Welcome to Episode 240!

It’s another 10th episode, which means we’re giving away a book as we do every tenth episode. One lucky newsletter subscriber will receive a copy of CHASING BEAUTY: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra. If you’re not yet subscribed to our monthly newsletter, you can sign up on our website (go to the “support/subscribe” tab). Dykstra will be our guest on the podcast in October, and we hope many of you will join us in reading her award-winning biography of Gardner.

In this episode, Emily recaps her Midwest #biblioadventures, which included quality time at the MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY and MYSTERY TO ME bookstore in Wisconsin and WILD RUMPUS BOOKS, COMMA, A BOOKSHOP, and OPEN BOOKS in Minnesota. Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Chris visited KINDRED THOUGHTS BOOKSTORE in Bridgeport and came home with a big stack of new books.

We discuss another ghost story: “Nightmare-Touch” by Lafcadio Hearn from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce. Neither of us had heard of this author before, and we enjoyed his story very much.

Books we read and talk about include

EIGHTY DAYS: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman

THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans

THE EL by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

A FAMILY MATTER by Claire Lynch

THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah

We also talk about what we’re currently reading and hope to read soon, as well as upcoming author events and jaunts. Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Robin Cannon, author of INTO THE SHALLOWS DARKLY.

Oh, and a reminder that our Zoom discussion of THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE by Julia Fine is this Sunday at 7 pm ET.

Enjoy the show, and Happy Reading!

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode240