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

We recorded together for the first time in over a year! It was amazing to sit and talk about books over the kitchen table. Hashtag grateful. Emily went on a whirlwind adventure with Maggie Shipstead’s GREAT CIRCLE and Chris got down with I WILL SURVIVE, song lyrics by Frederick J. Perren and Dino Fekaris, illustrated by Kaitlyn Shea O’Connor. It’s another tenth episode which means it’s time for another giveaway! Listen for details. We also hope you’ll join us in our buddy Sue’s Big Book Summer Reading challenge this year. Listen for details about this, too.

On Episode 129 we chat with author Chris Tebbetts about his book, Me Myself & Him, what it is like to co-write books with James Patterson, and how he keeps in touch with his inner child. Chris reflects on a biblio adventure with one of her favorite writers, Sarah Waters, and Emily dives into one of the hottest book releases of the year, Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead.

On Episode 128 we talk with Dr. Melissa Homestead about her book, The Only Wonderful Things: The Creative Partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis. We had several biblio adventures. Chris shares what she learned about the Emily Dickinson archives housed at Harvard’s Houghton Library and also shares an event via the GLBT Historical Society with a powerful group of panelists. Emily geeks out over a conversation that two chefs have about breadcrumbs.

On Episode 127 we talk with playwright Laura Thoma about her play, Magpie, which was recently published with Next Stage Press. Chris and Emily recount a joint jaunt to Old Saybrook to visit author Ann Petry’s childhood home. They also stop by the Acton Public Library and visit the metal sculpture in front; is it a cricket, a fly, or a praying mantis? In honor of National Poetry Month, we share a few poetry collections.

We chat with Luanne Rice about our mutual love of the Long Island Sound and beachcombing for treasures. Luanne also shares a candid account of her experience with emotional abuse and how she came to write about it in her newest novel, The Shadow Box. Chris shares the new Dolly Parton book, STORYTELLER, and we discuss the merits of a singer songwriter winning the Nobel Laureate - think Bob Dylan. Emily learns about how to be a better listener, say what?

We got the chance to talk with Shuly Cawood about her new poetry collection, Trouble Can Be So Beautiful at the Beginning. Together we ponder how some poetry resonates and some does not. Chris shares exciting news about a new book chronicling the life of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis. A surprise buddy read of Jennifer McMahon’s soon to be released book, The Drowning Kind. And we share lots of Couch Biblio Adventures

We have a conversation with Dr. Charlotte Markey about The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Less Fearless. The pandemic is keeping us close to home these days, but Chris does some traveling via books to Cairo, Egypt circa 1912 and Boston, Massachusetts. Emily reads a couple of novels that make her uncomfortable, but in a good way. We also make an announcement about our upcoming readalongs!

We have a conversation with Kerri Arsenault about her book Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains. Topics covered include archival research, genealogy, toxic chemicals, and local politics. Chris and Kerri also get a chance to reminisce about the pink huffy bikes of their youth. Emily discusses the theme of motherhood and shared familial responsibility that showed up in her reading and listening over the past couple of weeks. Chris shares biblio adventures with Emily Dickinson and Enola Holmes.

We welcome back Our Mystery Man, John Valeri. He gives us some book recommendations and tells us about two authors we should all be reading. Chris and Emily went on a Joint Couch Biblio Adventure to hear Min Jin Lee discuss The Great Gatsby. She wrote the introduction for the newly released Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition. We also discuss the complexities of burying a dead body, Our Mystery Man would be so proud!

Get ready, our first regular episode of 2021 is packed with a lot of bookish banter! We did a lot of reading over the last few weeks. We also got a chance to chat with Jason Pinter, founder of Polis Books and author of the Rachel Marin series. The second book in the series, A Stranger at the Door, is available now. Also, reminder that we have an upcoming readalong of Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains by Kerri Arsenault.