Episode 209 - Author Spotlight with Sara Paretsky

Episode 209 Show Notes

Head to this video to see what Big Books we hope to read this summer.

Learn more about Sue Jackson’s Big Book Summer Reading Challenge. Or read her blog post.

– 2nd Quarter 2024 Readalong –
Our first quarter readalong The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book One by Nora Roberts. 

Download the Romance Bingo Card!

– Currently Reading –  
The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book One – Nora Roberts (CW)(audiobook)
I’ve Tried Being Nice: Essays – Ann Leary (EF)
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America – Sara Franklin (CW)
This Is How It Always Is – Laurie Frankel (EF)

– Just Read –
The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book One – Nora Roberts (CW) (audiobook)
The House That Horror Built – Christina Henry (CW)
Pay Dirt: A V.I. Warshawski Novel – Sara Paretsky (EF)
To enter the giveaway for Sara’s books including Dead Land, Overboard, and Shell Game, subscribe to our newsletter by June 14th.

Chris & Emily both read a short story in honor of Alice Munro who recently passed away: “Train.” You can read the story online in Harper’s Magazine.

Emily read three short stories:
“From Outside I Could See” and “The Next Husband Game” from the collection The Goodbye Process by Mary Jones. release date 7/30/2024
“Origin Story” from the The Ill-Fitting Skin by Shannon Robinson.  

Chris read a short story called “Ardessa” by Willa Cather. Join Chris’s Willa Cather Short Story project.

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see Our Mystery Man John Valeri in conversation with Tom Straw about his new novel The Accidental Joe: The Top-Secret Life of a Celebrity Chef.
You can read John Valeri’s review of the novel online at Criminal Element.

Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook to see Sandra Yannone read from her new poetry collection The Glass Studio.

Emily went to “On Writing: A Panel Discussion with Authors on Their Craft” hosted by Bank Square Books and Westerly Library. She also stopped in at the newly opened, Martin House Books.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris is heading to Bridgeport, CT to visit Kindred Thoughts bookstore.

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

Emily is looking forward to seeing Kathy Gunst in conversation with Sara Franklin about her book The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America at Harvard Bookstore on June 4 at 7pm.

On June 5th Chris and Emily are going on a joint jaunt sponsored by the Mark Twain House to see Percival Everett discuss his new novel James. There is a free livestream of the event, register here.

Chris will be attending the 69th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference from June 6-8, 2024 online via Whova. You can register for it here. 

– Upcoming Reads –
The Women’s Room – Marilyn French (CW)
A Divine Language: Learning Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus at the Edge of Old Age – Alek Wilkinson (CW)
A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness (EF)
The Mystery Guest – Nita Prose (EF)
Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology – edited by Elaine Ellis and Amber Flame (EF)

– Out Now –
My Favorite Thing is Monsters Book Two – Emil Ferris
Service – Sarah Gilmartin
Anna Bright is Hiding Something – Susie Orman Schnall

– Author Spotlight with Sara Paretsky –
Learn more about Sara here.
Pay Dirt is the most recent book in the V.I. Warshawski series.

– Also Mentioned –
Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry
Old Crimes: And Other Stories by Jill McCorkle
Regalo Press
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
The Maid by Nita Prose
The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Hark
Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters by Edited by Jessica P. Pryde
Generous Press
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
Sisters in Crime
This is Not Dixie by Brent M.S. Campney
The Seminary Co-op Bookstore
Women & Children First Bookstore
Author Sue Grafton
Bouchercon World Mystery Convention

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.

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Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!|

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Episode 207 - Spotlight with Author & Rare Book Dealer Rebecca Romney

Rebecca Romney photo credit Dave Pappas

Episode 207 Show Notes

– 2nd Quarter 2024 Readalong –
Our first quarter readalong The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book One by Nora Roberts.  The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, June 2nd at 7pm (ET), send an email if you would like to reserve a spot. You can join The Awakening Goodreads Discussion anytime and we’ve also created a Goodreads thread for general romance chit chat.

Download the Romance Bingo Card!

– Currently Reading –  
Moby Dick – Herman Melville (CW)
James – Percival Everett (EF)(audiobook)
A Chance Meeting: Encounters Between American Writers and Artists – Rachel Cohen (CW)
The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains – Chris Bradley, Sara Franklin, and Mike Cioffi (EF)

– Just Read –
Bless Your Heart – Lindy Ryan (CW)
Emily read two short stories:
Vampires in the Lemon Grove” from the collection Vampires in the Lemon Grove: And Other Stories by Karen Russell.
The Bookeeper’s Wife” by Willa Cather.  
You can read Chris’s response to this short story on her blog.
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World – Cal Newport (CW)
How to Read – Monica Wood (EF)
James – Percival Everett (CW)(audiobook)(narrated by Dominic Hoffman)
Pride and Preston Lin – Christina Hwang Dudley (EF)
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America – Sara B. Franklin (EF) release date 5/28/2024

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily both attended virtual events offered via the North Haven Public Library:
“A Literary Examination of Power, and Art” with Xochitl Gonzalez discussing her books Anita de Monte Laughs Last and Olga Dies Dreaming. You can watch the video here.

“The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us – A Sweeping History of Food and Culture” with Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson discussing the book American Table. You can watch the video here.

In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day Chris visited Breakwater Books where she picked up a copy of A Son at the Front by Edith Wharton.

Emily and Aunt Ellen visited Yu and Me Books in Chinatown.

Chris and Emily went to see Caroline Leavitt discuss her new book Days of Wonder at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT.

Chris and Emily both watched the film Shirley loosely based on the novel Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily are going on a joint jaunt to visit Aunt Ellen and plan to visit The Ripped Bodice bookstore.

Emily is planning to see the Art Thief which features a heist of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum since she is reading Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra.

– Upcoming Reads –
Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor’s Unlikely Adventure – Mimi Zieman (EF)
Pay Dirt: A V.I. Warshawski Novel – Sara Paretsky (EF)|
8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster – Mirinae Lee (CW)
Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places – Claire Kann (CW)

– Out Now –
Real Americans – Rachel Khong
Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy – Cait West
Daughters of Shandong – Eve. J Chung
When Cicadas Cry – Caroline Cleveland
The Stolen Child – Ann Hood
How to Read– Monica Wood

– Author Spotlight with Rebecca Romney –
Rebecca Romney is a rare book dealer, appraiser, and co-author of Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History. You can learn more about Rebecca and her work here.
Download a copy of Rebecca’s survey of the history of The Romance Novel in English.

Read “Resisting the Monolith: Collecting As Counter Narrative.”

Learn more about the Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize; the deadline is June 15, 2024.

Rebecca is currently working on a book called Jane Austen’s Bookshelf!

– Also Mentioned –
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America – Sara B. Franklin (EF) release date 5/28/2024
Swamplandia – Karen Russell
Author George Saunders
Author Stephen King
The One-In-A-Million Boy – Monica Wood
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
Finn – Jon Clinch
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
A Mighty Blaze
Watch our video with Caroline Leavitt and Jenna Blum of A Mighty Blaze.
Watch our video with Caroline Leavitt talking about her novel With or Without You.
Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson
Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer
The History of Emily Montague – Frances Brooke
Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America
Author Frances Burney
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald
Harrington by Maria Edgeworth

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.