Episode 234 - Author Spotlight with Elissa Altman

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Author Spotlight with Elissa Altman

Episode 234 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
One of Ours – Willa Cather (CW)
Feeding Ghosts – Tessa Hulls (EF)
Renegade Girls: A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-Rousing  – Nora Neus, illustrated by Julie Robine (CW)
The Good House – Tananarive Due (EF) (audiobook)        
The Forest for the Trees – Betsy Lerner (EF)

– Just Read –
The Good House – Tananarive Due (CW)
Leaving – Roxana Robinson (EF)
When I Was Straight – Julie Marie Wade (CW)
Permission: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create – Elissa Altman (EF) (audiobook)
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend – Rebecca Romney (CW)
Green Tea by Sheridan Le Fanu by Charles Dickens from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce (CW)(EF) (audiobook)   

– Episode Sponsor –
True Home by Janet Clare
Learn more about Janet and her writing here.

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to NYC to visit Aunt Ellen. Stops included the Belle de Costa Green exhibit at The Morgan Library & Museum and the Selected Shorts: Classics with a Twist with Meg Wolitzer and Friends at Symphony Space.

Emily went to Hartford Theater Works to attending Matthew Dick’s one man show Shovel.

Chris met a friend for coffee at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore in Middletown, CT then she strolled Wesleyan University’s campus and discovered another outpost of RJ’s bookstore, unfortunately it was closed.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris is heading on a trip to Chicago to visit her mom and has some fun stops planned on the drive.

Emily signed up to attend a writing workshop with Betsy Lerner at the Willoughby Wallace Library and a List Essay Workshop with Shuly Cawood on May 28 from 2:30-5:30. 

Emily is registered for an event at RJ Julia Booksellers on Tuesday, May 20 at 6 pm (ET) to see Amy Bloom in conversation with her daughter Sarah Moon to discuss Sarah’s new novel Family Week.

– Upcoming Reads –
A Family Matter – Claire Lynch (EF)
The Belgian Girls – Kathryn J. Atwood (CW)
52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing – David A. Robertson (CW)
A Century of Queer Korean Fiction – Samuel Perry (CW)
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce up next is The Ghost in the Cap’n Brown House by Harriet Beecher Stowe. If you would like to join us there is a schedule available on Goodreads or we can email a copy.

– Out Now –
Speak to Me of Home – Jeannine Cummins
Food Person – Adam Roberts

– Author Spotlight with Elissa Altman –
We talk with Elissa about her writing life and her books including Permission: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create. Learn more about Elissa here.

– 2025 Readalong Theme and 2nd Quarter Book –
Our theme for 2025 is Ghost Stories! Click here to follow everything Ghost Stories 2025.

There is a ghost story discussion thread on Goodreads. Come tell us about your favorite ghost stories or those you are interested in reading.

The 2nd Quarter Readalong and our Episode 230 Giveaway is The Good House by Tananarive Due. The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, June 8th at 7pm (ET). Send us an email if you would like to join. You can join the online conversation via the Goodreads discussion thread.

Over the course of the year, we will be reading The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce, one story at a time. If you would like to join us there is a schedule available on Goodreads or we can email a copy.

– Also Mentioned –
James by Percival Everett
Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
The English Patient by Michael Ondatjee
Killers of a Certain Age and Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn
Watch our conversation with Deanna on BookTube
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
Author Bram Stoker
Abridged Classics: Brief Summaries of Books You Were Supposed to Read but Probably Didn't by John Atkinson
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
SpeakUp storytelling
Kaweco pens
St. Louis Art Supply Company
Heaven’s Coast by Mark Doty
Saving Ellen: A Memoir of Hope and Recovery by Maura Casey

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 233 - Author Spotlight with Matthew Goodman

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Episode 233 with author Matthew Goodman

Episode 233 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
The Good House – Tananarive Due (CW)
Leaving – Roxana Robinson (EF)
The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen [A Cookbook] – Steve Sando, Julia Newberry (EF)

– Just Read –
Ephemera: A Memoir – Briana Loewinsohn (CW)
Food Person – Adam Roberts (EF) release date 5/20/2025
The Signal Man by Charles Dickens from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce (CW)(EF) (audiobook)   
Two essays from The Portable Feminist Reader:
“Being Female” by Eileen Myles
“If Men Could Menstruate” by Gloria Steinem
Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal – Matthew Goodman (CW)(EF) (audiobook)   

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt to Bank Square Books to see Maura Casey discuss her memoir Saving Ellen. Check out our conversation with Maura here. Chris also met with our friend Kate at the Mystic Noank Library where they discussed their buddy reads of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë and Old New York by Edith Wharton.

Chris and Emily attended Matthew Goodman’s event at the Guilford Free Library. His new book is Paris Undercover.

Joined by The Gentleman Caller, Chris and Emily celebrated Independent Bookstore Day by visiting Breakwater Books and RJ Julia Booksellers.  Purchases included: a couple of Indestructibles, The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back by Madiba K. Dennie, Peppa the Pig Loves to Bake, Pigeon Stationery, and a Leuchtturm notebook.  And they picked up the CT Book Trail Passport.

Emily attended Cherry Jubilee in NYC sponsored by Cherry Bombe. Asma Khan Monsoon owner The Darjeeling Express

Emily and Chris hosted the monthly Patreon Reading Salon on Zoom, the theme was poetry, and it was a lovely evening.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
The next Patreon Reading Salon is on May 25th at 7 pm (ET). We will be discussing our plans for reading Big Books (over 400 pages) for Sue Jackson’s Summer Reading Challenge.

Chris and Emily are heading on a joint jaunt to NYC to visit Aunt Ellen. Stops include the Belle de Costa Green exhibit at The Morgan Library & Museum and the Selected Shorts: Classics with a Twist with Meg Wolitzer and Friends at Symphony Space.

After picking up CT Book Trail Passport, Chris and Emily are planning to visit all 23 bookstores by Labor Day, September 1, 2025.

Emily is registered for an event at RJ Julia Booksellers on Tuesday, May 20 at 6 pm (ET) to see Amy Bloom in conversation with her daughter Sarah Moon to discuss Sarah’s new novel Family Week.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce up next is Green Tea by Sheridan Le Fanu. If you would like to join us there is a schedule available on Goodreads or we can email a copy.
The Correspondent – Virginia Evans (EF)
Feeding Ghosts – Tessa Hulls (EF)
Renegade Girls: A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-Rousing  – Nora Neus, illustrated by Julie Robine (CW)
A Well Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy – Tia Levings (CW)
Check out Tia Levings interview on Heart of the Story podcast

– Out Now –
Little Great Island – Kate Woodworth
Love Is For All of Us: Poems of Tenderness and Belonging from the LGBTQ+ Community and Friends co-edited with his husband Brad Peacock, illustrated by Lisa Congdon

– Author Spotlight with Matthew Goodman –
Matthew was featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 95 discussing his book The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team. His new book is Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal.

You can learn more about Matthew here.

– 2025 Readalong Theme and 2nd Quarter Book –
Our theme for 2025 is Ghost Stories! Click here to follow everything Ghost Stories 2025.
There is a ghost story discussion thread on Goodreads. Come tell us about your favorite ghost stories or those you are interested in reading.

The 2nd Quarter Readalong is The Good House by Tananarive Due. The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, June 8th at 7pm (ET). Send us an email if you would like to join. You can join the online conversation via the Goodreads discussion thread.

Over the course of the year, we will be reading The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce, one story at a time. If you would like to join us there is a schedule available on Goodreads or we can email a copy.

– Also Mentioned –
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Author Fiona Davis
Author and Broadcast Journalist Noah Adams
The Many Lives of Anne Frank by Ruth Franklin

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 232 - Author Spotlight with Eowyn Ivey

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Author Spotlight with Eowyn Ivey

Episode 232 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
The Good House – Tananarive Due (CW)
Food Person – Adam Roberts (EF) release date 5/20/2025

– Just Read –
Happy Land – Dolan Perkins-Valdez (CW)
Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling – Matthew Dicks (EF) (audiobook)
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World – Cal Newport (CW) (audiobook)
The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits – Jennifer Weiner (EF)
Old New York – Edith Wharton (CW)
Black Woods Blue Sky – Eowyn Ivey (EF)
The North Mail by Amelia B. Edwards from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce (CW)(EF)

– Episode Sponsor –
LOVE IS FOR ALL OF US: Poems of Tenderness and Belonging from the LGBTQ+ Community and Friends co-edited by James Crews and Brad Peacock, illustrated by Lisa Congdon.
Learn more James Crews here.

Watch our conversation with James Crews over on BookTube.

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily went on a joint jaunt via the Mark Twain House to hear Ethan Rutherford in conversation with Amity Gaige about her novel Heartwood. Ethan’s novel is North Sun, or the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther.

Chris participated in a virtual book club event via The Mount discussing Edith Wharton’s A Son at the Front and Willa Cather’s One of Ours.

Chris joined the Zoom conversation for Colleen’s Cather reading challenge  where they discussed by Willa Cather and follow her at https://www.instagram.com/colleenka/.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
On April 16, Chris and Emily are heading on a joint jaunt to Bank Square Books to see Maura Casey discuss her memoir Saving Ellen. Check out our conversation with Maura here.

On April 23rd Chris and Emily will be attending Matthew Goodman’s event at the Guilford Free Library. His new book is Paris Undercover. Matthew was featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 95 discussing his book The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team.

On May 4th Emily will be attending Matthew Dick’s one man show Shovel at the Hartford Theater works. You can purchase tickets here.

– Upcoming Reads –
The Belgian Girls – Kathryn J. Atwood (CW) release date 5/8/2025
Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal – Matthew Goodman (EF)(audiobook)
Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier (EF)
Anne Brontë Nightwalker: A Brontë Blood Chronicle – Gea Haff (CW)
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce up next is The Signal Man by Charles Dickens. If you would like to join us there is a schedule available on Goodreads or we can email a copy.

– Author Spotlight with Eowyn Ivey –
We talk with Eowyn about her book Black Woods Blue Sky.
Learn more about Eowyn here.
Take a tour of Eowyn’s writing cottage.

– 2025 Readalong Theme and 2nd Quarter Book –
Our theme for 2025 is Ghost Stories! Click here to follow everything Ghost Stories 2025.
There is a ghost story discussion thread on Goodreads. Come tell us about your favorite ghost stories or those you are interested in reading.

The 2nd Quarter Readalong and our Episode 230 Giveaway is The Good House by Tananarive Due. The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, June 8th at 7pm (ET). Send us an email if you would like to join. You can join the online conversation via the Goodreads discussion thread.

Over the course of the year, we will be reading The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce, one story at a time. If you would like to join us there is a schedule available on Goodreads or we can email a copy.

– Also Mentioned –
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
The American Queen by Vanessa Miller
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Collins
A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy
Robert Elsmere by Mary Augusta Ward
Also by Eowyn: The Snow Child and To The Bright Edge of the World
True Grit by Charles Portis
The film An American Werewolf in London
Author Annie Dillard
Author Robin Wall Kimmerer
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Booktuber Melinda at A Web of Stories
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Odyssey by Homer

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 223 - Author Spotlight with Brian D. Kennedy

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Author Brian D. Kennedy

Episode 223 Show Notes

ALLOWABLES by Nikki Giovanni

I killed a spider
Not a murderous brown recluse
Nor even a black widow
And if the truth were told this
Was only a small
Sort of papery spider
Who should have run
When I picked up the book
But she didn’t
And she scared me
And I smashed her
I don’t think
I’m allowed
To kill something
Because I am
Frightened

– Currently Reading –
All Fours – Miranda July (EF)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Anne Bronte (CW)
Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom – Ilyon Woo (EF) (audiobook)

– Just Read –
The God of the Woods – Liz Moore (CW)
Into the Uncut Grass – Trevor Noah, illustrated by Sabina Hahn (EF)
Hanukkah Pajamakkahs – Dara Henry, illustrated by Olga & Aleksey Ivanov (CW)
Momma’s Going to March – Jennifer Maruno, illustrated by Vivian Rosas (CW)

Emily read short stories:
“A First-Rate Material” by Sayaka Murata from Life Ceremony: Stories translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
“The Christmas Book Hunt” by Jenny Colgan

A Little Bit Country – Brian D. Kennedy (CW)(EF)

– Biblio Adventure –
Chris was in Chicago and had a browse at the Frugal Muse Books where she snagged a copy of Studies in Classic American Literature by D.H. Lawrence. She also spotted a little free library in Downer’ Grove that was designed, constructed, and installed by an elementary school class.

Emily and her granddaughter Neena had a great adventure traveling from Michigan to Connecticut via plane. Once in Connecticut, they visited the West Hartford, Cromwell, and Wallingford Public Libraries.

Chris and Emily enjoyed the 4th quarter readalong discussion with listeners and readers about A Little Bit Country.

Chris was a guest on Shawn Breathe’s Books about DNF’ing books. You can watch the video here.

Emily DNF’d the new serialized version of Like Water for Chocolate based on the novel by Laura Esquivel.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily are planning to attend a conversation between Juliet Grames and Luanne Rice at the Essex Public Library talking about their books The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia and If Anything Happens to Me.

The next Reading Salon will be on Sunday, December 22 at 7PM (ET), we will be chatting about our favorite reads of 2024. You can join our Patreon Community here.

Chris and Emily are both excited to see Laura Thoma’s play Miss Margaret Barton’s Cottage Christmas Surprise. The show runs from December 13-21, you can purchase tickets here.  

– Upcoming Reads –
The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson (CW)(EF)
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life – Ruth Franklin (CW)(EF)
“The Inn” short story from the collection The Necklace and Other Tales – Guy de Maupassant (CW)
Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey – Ngozi Ukazu (EF)
“In the Stacks” by Robin Sloan from the Hingston & Olsen Short Story Advent Calendar (EF)

– 2025 Readalong Theme and 1st Quarter Book –
Our theme for 2025 is Ghost Stories!
The 1st Quarter Readalong is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
We will also be doing a companion read of Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin.

Please join the online conversation via the Goodreads discussion thread.

– Author Spotlight with Brian D. Kennedy –
We talk with Brian about his debut novel A Little Bit Country.
Check out Brian’s website.

– Also Mentioned –
The Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington Depot, CT
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Hum If You Don’t Know the Words by Bianca Marais
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Also by Jennifer Colgan: The Bookshop on the Corner and Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
A Child’s Garden of Verses by Stevenson
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Chocolat by Joanne Harris and the movie starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche
Montgomery and Taggert Bookstore
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli and the movie Love, Simon
Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
My Fair Brady by Brian D. Jenkins
Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

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 221 - Trial by Ambush with Marcia Clark and John Valeri

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Book Cougars Episode 221

Episode 221 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
Imagination: A Manifesto – Ruha Benjamin (CW)
Be Ready When the Luck Happens – Ina Garten (EF)(audiobook)
Advice for New Faculty Members – Robert Boice (CW)
Walking Well: A New Approach for Comfort, Vitality, and Inspiration in Every Step – Michael J. Gelb and Bruce Fertman

– Just Read –
Emily read short stories:
“The Statue and the Bust” from The Collected Short Stories of Shirley Hazzard edited by Brigitta Olubas
“Let the Chips Fall” by Emily Ross from the collection Devil’s Snare: Best New England Crime Stories by 2024 edited by Ang Pompano, Leslie Wheeler, and Susan Oleksiw
“Debris” from the collection A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo
“Good Enough” from the collection A Small Thing to Want by Shuly Cawood

This Cursed House – Del Sandeen (CW)
Shred Sisters – Betsy Lerner (EF) (audiobook)
Armadale – Wilkie Collins (CW)
The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts – Mary Claire Haver, MD (EF)
Read the recent article about Dr. Mary Claire Haver in the New York Times.
A Little Bit Country – Brian D. Kennedy (CW)
Where They Last Saw Her – Marcie R. Rendon (EF)
What Feelings Do When No One’s Looking – Tina Oziewicz, illustrated by Aleksandra Zajac and translated by Jennifer Croft (CW)
Something, Someday – Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Christian Robinson (CW)

– Biblio Adventure –
Emily went with her daughter Rachel and granddaughter Neena to the Guilford Free Library. Where they picked up a copy Miss MacDonald Has a Farm by Kalee Gwarjanski, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic.

Chris virtually attended an event via Concord Festival of Authors, “The Scrolls of the Past Burn My Fingers”: Reviving Margaret Fuller with Professors Brigitte Bailey, Leslie Eckel, and Megan Marshall co-editors of the forthcoming Margaret Fuller: Collected Writing (LOA #388).

Chris went to Breakwater Books where the owner gave her a copy of The Lilac People by Milo Todd.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily will be attending the Cherry Bombe member book club of Ina Garten’s memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

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

– Upcoming Reads –
Fingersmith – Sarah Waters (CW)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Anne Bronte (CW)
Night Side of the River – Jeanette Winterson (EF)

– Spotlight with Marcia Clark and Our Mystery Man –
You can learn more about Marcia Clark here.
Her new book is Trial By Ambush: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth about the Case of Barbara Graham.
You can learn more about John here.
You can also follow his interviews with mystery authors on his YouTube Channel Central Booking.

– Poem Read by Emily –

Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver
 If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
of lives and whole towns destroyed or about
to be. We are not wise, and not very often
kind. And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this
is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world. It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant
when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the
case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

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

– Also Mentioned –
Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want – Ruha Benjamin
Check out the Book Cougars Nonfiction November Video
Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
Drafting the Past podcast
The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis
Also by Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White and The Moonstone
Broken Fields by Marcie R. Rendon
O Beautiful by Jung Yun
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Proof of Guilt: Barbara Graham and the Politics of Executing Women in America by Kathleen A. Cairns

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 218 - Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma

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Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma

Episode 218 Show Notes

See the complete list of MacArthur Genius Grant Winners here.

– Currently Reading –
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Bookseller’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend – Rebecca Romney (CW)
Listen to our conversation with Rebecca Romney on Episode 207.
The Mighty Red – Louise Erdrich (EF) (audiobook)
Armadale – Wilkie Collins (CW)

– Just Read –
Emily read two short stories via the Decameron Project:
“Clinical Notes” by Liz Moore
“Recognition” by Victor LaValle

The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh – Claudia Gray (CW)
Long Bright River – Liz Moore (EF) (audiobook)
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens (CW)
Swan Song – Elin Hildebrand (EF) (audiobook)
That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in American – Amanda Jones (CW) (audiobook)
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle: An Uplifting and Unforgettable Story of Love and Second Chances – Matt Cain (EF) (audiobook)

– Episode Sponsor –
The Anguish of Alzheimer's: The Years of Mom's Dementia by Ann Watt.
Learn more about Ann Watt here.

– Biblio Adventure –
Chris and Emily co-hosted James R. Benn and his 19th Billy Boyle mystery The Phantom Patrol with Bank Square Books at the Mystic & Noank Library. It was great to see listener Karen (@barkerforbooks) who drove all the way from Maine to attend. Chris and Emily visited the new location of Bank Square Books; Chris bought a copy of The Militia House by John Milas.

Next up was a trip to the Windham-Campbell Literary Festival where they shopped at the Possible Futures Bookmobile. Chris bought a copy of Nigh-No-Place by Jen Hadfield and Emily bought a copy of Hanif Abdurraqib’s There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension.

Chris and Emily attended the grand opening of Montgomery & Taggert, Connecticut’s first Romance Bookstore! They also went to Legacy Theatre to see a production of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.

Emily listened to an episode of Kelly Corrigan Wonders with Katie Porter talking about The Great Gatsby.

– Episode Sponsor –
Not Yours to Keep by Zelly Ruskin
Learn more about Zelly Ruskin here.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
On October 9th Chris and Emily are heading to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA and the Montague Book Mill.

On October 8th, Emily plans to attend an event at RJ Julia’s Booksellers with Betsy Lerner and her debut novel Shred Sisters.

– Upcoming Reads –
Trial by Ambush: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth about the Case of Barbara Graham – Marcia Clark (CW)(EF)
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore – Evan Friss (EF)
Slow Horses – Mick Herron (EF)

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

– Out Now –
The Bog Wife – Kay Chronister
American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond – Jeremy Dauber
The Mighty Red – Louise Erdrich

– Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma –
Laura’s play Miss Margaret's Barton Cottage Christmas Surprise will be performed at Drama Works Theatre Company from December 13-21, 2024. You can purchase tickets here.

Learn more about Laura here.

Laura has appeared on previous episodes of the podcast: Episode 19, Episode 66, and Episode 127.

– Also Mentioned –
Download the Romance Bingo Card!
Author Ruha Benjamin and her book Viral Justice
Author Frances Burney
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Also by Claudia Gray: The Murder of Mr. Wickham and The Late Mrs. Willoughby
Heft by Liz Moore
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Hanif Abdurraqib’s podcast Object of Sound
Also by  Betsy Lerner: Food and Loathing, The Forest for the Trees, and The Bridge Ladies.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Happiest Season movie
Under the Christmas Tree movie
Single All the Way movie

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 217 - Author Spotlight with James R. Benn

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Author James R. Benn

Episode 217 Show Notes

– Currently Reading –
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens (CW)
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Bookseller’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend – Rebecca Romney (CW)
Listen to our conversation with Rebecca Romney on Episode 207.
That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in American – Amanda Jones (CW) (audiobook)
The Mighty Red – Louise Erdrich (EF) release date 10/1/2024

– Just Read –
Envy – Sandra Brown (CW)(EF) (audiobook)
The Most – Jessica Anthony (EF)
The Gathering – C.J. Tudor (CW)
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver (EF) (audiobook)
Out at the Plate: The Dot Wilkinson Story – Lynn Ames (CW)

Emily read two short stories:
“The Miracle Years of Little Fork” by Rebecca Makkai from the collection Music for Wartime and published in Summer 2015 Ploughshares literary magazine. “Why Were They Throwing Bricks?” by Jenny Zhang from the collection Sour Heart and published in Spring 2017 n+1 literary magazine.

– Biblio Adventure –
Chris and Laura continue to rewatch the Harry Potter movies.

Emily had two couch biblio adventures, Slow Horses season four based on the book Spook Street by Mick Herron and she finished Presumed Innocent based on the novel by Scott Turow.

Emily visited the New Canaan Public Library.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris and Emily will be attending portions of the Windham Campbell festival. The Lydia Davis lecture “Why I Write” is available to watch here.  

Chris and Emily are going on a joint jaunt to Chester, CT for the grand opening of Montgomery & Taggert, Connecticut’s first Romance Bookstore!

On October 9th Chris and Emily are heading to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.

– Upcoming Reads –
Murder in the Smithsonian – Margaret Truman (CW)(EF)
Swan Song – Elin Hildebrand (EF)
Classic’s Club is doing a “sync read” of all of Jane Austen’s novels. Learn more here.

– Out Now –
Death at the Sign of the Rook: A Jackson Brodie Book – Kate Atkinson
So Thirsty – Rachel Harrison
If Anything Happens to Me – Luanne Rice

– Author Spotlight with James R. Benn –
We talk with James R. Benn about his new novel The Phantom Patrol
Learn more about James and his book tour here.

– Also Mentioned –
Download the Romance Bingo Card!
Author Marcie Rendon
Author Cal Newport
Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony
James by Percival Everett
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Broadstairs in Kent
McNally Jackson booksellers
The New Yorker Magazine
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust [check out #ProustPilotProject and ]
Why I Write by George Orwell
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Author David Niven
Author J.D. Salinger; The Stranger short story and Catcher in the Rye
Author Jean Conan Doyle
Author Philip Kerr
Author Ian Fleming

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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.