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.
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Episodes
2 days ago
2 days ago
On this episode, Tess Page, listener of Books with Betsy, talks about her requirement for books grounded in reality, her high/low reading tastes, and tells some wonderful stories of her reading habits in childhood. We talk about a shared favorite author who has a deep backlist and I encourage you to check her out!
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Milktooth by Jaime Barnett
Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma
Books Highlighted by Tess:
Riders by Jilly Cooper
Rivals by Jilly Cooper
The Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novel Adaptation by Raina Tagelmeier & Ann M. Martin
In a Blue Velvet Dress by Catherine Sefton
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Bringing Back the Beaver by Derek Gow
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
Monday Apr 13, 2026
Monday Apr 13, 2026
On this episode, Eric Siewert, a former colleague of mine at our college bookstore, talks about his favorite authors, the ways recommendations are important to him, and he waxes poetic about his love for hardcover books. We also talk about our individual authors we think should be more of a household name.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Wild Life by Amanda Leduc
The Sea Gives Up the Dead by Molly Olguín
Books Highlighted by Eric:
In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
July, July by Tim O’Brien
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lemott
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Devil House by John Darnielle
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien
If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O’Brien
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
The River by Peter Heller
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
Monday Apr 06, 2026
Monday Apr 06, 2026
On this episode, I bring back Sam Wilmes from episode 1 to celebrate 100 episodes of Books with Betsy so she can interview me! I am the guest on this episode so if you’ve ever wanted to hear my answers to my interview questions, here it is! We talk about a ton of books and somehow I neglected to talk about Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel which is one of my absolute favorite books. I am sure I will continue to think about more and more books that I didn’t discuss because there are so many amazing books out there!
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Books Highlighted by Betsy:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1984 by George Orwell
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
No Exit by Taylor Adams
Trust by Hernan Diaz
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss
Sunny: Diary One, California Diaries by Ann M. Martin
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Bloomability by Sharon Creech
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
A Winkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Brawler by Lauren Groff
Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Matilda by Roald Dahl
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler by E.L. Konigsburg
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
Monday Mar 30, 2026
Monday Mar 30, 2026
On this episode, Emily Bogaert, a fellow teacher, talks about how her childhood made her fall in love with the library, the joy she feels when getting the right books into the hands of her students, and we talk about the ups and downs of the reading life when you’re a teacher. She also has a reading habit that is absolutely wild and I didn’t even know was still possible.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Time, Silence, and Yeast: A Song of Appreciation for Trappist Communities and Their Beer by Marty Tomszak
Women Without Men: A Novel of Modern Iran by Shahrnush Parsipur
Small Comfort by Ia Genberg
Books Highlighted by Emily:
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Trial by Journal by Kate Klise
Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
My Friends by Frederik Backman
Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett
With Teeth by Kristen Arnett
Woodworking by Emily St. James
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
True Biz by Sara Nović
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Little Women by Louisa My Alcott
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina
The Institute by Stephen King
There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone
Monday Mar 23, 2026
Monday Mar 23, 2026
On this episode, Jennifer from Off Color Book Club joins me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli.
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, April 21st to discuss True Biz by Sara Novic. All are welcome!
Monday Mar 16, 2026
Monday Mar 16, 2026
On this episode, Stephanie Bailey, a fellow Read & Runner, talks about her love of audiobooks, especially a favorite narrator, how much she enjoys graphic novels, and we discuss our shared love of sad books. She also has a surprising way that school helped her fall in love with reading.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
This Here is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry
Brawler by Lauren Groff
Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon
Books Highlighted by Stephanie:
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool too) by Nora McInerny Purmort
Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast
The Trees by Percival Everett
Dream City by Brendan Short
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
The World According to Garp by John Irving
The Water-Method Man by John Irving
Setting Free the Bears by John Irving
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
No Happy Endings by Nora McInerny
You by Caroline Kepnes
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Erasure by Percival Everett
James by Percival Everett
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Monday Mar 09, 2026
Monday Mar 09, 2026
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
Monday Mar 02, 2026
Monday Mar 02, 2026
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
Monday Feb 23, 2026
Monday Feb 23, 2026
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!
Monday Feb 16, 2026
Monday Feb 16, 2026
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