Books with Betsy

Episode 8 - Poetry that Blows the Door off your Brain with Anna Deem

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

Episode 7 - Speed Reading with Nuns with Mo Smith

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 

Episode 6 - The Lynn Painter Book Club with Sarah Sabet

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

Episode 5 - Yummy Trash with Francesca Musumeci

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

Episode 4 - Cuckoo Bananas Thrillers with Erin Jacobo

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

Episode 3 - A Safe Place to Have Bad Feelings with Tim Mueller

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 

The Beauty of Escaping into a Book with Carolyn Latshaw

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 

Bathing in Darkness with Sam Wilmes

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