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

Book Cougars Episode 213

Episode 213 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
The Snow Child – Eowyn Ivey (EF)(audiobook)
Mary Queen of Scots – Antonia Fraser (CW)

– Just Read –
Fellowship Point – Alice Elliott Dark (CW)(EF)(audiobook)
This was a buddy read, if you’re interested in reading along join the Goodreads discussion thread.
Emily read three short stories:
“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 Could See How Much I Love You” by Amy Bloom from the collection A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You: Stories.

Chris read two short stories:
“Uncle Valentine” by Willa Cather from the collection Uncle Valentine and Other Stories: Willa Cather’s Uncollected Short Fiction, 1915-1929, edited by Bernice Slote. You can learn more about the Willa Cather short story project here.
“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] 

– Episode Sponsor –
I Left My Hormones in Another World by Angela Wicke
You can read the first chapter of the book here.

– Biblio Adventure –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Long Island, NY. You can watch a video recap of the day. They ate lunch at Armin & Judy, visited the Barnes and Noble in Bridgehampton, John Steinbeck Waterfront Park in Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor Books, Black Cat Books on Shelter Island, and Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport.

Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure, thanks to listener Kathy who told us about a conversation with Percival Everett, Cord Jefferson, and Jelani Cobb via City Arts & Lectures.

Chris visited the East Lyme Public Library where she purchased the first season of the television series China Beach which reminded her that she hopes to read Kristin Hannah’s novel The Women.

Chris checked off another box on her Romance Bingo Card by watching the movie Letters to Juliet based on the novel Letters to Juliet: Celebrating Shakespeare's Greatest Heroine, the Magical City of Verona, and the Power of Love by Lise Friedman and Ceil Friedman.

While in NYC Chris had a great book haul at the McNally Jackson bookstore at Rockefeller Center where she purchased a copy of Valentino and Sagittarius by Natalie Ginzburg.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is on the hunt for a copy of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon in Traverse City, MI. There are two lovely independent bookstores to choose from on the same block, Brilliant Books and Horizon Books.

Emily plans to watch the video recap of Juliet Grames in conversation with Sarah Weinman featuring the book launch of The Lost Boys of Santa Chionia via Books are Magic bookstore. 

Chris is heading to the Mystic Seaport Museum to participate in the Moby Dick marathon.

– Upcoming Reads –
Margaret Fuller: Collected Writings – edited by Brigitte Bailey, Noelle Baker, and Megan Marshall (CW)
The Grey Wolf – Louise Penny (CW) release date 10/29/24
The Phantom Patrol – James Benn (CW)(EF)
Chris and Emily will be in conversation with James at the Mystic-Noank library on September 19th at 6:00. You can register for the event here.

– 3rd Quarter Readalong –
Envy by Sandra Brown.
Please join the online conversation via the Goodreads discussion thread.
The Zoom readalong discussion will take place on Sunday, September 15th at 7:00 pm (ET). Please send an email if you would like to join.

– Out Now –
Bear – Julia Phillips
A Novel Summer – Jamie Brenner
The Goodbye Process – Mary Jones

– “I’ll Have What You’re Reading” with Booktuber Shawn Breathes Books –
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. Subscribe to Shawn’s BookTube channel here. Join the I’ll Have What You’re Reading Goodreads thread.
Watch our discussion of the memorial readalong on Shawn’s channel.

Jenny’s two blogs: Reading Envy &Jenny Bakes

Sweetgrass is Around Her” by Salli M. Kawennotakie Benedict from the collection When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo.

Shawn read Music & Silence by Rose Tremain.
Emily read This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.
Chris read Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean by Jonathan White.

Listen to Jenny Colvin read the poem “My Religion is the Sea” by Adebe DeRango-Adem.

Chris and Emily read the short story “Train” by Alice Munro. Soon after an essay was published by Alice’s daughter Andrea Robin Skinner revealing sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather. We discuss how it has impacted us as readers. You can watch Shawn’s video where he shares his reaction.

– Also Mentioned –
Mary, Queen of Scots starring Vanessa Redgrave
Camelot starring Vanessa Redgrave
In the Gloaming starring Glenn Close
The Birds directed by Alfred Hitchcock
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price
The Omega Man starring Charleton Heston
I Am Legend starring Will Smith
The Last Man by Mary Shelley
Also by Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel
John Steinbeck Books: Travels with Charley, The Grapes of Wrath, and In Dubious Battle
Cape Henlopen ferry
Author James Benn
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Litsy
The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars
Shop on Bookshop.org – support the Book Cougars and independent bookstores!

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Episode 211 - Deep Dive Into Summer Reading

Episode 211 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –  
Instructions for a Heatwave – Maggie O’ Farrell (EF)
The Women’s Room – Marilyn French (CW)
Hot, Hot Chicken: A Nashville Story – Rachel Louise Martin (EF) (audiobook)
Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean – Jonathan White (CW)(audiobook)
Jenny Colvin’s Tides YouTube playlist.

– Just Read –
Pearce Oysters – Joselyn Takacs (EF)
The Guncle – Steven Rowley (CW)
Arsenic and Adobo – Mia P. Manansala (EF)
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition by the American Psychological Association (CW)
MLA Handbook, 9th edition by The Modern Language Association of America (CW)
Love and Hot Chicken: A Delicious Southern Novel – Mary Liza Hartong (EF)
Dive! The Story of Breathing Underwater – Chris Gall (CW)

Emily read two short stories:
“Idle Hands” from the collection Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima
“Why Won’t You Die?” from the collection Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology edited by Elaina Ellis and Amber Flame. (audiobook)

Chris read a short story for the Willa Cather short story project, “Her Boss” from the collection Uncle Valentine and Other Stories: Willa Cather’s Uncollected Short Fiction, 1915-1929 edited by Bernice Slote. Learn more about the project here.

The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Romance – Robin Bradford (CW)(EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to the Lyme Arts Association where they enjoyed the Young Artists Exhibition: Hope is the Thing with Feathers featuring kids ages 5-18 reacting to Emily Dickinson’s poem. Then they had lunch at Haring’s on the shoreline in Noank, found a little free library at Noank Park, and then took a browse at Bank Square Books in Mystic.

Emily went to RJ Julia’s Booksellers in Madiosn, CT to see Ann Leary talk about her new essay collection I’ve Tried Being Nice. Read her Modern Love Piece in the NY Times.

Chris attended a virtual panel discussion of New Seeds of Contemplation by the North Central Connecticut Chapter of The International Thomas Merton Society.

Emily found a new little free library built into a tree stump.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
On July 17at 6:30 pm (ET), J. Courtney Sullivan will be in conversation with Amy Bloom about her new novel The Cliffs at RJ Julia Booksellers.

July 10-14 Chris will be attending a portion of the Annual Gathering of the Thoreau Society

– Upcoming Reads –
Fellowship Point – Alice Elliot Dark (CW)(EF)
Join the buddy read conversation on Goodreads.
The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us – Rachelle Bergstein (CW) release date 7/16/2024
The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia – Juliet Grames (EF)

– 3rd Quarter Readalong –
Envy by Sandra Brown is the book we have chosen for third quarter in a our year of reading Romance. Have you downloaded the Romance Bingo Card?

Join the online conversation on Goodreads.

– Also Mentioned –
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’ Farrell
Old Crimes: And Other Stories by Jill McCorkle|
That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Silas Mariner by George Eliot
The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Woman in the Nineteenth Century by Margaret Fuller
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Pride & Preston Lin by Christina Hwang Dudley
Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars
Shop on Bookshop.org – support the Book Cougars and independent bookstores!

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Join our Goodreads Group!
Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

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

Episode 210 Show Notes

Two long-running mystery series are coming to end: Maisie Dobbs written by Jaqueline Winspear and Maggie Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal.

– Episode 210 GIVEAWAY! –
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear
Mind Games by Nora Roberts
Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann
Skirted by Julie Marie Wade
The winner will be chosen on July 1st. Subscribe to the newsletter to be entered to win.

– Currently Reading –  
Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean – Jonathan White (CW)(audiobook)
Pearce Oysters – Joselyn Takacs (EF)  release date 6/25/2024
Otherwise: Essays – Julie Marie Wade (CW)
Check out our Friday Reads video with John Valeri to see the visual and hear Chris talk about the first essay in the collection.
The Women’s Room – Marilyn French (CW)

– Just Read –
The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book One – Nora Roberts (CW)(audiobook)
This is How It Always Is – Laurie Frankel (EF)
Read the Modern Love piece by Frankel in the NY Times: From He to She in First Grade
Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places – Claire Kann (CW)
The Mystery Guest – Nita Prose (EF)

Emily read three short stories:
“Lucky Girls” from the collection Lucky Girls: Stories by Nell Freudenberger.
“That of Which We Cannot Speak” from the collection I Knew You’d Be Lovely: Stories by Alethea Black.  

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt sponsored by the Mark Twain House to see Percival Everett discuss his new novel James in conversation with Michael Harriot, author of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. You can watch the video of the event here.

Chris did a Couch Biblio Adventure watching a live poetry reading via Cultivating Voices: Live Poetry via Facebook or you can watch the video here.

Emily had a watch-a-thon of Presumed Innocent, the film, and the upcoming tv series, based on the novel by Scott Turow.

Emily and the Gentleman Caller went to the Book Barn in Niantic, CT where she found a copy of Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark and purchased a gift for Chris, Cather's Kitchens: Foodways in Literature and Life by Roger Welsch and Linda K. Welsch.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
On July 23 at 7 pm (ET), Juliet Grames will be in conversation with Sarah Weinman about her new novel The Lost Boy of Santa Chiona at Books Are Magic. There is an in-person or virtual option, tickets are available here.

On August 10 at 2:30 pm (ET), Kimberly McCreight will be in conversation with Vanessa Lillie about her new novel Like Mother, Like Daughter hosted by BookClub on the Go at Resort Lifestyle Communities in South Windsor, CT. You can reserve your seat here.

Emily is excited to see Ann Leary at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT on Thursday, June 20th at 6:30 discussing her new book of essays, I’ve Tried Being Nice.

Dawn Tripp is on tour with her novel Jackie.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Whole Enchilada – Diane Mott Davidson (EF)
Arsenic and Adobo – Mia P. Manansala (EF)
The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García – Laura Tillman (EF)
The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace and Renewal – edited by James Crews (CW)
Death by Dumpling: A Noodle Shop Mystery - Vivien Chien (CW)
On What Grounds – Cleo Coyle (CW)

– Out Now –
The God of the Woods – Liz Moore
Same As It Ever Was – Claire Lombardo
Shadow Heart – Meg Gardiner

– Our Mystery Man John Valeri – |
Head to our Guests Page to see prior appearances by John.         
You can learn more about John here and be sure to check out his BookTube channel, Central Booking.           
Books John mentions:
The Dredge by Brendan Flaherty
Dick Tracy Vol. 1 by Alex Segura and Michael Moreci, illustrated by Geraldo Borges and Mark Englert
Middle of the Night – Riley Sager
The Lost Boy of Santa Chiona by Juliet Grames

A cozy mystery conversation inspired by reading Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan.
Rules of cozy mysteries:
· No graphic violence, language, or sex.
· There is an Amateur Sleuth that often has friction between local law enforcement.
· Usually there is a pet.
· Justice will prevail.
· As the series progresses the story often takes place in a new setting; they travel to keep the series fresh.

– Also Mentioned –
The other books in the Dragon Heart Trilogy by Nora Roberts: The Becoming and The Choice
Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection – edited by Madeline Dyer
The Maid by Nita Prose
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe by Dawn Tripp
Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
Secret Identity by Alex Segura
Author Jane K. Cleland
Murder She Wrote: Domestic Malice by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain
Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Author Leslie Meier writes the Lucy Stone Mysteries

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars
Shop on Bookshop.org – support the Book Cougars and independent bookstores!

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Episode 182 - Biblio Adventure Bonanza: Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Book Cougars Episode 182

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

– Currently Reading – [1:00]
Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America – Krista Burton (CW) release date 6/6/23
The Reading List – Sara Nisha Adams (CW)(EF)
Cat Brushing – Jane Campbell (CW)

– Just Read – [8:37]
Budmo! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen – Anna Voloshyna (EF)
Shakespeare and Company – Sylvia Beach (CW)

– Biblio Adventures – [17:31]
Chris and Emily went to see the movie Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret based on the book by Judy Blume.  

Chris watched Fried Green Tomatoes based on the book by Fannie Flagg.

Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see Mary Beth Keane talk about her new book The Half Moon.

Chris went to Booktopia at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT. She also visited Monroe Street Books in Middlebury where she purchased: New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton, A Manual of Archive Administration by Hilary Jenkinson, and So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance by Gabrielle Zaid. On the drive home she made stops at Rodgers Book Barn in Hillsdale, NY and Oblong Books in Millerton, NY.

– Episode Sponsor – [38:58]
Episode 182 is sponsored by Rewriting Illness by Elizabeth Benedict. Learn more about Elizabeth here.

– Upcoming Jaunts – [39:52]
Chris will be celebrating World Dracula Day on May 26th with plans to work on a puzzle and listen to an audiobook of the book.

Emily is going to try watching the television series Bridgerton based on the books by Julia Quinn.

– Our Big Book Summer Reading Challenge – [43:05]
We are joining our friend Sue Jackson’s summer reading challenge by reading a book that is over 400 pages. The challenge runs from May 25 – September 4. Learn more on her blog.

Ulysses – James Joyce (CW)
(check out the Buddy Read link on Goodreads)

Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of New America – Gilbert King (EF) (audio)  
(check out the Buddy Read link on Goodreads)

Novels that Emily is considering:
Fellowship Point – Alice Elliott Dark
The Great Reclamation – Rachel Heng
Three – Valérie Perrin
Properties of Thirst – Marianne Wiggins

Chris might read The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American American Romanticism by Megan Marshall.

– Out Now – [54:54]
Life B: Overcoming Double Depression – Bethanne Patrick
Summer Stage – Meg Mitchell Moore

– Also Mentioned –
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffeneger
Bison Books
Joyce Maynard
Katherine May: Enchantment and Wintering
Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane
Marian Engel
Fresh Water for Flowers – Valerie Perrin
Horace Mann
Nathaniel Hawthorne

You can help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm audiobook platform: Follow
this link and use promo code: bookcougars
Shop on
Bookshop.org – support the Book Cougars and independent bookstores!

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars,
please consider becoming a Patreon member. If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.

Join our
Goodreads Group!

Check out our
BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Subscribe to our monthly
newsletter