On this episode, Jeff Jones, a fan of graphic novels, talks about how he comes to reading through his interest in sci-fi movies. We talk about his favorite weekly read, how he manages his very small TBR, and his discovery of some favorite authors through their work in comics. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaeffer 

Suddenly Light by Nina Dunic 

Books Highlighted by Jeff:

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

The Darkseid War: The Green Lantern by Tom King & Evan “Doc” Shaner

Day After Night by Anita Diamant

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 

Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt 

Exhalation by Ted Chiang 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Shonen Jump 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 

Strange Adventures by Tom King & Evan Shaner 

Vision: The Complete Collection by Tom King 

Monstress by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda 

Far Sector by N.K Jemisin & Jamal Campbell 

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 

All About Love by Bell Hooks 

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

On this episode, Ben from Off Color Book Club joins me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, True Biz by Sara Novic. 

My Book Club Guide

If you’re interested in joining the Off Color Book Club in the future, our next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 19th to discuss Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. All are welcome! 

On this episode, Tess Page, listener of Books with Betsy, talks about her requirement for books grounded in reality, her high/low reading tastes, and tells some wonderful stories of her reading habits in childhood. We talk about a shared favorite author who has a deep backlist and I encourage you to check her out!

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Milktooth by Jaime Barnett

Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma

Books Highlighted by Tess:

Riders by Jilly Cooper 

Rivals by Jilly Cooper 

The Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novel Adaptation by Raina Tagelmeier & Ann M. Martin

In a Blue Velvet Dress by Catherine Sefton

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym  

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 

Bringing Back the Beaver by Derek Gow

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett 

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell 

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell 

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

On this episode, Eric Siewert, a former colleague of mine at our college bookstore, talks about his favorite authors, the ways recommendations are important to him, and he waxes poetic about his love for hardcover books. We also talk about our individual authors we think should be more of a household name. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Wild Life by Amanda Leduc

The Sea Gives Up the Dead by Molly Olguín

Books Highlighted by Eric:

In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien

The Overstory by Richard Powers 

Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

July, July by Tim O’Brien 

The Gunslinger by Stephen King 

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller 

Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller 

Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller 

Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lemott 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway 

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman 

Trust by Hernan Diaz 

Devil House by John Darnielle 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien 

Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien 

If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O’Brien 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 

The River by Peter Heller 

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

On this episode, I bring back Sam Wilmes from episode 1 to celebrate 100 episodes of Books with Betsy so she can interview me! I am the guest on this episode so if you’ve ever wanted to hear my answers to my interview questions, here it is! We talk about a ton of books and somehow I neglected to talk about Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel which is one of my absolute favorite books. I am sure I will continue to think about more and more books that I didn’t discuss because there are so many amazing books out there! 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan 

Heart the Lover by Lily King 

Books Highlighted by Betsy:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

1984 by George Orwell 

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix 

No Exit by Taylor Adams 

Trust by Hernan Diaz 

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin 

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 

Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman 

The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski 

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli 

Redwall by Brian Jacques 

Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss 

Sunny: Diary One, California Diaries by Ann M. Martin 

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh 

Bloomability by Sharon Creech 

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech 

A Winkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata 

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata 

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 

Brawler by Lauren Groff 

Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin 

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell 

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

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 

Matilda by Roald Dahl 

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler by E.L. Konigsburg 

The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg 

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater

On this episode, Emily Bogaert, a fellow teacher, talks about how her childhood made her fall in love with the library, the joy she feels when getting the right books into the hands of her students, and we talk about the ups and downs of the reading life when you’re a teacher. She also has a reading habit that is absolutely wild and I didn’t even know was still possible. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Time, Silence, and Yeast: A Song of Appreciation for Trappist Communities and Their Beer by Marty Tomszak 

Women Without Men: A Novel of Modern Iran by Shahrnush Parsipur

Small Comfort by Ia Genberg

Books Highlighted by Emily:

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi 

Trial by Journal by Kate Klise 

Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

My Friends by Frederik Backman 

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett 

With Teeth by Kristen Arnett 

Woodworking by Emily St. James 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 

11/22/63 by Stephen King 

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander 

True Biz by Sara Nović

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

North Woods by Daniel Mason 

Trust by Hernan Diaz 

Little Women by Louisa My Alcott 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey 

Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina 

The Institute by Stephen King 

There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone

On this episode, Jennifer from Off Color Book Club joins me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli. 

My Book Club Guide

If you’re interested in joining the Off Color Book Club in the future, our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 21st to discuss True Biz by Sara Novic. All are welcome! 

On this episode, Stephanie Bailey, a fellow Read & Runner, talks about her love of audiobooks, especially a favorite narrator, how much she enjoys graphic novels, and we discuss our shared love of sad books. She also has a surprising way that school helped her fall in love with reading. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

This Here is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry

Brawler by Lauren Groff 

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon

Books Highlighted by Stephanie:

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool too) by Nora McInerny Purmort

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast

The Trees by Percival Everett 

Dream City by Brendan Short 

Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr 

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon 

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix 

The World According to Garp by John Irving 

The Water-Method Man by John Irving 

Setting Free the Bears by John Irving 

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo 

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney 

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus 

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 

East of Eden by John Steinbeck 

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 

No Happy Endings by Nora McInerny

You by Caroline Kepnes 

Shopgirl by Steve Martin 

Erasure by Percival Everett 

James by Percival Everett 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

On this episode, Arionne Nettles, author, journalist, and professor, talks about how she finds romance to be a comfort, audiobook preferences that she loves, and why she likes talking about books in person but has a harder time with the bookish internet. We also get to talk about her book that I would absolutely recommend widely!

We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Intemperance by Sonora Jha 

These Heathens by Mia McKenzie 

Brawler by Lauren Groff 

Books Highlighted by Arionne:

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Matriarch by Tina Knowles 

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid 

How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith 

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee 

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Addy: Finding Freedom by Connie Porter 

The Care and Keeping of You by Valorie Schaefer & Cara Netterson 

Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan 

Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey 

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid 

Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond 

Evicted by Matthew Desmond 

On this episode, Will Pass, author and creator of Who Reads Books Anymore, talks about the joy of the library with his kids, how much he learns about books when talking to strangers, and the book that hooked him as a young reader. We also talk a lot about how people develop a rich reading life and I hope this inspires listeners to encourage a non-reader in their life!

Will’s Author Site 

Who Reads Books Anymore

The Second Smartest Dog That Ever Lived 

Pre-Order The Whirlpool of Lebanon 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger 

Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy 

Books Highlighted by Will:

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki 

Nest by Terry Goodkind

A Little Like Magic by Sarah Kurpiel 

Merle’s Door: Lessons From a Free-Thinking Dog by Ted Kerasote 

Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal 

Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 

The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist 

The Stranger by Albert Camus

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 

Corner by Zo-O

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins 

Baby Talk by Stella Blackstone

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt 

The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt

French Exit by Patrick deWitt 

The Stand by Stephen King 

Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud 

Heidi by Johanna Spyri 

Angels by Denis Johnson 

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson 

Death With Interruptions by José Saramago 

Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind 

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 

I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal 

Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson