Welcome to Episode 248!

This episode is a bit different. We have an Author Spotlight with biographer Natalie Dykstra. If you’ve been listening to the podcast since this summer, you know that we both read her fascinating biography, CHASING BEAUTY: THE LIFE OF ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER. We also visited the exceptional, impressive, excellent – let’s go with indescribable – Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. As a result, we had A LOT to talk about with Natalie, and our conversation went long.

We greatly appreciated Natalie taking so much time to speak with us, and when it came to editing, well, we didn’t know how to cut anything, and, to be honest, we didn’t want to cut anything! So, this episode is an extended Author Spotlight with Natalie Dykstra! We hope you enjoy it and that you pick up CHASING BEAUTY. This biography won a New England Society of New York Book Award and the Marfield Prize, the national award for arts writing. We read it in paper, digitally, and can also recommend the audiobook narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed.

We’ll be back with a “regular” episode in two weeks, when we’ll discuss Edith Wharton’s “Afterward,” the last story in our year-long reading of THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES.

Thank you to this episode’s sponsor: CLOSING COSTS by Janie Steele.

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode248

Welcome to Episode 246!

We recap some fun Biblioadventures in this episode. Emily got to see Mel Rosenthal in conversation with Virginia Evans about her debut novel The Correspondent at an event hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers. Chris had a research visit to Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where she enjoyed their book arts exhibit and admired the mantel in front of which Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven.” She also had an impromptu browse at New Haven’s used bookstore, Grey Matter Books.

We also had some Couch Biblioadventures. Because we recently read Daphne Du Maurier’s excellent short story, “The Birds,” we thought we’d also watch Alfred Hitchcock’s movie of the same name, which was inspired by the written word. Spoiler alert: the movie is nothing like the short story. PSA: the birds are LOUD. Other literary-related movies we watched include The Turn of the Screw, starring Michelle Dockery and Dan Stephens. Emily made an exciting discovery about A Star is Born—did you know some famous writers penned the screenplays for various incarnations of this classic story?

Some of the books we discuss include:

– All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley

– Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon by Sara Catterall

– Death at the Door: A Ruby and Cordelia Mystery by Olivia Blacke

– A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhurst

And we discuss our second-to-last ghost story from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce: “The Readjustment” by Mary Austin.

Chris has finished, and Emily is currently reading our Q4 readalong book, How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. The Zoom conversation is on Sunday, November 9th, at 7 pm ET. It is free and open to all, but registration is required. We still have a few spots available, so email us if you’re interested ([email protected]).

Special thanks to this episode’s sponsors: Epic and Lovely by Mo Daviau

and Paper Roses by Debby Show.

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode246

Welcome to Episode 245!

A highlight of this episode, if you want to call it that, is our discussion of Henry James’s ghost story, “The Jolly Corner,” from THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES. Chris also read his novella, “The Turn of the Screw,” so we actually talk about two Henry James stories. We’re sorry. Haha. We jest, but in all honesty, we struggled with James’s writing style, even if we thought the plots were engaging. If you’re a Henry James fan, what are we missing? We’d love to hear from you!

The image for this episode is a selfie we took in front of Henry James’s portrait at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston earlier this year. It was painted in 1911 by his nephew, William “Billy” James.

We had much more fun reading and discussing “The Birds” by Daphne Du Maurier. There’s a new collection of Du Maurier’s short stories out, AFTER MIDNIGHT: THIRTEEN TALES FOR THE DARK HOURS, which prompted our buddy read of this suspenseful tale of increasing dread. We plan on watching Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of the same name before the next episode.

In our “Just Read” segment, we also talk about:

THE LAST RESORT by Erin Entrada Kelly

THE DOGS OF VENICE by Steven Rowley

AFTERTASTE by Daria LaVelle

AGNES GREY by Anne Brontë

In Biblio Adventures, we were thrilled to make it to the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, CT, to see SPUNK. Zora Neale Hurston dreamed of seeing her short story, published in 1925, adapted for the stage. It took one hundred years to happen, but her wish has come true.

As always, there’s more “inside.”

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode245

Welcome to Episode 244!

In years past, the cooler temps and changing leaves were indicators that the year was winding down. This year, we also have THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce as a gauge. After this episode, we have only three more stories left to read – can you believe it? (We can guess the mixed responses to this question! haha.) We both enjoyed “The Moonlit Road” by Ambrose Bierce, which we discuss in this episode.

Other books we’ve read and talk about include A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. Kingfisher, 107 DAYS by Kamala Harris, SUNNY SIDE UP by Katie Sturino, MARGARET FULLER: Collected Writings edited by Brigitte Bailey, Leslie Eckel, and Megan Marshall, and DEATH AT THE WHITE HART by Chris Chibnall.

In Biblio Adventures, Emily recaps some of the bookish highlights from her vacation on Cape Cod, including BOOKSTORES (Provincetown Bookshop, Tim’s Used Books, and Titcomb’s Bookshop), LIBRARIES (Provincetown Public Library, the Sturgis Library, Eldridge Public Library and the South Chatham Library), and a bunch of LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES, including a charming mosaic #LFL. Chris spent a day working in the Barnard College Archives and then met a friend for a delicious dinner at Osteria Accademia, a book-lined restaurant on the Upper West Side. Afterwards, she headed to Grand Central to catch a train home to Connecticut and experienced the building’s power outage, which made her worry about Dementors and rats.

Last but not least, we are thrilled to welcome back OUR MYSTERY MAN, John Valeri for his 14th guest appearance. John joined us to discuss two ghost stories that are on our Ghost Stories Bingo card: “The Mask of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Canterville Ghost” by Oscar Wilde. He also drops a few reading recommendations because it wouldn’t be a proper visit from Our Mystery Man without them.

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode244

Welcome to Episode 243!

Rejoice, it's officially fall, which we think is the best time of the year to read ghost stories! In the last episode, when we announced our fourth quarter readalong pick – HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix – for our year of reading ghost stories, we said we’d share some of the other novels we considered in this episode, and we do, eight of them.

We also discuss the next story in THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES, ​​‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ by M.R. James. We had mixed reactions to this one.

Chris finished and highly recommends THE GHOST STORIES OF EDITH WHARTON. Emily recommends a cozy ghost novel, the first in the Ruby and Cordelia Mystery, A NEW LEASE ON DEATH by Olivia Blacke. Other books we’ve just read include THE RAREST FRUIT by Gaëlle Bélem (translated by Hildegarde Serle), TO CATCH A THIEF by David Dodge, and ALL THE WORLD CAN HOLD by Jung Yun (pre-order now, release date 3/10/2026).

BiblioAdventures include the Barnard College archives, Book Culture, the Columbia University Bookstore, and The Hungarian Pastry Shop.

Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Playback by Carla Malden.

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode243

Welcome to Episode 242!

It’s great to know we have some risk takers among us! We dared readers of our monthly newsletter to sign up for the fourth quarter readalong prior to knowing what the book was and a handful of adventurous readers took us up on it. Thank you for trusting us, and listen to this episode to hear the announcement about the Q4 readalong book.

Some of the recent reads we discuss are:

GOODBYE WITHOUT LEAVING by Laurie Colwin

THE IMPROBABLE VICTORIA WOODHULL by Eden Collinsworth

THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach

HOTEL SILENCE by Auđur Ava Ólafsdóttir (translated by Brian Fitzgibbon)

THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY by Ashley Ream

“The Lady’s Maid’s Bell” and “The Eyes” from THE GHOST STORIES OF EDITH WHARTON

“Luella Miller” from HORROR CLASSICS edited by Darryl Jones

“The Wind in the Rose-Bush” by Mary Wilkins Freeman from THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES edited by Michael Newton

In Biblio Adventures, we recap the fun talk we had with Patrons at our monthly Reading Salon about books we’ve wanted to throw across the room. Some of us resisted the urge, some did not. Emily watched a conversation about REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier between Ali Velshi and Jennifer Egan. We took a ride down to Bridgeport for lunch and a visit to Kindred Thoughts Books.

We also do a quick recap of our #BigBookSummer reads. We don’t go into great detail since we’ve talked about the books in recent episodes. If you’re interested, we did a more indepth recap on our YouTube channel. (www.youtube/BookCougars)

Big thanks to all of our patrons and financial donors who help keep the podcast going, and to those who spread the word and stay in touch with us. We literally couldn’t do this without you!

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode242

Welcome to Episode 241!

Some highlights of this episode include a discussion of our third quarter readalong, THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE by Julia Fine, and its companion read, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 short story, THE YELLOW WALLPAPER. Thanks to the readers who joined us for the Zoom conversation and helped deepen our appreciation of both stories.

We also discussed “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W.Jacobs from THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES from Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce, and learned that it has not only been adapted to film, but there’s been a play and an opera inspired by this short, tense, and creepy tale.

Some other things we’ve read include WORKING by Robert Caro, UNTIL ALISON by Kate Russo, WRECK by Catherine Newman, and FONSECA by Jessica Francis Kane.

In Biblio Adventures, we recap jaunts to exciting places in SIX STATES: Connecticut, of course, and also New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama. We got around the past two weeks! Stops included the NYPL, The Drama Book Shop, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, RJ Julia Booksellers, the Piper City Public Library, Parnassus Books, and Huntsville’s historic districts.

Have you heard that NYC is getting its first Horror Bookstore? The Twisted Spine in Brooklyn is celebrating its grand opening in early September.

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode241

Welcome to Episode 240!

It’s another 10th episode, which means we’re giving away a book as we do every tenth episode. One lucky newsletter subscriber will receive a copy of CHASING BEAUTY: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra. If you’re not yet subscribed to our monthly newsletter, you can sign up on our website (go to the “support/subscribe” tab). Dykstra will be our guest on the podcast in October, and we hope many of you will join us in reading her award-winning biography of Gardner.

In this episode, Emily recaps her Midwest #biblioadventures, which included quality time at the MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY and MYSTERY TO ME bookstore in Wisconsin and WILD RUMPUS BOOKS, COMMA, A BOOKSHOP, and OPEN BOOKS in Minnesota. Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Chris visited KINDRED THOUGHTS BOOKSTORE in Bridgeport and came home with a big stack of new books.

We discuss another ghost story: “Nightmare-Touch” by Lafcadio Hearn from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce. Neither of us had heard of this author before, and we enjoyed his story very much.

Books we read and talk about include

EIGHTY DAYS: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman

THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans

THE EL by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

A FAMILY MATTER by Claire Lynch

THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah

We also talk about what we’re currently reading and hope to read soon, as well as upcoming author events and jaunts. Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Robin Cannon, author of INTO THE SHALLOWS DARKLY.

Oh, and a reminder that our Zoom discussion of THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE by Julia Fine is this Sunday at 7 pm ET.

Enjoy the show, and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode240

Welcome to Episode 239!

Playwright Laura Thoma joins us to talk about her first commissioned play, Letter to My Soul, which will premiere at the GreenStage Guilford Live Arts Festival on August 10th.

We discuss another story from THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES, “At the End of the Passage” by Rudyard Kipling, which didn’t seem very ghostly to us. Other stories we’ve read and discuss include BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan (out 9/2/2025); SUMMER ON THE LAKES, IN 1843 from the new Library of American edition, MARGARET FULLER: COLLECTED WRITINGS, edited by Brigitte Bailey, Leslie Eckel, and Megan Marshall; NANAVILLE by Anna Quindlen; THE BELGIAN GIRLS by Kathryn J Atwood; HOW TO SAY BABYLON by Safiya Sinclair; and REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier.

In BiblioAdventures, we had the opportunity to attend the launch event for the New Haven Memory Lab at the Ives Main Library in New Haven, Connecticut. The lab is part of the Beinecke’s New Haven Community Archives Support program. It provides free resources for people to digitize their family history or their organization’s records.

We’re reading some great books this summer and are excited about new releases and events on the horizon.

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode239