Books with Betsy

Episode 73 - Reading Writers on Writing with Marla Taviano

On this episode, Marla Taviano, writer and poet, who has a very fun project she’s attempting to complete before her 50th birthday talks about her love for annotating books, why she loves to read writers on writing, and her bookstagram project that greatly influenced her reading life. 
 
Please Cut Up My Poems
Liberation is Lit
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
The Secret History by Donna Tartt 
Make Your Way Home by Carrie R. Moore 
 
Books Highlighted by Marla:
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith 
A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia Butler by Lynell George
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley 
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander 
The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad
Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals by Alexis Pauline Gumbs 
Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother Daughter Journey to the Sacred Places of Greece, Turkey, and France by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor 
Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country: Traveling Through the Lands of My Ancestors by Louise Erdrich 
Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter
Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions by Rachel Held Evans 
Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan 
Novelist as Vocation by Haruki Murakami 
Conversations with Toni Morrison by Toni Morrison & Danille K Taylor-Guthrie 
Absolutely on Music by Haruki Murakami & Seji Ozawa 
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami 
Toni at Random by Dana A. Williams 
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson 
Back in Blues by Imani Perry 
South to America by Imani Perry 
Looking for Lorraine by Imani Perry 
Full of Myself by Austin Channing Brown 
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel 
unbelieve by Marla Taviano 
jaded by Marla Taviano 
whole by Marla Taviano 
What makes you Fart? by Marla Taviano 
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad 
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd 

Episode 72 - Book Club - North Woods

On this episode, Laura Ustick and Emily Bogaert  join me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, North Woods by Danel Mason. 
 
My Book Club Guide
 
If you’re interested in joining the Off Color Book Club in October, we will be meeting on Tuesday, October 21st to discuss Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin. All are welcome! 

Episode 71 - Something Completely Terrible with Liv Hoselton

On this episode, Liv Hoselton, an indie bookseller in Chicago, talks about their impulse to dive deep into the horrors of the world to better understand them, how their teachers and librarians were so impactful for their reading life, and one of our shared favorites that kids just aren’t interested in (much to our chagrin). I anticipate you’ll also be surprised at how engrossing Liv’s description of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is and it might make you want to read that book. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Uzumaki by Junji Ito 
Summerdale II by David Jay Collins 
 
Books Highlighted by Liv:
The Einstein of Sex by Daniel Brook
Murderland by Caroline Fraser 
The Gales of November by John U. Bacon
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman 
The Clique by Lisi Harrison 
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 
Women Talking by Miriam Toews 
Redwall by Brian Jacques 
Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer 
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin 
A Noble Madness by James Delbourgo 
Playing Possum by Susana Monso 
Good and Evil and Other Stories by Samanta Schweblin 
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson 

Episode 70 - Mystery Girl with Lauren Oliver

On this episode, Lauren Oliver, author of many books, comes on to talk about her new book that was just released, What Happened to Lucy Vale. We also have a great conversation about mysteries, the magic of Agatha Christie, and how even when you’re plugged-in to the book world it can be hard to decide what to read. 
 
Get a copy of What Happened to Lucy Vale
More About Lauren 
Lauren’s Substack Follow Lauren on Instagram 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
 
Books Highlighted by Lauren:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne 
Not Nothing by Gayle Forman 
The Secret Place by Tana French 
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis 
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 
Breathing Underwater by Richard Rohr  
The Wisdom Pattern by Richard Rohr  
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar 
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun 
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 
Matilda by Roald Dahl 
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head by H.C. Chester & Lauren Oliver 
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri 
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 
The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben 
The Secret History by Donna Tartt 
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 
True Biz by Sara Novic 
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

Episode 69 - In Another Person's Perspective with Blake Chastain

On this episode, Blake Chastain, author and podcaster, talks about how reading has helped him slow down through the difficult times we live in now, how technology helps and hurts his reading life, and some really excellent book recommendations. He will likely make you want to read comics and if that’s new for you, go for it!! 
 
Exvangelical and Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement that’s Fighting Back 
Find Blake on Substack 
Hear me on Let’s Talk About Text on Apple and Spotify
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
What Happened to Lucy Vale by Lauren Oliver 
 
Books Highlighted by Blake:
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers 
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy by Katherine Stewart 
Females by Andrea Long Chu
Devotions by Mary Oliver 
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer 
House of X/Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman 
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson 
Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting by Shannon Vallor 
The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking by Shannon Vallor 
Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien 
Fantastic Four: Solve Everything by Jonathan Hickman 
Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman 
God Is Disappointed in You by Mark Russell & Shannon Wheeler
Apocrypha Now by Mark Russell & Shannon Wheeler 
Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer 
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers 
The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart 
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Episode 68 - Book Club - Her Body and Other Parties

On this episode, Cynthia Chen (Episode 64) and Maggie Brennan (Episode 46) join me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. 
 
My Book Club Guide
 
If you’re interested in joining the Off Color Book Club in September, we will be meeting on Tuesday, September 16th to discuss North Woods by Daniel Mason. All are welcome! 

Episode 67 - Enjoy Things and Be Nice to Each Other with Dan Dzurak

On this episode, Dan Dzurak, a physical media fan, discusses his love for books that are “out there,” how his dad’s reading life informed his early reading memories, and why being compared to a character is one of his standout memories. We also get into the ups and downs of being feral readers when you know so many people in the hospitality industry. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
 
Books Highlighted by Dan:
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
A Slow Death: 83 Days of Radiation Sickness 
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
Approaching Oblivion by Harlan Ellison 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
Sleepless by Charlie Huston 
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby 
Dune by Frank Herbert 
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey 
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut 
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut 
Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut 
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut 
Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen 
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson 
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett 
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain 
Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen 
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 
Heat 2 by Meg Gardiner & Michael Mann

Episode 66 - Life Reader with Karishma Verma

On this episode, Karishma Verma, an English professor who keeps her reading life outside of school alive, talks about her love for celebrity memoirs, and gives a really great list of places she gets her book recommendations. She also talks about her own podcast, Gilmore Gals, which discusses and recaps all things Gilmore Girls. 
 
Karishma on Instagram 
Gilmore Gals
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Ask Me Again by Claire Sestanovich
Monkey Grip by Helen Garner
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey
 
Books Highlighted by Karishma:
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
By The Book by Jasmine Guillory
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware 
Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park & Denise Brunkus 
The Clique by Lisi Harrison 
A Promised Land by Barack Obama 
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
Educated by Tara Westover
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling 
Why Not Me?  by Mindy Kaling 
The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

Episode 65 - I'm So Generous with Chloe Waryan

On this episode, Chloe Waryan, a librarian and horror fan, discusses how the job of a librarian affects the reading life, their favorite types of horror books, and the way that an audiobook can work really well for her. You’ll learn a bit more about the Chicago Public Library and we discuss the anticipation for the Booker Prize longlist, which came out after this was recorded. 
 
Chloe on Substack 
Chloe on Instagram 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee 
They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar
 
Books Highlighted by Chloe:
Grey Dog by Elliot Gish
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Build Your House Around my Body by Violet Kupersmith
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty 
A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan 
Uzumaki by Junji Ito 
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino 
Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids by Jamie Rix 
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz & Stephen Gammell 
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez 
Eynhallow by Tim McGregor 
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander 
The South Side by Natalie Y. Moore 
Reprieve by James Han Mattson
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews 
Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar 
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Episode 64 - It Takes One Book with Cynthia Chen

On this episode, Cynthia Chen, a fellow Reader & Runner, shares some of her piping hot takes about the reading life. She also discusses how she got back into reading after an eight year hiatus and tips for people who want to get back into reading. She gives a lot of really great book recommendations for Chicago books and we talk about how annoying it is when the geography of Chicago is incorrect. 
 
Books mentioned in this episode: 
 
What Betsy’s reading: 
Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa
The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter
The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 
 
Books Highlighted by Cynthia:
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker 
Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 
Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal
Three Girls from Bronzeville by Dawn Turner 
Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai 
The Chicago Neighborhood Guidebook by Martha Bayne
Running While Black by Allison Mariella Désir
BFF: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate 
 
All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps #1) by R.L. Stine
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 
The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream by Dean Jobb 
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano 
River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure 
Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 
Atomic Habits by James Clear 
The Battle of Lincoln Park by Daniel Kay Hertz
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai