Books with Betsy

Episode 96 - A Complete Package with Arionne Nettles

On this episode, Arionne Nettles, author, journalist, and professor, talks about how she finds romance to be a comfort, audiobook preferences that she loves, and why she likes talking about books in person but has a harder time with the bookish internet. We also get to talk about her book that I would absolutely recommend widely!
 
We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Intemperance by Sonora Jha 
These Heathens by Mia McKenzie 
Brawler by Lauren Groff 
 
Books Highlighted by Arionne:
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Matriarch by Tina Knowles 
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid 
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith 
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee 
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Addy: Finding Freedom by Connie Porter 
The Care and Keeping of You by Valorie Schaefer & Cara Netterson 
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan 
Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen 
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 
The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey 
Come & Get It by Kiley Reid 
Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond 
Evicted by Matthew Desmond 

Episode 95 - Who Reads Books Anymore with Will Pass

On this episode, Will Pass, author and creator of Who Reads Books Anymore, talks about the joy of the library with his kids, how much he learns about books when talking to strangers, and the book that hooked him as a young reader. We also talk a lot about how people develop a rich reading life and I hope this inspires listeners to encourage a non-reader in their life!
 
Will’s Author Site 
Who Reads Books Anymore
The Second Smartest Dog That Ever Lived 
Pre-Order The Whirlpool of Lebanon 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger 
Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy 
 
Books Highlighted by Will:
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki 
Nest by Terry Goodkind
A Little Like Magic by Sarah Kurpiel 
Merle’s Door: Lessons From a Free-Thinking Dog by Ted Kerasote 
Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal 
Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 
The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist 
The Stranger by Albert Camus
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher 
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 
Corner by Zo-O
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins 
Baby Talk by Stella Blackstone
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt 
The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt
French Exit by Patrick deWitt 
The Stand by Stephen King 
Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud 
Heidi by Johanna Spyri 
Angels by Denis Johnson 
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson 
Death With Interruptions by José Saramago 
Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind 
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 
I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal 
Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson

Episode 94 - Book Club - There There

On this episode, Sofia and Becca from Off Color Book Club join me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, There There by Tommy Orange. 
 
My Book Club Guide
 
If you’re interested in joining the Off Color Book Club in the future, our next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 17th to discuss Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli. All are welcome! 

Episode 93 - AP Lit Hates to See Me Coming with Nicole Abrahamson

On this episode, Nicole Abrahamson, Off Color Book Club Member, talks about her extremely varied reading life that is inspired by the idea of trying anything once. We also talk about the importance of talking about why you might not like a book and she drops a ton of titles that you might want to add to your TBR. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy 
There, There by Tommy Orange 
 
Books Highlighted by Nicole:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck 
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy 
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen 
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr 
About Grace by Anthony Doerr
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Clarie Lombardo 
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang 
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 
Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff 
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell 
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen 
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Episode 92 - Characters Having a Bad Time with Rachel Larkins

On this episode, Rachel Larkins, a listener of Books with Betsy, talks about her project to read all the winners of the Hugo award, so we talk about a lot of really great sci-fi books. We also dish about how great the Book Riot podcast universe is and we might convince you to pick up Dune. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Ring by Michele Lerner
You Wanna Be On Top? by Sarah Hartshorne
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy 
 
Books Highlighted by Rachel:
Enders Game by Orson Scott Card 
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller 
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch 
Among Others by Jo Walton 
Network Effect by Martha Wells 
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 
Dune by Frank Herbert 
Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman 
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu 
Travel Team by Mike Lupica 
Recursion by Blake Crouch 
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang 
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson 
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 

Episode 91 - Magpie Reader with Amanda Moulson

On this episode, Amanda Moulson, co-host of the Curious Readers podcast, talks about finding her heartland as a reader, how much women’s voices influence her reading life, and the ways that podcasting about books changes how she interacts with books. We also go down a bit of an awards rabbit hole and find our shared love of pen and paper. 
 
Curious Readers Podcast 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
So Far Gone by Jess Walter 
The Compound by Aisling Rawle 
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabelle Wilkerson 
 
Books Highlighted by Amanda:
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 
The Melting by Lize Spit 
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason 
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray 
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny 
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus 
One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad 
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 
Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry 
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell 
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell 
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny 
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan 
On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle 
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Episode 90 - Book Club - Project Hail Mary

On this episode, Stephanie Majercik and Nicole Abrahamson from Off Color Book Club join me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. 
 
My Book Club Guide
 
If you’re interested in joining the Off Color Book Club in the future, our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 17th to discuss There There by Tommy Orange. All are welcome! 

Episode 89 - Well-Loved Books with Giorgia Riddell

On this episode, Giorgia Riddell, of Fostered Fiction, talks about her love for used books, especially those that are already annotated, her memories of listening to books on road trips, and we get into the current reading stats from last year and encourage anyone who wants to talk about reading online to go out there and do it. 
 
Fostered Fiction on TikTok 
Fostered Fiction on Instagram 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa
Tilt by Emma Pattee 
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 
 
Books Highlighted by Giorgia:
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar 
The Secret History by Donna Tartt 
You Weren’t Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White 
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 
Lie With Me by Phillipe Besson 
What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez 
Creep by Emma van Straaten 
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon 
The Will of the Many by James Islington 
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab 
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga 
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket 
The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale 
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez 
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin 
Is This a Cry For Help? by Emily Austin 
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut 
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood 
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams 
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi 
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden 
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
The Only One Left by Riley Sager 
Gone Girl by Gilian Flynn 
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk 
Endling by Maria Reva 
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 

Episode 88 - Achieving Goals as a Chaotic Mood Reader with Alexander Davidson

On this episode, Alexander Davidson, an English teacher and author, talks about his life as a self-proclaimed chaotic mood reader and gives a lot of really excellent book recommendations from a wide range of genres. He also talks about his recently developed love for audiobooks, and gives some great recommendations for narrators to look out for. 
 
Mr. D Reads on Instagram 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and his Mother) by Rabih Alameddine
 
Books Highlighted by Alexander:
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 
Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson 
Beach Read by Emily Henry
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Guncle by Steven Rowley 
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 
Young Mungo by Douglas Stewart 
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 
Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei Brenyah 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 
Matilda by Roald Dahl 
Holes by Louis Sachar 
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 
Beartown by Fredrik Backman 
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley 
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams 
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine 
James by Percival Everett 
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty 
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 
North Woods by Daniel Mason 
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart 

Episode 87 - Best of 2025 Part 2

On this episode, past guests of Books with Betsy and I share our favorite books of 2025! Listen to hear about lots of great 2025 books and the excellent backlist we got to this year. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
Betsy’s Top 11 Books (in no particular order): 
The Sisters by Jonas Hassan Khemiri 
Endling by Maria Reva
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann 
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey 
Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet 
Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing
Devil is Fine by John Vercher 
There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes, Jr. 
A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar 
Reservoir Bitches by Dalia de la Cerda 
 
Books Highlighted by Guests:
Tina of TBR, etc: 
One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford 
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher 
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Jen Price:
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis
Canada by Mike Myers 
Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza
Saltwater by Katy Hays
Come Fly With Me by Camille Di Maio
Bre of Brezzylovesbooks: 
Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems by Melania Luisa Marte
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo 
Maggie; or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee 
Maggie Brennan: 
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib 
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar 
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 
Wolf Pack by Amelia Brunskill 
Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed  
Amy Smalley: 
Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce 
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith 
The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case by Chuck Hogan 
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman 
Carrie Vittitoe: 
My Father’s Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Family’s Past by Ariel Sabar  
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus 
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon 
Mary Hopper: 
The Black Wolf by Louise Penny 
Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 
The Moscow Sleepers by Stella Rimington 
The Searcher by Tana French 
The Hunter by Tana French 
Aflame: Learning From Silence by Pico Iyer 
Karishma Verma: 
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading by James Patterson and Matt Eversman 
You Wanna Be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America's Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne 
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez 
The Housemaid’s Secret by Frieda McFadden 
The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke
Alayna Mills: 
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Flashlight by Susan Choi 
We Do Not Part by Han Kang 
Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz 
Heart the Lover by Lily King