Books with Betsy

On this episode, Katie Erdman, a lifelong reader who finds comfort in books, talks about the mystery series she particularly loves, ways that technology have made her reading life better and funnier, and she tells a great story about her Aunt Jan and Grandma doing her a reading solid. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay 
The Mad Wife by Meagan Church
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 
 
Books Highlighted by Katie: 
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell 
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson 
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Bossed Up: A Grown Woman’s Guide to Getting Your Shit Together by Emilie Aries 
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annier Barrows 
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear 
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore 
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich 
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell 
The Women by Kristin Hannah 
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey 
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey 
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 

On this episode, Rachel Turney, host of Poetry (in Brief), talks about how she has developed a reading life full of just what she wants to read, how important women’s voices are to her, and she gives some really great small press recommendations. 
 
Rachel’s Website 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson
Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay 
 
Books Highlighted by Rachel: 
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
Birds of America by Chera Hammons
Eve by B.K. O’Connor
Another Place All Together by Candice M. Kelsey
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Wrong Heaven by Amy Bonnaffons 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis
The Crucible by Arthur Miller 
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes 
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory 
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

On this episode, Jabril Yousef Faraj, author of the Guardians of the Cosmic Clocks, a young adult fantasy series, talks about their inspiration from their favorite books, why it’s so important to have stories that children can see themselves in, and what reading can do for humanity. 
 
Guardians of the Cosmic Clocks
Jabril’s Author Site
Jabril on YouTube 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
John of John by Douglas Stuart 
Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata
 
Books Highlighted by Jabril: 
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis 
1984 by George Orwell 
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov 
Rosehead by Ksenia Anske 
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs 
The Odyssey by Homer 
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis 
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift 
Teddy Roosevelt by Edd Winfield Parks & Gray Morrow 
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin 
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 
The Giver by Lois Lowry 
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card 
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card 
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
Animal Farm by George Orwell 

On this episode, Dan Santaromita, sports journalist with the Athletic, talks about his love for autobiographies, how reading for work affects recreational reading, and his birthday tradition centered on his ideal reading scenario. We also talk about his favorite writer, Wright Thompson. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie 
The Names by Florence Knapp 
John of John by Douglas Stuart 
 
Books Highlighted by Dan: 
Open by Andre Agassi 
I Think Therefore I Play by Andrea Pirlo
The 100-Yard Journey by Gary Pinkel 
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss
Wright Thompson’s Caitlyn Clark Profile 
The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson 
The Barn by Wright Thompson
Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis 
Acid for the Children by Flea
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Pappyland by Wright Thompson 
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss
The Messi Effect by Paul Tenorio 
One Jump at a Time by Nathan Chen 
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey & Pete Carroll 
Alex Ferguson by Sir Alex Ferguson
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier 
Good Game, No Rematch by Mike Drucker 
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford 
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 
Moneyball by Michael Lewis 
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe 
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe 
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe

On this episode, Sam Ali, @readwithsama on instagram, talks about how she is developing a love of reading in her daughter, recommends some amazing Canadian books, and we gush about our shared love of awards. We talk about how it can be hard to be readers with wide interests when you have so many great books available to you!
 
Sam on Instagram 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey 
The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward
 
Books Highlighted by Sam: 
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 
We Measure the Earth with our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy 
Astra by Cedar Bowers
A History of Burning by Janika Oza
The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan 
The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan 
Whistler by Ann Patchett 
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin 
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy 
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy 
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 
Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa 
How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa

On this episode, David Nilsen & Emily Swank, hosts of the HopLit podcast, talk about their work combining their love for beer and books. We also talk a lot about awards, get a little spicy making a literary and beer comparison, and they share some great reading habits you might connect with! 
 
HopLit Podcast 
David Nilsen Beer
Bean to Barstool
Final Gravity, a Beer Zine 
David on Instagram 
Emily on Instagram 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Land by Maggie O’Farrell 
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
 
Books Highlighted by Emily: 
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk  
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad 
 
Books Highlighted by David:
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Watership Down by Richard Adams 
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden 
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden 
The Summer is Ended and We are Not Yet Saved by Joey Comeau
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Copywriter by Daniel Poppick 
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
Somebody is Walking on Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones 
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 
Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski 
The Odyssey by Homer 
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus 
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Less by Andrew Sean Greer 
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips 
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur 
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich 
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood 
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo 

On this episode, Tatiana, a recent graduate, talks about how she’s renewing her love of reading after finishing school, her blog focusing on making scientific research accessible, and the ways that books have met her in exactly the right time. 
 
Tatiana’s Blog 
Tatiana on Instagram 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig 
Super Castle Fun Park by Daniel Zomparelli
 
Books Highlighted by Tatiana:
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Butter by Asako Yuzuki 
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King 
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner 
Pet Sematary by Stephen King

On this episode, Kate Sutton, owner of the Lit Wagon in the Chicago area, talks about how she brings books to people all over the city, how her work as a therapist influences her book choices, and the kinds of emotional wreckage she expects from a read. She also gives tips on how to be a good customer of the Lit Wagon! 
 
Follow the Lit Wagon
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly 
 
Books Highlighted by Kate:
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin 
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 
All Fours by Mrianda July 
Fractured by C.S. Dodds
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy 
Birdie and Harlow by Taylor Wolfe
The Best Dog in the World by Alice Hoffman 
Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin 
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey & Bruce Perry 
The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff 
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green 
While You Were Out by Meg Kissinger
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney 
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke 

On this episode, Grace Hughes, author and avid fantasy reader, discusses her specific criteria for naming genres, how her work as a writer affects her reading life, and we talk about a lot of fantasy series. If you’re ready to pick up a fantastical tome, this episode has a lot of recommendations. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Canon by Paige Lewis 
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
 
Books Highlighted by Grace:
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig 
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Your Knife, My Heart by K.M. Moronova 
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari 
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 
Alchemisd by SenLinYu 
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas 
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig 
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski 
American Gods by Neil Gaiman 
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 

On this episode, Nicole from Off Color Book Club joins me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book,  A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. 
 
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, July 21st to discuss Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. All are welcome!