Books and the City

Latest Episodes:

"Walking down the street, hysterical laughing" Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to the last episode without Emily! She’ll be back to join the pod next week, everyone go shout her out for finishing that dissertation. Dr. Lazy Library!!! Anyway, today we’re chatting about travel - preferred airplane seats, preferred airport arrival times. Let’s just say that some of us seem like we’d travel well together, and some of us might cause some others… some stress. Then we get into some great books, including a humorous queer memoir, queer historical fiction, and an edge-of-your-seat exclusive club thriller. Thank you for listening! Grab your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->
Kayla’s pick: How Do I Un-Remember This? by Danny Pellegrino (16:15-27:32)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/712543/how-do-i-un-remember-this-by-danny-pellegrino/
On Kayla’s TBR: When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
Libby’s pick: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (27:33-35:38)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565819/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club-by-malinda-lo/
On Libby’s TBR: Girls Can Kiss Now by Jill Gutowitz
Becky’s pick: The Club by Ellery Lloyd (35:39-46:00)
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-club-ellery-lloyd?variant=39402950098978
On Becky’s TBR: The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Lockdown Hobbies! Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

It’s been more than two years since the first Covid-19 lockdown, so today we thought we could chat about some hobbies we picked up during those strict lockdown days! We’re also admitting to what we did (and didn’t) keep up as the lockdown went on, and now that things are opening up a bit more. *Disclaimer: we know Covid isn’t over, and we’re still wearing our masks, getting tested regularly, etc.! Then, enjoy some book talk. Today we have: investigative nonfiction and a couple of tense thrillers! Thank you so, so much for listening! You can get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->

Libby’s pick: The Family Roe: An American Story by Joshua Prager (13:22-34:37)

https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393247718

On Libby’s TBR: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Becky’s pick: Like A Sister by Kellye Garrett (34:38-46:03)

https://www.mulhollandbooks.com/titles/kellye-garrett/like-a-sister/9780316256704/

On Becky’s TBR: The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Kayla’s pick: The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James (46:04-54:16)

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576768/the-book-of-cold-cases-by-simone-st-james/

On Kayla’s TBR: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

A Perfectly Chaotic NYC Day Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Put on your comfortable shoes, because today we’re talking about our perfect bookish NYC days, and these days are going to guarantee that we get our steps in! Also, naturally, the conversation eventually devolves into the best NYC day, bookish or not, and then: where you should be getting dessert. Chaos! We have all the specific bookstore websites we mentioned included below, but let us know if you’re down for a little bookstore crawl with us or from afar, because we really want to do this now. Thank you for listening :) Grab your BATC merch (including the coveted sweatshirt) here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com.

Our chaotic NYC picks:

Strand Bookstore (Union SQ & Upper West Side)

Barnes & Noble Union Square

Book Club Bar (East Village)

Little City Books (Hoboken)

Washington Square Park (good for celeb sightings)

Buvette New York (West Village for Timothee sightings)

McNally Jackson (SoHo & Seaport locations)

Albertine Books (Upper East Side)

Serafina (UES)

Metropolitan Museum of Art (UES)

Central Park (Middle of upper Manhattan)

Magnolia Bakery (lots of locations)

Levain Bakery (lots of locations)

Alabaster Bookshop (that used bookstore we reference a bunch but never say the name of lol, Union Square)

Veselkas (East Village? I think?)

Sweet Pickle Books (Lower East Side)

The Lit. Bar (South Bronx)

Community Bookstore (Park Slope)

Books Are Magic (Cobble Hill)

Greenlight Bookstore (Fort Greene & PLG)

Small Things Fintage (Jersey City Heights)

The Hair Room (Jersey City) (this is when we really go off the rails)

Charis Books (lol Atlanta)

Yu & Me Books (Chinatown)

Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ashley Winstead Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

Kayla got to sit down with an author that she’s obsessed with, and one she’s spoken about on the pod: Ashley Winstead! The two get into all sorts of bookish things, including but not limited to: Ashley’s shift from writing thrillers to romance during the pandemic, pen names for writing in different genres, writing “messy” women (and what the even means), writing as therapy, writing about politics, Ashley’s own political and non-profit history, ROMANCE TROPES (swoon), a little sneak peek at what Ashley has coming next, and sooo much more. We hope you love this interview! Feel free to send us a note about this chat, Ashley’s book(s), your favorite romance lately, or anything else at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com. ------------------------>

Fool me Once by Ashley Winstead: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/fool-me-once-ashley-winstead?variant=39399749091362

In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead: https://read.sourcebooks.com/fiction/in-my-dreams-i-hold-a-knife.html#:~:text=Told%20in%20racing%20dual%20timelines,be%20able%20to%20put%20down.

Ashley is currently reading and loving: Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Find Ashley online! Here she is on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleywinsteadbooks , here she is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashleywinstead, and here’s her website: https://www.ashleywinstead.com/

PS: ICYMI, here’s the first episode where Kayla talks about In My Dreams I Hold A Knife: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weird-dates-good-books/id1500784660?i=1000530735483

Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos

“You could dump so many bodies here” Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

We’re down a host today (and for the rest of April), as Emily was away “science-ing” and finishing up that pesky dissertation. Send her all your good vibes! And enjoy this episode, in which Becky, Kayla, and Libby discuss the childhood books they’d love to see turned into movies (or limited series, there are no rules here). Then, the books! It’s a thriller, another thriller, and some literary fiction. Thanks very much for listening! Grab your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->

Becky’s pick: Cover Story by Susan Rigetti (13:47-24:53)

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/cover-story-susan-rigetti?variant=39402602692642

On Becky’s TBR: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Kayla’s pick: The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd (24:54-33:37)

https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335952400_the-innocent-wife.html

On Kayla’s TBR: Our Kind of People by Carol Wallace

Libby’s pick: Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier (33:38-42:44)

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617234/pizza-girl-by-jean-kyoung-frazier/

On Libby’s TBR: The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

We Feel Bad For Orange Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

Today before we get into books, we’re talking weirdly specific colors. You never know what you’re gonna get with this pod! Don’t forget to join Emily’s fan club book club coming up on April 3 at 8pm ET - she guarantees a playlist that will “bop,” so don’t miss it. We’ve got second chance romances, messed up culty thrillers, delightful contemporary fantasy, and messy 20-something sagas in Seoul. Oh also, chime in in the comments if you think Becky’s book gave her whole Vegas trip bad vibes. Thank you so much for listening! Grab your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->

Kayla’s pick: Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead (8:44-14:58)

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/fool-me-once-ashley-winstead?variant=39399749091362

On Kayla’s TBR: Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict

Becky’s pick: An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher (14:59-22:08)

https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781525899942_an-honest-lie.html

On Becky’s TBR: Anna K by Jenny Lee

Libby’s pick: The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (22:09-32:57)

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/n-k-jemisin/the-city-we-became/9780316509886/

Ps: if you want to watch N.K. Jemisin's acceptance speech at the Hugo Awards, you can watch here: https://youtu.be/8lFybhRxoVM

On Libby’s TBR: Last Night At the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Emily’s pick: Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park, translated by Anton Hur (32:58-41:51)

https://groveatlantic.com/book/love-in-the-big-city/

On Emily’s TBR: Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Should We Talk About Hyped Books? Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

Hello, hello! We hope you have your copy of Love In the Big City for Emily's book club in a couple weeks! Today we're talking about hyped books that do (and maybe don't) live up to all that hype. It's worth mentioning that any and all hot takes are just our opinions! Isn't it fun how it's all subjective, and there's truly something for every reader out there? Thank you so much for listening, we'll see you next week! Get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->
Becky’s pick: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (9:20-23:50)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673764/the-love-hypothesis-by-ali-hazelwood/
On Becky’s TBR: A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe
Emily’s pick: Heaven by Mieko Kawakami translated by Sam Bett/David Boyd (23:51-30:58)
https://www.europaeditions.com/book/9781609456214/heaven
On Emily’s TBR: Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
Kayla’s pick: Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (30:59-37:24)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676198/take-my-hand-by-dolen-perkins-valdez/
On Kayla’s TBR: The Maid by Nita Prose
Libby’s pick: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (37:25-46:10)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250252708/razorblade-tears
On Libby’s TBR: Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Emily Almost Joined the Circus Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

Get ready for some nostalgic talk about our favorite TV shows growing up! Also, Emily is sharing a date and time for her fan club book club discussion, Love In the Big City by Sang Young Park, so grab your copies soon. And stick around for the book talk, this week featuring your classic lineup of literary fiction, historical fiction, young adult romance, and a gut-punch of a contemporary novel from a character on death row. Thank you for listening!!! Grab your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->

Libby’s pick: The Idiot by Elif Batuman (12:16-23:38)

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/314108/the-idiot-by-elif-batuman/

On Libby’s TBR: Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho

Becky’s pick: The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers (23:39-34:46)

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-tobacco-wives-adele-myers?variant=39369364439074

On Becky’s TBR: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Emily’s pick: Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi (34:47-46:46)

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Permanent-Record/Mary-H-K-Choi/9781534445987

On Emily’s TBR: Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Kayla’s pick: Notes On an Execution by Danya Kukafka (46:47-55:18)

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/notes-on-an-execution-danya-kukafka?variant=39314561237026

On Kayla’s TBR: The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Chaos: Indie Bookseller Edition Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

Hi, hello, happy March, welcome to another chaos episode! Today, we’re joined by the incredible Nicole Brinkley. Nicole is a manager at the independent bookstore, Oblong Books, located in Rhinebeck, NY. We’re picking her brain about all things indie bookstores and her amazing podcast, Misshelved, where she connects booksellers with authors for a conversation. BUT FIRST: before this interview, Nicole actually sent us a brief questionnaire about our reading tastes. She then used that info to choose three 2022 new releases for each of us (including a couple of bonus “buddy read” picks!) This was SO MUCH fun, and Nicole really nailed all her picks for each of us. Hope you’re ready to add 12 news books to your TBR… We have links to Nicole and her store below, along with a list of all the incredible sounding books she mentioned on this episode. Thank you for listening, we love you! Grab your BATC merch (including the coveted SWEATSHIRT) here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com. --------------------------------------------------->

Oblong Books: https://www.oblongbooks.com/

Find Nicole online! Here’s her website: https://www.nebrinkley.com, and here she is on social media: https://www.instagram.com/nebrinkley/?hl=en

Listen to her podcast, Misshelved: https://misshelved.nebrinkley.com/

Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Emily:

THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston

THE SIGN FOR HOME by Blair Fell

A FAR WILDER MAGIC by Allison Saft

Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Kayla:

THE HACIENDA by Isabel Cañas

TO MARRY AND TO MEDDLE by Martha Waters

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus

Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Libby:

THE BOOK EATERS by Sunyi Dean

A TINY UPWARD SHOVE by Melissa Chadburn

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING by Henry Fry

Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Becky:

ACTS OF VIOLET by Margarita Montimore

PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by Grace D. Li

SIREN QUEEN by Nghi Vo

Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Our American Girl Doll Accessories Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

Happy end of February! We hope you’ll join us tonight for Libby’s fan club book club chat about The Idiot by Elif Batuman - check the Patreon for that Zoom link and all the other details. Today we’re catching up on all things books with some fantasy, some myths, some retellings, some magic, and some romance (sometimes all at once!) And before that, we’ve got some good American Girl Doll talk because we simply cannot get enough of those dolls in our 20-something lives. Thanks for tuning in, we’re excited about all the new content we have coming in season 2! As always, you can grab your BATC merch (including the coveted SWEATSHIRT) here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->
Libby’s pick: Exit West by Mohsin Hamad (9:00-16:28)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/549017/exit-west-by-mohsin-hamid/
On Libby’s TBR: The Family Roe: An American Story by Joshua Prager
Becky’s pick: Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor (16:29-21:31)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677101/hotel-magnifique-by-emily-j-taylor/
On Becky’s TBR: The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers
Emily’s pick: The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (21:32-29:51)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316779/the-wrath-and-the-dawn-by-renee-ahdieh/
On Emily’s TBR: Snow by Orhan Pamuk
Kayla’s pick: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (29:52-37:33)
https://books.disney.com/book/if-the-shoe-fits/
On Kayla’s TBR: Fake by Erika Katz
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

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