Episode 220 - A Shocking Buddy-Read with Our Mystery Man John Valeri

Book Cougars Episode 220

Episode 220 Show Notes

– Giveaways –
Patreon:
Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir edited by Tod Goldberg

Tenth Episode:
The Gardener’s Plot: A Mystery by Deborah J. Benoit
The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

– Currently Reading –
Armadale – Wilkie Collins (CW)
When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary – Alice Hoffman (EF) (audiobook)
“The Bolted Door” from the collection Tales of Men and Ghosts – Edith Wharton (CW)
A Bit Much: Poems – Lyndsay Rush (EF)

– Just Read –
Birding with Benefits – Sarah T. Dubb (EF) (audiobook)
The Dead Romantics – Ashley Poston (EF)
Boyfriend Material – Alexis Hall (CW) (audiobook)
The Rom-Commers – Katherine Center (EF) (audiobook)
“Afterward: A Ghost Story for Christmas” or from the collection Tales of Men and Ghosts– Edith Wharton (CW)
Real Americans – Rachel Khong (EF) (audiobook)
What Feelings Do When No One’s Looking – Tina Oziewicz, illustrated by Aleksandra Zajac and translated by Jennifer Croft (EF)

– Biblio Adventure –
Chris took an unexpected trip to Nebraska for a funeral. She happened upon a lovely bookstore at the Charlotte airport with a nice sitting area. She also found a little free library in Omaha, Nebraska.

Both Chris and Emily enjoyed the monthly Patreon Reading Salon discussion about recently read books. In November we will be chatting about our favorite author.

On National Louise Penny Day, Chris purchased her copy of The Grey Wolf at Breakwater Books in Guilford, CT.

Emily attended the virtual event "Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: Examining the Truths and Fictions we Tell Ourselves with Lori Gottlieb" via the North Haven Memorial Library. You can watch the video here.

Sue Jackson shared a vlog of her Biblio Adventure to two bookstores in New York. You can watch it here.

Emily binged season three of The Lincoln Lawyer based on the novel The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly. 

Emily and The Gentleman Caller stopped at Bennett’s Books in Deep River, CT where she got a copy of Girl at War by Sara Nović.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
On Wednesday, November 20th, Chris is planning to attend an event at RJ Julia’s Booksellers with Karen Olson in conversation with Elizabeth Hobbs and her novel Misery Hates Company: A Novel.

Emily is planning to attend the Connecticut Book Festival on Saturday November 23rd from 10-4.

– Upcoming Reads –
The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts – Mary Claire Haver (EF)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Anne Bronte (CW)
The Illustrated Varney the Vampire; or, The Feast of Blood - In Two Volumes - Volume I: Original Title: Varney the Vampyre – James Malcolm Rymer, Thomas Preskett Prest, edited by Finn J. D. John (CW)

– Spotlight with Our Mystery Man –
A conversation with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri, about our buddy read of the novel Murder in the Smithsonian by Margaret Truman.

You can learn more about John here. Follow his informative and fun interviews with mystery authors over at Central Booking.

– 4th Quarter Readalong –
A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy
Please join the online conversation via the Goodreads discussion thread.
The Zoom readalong discussion will take place on Sunday, December 8h at 7:00 pm (ET). Please send an email if you would like to join.

– Also Mentioned –
Author Shuly Cawood
Author Jessica Pryde
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
One Bright Book podcast
Author Donald Bain
Also by Margaret Truman: Murder at Ford’s Theatre and Murder at the Library of Congress

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 175 - He’s BAAACK! Our Mystery Man, John Valeri

Our Mystery Man John Valeri

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

– Announcing our 24th Readalong –
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
. The paperback is available from Bookshop.org, the audiobook from Libro.fm to support the Book Cougars. Join the online conversation on the Goodreads thread.

– Currently Reading – [4:26]
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death – Maggie O’Farrell (EF)(audio)
The Book by Amaranth Borsuk (CW)

– Episode Sponsor – [9:27]
Episode 175 is sponsored by A Castle in Brooklyn by Shirley Russak Wachtel. Learn more about Shirley and her debut novel here.

– Just Read – [10:07]
Cooking with Mushrooms: A Fungi Lover’s Guide to the World’s Most Versatile, Flavorful, Health-Boosting Ingredients – Andrea Gentl (EF)
People of the Book – Geraldine Brooks (CW)
This Must be the Place – Maggie O’Farrell (EF)
Endpapers – Jennifer Savran Kelly (CW)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club – J Ryan Stradal (EF) release date 4/18/2023
Alfred A. Knopf: A Quarter Century – designed by W.A. Dwiggins (CW)
Beartown – Fredrik Backman (EF)
Why We Swim – Bonnie Tsui (EF)(audio)

– Biblio Adventures – [44:11]
Chris made a series of three styles of books. Follow this link to learn how to make them.

Emily started to watch Dear Edward streaming on Apple TV, based on the novel by Ann Napolitano.

– Upcoming Jaunts – [49:10]
Chris is planning to attend two virtual events:
Center for Printing History and Culture on February 16th the focus is Women in Print: Design and Identities. Learn more here.
March 2nd 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. Register here.  

– Upcoming Reads – [51:22]
Pie: A Global History – Janet Clarkson
Hagitude: Reimaging the Second Half of Life – Sharon Blackie (EF)
The Warden – Anthony Trollope email if interest in joining the Buddy Read, Saturday, March 11th 5pm (ET)
The Lady with the Borzoi: Blanche Knopf, Literary Tastemaker Extraordinaire – Laura Claridge (CW)

– Out Now – [55:02]
The Wise Hours: A Journey into the Wild and Secret World of Owls – Miriam Darlington
Out of Character – Jenna Miller
End of Story – Kylie Scott

– Our Mystery Man John Valeri – [55:48]
You can learn more about John here and be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel, Central Booking.
Books recommended by John:
Nine Liars – Maureen Johnson
All the Dangerous Things – Stacy Willingham
Reef Road – Deborah Goodrich Royce
The Drift – C.J. Tudor
A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe – Mark Dawidziak
Every Man a King: A King Oliver Novel – Walter Mosley

– Also Mentioned –
Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains – Keri Arsenault
Learn more about Enheduanna, the earliest known named author in history
Gilgamesh
Atomic Anna – Rachel Barenbaum
The Wok: Recipes and Techniques – J. Kenji López-Alt             
Horse – Geraldine Brooks
Out of Character – Jenna Miller
Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell
Also by J Ryan Stradal: Kitchens of the Great Midwest and The Lager Queen of Minnesota
Reading Envy podcast
Also by Fredrik Bachman: Us Against You and The Winners
Author Shuly Cawood
Booktuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog
Author Marcia Clark
Also by Deborah Goodrich Royce: Finding Mrs. Ford and Ruby Falls
The Chalk Man – C.J. Tudor
Author John Connolly
Little Free Library organization

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, please email for instructions.

Join our
Goodreads Group!

Check out our
BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Please subscribe to our
newsletter.