Book Cougars Podcast: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good Read

Episode 206 - Author Spotlight with Rebecca Rego Barry

Welcome to Episode 206 where we have a fantastic conversation with Rebecca Rego Barry, author of THE VANISHING OF CAROLYN WELLS: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author. One reviewer referred to Barry’s book as a “process biography.” It is true,...

Episode 205 - Author Spotlight with Yulin Kuang

Welcome to Episode 205! April is National Poetry Month and we are here for it. Emily is currently reading YOU ARE HERE: Poetry in the Natural World, a new anthology edited by Ada Limón, and Chris is reading BOATS FOR...

Episode 204 - Author Spotlight with Allison Pataki

We begin Episode 204 with the announcement of our second quarter readalong in our year of reading romance and end with a delightful conversation with author Allison Pataki about her fabulous new novel, FINDING MARGARET FULLER. Since our last episode, Emily...

Episode 203 - Romance Readalong with INDIGO by Beverly Jenkins

Welcome to Episode 203! Some highlights of this episode: Emily dives into the pages of THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon and the delicious world of baking with THE COOKIE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE cookbook by Nancy Silverton and Carolynn...

Episode 202 - Author & Editor Spotlight with Jessica Pryde

Welcome to Episode 202 of the Book Cougars, featuring an Author and Editor Spotlight with Jessica Pryde. Chris and Emily are enjoying and learning from Jess’s ground-breaking anthology, BLACK LOVE MATTERS: REAL TALK ON ROMANCE, BEING SEEN, AND HAPPILY EVER AFTERS....

Episode 201 - A Great Last Night with Luanne Rice

Welcome to Episode 201 featuring an Author Spotlight with LUANNE RICE recorded at the beautiful and welcoming Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library in Old Lyme, CT. Luanne’s new novel, LAST NIGHT, is out now. You’ve heard us rave about it in...

Episode 200 - Two Books We Can't Wait for You to Read (times 18!)

Thank you for listening over the years and helping us reach our 200th episode! To celebrate this milestone, we invited special guests to call the Book Cougars hotline and recommend two forthcoming books they can’t wait for all of us...

Episode 199 - Our 2024 Reading Intentions

Welcome to Episode 199! We have read A LOT since our last regularly recorded episode in December, so be prepared! In our “Just Read” segment, we talk about books by Lois Hamill, Hisashi Kashiwai, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, Josie Silver, James...

Episode 198 - Top Ten Reads of 2023 with BookTuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog

Welcome to our fourth annual Top Ten Reads of the Year episode with BookTuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog! We each talk about our top ten reads of 2023. Some books were published in 2023, and others are...

Episode 197 - Author Spotlight with Pip Williams

Welcome to our last episode of the year! We reflect on our 2023 reading intentions, announce our 2024 readalong theme, and have a delightful conversation with Australian author Pip Williams to cap off our year of reading Books About Books. Some...

Episode 196 - Trying Not To Go Viral

Once again, we are grateful for the miracle of modern technology that allowed us to record this episode from two locations. Chris was recovering from the flu and, to keep Emily healthy, we recorded over Zoom. In our Just Read segment,...

Episode 195 - Hooked by Nonfiction November & 2023 Holiday Gift Ideas

Welcome to our 8th Annual Bookish Holiday Gifts episode! The first time we recommended holiday gift ideas was on Episode 2, way back in December 2016. Listeners enjoyed it so much that we’ve done it every year since. We hope you...

Episode 194 - Author Spotlight with Sarah MacLean

Episode 194 is bookended by Poetry and Romance. We begin with the poem “Only Love” by James Crews from the poetry collection, THE PATH TO KINDNESS: Poems of Connection and Joy. We end with an Author Spotlight with Sarah...

Episode 193 - Book Club Fundamentals with Davina Morgan-Witts Founder & Publisher of BookBrowse

Chris and Emily were thrilled to sit down and talk with Davina Morgan-Witts, the Founder and Publisher of BookBrowse. Founded in 1998, BookBrowse is one of the earliest independent online book resources. Davina and her team of editors and reviewers...

Episode 192 - Author Spotlight with Fancy Feast

Author Spotlight: Chris and Emily have a great time talking with Fancy Feast about her new (and debut) essay collection, NAKED: ON SEX, WORK, AND OTHER BURLESQUES. We bid adieu to Scarlet Summer with a recap of our Biblio Adventure...

Episode 191 - Something So Good It Can Never Be Enough with Poet Shuly Cawood

Chris and Emily are happy to welcome back author SHULY CAWOOD to talk about her new poetry collection, SOMETHING SO GOOD IT CAN NEVER BE ENOUGH. Shuly reads a poem and talks about her poetic process, and we ask her...

Episode 190 - Haunted by Hawthorne & The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

It’s another 10th episode which means we’re hosting a giveaway for newsletter subscribers! One lucky winner will receive a copy of DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America by Nancy Maclean and THE...

Episode 189 - Author Spotlight with Laurie Lico Albanese

The Book Cougars are thrilled to welcome Laurie Lico Albanese, author of HESTER, our second readalong for Scarlet Summer. Laurie dishes on Hawthorne, shares her inspiration for Isobel, and talks about her writing process. Don’t miss our Author Spotlight with...

Episode 188 - Author Spotlight with Erin Flanagan and Katrina Kittle

We had a great time talking with Erin Flanagan and Katrina Kittle. Both authors have new books coming out: COME WITH ME (8/22) and MORNING IN THIS BROKEN WORLD (9/1). Don’t miss our Author Spotlight conversation with them at the...

Episode 187 - Author Spotlight with Alli Frank & Asha Youmans

A Book Cougars first: we interview a writing duo! In our Author Spotlight segment, we talk with Alli Frank and Asha Youmans about their new novel THE BETTER HALF, how they started writing together, their path to publication, and their...

Episode 186 - The Long Afterlife of The Scarlet Letter

Welcome to Episode 186! We chat about what we’re currently reading (How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens and Come with Me by Erin Flanagan) and books we’ve finished ( Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle, Killers...

Episode 185 - Book Cougars Prowling in the Midwest

We both recently headed to the Midwest for some family & friend time. Chris went to Chicago and met up with Colleen, our guest on Episodes 27 and 145. We had a browse in Women & Children First, a legendary...

Episode 184 - Author Spotlight with Bethanne Patrick

SCARLET SUMMER kicks off Independence Day weekend! Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthday is July 4th, so we consider it an auspicious start for our summer-long readalong. Our website has a new page, https://www.bookcougars.com/scarletsummer2023, where you can find all the info about SCARLET...

Episode 183 - Author Spotlight with Sara Nisha Adams

Mushrooms! Librarians! Serial killer victims brought back to life! New friends and life reinvigorated through reading! We’ve had some good reads since our last episode. We’re both digging into our #BigBookSummer reading challenge books. Emily has started DEVIL IN THE GROVE...

Episode 182 - Biblio Adventure Bonanza: Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Welcome to Episode 182! There is a lot of Biblio Adventure recapping in this episode, from author events (Mary Beth Keane at R.J. Julia) to movies (two book adaptations starring Kathy Bates), to bookstore visits in Vermont (Northshire and Monroe Street...

Episode 181 - Author Spotlight with Sharon Salzberg

Episode 180 - Travels with Chris, Emily, and Charley

We talk about a bunch of books and biblioadventures in Episode 180. What’s new, right? #wink Some highlights include books we just read, which took us from a memoir about caring for animals (THE OTHER FAMILY DOCTOR by Karen Fine) to...

Episode 179 - Deep Dive with Poet Shuly Cawood

Happy National Poetry Month! We kick off this episode with Emily reading Lucille Clifton’s poem, “Climbing,” and end with an in-depth conversation with poet Shuly Cawood about her poem, “Starter Marriage.” [The full text of Shuly’s poem is at the end...

Episode 178 - Author Spotlight with Jennifer Savran Kelly

Welcome to Episode 178! We are currently reading a variety of genres: Fiction (CHASE OF THE WILD GOOSE by Mary Gordon and VOYAGER by Diana Gabaldon), memoir (LIFE B: OVERCOMING DOUBLE DEPRESSION by Bethanne Patrick), self-help (WHY AM I SO...

Episode 177 - Author Spotlight with Amy Tector

There are books and bookstores galore in this episode! Some highlights include – Emily went to see Aunt Ellen in Berkeley, CA, and together they visited two public libraries, a whole bunch of little free libraries, and TEN bookstores! Aunt Ellen...

Episode 176 - We're in a New York State of Mind

On Episode 176 Chris and Emily give a full recap of their two-day Biblio Adventure in New York City. The trip was inspired by a research project that Chris is working on for school that created a need for her...

Episode 175 - He’s BAAACK! Our Mystery Man, John Valeri

We just read a stack of books with an interesting variety of subjects! In between mushrooms and swimming, we spent time with an Australian rare book expert, a New Yorker wandering in Ireland, a Queer book artist in Manhattan, restauranteers...

Episode 174 - Author Spotlight with Jenna Miller

On Episode 174, we share LISTENER TOP 10s of 2022. Thanks to the 70+ listeners who contributed their top 10 lists. Out of 427 books, Emily shares not only what the combined top 10 titles are (actually, 11 titles because...

Episode 173 - Emily's Hidden Reading Slump and Chris's Return to Practical Magic

Emily started 2023 with a bit of a reading slump, but you’d never know it! Some of the books she enjoyed since our last regular episode are Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, The Change...

Episode 172 - Top Ten Reads of 2022 with BookTuber Russell Gray

Happy New Year! Welcome to our third annual TOP TEN READS of the year episode with our special guest, BookTuber RUSSELL GRAY of Ink and Paper Blog. Emily, Chris, and Russell whittled down the books they read in 2022 to...

Episode 171 - Author Spotlight with Marcie R. Rendon

Welcome to our last episode of 2022! We surprised each other this week with some reading kismet. Each of us arrived at Book Cougars HQ with a poetry collection in hand and a poem we wanted to share. Chris reads...

Episode 170 - 2022 Holiday Gift Ideas and Author Spotlight with Malinda Lo

Episode 170 marks our SIXTH ANNIVERSARY! It’s also another 10th episode which means it's GIVEAWAY time! Become a subscriber to our free monthly newsletter by December 15th to be automatically entered to win a copy of My Brilliant Life by...

Episode 169 - Author Spotlight with Marcia Clark and Our Mystery Man John Valeri

We were apart again while recording this episode. Emily was in Colorado visiting her son and daughter-in-law. She also shared part of her salad with a magpie at The Bookworm bookstore and cafe in Edward’s CO. We are so grateful...

Episode 168 - Author Spotlight with Blair Braverman

Episode 168 - Blair Braverman joins us to talk about her debut novel, SMALL GAME (out now from Ecco Press). It's about five contestants on a survival reality show that goes haywire. It’s a wild ride, and we had a...

Episode 167 - Author Spotlight with Kelcey Ervick

We have been hitting the books and hitting road & rails! Emily had a week-long vacation on Martha’s Vineyard and read a ton. She also visited Bunches of Grapes bookstore and FOUR libraries on the island – West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs,...

Episode 166 - All Things Audiobooks

Episode 166 is all about audiobooks! Chris and Emily talk about audiobooks in their lives and then have a wonderful chat with Karen Farmer and Craig Silva, hosts of the new Libro.fm Podcast.

Episode 165 - Author Spotlight with Diane Wilson

Welcome to Episode 165! We can’t wait for you to listen to our Author Spotlight with DIANE WILSON! We were honored to talk with Diane about her moving, multi-generational debut novel, THE SEED KEEPER. Diane also talks about her writing...

Episode 164 - Talking About the Booker Prizes with Russell Gray from Ink and Paper Blog

Book Tuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog joins us to talk about his reading of this year’s Booker Prize nominees. He’s read all thirteen books on the long list, talks about the novels on the shortlist, and shares...

Episode 163 - Author Spotlight with Shelley Puhak

Welcome to Episode 163! Both of us had some solo Biblio Adventures, but we also went on an EPIC Joint Jaunt to New Hampshire. We visited all three Toadstool Bookstores — Nashua, Peterborough, and Keene — in a day! We...

Episode 162 - Just Us and the Insects (or not)

Chris and Emily sit down for a good old fashioned book chat. There’s no interview this episode, just us. Emily is reading an advance copy of Elizabeth Strout’s forthcoming novel, LUCY BY THE SEA (9/20/2022), and Katherine May’s memoir, THE ELECTRICITY...

Episode 161 - Rachel Barenbaum Author of ATOMIC ANNA

Episode 161 features fictional mermaids, bears, and time travel adventure to stop the not so fictional nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl. We talk with Rachel Barenbaum about ATOMIC ANNA, her new novel that’s a fascinating mix of historical fiction, thriller, and...

Episode 160 - A "Horrifying" Chat with the Editors of OTHER TERRORS: Vince Liaguno and Rena Mason

Every tenth episode we do a giveaway and here we are again with not one, but TWO giveaways! All you have to do to be entered to win is be a newsletter subscriber. (Sign up here: https://www.bookcougars.com/subscriber) We announce our...

Episode 159 - On the Prowl Summer 2022

We have both done some traveling since the last episode. Emily was in Colorado and Utah and Chris was in North Carolina and Illinois. You know we hit some bookstores, which you’ll hear about in our Biblio-Adventures segment. We’ve also...

Episode 158 - Author Spotlight with Andrea Wang and Debbi Michiko Florence

We had the joy of sitting down and talking with writers and besties Andrea Wang and Debbi Michiko Florence at the United Theatre in Westerly, Rhode Island. Andrea Wang was in town for an event at the Savoy Bookshop and Cafe...

Episode 157 - A Chat with AudioBook Narrator Simon Vance

Some highlights in this episode: Emily and Chris have kicked off their reading for Sue Jackson’s Big Book Summer reading challenge! Both Book Cougars are starting off with re-reads: Chris is re-reading THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova and Emily is...