Episode 214 - Biblio Adventure Extravaganza

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Book Cougars Episode 214

Episode 214 Show Notes

August 17th is Bookstore Romance Day! Check your local bookstore to see if they have any special events planned.

– Currently Reading –
So Thirsty – Rachel Harrison (CW) release date 9/10/2024
Mary Queen of Scots – Antonia Fraser (CW)
One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter: Essays – Scaachi Koul (EF)

– Just Read –
The Snow Child – Eowyn Ivey (EF)(audiobook)
How to End a Love Story – Yulin Kuang (CW)(audiobook)
Yulin was featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 205.
Within Arm’s Reach – Ann Napolitano (audiobook)
Moby Dick – Herman Melville (CW)

Emily read two short stories by Alice Hoffman:
The Bookstore Sisters and The Bookstore Wedding

The Rose Arbor – Rhys Bowen (CW)
Chris requested this book via BookBrowse. Listen to our conversation with the Founder & Publisher, Davina Morgan-Witts on Episode 193.
The Whale: A Love Story – Mark Beauregard (CW)

– Biblio Adventure –
Chris went on a fantastic biblio adventure accompanied by Colleen. They stopped at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead, Edith Wharton’s The Mount, the Emily Dickinson Museum, The Evergreens, Amherst Books, and the Yiddish Book Center.

Books Chris purchased:
The Letters of Emily Dickinson edited by Cristanne Miller and Domhall Mitchell
Emily Dickinson Poem’s: As She Preserved Them edited by Cristanne Miller
Margaret Fuller and Her Circles edited by Brigitte Bailey, Katheryn P. Viens, and Conrad Edick Wright
Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of “Dracula” by Barbara Belford
Myself with Others: Selected Essays by Carlos Fuentes
Nasty Women Poets: An Unapologetic Anthology of Subversive Verse edited by Grace Bauer and Julie Kane
Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

Emily went to Horizon Books in Traverse City, MI and purchased The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon and the most recent issue of Oh Reader magazine.

Emily has been enjoying the little free libraries sprinkled throughout neighborhoods in Traverse City, MI and she has been spending time at the Traverse City Library.

Chris participated in the Mystic Seaport Museum’s annual Moby Dick marathon.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily plans to shop at the Friends of the Library Book Sale at Peninsula Community Library in Traverse City, MI.

On August 24th Peter Heller will be in Traverse City to chat about his new book Burn. He will be in conversation with Doug Stanton, the author of In Harm’s Way and 12 Strong.

Chris is heading to Chicago where she might find some bookish mischief.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Dragon From Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany – Pamela D. Toler (CW)
American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond - Jeremy Dauber (CW) release date 10/1/2024
Hot Air – Marcy Dermansky (EF) release date 3/18/2025
Envy – Sandra Brown (CW)(EF)

– 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.

Download the Romance Bingo Card!

– Also Mentioned –
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
Also by Ann Napolitano: Hello Beautiful, A Good Hard Look, and Dear Edward
Author Caroline Leavitt
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson
Author Nathaniel Hawthorne
Poet Sandra Yannone
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
New Bedford Whaling Museum

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!

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

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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!

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Episode 212 - Author Spotlight with Juliet Grames

Author Spotlight with Juliet Grames

Episode 212 Show Notes

This episode is different from all of our previous shows because Emily was unexpectedly called out-of-town to attend her granddaughter's birth! Instead of recording our regular segments, we share some housekeeping reminders and then jump into our conversation with Juliet Grames. We’ll be back to our regular programming on episode 213.

– Big Book Summer Buddy Read –
Chris and Emily are both reading Fellow Ship Point by Alice Elliott Dark. The plan is to finish reading by July 20th. If you’re interested in reading along, you can join the Goodreads discussion thread.

– 3rd Quarter Readalong –
Envy by Sandra Brown.
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found here.
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 the conversation.

– Biblio Adventure –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Long Island. You can watch our vlog recap of the day over on BookTube.

– Episode Sponsor –
The Heroine’s Labyrinth: Archetypal Designs in Heroine-Led Fiction by Douglas A. Burton

– Author Spotlight with Juliet Grames –
We talk with Juliet Grames about her new novel The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia; publishing on July 23, 2024.
If you’re interested in browsing through further reading related to Juliet’s novels, Southern Italy, and Italian-American immigration, including the authors mentioned during the conversation, click here.
There is a fun Book Club Dinner Party Guide available on Juliet’s website.
Follow Juliet’s book tour.

– Also Mentioned –
Spot Goes to the Farm by Eric Hill
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames
Women of the Shadows by Ann Cornelisen

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

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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

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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!

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Episode 209 - Author Spotlight with Sara Paretsky

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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.

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Episode 208 - Author Spotlight with Sara B. Franklin

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Author Sara B. Franklin

Episode 208 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 –
The Glass Studio – Sandra Yannone (CW)
Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma – Dr. Mariel Buqué (EF)(audiobook)
The House That Horror Built – Christina Henry (CW)
The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains – Chris Bradley, Sara Franklin, and Mike Cioffi (EF)
Head over to Ingredient One for Emily’s conversation about the Lemon Meringue Pie.

– Just Read –
The One-In-A-Million Boy – Monica Wood (EF)
Moby Dick – Herman Melville (CW)
Emily read two short stories:
“Ernie’s Ark” from the collection Ernies’s Ark: The Abbott Falls Stories (audiobook) by Monica Wood.
“Chapter Two” by Antonya Nelson from Best American Short Stories 2013 edited by Elizabeth Strout.  
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World – Cal Newport (CW)
The Paris Novel – Ruth Reichl (EF)
James – Percival Everett (CW)(audiobook)(narrated by Dominic Hoffman)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to New York City to visit Aunt Ellen and The Ripped Bodice bookstore.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily is heading to RJ Julia Booksellers to see Our Mystery Man John Valeri in conversation with Tom Straw about his new novel The Accidental Joe.

Chris and Emily are going 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.
Check out our video about Ann Petry, the James Pharmacy, and featuring “the bug” in front of the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook.

Chris and Emily are planning to attend The Cape Cod Book Festival from November 1-3, 2024.

– Upcoming Reads –
In Memoriam reads in honor of Jenny Colvin from the Reading Envy podcast.
Chris is reading Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean by Jonathan White
Emily is reading: This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Please join the readalong and share your memories of Jenny on this Goodreads thread.

Neighbors and Other Stories – Diane Oliver (CW)
Wrapped in Red: Thirteen Tales of Vampiric Horror – edited by Jennifer L. Green (CW)
The Secret, Book & Scone Society – Ellery Adams (EF)
The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book One – Nora Roberts (EF)(CW)

– Out Now –
Flyboy – Kasey LeBlanc
The Guncle Abroad – Steven Rowley
Cactus Country: A Boyhood Memoir – Zoë Bossiere

– Author Spotlight with Sara B. Franklin –
Learn more about Sara here and follow her book tour.
Books by Sara:
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America release date 5/28/2024
The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains
Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original

Read Chris’s blog post about seeing Judith Jones in conversation with Adam Gopnik.

If you’re interested in reading a book written by Judith Jones, Sara recommends starting with The Pleasures of Cooking for One: A Cookbook.

– Also Mentioned –
How to Read A Book by Monica Wood
Ulysses by James Joyce
Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains by Kerri Arsenault
Dear Life by Alice Munro
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
Shakespeare & Company Bookstore
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Also by Percival Everett: Erasure and The Trees
American Fiction movie
Author Anne Rice
Mystery Writers of America NY chapter
Julie & Julia film
The Tenth Muse: My Life in Foods by Judith Jones
The Diary of Anne Frank
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck

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

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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!

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Episode 206 - Author Spotlight with Rebecca Rego Barry

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Episode 206 Show Notes

– 2nd Quarter 2024 Readalong –
Our first quarter readalong The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book One by Nora Roberts.  Our 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)
How to Read – Monica Wood (EF) release date 5/7/2024
Spoon River Anthology – Edgar Lee Masters (EF)
Bless Your Heart – Lindy Ryan (CW)
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America – Sara B. Franklin (EF) release date 5/28/2024

– Just Read –
Piglet – Lottie Hazell (EF)
The Stolen Child – Ann Hood release date 5/7/2024
Reflections in a Golden Eye – Carson McCullers (CW)(EF)
Emily read two short stories:
“Touchless Bidet” by Omar El Akkad from the collection Small Odysseys: Selected Shorts Presents 35 New Stories edited by Hannah Tinti
“A Simple Question” from the collection Old Crimes: And Other Stories by Jill McCorkle

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a Biblio Adventure to New York City but were re-routed due to an earthquake and ended up visiting the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library in New Haven where they saw current exhibits featuring James Baldwin, Frederick Douglas, and Ollie Harrington. Check out the video with highlights of our day here.

Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Nyack, NY to meet their friend Kate and visit the home of Carson McCullers. They discussed the short story “Reflections in a Golden Eye” and the new Mary Dearborn biography Carson McCullers: A Life over lunch at the Art Cafe. They stopped at the Nyack Library and it’s book sale where Chris picked up a copy of Old Filth by Jane Gardam and Kate snagged a copy of All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby. They visited Oak Hill Cemetery to pay respects to Carson McCullers. On the way back to town they found a little free library, then visited both Big Red Books and Pickwick Bookshop.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily look forward to seeing Caroline Leavitt discuss her new book Days of Wonder at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT on Wednesday, April 24th at 6:00 pm.

Chris is registered for a virtual event featuring Kacy Dowd Tillman discussing her book Stripped and Script: Loyalist Women Writers of the American Revolution via the Congregational Library & Archives.

Emily plans to attend a showing of the film Enchanted April at Madison Theatre based on the novel The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim.

– Upcoming Reads –
A Chance Meeting: American Encounters – Rachel Cohen (CW)
Pride and Preston Lin – Christina Hwang Dudley (EF)

– Out Now –
Honor the Dead – Amy Tector
check out our Friday Reads video with Amy
Weird Black Girls: Stories – Elwin Cotman
Dear Wendy – Ann Zhao
The Paris Novel – Ruth Reichl
Days of Wonder – Caroline Leavitt

– Author Spotlight with Rebecca Rego Barry –
We chat with Rebecca about her book The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells.
You can learn more about Rebecca and her books here.

– Also Mentioned –
Hoopla now offers bingepasses!
The One-In-A-Million Boy by Monica Wood
Newburyport Literary Festival
Also by Carson McCullers: The Member of the Wedding and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Carson McCullers: A Life by Mary Dearborn
Kurt Vonnegut
“Carson McCullers” by Charles Bukowski
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center
Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT
Third State Books
“A Penitential Week” by Carolyn Wells
FineBooks and Collections Magazine
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Murder in the Bookshop by Carolyn Wells

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.