Episode 22 - Author Spotlight with Shuly Xochitl Cawood

Author Shuly Cawood talks with Chris and Emily about her new memoir The Going and Goodbye.

Author Spotlight with Shuly Xóchitl Cawood

The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir

 Shuly’s blog can be found here: http://www.shulycawood.com/blog-1/

About the book and how to purchase it:
http://www.shulycawood.com/memoir/

– Also Mentioned –
The poem “The Writer” by Richard Wilbur

Mary Oliver is one of Shuly’s favorite poets. She suggests her poem “Thirst.”

Shuly also recommends the poet Ada Limón and her book Bright Dead Things.

Shuly is currently reading Mandy Len Catron’s book How to Fall in Love with Anyone: A Memoir in Essays.

Episode 21 - Bookswap, Bookworm, Colfer, Roorbach and Twain

Bookworm Bookstore in Surf City, Long Beach Island, New Jersey. 
Super cute store with an excellent selection.

Episode Twenty One Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

– Grapes of Wrath Read-Along –
Chris and Emily will be doing a joint read of John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath. The discussion of the book will be live on August 22nd. If you have any questions or comments you would like us to address, please get in touch via email or social media by August 17th. 

– Just Read –
Stay With Me – Ayòbami Adébáyò (EF) release date August 22
Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula – Loren D. Estleman (CW)
     Chris has a review on her blog: read it HERE
The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (EF)
Stasi Child (Karin Müller #1) – David Young (CW)
Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything In Between – Lauren Graham (EF) (audio)
Who Killed Piet Barol? – Richard Mason (EF)

– Currently Reading/Listening –
The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty – Elizabeth L. Silver (EF)
Emma – Jane Austen (CW)
A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Bachman (EF)
Island: The Complete Stories – Alistair MacLeod (EF)
Sea Kayaking and Stand Up Paddling Connecticut, Rhode Island and the Long Island Sound - David Fasulo (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
July 12 – Chris Colfer author of The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT
July 17 – Bill Roorbach author of The Girl of the Lake: Stories at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT
Emily went to Long Beach Island, New Jersey where she visited two bookstores: The Bookworm and LBI Bookswap
Chris visited the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily are off on a joint jaunt to the annual Pequot Library book sale in Southport, CT
July 29 – Benjamin Thomas author of Jack Be Quick at Bookclub Bookstore & More
August 3 – Emily is heading to SpeakUp Storytelling at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT
August 3 – Chris will attend New Haven Noir book launch at The Institute Library in New Haven, CT

– Upcoming Reads –
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck (EF) (CW)
Jack Be Quick – Benjamin Thomas (CW)
The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (CW)

– Also Mentioned –
History of a Pleasure Seeker – Richard Mason
Stasi Wolf (Karin Müller #2) – David Young
Someday, Someday, Maybe – Lauren Graham’s novel
October Road – a television series that Chris has been enjoying
Chris is participating in Austen in August which will be hosted by https://roofbeamreader.com/

Episode 20 - Another giveaway! Upcoming Grapes of Wrath Read Along and more...

To celebrate our 20th episode we are giving away books!

Episode Twenty Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

– Giveaway –
In order to enter please email us via our contact page with the message “Giveaway”: https://www.bookcougars.com/contact/
– The 10th emailer will receive –
Shiver Hitch – Linda Greenlaw
The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
– The 20th emailer will receive –  
The Essex Serpent – Sarah Perry
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler – Jessica Speart
The Constitution of the United States of America

– Grapes of Wrath Read Along –
Chris and Emily will be doing a joint read of John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath. The discussion of the book will be live on August 22nd. If you have any questions or comments you would like us to address, please get in touch via email or social media by August 17th.

 – Just Read –
The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (EF) release date January 2018
New Haven Noir – edited by Amy Bloom (CW) release date August 3
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home – Rhoda Janzen (EF) (audio)
Tokens of Affection: The Letters of a Planter’s Daughter in the Old South – Maria Bryan, Bryan Harford Connell, Carol K. Bleser (Editor) – (CW)
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng (EF) release date September 12

– Currently Reading/Listening –
The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty – Elizabeth L. Silver (EF)
Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula – Loren D. Estleman (CW)
Stay With Me – Ayòbami Adébáyò (EF) release date August 22

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily watched the BFG based on the Roald Dahl book. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
June 29 – Chris and Emily went to Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore to see Weike Wang author of Chemistry
July 7 – Laura Thoma author of Mastering the Art of Self-Expression in conversation with John Valeri at Bookclub Bookstore & More

COMING IN AUGUST: Chris and Emily are doing a read along of the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
The next author spotlight with Shuly Cawood to discuss her new memoir: The Going and Goodbye.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
July 12 – Chris Colfer author of The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT
July 17 – Bill Roorbach author of The Girl of the Lake: Stories at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT
July 29 – Benjamin Thomas author of Jack Be Quick at Bookclub Bookstore & More
Emily is headed to Long Beach Island, New Jersey where she will visit: The Bookworm and LBI Bookswap
Then she is headed to Quoque, Long Island where she will visit: Open Book and Burton’s Book Store

– Upcoming Reads –
The Farm in the Green Mountains – Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer (EF)
Black Orchid Blues – Persia Walker (CW)
The Going and Goodbye: A Memoir – Shuly Xóchitl Cawood (CW) (EF)
http://www.shulycawood.com/memoir/
Available from the UK Publisher: http://platypuspress.co.uk/thegoingandgoodbye
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-going-and-goodbye-shuly-x-chitl-cawood/1126550596?ean=9780993532191
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Going-and-Goodbye-Shuly-Xochitl-Cawood/9780993532191

– Also Mentioned –
Episode 90 of Reading Envy where they discuss East of Eden – John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck Museum
Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng
McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, MI

Episode 19 - Our first author spotlight with Laura Thoma

Laura Thoma author of Mastering the Art of Self Expression: A Creative Journaling Workbook stops by for a chat with the Book Cougars.

Episode Nineteen Show Notes

Author Spotlight with Laura Thoma

Mastering the Art of Self-Expression: A Creative Journaling Workbook

Learn more about Laura’s workbook and online buying options here.

You can also purchase the book via Book Club Bookstore & More (860-432-7411)

Chris and Laura’s business with online self-development classes can be found at: RoadToSuccess.live

– Upcoming Adventure –
July 7 – Laura will be at Book Club Bookstore & More participating in a Q&A with John Valeri

– Currently Reading/Listening –
Laura is currently reading: The Right - Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success – Jennifer Lee and Chris Guillebeau

– Also Mentioned –
Mastering the Art of French Cooking – Julia Child and Simone Beck
My Life in France – Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living – Julie Powell

Episode 18 - We won a raffle from New York Review Books - yay more books!

We got a surprise in the mail! Dropping a business card at the New York Review Books booth at BookExpo paid off. We won the raffle and received this amazing box of sixteen books. See the show notes below for book titles and authors.

Episode Eighteen Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

– Just Read –
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body – Roxane Gay (CW)(EF)
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones (EF) release date February 2018
The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW)

books we Just Couldn’t Read (or DNF’d)
The Essex Serpent – Sarah Perry (CW)

– Currently Reading/Listening –
This I Believe: Life Lessons – edited by Dan Gediman, Mary Jo Gediman and John Gregory (EF)
New Haven Noir – edited by Amy Bloom (CW) release date August 3
The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (EF) release date January 2018
The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty – Elizabeth L. Silver (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
June 14 – Annual Meeting of The Community Fund for Women & Girls of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Guest Speakers: Linda Sarsour and Rebecca Traister
Rebecca is the author of: All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation and Big Girls Don’t Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women
Look into donating to your local community foundation!
June 14 – Chris went to RJ Julia Bookstore to see Linda Greenlaw author of Shiver Hitch

– Upcoming Jaunts –
June 29 – Chris and Emily will head to Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore to see Weike Wang author of Chemistry
July 7 – Laura Thoma author of Mastering the Art of Self-Expression in conversation with John Valeri at Bookclub Bookstore

– Upcoming Reads –
Jack be Quick – Benjamin Thomas (CW)
Hack-Proof Your Life Now! – Sean M. Bailey and Devin Kropp (EF)
Love and Other Consolation Prizes – Jamie Ford (EF)

– New York Review Books Raffle Booklist –
Agony – Mark Bayer
Wish Her Safe at Home – Stephen Benatar
The New York Stories of Elizabeth Hardwick – Elizabeth Hardwick
In Love – Alfred Hayes
Loving – Henry Green
Don’t Look Now – Daphne Du Maurier
Tolstoy, Rasputin, Others, And Me – The Best of Teffi
The Dud Avocado –Elaine Dundy
Family Lexicon – Natalia Ginzburg
The If Borderlands: Collected Poems – Elise Partridge
During the Reign of the Queen of Persia – Joan Chase
The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe – D.G. Compton
The Vet’s Daughter – Barbara Comyns
The Farm in the Green Mountains – Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer
The Invention of Morel – Adolfo Bioy Casares
A Month in The Country – J.L. Carr

– Also Mentioned –
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler – Jessica Speart  
Rachel Porter mystery series – Jessica Speart
My Cousin Rachel – Daphne Du Maurier
Stoner – John Williams

Episode 17 - The Cougars go bicoastal visiting both Portland's in the same week!

Episode Seventeen Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

– Just Read –
It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too) – Nora McInerny (EF)
     Aaron Joseph Purmort’s obituary
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis – J.D. Vance (CW)
History of Wolves – Emily Fridlund (EF)
Shiver Hitch – Linda Greenlaw (EF & CW)
The Grand Central Baking Book – Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson (EF)
Georgia – Dawn Tripp (EF)

– Currently Reading/Listening –
The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW)
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home – Rhoda Janzen (EF) (audio)

– Biblio Adventures –
May 23 – Girls Write Now Awards
     Awards were given to: Zadie Smith, Sophia Amoruso, Ilana Glazer, Melissa Harris-Perry, Abbi      Jacobson
     Melissa Harris-Perry’s most recent OpEd in the NY Times
     Girls Write Now Anthologies
May 26 – Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore and Russell Library
May 31-June 2 – Book Expo    
Chris went to her niece’s graduation at Williams College where the commencement speaker was Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. Listen to it here.
Chris went out West and visited three bookstores:
     Godfather’s Books and Espresso in Astoria, OR
     Powell’s in Portland, OR
     Green Bean Books in Portland, OR
Emily went up to Maine and visited three bookstores (and chased Linda Greenlaw to no avail):
     Library Bookstore in Bath, ME
     Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops and Cafe in Damariscotta, ME
     Print: A Bookstore in Portland, ME

– Upcoming Jaunts –
June 14 – Chris will head to RJ Julia Bookstore to see Linda Greenlaw author of Shiver Hitch
June 29 – Emily will head to Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore to see Weike Wang author of Chemistry

– Upcoming Reads –
Foxlowe – Eleanor Wasserberg (CW)
The Standard Grand – Jay Baron Nicorvo (CW)
The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin (EF)
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Let the Great World Spin and TransAtlantic - Colum McCann
Silver Sparrow – Tayari Jones
Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Prager
Plainsong – Kent Haruf
Honey Paw Restaurant in Portland, OR
 

Episode 16 - Biblio Adventures galore (and books)

Episode Sixteen Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

Follow up: Kathleen Rooney’s Poems While You Wait proceeds go to her imprint Rose Metal Press

 – Just Read –
Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For – Rebecca Schuman (CW)
Anything is Possible – Elizabeth Strout (EF)
Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940’s & 50’s: A Library of America Boxed Set edited by Sarah Weinman. In A Lonely Place – Dorothy B. Hughes (CW)
Saints for All Occasions – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF)
Red Car – Marcy Dermansky (EF)

books we Just Couldn’t Read (or DNF’d)
Into the Water – Paula Hawkins (CW)
One in a Million Boy – Monica Wood (EF)
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (CW)
Blue Light Yokohama – Nicolás Obregón (EF)

– Currently Reading/Listening –
History of Wolves – Emily Fridlund (EF)
Connecticut Valley Tobacco – Brianna Dunlap (CW)
The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris, Emily and their friend Russell had a trifecta visiting Breakwater Books, RJ Julia Bookseller and the Book Barn all in one day!
Chris, Emily and their friend Julia visited the Emily Dickinson Museum while Russell visited Amherst Books.
Emily went to Powell’s Books in Portland, OR both the main store and the store on Hawthorne to see David Callahan author of The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age.
Emily saw the outside of the bookstore Another Read Through but didn’t get to visit so there is a reason to go back to Portland!
Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see Cathryn Jakobson Ramin discuss her book Crooked: Outwitting the Back Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery.
Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see the Connecticut Coalition of Poets Laureate. They performed readings from Laureates of Connecticut: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily and Chris are planning a joint jaunt to Yale’s Beinecke Library to see an exhibit.
May 23 – Emily is headed into NYC to attend a gala event for the Girls Write Now Awards
May 24 – Chris is headed to Bookclub Bookstore & More to see Brianna Dunlap author of Connecticut Valley Tobacco.
May 31-June 2 – Book Expo America

– Upcoming Reads –
Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Prager (CW)
The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Guilded Age – David Callahan (EF)
It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too) – Nora McInerny (EF)

– Also Mentioned –
Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (CW)
Maine – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF)
Inside Philanthropy is an online resource to learn Who’s Funding What, and Why
Terrible, Thanks for Asking podcast

Episode 15 - Booktopia debrief and book recommendations with our guest Ann Kingman

Episode Fifteen Show Notes

– Biblio Adventures –
Books on the Nightstand debrief with Ann Kingman
Jane Sobel Klonsky – Unconditional: Older Dogs, Deeper Love
Lauren Grodstein – Our Short History
Victor Lodato – Edgar & Lucy
Lisa Ko – The Leavers
Kathleen Rooney – Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Jason Rekulak – The Impossible Fortress
Jim Shepard – The World to Come: Stories
Peter Heller – Celine
Jessica Shattuck – Women in the Castle
Will Schwalbe – Books for Living

– Ann’s Book Recommendations –
Saints for All Occasions – J. Courtney Sullivan
Chemistry: A novel – Weike Wang (release date 5/23/2017)
A House Among the Trees: A novel – Julia Glass (release date 6/13/2017)
Stay With Me – Ayòbami Adébáyò (release date 8/22/2017)
The Red-Haired Woman: A novel – Orhan Pamuk (release date 8/22/2017)
Norma – Sofi Oksanen (release date 9/5/2017)
An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic – Daniel Mendelsohn (release date 9/12/2017)
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery – Scott Kelly (release date 10/17/2017)

– Also Mentioned –
Russell Gray blogs at https://www.inkandpaperblog.com/ and vlogs at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnHIesGYARon0fpRkyBGJoQ
Kathleen Rooney is founder of Poems While You Wait
Jason Rekulak runs the publishing company Quirk Books and he spoke about his book Penis Pokey – look it up!
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Episode 14 - Leg Cramps, F-Bombs, A Passionate Movie Review (and books)

Episode Fourteen Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

The Book Cougars had a great shout out on the Reading Envy podcast: check it out

 – Just Read –
The Impossible Fortress – Jason Rekulak (CW)
The Opposite of Everyone – Joshilyn Jackson (EF)
You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life – Jen Sincero (CW) (audio)

– Currently Reading/Listening –
One in a Million Boy – Monica Wood (EF)
Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For – Rebecca Schuman (CW)
Upstream – Mary Oliver (EF)
How to be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don’t Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up – Emilie Wapnick (CW) 
Click here for Emilie Wapnick’s Ted Talk

– Biblio Adventures –
April 28-29 – Newburyport Literary Festival in Newburyport, MA
Emily talks about the following authors/books:
      Dawn Tripp author of the book Georgia
      Monica Wood author of the book The One In a Million Boy
      Michelle Hoover author of the book Bottomland
      Myfanwy Collins, Nadine Darling, Carla Panciera, Holly Robinson
      Andre Dubus III, Ruth Franklin, Richard Russo
      Caroline Leavitt author of the book Cruel, Beautiful World
Chris participated in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon
Chris and Emily talk about A Quiet Passion – the new film about the life of Emily Dickinson. You can watch the trailer here. Chris gives it a thumbs down and Emily gives it a thumbs up.
Independent Bookstore Day – Emily was at Jabberwocky Bookshop. Chris was at the newly opened Bookclub Bookstore & More!

– Upcoming Jaunts –
May 5-6 – BOOKTOPIA – at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT
May 15 – Emily is heading to Powell’s Books in Portland, OR to see David Callahan author of The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age
May 24 – Chris is headed to Bookclub Bookstore & More! to see Brianna Dunlap author of Connecticut Valley Tobacco.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Leavers – Lisa Ko (EF)
Into the Water – Paula Hawkins (CW)
Connecticut Valley Tobacco – Brianna Dunlap (CW)

– Also Mentioned –
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains – Nicholas Carr  
James and the Giant Peach / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Russell Gray blogs at https://www.inkandpaperblog.com/
 

Episode 13 - Birds, Dickinson, The Dude Diet, Playboy, Steinbeck (and books)

Episode Thirteen Show Notes
CW = Chris Wolak
EF = Emily Fine

– Just Read –
Celine – Peter Heller (CW) (EF)
The Impossible Fortress – Jason Rekulak (EF)
Our Short History – Lauren Grodstein (EF) (audio)
Book of Aron – Jim Shepard (EF)
The Leavers – Lisa Ko (CW)
Just Mercy: The Story of Justice and Redemption (CW) (audio)
The Lotterys Plus One - Emma Donoghue (CW) – DNF’d (did not finish, but passed it on to Emily)

– Currently Reading/Listening –
You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life – Jen Sincero (CW) (audio)
The Women in the Castle – Jessica Shattuck (CW)
The Opposite of Everyone – Joshilyn Jackson (EF)
The Dude Diet Cookbook – Serena Wolf (CW) – Chris wrote about her foray into cooking from this cookbook on her blog.

– Biblio Adventures –
April 6 – Chris went to the Mark Twain House to hear Ann M. Ryan discuss The Haunted Mark Twain
April 20th – RJ Julia Booksellers – Jennifer Ackerman author of The Genius of Birds
Emily watched A Quiet Passion – the new film about the life of Emily Dickinson. You can watch the trailer here.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
April 28-29 – Newburyport Literary Festival in Newburyport, MA
April 29 – Independent Bookstore day – GO SHOPPING! Chris is heading to Bookclub Bookstore for their grand opening that day. Emily will be shopping at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport, MA.
May 5-6 – BOOKTOPIA – at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT
Chris is hoping to see A Quiet Passion – the film that Emily already got to see. Then we can discuss!
On the way home from Vermont we will stop by the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA.
AND, Amherst Books in Amherst, MA.

– Upcoming Reads –
Blue Light Yokohama – Nicolás Obregón (EF)
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk – Kathleen Rooney (CW)

– Also Mentioned –
Upstream – Mary Oliver
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Middlemarch – George Eliot
Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin