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
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Monday Aug 19, 2024
On this episode, Ben Ustick, the taproom manager at Off Color Mousetrap and I discuss some of our shared favorite books, the excellence of contemporary fiction, and his goal to read Percival Everett’s entire oeuvre this year. Get ready to be shocked yourself when you hear the book that shocked Ben. If you want to visit us at Off Color Book Club, check my instagram for the information on the next meeting!
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay
Books Highlighted by Ben:
True Biz by Sara Nović
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Hustler by Walter Tevis
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Victim by Andrew Boryga
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Firm by John Grisham
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
The Client by John Grisham
The Chamber by John Grisham
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Different Seasons: Four Novellas by Stephen King
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Erasure by Percival Everett
James by Percival Everett
Telephone by Percival Everett
I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Trust by Hernan Diaz
The Color of Money by Walter Tevis
The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger
Monday Aug 12, 2024
Monday Aug 12, 2024
On this episode, Mawuli Grant Agbefe and I discuss his love for fascinating non-fiction, including one of my absolute favorite books ever that he recommended to me in January! We also discuss our shared love of being readers in Chicago, based on the gorgeous places to read and the incredible resource the Chicago Public Library is.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Nix by Nathan Hill
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne
Books Highlighted by Mawuli:
The Official Preppy Handbook by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Lisa Birnbach
The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy by Stephanie Kelton
Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Tragedy and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes
Mean Girl Feminism: How White Feminists Gaslight, Gatekeep, and Girlboss by Kim Hong Nguyen
Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe
Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup’s Quest to End Privacy as we Know it by Kashmir Hill
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
How the Other Half Banks: Exclusion, Exploitation and the Threat to Democracy by Mehrsa Baradaran
Take Ivy by Shosuke Ishizu and Toshiyuki Kurosu
His Name is George Floyd by Toluse Olorunippa and Robert Samuels
Columbine by Dave Cullen
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
Monday Aug 05, 2024
Monday Aug 05, 2024
On this episode, Tanima Kazi, a writer (get her novel here!) who loves language, shares her love of romance novels, favorite parts of her favorite books, and how her day job helps her build ideas for her own writing. She describes how books speak to her and even shares excerpts from her favorite books.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Nix by Nathan Hill
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon
Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne
Books Highlighted by Tanima:
Circe by Madeline Miller
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Order the Universe by María José Ferrada, trans. Elizabeth Bryer
Siddartha by Herman Hesse
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
How to Escape an Arranged Marriage in High Heels by Tanima Kazi
Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Addicted by Zane
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Babysitters Club by Anne M. Martin
Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
Watermelon by Marian Keyes
This Charming Man by Marian Keyes
London Seance Society by Sarah Penner
Jezebel by Megan Barnard
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Vengeance by Zane
Monday Jul 29, 2024
Monday Jul 29, 2024
On this episode, Mike Finucane, a campus minister at a high-school in St. Louis, and I discuss how books can help develop empathy. He also gives a great tip from his dad about how to tackle a large non-fiction text. We also confirm that collecting books shouldn’t be considered a bad habit if you love it. We talk about a lot of really intense books but I hope that our discussion will inspire readers to do a deep dive into some of the topics.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Nix by Nathan Hill
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Books Highlighted by Mike:
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Stories of Your LIfe and Others by Ted Chiang
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz
Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson
The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle
City of Bohane by Kevin Barry
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden World Around Us by Ed Yong
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
God Knows by Joseph Heller
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Your Duck is My Duck: Stories by Deborah Eisenberg
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
There are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Monday Jul 22, 2024
Monday Jul 22, 2024
On this episode, Rachel Kilthorne, a self-processed nerd’s nerd, discusses her love of both fantasy novels and going deep on a subject in non-fiction. She names many series and discusses how she determines when to re-read or when to let go of a series. I also get to go on a soapbox rant about reading diversely, especially in genre fiction.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Nix by Nathan Hill
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Woodworm by Layla Martinez
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Books Highlighted by Rachel:
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
The Wayfarer Series by Becky Chambers
The Sabriel Series by Garth Nix
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr
Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.A. Schwab
A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Saga by Brian K. Vaughn
American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee
The Dresden Files Series by Jim Butcher
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Blackouts by Justin Torres
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
Zorrie by Laird Hunt
The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Erasure by Percival Everett
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Monday Jul 15, 2024
Monday Jul 15, 2024
On this episode, Rachel Rolland, a hobby-enthusiast, discusses her love for weird books, including two authors with a decently large backlist that I’ve never heard of. We discuss how a book about accounting can help investigate the way we see the world, how some books just shouldn’t be adapted to screen, and her love for the bookstores where she worked.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Nix by Nathan Hill
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Books Highlighted by Rachel:
Milkman by Anna Burns
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
A Song of Ice & Fire by George R.R. Martin
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Keeping the House by Ellen Baker
13 ½ Lives of Captain Blue Bear by Walter Moers
The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance by Jane Gleeson-White
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde
Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
Jonathan Strange & MR Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Dune by Frank Herbert
Grant by Ron Chernow
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris
Monday Jul 08, 2024
Monday Jul 08, 2024
On this episode, Monika and I discuss her love of fantasy, she mentions so many series, some longer than others, and we share the joy of staff picks in an indie bookstore. We also talk about the magic of airplane reading and how amazing Libby can be. If you are interested in the Reddit thread Monika mentions, you can find that here.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
The Nix by Nathan Hill
Exhibit by R.O. Kwan
The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Bear by Julia Phillips
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Books Highlighted by Monika:
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
The City & The City by China Miéville
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Persuasion by Jane Austin
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1984 by George Orwell
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games are Made by Jason Schreier
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski
The Stormlight Archive Series by Brandon Sanderson
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Too Like the Lightning: Book One of Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer
Monday Jul 01, 2024
Monday Jul 01, 2024
In this episode, Anna Deem, a high school English teacher in Chicago, and I discuss how seasons of life change our reading habits, her love of poetry, and our definitive shared overrated book. We also discuss the influence of the Beat generation on her writing and end with some excellent recommendations for books she enjoys with her 4-year-old daughter.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Nix by Nathan Hill
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina
Books Highlighted by Anna:
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Native Son by Richard Wright
The Crown Ain’t Worth Much by Hanif Abdurraqib
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, Jr.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Just Kids: An Autobiography by Patti Smith
Anthropology of an American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann
Howl by Alan Ginsberg
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
Fast Times and Ridgemont High by Cameron Crowe (out of print)
The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman
Junky by William S. Burroughs
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Promises of Gold by José Olivarez
The Breakbeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop edited by Kevin Coval, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and Nate Marshall
Selected Poems of Anne Sexton by Anne Sexton
The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath
Very Good Hats by Emma Straub and Blanca Gómez
Dress-Up Day by Blanca Gómez
Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography by Wendy Loggia and Elisa Chavarri
Monday Jun 24, 2024
Monday Jun 24, 2024
On this episode, Mo Smith, the person I know who reads the most, and we discuss her experiences as a very early reader in school, a book habit that stuns me a little, and she gets to gush about her amazing backyard pool at her home in Las Vegas.
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Books Highlighted by Mo:
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
On the Clock: What Low-Wage Word Did to Me and How it Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger
Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala
Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir by Alan Cumming
A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Black Echo (Harry Bosch Series #1) by Michael Connelly
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Monday Jun 17, 2024
Monday Jun 17, 2024
On this episode, Sarah Sabet and I discuss Scandi-Crime, how her book club fell in love with Lynn Painter, and we have an extended conversation about a fantastic organization that, unfortunately, neither of us have had a chance to connect with: @readandrunchicago on Instagram!
Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
The Resort by Sarah Ochs
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Books Highlighted by Sarah:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The China Garden by Liz Berry
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Girl who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Devil’s Trill: A Daniel Jacobus Mystery by Gerald Elias
The Art of Gathering: How we Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker
Other Books Mentioned in the Episode:
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
I’m Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjork
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Faust by J.W. Von Goethe
Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon
The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup
Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe
Gaybash by David Jay Collins