Paperback Readers

Paperback Readers, Episode 99

Joe and Julie

At long last, we are back to talk books with you! Our shared read is I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Engler, which was fantastic, and we’ve ready so many other books beside. Below, we’ve listed the highlights we discussed in this episode, and we’re looking forward to talking about Wright Thompson’s excellent new book, The Barn.

We hope you’ve had the best fall filled with wonderful books, and we can’t wait to hear all about them.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

A Fine Sight to See by Sophie Hudson

The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson

Bake & Pray: Liturgies and Recipes for Baking Bread as a Spiritual Practice by Kendall Vanderslice

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop

What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci

Daybreak at Chavez Ravine by Erik Sherman

Monkee Business by Erik Lefcowitz

One on One: Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game by John Feinstein

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop by Jeff Chang and Dave COok

Hometown Victory by Keanon Lowe

Brother Robert: Growing Up with Robert Johnson by Annye C. Anderson

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Engler

The Barn by Wright Thompson

Paperback Readers, Episode 98

Joe and Julie

Welcome back! We have missed talking to you about books but are excited to return and catch up on all the things we have been reading, and all the things you think we should be reading. Our shared read was An Unfinished Love Story, by our favorite Doris Kearns Goodwin. Join us next time when we talk about I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger.

All the books we talked about are below. Please let us know if there is anything you think we should add to our list!

Beyond Bartman, Curses, and Goats: 104 Reasons Why It’s Been 104 Years by Chris Neitzel

Ringo: With a Little Help by Michael Seth Starr

Life in the G: Minor League Baseball and the Relentless Pursuit of the NBA by Alex Squadron

Baseball: The Movie by Noah Gittell

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski

Deja Blue: A Sportswriter Reflects on 41 Seasons of Kentucky Basketball by Jerry TIpton

Every Moment Holy Volume 3

How to Walk Into a Room by Emily P. Freeman

The Wedding People by Alison Epsach

An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

Paperback Readers, Episode 97

Joe and Julie

Summer reading is always fun, and it’s even better when we’re joined by special guests to talk about a book we loved this summer: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. This was one of our favorite conversations, and you’re definitely going to want to check out this book.

All the books we discussed are below. Join us next time when we talk about Doris Kearns Goodwin’s new book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s.

Steve Kerr: A Life by Scott Howard-Cooper

Coolidge by Amity Shlaes

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

The Match by Sarah Adams

Take Me Homeby Melanie Sweeney

An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Twelfth Night by Alexene Farol Follmuth

Loose Balls by Terry Pluto

Paperback Readers, Episode 96

Joe and Julie

Happy Fourth of July! We are talking about everything we’ve read over the last two weeks, and going deep on our shared read, How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. All the books we read are listed below. Join us next time when we discuss Kwame Alexander’s novel in verse, The Crossover, with two special guests.

Howard Stern Comes Again by Howard Stern

Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

We Are the Baby-Sitters Club edited by Marisa Crawford and Megan Milks

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

You Are Here by David Nicholls

The Way of Belonging by Sarah Westfall

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Paperback Readers, Episode 95

Joe and Julie

Welcome back! We are home from vacation and are ready to talk about books with you again. Our shared read was The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom. All the books we discussed are listed below. Please join us next time as we talk about How to Read a Book by Monica Wood.

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner

Betting on You by Lynn Painter

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedman

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

Bird Watching: On Playing and Coaching the Game I Love by Larry Bird with Jackie MacMullin

The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

Paperback Readers, Episode 94

Joe and Julie

We are so excited to talk about a novel we both loved: Colton Gentry’s Third Act, by Jeff Zentner. We loved this tribute to love, food, country music, football, Kentucky, and the changing dreams that make a life.

All the books we talked about are below. Join us next time when our shared read is Mitch Albom’s The Stranger in the Lifeboat.

Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wald

The Way of Belonging by Sarah Westfall

Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West

Funny Story by Emily Henry

River of Earth by James Still

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner

The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

Paperback Readers, Episode 93

Joe and Julie

Welcome back to another edition of Paperback Readers. This time, our shared read was They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib. Join us next time when we talk about Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zenter. All the books we discussed are listed below.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zenter

The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh

I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist

We Played the Game: Memories of Baseball’s Greatest Era edited by Danny Peary

Fab Five by Mitch Albom

Peculiar Treasures by Frederick Buechner

Why We Love Baseball by Joe Posnanski

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

Paperback Readers, Episode 92

Joe and Julie

We have been fans of Scott Simon ever since we read his book on the Chicago Cubs, so we were happy to find this memoir about his mother, and we are even happier to get to talk about it with you. Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime by Scott Simon is our shared read this week. Let us know what you think about this book!

All the books we discussed are below. Join us next time when we talk about They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us Hanif Abdurraqib.

Baseball Heaven by Peter Golenbock

It’s Hard for Me to Live with Me by Rex Chapman

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

The Wives by Simone Gorrindo

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Say Yes by Scott Erickson

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Unforgettable by Scott Simon

Paperback Readers, Episode 91

Joe and Julie

This week, we’re talking about a novel we’ve seen everywhere: James by Percival Everett. It’s a retelling of Mark Twain’s classic Huckleberry Finn, but told from Jim’s perspective, and we have been so eager to read it. If you’ve read it, let us know what you thought!

All the books we discussed are below. Join us next time when we talk about Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime by Scott Simon.

Blood from a Stone by Adam McHugh

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

Once Persuaded, Twice Shy by Melodie Edwards

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

The Understory: An Invitation to Rootedness and Resilience from the Forest Floor by Lore Wilbert

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison

The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage During the Great War by James David Robenalt

James by Percival Everett

Unforgettable by Scott Simon

Paperback Readers, Episode 90

Joe and Julie

Happy spring! This week we’re talking about Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed, and, of course, everything else we’ve been reading. Join us in two weeks, when our shared read will be James by Percival Everett.

Here are the books we discussed this week!

Ice: Why I Was Born to Score by George Gervin

In the Name of the Father: Family, Football, and the Manning Dynasty by Mark Ribowsky

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Book Lovers and Happy Place by Emily Henry

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan

Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley

Why I Read by Shannon Reed

James by Percival Everett