Episode 130 - Author Spotlight with Whitney Scharer and a GIVEAWAY!

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

– Episode 130 GIVEAWAY –
Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Seritella and Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine A. Sherbrooke and winner’s choice of A Big Book Summer Reading Challenge book. You can enter to win the giveaway by subscribing to our newsletter. The winner will be chosen on May 31st, 2021.

Call 860-391-6674 or email to let us know what big book (over 400 pages) you are going to read this summer.

– Currently Reading –
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer (CW)(EF)(audio)
Halsey Street – Naima Coster (EF)
Last Night at the Telegraph Club – Malinda Lo (CW)
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte (CW)

– Just Read –
A Cruise on the U.S. Practice Ship, S.P. Chase – Surgeon General Walter Wyman (CW)
The Age of Light – Whitney Scharer (EF)
I Will Survive – Dino Fekaris, Frederick J. Perren, Kaitlyn Shea O’Connor (CW) release date 6/1/21
(Akashic Lyric Pop series can be found here)
Great Circle – Maggie Shipstead (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily attended a joint event with Chris Bohjalian, author of Hour of the Witch, in conversation with Alice Hoffman, author of Magic Lessons, via BookBar in Denver, CO. You can watch the video here.

Chris watched a conversation with Bill Goldstein, author of The World Broke in Two, via the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library Monday’s at Beinecke Series. The event was titled “Larry Kramer, 1981, and the Start of AIDS Activism” with Bill Goldstein. You can watch it here.

Emily saw Maggie Shipstead, author of Great Circle, in conversation with Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life, via Greenlight Bookstore.

Chris browsed inside of the newly renovated Barnes & Noble in New Haven, CT.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily were guests on Episode 221 of Reading Envy to discuss the readalong of When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo, Jennifer Elise Foerster, and Leanne Howe. You can listen to the episode by following this link.

The Book Cougars are hosting a virtual ZOOM event with the Jungle Red Writers on June 10th at 7pm EST. If you would like to attend, please send an email.
The authors: Julia Spencer Fleming, Lucy Burdette, Hallie Ephron, Rys Bowen, Hank Phillipi Ryan, Deborah Crombie, and Jenn McKinlay.

Chris is planning to attend the Spring Willa Cather Conference from June 3 – 5, 2021. This year’s theme is “Willa Cather and Popular Print Culture” and the keynote speaker is Radhika Jones. (If you are signing up to attend for the first time, use the code WELCOME21 for a discount.)

CRIMECONN is coming up June 3, 10, and 17, 2021. The June 10 event includes Luanne Rice, author of The Shadow Box, and Juliet Grames, author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For – Alison Bechdel (CW)
To Be Young, Gifted, and Black – Lorraine Hansbury and James Baldwin (CW)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Ann Brontë (CW)
Early Morning Riser – Katherine Heiny (EF)
Prepare Her: Stories – Genevieve Plunkett (EF) release date 7/13/21

– Author Spotlight with Whitney Scharer –
Whitney’s book is the The Age of Light. You can learn more about Whitney here.
The Pinterest page that Whitney created for inspiration when writing the book can be found here.
Learn more about the Arlington Author Salon.

– 17th Readalong discussion –
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The discussion will drop on June 8th via Episode 131, please get questions/comments to us by June 2nd. The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
You can find the beautifully bound anniversary edition of the book here. Note: this is in celebration of Milkweed Editions 40th anniversary, not the anniversary of the book which was originally published in 2013.

– Also Mentioned –
The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
Twilight – Stephanie Meyer
Willa Cather
Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 – Sarah Schulman
Filthy Animals – Brandon Taylor release date 6/22/21
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic – Alison Bechdel
The Secret to Superhuman Strength – Alison Bechdel
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel Van Der Kolk

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