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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

Episode 110 - Author Spotlight with Caroline Leavitt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

Episode 109 - Author Spotlight with Kathleen Rooney

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

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

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

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

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

Episode 107 - Author Spotlight with Dr. Maysa Akbar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!
We are an affiliate of Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookstore & Café. Please purchase books from them and support us at the same time. Click HERE to start shopping.
If you’d like to help financially support the Book Cougars, please consider becoming a Patreon member. You can DONATE HERE. If you would prefer to donate directly to us, please email bookcougars@gmail.com for instructions.
Join our Goodreads Group!
We have a BookTube Channel – please check it out here, and be sure to subscribe!
Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Episode 106 - Author Spotlight with Anne Oman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

Episode 105 - Book of the Month Club Deal and lots of Bookish Banter!

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

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

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

– Currently Reading –
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts – Kate Racculia (CW)
Last Day – Luanne Rice (EF)
How To Be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi (CW)
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies – Resmaa Menakem (EF)  
My Sister the Serial Killer -  Oyinkan Braithwaite (CW)(audio)

– Just Read –
The Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships – Harriet Lerner (EF)(audio)
Chris is spending time with the magazines Fine Books & Collections
The Lions of Fifth Avenue – Fiona Davis (EF) release date August 4, 2020
The Book of V. – Anna Solomon (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
Emily browsed inside Savoy Bookstore & Café in Westerly, RI. She picked up a copy of Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui.
Chris was able to go to Guilford Free Library for a curb side pick-up!
Chris attended two virtual events:
Irene Butter discussing her book Shores Beyond Shores with Donna Apidone via CapRadio Reads. You can watch the conversation here.
Erica Ruth Neubaur in conversation with Juliet Grames, discussing her book Murder at Mena House through Bank Square Books.  Read Chris’s review here.

Emily enjoyed several episodes of Brené Brown’s podcast, Unlocking Us, including a two-part conversation with Harriet Lerner, author of Why Won’t You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts and Ibram X. Kendi, author of  How To Be an Antiracist. Brené Brown is the author of Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone.

Emily listened to and recommends Episode 129 of Terrible, Thanks for Asking with Nora Borealis – Policing and Racial Trauma with Angela Davis.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
June 25 at 7pm – Chris will be attending a virtual event through RJ Julia Booksellers Richie Jackson author of Gay Like Me in conversation with Matthew Reimer author of We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation.

Chris and Emily are heading on a joint jaunt to the Guilford Free Library for an outdoor fair featuring new book releases. Watch the video of our adventure here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager (CW)
The Last Flight – Julie Clark (EF)

– Book of the Month Club –
In order to get your first month at the discounted rate of $9.99 go to www.bookofthemonth.com and use promo code: bookcougars.
The June Book of the Month Club picks are:
The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager
A Burning – Megha Mujumdar
One to Watch – Kate Stayman-London
The Last Flight – Julie Clark

– Also Mentioned –
Book By Book Blog
Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism – Dr. Maysa Akbar
True Grit – Charles Portis
The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
The Dance of Intimacy – Harriet Lerner
The New Yorker
Madeline Miller
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

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

Episode 104 - Author Spotlight with Jung Yun

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

We are excited to announce that we are now an affiliate of Libro.fm audiobook platform: Listeners can receive three months for the price of one. Follow this link to learn more.

– 14th Readalong discussion–
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.

– Currently Reading –
Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers – edited Natalie Eve Garrett (EF)
Empire of Wild – Cherie Dimaline (CW) release date July 28, 2020
Building Your Ideal Private Practice – Lynn Grodzki (CW)(audio)

– Just Read –
Friends and Strangers – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) release date June 30, 2020
Mother Land – Lea Franqui (EF) release date July 14, 2020
Shelter – Jung Yun (EF) (audio)
Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism – Dr. Maysa Akbar (EF)

– Biblio Adventures –
We had a joint jaunt as GUESTS on Our Mystery Man John Valeri’s YouTube channel, Central Booking. You can watch the interview HERE.

Emily attended an event through Strand Bookstore. Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half, was in conversation with Gloria Edim, author of Well-Read Black Girl.

Chris attended the 65th Annual Willa Cather spring conference: Untethered Cather on the Cusp of the 1920’s. The focus this year was on Cather’s book of short stories Youth and the Bright Medusa. She enjoyed sessions that included author Erica Ryan discussing her book When the World Broke in Two: The Roaring Twenties and the Dawn of America’s Culture Wars and Alex Ross discussing his book releasing on September 15, 2020, Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music.  

Chris browsed inside two bookstores, Breakwater Books in Guilford,CT where she purchased How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson. She also visited Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily will be attending a virtual event via Politics & Prose with Megha Mujumdar, author of A Burning, in conversation with C. Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills is Gold.

Chris will attend a virtual event on June 10 at Savoy Bookshop & Café. Erica Ruth Neubaur will discuss her book Murder at Mena House with Juliet Grames. Read Chris’s review here.

On June 11, Chris will tune in to hear author Irene Butter discuss her book Shores Beyond Shores via CapRadio Reads. You can register here.

– Upcoming Reads –
Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts (EF)
How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge Into Words – Joana Penn (CW)

– Author Spotlight with Jung Yun –
We were thrilled to welcome author Jung Yun to discuss her book, Shelter.
You can learn more about Jung here including news about her forthcoming novel, O Beautiful.

– Also Mentioned –
All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline
Twelve Months To Your Ideal Private Practice: A Workbook – Lynn Grodzki
Matterhorn – Karl Marlantes
The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century – Alex Ross
Kramerbooks
Book By Book Blog
The Creative Pen podcast

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Episode 103 - Author Spotlight with Emma Viskic

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

– Currently Reading –
Chris dnf’d The Keep – Jennifer Egan (CW)
Resurrection Bay (Caleb Zelic #1) – Emma Viskic (EF)
Friends and Strangers – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) release date June 30, 2020
The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York – Matthew Goodman (CW)
A Biography of Loneliness: The History of an Emotion – Fay Bound Alberti (CW) (audio)

– Just Read –
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen – Lucy Knisley (EF)
Redhead by the Side of the Road – Anne Tyler (EF)
Three-Fifths – John Vercher (EF)

– Lucky 13th Readalong discussion–
Go, Went, Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
James Wood’s review can be read here.
Jenny Erpenbeck and Claire Messud in conversation.

– (Couch) Biblio Adventures –
We hosted our own biblio adventure, a virtual readalong discussion of Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck. If you would like to join us for future discussions please subscribe to our newsletter.

Emily attended a Zoom event via RJ Julia Bookseller’s talking with Anna Solomon about her new novel The Book of V.

Chris attended two virtual events: A Q&A with Jennifer Egan and Johnny Temple about her novel The Keep, you can watch it here. A conversation with Tim Gunn and Stacy Schiff about her book Cleopatra.

– Upcoming Jaunts –
Emily will be attending a virtual event via the Center for Fiction: Roxane Gay in conversation with Nicole Dennis-Benn about the paperback release of her novel Patsy.
Roxane Gay is offering a free digital care package – check it out here.

Chris will be attending the 65th Annual Willa Cather spring conference: Untethered Cather on the Cusp of the 1920’s on June 4-6, 2020. The focus is on Cather’s book of short stories Youth and the Bright Medusa.

– Upcoming Reads –
Chris is joining in The Sandy Point Correspondence Club and will be reading O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir – Natasha Trethewey (EF) release date 7/28/20
Dear Emmie Blue – Lia Louis (EF) release date 7/14/20
Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close – Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman (EF) release date 7/14/20

– Author Spotlight with Emma Viskic –
Emma is the author of the Caleb Zelic series: Resurrection Bay, And Fire Came Down, and Darkness for Light
You can learn more about Emma Viskic HERE.

Emma toured the United States with fellow Aussie writers: Jock Serong, Sulari Gentill, Robert Gott

– Also Mentioned –
Also by Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad and Manhattan Beach
Also by J. Courtney Sullivan: Maine, Saints for All Occasions, The Engagements, Commencement
Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Claire Messud
The Trial – Kafka Franz
Call Your Girlfriend Podcast
American Writers Museum
Australian Women Writers Challenge

Purchase Book Cougars Swag on Zazzle!

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

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

Join our Goodreads Group!

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

Please subscribe to our email newsletter here.