Books with Betsy
Books with Betsy is a podcast that celebrates the reading life of all readers. Each week, Betsy interviews a different person about their reading life. Listen for book recommendations, reading tips, and to join in the joy that reading brings. And remember, anyone who reads is a reader.
Listen on:
Episodes
7 days ago
7 days ago
On this episode, Francesca Musumeci and I discuss the wealth of indie bookstores we have in Chicago, how school can make reading less fun, and why it’s important to read what you like. She also tells some pretty great stories about her years working at Half-Price Books, including a hilarious mystery request from a customer that she manages to solve.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
His Name is George Floyd by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Victim by Andrew Boryga
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Books Highlighted by Francesca:
Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The Push by Ashley Audrain
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
The Iliad by Homer
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Marlena by Julie Buntin
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
High on Arrival by MacKenzie Phillips
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
The Body of Evidence Series by Christopher Golden
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Monday Jun 03, 2024
Monday Jun 03, 2024
On this episode, Erin Jacobo and I discuss a lot of really juicy thrillers, her love of a heart wrenching story, and why romance just doesn’t work for us. She also tells some great stories about her family and their connection with reading, and we learn how much she has influenced my reading life!
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
His Name is George Floyd by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
Books Highlighted by Erin:
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanaugh
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Searle
Winter Street by Elin Hildebrand
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Pact by Jodi Picoult
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Final Girls by Riley Sager
Erasure by Percival Everett
In Five Years by Rebecca Searle
28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Monday May 27, 2024
Monday May 27, 2024
A Safe Place to Have Bad Feelings with Tim Mueller
Episode 3
On this episode, Tim Mueller and I discuss his passion for collecting books, comics, and other physical media; the magic and abundance of a used bookstore; and how the darkest kinds of books can develop the most empathy. Also, Tim recommends a host of underlooked books that you probably haven’t heard of (I sure hadn’t!).
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Ghosts in the Schoolyard by Eve L. Ewing
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
Victim by Andrew Boryga
Books Highlighted by Tim:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Docile by K.M. Szpara
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
The Cook by Harry Kressing
Strange Angel by George Pendle
The Mirage by Zay N. Smith and Pamela Zekman (out of print)
The Monster Show by David J. Skal
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Books by Stephen King:
It
Gerald’s Game
On Writing
The Stand
The Dark Tower Series
Carrie
Salem’s Lot
The Shining
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Portnoy’s Complaint by Phillip Roth
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele
Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick
High Rise by J.G. Ballard
Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix
Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
Deliverance by James Dickey
Monday May 20, 2024
Monday May 20, 2024
The Beauty of Escaping into a Book with Carolyn Latshaw
Episode 2
On this episode, Carolyn Latshaw and I discuss her love of classics, select ones at least, the joy and difficulty of getting absolutely swept up into a book, and a slew of great book recommendations that are a little unusual! Listen for a huge revelation on Carolyn’s part about one of her favorite books.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Gathering by C.J. Tudor
Punk Rock Karaoke by Biana Xunise
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Books Highlighted by Carolyn:
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Aeneid by Virgil
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Elektra by Sophocles
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Achilles by Elizabeth Cook
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin
Ducktales by Janette Oke (out of print)
California Diaries by Ann M. Martin (out of print)
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Gods and Generals: A Novel of the Civil War by Jeff Shaara
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
The Odyssey by Homer
The Iliad by Homer
Cat Heaven by Cynthia Rylant
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Revolutionary Suicide by Huey P. Newton
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcom X and Alex Haley
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Monday May 13, 2024
Monday May 13, 2024
Bathing in Darkness with Sam Wilmes
Episode 1
On this episode, Sam Wilmes and I discuss reading dark books including Stephen King, horror, and dark literary fiction. We find her book ick, a new-to-me source of books, and books that connect anxiety and depression and humor.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
A Better World by Sarah Langan
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Books Highlighted by Sam:
The Shining by Stephen King
It by Stephen King
Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
By Kristen Hannah:
The Nightingale
Great Alone
The Four Winds
By Chuck Klosterman
The Nineties: A Book
X: A Highly Specific, Defiantly Incomplete History of the 21st Century
Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota
Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Townie by Andre Dubus III
The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus III
By Hunter S. Thompson
The Rum Diary
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72
By Samantha Irby
We are Never Meeting in Real Life
Meaty
Quietly Hostile
Wow, No Thank You
Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson
I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi
Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground and the Politics of Solidarity by Dan Berger
Your Title
This is the description area. You can write an introduction or add anything you want to tell your audience. This can help potential listeners better understand and become interested in your podcast. Think about what will motivate them to hit the play button. What is your podcast about? What makes it unique? This is your chance to introduce your podcast and grab their attention.