We talk about our Top Ten Books of 2020 with special guest Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog. There was only one duplicate, so that means 29 books to add to your reading lists! It is a wonderful, eclectic group of books including fiction, horror, memoir, nonfiction, thriller, and more!  And we announce our next giveaway! Subscribe to our newsletter by January 10th to be automatically entered to win.

Episode 120 - Our 2020 Top Ten Books with Special Guest Russell Gray

Chris and Emily discuss books and literary adventures

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Welcome to Episode 208, which features a fantastic author spotlight with Sara B. Franklin. Her new biography, THE EDITOR: HOW PUBLISHING LEGEND JUDITH JONES SHAPED CULTURE IN AMERICA, is a must-read. It is not hyperbole to say that everyone reading and eating today has been touched by Judith Jones’s work, and Franklin’s writing is a delight to read. 

We had a great Biblio Adventure to Brooklyn with Aunt Ellen. Our goal of making it to THE RIPPED BODICE Bookstore has been achieved, and it was worth the wait!

Many of our listeners were avid followers of or found us through Jenny Colvin’s podcast, READING ENVY: I’ll have what you’re reading. Jenny passed away in May of 2022. We miss her, and know that many of you do, too. To honor her memory, we are joining our BookTube friend SHAWN BREATHES BOOKS (formerly Shawn the Book Maniac) and doing something we think Jenny would love – reading books together! We are each choosing one book from Jenny’s Goodreads lists. The plan is to read the book by July 1st, Jenny’s birthday. We would love for you to join us by reading along with one of our selections or choosing a book of your own. We have a conversation thread on our Goodreads page, and we’ve created the hashtag #illhavewhatyourereading to use on social media. Let's keep Jenny's love for books alive in our hearts and our reading.
In other reading news, you might remember from our last episode that Emily expressed her desire to read Monica Wood’s THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY. And guess what? It magically appeared in one of her beloved Little Free Libraries. Isn’t it a delightful feeling when such serendipitous moments occur? Emily loved the novel. She also read two short stories, “Ernie’s Ark” by Monica Wood from the collection ERNIE’S ARK: THE ABBOTT FALLS STORIES and “Chapter Two” by Antonya Nelson in BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2013, edited by Elizabeth Strout. She savored THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl, while Chris unexpectedly found herself engrossed in another book by Cal Newport, DEEP WORK: RULES FOR FOCUSED SUCCESS IN A DISTRACTED WORLD. Both Chris and Emily have been captivated by JAMES by Percival Everett, especially the audiobook narrated by Dominic Hoffman. Everett’s narrative is a brilliant reinterpretation and expansion of THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, and Hoffman’s performance is simply outstanding. Chris has completed her second reading of MOBY-DICK, an endeavor that was as equally challenging and rewarding as her first encounter with the book.

As always, we also talk about what we’re currently reading and hoping to read soon. 

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

Emily and Chris

Episode 208 - Author Spotlight with Sara B. Franklin

Welcome to Episode 207. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to talk with rare book dealer and author Rebecca Romney. Her first book was PRINTER’S ERROR: Irreverent Stories from Book History, and she made a significant contribution to the world of romance fiction with her collection, THE ROMANCE NOVEL IN ENGLISH: A Rare Book Survey, 1769-1999. You won’t want to miss our conversation with Rebecca at the end of the episode. Jane Austen fans will be particularly intrigued to hear about her current project!

We have had some genuinely delightful Biblio Adventures since the last episode. Two were joint jaunts: seeing Caroline Leavitt discuss her new novel, DAYS OF WONDER, at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, and watching SHIRLEY, a trippy movie about a fictionalized Shirley Jackson based on the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell. Emily and Aunt Ellen visited Yu and Me Books in NYC’s Chinatown. We also each attended different virtual events through the North Haven Public Library. Chris attended “A Literary Examination of Power and Art” with Xochitl Gonzalez, discussing her books ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST and OLGA DIES DREAMING. Emily attended “The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us – A Sweeping History of Food and Culture” with Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson, discussing the book SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN TABLE. See the episode show notes for links to recordings of both events.

In our reading lives, we finished a variety of books and stories. BLESS YOUR HEART (cozy horror) by Lindy Ryan, DIGITAL MINIMALISM (self-help/productivity) by Cal Newport, and JAMES (literary fiction) by Percival Everett (the audiobook is fantastic!), THE EDITOR: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America (biography) by Sara B. Franklin, PRIDE AND PRESTON LIN (romance) by Christina Hwang Dudley, HOW TO READ A BOOK (literary fiction/romance) by Monica Wood, and two short stories: “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” from the collection VAMPIRES IN THE LEMON GROVE: And Other Stories by Karen Russell and “The Bookeeper’s Wife” by Willa Cather.

As always, we also talk about what we’re reading and hoping to read. We are super excited about an upcoming Biblio Adventure with Aunt Ellen to The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Brooklyn.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

Emily & Chris

https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode207

Episode 207 - Spotlight with Author & Rare Book Dealer Rebecca Romney

Welcome to Episode 206 where we have a fantastic conversation with Rebecca Rego Barry, author of THE VANISHING OF CAROLYN WELLS: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author. One reviewer referred to Barry’s book as a “process biography.” It is true, Barry takes you along on her investigation into the life of Carolyn Wells who, it turns out, wrote more than mysteries. She wrote poetry, plays, screenplays, puzzles, children's books, and a YA series. Wells was also a serious book collector in a time when that pursuit was considered the domain of men. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, this biography would make a great gift.

Along with our friend Kate, we did a buddy read of Carson McCullers’ novella, REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE. This was part of our Biblio Adventure to Nyack, NY where McCuller’s lived for the last 30 years of her life (which wasn’t a very long long life: she died at 50, so she actually lived most of her life in Nyack). We explored the grounds of her home (it is not a public author home at this time) and paid our respects at the Oak Hill Cemetery where Carson is buried next to her mother. We visited Big Red Books, a Little Free Library, Pickwick Books, and the gorgeous Nyack Public Library. (Check out our social media for some pics.)

We also recap our Biblio Adventure to NYC which was metamorphosed by an earthquake in New Jersey that was felt throughout the Northeast.

As always, we talk about what we’ve read, are reading, and want to read. Highlights include PIGLET by Lottie Hazell, THE STOLEN CHILD by Ann Hood (out 5/7), MOBY DICK by Herman Melville, HOW TO READ by Monica Wood (out 5/7), SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY by Edgar Lee Masters, BLESS YOUR HEART by Lindy Ryan, THE EDITOR: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin (out 5/28), and two short stories: “Touchless Bidet” by Omar El Akkad from the collection SMALL ODYSSEYS: Selected Shorts Presents 35 New Stories edited by Hannah Tinti and “A Simple Question” from the collection OLD CRIMES: And Other Stories by Jill McCorkle. 

If you’ve been enjoying our podcast, please share it with a friend and consider leaving a review on iTunes or whatever app you use to listen. 

Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading!

Chris & Emily

Episode 206 - Author Spotlight with Rebecca Rego Barry

Welcome to Episode 205! April is National Poetry Month and we are here for it. Emily is currently reading YOU ARE HERE: Poetry in the Natural World, a new anthology edited by Ada Limón, and Chris is reading BOATS FOR WOMEN by Sandra Yannone.

Since our last episode, Chris finished listening to WAKE UP WITH PURPOSE! What I’ve Learned in my First Hundred Years by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt. She also enjoyed the first issue of DEPROG by Tina Horn, Gab Contreras, Dani Strips, and Lisa Sterle, and dipped into RIVER EAST, RIVER WEST by Aube Rey Lescure (long listed for the Women’s Prize). Emily read two suspense thrillers: INTIMACIES by Katie Kitamura and WHEN THE CICADAS CRY by Caroline Cleveland, and then went to a happier place with A BAKER’S YEAR: Twelve Months of Baking and Living the Simple Life at the Smoke Signals Bakery by Tara Jensen.

As always we talk about what we’re reading, what we want to read, and Biblio Adventures we’ve been on, like seeing Rachel Slade discuss her new book MAKING IT IN AMERICA: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. and How It Got That Way, at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT.

Happy Listening & Happy Reading!

Episode 205 - Author Spotlight with Yulin Kuang

We begin Episode 204 with the announcement of our second quarter readalong in our year of reading romance and end with a delightful conversation with author Allison Pataki about her fabulous new novel, FINDING MARGARET FULLER.

Since our last episode, Emily has continued with her intention of reading a short story every Monday. She read  “Lot” by Bryan Washington from the story collection LOT: Stories and “Postcards from Heaven” from REUNION BEACH: Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank. Chris also read a short story,  “Consequences” by Willa Cather from the story collection UNCLE VALENTINE AND OTHER STORIES. 

We each read an excellent novel – we’re talking Top 10 contenders! Emily read THE FROZEN RIVERr by Ariel Lawhon and Chris finished WE GOT THE BEAT by Jenna Miller. 

In Biblio Adventures, Chris has rekindled a childhood fascination with Mary Stuart (aka Mary I of Scotland or Mary, Queen of Scots). She watched two movies:  Mary, Queen of Scots starring Vanessa Redgrave, and Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan based on John Guy's biography QUEEN OF SCOTS: The True Life of Mary Stuart. She plans to read Antonia Fraser’s biography, Mary, Queen of Scots for Big Book Summer.
 
Emily took a trip to Wilmington, NC where she tried unsuccessfully to shop at Papercuts Bookshop because it was closed for inventory. She did find two Little Free Libraries where she picked up THIRTEEN MOONS by Charles Frazier, INTIMACIES by Katie Kitamura, and EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Back in CT, Emily went to the North Haven public library where she purchased LOTt: Stories by Bryan Washington and WHO’S IRISH?: Stories by Gish Jen from the Friends of the Library sale, and attended a presentation with Linda Civitello author of BAKING POWDER WARS: The Cutthroat Food Fight That Revolutionized Cooking.

Episode 120 - Our 2020 Top Ten Books with Special Guest Russell Gray

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