Books with Betsy

On this episode, Betsy Cornwell, author and founder of the Old Knitting Factory, talks about how she has been able to make her life all about words and supporting that in others. She talks about how meaningful physical books are to her, the series she is constantly rereading, and we find some shared Betsy habits. 

Ring of Salt: A Memoir of Finding Home and Hope on the Wild Coast of Ireland

betsycornwell.com

oldknittingfactory.com

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Sky Daddy by Kate Folk

The Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day

Books Highlighted by Betsy: 

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

The Time-Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffinegger

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

What It Is by Lynda Barry

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett 

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

The Skull by Jon Klassen

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle 

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

Tides by Betsy Cornwell 

Suffs by Shaina Taub & Betsy Cornwell 

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett

The Truth by Terry Pratchett 

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl

On this episode, Katie Erdman, a lifelong reader who finds comfort in books, talks about the mystery series she particularly loves, ways that technology have made her reading life better and funnier, and she tells a great story about her Aunt Jan and Grandma doing her a reading solid. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay 

The Mad Wife by Meagan Church

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 

Books Highlighted by Katie: 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell 

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson 

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Bossed Up: A Grown Woman’s Guide to Getting Your Shit Together by Emilie Aries 

And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annier Barrows 

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear 

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore 

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich 

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell 

The Women by Kristin Hannah 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey 

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 

On this episode, Rachel Turney, host of Poetry (in Brief), talks about how she has developed a reading life full of just what she wants to read, how important women’s voices are to her, and she gives some really great small press recommendations. 

Rachel’s Website 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson

Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay 

Books Highlighted by Rachel: 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Birds of America by Chera Hammons

Eve by B.K. O’Connor

Another Place All Together by Candice M. Kelsey

Watership Down by Richard Adams

The Wrong Heaven by Amy Bonnaffons 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis

The Crucible by Arthur Miller 

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes 

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory 

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

On this episode, Jabril Yousef Faraj, author of the Guardians of the Cosmic Clocks, a young adult fantasy series, talks about their inspiration from their favorite books, why it’s so important to have stories that children can see themselves in, and what reading can do for humanity. 

Guardians of the Cosmic Clocks

Jabril’s Author Site

Jabril on YouTube 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

John of John by Douglas Stuart 

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

Books Highlighted by Jabril: 

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis 

1984 by George Orwell 

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov 

Rosehead by Ksenia Anske 

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs 

The Odyssey by Homer 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis 

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift 

Teddy Roosevelt by Edd Winfield Parks & Gray Morrow 

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 

The Giver by Lois Lowry 

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card 

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

Animal Farm by George Orwell 

On this episode, Dan Santaromita, sports journalist with the Athletic, talks about his love for autobiographies, how reading for work affects recreational reading, and his birthday tradition centered on his ideal reading scenario. We also talk about his favorite writer, Wright Thompson. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie 

The Names by Florence Knapp 

John of John by Douglas Stuart 

Books Highlighted by Dan: 

Open by Andre Agassi 

I Think Therefore I Play by Andrea Pirlo

The 100-Yard Journey by Gary Pinkel 

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss

Wright Thompson’s Caitlyn Clark Profile 

The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson 

The Barn by Wright Thompson

Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 

Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis 

Acid for the Children by Flea

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Pappyland by Wright Thompson 

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss

The Messi Effect by Paul Tenorio 

One Jump at a Time by Nathan Chen 

The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey & Pete Carroll 

Alex Ferguson by Sir Alex Ferguson

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier 

Good Game, No Rematch by Mike Drucker 

Among the Thugs by Bill Buford 

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 

Moneyball by Michael Lewis 

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe 

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe 

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe

On this episode, Sam Ali, @readwithsama on instagram, talks about how she is developing a love of reading in her daughter, recommends some amazing Canadian books, and we gush about our shared love of awards. We talk about how it can be hard to be readers with wide interests when you have so many great books available to you!

Sam on Instagram 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey 

The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward

Books Highlighted by Sam: 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 

We Measure the Earth with our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy 

Astra by Cedar Bowers

A History of Burning by Janika Oza

The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan 

The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan 

Whistler by Ann Patchett 

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy 

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 

Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa 

How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa

On this episode, David Nilsen & Emily Swank, hosts of the HopLit podcast, talk about their work combining their love for beer and books. We also talk a lot about awards, get a little spicy making a literary and beer comparison, and they share some great reading habits you might connect with! 

HopLit Podcast 

David Nilsen Beer

Bean to Barstool

Final Gravity, a Beer Zine 

David on Instagram 

Emily on Instagram 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Land by Maggie O’Farrell 

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Books Highlighted by Emily: 

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk  

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad 

Books Highlighted by David:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Watership Down by Richard Adams 

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden 

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden 

The Summer is Ended and We are Not Yet Saved by Joey Comeau

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Copywriter by Daniel Poppick 

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

Somebody is Walking on Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones 

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 

Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski 

The Odyssey by Homer 

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus 

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Less by Andrew Sean Greer 

Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips 

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur 

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich 

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood 

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo 

On this episode, Tatiana, a recent graduate, talks about how she’s renewing her love of reading after finishing school, her blog focusing on making scientific research accessible, and the ways that books have met her in exactly the right time. 

Tatiana’s Blog 

Tatiana on Instagram 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig 

Super Castle Fun Park by Daniel Zomparelli

Books Highlighted by Tatiana:

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Butter by Asako Yuzuki 

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King 

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner 

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

On this episode, Kate Sutton, owner of the Lit Wagon in the Chicago area, talks about how she brings books to people all over the city, how her work as a therapist influences her book choices, and the kinds of emotional wreckage she expects from a read. She also gives tips on how to be a good customer of the Lit Wagon! 

Follow the Lit Wagon

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly 

Books Highlighted by Kate:

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 

All Fours by Mrianda July 

Fractured by C.S. Dodds

Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy 

Birdie and Harlow by Taylor Wolfe

The Best Dog in the World by Alice Hoffman 

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey & Bruce Perry 

The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green 

While You Were Out by Meg Kissinger

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke 

On this episode, Grace Hughes, author and avid fantasy reader, discusses her specific criteria for naming genres, how her work as a writer affects her reading life, and we talk about a lot of fantasy series. If you’re ready to pick up a fantastical tome, this episode has a lot of recommendations. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Canon by Paige Lewis 

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Books Highlighted by Grace:

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig 

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Your Knife, My Heart by K.M. Moronova 

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari 

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

Alchemisd by SenLinYu 

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig 

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski 

American Gods by Neil Gaiman 

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones