Episode 194 is bookended by Poetry and Romance.

We begin with the poem “Only Love” by James Crews from the poetry collection, THE PATH TO KINDNESS: Poems of Connection and Joy.

We end with an Author Spotlight with Sarah MacLean. Sarah is a powerhouse reader, advocate, and writer of romance fiction. Her new release is KNOCKOUT, book three in her Hell’s Belles series. We had a great time talking with Sarah about romance cover art, how she got into writing romance, and the un-patriarchal idea that we all deserve love and happy endings. It was both fun and enlightening for us, and we think you’ll enjoy our conversation whether or not you are a romance reader.

In between, we talk about a bunch of books we’re currently reading – THE ART OF LIBROMANCY by Josh Cook, FAMILY LORE by Elizabeth Acevedo, and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE by Kerrelyn Sparks – and those we have finished reading like THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS by Pip Williams, THE GOLDEN GATE by Amy Chua, and COUNTRY PLACE by Ann Petry which we both read for the Vintage Book Club. We also recap some Couch Biblio Adventures we’ve enjoyed such as SLOW HORSES, RENFIELD, and KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON.

We hope you are finding some peace, comfort, and stimulation through your reading.

Happy Reading!

Chris & Emily