducks.
And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.

What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.

So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,
and put your lips to the world.

And live
your life.

Episode 68 - The Widows by Jess Montgomery, Noah Webster House, True Grit and More! Jan 22, 2019

Episode Sixty Eight Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More. If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer todonate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions. Join our Goodreads Group! Please subscribe to our email newsletter here. – 10th Readalong – True Grit – Charles Portis Send in questions or comments by March 28, 2019 – we will discuss on April 2nd episode. – Currently Reading – Meditations – Marcus Aurelius (CW) The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America – Virginia Sole-Smith (EF) The New York Times Best of the Week Series: Monday Crosswords: 50 Easy Puzzles – edited by Will Shortz (EF) Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That’ll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together – Rachel Wilkerson Miller (CW) Die Drie !!! Vorsicht, Strandhaie! – Maja von Vogel – (CW) – Just Read – The Lost Man – Jane Harper (CW) (release date 2/5/19) Clock Dance – Anne Tyler (EF) Girls on the Line – Aimie K. Runyon (CW)(audio) – Biblio Adventures – Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford and then worked at Noah Webster Library. This American Life – Episode 664 Room of Requirement is all about libraries – give it a listen! Emily went to NYC and saw the play Choir Boy written by Terrell Alvin McCraney – Upcoming Jaunts – January 19, 2019 at RJ Julia in Madison – Dani Shapiro with her new book Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love January 28, 2019 – Michael Chabon at Yale University Chris is heading to Chicago and will visit the Newberry Library – Upcoming Reads – An American Quilt: Unfolding a Story of Family and Slavery – Rachel May (CW) Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy – edited by Nicole A. Seitz, Jonathan Haupt – Author Interview – Jess Montgomery author of The Widows (Kinship #1) Authors that have inspired Jess: Sue Grafton, Tony Hillerman, Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone), Lori Roy (Let Me Die in His Footsteps, The Bent Road) The next book from Jess Montgomery: The Hallows (Kinship #2) You can look for events and the release date of The Hallows at https://jessmontgomeryauthor.com/ – Also Mentioned – Also by Jane Harper: The Dry and Force of Nature Stephen Covey Breakwater Books Blackwing Pencils Flatiron Books Breathing Lessons – Anne Tyler Make Trouble – Cecile Richards Roxane Gay Bastard Out of Carolina – Dorothy Allison Why Read Moby-Dick? – Nathaniel Philbrick In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - Nathaniel Philbrick Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe –Fannie Flagg Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk – Kathleen Rooney Martin Seay Alison Law – Literary Atlanta Podcast Mixbook Photo Co. Minotaur Press

Episode 67 - We Would Love To Have YOU for Dinner! Jan 08, 2019

Episode Sixty Seven Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Currently Reading –
Girls on the Line – Aimie K. Runyon (CW)(audio)
Oceanic – Aimee Nezhukumatthil (CW)
The Lost Man – Jane Harper (CW)
Less – Andrew Sean Greer (EF)
Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give – Ada Calhoun (EF)
Clock Dance – Anne Tyler (EF)
– Just Read –
The Widows – Jess Montgomery (EF)(CW)
Chris DNF’d a few:
Manhattan Beach – Jennifer Egan (CW)
The Alumni Association – Michael Rudolph (CW)
Dark Streets, Cold Suburbs – Aimee Hix (CW)
Elevation – Stephen King (EF)
Mistletoe Murder – Leslie Meier (CW)
Lawn Boy – Jonathan Evison – (EF)
Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions – Johann Hari (CW)
Girls & Boys – Dennis Kelly (EF)(audio – narrated by Carey Mulligan)
The Hunger – Alma Katsu (CW)
How to Start a Fire – Lisa Lutz (EF)
My Mortal Enemy – Willa Cather (CW)
The Sisters Brothers – Patrick Dewitt (EF)
The Incendiaries – R.O. Kwon (EF)
All the Names They Used for God – Anjali Sachdeva (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
January 17th – Willa Cather Book Club at Book Club Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT at 2:00

Emily went on a big adventure that included stops at:
Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe and Pegasus Books in Bend, Oregon
Book Train Books & Magazines and Book Grove in Glenwood Springs, CO
Summit County Library, Ole Man Berkins Used Books, and Breck Books in Breckenridge, CO and Tattered Cover Bookstore at the airport in Denver, CO

We watched some shows:
Dumplin’ based on the book by Julie Murphy
Birdbox movie based on the book by Josh Malerman
Salt Fat Acid Heat based on the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nasrat The Haunting of Hill House loosely based on the novel by Shirley Jackson
Adaptation based on the Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean
Tidying Up With Marie Kondo based on the novel The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily are going on a joint jaunt to Noah Webster House in West Hartford

Emily is heading to NYC to see the play Choir Boy written by Terrell Alvin Mccrary

January 19, 2019 at RJ Julia in Madison – Dani Shapiro with her new book Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love

January 28, 2019 – Michael Chabon at Yale University

– Upcoming Reads –
French Exit – Patrick Dewitt (EF)
The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America – Virginia Sole-Smith (EF)
Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts – Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose (CW)
– Also Mentioned –
Also by Jane Harper: The Dry and Force of Nature
11/22/63 – Stephen King
Northshire Bookstore
Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving – Jonathan Evison
The Donner Party Chronicles: A Day-by-Day Account of a Doomed Wagon Train, 1846-1847 – Frank Mullen
Desperate Passage: The Donner Party’s Perilous Journey West – Ethan Rarick
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon

Episode 66 - The World Premiere of the Radio Play: Yours In Words Dec 25, 2018

Episode Sixty Six Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– On This Episode –
Grab some popcorn, get cozy, and comfortable!
We are so excited to present: Playwright, Laura Thoma’s world premiere of the radio version of her stage play: Yours In Words

You can contact Laura Thoma by visiting her website HERE.

– Also Mentioned –
Laura was also on Episode 19 with her book Mastering the Art of Self Expression: A Creative Journaling Workbook

The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real – Lisa Sonora Beam

The Playwright’s Guidebook – Stuart Spencer

Blackstone Public Library – Branford, CT

Blackstone Public Library – Chicago, IL

Downstage Center Podcast

MasterClass series

Theater Odyssey

The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron

Episode 65 - Bianca Marais author of Hum If You Don't Know the Words Dec 11, 2018

Episode Sixty Five Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More.

Join our Goodreads Group!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

– Currently Reading –
Becoming – Michelle Obama (CW)(audio)
Elevation – Stephen King (EF)
Manhattan Beach – Jennifer Egan (CW)

– Just Read –
Kingdom of the Blind – Louise Penny (CW)
His Favorites – Kate Walbert (EF)
Ayiti – Roxane Gay (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT to see Virginia Sole-Smith discuss her book The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America.

Emily went to the Guilford Library to see Andre Dubus III discuss his new novel, Gone So Long.

Chris went to the Guilford Library to learn more about the return of black bears in Connecticut.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Book-It Repertory Theater – production of My Antonia
December 9, 2018 Chris and Emily will head on a joint jaunt to Concord, New Hampshire to see Louise Penny discuss her new book Kingdom of the Blind. The event is sponsored by the Capital Center for the Arts and Gibson’s Bookstore.

Emily is heading on a big trip to OR, CA and CO. Hopefully there will be some literary adventuring along the way.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Widows – Jess Montgomery
Passing – Nella Laursen
The Odyssey – Homer, translated by Emily Wilson (CW)

– Readalong #9 –
Hum If You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca Marais

Bianca is happy to join your book club discussion. Check out her website HERE.

If You Want to Make God Laugh – Bianca’s next book will be available July 16, 2019

– Also Mentioned –
Washington: A Life – Ron Chernow
Will Schwalbe
J.K. Rowling
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
Criminal Element
The Untamed State – Roxane Gay
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals – Michael Pollan
Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History in New England’s Stone Walls – Robert M. Thorson
The Classics Club
James Benn – Billy Boyle series
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood – Trevor Noah
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson

Episode 64 - Our First Book Launch with Shuly Xochitl Cawood! Nov 27, 2018

Episode Sixty Four Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More. If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions. Join our Goodreads Group! Please subscribe to our email newsletter here. – Readalong #9 – Hum If You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca Marais Have comments to us by December 6, 2018 – Currently Reading – Becoming – Michelle Obama (CW)(audio) His Favorites – Kate Walbert (EF) The Stan – Kevin Knodell, David Axe, Blue Delliquanti (CW) The Grain Bowl – Nik Williamson (EF) America: The Cookbook – Gabrielle Langholtz (EF) – Just Read – Becoming – Michelle Obama (EF) Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (CW) Lift and Separate - Marilyn Simon Rothstein (EF) Starting From Scratch – Rita Mae Brown (CW) The Proposal – Jasmine Guillory (EF) The Vampires Heart (A Paranormal Lesbian Romance) – C.M. Blackwood (CW) Sea Prayer – Khaled Hosseini, Dan Williams (EF) The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World – Sarah Weinman (CW) – Biblio Adventures – Sadly, the weather foiled our plans on November 15, 2018. Due to a snowstorm, we were unable to make it to Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT to see Jean P. Moore (Tilda’s Promise) in conversation with Cheryl Suchors (48 Peaks). Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to see the movie Can You Ever Forgive Me? Chris met up with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri, at Wesleyan RJ Julia in Middletown, CT. Emily went to Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT for small business Saturday. Chris attended the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair and also had a chance to walk through the Boston Central Public Library in Copley Square. – Upcoming Jaunts – November 27, 2018 Emily would like to visit RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT to see Virginia Sole-Smith discuss her book The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America. December 9, 2018 Chris and Emily will head on a joint jaunt to Concord, New Hampshire to see Louise Penny discuss her new book Kingdom of the Blind. The event is sponsored by the Capital Center for the Arts and Gibson’s Bookstore. – Upcoming Reads – Kingdom of the Blind – Louise Penny (CW) Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (CW) Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW) Hum If You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca Marais (EF) The Perfect Mother – Aimee Molloy (EF) Conversations with Friends – Sally Rooney (EF) Heads of the Colored People – Nafissa Thompson-Spires (EF) The Patch – John McPhee (EF) – Book Launch – We had a chance to chat with Shuly Xochitl Cawood about her new book, 52 Things I wish I Could Have Told Myself When I Was 17, which is now available in Paperback and Kindle. You can order it HERE. Shuly’s other book is The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir. You can learn more about her at https://www.shulycawood.com/. – Also Mentioned – Ohio – Stephen Markley Also by Marilyn Simon Rothstein: Husbands and Other Sharp Objects Also by Jasmine Guillory: The Wedding Date Roxane Gay Also by Khaled Hosseini: The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov My Absolute Darling – Gabriel Tallent A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara Russell at Ink and Paper Blog Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) – Susan Smith Also by Lee Israel: Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger The Overstory – Richard Powers Kimberly McCreight Bookclub Bookstore & More Also by John McPhee: Oranges George Saunders

Episode 63 - Born a Crime Readalong and 2018 Holiday Gift Giving Nov 13, 2018

Episode Sixty Three Show Notes CW = Chris WolakEF = Emily FinePurchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More. If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions. Join our Goodreads Group! Please subscribe to our email newsletter here. – Readalong #9 –Hum If You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca MaraisHave comments to us by December 6, 2018 // Goodreads discussion page is HERE – Currently Reading –Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (CW)Kitchen – Banana Yoshimoto (EF)Starting From Scratch – Rita Mae Brown (CW)Florida – Lauren Groff (EF)The Craft of Research – Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, William T. Fitzgerald (CW)Poetry Will Save Your Life – Jill Bialosky (EF) – Just Read –Mr. Flood’s Last Resort (or The Hoarder) – Jess Kidd (EF)Ohio – Stephen Markley (EF) – Biblio Adventures –Emily went to Book Trader in New Haven, CT and That Bookstore in Wethersfield, CT. Chris went on a big adventure to Los Angeles, CA that included stops at:Universal Studios The Wizarding World of Harry PotterThe LA Public LibraryThe Last BookstoreBook Soup – Upcoming Jaunts –November 14, 2018 Chris would like to visit BookClub Bookstore & More to see Kristin Tsetsi in conversation with Benjamin Thomas. Her book is The Age of the Child.November 15, 2018 Chris and Emily will go on a joint jaunt to Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT to see Jean P. Moore (Tilda’s Promise) in conversation with Cheryl Suchors (48 Peaks). November 29, 2018 at Guilford Library, Emily will go see Andre Dubus III discuss his new novel Gone So Long. – Readalong #9 –Born A Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood – Trevor NoahGoodreads discussion page is HERE – Holiday Gift Ideas –· Owl Eyeglasses Holder from Uncommon Goods· Alibabette Editions journals· Utilizing VistaPrint, Zazzle or Shutterfly, make a calendar out of favorite book covers and author photos· Unearth Women Magazine – The 1st Feminist Travel Magazine· Buy someone an E-Reader! · Nice set of markers – Emily has this set from Pentel· Mastering the Art of Self-Expression a creative journaling workbook by Laura Thoma· Shuly Cawood has a new inspirational gift book: 52 Things I wish I could have Told Myself when I was 17· Purchase a complete set of a favorite authors books· Purchase a book for someone that is in a foreign language· Literary Candles· Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle – Also Mentioned – Also by Lauren Groff: Arcadia and Fates & Furies Alison Law – Literary AtlantaAlso by Stephen Markley: Publish This Book: The Unbelievable True Story of How I Wrote, Sold and Published This Very Book and Tales of Iceland The Library Book – Susan OrleanAlso by Andre Dubus III: Townie, and House of Sand and Fog, and Dirty LoveCarnegie’s Maid – Melodie BenjaminScribe of Siena – Melodie WinawerRussell – Ink and Paper BlogKinokuniya BookstoreThe Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xochitl CawoodLouise Penny

Episode 62 - The Cougars Take Manhattan Oct 30, 2018

Episode Sixty Two Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More. If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions. Join our Goodreads Group! Please subscribe to our email newsletter here. – Readalong’s 8 & 9 – Born A Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood – Trevor Noah Have comments to us by November 8, 2018 Hum If You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca Marais Have comments to us by December 6, 2018 – Giveaway – We have one copy of Hum If You Don’t Know the Words! Please subscribe to the newsletter by November 5, 2018 to be entered to win. Bonus points if you post a selfie with your favorite read on social media – be sure to #bookcougars. – Currently Reading – Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (CW) Mr. Flood’s Last Resort (or The Hoarder) – Jess Kidd (EF) The Monk – Matthew Lewis (CW) Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly – Anthony Bourdain (EF)(audio) – Just Read – Death Comes for the Archbishop – Willa Cather (CW) Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America – Nancy MacLean (CW) Fledgling – Octavia Butler (CW) (Chris wrote a review of the book on her blog. Click HERE.) Courageous Women of the Vietnam War: Medics, Journalists, Survivors, and More (Women of Action) – Kathryn J. Atwood The Care and Feeding of an Independent Bookstore: Three Instructive Essays – Ann Patchett (CW) The Best of Us – Joyce Maynard (EF) (audio) Not Our Kind – Kiddy Zeldis (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Chris saw two movies: Crazy Rich Asians and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Emily visited Gramercy Books and Bexley Public Library in Columbus, Ohio Chris and Emily went to NYC and visited the Frankenstein exhibit at the Morgan Library and attended the Susan Orlean lecture at the New York Public Library where she discussed her new book – The Library Book. (Chris wrote a review of the book on her blog. Click HERE.) – Upcoming Jaunts – Chris is heading to LA for some bookish fun. Emily is heading to That Bookstore – a new independent bookstore in Wethersfield, CT – Upcoming Reads – 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List – James Mustich (EF) Eventide and Benediction – Kent Haruf (EF) Gone So Long – Andre Dubus III (EF) Five Days at Memorial – Sheri Fink (CW) Starting From Scratch – Rita Mae Brown (CW) – Also Mentioned – Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear – Elizabeth Gilbert Kindred – Octavia Butler Parnassus Books Signature of All Things – Elizabeth Gilbert Lucy Gayheart – Willa Cather Plainsong – Kent Haruf Ruby Fruit Jungle – Rita Mae Brown Sudden Death – Rita Mae Brown Shawn the Book Maniac Book Tuber Reading Envy

Episode 61 - The Libraries, Sleepy Hollow and Upcoming Readalongs! Oct 16, 2018

Episode Sixty one Show Notes CW = Chris WolakEF = Emily FinePurchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More. If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions. Join our Goodreads Group! Please subscribe to our email newsletter here. – Readalong’s 8 & 9 –Born A Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood – Trevor NoahHave questions/comments to us by November 8th Hum If You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca MaraisHave questions/comments to us by December 6th – Currently Reading –Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America – Nancy MacLean (CW)The Best of Us – Joyce Maynard (EF) (audio)Joyce’s editorial in the NY Times can be found HEREGilead – Marilynne Robinson (EF)Ohio – Stephen Markley (EF) – might DNF? – Just Read –Calypso – David Sedaris (EF) (audio)The Library Book – Susan Orlean (CW)Strike Your Heart – Amélie Nothomb (EF)Bitter Orange – Clare Fuller (CW)Read Chris’s review of the book HEREThe Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang (EF)The Wife – Meg Wolitzer (EF)The World Made Straight – Ron Rash (EF) – Biblio Adventures –September 27, 2018 – The Book Cougars hosted three authors at Mohegan Sun. Panelists were:Fiona Davis –The MasterpieceJames R. Benn – Solemn Graves (Billy Boyle Mystery Series #13)Melodie Winawer – Scribe of Siena Emily visited Edgartown Books in Edgartown, MA. Chris went to Concord, MA on the 150th anniversary of Little Women. Orchard House had a big celebration. She visited Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and Walden Pond. – Upcoming Jaunts –October 17, 2018 – Meghan MacLean Weir will be at Wesleyan RJ Julia to discuss The Book of Essie. October 18, 2018 at 2:00 – Chris will be hosting the Willa Cather book club at Bookclub Bookstore & More. The book: Death Comes for the Archbishop October 20, 2018 – Chris is participating in the next Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon – Upcoming Reads –Death Comes for the Archbishop – Willa Cather (CW)The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie – Andrew Carnegie (CW)Dodging and Burning – John Copenhaver (CW)The Devil and Webster – Jean Hanff Korelitz (EF)Readers Advisory Guide to Horror – Becky Siegel Spratford (CW)Sadness is a White Bird – Moriel Rothman-Zecher (EF)(audio)5 Under 35 honoree – read about it HERE.Middlemarch – George Ellott – Also Mentioned –Unsheltered – Barbara Kingsolver Open Dyslexic fontThe Immortalists – Chloe BenjaminWally LambAt Home in the World – Joyce MaynardAlso by Susan Orlean: Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Possession and Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the LegendThe Wife - movieThe Female Persuasion – Meg WoliterMalaprop’s Bookstore/CafeMcLean & Eakin BooksellersAtticus BookstoreSerena – Ron RashBilly Boyle – James R. BennGeraldine BrooksPachinko – Min Jin LeeMeg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters – Anne Boyd RiouxEdgartown Public LibraryAdmission – Jean Hanff Korelitz / the movieBerwyn Public LibraryThe Monk – Matthew LewisLord of the Flies – William GoldingFrankenstein – Mary Wollstoncraft ShelleyThe Color Purple – Alice WalkerThe Bluest Eye – Toni MorrisonBill CleggNational Book Awards

Episode 60 - Our Mystery Man Returns & A Mysterious Giveaway! Oct 02, 2018

Episode 59 - Learning About Horseshoe Crabs! Sep 18, 2018

Episode Fifty Nine Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! AND at Bookclub Bookstore & More. If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. Join our Goodreads Group! Please subscribe to our email list here. – Currently Reading – Scribe of Siena – Melodie Winawer (CW)(audio) Solemn Graves (Billy Boyle Mystery Series #13) – James R. Benn (CW) The Odyssey – Homer, translated by Emily Wilson (CW) The NY Times article discussing the new translation of The Odyssey by Emily Wilson can be found HERE. – Just Read – Scribe of Siena – Melodie Winawer (EF) The Crab from Yesterday: The Life-Cycle of a Horseshoe Crab – John Frederick Waters and W.T. Mars (CW) Rooted In Deceit (A Greenhouse Mystery #4) – Wendy Tyson (EF) The Outliers – Kimberly McCreight (EF) The Scattering – Kimberly McCreight (EF) The Collide – Kimberly McCreight (CW)(EF) – Biblio Adventures – Chris and Emily watched the 1933 film version of Little Women September 13, 2018 – Emily went to RJ Julia Madison to see Kate Walbert discuss her book His Favorites – Upcoming Jaunts – September 15, 2018 at 2:00 – Chris will be in conversation with Kimberly McCreight at Bookclub Bookstore & More to discuss the third book in the Outliers trilogy: The Collide September 17, 2018 – Joseph Olshan will be at RJ Julia Madison to discuss his new book, Black Diamond Fall. September 20, 2018 at RJ Julia Madison and October 3 at Wesleyan RJ Julia – Jason Stanley will discuss his book, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. September 27, 2018 – Bill Goldstein will be discussing his book, The World Broke in Two: Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forster and the Year that Changed Literature, at RJ Julia Madison September 27, 2018 at 7:00 – Come meet the Book Cougars at Mohegan Sun for a Historical Fiction Panel. Click HERE to purchase your $5 ticket. Panelists are: Fiona Davis –The Masterpiece Marie Benedict – Carnegie’s Maid James R. Benn – Solemn Graves (Billy Boyle Mystery Series #13) Melodie Winawer – Scribe of Siena October 13 – Boston Book Festival October 18, 2018 at 2:00 – Chris will be hosting the Willa Cather book club at Bookclub Bookstore & More. The book: Death Comes to the Archbishop – Upcoming Reads – Solemn Graves (Billy Boyle Mystery Series #13) – James R. Benn (EF) The Book of Essie – Meghan Maclean Weir (EF) Strike Your Heart – Amélie Nothomb (EF) A Winter’s Promise – Christelle Dabos (EF) Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water’s Edge – Susan Hand Shetterly (CW) Horseshoe Crags and Velvet Worms: The Story of the Animals and Plants That Time Has Left Behind – Richard Fortey (CW) Behold the Dreamers – Imbolo Mbue (CW) The Witches: Salem, 1692 – Stacy Schiff (CW) Labyrinth of the Spirits – Carlos Ruiz Zafon (CW) – Also Mentioned – Cara Black Diane Mott Davidson The Kate – Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center showing of Little Women The movie Holiday starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant Fear: Trump in the White House – Bob Woodward Fear and Trembling – Amélie Nothomb Tokyo Fiancée – Amélie Nothomb Mel’s Bookland Adventures The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Angels Game – Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Prisoner of Heaven – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Episode 58 - Yippee! Meet the Cougars and a GIVEAWAY Sep 04, 2018

Episode Fifty Eight Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!
Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

Please subscribe to our email list here.

– Currently Reading –
Carnegie’s Maid – Marie Benedict (CW) (audio)
The Outliers – Kimberly McCreight (EF) (audio)
The Scattering – Kimberly McCreight (CW)
– Just Read –
The Outliers – Kimberly McCreight (CW)
Carnegie’s Maid – Marie Benedict (EF)
How Hard Can It Be? (Kate Reddy #2) – Allison Pearson (EF)
The Bookshop – Penelope Fitzgerald (EF) (audio)

– Readalong –
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters – Anne Boyd Rioux (CW)(EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily watched a lot of television/movies:
Learning to Drive based on a short story by Katha Pollitt
Elegy based on Philips Roth’s book The Dying Animal
BlackkKlansman by Spike Lee based on the memoir by Ron Stallwarth called Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime
I Don’t Know How She Does It starring Sarah Jessica Parker
Mind of a Chef season 3– starring Chef Edward Lee

Chris took friends to The Book Barn in Niantic, CT and Salem, MA.
She also discovered that Fitz-Green Halleck, the poet, died in the house where she gets her hair cut – Birds Nest Salon
– Upcoming Jaunts –

September 13, 2018 – Emily is headed to RJ Julia Madison to see Kate Walbert discuss her book His Favorites

September 15, 2018 at 2:00 – Chris will be in conversation with Kimberly McCreight at Bookclub Bookstore & More to discuss the third book in the Outliers trilogy: The Collide

October 18, 2018 at 2:00 – Chris will be hosting the Willa Cather book club at Bookclub Bookstore & More. The book: Death Comes to the Archbishop

September 27, 2018 at 7:00 – Come meet the Book Cougars at Mohegan Sun for a Historical Fiction Panel. Click HERE to purchase your $5 ticket.

Panelists are:
Fiona Davis –The Masterpiece
Marie Benedict – Carnegie’s Maid
James R. Benn – Solumn Graves (Billy Boyle Mystery Series #13)
Melodie Winawer – Scribe of Siena

We are hosting a GIVEAWAY of the four books. Subscribe to our newsletter HERE by September 8, 2018 in order to be entered to win.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Collide – Kimberly McCreight (CW)
Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist – Anne Boyd Rioux
Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain (EF) (audio)
Rooted In Deceit (A Greenhouse Mystery #4) – Wendy Tyson (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting Pot Cuisine – Edward Lee
I Don’t Know How She Does It (Kate Reddy #1) – Allison Pearson
Reconstructing Amelia – Kimberly McCreight
Gospel of Wealth – Andrew Carnegie
Nemesis – Philip Roth
Reading Envy podcast
A Short History of Women – Kate Walbert
Ink & Paper Blog
Little Women – 1949 film version

Episode 57 - Orchard House interviews with Anne Boyd Rioux and Jan Turnquist Aug 21, 2018

Episode Fifty Seven Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

Please subscribe to our email list here.

– Upcoming Readalong –
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters – Anne Boyd Rioux

You can participate in the readalong via the Goodreads discussion here.

If you want to send us questions or comments please send an email by 8/30/18 to bookcougars@gmail.com.

– Just Read –
Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting Pot Cuisine – Edward Lee (EF)
Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) – Susan Elia MacNeal (CW)

Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear – Kim Brooks (EF)

The Stars Are Fire: A Novel – Anita Shreve (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went to RJ Julia’s Booksellers in Madison, CT to see Rhys Bowen author of Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding in conversation with Lucy Burdette author of Death on the Menu. The evening was moderated by author Hallie Ephron.

We took a quick video of the event – see it here.

– Interviews from our Joint Jaunt to Concord, MA –
Anne Boyd Rioux– author of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters

Jan Turnquist – Executive Director of Orchard House
– Also Mentioned –

Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen – cookbook by Edward Lee
The Paris Spy (Maggie Hope Mystery #7) – Susan Elia MacNeal

Brené Brown

Jungle Red Writers

Constance Fenimore Wilson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist – Anne Boyd Rioux

Kay Boyle

For Information about the Little Women Sesquicentennial Celebration:
https://littlewomen150.org/home

Episode 56 - Baby, It's Steamy Outside! Aug 07, 2018

Episode Fifty Six Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! Please subscribe to our email list here. – Currently Reading/Listening – The Prisoner in the Castle – Susan Elia MacNeal (CW) Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting Pot – Edward Lee (EF) All About Boats: The Evacuation of Manhattan Island on September 11, 2001 – edited by Mike Magee (CW) The Stars Are Fire – Anita Shreve (EF) Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW) – Just Read – Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan (CW) The Masterpiece – Fiona Davis (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Emily went to RJ Julia’s Booksellers in Madison, CT to see James R. Benn author of the Billy Boyle series in conversation with Cara Black author of the Aimee Leduc series. Emily went to Vermont and visited Crow Bookshop in Burlington, VT. She also walked passed, but was unable to go inside, Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Portland, ME. Chris went to Chicago and visited the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, American Writers Museum and saw the Gwendolyn Brooks statue. She also visited Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville, IL and Barbara’s Bookstore O’Hare. Chris went to Bookclub Bookstore & More to see our Mystery Man, John Valeri, in conversation with Emily Arsenault author of The Last Thing I Told You. Chris attended the grand opening of That Bookstore in Wethersfield, CT. – Upcoming Jaunts – August 8 – Chris will be headed to Bank Square Books to see Wick Griswold & Stephen Jones discuss their book Connecticut Ferries. August 24 – Institute Library in New Haven is hosting a Library Thing-a-Thon. Help them digitize their catalog! September 12-14 – Wyndham Campbell Prizes Festival September 15 – Chris will moderate a session with Kimberly McCreight, author of the Outliers Trilogy, at Book Club Bookstore & More. September 27, 2018 – The Book Cougars will be hosting an historical fiction author event in partnership with Bank Square Books at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT. Please join us along with Fiona Davis, James R. Benn, Melodie Winnawer and Marie Benedict. You can order your tickets here. – Upcoming Reads – The Still Point of the Turning World – Emily Rapp (EF) Courageous Women of the Vietnam War: Medics, Journalists, Survivors and More – Kathryn J. Atwood (CW) Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Wolff (CW) Song of Kali – Dan Simmons (CW) – Also Mentioned – Books Are Magic Bookstore Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen – cookbook by Edward Lee Reading Envy Podcast The Book Barn in Niantic, CT Fiona Davis: The Address and The Dollhouse Rosemary’s Baby– Ira Levin A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving Maud Martha – Gwendolyn Brooks Chris blogs at WildmooBooks Poster Child: A Memoir – Emily Rapp The Classics Club Maurice – E.M. Forster

Episode 55 - Readalong discussion of March by Geraldine Brooks and our visit to Concord, MA Jul 24, 2018

Episode Fifty Five Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!
Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page.

Giveaway!
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women – Anne Boyd Rioux (release date August 21st)
to enter: email us by July 31, 2018 – bookcougars@gmail.com

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

– Currently Reading/Listening –
Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW)
The Masterpiece– Fiona Davis (EF)
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women – Anne Boyd Rioux (CW)(EF) release date August 21st

– Just Read –
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After – Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil (EF)
Chris DNF’d: The World As It Is: Inside the Obama White House – Ben Rhodes (CW)
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver (EF) (audio)
Transcendental Wild Oats – Louisa May Alcott (CW)
One of Ours – Willa Cather (CW)
– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went to Concord, MA and visited:
Concord Public Library
Barrow Bookstore – there audio series can be found here
Concord Bookshop
Sally Ann Food Shop
Orchard House – the home of Louisa May Alcott. To become a member click here.
Ralph Waldo Emerson House
The Old Manse
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Emily went to Breakwater Books to see Carl Zimmer discuss his book She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity

July 19th Chris will be hosting the Willa Cather Book Club at Bookclub Bookstore & More

Emily watched two movies:
Me Before You based on the book by Jo Jo Moyes
Jack Reacher based on the book by Lee Child
– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris is heading to Chicago and plans to go see the American Writers Museum and the Gwendolyn Brooks statue
Emily is heading to Vermont and plans to go to: The Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, VT, Crow Bookshop and the Chubby Muffin in Burlington, VT

July 19th Chris will be hosting the Willa Cather Book Club at Bookclub Bookstore & More

July 28th – Dewey’s Readathon

September 15th – Chris will moderate a session with Kimberly McCreight, author of the Outliers Trilogy, at Book Club Bookstore & More.

– Upcoming Reads –
Middlemarch – George Eliot(CW)
Carnegie’s Maid – Marie Benedict (EF)

– Readalong –
March – Geraldine Brooks (CW)(EF)
– Also Mentioned –
Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
Beowulf – Steven Mitchell
The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje
PBS Great American Read
Maud Martha – Gwendolyn Brooks
Roof Beam Reader TBR Challenge
Libby App
Hospital Sketches – Louisa May Alcott
Reconstucting Amelia – Kimberly McCreight
Mark Twain House
Life is Beautiful movie
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War – Tony Horwitz

Episode 54 - Reading Through A Heatwave! Jul 10, 2018

Episode Fifty Four Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. Upcoming Readalongs March – Geraldine Brooks – have comments to us by July 19th Upcoming Book Release and Event Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women – Anne Boyd Rioux (release date August 21st) Check out upcoming events for the 150th anniversary of Little Women at Orchard House. Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! – Currently Reading/Listening – The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After – Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil (EF) One of Ours – Willa Cather (CW) – Just Read – Hope Never Dies – Andrew Shaffer (CW) Providence – Caroline Kepnes (EF) Women & Power: A Manifesto – Mary Beard (CW) They May Not Mean To But They Do – Cathleen Schine (EF) One Possible Life - Hannes Köhler (CW) The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing – Marie Kondō (CW) (audio) – Biblio Adventures – Emily saw Matthew Dicks at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison with his new book Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling Chris visited the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library in New Haven, CT – Upcoming Jaunts – Chris and Emily will be heading to Orchard House – the home of Louisa May Alcott – on July 16th July 19th Chris will be hosting the Willa Cather Book Club at Bookclub Bookstore & More Emily is planning to attend Savoy Bookshop & Café Harry Potter 20th Anniversary party on July 31st The Book Cougars will be hosting an historical fiction author event in partnership with Bank Square Books at Mohegan Sun on September 27, 2018. – Upcoming Reads – March – Geraldine Brooks (CW)(EF) Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women – Anne Boyd Rioux (CW)(EF) release date August 21st The World As It Is: Inside the Obama White House – Ben Rhodes (CW) The Kiss: Intimacies from Writers – edited by Brian Turner (CW) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver (EF) (audio) – Also Mentioned – The new Libby App to download E-books and Audiobooks Center for Fiction first novel prize list can be found here. A Place for Us – Fatima Farheen Mirza There, There – Tommy Orange Sadness is a White Bird – Moriel Rothman - Zecker Man Booker Golden 50th Book Award Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver Willa Cather Novels: My Ántonia, The Song of the Lark, and O Pioneers! Orchard House Conversation Series Gwendolyn Brooks Statue in Chicago 57th Street Books American Writers Museum Poet Philip Larkin This Be The Verse They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself.

Episode 53 - Chris Talks Bone Fragments AND Our Little Women Readalong! Jun 26, 2018

Episode Fifty Three Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. Upcoming Readalongs March – Geraldine Brooks – have comments to us by July 19th Upcoming Book Release and Event Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women – Anne Boyd Rioux (release date August 21st) Check out upcoming events for the 150th anniversary of Little Women at Orchard House. Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! – Currently Reading/Listening – Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Enlightenment – Robert Wright (CW) Providence – Caroline Kepnes The American Byron: Homosexuality The Fall of Fitz-Green Halleck – John Hallock (CW) – Just Read – Unsheltered – Barbara Kingsolver (EF) release date October 16, 2018 Chris DNF’d Fatal Crossing (Nora Sand #1) – Lone Theils, Translated by Charlotte Barslund (CW) and she attempted to watch an adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock It Happened at Two in the Morning – Alan Hruska (EF) Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II – Liza Mundy (CW)(audio) A Place for Us – Fatima Farheen Mirza (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Chris met John Valeri, Our Mystery Man, at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore. Chris attended Crime Conn at Ferguson Library on Saturday, June 23, 2018 Author panelists included: China Trade – S.J. Rozan Katie Torpey Tom Straw David Rich David Handler James Benn Jane Cleland Sacred Cows – Karen E. Olson Charles Salzberg Dr. Kristen Hartnett-McCann Bill Curatolo Jill Fletcher Jeff Markowitz Chris Knopf Neil Nyren Gina Panettieri Sheryl Kayne June 19, 2018 Emily saw Jennifer Egan, author of Manhattan Beach, sponsored by Bank Square Books at Wheeler Library in North Stonington, CT. June 20, 2018 Emily and Chris went to see Claire Messud, author of The Burning Girl, sponsored by Bank Square Books. Sadly, the event was postponed. NYPL event archive of Roxane Gay in conversation with Aja Monet: https://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/live-nypl-roxane-gay-aja-monet-not-bad – Upcoming Jaunts – Matthew Dicks will be at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison with his new book Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling. Chris and Emily will be heading to Orchard House – the home of Louisa May Alcott. – Upcoming Reads – March – Geraldine Brooks (EF) They May Not Mean To, But They Do – Cathleen Schine (EF) Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 – R.A. Scotti (CW) Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear – Kim Brooks (EF) release date August 21, 2018 – 5th Read Along – Little Women – Louisa May Alcott (EF) (CW) The Goodreads Discussion can be found here. – Also Mentioned – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver Also by Robert Wright: The Evolution of God Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology The Overstory – Richard Powers Also by Barbara Kingsolver Bean Trees Prodigal Summer The Poisonwood Bible The President Is Missing – Bill Clinton, James Patterson The Pilgrims Progress – John Bunyan Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen Henry David Thoreau Margaret Fuller Hospital Sketches – Louisa May Alcott

Episode 52 - What Does 70 Pounds of Books Look Like?! Jun 12, 2018

Episode Fifty Two Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. Upcoming Readalongs Little Women – Louisa May Alcott – have comments to us by June 21st March – Geraldine Brooks – have comments to us by July 19th Congratulations to our 5oth Episode Giveaway winner – Jennifer and her daughter Lilly! Upcoming Book Release and Event Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women – Anne Boyd Rioux (release date August 21st) Check out upcoming events for the 150th anniversary of Little Women at Orchard House. Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle! – Currently Reading/Listening – Fatal Crossing (Nora Sand #1) – Lone Theils, Translated by Charlotte Barslund (CW) Unsheltered – Barbara Kingsolver (EF) release date October 16, 2018 The American Byron: Homosexuality The Fall of Fitz-Green Halleck – John Hallock (CW) It Happened at Two in the Morning – Alan Hruska (EF) Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II – Liza Mundy (CW)(audio) Little Women – Louisa May Alcott (EF) (audio narrator Lorelei King) (upcoming narrator Justine Eyre) (EF) – Just Read – Dream More – Dolly Parton (EF) (audio) District VIII – Adam LeBor (CW) From the Wreck – Jane Rawson (CW) Gift from the Sea – Anne Morrow Lindbergh (CW) Trench Dogs – Ian Densford (CW) – See other graphic novels being released from Naval Institute Press new imprint Dead Wreckening – Biblio Adventures – Chris and Emily went to NYC for Book Expo 2018, May 30-June 1, 2018. Check out our YouTube videos from Book Expo. Some authors, imprints, etc. from the week: Blackwing Pencils Out of Print Clothing But That’s Another Story – Will Schwalbe’s podcast Leigh Bardugo Wayetu Moore Rich Benjamin Susan Orlean Caroline Fraser Deborah Harkness Ibi Zoboi Sally Field Tony Kushner Michelle Obama Fiona Davis – The Masterpiece, The Dollhouse and The Address Tommy Orange – There, There Minotaur Books Alison Law – Literary Atlanta Podcast Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman – The Greatest Love Story Ever Told Abbi Jacobson Chris Gethard Len Riggio – CEO of Barnes and Noble We brought home 70 pounds of books! – Upcoming Jaunts – The Book Cougars will be hosting an historical fiction author event in partnership with Bank Square Books at Mohegan Sun on September 27, 2018. June 16, 2018 Chris will be attending a Behind the Scenes Tour of The Blackstone Library in Branford, CT. Chris and Emily are hoping to head to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, CT June 19, 2018 Emily is planning to see Jennifer Egan, author of Manhattan Beach, sponsored by Bank Square Books. June 20, 2018 Emily is planning to see Claire Messud, author of The Burning Girl, sponsored by Bank Square Books. – Upcoming Reads – The Lost Family – Jenna Blum (EF) Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly – Anthony Bourdain (EF) Middlemarch – George Eliot (CW) Little Women – Louise May Alcott (CW) – Also Mentioned – Book Women Magazine Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver Lydia Maria Francis Child Moby Dick Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X, Alex Haley Hunt for Red October – Tom Clancy Literary Disco podcast A Visit from the Goon Squad – Jennifer Egan The Woman Upstairs The Thurber House Adam Bede – George Eliot Book By Book blog – Sue Jackson – Join her Big Book Summer Challenge Broad City

Episode 51 - BookExpo 2018 - Buzzy Books for the Coming Year! Jun 05, 2018

Episode Fifty One Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!
Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page.

Russell Gray’s Book Tube Channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/inkandpaperblog

– Russel’s Book Recommendations –

So Lucky – Nicola Griffith

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #10) – Becky Chambers

When I Hit You: Or, a Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife – Meena Kandasamy

– BookExpo Adult Editor’s Buzz 2018 –
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and The Novel that Scandalized the World – Sarah Weinman release date September 11, 2018

She Would Be King – Wayétu Moore release date September 11, 2018

There Will Be No Miracles Here: A Memoir – Casey Gerald release date October 2, 2018
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive – Stephanie Land release date January 29, 2019

Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear – Kim Brooks release date August 21, 2018

Ohio: A Novel – Stephen Markley release date August 21, 2018

– BookExpo Young Adult Editor’s Buzz 2018 –

Darius the Great is Not Okay – Adib Khorram release date August 28, 2018

The Girl King – Mimi Yu release date August 28, 2018

Sadie – Courtney Summers release date September 4, 2018

Girls of Paper and Fire – Natasha Ngan release date November 6, 2018

The Similars – Rebecca Hanover release date January 1, 2019

– Books Chris and Emily Were Really Excited To Acquire at BookExpo –

There, There – Tommy Orange (EF)

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and The Novel that Scandalized the World – Sarah Weinman (CW)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20th Anniversary Editions with Brian Selznick illustrated covers (EF)

Hope Never Dies – Andrew Shaffer (CW)
Pride – Ibi Zoboi (CW)
The Library – Susan Orleans (CW)
Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It: A Mother’s Suggestions – Roz Chast and Patricia Marx (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Simon Savidge – The Readers Podcast

Jen Campbell

MercysBookishMusings

Hild - Nicola Griffith
Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant – Roz Chast
Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York – Roz Chast

Lets Be Less Stupid: An Attempt to Maintain My Mental Faculties – Patricia Marx

Deborah Harkness All Souls Trilogy

Episode 50 - Our 5th Giveaway and 4th & 5th Readalongs Announced! May 29, 2018

Upcoming Readalongs

Little Women – Louisa May Alcott – have comments to us by June 21st

March – Geraldine Brooks – have comments to us by July 19th

5oth Episode Giveaway
A banned books mug, a copy of Little Women and a copy of March for the upcoming readalongs please email us to enter the giveaway by June 1, 2018: bookcougars@gmail.com

Upcoming Book Release and Event
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women – Anne Boyd Rioux (release date August 21st)
Check out upcoming events for the 150th anniversary of Little Women at Orchard House.

Episode 49 - Our Mystery Man Returns! May 22, 2018

Episode Forty Nine Show Notes Our Mystery Man – John Valeri http://www.johnbvaleri.com/ Twitter: @OyeJohn52 – Books That Are Out Now – The Woman in the Window – AJ Finn The Chalk Man – C.J. Tudor The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen The Wife – Alafair Burke Into the Black Nowhere – Meg Gardiner Look for Me – Lisa Gardner You Will Be Mine – Natasha Preston Mister Tender’s Girl – Carter Wilson Vanished – Karen E. Olson The Bishop’s Pawn – Steve Berry Not That I Could Tell – Jessica Strawser A Date with Murder (Murder She Wrote #47) – Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain, Jon Land The Undercover Edge: Find Your Hidden Strengths, Learn to Adapt, and Build the Confidence to Win Life’s Game – Derrick Levasseur I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer – Michelle McNamara – Upcoming Releases – The Word is Murder – Anthony Horowitz release date June 5, 2018 A Stone’s Throw – James W. Ziskin release date June 5, 2018 Little Girl Lost – Wendi Corsi Straub release date July 24, 2018 The Last Thing I Told You – Emily Arsenault release date July 24, 2018 Mystery of Three Quarters – Sophie Hannah release date August 28, 2018 – Upcoming Events – Crime Conn at Ferguson Library – Saturday, June 23, 2018 John will be starting a Marcia Clark bookclub at Bookclub Bookstore & More starting on July 26 with Guilt By Association John will be interviewing Emily Arsenault at Bookclub Bookstore & More on August 4, 2018 – Also Mentioned – Mystery Scene Magazine Criminal Element The Strand Magazine The Snowman (Harry Hole #7) – Jo Nesbo The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson Typepad – Online writing forum for amateur writers The Hunt for Red October – Tom Clancy Writer’s Digest Magazine Big Brother television series Is OJ Innocent? The Missing Evidence television series Breaking Homicide television series Northshire Bookstore – Saratoga Springs Marcia Clark Investigates The First 48 The Fix

Episode 48 - Jaunt Much? Chris and Emily visit SEVEN bookstores and discuss LOADS of books May 15, 2018

Episode Forty Eight Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!
Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page.

Check out the 100 books listed in The Great American Read from PBS.

See the Lambda Literary Award information here.

– Currently Reading/Listening –

The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders – Stuart Kells (CW)
The Overstory – Richard Powers (EF)
Chicago Manual of Style – University of Chicago Press (CW)

Alternate Side – Anna Quindlen (EF)

– Just Read –
Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding Courage to Lead – Cecile Richards (EF)
DNF’d: The Swarm – Frank Schätzing (CW) read about her time with the book on her blog

Bite by Bite – Geneen Roth (EF) (audio)

Dream More – Dolly Parton (CW) (audio)

This Messy Magnificent Life: A Field Guide – Geneen Roth (EF)
Chicago Poems – Carl Sandburg (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Independent Bookstore Day – Chris went with Laura who was at Bookclub Bookstore & More with Mastering the Art of Self-Expression, workbook.

Chris participated in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon
Emily saw Meg Wolitzer discuss her book The Female Persuasion at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT

May 4-5 – Booktopia at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT

Ariel Lawhon – I Was Anastasia: A Novel

Bianca Marais – Hum If You Don't Know the Words

Heather Abel – The Optimistic Decade

Jonathan Miles – Anatomy of a Miracle

Pamela Paul – My Life With Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues

Peter Swanson – All the Beautiful Lies

Robin Oliveira – Winter Sisters

Stephen McCauley –My Ex-Life

Chris and Emily stopped at Williams College newly opened bookstore.

On the way home Chris and Emily went to Saratoga Springs, NY to visit the other Northshire Bookstore

Emily went to Brooklyn and visited Books are Magic and McNally Jackson

Chris went to a local cemetery in Guilford to see Fitz-Greene Halleck’s gravesite.

– Upcoming Jaunts –

Chris is going to see an Encore Series show in NYC at the Encore Series.

Coming up at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT:

May 15, 2018 – Chandra Prasad with her book Damselfly

May 16, 2018 – Heather Abel with her book The Optimistic Decade

Coming up at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore:

May 25, 2018 – Lisa Ko with her book The Leavers

May 26, 2018 –Mark your calendar for World Dracula Day

– Upcoming Reads –

Bimini Twist (Jane Bunker Mystery #4) – Linda Greenlaw (CW) release date June 26, 2018

Hum If You Don’t Know the Words – Bianca Marais (CW)
In the Dark (Jenny Aron #1) – Andreas Pfluger (CW)

Bitter Orange – Claire Fuller (CW) release date October 9, 2018

The Other Woman – Sandie Jones (CW) release date August 21, 2018

Something in the Water – Catherine Stedman (CW) release date July 24, 2018
Black Chamber – S.M. Stirling (CW) release date July 3, 2018

Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro – Rachel Slade (CW)

Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That’ll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together – Rachel Wilkerson Miller (CW)
Not That Bad: Dispatches From Rape Culture – edited by Roxane Gay (EF)

The Thorn Necklace: Healing Through Writing and the Creative Process – Francesca Lia Block (EF)

Sunburn – Laura Lippman (EF)

Little Women – Louisa May Alcott (EF)

– Also Mentioned –

Dolly Parton’s foundation: Imagination Library

Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman

The Wife – Meg Wolitzer

The Interestings – Meg Wolitzer

Modern Lovers – Emma Straub

The Vacationers – Emma Straub

Jesmyn Ward

The Duplass Brothers

Delicious Magazine

Emma Visick

Book Nook with Vick Mickunas

The Echo Maker – Richard Powers

American Rust – Philipp Meyer

The Son – Philip Meyer

Episode 47 - AngieThomas, Cecile Richards, Jhumpa Lahiri, Domenico Starnone and Willa Cather (of course!) May 01, 2018

Episode Forty Seven Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!
Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page.

For National Poetry Month (April) we celebrated with a poetry video project.
Check out our Book Tube Channel to see the 30 poems read by friends, authors, bloggers, podcasters and more.

See the full list of the 2018 Edgar Award winners here.
We discuss:
Blue, Bluebird – Attica Locke

Tornado Weather – Deborah Elaine Kennedy

Dark Chapter – Winnie M. Li.

Lola – Melissa Scrivner Love

Idaho – Emily Ruskovich

She Rides Shotgun – Jordan Harper

The Unseeing – Ana Mazzola

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI – David Grann

Chester B. Himes: A Biography – Lawrence P. Jackson

New Haven Noir edited by Amy Bloom – Two short stories won Spring Break by John Crowley and The Queen of Secrets by Lisa D. Gray

Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds

Bolo Books, Kristopher Zgorski
The Raven Bookstore in Kansas

– Currently Reading/Listening –

Chicago Poems – Carl Sandburg (CW)
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders – Stuart Kells (CW)
Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding Courage to Lead – Cecile Richards (EF)

– Just Read –
Dark Chapter – Winnie M. Li. (CW)

Standard Deviation – Katherine Heiny (EF)

Sea Creatures from the Sky – Ricardo Cortés (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Savoy Bookshop and Cafe for the Reading Across Road Island sponsored event with Angie Thomas and her book The Hate U Give.

Emily went to see Cecile Richards discuss her book Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding Courage to Lead sponsored by Wesleyan RJ Julia.

Chris hosted the second Willa Cather Bookclub at Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT where they read

The Song of the Lark. The next date is July 19 at 2:00 where they will discuss One of Ours.

Our second joint jaunt was to see a bilingual event with Jhumpha Lahiri and Domenico Starnone moderated by Michael Reynolds, Editor in Chief, Europa Editions at Wesleyan RJ Julia. They were discussing the book Trick (Scherzetto).

Emily worked at the Lucy Robbins Welles library in Newington, CT.

– Upcoming Jaunts –

Independent Bookstore Day – Laura will be at Bookclub Bookstore & More with Mastering the Art of Self-Expression, workbook

Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon

May 1 – Emily is heading to see Meg Wolitzer discuss her book The Female Persuasion at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT

May 4-5 – Booktopia at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT

Chris is planning to stop at Williams College newly opened bookstore

May 10 – Chris and Emily will take a joint jaunt to the Guilford Library for the Guilford Poets Guild celebration of Guilford High School Poetry Contest Winners.

– Upcoming Reads –

American Byron: Homosexuality The Fall Of Fitz-Green Halleck – John W.M. Hallock (CW)
The Life and Letters of Fitz-Green Halleck – James Grant Wilson (CW)

Poetical Writings of Fitz-Green Halleck – Fitz-Green Halleck edited by James Grant Wilson (CW)
The Overstory – Richard Powers (EF)
This Messy Magnificent Life: A Field Guide – Geneen Roth (EF)
Naval Officers Under Hitler: The Story of Crew 34 – Eric C. Rust (CW)

American Sea Power in the Old World: The United States Navy in European and Near Eastern Waters, 1865-1917 – William N. Still, Jr. (CW)

Courageous Women of the Vietnam War: Medics, Journalists, Survivors, and More – Kathryn J. Atwood

– Also Mentioned –

Walt Whitman

Mary Oliver

Gretchen Rubin and her Four Tendencies Quiz

Fates and Furies – Lauren Groff

Akashic Books

Mystic – Noank Library in Mystic, CT

Mystic Pizza in Mystic, CT

Mystic Pizza the movie

Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT

David Letterman “My Next Guest” interviews on Netflix

O Pioneers! – Willa Cather

Ernest Hemingway

Unabridged Bookstore in Chicago

The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies – Jhumpa Lahiri

The Echo Maker – Richard Powers

When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up A Chair: 50 Ways to Feel Thin, Gorgeous, and Happy {When You Feel Anything But} – Geneen Rother

When Food is Love: Exploring the Relationship Between Eating and Intimacy – Geneen Roth

An Honorable German – Charles L. McCain – Chris reviewed this book on her blog

The Shadow Divers – Robert Kurson

Episode 46 - The Stranger in the Woods Apr 17, 2018

Episode Forty Six Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!
Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page.

It’s National Poetry Month and we are celebrating with a poetry video project.
Check out our Book Tube Channel to see a recitation of a poem every day of April.

– Currently Reading/Listening –

Dark Matter – Winnie M. Li (CW)

The Dispossessed – Ursula K. Le Guin (EF)
Chicago Poems – Carl Sandburg (CW)
The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World – Chris Guillebeau (EF)

– Just Read –
Tornado Weather – Deborah E. Kennedy (CW)

Do Not Become Alarmed: A Novel – Maile Meloy (EF)

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit – Michael Finkel (CW) (audio)
Goodbye, Vitamin – Rachel Khong (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily visited Harbor Books in Old Saybrook, CT

Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to visit The Unlikely Bookstore & Cafe in Plainville, MA owned by Julie and Jeff Kinney.

Chris went to Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT to join John Valeri in conversation with R.C. Goodwin to discuss his new book Model Child

– Upcoming Jaunts –

April 12th – We are going on a joint jaunt to Savoy Bookshop and Cafe for the Reading Across Road Island sponsored event with Angie Thomas and her book The Hate U Give.

April 19th – Chris will host the second Willa Cather Bookclub at Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT

April 23rd – We are going on another joint jaunt to see Jhumpha Lahiri and Domenico Starnone moderated by Michael Reynolds, Editor in Chief, Europa Editions at Wesleyan RJ Julia.

– Upcoming Reads –

Song of the Lark (Great Plains Trilogy #2) – Willa Cather (CW)
Young Jane Young – Gabrielle Zevin (EF)
Standard Deviation – Katherine Heiny (EF)

– Also Mentioned –

The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri
The Shakespeare Requirement: A Novel – Julie Schumacher (release date August 14, 2018)

– Part 2: Author Spotlight –

In the last section of this episode we speak with Michael Finkel about his book Stranger In the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit.

Episode 45 - An Unlikely Visit with Ann Kingman! Apr 10, 2018

Episode Forty Five Show Notes Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. It’s National Poetry Month and we are celebrating with a poetry video project. Check out our Book Tube Channel to see a recitation of a poem every day of April. – Recommendations from Ann Kingman – The Sandman (Joona Linna #4) – Lars Keppler Chemistry – Weike Wang The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky: A Novel – Jana Casale (release date April 17, 2018) The Only Story – Julian Barnes (release date April 17, 2018) Warlight – Michael Ondaatje (release date May 8, 2018) There There – Tommy Orange (release date June 5, 2018) The Book of Essie – Meghan MacLean Weir (release date June 12, 2018) Call Me American: A Memoir – Abdi Nor Iftin (release date June 19, 2018) The Shakespeare Requirement: A Novel – Julie Schumacher (release date August 14, 2018) – Also Mentioned – We met with Ann at An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins The Snowman (Harry Hole #7) – Jo Nesbo The Hypnotist (Joona Linna #1) – Lars Keppler War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy The Unmade World – Steve Yarborough Dear Committee Members – Julie Schumacher

Episode 44 - National Poetry Month, Luis Alberto Urrea and books, lots of books! Apr 03, 2018

Episode Forty Four Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. It’s National Poetry Month and we are celebrating with a poetry video project. Check out our Book Tube Channel to see a recitation of a poem every day of April. – Currently Reading/Listening – Tornado Weather – Deborah E. Kennedy (CW) Do Not Become Alarmed: A Novel – Maile Meloy (EF) The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success: How to Use Your Brain’s Executive Skills to Keep Up, Stay Calm, and Get Organized at Work and at Home – Peg Dawson, Richard Guare (CW) Chameleon Moon:Poems – Antonia Clark (EF) Chicago Poems – Carl Sandburg (CW) The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit – Michael Finkel (CW) (audio) – Just Read – The Wedding Date – Jasmine Guillory (EF) The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide Open Heart – Scott Stabile (EF) The Paris Spy (Maggie Hope Mystery #7) – Susan Elia MacNeal (CW) The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit – Michael Finkel (EF) Educated: A Memoir – Tara Westover (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Emily visited several California bookstores: Books Inc. in Alameda Rocket Reuse in Alameda Coastside Books in Half Moon Bay Bookshop Santa Cruz on March 26th to see Luis Alberto Urrea discuss his book The House of Broken Angels Chris tried to go to an author event in Stonington, CT but it was canceled. She did, however, come across a nice Little Free Library where she found a copy of Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman (The Two Mrs Lloyd #1) by Elizabeth Buchan . Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America by Vegas Tenold event she was trying to attend will be rescheduled. – Upcoming Jaunts – April 4th – We are heading on a joint jaunt to Jeff Kinney’s bookstore An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe to see Michael Finkel discuss his book Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit April 7th – Chris is heading to Bookclub Bookstore & More to join John Valeri in conversation with R.C. Goodwin to discuss his new book Model Child April 7th – Chris won’t be able to make the event with Emily Anhalt discussing her book Enraged: Why Violent Times Need Ancient Greek Myths at The Yale Bookstore but wishes she could. April 12th – We are going on a joint jaunt to Savoy Bookshop and Cafe for the Reading Across Road Island sponsored event with Angie Thomas and her book The Hate U Give. April 22nd – Emily is heading to New Haven for the RJ Julia Booksellers sponsored event with Cecile Richards to discuss her new book Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, Finding the Courage to Lead – My Life Story. Her tour is selling out across the country for tickets click here. April 27-28th – We are considering a joint jaunt to the Newburyport Literary Festival – Upcoming Reads – Beyond the Beach: The Allied War Against France – Stephen A. Bourque (CW) The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders – Stuart Kells (CW) Up From the Blue: A Novel – Susan Henderson (EF) The Dispossessed – Ursula K. Le Guin (EF) How to Love the Empty Air – Christine O’Keefe Aptowicz (EF) – Also Mentioned – The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls The Wishing Spell Series – Chris Colfer Ann Hood books: Morningstar: Growing Up With Books The Book That Matters Most The Knitting Circle

Episode 43 - A Jaunt To See Two NY Times Bestselling Authors! Mar 20, 2018

Episode Forty Three Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Windham Campbell Awards – See the 2018 winners: http://windhamcampbell.org/recipients Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. – Currently Reading/Listening – Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide Open Heart – Scott Stabile (EF) Chicago Poems – Carl Sandburg (CW) The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) Broken Girls – Simone St. James (CW) Read Chris’s review of the book and enter a giveaway to win the book here. Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook – Ina Garten (EF) “16 Bean” Pasta Fagioli recipe here *Changes made by Emily: Did not puree any of the beans, drained all of them and threw them into the soup whole. Cooked pasta separately and added to each bowl of soup as it was devoured. Put cooked pasta into the individual servings that were put into freezer. Delish – enjoy! – Just Read – Tangerine – Christine Mangan (CW) The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas (EF) The Light We Lost – Jill Santopolo (EF) – Biblio Adventures – On March 12th, Emily went to see Chloe Benjamin author of The Immortalists and Jill Santopolo author of The Light We Lost at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. Chris saw the play Murder on the Orient Express at Hartford Stage for her birthday. Chris visited the Peterborough Town Library in New Hampshire touts itself as the first tax supported library in the country. Literary Monadnock – Peterborough is known as a literary mecca. Read about it here. Toadstool Bookshop – Peterborough, NH – Upcoming Jaunts – University of Nebraska live stream on Our Cather Heritage: Willa Cather’s Modern Relevance. March 20th – Emily is heading to Providence, RI for the Point Street Reading Series. Laura & Emma – Kate Greathead Start Without Me – Joshua Max Feldman Girls Burn Brighter – Shobha Rao Only Child – Rhiannon Navin The Cloister – James Carroll Emily is heading to Bookshop Santa Cruz on March 26th to see Luis Alberto Urrea discuss his book The House of Broken Angels and on March 28th to see Leslie Karst discuss her book Death Al Fresco April 4th – Jeff Kinney’s bookstore An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe to see Michael Finkel discuss his book Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit – Upcoming Reads – The Dog Healers: A Novel – Mark Winik (CW) Eats of Eden – Tabitha Blankenbiller (EF) Wedding Date – Jasmine Guillory (EF) Goodbye, Vitamin – Rachel Khong (EF) The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future and The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World – Chris Guillebeau (EF) – Also Mentioned – Check out Ryan Ludman: This Charming Rant Newsletter /// Instagram: my.books.my.shelf His Maurice read along cocktail can be found here East of Eden – John Steinbeck All Things Pat Conroy Live by Night (Coughlin #2) – Dennis Lehane Chris Guillebeau's podcast is called Side Hustle School The Readers Podcast How Reading Changed My Life – Anna Quindlin i like my body when it is with your by E.E. Cummings i like my body when it is with your body. It is so quite new a thing. Muscles better and nerves more. i like your body. i like what it does, i like its hows. i like to feel the spine of your body and its bones,and the trembling -firm-smooth ness and which i will again and again and again kiss, i like kissing this and that of you, i like, slowly stroking the,shocking fuzz of your electric furr,and what-is-it comes over parting flesh….And eyes big love-crumbs, and possibly i like the thrill of under me you so quite new

Episode 42 - No Power, No Problem! Our Maurice Read Along Conversation Mar 06, 2018

Episode Forty Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Our 4th Giveaway – The winner is Sally – entrant #42: Stay with Me – Ayobami Adebayo Sweetgirl – Travis Mulahauser Love and Other Consolation Prizes – Jamie Ford Saints for All Occasions – J. Courtney Sullivan Choicemagazinelistening.org – A free talking magazine service. Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. – Currently Reading/Listening – The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas (EF) The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) Chicago Poems – Carl Sandburg (CW) Tangerine – Christine Mangan (CW) – Just Read – Echo Killing (Harper McClain #1) – Christi Daugherty (CW) (release date March 13) White Houses – Amy Bloom (EF) Anatomy of a Miracle – Jonathan Miles (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Emily went to the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library to hear Amy Bloom speak about her new book – White Houses – sponsored by Breakwater Books. Chris attended the book club for the Witness Stones Project at the Guilford Library where they discussed Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. Chris and Laura watched the movie October Sky based on the book Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam. – Upcoming Jaunts – Chris is going to see the play Murder on the Orient Express March 12th – Nathaniel Philbrick presents his new book Second Wind: A Nantucket Sailor’s Odyssey in partnership with Bank Square Books at Mystic Congregational Church March 12th – Chloe Benjamin author of The Immortalists will be at RJ Julia’s in Madison with Jill Santopolo author of The Light We Lost. April 19th – Chris and Emily are planning a visit to Bank Square Books in Mystic, RI for Cozy Mystery Night featuring Liz Mugavero, Wendi Corsi Staub and Shari Randall hosted by Our Mystery Man – John Valeri! Look for his byline at Mystery Scene Magazine and Suspense Magazine. – Upcoming Reads – The Dog Healers: A Novel – Mark Winik (CW) Broken Girls – Simone St. James (CW) Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide Open Heart – Scott Stabile (EF) Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II – Liza Mundy (CW) – 4th Read Along – Maurice – E.M. Forster (CW) (EF) The Goodreads Discussion can be found here. – Also Mentioned – Thomas Otto – The Readers Podcast and Hogglestock Blog Joyce Carol Oates – Go Listen to Eric Karl Anderson at LonesomeReader.com (blog) for his A Beginner’s Guide to Reading (video) Chris has read three Joyce Carol Oates books: The Accursed Beasts Middle Age: A Romance Night School – C.J. Daugherty Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold and the Fate of the American Revolution – Nathaniel Philbrick Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? – Jeannette Winterson Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit – Jeannette Winterson The Well of Loneliness – Radclyffe Hall The World Broke in Two: Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forster and the Year that Changed Literature – Bill Goldstein

Episode 41 - A Joint Jaunt with Min Jin Lee author of Pachinko! Feb 27, 2018

Episode Forty One Show Notes You can donate to the Book Cougars at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BookCougars Thank you! Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have an upcoming read-along: February – Maurice by E.M. Forster Send in questions or comments by March 1st – we will discuss on March 6th episode – Biblio Adventure – We take you on a joint jaunt to RJ Julia’s Booksellers in Madison, CT! On January 25, 2018 we had the pleasure of co-hosting Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko. The episode also appears on the second half of Just the Right Book Podcast – episode 64. – Also Mentioned – Chad Harbach – MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction – Thank You – Min Jin Lee Roxanne Coady Just the Right Book Podcast Christina Torres Pat Keogh

Episode 40 - Our 4th Giveaway! Feb 20, 2018

Episode Forty Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Our 4th Giveaway – Another ten episodes means it is time for another giveaway. These four books will be sent to one lucky listener: Stay with Me – Ayobami Adebayo Sweetgirl – Travis Mulahauser Love and Other Consolation Prizes – Jamie Ford Saints for All Occasions – J. Courtney Sullivan In order to enter, please email bookcougars@gmail.com before March 1, 2018. Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have an upcoming read-along: February – Maurice by E.M. Forster Send in questions or comments by March 1st – we will discuss on March 6th episode – Currently Reading/Listening – Chicago Poems – Carl Sandburg (CW) The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) Anatomy of a Miracle – Jonathan Miles (EF) White Houses – Amy Bloom (EF) – Just Read – Labor Day – Joyce Maynard (EF) (audio) Kindred – Octavia E. Butler (CW) Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation – Damian Duffy, John Jennings, Octavia E. Butler (CW) The Best American Mystery Stories 2005 – edited by Joyce Carol Oates (EF) specifically the story “Until Gwen” by Dennis Lehane – you can read it HERE. The Trawler – James B. Connolly (CW) – Biblio Adventures – Emily went to NYC to see Eve Ensler’s new play In the Body of the World based on her memoir of the same name. Chris caught up with Our Mystery Man – John Valeri. Keep your ears open he will be appearing on the podcast again soon. – Upcoming Jaunts – February 17 – Chris will head to New London, NH to see the musical Kindness and Cruelty: Willa Cather in Jaffrey February 18th – Emily will be going to the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library to hear Amy Bloom speak about her new book – White Houses. February 21st – Chris will be attending the book club for the Witness Stones Project at the Guilford Library where they will discuss Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. March 1st – Emily is planning a visit to the Savoy Bookshop in Westerly, RI for Cozy Mystery Night featuring Liz Mugavero, Wendi Corsi Staub and Shari Randall hosted by Our Mystery Man – John Valeri! Look for his byline at Mystery Scene Magazine and Suspense Magazine. – Upcoming Reads – Maurice – E.M. Forster (CW) (EF) Tangerine – Christine Mangan (CW) – Also Mentioned – The Best of Us – Joyce Maynard Russell at Ink and Paper Blog The Drop – Dennis Lehane The Drop – Michael Connelly Mystery Scene Magazine Suspense Magazine

Episode 39 - Surprise! A Roadside Meetup with Michael Kindness Feb 13, 2018

Episode Thirty Nine Show Notes Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have an upcoming read-along: February – Maurice by E.M. Forster Send in questions or comments by March 1st – we will discuss on March 6th episode – Recommendations from Michael Kindness – Ready Player One – Ernest Cline (audio – narrated by Will Wheaton) The movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-vGWwRF_Qc Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHA Brain – Peter Shankman Need to Know – Karen Cleveland Educated: Memoir – Tara Westover (release date: February 20, 2018) Anatomy of a Miracle – Jonathan Miles (release date: March 13, 2018) Neverworld Wake – Marisha Pessl (release date: June 5, 2018) Providence – Caroline Kepnes (release date: June 13, 2018) – Also Mentioned – Faster Than Normal Podcast Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood – Edward Hallowell – Edward Hallowell NY Times Authors Podcast The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin

Episode 38 - A Cookbook Recall - Who Knew?! Feb 06, 2018

Episode Thirty Eight Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have an upcoming read-along: February – Maurice by E.M. Forster Send in questions or comments by March 1st – we will discuss on March 6th episode Information regarding the conversion problem with Sweet by Yotem Ottolenghi and Helen Goh can be found here. – Currently Reading/Listening – The Detonator – Vincent Zandri The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns & Encountering Naked Reality – Pema Chodron (EF)(audio) Labor Day – Joyce Maynard (EF)(audio) Man’s Search for Meaning - Victor Frankel (CW) – Just Read – The Arrangement – Sarah Dunn (EF) Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) – Jane Harper (CW) Jane Steele – Lyndsay Faye (EF)(audio) Smilla’s Sense of Snow – Peter Hoeg (CW) -- Chris watched the movie Smilla’s Sense of Snow American Housewife – Helen Ellis (EF) – Biblio Adventures – On January 25, 2018 we had the honor of being in conversation with Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko, at RJ Julia’s Booksellers. The evening was recorded and will appear on an upcoming episode of Just the Right Book Podcast. Check out Min Jin Lee’s website to follow her paperback tour and various speaking events. Emily and Chris went on a joint jaunt to hear Patrick Lynch speak about the Long Island Sound and his book A Field Guide to Long Island Sound: Coastal Habitats, Plant Life, Fish, Seabirds, Marine Mammals, and Other Wildlife. Emily visited Burgundy Books in Westbrook, CT Emily went to a SpeakUp! storytelling event at Infinity Hall in Hartford, CT. – Upcoming Jaunts – February 11th Chris is heading to see a musical in Jaffrey, New Hampshire: “Kindness & Cruelty: Willa Cather in Jaffrey” Future joint jaunt on February 18 to Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library in Stony Creek to see Amy Bloom speaking about her new book White Houses. Emily is going with Aunt Ellen to see Eve Ensler’s new play In The Body of the World February 21st at Guilford Library Chris will be attending the bookclub for the Witness Stones Project Join Chris on April 19th at 2:00 at Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT for the quarterly Willa Cather book club discussion of The Song of the Lark. – Upcoming Reads – White Houses – Amy Bloom (EF) Kindred – Octavia Butler (CW) – Also Mentioned – Connecticut Library Consortium – Cookbook Book Club Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace Worst Bestsellers Podcast Yum’s the Word Show Live Lit Story Club The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Willa Cather and the Politics of Criticism – Joan Acocella Ink and Paper Blog She Reads Booktopia – May 4-5,2018 at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT – author line up and registration can be found here.

Episode 37 - Boyne, Cather, Harper, Hoeg, Patel and a Joint Jaunt Re-enactment Jan 23, 2018

Episode Thirty Seven Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have an upcoming read-along: February – Maurice by E.M. Forster Send in questions or comments by March 1st – we will discuss on March 6th episode The 2018 Edgar Awards were announced. Check out the list here – your TBR is about to grow! – Currently Reading/Listening – Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) – Jane Harper (CW) Jane Steele – Lyndsay Faye (EF)(audio) The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook – Ina Garten (EF) Ingredienti : Marcella’s Guide to the Market – Marcella and Victor Hazan (EF) – Just Read – My Friend Fear: Finding Magic in the Unknown – Meera Lee Patel (EF) Smilla’s Sense of Snow – Peter Hoeg (CW) The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne (EF) My Ántonia (Great Plains Trilogy #3) – Willa Cather (CW) (100 year anniversary!) – Biblio Adventures – Chris kicked-off the Willa Cather Book Club at the Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT. Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Whitlock’s Book Barn in Bethany, CT. Chris wrote about it on her blog. Chris bought two Peter Hoeg books: History of Danish Dreams Borderliners Chris put in another volunteer day at the Institute Library in New Haven, CT. Feb 17-18 – Pequot Library Mid-Winter Booksale – Upcoming Jaunts – January 25, 2018 - Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko, will be at RJ Julia’s Booksellers in conversation with the Book Cougars! February 7, 2018 – Emily is taking her gentleman caller to Wesleyan RJ Julia to see Jeffers Lennox discuss his book Homelands and Empires: Indigenous Spaces, Imperial Fictions, and Competition for Territory in Northeastern North America, 1690-1763. Join Chris on April 19th at 2:00 at Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT for the quarterly Willa Cather book club discussion of The Song of the Lark. – Upcoming Reads – Free Food for Millionaires – Min Jin Lee (CW) The Versions of Us – Laura Barnett (EF) – Also Mentioned – Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Anna Jeffers Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear – Elizabeth Gilbert Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1) – Stieg Larsson The Absolutist – John Boyne

Episode 36 - Chris and Emily Discuss Their Reading Goals for 2018 Jan 09, 2018

Episode Thirty Six Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. Willa Cather Bookclub: Join Chris on January 18th at 2:00 at Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT where she is kicking off a quarterly Willa Cather book club starting with My Antonia. We have an upcoming read-along: February – Maurice by E.M. Forster Send in questions or comments by March 1st – we will discuss on March 6th episode – Reading Goals for 2018 – Emily 1. 52 book reading challenge on Goodreads 2. Read “book of shame” on bookshelf : Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts 3. Clean up Currently Reading shelf on Goodreads 4. Establish a volunteer relationship with a literary organization – read to kids! 5. Read excerpts from the many short story collections on the bookshelf 6. Send cards/letters once/week 7. Work on joint podcasts with authors, other literary podcasts, etc. 8. Go on an epic book related adventure Chris 1. 52 book reading challenge on Goodreads 2. TBR 2018 reading challenge – hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader Chris blogged about her 12 books here 3. Australian Women Writers Reading Challenge 2018 Chris blogged about her anticipated reading here 4. Willa Cather quarterly book club at Bookclub Bookstore & More 5. One book challenge – Anna in April – reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Sponsored by Amanda of Fig and Thistle Books. 6. Write and submit work – Currently Reading/Listening – My Ántonia (Great Plains Trilogy #3) – Willa Cather (CW) (100 year anniversary!) Sweet – Yotem Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (EF) The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne (EF) – Just Read – The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (CW) Someone – Alice McDermott (EF) Sweetgirl – Travis Mulhauser Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook – Alice Waters (EF) The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays & Stories – Marina Keegan edited by Anne Fadiman(EF) – Biblio Adventures – Emily had at home adventures watching the movie Mudbound based on the novel, Mudbound, by Hilary Jordan and starting the series Good Behavior based on the Letty Dobesh Chronicles by Blake Crouch. We discuss the passing of Sue Grafton author of the Kinsey Millhone series. Chris adventured to NYC to hunt for Maurice. She walked and came upon a sign: Melville Square, she wrote about the adventure on her blog. Read about it here. Chris ventured to the North Haven Memorial Library to pick up movies and books. Tragedy struck and her dog ate two of the books: The Woman on the Stairs – Bernard Schlink Laureates of Connecticut – edited by Ginny Lowe Connors December 30, 2017 - Chris met “Our Mystery Man” John Valeri at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore for a final shop of 2017. – Upcoming Jaunts – January 11, 2018 – Chris and Emily are finally taking a jaunt to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, CT. January 25, 2018 - Min Jin Lee will be at RJ Julia’s Booksellers in conversation with the Book Cougars! – Upcoming Reads – Smilla’s Sense of Snow – Peter Hoeg (CW) Free Food for Millionaires – Min Jin Lee (CW) Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too) – Gretchen Rubin (EF) – Also Mentioned – The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir – Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures – Anne Fadiman Inside the Wave – Helen Dunmore Dark Matter – Blake Crouch Harry Dresden Series – Jim Butcher The Reader – Bernard Schlink Pachinko – Min Jin Lee

Episode 35 - Chris & Emily Discuss Their Top Reads Of 2017 Dec 26, 2017

Episode Thirty Five Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have an upcoming read-along: February – Maurice by E.M. Forster. – Just Read – Chris DNF’d a book: Picnic at Hanging Rock – Joan Lindsay The Rules of Magic – Alice Hoffman (EF) Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival – Velma Wallis (CW) Cove – Cynan Jones (EF) The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir – Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II – Liza Mundy (CW) (audio) The Selected Letters of Willa Cather – Willa Cather, Andrew Jewell (CW) Someone – Alice McDermott (EF) What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky – Lesley Nneka Arimah (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Emily went to both the Guilford Library and the Glastonbury Welles Turner Library Chris is volunteering and spending time at the Institute Library in New Haven – Upcoming Jaunts – Chris is heading to RJ Julia in Madison to see Paul Kix discuss his book The Saboteur: The Aristocrat Who Became France’s Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando Savoy Bookshop & Café has a New Year’s Day sale with 25% off everything Jan 8 – Kelly Corrigan in Conversation with Ariel Levy at the 92nd St Y – Upcoming Reads – The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (CW) Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns & Encountering Naked Reality – Pema Chödrön (EF) (audio) – Top Reads of 2017 – Emily’s favorite reads: Top Nonfiction B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good – Ryan Honeyman (EF) Favorite Memoirs Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body – Roxane Gay (EF) It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool, Too) – Nora McInerny Purmort (EF) The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir – Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich (EF) Favorite Fiction The Mothers – Brit Bennett (EF) News of the World – Paulette Jiles (EF) Plainsong (Plainsong #1) – Kent Haruf (EF) Chris’s favorite reads: See Her Blog Post On Gift Ideas Mastering the Art of Self-Expression & More – Laura Thoma (CW) Young Adult-ish Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Prager (CW) Favorite Mysteries The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) – Jane Harper (CW) And Fire Came Down (Caleb Zelic #2) – Emma Viskic (CW) New Haven Noir – edited by Amy Bloom (CW) Favorite Fiction Pachinko – Min Jin Lee (CW) The Leavers – Lisa Ko (CW) The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW) Non-Fiction Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body – Roxane Gay (CW)(audio) Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (CW) OSS Operation Black Mail: One Woman’s Covert War Against the Imperial Japanese Army – Ann Todd (CW) – Also Mentioned – Libro.fm – audiobook subscription service Zora Neale Hurston – Barracoon // Their Eyes Were Watching God Chicago Review of Books Velma Wallis – Bird Girl & the Man Who Followed the Sun: An Athabaskan Indian Legend from Alaska Alice McDermott – The Ninth Hour: A Novel // Charming Billy Road to Success with Laura Thoma Dave Eggers – What is the What Jennifer Egan – Manhattan Beach

Episode 34 - Holiday Gift Ideas and Our 3rd Readalong Dec 12, 2017

Episode Thirty Four Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine
Join our Goodreads Group!
Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page.

We have an upcoming read-along:
February – Maurice by E.M. Forster.

– Just Read –
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – Carson McCullers (CW)

– Currently Reading/Listening –
The Rules of Magic – Alice Hoffman (EF)
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II – Liza Mundy (CW) (audio)

– Biblio Adventures –

Chris celebrated Willa Cather’s birthday on December 7 at Bookclub Bookstore & More in South Windsor, CT. She is kicking off a quarterly Willa Cather book club starting with My Antonia to be discussed on January 18th at 2:00 at the same bookstore.
Emily visited Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, VT

She also saw the movie Call Me By Your Name based on the novel by André Aciman
book info here / movie info here

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Min Jin Lee will be at RJ Julia’s Booksellers on January 25, 2018

– Gift Ideas –
Book Subscription Services like The Mysterious Bookshop Crime Clubs
A subscription to Magazines or Literary Journals
Buy some literary swag from Out of Print
Gift Cards to Independent Bookstores

Bundle Monster Booklight Clip
Gift of a literary activity
Gift baskets with books and associated literary items
Leather Weighted Bookmark
Gift of Poetry - Devotions by Mary Oliver / New Collected Poems by Wendell Berry
Complete Stories – Kurt Vonnegut
Complete Stories – Flannery O’ Connor paired with A Good Hard Look – Ann Napolitano

– Also Mentioned –
Disappearances – Howard Frank Mosher
Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space – Margot Lee Shetterly
The movie Lady Bird
Alice Hoffman book tour
Kelly Corrigan book tour
Stone Butch Blues – Leslie Feinberg

Episode 33 - Bookshops Galore! Nov 28, 2017

Chris and Emily went to multiple bookshops!

Episode 32 - David Bowie, Espionage, Gravediggers, Willa Cather and more... Nov 14, 2017

Episode Thirty Two Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have two upcoming read-along’s: December – The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Send in questions or comments by Dec 7th – we will discuss on December 12th episode. February – Maurice by E.M. Forster. United for the Troops – if you are interested in donating writing journals to this effort please email us at bookcougars@gmail.com and we will send you the mailing address. – Just Read – Death Comes: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery – Sue Hallgrath (CW) Mrs. Fletcher – Tom Perrotta (EF) The Leader’s Bookshelf – James Stavridis, R Manning Ancell (CW) The Bone Garden – Tess Gerritsen (EF) Espionage and Covert Operations : A Global History (The Great Courses) – Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius (CW) – Currently Reading/Listening – Sweet – Yotem Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (EF) David Bowie Made Me Gay - Darryl L. Bullock (CW) Great American Bestsellers: The Books That Shaped America (Great Courses, #2527) – Peter Conn (CW) – Biblio Adventures – Chris went to The New York Society Library to see the New York World of Willa Cather exhibit running through August 31, 2018. Joint Jaunt to Playhouse on Park to see an adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank November 9 – Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see David Lebovitz discuss his newest book L’Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making Paris My Home. David Lebovitz blog. Chris went to the new movie adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express (written by Agatha Christie) – Upcoming Jaunts – November 14 – Emily is headed to New Castle, KY and will visit The Berry Center. Bookstores in Montreal – email if you have recommendations! December 7, 2pm – Join Chris for a Willa Cather birthday celebration at Bookclub Bookstore& More in Windsor, CT – Upcoming Reads – What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky – Lesley Nneka Arimah (EF) Fodor’s Travel Montreal and Quebec City 2016 – Fodor’s Travel Publications Inc. (EF) The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – Carson McCullers (EF) (CW) Hunter Killer: The War with China – The Battle for the Central Pacific (Dan Lenson Novels) – David Poyer (CW) – Also Mentioned – Yotem Ottolenghi article in NY Time: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/dining/yotam-ottolenghi-sweet-cookbook.html?_r=0

Episode 31 - Happy Halloween! Surprise, Chris reads some Icelandic Dracula... Oct 31, 2017

Episode Thirty One Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have two upcoming read-along’s: December – The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Send in questions or comments by Dec 7th – we will discuss on December 12th episode. February – Maurice by E.M. Forster. – Just Read – Bluebird, Bluebird – Attica Locke (EF) Lost Voyage – Pauline Rowson (CW) Panel from The One Hundred Nights of Hero – Isabel Greenberg (CW) – Currently Reading/Listening – That Old Cape Magic – Richard Russo (EF) (audio) Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula – Bram Stoker (CW) How To Read Water: Clues, Signs & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea – Tristan Gooley (CW) The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World – Peter Wohlleben (CW) The Leader’s Bookshelf – James Stavridis, R Manning Ancell – Biblio Adventures – Chris took friends to visit some of our local libraries: Blackstone Library in Branford, CT Sterling Memorial Library in New Haven, CT Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library in New Haven, CT Chris has written reviews of the two Blackstone Libraries on her blog. She has also written about the Beinecke on her blog as well. Chris ventured to Jaffrey, New Hampshire for a Willa Cather pilgrimage – she is buried there. Additionally, she browsed at Toadstool Bookshop at the Peterborough, NH location. Chris came across two of her favorite childhood books, two Willa Cather novels and a Gwendolyn Brooks novel: Saucy – Martha McKeen Welch (CW) Cannonball Simp – John Burningham (CW) A Lost Lady – Willa Cather (CW) My Mortal Enemy – Willa Cather (CW) Maud Martha – Gwendolyn Brooks (CW) October 16 – Denise Kiernan author of The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home October 19 – Anna Quindlen – West Hartford Reads at Town Hall October 21 – Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon – Upcoming Jaunts – Chris and Laura are heading to The New York Society Library to see the New York World of Willa Cather exhibit running October 24, 2017 – August 31, 2018. November 9 – Emily is headed to RJ Julia Booksellers to see David Lebovitz discuss his newest book L’Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making Paris My Home. November 14 – Emily is headed to New Castle, KY and will visit The Berry Center. – Upcoming Reads – Nightmare in Berlin – Hans Fallada (CW) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman (EF) The Bees – Laline Paul (EF) (audio) I Know a Secret (Rizzoli & Isles #12) – Tess Gerritsen (CW) – Also Mentioned – Darktown – Thomas Mullen Literary Atlanta Podcast Ink and Paper Blog The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas and Sweet Accompaniments – David Lebovitz

Episode 30 - Our 3rd Giveaway and 3rd Read-along! Oct 17, 2017

Episode Thirty Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. We have two upcoming read-along’s: December – The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Send in questions or comments by Dec 7th – we will discuss on December 12th episode. February – Maurice by E.M. Forster. GIVEAWAY for our 30th episode is a copy of each of the read-along books noted above. Please email us at bookcougars@gmail.com to throw your hat in the ring. – Just Read – And Fire Came Down (Caleb Zelic #2) – Emma Viskic (CW) The Last Chinese Chef – Nicole Mones (EF) The Child Finder – Rene Denfeld (EF) Sing, Unburied, Sing – Jesmyn Ward (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – Death Comes: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery – Sue Hallgrath (CW) The Leader’s Bookshelf – James Stavridis, R Manning Ancell Her Body and Other Parties – Carmen Maria Machado (EF) Peregrine Island – Diane B. Saxton (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Chris missed an event with Nelson Demille – his new book is The Cuban Affair. Chris went to the Yale Bookstore to see Aaron Mahnke discuss his new book The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures and his podcast Lore. Emily has been working at the Noah P. Webster Library in West Hartford Library and got the chance to visit the Welles Turner Memorial Library in Glastonbury. – Upcoming Jaunts – October 16 – Denise Kiernan author of The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home October 17 – Gabrielle Zevin author of Young Jane Young at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT October 19 – Anna Quindlen – West Hartford Reads at Town Hall October 21 – Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon October 24 – Tisa Joy Wenger author of Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal at Yale Bookstore – Upcoming Reads – Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula – Bram Stoker (CW) The Pink Marine: One Boy’s Journey Through Boot Camp to Manhood – Greg Cope White (CW) Bluebird, Bluebird – Attica Locke (EF) – Also Mentioned – 2017 Connecticut Center for the Book awards Fiction nominees are: Back Lash by Chris Knopf I’ll Take You There by Wally Lamb Shadows of Paris by Eric D. Lehman Cajun Waltz by Robert H. Patton Beneath a Shooting Star by Susan Harrison Rashid Literary Disco podcast – specifically the two-part poetry episode #112 and #113 Too Afraid to Cry – Ali Cobby Eckermann Russell Gray – Inkandpaperblog.com Salvage the Bones – Jesmyn Ward Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon is coming up on October 21. Check out this hashtag – #30daysofreadathon

Episode 29 - Library Sale Booty, Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon and more Oct 03, 2017

Episode Twenty Nine Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Join our Goodreads Group! Let us know what you want us to choose as the next read along. You can email, tweet or join the discussion on the Goodreads page. – Just Read – OSS Operation Black Mail: One Woman’s Covert War Against the Imperial Japanese Army – Ann Todd (CW) Chris reviewed the book on her blog. Read it here. My Absolute Darling – Gabriel Tallent (EF) The Blank Wall – Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (CW) Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone – Brené Brown (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – What Happened – Hillary Rodham Clinton (audio) (CW) Scary Old Sex – Arlene Hyman (EF) And Fire Came Down (Caleb Zelic #2) – Emma Viskic (CW) The Last Chinese Chef – Nicole Mones (EF) How To Read Water: Clues, Signs & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea – Tristan Gooley (CW) The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World – Peter Wohlleben (CW) – Biblio Adventures – September 15 – Chris and Emily will be heading to the New Haven Public library for a discussion with winners of the Windham-Campbell prize. Check out the winners of the Windham-Campbell prize here. Panelists: Too Afraid to Cry – Ali Cobby Eckermann Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary War - Maya Jasanoff Nothings Mat – Erna Brodber Can You Tolerate This? - Ashleigh Young September 22-24 – Guilford Free Library Friends of the Library Annual Book and Bake Sale Chris purchases: Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival – Velma Wallis Bead on an Anthill: A Lakota Childhood – Delphine Red Shirt (CW) They Wrote the Book: Thirteen Women Mystery Writer’s Tell All – Helen Windrath Outlander: Stories and Essays – Jane Rule The Professor’s House – Willa Cather Emily purchases: 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement – Jane Ziegelman Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara?: The Fascinating Stories Behind 50 of the World’s Best-Loved Books – Jenny Bond Emily visited Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport, MA and Yellow Umbrella Books in Chatham, MA September 28 – October 1 – Blackstone Library Annual Book Sale – Upcoming Jaunts – October 17 – Gabrielle Zevin author of Young Jane Young at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT October 21 – Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon – Upcoming Reads – Death Comes: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery – Sue Hallgrath (CW) Grace – Natashia Deón (EF) – Also Mentioned – Article about debut novelist Gabriel Tallent: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/27/books/gabriel-tallent-my-absolute-darling.html Review of My Absolut Darling: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/books/review-my-absolute-darling-gabriel-tallent.html The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin Chris blog’s at Wildmoobooks.com

Episode 28 - Maynard, Skulls and Keys, Fangirl or Stalker? Sep 19, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss their reading and biblio adventures. Including Joyce Maynard, Min Jin Lee, David Allen Richards, Hillary Clinton and more.

Episode 27 - The American Writer's Museum in Chicago, Illinois Sep 12, 2017

Chris and Emily speak with Colleen Olson to recap her visit to the American Writers Museum in Chicago, Illinois.

Episode 26 - Prizes, Reading Challenges, New Podcasts, Jaunts and Books! Sep 05, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss 2017 Center For Fiction First Novel Prize, R.eaders I.bibing P.eril XII (#RIPXII), Our Mystery Man (#MysteryMan), the passing of Louise Hay, three new podcasts, literary jaunts including two upcoming joint jaunts. Oh, and books!

Episode 25 - Our Mystery Man! Sep 01, 2017

John B. Valeri joins Chris and Emily to discuss loads of mystery books with us. Also the books that inspired him to become a reader.

Episode 24 - Berry, Cather, Steinbeck and more! Aug 22, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss their joint read: The Grapes of Wrath. Additionally, Chris went to Governor's Island for a weekend full of Willa Cather wonderment. Emily has news about an exciting project that involves Wendell Berry. A few more biblio adventures and books.

Episode 23 - Chris joins the Criminal Element book review team. Emily reads a steamy poem. Aug 08, 2017

Episode Twenty Three Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Grapes of Wrath Read-Along – Chris and Emily will be doing a joint read of John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath. The discussion of the book will be live on August 22nd. If you have any questions or comments you would like us to address, please get in touch via email or social media by August 17th. – Just Read – A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Bachman (EF) The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (CW) The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty – Elizabeth L. Silver (EF) Mothers and Other Strangers – Gina Sorell (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – Jack Be Quick – Benjamin Thomas (CW) Emma – Jane Austen (CW) The Talented Ribkins – Ladee Hubbard (CW) Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Praeger (CW) The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley – Hannah Tinti (EF) Leavings: Poems – Wendell Berry (EF) The Gift of Good Land – Wendell Berry (EF) Intimate Kisses: The Poetry of Sexual Pleasure – edited by Wendy Maltz (EF) – Biblio Adventures – Chris and Emily had a joint jaunt to the Pequot Library book sale July 29 – Benjamin Thomas author of Jack Be Quick at Bookclub Bookstore August 3 – Chris attended New Haven Noir book launch at The Institute Library in New Haven, CT August 3 – Emily went to SpeakUp at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT She also visited the beautiful Norfolk Library Chris wrote a blog post about her visit to the Norfolk Library. Read it here. – Upcoming Jaunts – August 10 – Chris will be moderating Sarah Praeger as she discusses her book Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World at Bookclub Bookstore & More August 15 – Emily is hoping to visit Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, VT. August 19-20 – Chris will be heading to Cather Weekend on Governors Island August 22 – Emily will be heading to an event sponsored jointly with Bank Square Books and Mystic Museum of Art to hear Camille Aubrey discuss her book Cooking for Picasso. – Upcoming Reads – Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck (EF) (CW) The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying – Nina Riggs (EF) The Arrangement – Sarah Dunn (EF) Glass Houses – Louise Penny (CW) – Also Mentioned – Links to where Laura's book Mastering the Art of Self Expression is available: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Art-Self-Expression-Laura-Thoma/dp/1365669653/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501642230&sr=8-1&keywords=mastering+the+art+of+self-expression BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mastering-the-art-of-self-expression-laura-thoma/1126807579?ean=9781365669651 Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/shop/laura-thoma/mastering-the-art-of-self-expression/paperback/product-23248182.html And at Breakwater Books and Book Club Bookstore & More Chris is now reviewing books for Criminal Element. Check out her first review of Stasi Child by David Young. The Execution of Noa P. Singleton – debut novel by Elizabeth Silver Empire State Center for the Book – events on Governor’s Island

Episode 22 - Author Spotlight with Shuly Xochitl Cawood Aug 01, 2017

Episode Twenty Two Show Notes Author Spotlight with Shuly Xóchitl Cawood The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir Shuly’s blog can be found here: http://www.shulycawood.com/blog-1/ About the book and how to purchase it: http://www.shulycawood.com/memoir/ – Also Mentioned – The poem “The Writer” by Richard Wilbur Mary Oliver is one of Shuly’s favorite poets. She suggests her poem “Thirst.” Shuly also recommends the poet Ada Limón and her book Bright Dead Things. Shuly is currently reading Mandy Len Catron’s book How to Fall in Love with Anyone: A Memoir in Essays.

Episode 21 - Bookswap, Bookworm, Colfer, Roorbach and Twain Jul 25, 2017

Episode Twenty One Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Grapes of Wrath Read-Along – Chris and Emily will be doing a joint read of John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath. The discussion of the book will be live on August 22nd. If you have any questions or comments you would like us to address, please get in touch via email or social media by August 17th. – Just Read – Stay With Me – Ayòbami Adébáyò (EF) release date August 22 Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula – Loren D. Estleman (CW) Chris has a review on her blog: read it HERE The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (EF) Stasi Child (Karin Müller #1) – David Young (CW) Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything In Between – Lauren Graham (EF) (audio) Who Killed Piet Barol? – Richard Mason (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty – Elizabeth L. Silver (EF) Emma – Jane Austen (CW) A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Bachman (EF) Island: The Complete Stories – Alistair MacLeod (EF) Sea Kayaking and Stand Up Paddling Connecticut, Rhode Island and the Long Island Sound - David Fasulo (CW) – Biblio Adventures – July 12 – Chris Colfer author of The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT July 17 – Bill Roorbach author of The Girl of the Lake: Stories at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT Emily went to Long Beach Island, New Jersey where she visited two bookstores: The Bookworm and LBI Bookswap Chris visited the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT – Upcoming Jaunts – Chris and Emily are off on a joint jaunt to the annual Pequot Library book sale in Southport, CT July 29 – Benjamin Thomas author of Jack Be Quick at Bookclub Bookstore August 3 – Emily is heading to SpeakUp at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT August 3 – Chris will attend New Haven Noir book launch at The Institute Library in New Haven, CT – Upcoming Reads – Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck (EF) (CW) The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (CW) Jack Be Quick – Benjamin Thomas (CW) – Also Mentioned – History of a Pleasure Seeker – Richard Mason Stasi Wolf (Karin Müller #2) – David Young Someday, Someday, Maybe – Lauren Graham’s novel October Road – a television series that Chris has been enjoying Chris is participating in Austen in August which will be hosted by https://roofbeamreader.com/

Episode 20 - Another giveaway! Upcoming Grapes of Wrath Read Along and more... Jul 10, 2017

Episode Twenty Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Giveaway – To celebrate our 20th episode we are giving away two stacks of books. In order to enter please email us via our contact page with the message “Giveaway”: https://www.bookcougars.com/contact/ – The 10th emailer will receive – Shiver Hitch – Linda Greenlaw The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin An American Marriage – Tayari Jones – The 20th emailer will receive – The Essex Serpent – Sarah Perry Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler – Jessica Speart The Constitution of the United States of America – Grapes of Wrath Read-Along – Chris and Emily will be doing a joint read of John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath. The discussion of the book will be live on August 22nd. If you have any questions or comments you would like us to address, please get in touch via email or social media by August 17th. – Just Read – The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (EF) release date January 2018 New Haven Noir – edited by Amy Bloom (CW) release date August 3 Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home – Rhoda Janzen (EF) (audio) Tokens of Affection: The Letters of a Planter’s Daughter in the Old South – Maria Bryan, Bryan Harford Connell, Carol K. Bleser (Editor) – (CW) Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng (EF) release date September 12 – Currently Reading/Listening – The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty – Elizabeth L. Silver (EF) Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula – Loren D. Estleman (CW) Stay With Me – Ayòbami Adébáyò (EF) release date August 22 – Biblio Adventures – Emily watched the BFG based on the Roald Dahl book. Directed by Steven Spielberg. June 29 – Chris and Emily went to Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore to see Weike Wang author of Chemistry July 7 – Laura Thoma author of Mastering the Art of Self-Expression in conversation with John Valeri at Bookclub Bookstore – Upcoming Jaunts – July 12 – Chris Colfer author of The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT July 17 – Bill Roorbach author of The Girl of the Lake: Stories at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT July 29 – Benjamin Thomas author of Jack Be Quick at Bookclub Bookstore Emily is headed to Long Beach Island, New Jersey where she will visit: The Bookworm and LBI Bookswap Then she is headed to Quoque, Long Island where she will visit: Open Book and Burton’s Book Store – Upcoming Reads – The Farm in the Green Mountains – Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer (EF) Black Orchid Blues – Persia Walker (CW) The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (CW) (EF) http://www.shulycawood.com/memoir/ Available from the UK Publisher: http://platypuspress.co.uk/thegoingandgoodbye Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-going-and-goodbye-shuly-x-chitl-cawood/1126550596?ean=9780993532191 Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Going-and-Goodbye-Shuly-Xochitl-Cawood/9780993532191 – Also Mentioned – Episode 90 of Reading Envy where they discuss East of Eden – John Steinbeck John Steinbeck Museum Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, MI

Episode 19 - Our first author spotlight with Laura Thoma Jul 04, 2017

Episode Nineteen Show Notes Author Spotlight with Laura Thoma Mastering the Art of Self-Expression: A Creative Journaling Workbook You can purchase the book online: http://www.lulu.com/shop/laura-thoma/mastering-the-art-of-self-expression/paperback/product-23204445.html You can also purchase the book via Book Club Bookstore & More (860-432-7411): https://www.bookclubct.com/ Chris and Laura’ business with online classes can be found at: RoadToSuccess.live They are offering Book Cougar listeners a 30% discount on the Creative Journaling 101 class. Enter "bookcougarsmeow" during registration. The offer is good until 12/31/17. Here's the link for the class: https://road-to-success.thinkific.com/courses/creative-journaling-101 – Upcoming Adventure – July 7 – Laura will be at Book Club Bookstore & More participating in a Q&A with John Valeri: https://johnbvaleri.wordpress.com/2017/07/03/creative-spirit-laura-thoma-on-mastering-the-art-of-self-expression-qa-w-event-details/ – Currently Reading/Listening – Laura is currently reading: The Right - brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success – Jennifer Lee and Chris Guillebeau – Also Mentioned – Mastering the Art of French Cooking – Julia Child and Simone Beck My Life in France – Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living – Julie Powell

Episode 18 - We won a raffle from New York Review Books - yay more books! Jun 27, 2017

Episode Eighteen Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Just Read – Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body – Roxane Gay (CW)(EF) An American Marriage – Tayari Jones (EF) release date February 2018 The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW) books we Just Couldn’t Read (or DNF’d) The Essex Serpent – Sarah Perry (CW) – Currently Reading/Listening – This I Believe: Life Lessons – edited by Dan Gediman, Mary Jo Gediman and John Gregory (EF) New Haven Noir – edited by Amy Bloom (CW) release date August 3 The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (EF) release date January 2018 The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty – Elizabeth L. Silver (EF) – Biblio Adventures – June 14 – Annual Meeting of The Community Fund for Women & Girls of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Guest Speakers: Linda Sarsour and Rebecca Traister Rebecca is the author of: All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation and Big Girls Don’t Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women Look into donating to your local community foundation! June 14 – Chris went to RJ Julia Bookstore to see Linda Greenlaw author of Shiver Hitch – Upcoming Jaunts – June 29 – Chris and Emily will head to Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore to see Weike Wang author of Chemistry July 7 – Laura Thoma author of Mastering the Art of Self-Expression in conversation with John Valeri at Bookclub Bookstore – Upcoming Reads – Jack be Quick – Benjamin Thomas (CW) Hack-Proof Your Life Now! – Sean M. Bailey and Devin Kropp (EF) Love and Other Consolation Prizes – Jamie Ford (EF) – New York Review Books Raffle Booklist – Agony – Mark Bayer Wish Her Safe at Home – Stephen Benatar The New York Stories of Elizabeth Hardwick – Elizabeth Hardwick In Love – Alfred Hayes Loving – Henry Green Don’t Look Now – Daphne Du Maurier Tolstoy, Rasputin, Others, And Me – The Best of Teffi The Dud Avocado –Elaine Dundy Family Lexicon – Natalia Ginzburg The If Borderlands: Collected Poems – Elise Partridge During the Reign of the Queen of Persia – Joan Chase The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe – D.G. Compton The Vet’s Daughter – Barbara Comyns The Farm in the Green Mountains – Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer The Invention of Morel – Adolfo Bioy Casares A Month in The Country – J.L. Carr – Also Mentioned – The Color Purple – Alice Walker Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler – Jessica Speart Rachel Porter mystery series – Jessica Speart My Cousin Rachel – Daphne Du Maurier Stoner – John Williams

Episode 17 - The Cougars go bicoastal visiting both Portland's in the same week! Jun 13, 2017

Episode Seventeen Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Just Read – It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too) – Nora McInerny (EF) Aaron Joseph Purmort’s obituary Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis – J.D. Vance (CW) History of Wolves – Emily Fridlund (EF) Shiver Hitch – Linda Greenlaw (EF & CW) The Grand Central Baking Book – Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson (EF) Georgia – Dawn Tripp (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW) Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home – Rhoda Janzen (EF) (audio) – Biblio Adventures – May 23 – Girls Write Now Awards Awards were given to: Zadie Smith, Sophia Amoruso, Ilana Glazer, Melissa Harris-Perry, Abbi Jacobson Melissa Harris-Perry’s most recent OpEd in the NY Times Girls Write Now Anthologies May 26 – Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore and Russell Library May 31-June 2 – Book Expo Conference Sessions from Book Expo: Adult Editor’s Buzz The First Amendment Resistance Presented by PEN America An Evening With Hillary Rodham Clinton Book Reviews: The Diversity of Race, Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation Anti Oppression Web Tool WTF is Happening, Senator Franken Chris went to her niece’s graduation at Williams College where the commencement speaker was Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. Listen to it here. Chris went out West and visited three bookstores: Godfather’s Books and Espresso in Astoria, OR Powell’s in Portland, OR Green Bean Books in Portland, OR Emily went up to Maine and visited three bookstores (and chased Linda Greenlaw to no avail): Library Bookstore in Bath, ME Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops and Cafe in Damariscotta, ME Print: A Bookstore in Portland, ME – Upcoming Jaunts – June 14 – Chris will head to RJ Julia Bookstore to see Linda Greenlaw author of Shiver Hitch June 29 – Emily will head to Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore to see Weike Wang author of Chemistry – Upcoming Reads – Foxlowe – Eleanor Wasserberg (CW) The Standard Grand – Jay Baron Nicorvo (CW) The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (EF) An American Marriage – Tayari Jones (EF) – Also Mentioned – Let the Great World Spin and TransAtlantic - Colum McCann Silver Sparrow – Tayari Jones Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Prager Plainsong – Kent Haruf Honey Paw Restaurant in Portland, OR

Episode 16 - Biblio Adventures galore (and books) May 30, 2017

Episode Sixteen Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Follow up: Kathleen Rooney’s Poems While You Wait – proceeds go to her imprint Rose Metal Press – Just Read – Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For – Rebecca Schuman (CW) Anything is Possible – Elizabeth Strout (EF) Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940’s & 50’s: A Library of America Boxed Set edited by Sarah Weinman. In A Lonely Place – Dorothy B. Hughes (CW) Saints for All Occasions – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) Red Car – Marcy Dermansky (EF) books we Just Couldn’t Read (or DNF’d) Into the Water – Paula Hawkins (CW) One in a Million Boy – Monica Wood (EF) Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (CW) Blue Light Yokohama – Nicolás Obregón (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – History of Wolves – Emily Fridlund (EF) Connecticut Valley Tobacco – Brianna Dunlap (CW) The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW) – Biblio Adventures – Chris, Emily and their friend Russell had a trifecta visiting Breakwater Books, RJ Julia Bookseller and the Book Barn all in one day! Chris, Emily and their friend Julia visited the Emily Dickinson Museum while Russell visited Amherst Books. Emily went to Powell’s Books in Portland, OR both the main store and the store on Hawthorne to see David Callahan author of The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age. Emily saw the outside of the bookstore Another Read Through but didn’t get to visit so there is a reason to go back to Portland! Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see Cathryn Jakobson Ramin discuss her book Crooked: Outwitting the Back Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery. Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see the Connecticut Coalition of Poets Laureate. They performed readings from Laureates of Connecticut: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry. – Upcoming Jaunts – Emily and Chris are planning a joint jaunt to Yale’s Beinecke Library to see an exhibit. May 24 – Chris is headed to Bookclub Bookstore & More to see Brianna Dunlap author of Connecticut Valley Tobacco. May 23 – Girls Write Now Awards May 31-June 2 – Book Expo America – Upcoming Reads – Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Prager (CW) The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Guilded Age – David Callahan (EF) It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too) – Nora McInerny (EF) – Also Mentioned – Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (CW) Maine – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) Inside Philanthropy is an online resource to learn Who’s Funding What, and Why Terrible, Thanks for Asking podcast

Episode 15 - Booktopia debrief and book recommendations with our guest Ann Kingman May 22, 2017

Episode Fifteen Show Notes – Biblio Adventures – Books on the Nightstand debrief with Ann Kingman Jane Sobel Klonsky – Unconditional: Older Dogs, Deeper Love Lauren Grodstein – History of Love Victor Lodato – Edgar & Lucy Lisa Ko – The Leavers Kathleen Rooney – Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk Jason Rekulak – The Impossible Fortress Jim Shepard – The World to Come: Stories Peter Heller – Celine Jessica Shattuck – Women in the Castle Will Schwalbe – Books for Living – Ann’s Book Recommendations – Saints for All Occasions – J. Courtney Sullivan Chemistry: A novel – Weike Wang (release date 5/23/2017) A House Among the Trees: A novel – Julia Glass (release date 6/13/2017) Stay With Me – Ayòbami Adébáyò (release date 8/22/2017) The Red-Haired Woman: A novel – Orhan Pamuk (release date 8/22/2017) Norma – Sofi Oksanen (release date 9/5/2017) An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic – Daniel Mendelsohn (release date 9/12/2017) Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery – Scott Kelly (release date 10/17/2017) – Also Mentioned – Russell Gray blogs at https://www.inkandpaperblog.com/ and vlogs at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnHIesGYARon0fpRkyBGJoQ Kathleen Rooney is founder of Poems While You Wait Jason Rekulak runs the publishing company Quirk Books and he spoke about his book Penis Pokey – look it up! A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Episode 14 - Leg Cramps, F-Bombs, A Passionate Movie Review (and books) May 09, 2017

Episode Fourteen Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine The Book Cougars had a great shout out on the Reading Envy podcast: check it out – Just Read – The Impossible Fortress – Jason Rekulak (CW) The Opposite of Everyone – Joshilyn Jackson (EF) You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life – Jen Sincero (CW) (audio) – Currently Reading/Listening – One in a Million Boy – Monica Wood (EF) Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For – Rebecca Schuman (CW) Upstream – Mary Oliver (EF) How to be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don’t Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up – Emilie Wapnick (CW) Click here for Emilie Wapnick’s Ted Talk – Biblio Adventures – April 28-29 – Newburyport Literary Festival in Newburyport, MA Emily talks about the following authors/books: Dawn Tripp author of the book Georgia Monica Wood author of the book The One In a Million Boy Michelle Hoover author of the book Bottomland Myfanwy Collins, Nadine Darling, Carla Panciera, Holly Robinson Andre Dubus III, Ruth Franklin, Richard Russo Caroline Leavitt author of the book Cruel, Beautiful World Chris participated in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon Chris and Emily talk about A Quiet Passion – the new film about the life of Emily Dickinson. You can watch the trailer here. Chris gives it a thumbs down and Emily gives it a thumbs up. Independent Bookstore Day – Emily was at Jabberwocky Bookshop. Chris was at the newly opened Bookclub Bookstore & More! – Upcoming Jaunts – May 5-6 – BOOKTOPIA – at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT May 15 – Emily is heading to Powell’s Books in Portland, OR to see David Callahan author of The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age May 24 – Chris is headed back to Bookclub Bookstore & More to see Brianna Dunlap author of Connecticut Valley Tobacco. – Upcoming Reads – The Leavers – Lisa Ko (EF) Into the Water – Paula Hawkins (CW) Connecticut Valley Tobacco – Brianna Dunlap (CW) – Also Mentioned – The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains – Nicholas Carr James and the Giant Peach / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl Russell Gray blogs at https://www.inkandpaperblog.com/

Episode 13 - Birds, Dickinson, The Dude Diet, Playboy, Steinbeck (and books) Apr 25, 2017

Episode Thirteen Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine – Just Read – Celine – Peter Heller (CW) (EF) The Impossible Fortress – Jason Rekulak (EF) Our Short History – Lauren Grodstein (EF) (audio) Book of Aron – Jim Shepard (EF) The Leavers – Lisa Ko (CW) Just Mercy: The Story of Justice and Redemption (CW) (audio) The Lotterys Plus One - Emma Donoghue (CW) – DNF’d (did not finish, but passed it on to Emily) – Currently Reading/Listening – You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life – Jen Sincero (CW) (audio) The Women in the Castle – Jessica Shattuck (CW) The Opposite of Everyone – Joshilyn Jackson (EF) The Dude Diet Cookbook – Serena Wolf (CW) – Chris wrote about her foray into cooking from this on her blog. – Biblio Adventures – April 6 – Chris went to the Mark Twain House to hear Ann M. Ryan discuss The Haunted Mark Twain April 20th – RJ Julia Booksellers – Jennifer Ackerman author of The Genius of Emily watched A Quiet Passion – the new film about the life of Emily Dickinson. You can watch the trailer here. – Upcoming Jaunts – April 28-29 – Newburyport Literary Festival in Newburyport, MA April 29 – Independent Bookstore day – GO SHOPPING! Chris is heading to Bookclub Bookstore for their grand opening that day. Emily will be shopping at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport, MA. May 5-6 – BOOKTOPIA – at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT Chris is hoping to see A Quiet Passion – the film that Emily already got to see. Then we can discuss! On the way home from Vermont we will stop by the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA. AND, Amherst Books in Amherst, MA. – Upcoming Reads – Blue Light Yokohama – Nicolás Obregón (EF) Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk – Kathleen Rooney (CW) – Also Mentioned – Upstream – Mary Oliver Ready Player One – Ernest Cline Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck Middlemarch – George Eliot Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin

Episode 12 - Surprise, it's a bonus episode with a super-duper special guest! Apr 18, 2017

Episode 12 Show Notes -Biblio Adventure- Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Rhode Island to hear Bryan Stevenson speak. Bryan Stevenson is the author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption He is the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Listen to his TED TALK. He was awarded the 2017 Stowe Prize and will be visiting Hartford, CT in June: https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/worxcms_published/calendar_page1103.shtml TO DONATE to the Equal Justice Initiative: DONATE NOW Michael Kindness made a book recommendation for a release in January 2018: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin Books on the Nightstand was a great podcast about books. Sadly, they are no longer recording but you can listen to past episodes by visiting the website or iTunes.

Episode 11 - History & Hickies and Books & Biblio Adventures Apr 10, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss what they have been reading and biblio adventures including many joint jaunts. Min Jin Lee's Pachincko wins the award for most talked about book and biblio adventure so far on the podcast.

Episode 10 - Our top "ten" of all time, or for today, and a book giveaway/raffle Mar 27, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss what they've been reading and their biblio adventures. We celebrate our tenth episode with our top "ten" books of all time, or for today. Introducing our first raffle for one of our top twenty books.

Episode 9 - Knitted Knockers, Little Free Libraries, Sperm Donation (and books) Mar 13, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss what they've been reading and their biblio adventures.

Episode 8 - Biblio Adventure Bonanza! (and books...) Feb 28, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss what they've been reading and their biblio adventures.

Episode 7 - Joint reads of the March trilogy and The English Patient Feb 13, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss what they've been reading and their biblio adventures.

Episode 6 - Dracula, Legally Blonde and open heart surgery... Jan 31, 2017

Dracula, Legally Blonde and open heart surgery...

Episode 5 - Will Schwalbe, Roxane Gay, Kinokuniya and books, lots of books! Jan 17, 2017

Will Schwalbe, Roxane Gay, Kinokuniya and books, lots of books!

Episode 4 - 2017 Reading Goals / The English Patient Read Along Jan 02, 2017

Chris and Emily discuss 2017 Reading Goals and The English Patient Read Along