Episode 270 - Talking about Empaths, Monsters, and Magic, oh my!

Book Cougars Episode 270
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak
Book Cougars Episode 270

Episode 270 Show Notes

– Another 10th Episode Giveaway! –
Practical Magic 2 – Alice Hoffman
The Dog Stars – Peter Heller
Girls Like Girls – Hayley Kiyoko

If you want to be entered to win, subscribe to our newsletter by October 15th when the winner will be chosen.

– Deb & Kate Desert Island Books –
The Stand – Stephen King
Tom’s Crossing – Mark Z. Danielewski
The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
The Sparrow – Mary Doria Russell
Devotions – Mary Oliver
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
The Power Broker – Robert Caro
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

– Currently Reading –
Black Notice – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People – Judith Orloff (EF)
Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football – Rich Cohen (CW)

– Just Read –
The Pirate Queen – Ariel Lawhon (EF)
American Hagwon – Min Jin Lee (CW)
From Hell, With Love – Bryce Oakley (CW) (audiobook)
I’ve Tried Being Nice – Ann Leary (EF)
Gibbons or One Bloody Thing After Another – James Morrison (CW)
Consider the Oyster – MFK Fisher (EF)
When the Emperor was Divine – Julia Otsuka (EF)
Chris dnf’d The Last Vampire – Romina Garber (CW) (audiobook)
Social Animals – Camille Perri (EF)
Good Girls Die Bored – Elizabeth Little (CW)
Food is a Feeling: Recipes & Stories, with Love – Carla Lalli (EF)
The Ridiculously Simple Guide to Trello – Scott La Counte (CW)
Supercharging Productivity with Trello – Brittany Joiner (CW)
Mother Daughter Sister Stranger – Hank Phillipi Ryan (EF)
Winter’s Bone – Daniel Woodrell (EF)

– Episode Sponsor –
Motherhood, and the Places Between by Jacqueline Kolosov

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris attended a virtual event via Honest Dog Books with Dr. Jen Golbeck and her book Think Like a Dog: How Positive Psychology Can Help Your Dog Thrive. She was in conversation with Blair Braverman, who was featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 168 with her debut novel Small Game.

Emily went to An Unlikely Story Bookstore to see Laura Zigman in conversation with Alice Hoffman about her new novel The Witches of Cambridge.

Chris attended a virtual event via The National Willa Cather Center with Richard Norton Smith discussing My Mortal Enemy.

Emily took a browse through the Niantic Book Barn and picked up a copy of How to Cook a Moose by Kate Christensen and The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories by Sarah Orne Jewett.

Chris watched All the President’s Men based on the novel by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to see Terry Tempest Williams. The event was sponsored by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library on the Yale University campus.

Chris attended a virtual event with a 19th Century Women’s Writers group that was focusing on The Reconstruction Diary of Frances Anne Rollin by Jennifer Putzi, who was a guest on Episode 266.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily are heading on a joint jaunt to see “Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson’s Environmental Vision” at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Emily plans to watch the 1973 film Don’t Look Now based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier and Winter’s Bone based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell.

Emily plans to see the exhibit “Cooking Up Change: Women’s Agency and Community Building Through Cookbooks,” at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library.

Learn more about Uncovered, a new author talk series that is a partnership between the Association of University Presses and PBS Books.

– Upcoming Reads –
Carrie – Stephen King (CW)(EF) (audiobook)
We’re doing a buddy read and will discuss the book on Episode 271.
Learn more about the new adaptation.
The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State – Jill LePore (CW)
Embracing Hope: On Freedom, Responsibility & the Meaning of Life – Victor Frankl (CW)
All the Love You Can Use: The Letters of Carson McCullers – Carson McCullers, edited by Carlos Dews (CW)
Read both of Chris’s blog posts:
All the Love You Can Use
Carson McCullers’ Home in Nyack

– Q4 Readalong –
Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko and the film adaptation. The Zoom conversation will take place on December 6th at 7pm (ET). Send us an email if you would like to join. You can join the online conversation on Goodreads.

– Also Mentioned –
LibraryThing is launching an app that includes a dating app!
“My dad was a Monster!” article in The Guardian
Also by Julie Otsuka: The Buddha in the Attic and The Swimmers
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

We are a community supported podcast. Please consider becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions. You can sponsor an episode of the podcast or monthly newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter. Join our Goodreads Group!
Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 269 - Min Jin Lee Triple Header!

Book Cougars Episode 269
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak

Episode 269 Show Notes

Instead of our regular segments, we are doing something different this episode, celebrating Min Jin Lee and her three novels:
Free Food for Millionaires
Pachinko
American Hagwon  release date 9/29/2026

During the first part of the episode, Chris and Emily discuss American Hagwon. Then share the original Episode 41, which includes a live conversation with Min Jin Lee at RJ Julia Booksellers discussing Pachinko, the last part is the original Episode 89 which includes the readalong discussion of Free Food for Millionaires and an Author Spotlight with Min Jin Lee.

Breaking news: Min has announced that she is writing a quartet of the Korean diaspora. The forthcoming novel is titled Marshall Plan.

– Also Mentioned –
Savoy Bookstore is now Martin House Books
“What Writer’s Can Take Away From the Bible” in the Atlantic
“Such, Such Were The Joys” by George Orwell

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 268 - Goodbye Big Book Summer, Hello Shorty September!

Book Cougars Episode 268
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak

Episode 268 Show Notes

NEW MAILING ADDRESS:
250 West Main Street, Suite 304
Branford, CT  06405

Sharon sent us a copy of her page-to-screen Bingo Card. She has achieved several Bingo’s on her card. Here are some of her books/adaptations:
Death Comes for Pemberley by P.D. James, with an adaptation on PBS
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson, and the film adaptation
A Low Country Heart by Pat Conroy that mentions Fannie Flagg

– Big Book Summer Reading update –
Emily read:
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee  release date 9/29/2026
Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo
The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman release date 9/8/2026
Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution by Denise Kiernan
Land by Maggie O’Farrell

Chris read:
Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo
All We Hide by Robyn Gigl
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution by Denise Kiernan
Point of Origin: Scarpetta #9 by Patricia Cornwell
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
Roots by Alex Haley
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee release date 9/29/2026

– Currently Reading –
This Explains Everything: A Psychiatrist’s Guide to Navigating Adult ADHD – Dr. Kieran Kennedy (CW)(audiobook)
The Practice of Not Reacting: Zen Wisdom for a Happy Life – Ryushun Kusanagi, translated by Haydn Trowell (EF)
Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football – Rich Cohen (CW)
The Pirate Queen – Ariel Lawhon (EF) release date 9/8/2026
American Hagwon – Min Jin Lee (EF) release date 9/29/2026

– Just Read –
American Hagwon – Min Jin Lee (EF) release date 9/29/2026
Very Good Hats – Emma Straub, illustrated by Blanca Gómez (EF)
Point of Origin: Scarpetta #9 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
“Don’t Look Now” from the collection After Midnight – Daphne du Maurier (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris met Our Mystery Man John Valeri to continue their buddy read discussion of Point of Origin: Scarpetta #9 by Patricia Cornwell.

Chris and Emily hosted the August Reading Salon where the discussion topic was three books you would take with you if stuck on a desert island. Emily’s three books: You Could Make this Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith, The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, and Larousse Gastronomique. Chris chose: The Power Broker by Robert Caro, annotated versions of Dracula by Bram Stoker, and One of Ours by Willa Cather. Send us an email to let us know your three desert island books.

Emily watched the new PBS documentary Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World.
Ruth Franklin’s article in the New Yorker “What Mary Oliver Critics Don’t Understand.”  

– Upcoming Jaunts –
On September 17th, Chris registered for a virtual event via the The National Willa Cather Center with Richard Norton Smith discussing My Mortal Enemy. The event is free, but registration is required.

Emily plans to watch the 1973 film Don’t Look Now based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier.

The 2026 Maine Lit Fest runs from September 30 through October 9th. Emily has purchased tickets to see Min Jin Lee in conversation with Richard Russo on October 3rd, this is a ticketed event.

The 2026 Cape Cod Book Festival runs from October 24-25 is the Cape Cod Literary Festival. Tickets are available here.

– Upcoming Reads for Shorty September–
Zorrie – Laird Hunt (EF)
Kitchen – Banana Yoshimoto (EF)
Morning Star: Growing Up with Books – Ann Hood (EF)
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader – Anne Fadiman (EF)
Heart Berries – Terese Marie Mailhot (EF)
Tokyo Ueno Station – Miri Yu, translated by Morgan Giles (EF)
Consider the Oyster – M.F.K. Fisher (EF)
When the Emperor was Divine – Julie Otsuka (EF)
My Mortal Enemy – Willa Cather (CW)
Murder at the Tavern: A Guilford Mystery – Juliana Harris (CW)
(Don’t) Call Mum – Matt Wesolowski (CW)
The Night Library of Sternendach: A Vampire Opera in Verse – Jessica Lévai (CW)
Gibbons or One Bloody Thing After Another – James Morrison (CW)
Cinder House – Freya Marske (CW)

– Q4 Readalong –
Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko and the film adaptation.

The Zoom conversation will take place on December 6th at 7pm (ET). Send us an email if you would like to join us. You can join the online conversation anytime via the Goodreads discussion thread.

– Also Mentioned –
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World by Nathaniel Philbrick
Also by Julie Otsuka: The Buddha in the Attic and The Swimmers
Shawn Breathes Books Booktube channel

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 267 - Author Spotlight with Susan Gregg Gilmore

Book Cougars Episode 267
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak

Episode 267 Show Notes

In celebration of our readalong theme for 2026, we have created a Page to Screen Bingo card. Enjoy filling it out over the course of the year and email a copy by 12/31/2026 to be entered to win a gift card to Bookshop.org. Learn more about how to play the bingo card by watching this video. Tina let us know about reading “Don’t Look Now” the second story in the collection After Midnight by Daphne du Maurier.

– Currently Reading –
American Hagwon – Min Jin Lee (EF) release date 9/29/2026
Point of Origin: Scarpetta #9 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)

– Just Read –
All We Hide – Robyn Gigl (CW) (audiobook)
The Witches of Cambridge – Alice Hoffman (EF) release date 9/8/2026
The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush – Susan Gregg Gilmore (CW)
The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture – Jimmy Carter (CW)
The Complete Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh (CW)(EF)
Wake Now in the Fire – Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo (CW)(EF)

– Episode Sponsor –
Social Animals by Camille Perri
Learn more about Camille.

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris took a trip south where she visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum where she purchased a Passport to Presidential Libraries, Parnassus Books at the Nashville airport, Virginia Highland Books where she purchased a beautiful bookmark featuring art by Evelyn Edmeades, she drove past the Margaret Mitchell House author of Gone With the Wind run by the Atlanta History Center, Horton’s Books and Gifts where she purchased Cinder House by Freya Marske, and Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest in Vestavia, AL.

Chris and Emily hosted the Q3 readalong discussion of  The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh, the film, and the companion read Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo.

– Episode Sponsor –
Greta Garbo and the Rise of the Modern Woman by Scott Reisfield
Learn more about Scott.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Our Mystery John Valeri have a planned buddy read discussion of Point of Origin: Scarpetta #9 by Patricia Cornwell.

Chris and Emily will be hosting the August Patreon Salon where the conversation topic is the three books you would bring if stuck on a desert island. Please send us an email with your three choices.

September 22, Chris and Emily have tickets to see Laura Zigman in conversation with Alice Hoffman about her new novel The Witches of Cambridge at The Unlikely Bookstore. This is a ticketed event, learn more here.  

– Upcoming Reads –
American Hagwon – Min Jin Lee (CW) release date 9/29/2026
Cookbooking: A Fan’s Guide – Debbie Berne (EF)
The Ninth Circle – James Benn (CW) release date 9/1/2026
Awake Awake – Fiona Mozley (EF)

– Author Spotlight with Susan Gregg Gilmore –
We talk with Susan about winning the Willie Morris Award for her novel The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush.
Other books by Susan:
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove
The Funeral Dress

Follow Susan on Instagram.

Susan recommends participating in Darnell Arnoult’s “Mining the Motherlode” drop-in, online prompt writing sessions. Learn more here.

– Also Mentioned –
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
The Orchid Whisperer: Expert Secrets for Growing Beautiful Orchids by Bruce Rogers
The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age by Steven R. Gundry, MD
The Curious Cat Bookshop
Elmet by Fiona Mozley
Emma Bell Miles

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 266 - Author Spotlight with Jennifer Putzi

Book Cougars Episode 266
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak

Episode 266 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
The Complete Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh (EF)
All We Hide – Robyn Gigl (CW) (audiobook)
The Witches of Cambridge – Alice Hoffman (EF) release date 9/8/2026
Roots: The Saga of an American Family – Alex Haley (CW)
Sunrise – Téa Obreht (EF)
The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush – Susan Gregg Gilmore (CW)

– Just Read –
“The History of Sound” short story in the collection The History of Sound – Ben Shattuck (CW)
The Secret of Snow – Tina Harnesk, translated by Alice Menzies (EF) (audiobook)
“The Killers” – Ernest Hemingway (CW) (first film adaptation released in 1946)
The Reconstruction Diary of Frances Anne Rollin – Jennifer Putzi (CW)(EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went to Mystic Seaport Museum to hear Christopher Shaw Myers discuss his family memoir Robert Shaw: An Actor’s Life on the set of JAWS and Beyond.

Chris and Emily hopped on the train and spent the day at the main branch of the New York Public Library.

Chris had a Couch Biblio Adventure watching Not Dead Yet based on the novel Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter.

Emily finished watching Margo’s Got Money Troubles, based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe.

Chris had a browse through The Curious Cat Bookshop in Winstead where she purchased Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. She also took a swing through the new Barnes & Noble located at the West Farms Mall in West Hartford, CT.

Emily stopped into the Southington Library where she picked up a copy of The Butter Book by Anna Stockwell.

Emily spent time in Rhode Island where she browsed through Ink Fish Books and made a stop at The George Hail Free Library in Warren. She also stopped in Tiverton at The Yellow House an independent bookstore and café. On the drive home she stopped at the Daniel Albert Pierce Library in East Greenwich.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
September 22, Emily is registered for an event with Laura Zigman in conversation with Alice Hoffman about her new novel The Witches of Cambridge at An Unlikely Story. This is a ticketed event, learn more here.

Chris is heading to Alabama to visit her mom. They are taking a road trip to Atlanta where she’s planning to visit the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum.

– Upcoming Reads –
Issue 78 of The Strand Magazine: “The Men Who Saved the World” by Edith Wharton (CW)
Glimpses of the Moon – Edith Wharton (CW)
Baldwin: A Love Story – Nicholas Boggs (CW)
Wake Now in the Fire – Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo (EF)
American Hagwon – Min Jin Lee (EF) release date 9/29/2026
Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football – Rich Cohen (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Jennifer Putzi –
We speak with Jenny about her new book The Reconstruction Diary of Frances Anne Rollin.
Also mentioned is the biography Life and Public Services of Martin R. Delany by Frank A Rollin. Learn more about the Black Women’s Diaries Project.

– Q3 Readalong –
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh.
Learn more about the film here.
Companion read: Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo.
Join the Goodreads conversation.

The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, August 16 at 7pm (ET).
Please send an email if you would like to join us.

In celebration of our readalong theme for 2026, we have created a Page to Screen Bingo card. Enjoy filling it out over the course of the year and email a copy by 12/31/2026 to be entered to win a gift card to Bookshop.org. Learn more about how to play the bingo card by watching this video.

– Also Mentioned –
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Rapid and Fatal: A Scarpetta Novel by Patricia Cornwell release date 1/19/2027
The Strand Magazine
Also by Robert Shaw: The Man in the Glass Booth and The Sun Doctor
Jaws by Peter Benchley
Love & Other Monsters by Emily Franklin (featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 257)
The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love edited by Alice Hoffman
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Pride of Family: Four Generations of American Women of Color by Carole Iona

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 265 - In the grip of JAWS

Book Cougars Episode 265
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak

Episode 265 Show Notes

Chris gives an update on the praying mantis sculpture that has been relocated from Old Saybrook’s Acton Public Library to the Pandemonium Rainforest Project in Deep River, CT. If you would like to see what the sculpture looks like, check out this video from a Biblio Adventure we took to Old Saybrook back in 2021 when the sculpture was still located in front of the library.

– Currently Reading –
The Secret of Snow – Tina Harnesk, translated by Alice Menzies (EF) (audiobook)
Roots: The Saga of an American Family – Alex Haley (CW)
It Will Come Back to You – Sigrid Nunez (EF)

– Just Read –
The Man – Laura Sims (CW)(EF)
Jaws – Peter Benchley (CW)(EF) (audiobook)
Man Overboard! – Kathleen Rooney (CW)
When the Stammer Came to Stay – Maggie O’Farrell, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini
The Card-File System of Note-Taking – Jacques Goutor (CW)
Unnatural Exposure – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Rufi Thorpe (EF) (audiobook)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily watched Jaws based on the novel by Peter Benchley.

Chris watched a conversation with Ellen Carol DuBois, author of the biography Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life. This was a joint event between the Lewes Public Library, Browseabout Books and the History Book Festival.

Emily started watching Margo’s Got Money Troubles, based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
July 22, Chris and Emily are registered for an event at Mystic Seaport featuring Christopher Shaw Myers: “Robert Shaw: The Misunderstood Genius behind JAWS.” You can register for the event here. Learn more about Chris’s book, Robert Shaw: An Actor’s Life on the set of JAWS and Beyond.

Emily is heading to Rhode Island and hopes to visit Ink Fish Books and riffraff bookstore.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Reconstruction Diary of Frances Anne Rollin – Jennifer Putzi (CW)(EF)
The Complete Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi (CW)(EF)
Wake Now in the Fire – Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo (CW)(EF)
Motherhood Discounted: Care Work in America Before and After Roe – Carolyn McConnell (EF)
Sunrise – Téa Obreht (EF) release date 8/11/2026
Mary Queen of Scots – Antonia Fraser (CW)

– Q3 Readalong –
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh.
Learn more about the film here.
Companion read: Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo.

Join the Goodreads conversation.

The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, August 16 at 7pm (ET).
Please send an email if you would like to join us.

In celebration of our readalong theme for 2026, we have created a Page to Screen Bingo card. Enjoy filling it out over the course of the year and email a copy by 12/31/2026 to be entered to win a gift card to Bookshop.org. Learn more about how to play the bingo card by watching this video.

– Also Mentioned –
Also by Laura Sims: How Can I Help You and Looker
Shark Week 2026 on the Discovery Channel
Widow’s Bay
Midnight Mass
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Dyke and the Dybbuk by Ellen Galford


Help support the Book Cougars:
1. Via our affiliates:
—
Purchase books via Bookshop.org.
— Purchase audiobooks via Libro.fm use promo code: bookcougars.
2. Become a Patreon member
3. Donate directly, send an email for instructions.
4. Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Other ways to be part of the Book Cougars community:
1. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter.
2. Join the Goodreads Group.
3. Check out our BookTube Channel, and be sure to subscribe.

Episode 264 - Author Spotlight with Claire Fuller

Book Cougars Episode 264
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak
Author Claire Fuller

Episode 264 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
Roots: The Saga of an American Family – Alex Haley (CW)
Jaws – Peter Benchley (EF) (audiobook)

– Just Read –
Jaws – Peter Benchley (CW)
Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Rufi Thorpe (EF) (audiobook)
Hunger and Thirst – Claire Fuller (CW)(EF)
The Land and Its People – David Sedaris (EF) (audiobook)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris watched Jaws based on the novel by Peter Benchley.

Emily attended an event at RJ Julia Bookseller with Soon Wiley, author of Cece Downings Start Over Summer, in conversation with Patricia Santomasso, the audiobook narrator of the novel.

Chris visited Pandemonium Rainforest Project in Deep River, CT.

Chris had buddy read conversations with friends about 11/22/63 by Stephen King and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith and the movie based on the novel.

Chris had a great workday in the archives of the New York Public Library, and she has started bingeing Widow’s Bay.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is planning to start watching Margo’s Got Money Troubles, based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe.

July 14, Chris is registered for a conversation with Ellen Carol DuBois, author of the biography Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life. There is an in-person or virtual option, register here.  

– Upcoming Reads –
Man Overboard! – Kathleen Rooney (CW)
The Man – Laura Sims (CW)
The Godfather – Mario Puzo (CW)
A Year of Marvelous Ways – Sarah Winman (EF)
The Foursome – Christina Baker Kline (EF)
The Reconstruction Diary of Frances Anne Rollin – Jennifer Putzi (CW)(EF)

– Q3 Readalong –
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh.
Learn more about the film here.
Companion read: Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo.
Join the Goodreads conversation.

The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, August 16 at 7pm (ET).
Please send an email if you would like to join us.

In celebration of our readalong theme for 2026, we have created a Page to Screen Bingo card. Enjoy filling it out over the course of the year and email a copy by 12/31/2026 to be entered to win a gift card to Bookshop.org. Learn more about how to play the bingo card by watching this video.

– Author Spotlight with Claire Fuller –
We talk with Claire about her most recent novel Hunger and Thirst. Learn more about Claire, her six books, and current book tour on her website.

The Guardian Article: “Claire Fuller: Dylan Thomas showed me that writing could make me feel everything”

– Also Mentioned –
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe
Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon by Sara Catterall
How Can I Help You by Laura Sims
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Learn more about the forthcoming novel by Adriana Trigiani
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Bear by Marian Engel
Author Elizabeth Strout
Wildlife by Richard Ford
The Iceberg by Marion Coutts

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 263 - Author Spotlight with Denise Kiernan

Book Cougars Episode 263
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak

Episode 263 Show Notes

– Q3 Readalong –
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh.
Learn more about the film here.
Companion read: Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier with illustrations AJ Dungo.

Listen to this interview with Marjane Satrapi.

The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, August 16 at 7pm (ET).
Please send an email if you would like to join us.

Join the online conversation on Goodreads.

– Currently Reading –
Hunger and Thirst – Claire Fuller (CW)(EF)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Seth Graham-Smith (CW) (audiobook)
Margo’s Got Money Trouble – Rufi Thorpe (EF) (audiobook)
Roots: The Saga of an American Family – Alex Haley (CW)

– Just Read –
Table 4 at the River Café: Conversations about Food and Life – Ruthie Rogers (EF)
11/22/63 – Stephen King (CW)
Land – Maggie O’Farrell (EF) (audiobook)
“The Summer People” in the collection Dark Tales – Shirley Jackson (CW)
When She Was Ours – Anna Nordberg (EF) release date 8/1/2026
Cause of Death: Scarpetta #7 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)           
Whistler – Ann Patchett (EF) (audiobook)
Listen to the conversation between Emma Straub and Ann Patchett.
“My Three Fathers” essay by Ann Patchett in The New Yorker.
Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution – Denise Kiernan (CW)(EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris took a swing through Mystic, CT. Her first stop was the Mystic Seaport Museum where she browsed the Maritime Bookshop and picked up a copy of Jaws by Peter Benchley. Then she went to Bank Square Books, No Other Book Like This, and Alice’s Little Haunted Bookshop where she enjoyed reading the children’s book Vampire Jam Sandwich by Casey Lyall and purchased a copy of The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas.

Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure and watched the movie Foe based on the novel of the same name by Iain Reid.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
June 25, Emily will attend event at RJ Julia Bookseller with Soon Wiley, author of Cece Downings Start Over Summer.

June 30, Emily is registered for The Rumpus Book Club with Debbie Millman in conversation with Ann Patchett.

July 22, Chris and Emily are registered for an event at Mystic Seaport featuring Christopher Shaw: “Robert Shaw: The Misunderstood Genius behind JAWS.” You can register for the event here. Learn more about Christopher’s book, Robert Shaw: An Actor’s Life on the set of JAWS and Beyond.

– Upcoming Reads –
When the Stammer Came to Stay – Maggie O’Farrell, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini (EF)
Jaws – Peter Benchley (CW)(EF)
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century – Timothy Snyder (EF)
On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century – Timothy Snyder, illustrated by Nora Krug (EF)
Charity & Sylvia – Tilly Walden (CW)
Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay – Mary Lisa Gavenas (CW)(EF)
Conversation with Mary Lisa Gavenas on Drafting the Past podcast.

– Author Spotlight with Denise Kiernan –
We talk with Denise about Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution. Denise narrated the audiobook.  

Check out the website to learn more about Denise and follow her book tour.

– Also Mentioned –
Novels and film adaptations by Kazuo Ishiguro:
The Remains of the Day; and the movie
Never Let Me Go; and the movie
Klara and the Sun; and the movie
Foreword Magazine – Magi book
Alice Henderson Alex Carter series
Charter Books in Newport, Rhode Island
Also by Ann Patchett: Bell Canto, Run, State of Wonder, Tom Lake, and The Dutch House
The Frugal Muse
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise
Fresh Air Interview with Maggie O’Farrell
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

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Episode 262 - Q2 Readalong: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

Book Cougars Episode 262
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak
Book Cougars Episode 262

Episode 262 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
Land – Maggie O’Farrell (EF) (audiobook)
11/22/63 – Stephen King (CW)
Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution – Denise Kiernan (CW)(EF)

– Just Read –
Swimming Studies – Leanne Shapton (EF)
Emily bakes with olive oil on Ingredient One
Twilight Sleep – Edith Wharton (CW)
Foe – Iain Reid (EF)
Sizzle & Drizzle: Over 100 Essential Bakes, Recipes and Tips – Nancy Birtwhistle (EF)
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe – Fannie Flagg (CW)(EF)
Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block – Jesse Q. Sutanto (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris attended the 2026 BIO Conference in New York City. She got the opportunity to tour The Century Association. Highlights included seeing Natalie Dykstra, Sara Catterall, Janice Nimura, and Bill Goldstein – all of whom have been featured via Author Spotlights on the podcast, meeting Diane Diekman author of Randy Travis: Storms of Life, a  conversation between Brenda Wineapple, Ron Chernow and moderator Brian Kerrigan, and attending the announcement of the Plutarch award winner – Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife by Francesca Wade.  

Emily had her buddy read of The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler with Russell from Ink and Paper Blog. She watched the movie based on the novel.

Chris renewed her New York Public Library card. She was excited to find a copy of Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton that had friendlier font size.

Chris and Emily attended an event at RJ Julia Booksellers with Amy Bloom talking about her new mystery novel Blunt Instrument. Amy was featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 153.

We had a great time talking with listeners on our Zoom conversation about the Q2 readalong Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, and the movie based on the novel.

Chris watched the movie Project Hail Mary based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir.

Chris attended a virtual event via the National Willa Cather Center featuring Rebecca Romney discussing “Willa Cather, the Archival Chain, and the Making of a Literary Legacy.” The video is available for a short time here.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
July 22, Chris and Emily are registered for an event at The Mystic Seaport featuring Christopher Shaw: “Robert Shaw: The Misunderstood Genius behind JAWS.” You can register for the event here. Learn more about Christopher’s book, Robert Shaw: An Actor’s Life on the set of JAWS and Beyond.

Emily is planning a Couch Biblio Adventure to watch the movie Foe based on the novel of the same name by Iain Reid.

– Upcoming Reads –
Jaws – Peter Benchley (EF)
The Butterfly Lampshade – Aimee Bender (EF)
Hunger and Thirst – Claire Fuller (CW)(EF)
“The Summer People” in the collection Dark Tales – Shirley Jackson (CW)
Cause of Death: Scarpetta #7 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Seth Grahame-Smith (CW)
If you’re interested in joining Chris for a buddy read and movie watch send an email.

– Also Mentioned –
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Also by Jesse Q. Sutanto: The Vera Wong series and the Dial A for Aunties series
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and the movie based on the novel
The Martian by Andy Weir
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (translated by Ebbe Segerberg) and the movie based on the novel

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 261 - Still in the Grip of Frankenstein, and Now Gyllenhaal's The Bride!

Book Cougars Episode 261
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak
Book Cougars Episode 261

Episode 261 Show Notes

Emily read the poem “The Art of Disappearing” by Naomi Shihab Nye from the collection Words Under the Words.

Two upcoming page-to-screen adaptations:
1. Anna Pigeon based on the series by Nevada Barr that starts with Track of the Cat.
2. East of Eden based on John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name.

– Currently Reading –
Foe – Iain Reid (EF)
Twilight Sleep – Edith Wharton (CW)
Three Bags Full – Leonie Swann, translated by Anthea Bell (EF)(audiobook)
Table Four at the River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life – Ruthie Rogers (EF)
interview with Ruthie Rogers on Radio Cherry Bombe

– Just Read –
Five – Ilona Bannister (EF)(audiobook)
From Potters Field: Scarpetta #6 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
The Accidental Tourist – Anne Tyler (EF)

– Episode Sponsor –
The Soft Underbelly by Carlisle Richardson

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris saw the Devil Wears Prada 2 inspired by the novels by Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada, Revenge Wears Prada, and When Life Gives You Lululemons.

Emily watched Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix based on the novel of the same name by Shelby Van Pelt.

Chris and John met to discuss From Potters Field: Scarpetta #6 by Patricia Cornwell.

Chris and Emily both watched The Bride! directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The Patreon reading salon conversation focused on reading plans for Sue Jackson’s Big Book Summer Reading Challenge. Learn more about the challenge on her blog and her BookTube channel.

Watch this video to see our big book plans. Emily forgot to mention Land by Maggie O’Farrell and The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw publishing on September 29, and she plans to start with Beartown trilogy by Fredrik Backman. Chris will be starting with 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Chris forgot Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Frasier, This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark by Craig Fehrman, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life by Ellen Carol DuBois.

Emily enjoyed the conversation between Marisa Helff and Chloe Dalton, author of Raising Hare.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily will be going to see The Sheep Detectives on the big screen, based on the novel Three Bags Full and The Accidental Tourist based on the novel of the same name.

Our Zoom conversation about Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.

Chris is doing a buddy read of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. They will also discuss the movie, the Zoom conversation will be on June 27. Send an email if you are interested in joining the conversation.

June 7 at 11:00, Chris and Emily are registered to see Amy Bloom in conversation about her novel Blunt Instrument at RJ Julia Booksellers. Register here.  

Upcoming Patreon Reading Salons: (learn more about becoming a Patreon member)
June 28, topic will be books we think we “should’ read.
July 26, topic will be award winners.

– Upcoming Reads –
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe – Fannie Flagg (CW)
Beartown – Fredrik Backman (EF)
Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution – Denise Kiernan (EF)
Cause of Death: Scarpetta #7 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)

– Out Now –
Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller

– Also Mentioned –
The movie Foe
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Cal Newport
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The novel Where the Crawdads Sing and the movie
Patricia Cornwell’s Andy Brazil series
A Feminist Theory of Refusal by Bonnie Honig
The novel The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante and the movie
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Drafting the Past podcast
Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote by Craig Fehrman
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Story Magazine

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!