A big welcome back to JESS MONTGOMERY! We have a lovely chat about the new entry in her Kinship Series, THE ECHOES: A Novel.

Emily and Chris are both currently reading DEATH ON THE NILE by Agatha Christie for a buddy read with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri. Stayed tuned for our conversation with John about the novel and the new movie adaptation coming up on episode 155.

The big news in our lives is that we FINALLY got to head back to Manhattan for some BIBLIO-ADVENTURING with Aunt Ellen! It was so good to be back in the city that we love after a two-year pandemic-induced separation. We got our library cards renewed at the NYPL, walked to the Morgan Library & Museum to see their GWENDOLYN BROOKS exhibit, walked through Central Park for lunch, and then on to the NY Historical Society Museum & Library to see their exhibit, PICTURE THE DREAM: THE STORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THROUGH CHILDREN'S BOOKS. A bonus surprise was walking through the ROBERT CARO exhibit showcasing his writing process. After that, we walked some more to check out a new-to-us bookstore, WESTSIDER RARE & USED BOOKS. What a day!

In our Just Read segment, Emily talks about HUNGRY HEART: ADVENTURES IN LIFE, LOVE, AND WRITING by Jennifer Weiner, PEARL by Tabitha King, and TRUE BIZ by Sara Nović. Chris read THE CHILDREN ON THE HILL by Jennifer McMahon, and three picture books: I AM AN AMERICAN: THE WONG KIM ARK STORY by Martha Brockenbrough, Grace Lin, and Julia Kuo; OSNAT AND HER DOVE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD'S FIRST FEMALE RABBI by Sigal Samuel and Vali Mintzi; WE ARE STILL HERE: NATIVE AMERICAN TRUTHS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW by Traci Sorell and Frane Lessac.

We also buddy read MAUD MARTHA by Gwendolyn Brooks, a novel we both highly recommend if you can find it! It is out of print but there is a new edition coming out in the UK in early May.