Episode 259 - Busted by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Book Cougars Episode 259
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak
Book Cougars Episode 259

Episode 259 Show Notes

A few PSA’s:
1. Thank you to Georgia for letting us know that if you live outside of the US you can find an unabridged copy of the audiobook of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café through AudiobooksNow.

2. Kindles made in 2012 or earlier will no longer be supported by Amazon.

3. Our new email address is hello@bookcougars.com. The April newsletter was e-mailed on April 30, if you didn’t receive it, check your SPAM folder and add the updated email address to your contact list.

– Currently Reading –
Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir (CW) (audiobook)
The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush – Susan Gregg Gilmore (EF)
Friction: A Biography – Jennifer R. Vail (CW)
Morning Baker: Recipes and Rituals for Breakfast and Beyond – Roxana Jullapat, and Ari Smolin (EF)

– Just Read –
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop – Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan (EF) (audiobook)
The Body Farm: Scarpetta #5 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
The Things We Never Say – Elizabeth Strout (EF)
All the World Can Hold – Jung Yun (CW)
Blunt Instrument – Amy Bloom (EF)
Yesteryear – Caro Claire Burke (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris celebrated Independent Bookstore Day with visits to The Book Barn in Niantic where she purchased The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl and The Unofficial Companion to Patricia Cornwell by George Beahm; next she stopped at Bank Square Books in Mystic where she came home with copies of The Known World by Edward P. Jones, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life by Ellen Carol DuBois, and Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution by Molly Beer.

Emily had a workday at the Carbondale Public Library where she was surprised to learn that they offer free printing. On the way home she flew through the Denver airport where she found a very cool, very big take-one-leave-one library in the A gates of the Denver airport that is a façade for Williams & Graham, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar and restaurant.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
April 29, Chris and Emily are heading on a joint jaunt to see Emily Franklin at RJ Julia’s Booksellers with her novel Love & Other Monsters. The event is free, you can register here.

April 30 – May 3, Chris and Emily are signed up to attend The Northshire Book Festival: A Weekend in Booktopia

May 7, Chris and Emily are signed up to see Caroline Bicks, author of Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King, at RJ Julia’s Booksellers.

May 10, Chris and Emily are heading to the movies to see Fried Green Tomatoes. Find out where it is playing near you.

May 23, from 2-4pm (ET) there is an unveiling of the Margaret Fuller statue at the Concord Free Public Library. Find out more here.

May 24, next Reading Salon topic: books over 400 pages for Sue Jackson’s Big Book Summer Reading Challenge.

– Upcoming Reads –
Twilight Sleep – Edith Wharton (CW)
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe – Fannie Flagg (EF)
Don’t Stop – Bonnie Friedman (EF)
Esquire Ball: Stories from the Great Black Swamp – Lisa Slage Robinson (EF)

– Out Now –
True Crime: A Memoir by Patricia Cornwell
The Author Weekend – Laura Zigman
Enormous Wings – Laurie Frankel

– Q2 Readalong –
The 2026 second quarter readalong is Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It is the 35th anniversary of the film adaptation so it will be showing in theaters again on May 10, 2026.

The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, June 7 at 7pm (ET). Send an email if you would like to join.

Join the Goodreads discussion thread.

In celebration of our readalong theme for 2026, we have created a Page to Screen Bingo card. Enjoy filling it out over the course of the year and email a copy by 12/31/2026 to be entered to win a gift card to Bookshop.org. Learn more about how to play the bingo card by watching this video.

All of the links below connect to our shop on Bookshop.org – support the Book Cougars and independent bookstores!

You can also purchase a Bookshop.org gift card.

– Also Mentioned –
Author Peter Geye
Author Jamie Ford
True Crime: A Memoir by Patricia Cornwell
Shelter by Jung Yun
Author Sara Catterall
After Lives by Megan Marshall
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 258 - Author Spotlight with Heather Harper Ellett

Book Cougars Episode 258
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak
Author Heather Harper Ellett

Episode 258 Show Notes

– Q2 Readalong –
The 2026 second quarter readalong is Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It is the 35th anniversary of the film adaptation so it will be showing in theaters again on May 10, 2026. The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, June 7 at 7pm (ET). Send an email if you would like to join. Join the Goodreads discussion thread.

All of the links below connect to our shop on Bookshop.org – support the Book Cougars and independent bookstores!

You can also purchase a Bookshop.org gift card.

– Currently Reading –
Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King – Caroline Bicks (CW)
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop – Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan (EF) (audiobook)
The Body Farm: Scarpetta #5 – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
My Detachment – Tracy Kidder (EF) (audiobook)
Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir (CW) (audiobook)

– Just Read –
The Reservation – Rebecca Kauffman (EF)
You can listen to Emily’s conversation with Rebecca over on Ingredient One.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King (CW)
The Golden Boy – Patricia Finn (EF)
True Crime: A Memoir – Patricia Cornwell (CW) release date 5/6/2026
Emily dnf’d Raising Hare – Chloe Dalton (EF) (audiobook)
Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa: Stories – W.P. Kinsella (CW)
Ain’t Nobody Nobody – Heather Harper Ellett (CW)(EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily visited Papercuts Bookshop in Jamaica Plain, MA.

Chris watched the film Field of Dreams based on the short story Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa: Stories by W.P. Kinsella.

Emily strolled with Aunt Ellen along Orchard Street on the Lower East Side in New York City where they visited Sweet Pickle Books and P&T Knitwear Books.

Chris and Emily went on a Joint Jaunt to West Hartford where they worked at the UConn Law Library then visited the new location of River Bend Bookshop. They also offer Mahjong lessons and games, visit the events calendar to learn more.

Chris watched the film Fried Green Tomatoes based on the novel by Fannie Flagg.

Chris had a word day at the Sterling Library on the Yale Campus. After working she visited Book Trader Cafe, Grey Matter Books, and Atticus Bookstore Cafe where she purchased Good Grief by Brianna Pastor and Hauntings by Vernon Lee.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
April 29, Chris and Emily are heading on a joint jaunt to see Emily Franklin at RJ Julia’s Booksellers with her novel Love & Other Monsters. The event is free, you can register here.

April 30 – May 3, Chris and Emily are signed up to attend The Northshire Book Festival: A Weekend in Booktopia

CrimeConn will take place on May 16th at the Ferguson Library.

May 13th, Emily is registered to see Chloe Dalton, author of Raising Hare at RJ Julia’s Booksellers.

– Upcoming Reads –
Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution – Denise Kiernan (EF) pub date 6/23/2026
The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush – Susan Gregg Gilmore (EF)
Morning Baker – Roxana Jullapat (EF)
The Gardner Museum Café Cookbook – Lois McKitchen Conroy (EF)
The Death of a Joyce Scholar: A Peter McGarr Mystery – Bartholomew Gill (CW)
Winter People – Gráinne Murphy (CW)
Twilight Sleep – Edith Wharton (CW)
Manslaughter – Alice Duer Miller (CW) There is a film by the same name.
Adaptations From Short Story to Big Screen: 35 Great Stories That Have Inspired Great Films – Stephanie Harrison (EF)

– Author Spotlight with Heather Harper Ellett –
Heather’s book Ain’t Nobody Nobody is being republished with a new ending!
Learn more about Heather here.
Heather was also featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 92 and on our YouTube channel.

– Also Mentioned –
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Also by Tracy Kidder: Rough Sleepers and Mountains Beyond Mountains
True Grit by Charles Portis (audiobook)
The Martian by Andy Weir
Room by Emma Donoghue
Tilt by Emma Pattee
The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
Novels into Film: Adaptations and Interpretation
The Librarians movie
Also by Denise Kiernan: The Last Castle and The Girls of Atomic City
Her Life in Ink by Sharon M. Harris
Sharon was featured in an Author Spotlight on Episode 253

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!

Episode 256 - Author Spotlight with Sara Catterall & Q2 Readalong Announcement

Book Cougars Episode 256
Emily Fine & Chris Wolak
Book Cougars Episode 256

Episode 256 Show Notes

In celebration of our readalong theme for 2026, we have created a Page to Screen Bingo card. Enjoy filling it out over the course of the year and email a copy by 12/31/2026 to be entered to win a gift card to Bookshop.org. Learn more about how to play the bingo card by watching this video.

All of the links below connect to our shop on Bookshop.org – support the Book Cougars and independent bookstores!

You can also purchase a Bookshop.org gift card.

– Currently Reading –
Brawler – Lauren Groff (EF)
In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 2 – Marcel Proust (CW)
Obsessed with the Best: 100+ Methodically Perfected Recipes Based on 20+ Head-to-Head Tests – Ella Quittner (EF)
Emily’s talks about this cookbook on Ingredient One.
Love & Other Monsters – Emily Franklin (EF) release date 4/7/2026
All the World Can Hold – Jung Yun (CW)

– Just Read –
Anderson in Bloom – Jennifer Dugan (CW)
This Book Made Me Think of You – Libby Page (EF)
Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books – Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan (CW) (audiobook)
Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon – Sara Catterall (EF)
Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge – Erica Armstrong Dunbar (CW)
Missing Sister – Joshilyn Jackson (EF)
Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career – Scott H. Young (CW)

– Biblio Adventures –
Chris and Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure, they both watched Harriet now streaming on Netflix.

Emily’s two attempts to see Laura Zigman and Alice Hoffman in conversation about the new essay collection The Best Dog in the World were foiled because the events have been completely sold out.

Chris had a workday at the main branch of the New York Public Library where she spent time digging into archival items.

Emily binged season seven of Virgin River streaming on Netflix, based on the 21-book series by Robyn Carr. Read the NY Times article about the series.

Chris spent her birthday week on Rhode Island where she visited the Barnes & Noble in Warwick where she purchased Friction by Jennifer R. Vail and The Blood Countess by Shelley Puhak, and ink fish Books in Warren where she took home a big book haul including Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. She also drove past Land’s End, Edith Wharton’s estate in Newport, click here to see pictures of the property.  

Chris watched the first episode of the new Scarpetta series streaming on Prime, based on the 29-book series by Patricia Cornwell.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
April 12, Chris signed up for an event that is offered in person and virtually “Fireside Chat with Rhae Lynn Barnes.” Her book is Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment. You can register for the free event here.

Emily is signed up for two events:
March 19, Casey Elsass will be at RJ Julia’s Bookseller in Madison to talk about his cookbook What Can I Bring?.
March 24, Catherine Newman at the East Hampton Public Library to talk about her two novels, Sandwich and Wreck.

Emily is hoping to watch two page to screen adaptations: Hamnet based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell and The Bride! written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an adaptation of the novel Frankenstein.

– Upcoming Reads –
Cruel & Unusual – Patricia Cornwell (CW)
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks (CW) release date 4/21/2026
The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush – Susan Gregg Gilmore (EF)
The Marabou Who Crossed The Sea – Rohanna Ssanyu (EF)
The Lido also known as Mornings with Rosemary – Libby Page (EF)

– Q2 Readalong –
The 2026 second quarter readalong is Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It is the 35th anniversary of the film adaptation so it will be showing in theaters again on May 10, 2026. The Zoom conversation will take place on Sunday, June 7 at 7pm (ET). Send an email if you would like to join.

Join the Goodreads discussion thread.

– Author Spotlight with Sara Catterall –
We talk with Sara about Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon. Learn more about Sara and her other writing on her website.

– Also Mentioned –
Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan
Check out the longlist for the Plutarch award
The Lynx Books in Gainesville, FL is owned by Lauren Groff
Northshire Book Festival: A Weekend in Booktopia is taking place May 1-3. You can learn more here.
Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Miles
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer
Alma Lutz

Help support the Book Cougars via our affiliates:
Libro.fm
audiobook platform: Follow this link and use promo code: bookcougars

Help support the Book Cougars by becoming a Patreon member.
If you would prefer to donate directly, email for instructions.
Sponsor an episode of the podcast or the newsletter.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Join our Goodreads Group!

Check out our BookTube Channel and be sure to subscribe!