Episode 115 - Author Spotlight with Hank Phillippi Ryan and our 2020 Holiday Gift Ideas

October 27, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

– Currently Reading –
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth) (CW)(audio)
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America – Ijeoma Oluo (CW)
Eat a Peach – David Chang (EF)(audio)
My Brilliant Life – Ae-ran Kim (translated by Chi-Young Kim) (EF) release date 1/21/21

– Just Read –
Everything is Under Control: A Memoir with Recipes – Phyllis Grant (EF)
The Boy in the Field – Margot Livesey (EF)
Chris read three short stories:
The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington – P. Djèlí Clark (CW)
From SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire edited by Nicole Givens Kurtz: Desicant by Craig Laurance Gidny
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton (CW)

– Biblio (Couch) Adventures –
Emily attended a virtual event with Alice Hoffman in conversation with Ann Leary via Powell’s Books about her new book Magic Lessons.
We attended the virtual Hachette Book Club Brunch.
The fiction panel was moderated by Bill Goldstein and included:
Emma Donoghue author of Pull of the Stars
Attica Locke author of Heaven, My Home
Natasha Lester author of The Paris Secret
The nonfiction was moderated by Roxanne Coady panel included:
Ijeoma Oluo author of So You Want to Talk About Race
Jennifer Palmieri author of She Proclaims: Our Declaration of Independence from a Man’s World
Leslie Gray Streeter author of Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like Journey in the Title
The bookclub portion included Michael Farris Smith, author of Nick, in conversation with his editor Josh Kendall.

The Book Cougars were guests on the Reading Envy podcast Episode 202

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris is planning to attend the virtual mystery event, CrimeConn Express, sponsored by Mystery Writers of America New York and Connecticut Chapters and Ferguson Library. You can sign up for the event here.

Emily has signed up for an event at Politics & Prose with Dan Rather on October 30 at 6pm EST in conversation with Jennifer Steinhauer about his book What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism. You can sign up for the free event here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Leave the World Behind – Rumaan Alam (EF)(audio)
Cardiff by the Sea: Four Novellas of Suspense – Joyce Carol Oates (CW)

– 2020 Holiday Gift Ideas –
·       Libro.fm audiobook platform
Follow this link for the 3, 6, or 12 month membership
Follow this link for the monthly membership
·       Frame a favorite book cover(s)
·       Book themed masks. Check out Out of Print, McClean & Eakin, Etsy.
·       Painted House Brick with book theme
·       Shuly Cawood’s books on SALE
·       Leather Book Weight. Check one out here.
·       Donations and GoFundMe Campaigns. You can donate in someone else’s name. Examples: BINC Foundation and Emily Dickinson Museum.
·       Photo Travel Mug
·       Personalized Book Club Book with book covers from your time together as a group.
·       Apple Airpods
·       Bookplates. You can purchase them here.

– Our Interview with Karen Gardner –
Owner of Bookplate Ink

– Author Spotlight with Hank Phillippi Ryan –
Check out Hank’s website here.

– 15th Readalong discussion –
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth)
The discussion will drop on November 10th via Episode 116, please get questions/comments to us by November 5th.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.

– Also Mentioned –
Hotel on the Corner of Bittersweet – Jamie Ford
Phyllis Grant blog
Julie & Julia movie
Room – Emily Donoghue
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Promised Land – Barack Obama
Nancy Drew – Carolyn Keene
Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle
Agatha Christie
Ngaio Marsh
Josephine Tey
Dorothy L. Sayers
Margery Allingham
Edith Wharton
Hunter S. Thompson
Bonfire of the Vanities – Tom Wolfe
Shakespeare
Sisters in Crime
Sara Paretsky

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive two audiobooks for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 114 - Mary Oliver Synchronicity

October 13, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

– Currently Reading –
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth) (CW)(EF)
A Stranger at the Door – Jason Pinter (EF) release date 1/12/2021

– Just Read –
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue – V.E. Schwab (EF) release date 10/6/2020
Pine – Francine Toon (CW)
The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls – Ursula Hegi (EF)
We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth – Jennifer Risher (CW)
Rules for Being Dead – Kim Powers (EF)
Ring Shout – P. Djèlí Clark (CW)
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies – Deesha Philyaw (EF)
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 – R.A. Scotti (CW)

Chris read a slew of short stories including:
A New England Nun - Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
From The Penguin Book of Horror Stories edited by J.A. Cuddon: Dry September by William Faulkner and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdamar by Edgar Allan Poe
Good Enough – Shuly Cawood from her short story collection A Small Thing to Want: stories
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Washington Irving

– Biblio (Couch) Adventures –
Chris watched the movie Sleepy Hollow.

Emily joined in on The American Dream: Whose Myth? Whose Reality? with Min Jin Lee and Viet Thanh Nguyen via the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.

Emily visited Herridge Books in Wellfleet, MA where she picked up two books by poet Mary Oliver: Felicity and A Thousand Mornings.

Chris listened to an interview with Mary Oliver and Krista Tippett via the On Being podcast

Chris attended an event through Village Preservation: Carl Raymond on Edith Wharton’s Village.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
We are going on a joint jaunt to the Hachette Book Club Brunch. It will be virtual this year. Join us on Saturday, October 17 from 10:30–1:00. You can purchase tickets here. The joint read for the event is Nick by Michael Farris Smith.

October 20 at 9pm (ET) Emily is attending an event via Powell’s Books with Alice Hoffman in conversation with Ann Leary. You can sign up for the event here.

Chris is excited about the Theater Artists Workshop (TAW) virtual fundraiser, THE TAWLIGHT ZONE, premiering on October 8 at 8PM ET (viewing window closes Nov 1 at 8PM ET). Learn more about TAW and purchase tickets for the event HERE.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Accidentals – Susan M. Gaines (EF)
Shadowplay – Joseph O’ Connor (CW)
Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite – edited by Zoraida Cordova, Natalie C. Parker (CW)

– 15th Readalong discussion –
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth)
The discussion will drop on November 10th via Episode 116, please get questions/comments to us by November 5th.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, Nov 1st at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

– Also Mentioned –
Hide Away – Jason Pinter
Polis Books
Ain’t Nobody Nobody – Heather Harper Ellett
Peter Pan – James Matthew Barrie
Stones from the River – Ursula Hegi
The Deep – Alma Katsu
NaNoWriMo
Wendell Berry
Naomi Shihab Nye
The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton – Connie Nordheim Woolridge

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 113 - We Bid Adieu to Our First Recording Studio

September 29, 2020 by Emily Fine

Click here to watch a video of the cottage by the sea (aka our recording studio).

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

– Currently Reading –
Pine – Francine Toon (CW)
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue – V.E. Schwab (EF) release date 10/6/2020
We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth – Jennifer Risher (CW)
All My Puny Sorrows – Miriam Toews (EF)

– Just Read –
Magic Lessons – Alice Hoffman (EF) release date 10/6/2020
The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline (CW)
The First to Lie – Hank Phillippi Ryan (EF)
Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s – Tiffany Midge (CW)

– Biblio (Couch) Adventures –
Chris watched the documentary The Booksellers via the streaming service Kanopy.

Emily watched a virtual event via Skylark Bookshop with Christina Baker Kline discussing her new book, The Exiles. She was in conversation with Alex George, the owner of the bookshop, founder of The Unbound Book Festival and author of The Paris Hours and Setting Free the Kites.

Chris attended a virtual event via The Center for Fiction titled Radical Translantions: Maria Dahvana Headley, Emily Wilson, and Madeline Miller. Maria Dahvana Headley has a new translation of Beowulf.

Chris and Emily went on a virtual joint jaunt to the Schomburg Center Literary Festival. The event was titled Audre Lorde and Political Warfare and featured Roxane Gay, Mahogany L. Browne, Tracy K. Smith, and Salamishah Tillet.

Chris attended a virtual event through the New York Society Library with S.A. Cosby author of Blacktop Wasteland.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is looking forward to The American Dream: Whose Myth? Whose Reality? with Min Jin Lee and Viet Thanh Nguyen. October 1 at 7pm (ET). You can register for it here.

Chris plans to attend a Monday’s at the Beinecke Library about Langston Hughes. On October 5th they will focus on Dorothy Porter Wesley. You can see the calendar of events here.

The Charleston to Charleston Literary Festival will be virtual this year, running November 6-15, 2020.

Check out Our Mystery Man, John Valeri’s, YouTube channel Central Booking. His newest episode is with Heather Harper Ellett, author of Ain’t Nobody Nobody. You can watch the Book Cougars on Central Booking here.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies – Deesha Philyaw (EF)
A Girl is a Body of Water – Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (EF)
Southern Cross Crime: The Pocket Essential Guide to Crime Fiction, Film & TV of Australia and New Zealand – Craig Sisterson (CW)
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth) (CW)

– 15th Readalong discussion –
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth)
The discussion will drop on November 10th via Episode 116, please get questions/comments to us by November 5th.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, Nov 1st at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

– Also Mentioned –
The Storygraph
Goodreads
Bloody Scotland
Empire of Wild – Cherie Dimaline
Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – Mark Twain
The New York International Antiquarian Book Fair
Goulet Pen Company
Ink and Paper Blog

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive two audiobooks for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.
Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 112 - We Do Some Alice Hoffman and Louise Penny Fangirling (again)

September 14, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

– 15th Readalong discussion –
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth)
The discussion will drop on November 10th via Episode 116, please get questions/comments to us by November 5th.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, Nov 1st at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

– Currently Reading –
The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline (CW)
Magic Lessons – Alice Hoffman (EF) release date 10/6/2020
The Gilda Stories – Jewelle Gomez (CW)

– Just Read –
Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts (EF)(audio)
All the Devils Are Here – Louise Penny (CW)
All Adults Here – Emma Straub (EF)
The Pocket Emily Dickinson – Emily Dickinson (CW)
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches – Audre Lord (CW)

– Biblio (Couch) Adventures –
Emily listened to a recording of Yaa Gyasi in conversation with Roxane Gay discussing her book Transcendent Kingdom via Pen America series.

Chris attended an event via Village Preservation: Frances Morrone: Willa Cather’s Greenwich Village.

Emily attended a virtual event via RJ Julia Booksellers with Kerri Arsenault in conversation with Dani Shapiro discussing Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains.

Chris caught an event through The Book Stall bookstore with Kathleen Rooney in conversation with Alice Moody about her new book Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
September 30 at 6pm (ET) Chris is attending an event through Village Preservation: Carl Raymond on Edith Wharton’s Village. You can register for the event here.

Chris and Emily are going on a virtual joint jaunt to the Schomburg Center Literary Festival. To see the schedule and sign up for individual events, go to this link.

October 20 at 9pm (ET) Emily is attending an event via Powell’s Books with Alice Hoffman in conversation with Ann Leary. You can sign up for the event here.

Emily has discovered Adriana Trigiani, author of the Big Stone Gap series, as the host of FaceBook Live interviews with many assorted authors. You can find them here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Beneficence – Meredith Hall (EF) release date 10/6/20
All My Puny Sorrows – Miriam Toews (EF)
The Red Horse (A Billy Boyle WWII Mystery #15)– James Benn (CW)
Trumbull Park – Frank London Brown (CW)

– Also Mentioned –
Stone Butch Blues – Leslie Feinburg
Books Are Magic
Emily Dickinson Museum
Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk – Kathleen Rooney
Gibson’s Bookstore
You can subscribe to Louise Penny’s newsletter HERE
Edith Wharton
Speak Up Storytelling
You can sign up for Shuly Cawood’s writing workshop HERE

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here

Episode 111 - We Talk BIG Books and Announce Our Next Readalong

September 01, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

– 15th Readalong discussion –
Celestial Bodies – Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth)
The discussion will drop on November 10th via Episode 116, please get questions/comments to us by November 5th.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, Nov 1st at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

James Beard Award nominees recognize culinary professionals in the United States. Two books we discussed previously have been nominated:
Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer – Bren Smith (mentioned on Episode 81 and 82)
The Whole Fish: New Ways to Cook, Eat, and Think – Josh Niland (mentioned on Episode 98)

– Currently Reading –
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents - Isabel Wilkerson (CW)(audio)
Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts (EF)(audio)
The Consolation of Philosophy – Boethius (translation by David. R. Slavitt) (CW)

– Just Read –
The Mother-in-Law – Sally Hepworth (EF)
Forever Amber – Kathleen Winsor (CW)
Prettiest Star – Carter Sickels (EF)
Tom Outland Story – Willa Cather (CW)
Be a part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project HERE

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris went to Glastonbury, CT and visited three libraries. Read about it on her blog.

Emily listened to the Quarantine Tapes with Paul Holdengraber interviewing Min Jin Lee. You can find it HERE.

Chris attended Crafting Personal Essays with Impact via Skillshare with Roxane Gay.

Chris had a Couch Bibio Adventure watching the movie Crazy Rich Asians.

Emily’s Couch Biblio Adventure was to attend an event via Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill with Kathy Gunst and Katherine Alford editors of Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury, and Women’s Voices.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
September 1 – Politics and Prose bookstore is hosting a virtual event with Hilary Rodham Clinton interview Louise Penny

September 2 – Chris will be attending an event via Village Preservation. Frances Morrone: Willa Cather’s Greenwich Village. Register for the event HERE.

September 8 – Emily is attending a virtual event via RJ Julia Booksellers with Kerri Arsenault in conversation with Dani Shapiro discussing Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains.

November 6th – Chris will be attending Brandeis University’s annual novel symposium: Willa Cather, Settler, Colonialism, Indigeneity. More information can be found here.

– Upcoming Reads –
From Here to Eternity – James Jones (CW)
All Adults Here – Emma Straub (EF)
The Women of the Copper Country: A Novel – Mary Doria Russell (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
Strange Fruit – Lillian Smith
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters – Anne Boyd Rioux

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 110 - Author Spotlight with Caroline Leavitt

August 18, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive two audiobooks for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)

– Episode 110 GIVEAWAY –
The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns – edited by Mitzi Szereto
If I Never Find You – Mhairi McFarlane
The Deep – Alma Katsu
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

To be entered to win please subscribe to our email newsletter here. We will choose the winner on August 21, 2020.

– Currently Reading –
A House is a Body – Shruti Swamy (EF)
Forever Amber – Kathleen Winsor (CW)

– Just Read –
The Jane Austen Society – Natalie Jenner (EF)
Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers – edited Natalie Eve Garrett (EF)
Intimations: Six Essays – Zadie Smith (EF)
Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry – Imani Perry (CW)(audio)
Anxious People – Fredrik Backman (EF) release date September 8, 2020

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure watching Bonnie Tsui, author of Why We Swim, the book choice for the La Times Book Club. The conversation included Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer. You can watch the event here.

Our plans to attend the Schomburg Center event hosting Isabel Wilkerson author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and The Warmth of Other Suns were interrupted by a tropical storm. Thankfully it was recorded, you can watch the recording here. Chris also listened to Wilkerson’s interview on the NY Times Book review Podcast. You can listen to the episode here.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
We are going on a joint jaunt to the Hachette Book Club Brunch. It will be virtual this year. Join us on Saturday, October 17 from 10:30–1:00. You can purchase tickets here.

August 18th at 7:30 via the Brooklyn Historical Society, Women + Power: Body Power with Jennifer Finney Boylan and Tressie McMillan Cottom. You can purchase tickets here.

September 1 at 8:00 Yaa Gyasi in conversation with Roxane Gay discussing her book Transcendent Kingdom via Pen America series. You can purchase tickets here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Sea Wife – Amity Gaige (EF)
Betty – Tiffany McDaniel (EF)
From Here to Eternity – James Jones (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Caroline Leavitt –
We chat about her new book With or Without You.
Follow Caroline and her book tour here.
Check out A Mighty Blaze for information about new release books and author tricks of the trade here.

– Also Mentioned –
Book by Book 2020 Big Book Summer
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney
Persuasion – Jane Austen
James Baldwin
Nina Simone
Malcolm X
Langston Hughes
W.E.B. Dubois
Molly Malone Cook
A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman
Thick: And Other Essays – Tressie McMillan Cottom
From Here to Eternity movie
John Irving

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 109 - Author Spotlight with Kathleen Rooney

August 11, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive two audiobooks for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)

– Author Spotlight with Kathleen Rooney –
We chat about her new book Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey
Follow Kathleen and her book tour here
She also has a fun twitter feed https://twitter.com/KathleenMRooney

– Also Mentioned –
Rose Metal Press
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Women & Children First Bookstore
Lost Book of Adana Moreau – Michael Zapata
The Radetzky March – Joseph Roth

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!

Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 108 - Convenience Store Woman Readalong and Author Spotlight with Fiona Davis

August 04, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive two audiobooks for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)

– Currently Reading –
Looking for Lorraine – Imani Perry (CW)(audio)
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who’s Been There – Tara Schuster (EF)(audio)
The New York Public Library Book – Henry Hope Reed, Francis Morrone, and Anne Day (CW)
Clap When You Land – Elizabeth Acevedo (EF)
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Most Dangerous Man – Mary Trump, Ph.D. (CW)

– Just Read –
Saving Ruby King – Catherine Adel West (EF)
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia (CW)
Impersonation – Heidi Pitlor (EF) release date 8/18/20
The Enchanted Bluff – Willa Cather (CW)
Be a part of the Willa Cather Short Story Project HERE
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney (CW) release date 8/11/20

– 14th Readalong discussion–
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
Her next book to be translated into English is Earthlings which will be released in October 2020
She has two short stories that are available online: A Clean Marriage and Lover on the Breeze

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris went on a Couch Biblio Adventure via the New York Chapter of the The Historical Novel Society with Alaya Dawn Johnson about her new book, Trouble the Saints.

Emily watched a Glam Cam debut spotlight via A Might Blaze with Nancy Johnson introducing Catherine Adel West, author of Saving Ruby King. You can watch it HERE.

Chris visited the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library in Old Lyme, CT. Read more about the adventure on her blog.

Emily went on a Couch Biblio Adventure via Politics and Prose with Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning, and C. Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills is Gold.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Tuesday, August 4 the New York Public Library will be hosting Fiona Davis as her new book, The Lions of Fifth Avenue, is launched. You can register here.

Wednesday, August 5 the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will be hosting Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and The Warmth of Other Suns. You can register for the event here.

Wednesday, August 19 Brookline Booksmith will host Heidi Pitlor, author of Impersonation, in conversation with Caroline Leavitt, author of With or Without You.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Jane Austen Society – Natalie Jenner (EF)
Intimations: Six Essays – Zadie Smith (EF)
Persuasion – Jane Austen (CW)
The film The People’s Palace – produced, directed, and written by Graham Judd (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Fiona Davis –
We chat about her new book The Lions of Fifth Avenue. You can follow Fiona and her book tour here

– Also Mentioned –
W.E.B. Dubois
The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
The Ghostwriter – Alessandra Torre, A.R. Torre
The Shining – Stephen King
Mrs. America with Cate Blanchett
The Frick Collection

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 107 - Author Spotlight with Dr. Maysa Akbar

July 21, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive two audiobooks for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)

– 14th Readalong discussion–
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
The discussion will drop on August 4 via Episode 108, please get questions/comments to us by July 31.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, July 26th at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

– Currently Reading –
Night – Elie Wiesel (CW)(audio)
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Most Dangerous Man – Mary Trump, Ph.D. (CW)
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney (EF) release date 8/11/20

– Just Read –
With or Without You – Caroline Leavitt (EF)
Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder – Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey (CW)
Transcendent Kingdom – Yaa Gyasi (EF)
The Deep – Alma Katsu (CW)
The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World – Melinda Gates (EF)(audio)
Amityville Horror – Jay Anson (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to the Durham Public Library. Emily picked up a copy of Cooperstown by Eugena Pilek. Chris picked up The Marrow Thieves by Cheri Dimaline.

Emily tuned into A Mighty Blaze to hear an interview with Anna Quindlen author of Nanaville. and bookclub read The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose and she attended their Zoom conversation.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
The Book Cougars are hosting a biblio adventure! We will be having a virtual readalong discussion of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, July 26th at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

Tuesday, July 21, a virtual event at The Strand with Amy Poeppel author of Musical Chairs in conversation with Marcy Dermansky. You can register for the event here.

Tuesday, July 28, a virtual event at Books are Magic with Sarah Weinman author of Unspeakable Acts in conversation with Casey Cep. You can register for the event here.

Monday, August 3, a virtual event at The Strand with Laura Lippman author of My Life as a Villainess: Essays in conversation Tafy Brodesser-Akner. You can register for the event here.

Wednesday, August 5 the Schomburg Center will be hosting Isabel Wilkerson author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and The Warmth of Other Suns. You can register for the event here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (CW)
Saving Ruby King – Catherine Adel West (EF)
Beyond Ally: The Pursuit of Racial Justice – Dr. Maysa Akbar (CW)(EF)

– Author Spotlight with Dr. Maysa Akbar –
You can learn more about Dr. Akbar and her books on her website.
Beyond Ally: The Pursuit of Racial Justice and Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism

– Also Mentioned –
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk – Kathleen Rooney
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
Also by Alma Katsu: The Hunger, and The Taker Trilogy
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager
Empire of Wild – Cherie Dimaline
Alice Hoffman
The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones
Russell at Ink and Paper Blog
The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough
Lady in the Lake – Laura Lippman
14th Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
Poet Tracy K. Smith

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Episode 106 - Author Spotlight with Anne Oman

July 07, 2020 by Emily Fine

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

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive two audiobooks for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more. (promo code: bookcougars)

– 14th Readalong discussion–
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
The discussion will drop on August 4 via Episode 108, please get questions/comments to us by July 31.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.

– Currently Reading –
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto – George M. Johnson (CW)
The Museum of Modern Love – Heather Rose (EF) (audio)
Night – Elie Wiesel (CW)
Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury, and Women’s Voices - Kathy Gunst and Katherine Alford (EF)

– Just Read –
Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close – Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman (EF) release date 7/14/20
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts – Kate Racculia (CW)
The Last Flight – Julie Clark (EF)
My Sister the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite (CW)(audio)
Last Day – Luanne Rice (EF)
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager (CW)
The Revisioners – Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (EF)
Blacktop Wasteland – S.A. Crosby (CW) release date 7/14/20

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris attended a virtual event through RJ Julia Booksellers Richie Jackson author of Gay Like Me in conversation with Matthew Reimer author of We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation.

Emily attended a virtual event via Books are Magic with Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Rodham, in conversation with J. Courtney Sullivan to discuss the release of her book Friends and Strangers.

Emily listened to the Women’s Prize podcast, which can be found HERE.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is going to scout out and make donations to some of the little free libraries created via the organization Help Your Shelves.

Wednesday, July 15 – Chris plans to attend a virtual event via The Center for Fiction with Victor Lavalle in conversation with Stephen Graham Jones about his book, The Only Good Indians.

The Book Cougars are hosting a biblio adventure! We will be having a virtual readalong discussion of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, July 26th at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join us please send an email to save a spot.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Topeka School – Ben Lerner (EF)
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey – Kathleen Rooney (EF) release date 8/11/20
With or Without You – Caroline Leavitt (EF) release date 8/4/20
The Quarry Fox and Other Critters of the Wild Catskills – Leslie T. Sharpe (EF) (audio)
Fludd – Hilary Mantel (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Anne Oman –
Anne is the author of Mango Rains out from Galaxy Galloper Press.
The book can be found on her website: http://www.mangorains.net/
And bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/MangoRains

– Also Mentioned –
Other books by Elie Weisel: Dawn and Day
Amityville Horror – Jay Anson
The Okra Project
Tayari Jones
Ann Patchett
Paul Tremblay
Tommy Orange
Hilary Mantel Trilogy: Wolf Hall, Bringing Up the Bodies, and The Mirror & the Light

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.

Join our Goodreads Group!

We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.