Books with Betsy

Episode 112 - You Need the Right Person with Grace Hughes

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 [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9798217059362] by Paige Lewis  Empire of Pain [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781984899019] by Patrick Radden Keefe   Books Highlighted by Grace: Mistborn [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781250318541] by Brandon Sanderson Vinyl Cafe Unplugged [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781594484063] by Stuart McLean Deep End [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593550441] by Ali Hazelwood The Knight and the Moth [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780316573757] by Rachel Gillig  When the Moon Hatched [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780063415805] by Sarah A. Parker Anxious People [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781501160844] by Fredrik Backman Your Knife, My Heart [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781464260148] by K.M. Moronova  Modern Romance [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780143109259] by Aziz Ansari  One Dark Window [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780316597241] by Rachel Gillig    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page. [https://bookshop.org/lists/you-need-the-right-person-with-grace-hughes]   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

Episode 111 - Book Club - A Visit From the Goon Squad

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 [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780307477477] by Jennifer Egan.    My Book Club Guide [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fXAuXz-SOJdVKBq1mV_QoN7D1n0KeKnNtznB5311QTY/edit?usp=sharing]   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 [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781538732182] by Octavia Butler. All are welcome!

Episode 110 - Chicagoan by Choice with Molly Page

On this episode, Molly Page, @mollypg on instagram, talks about her project visiting all of the branches of the Chicago Public Library, how her writing is how she first fell in love with words, and how adaptations drive most of her reading decisions. We also talk a lot about Chicago and how amazing it is to be a reader in the city!    100 Things to Do in Chicago Before You Die [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781681062396]   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Lost Lambs [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780374619237] by Madeline Cash  Rental House [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593545553] by Weike Wang    Books Highlighted by Molly: Trust [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593420324] by Hernan Diaz  The Need [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781982113179] by Helen Phillips  Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781509564446] by Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan  Oona Out of Order [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781250236616] by Margarita Montimore Lilian Boxfish Takes a Walk [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781250151162] by Kathleen Rooney Starter Villain [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781250879394] by John Scalzi  Yearbook [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781984825421] by Seth Rogan  Who is This City For?: Architecture, Equity, and the Public Realm in Chicago [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780226822730] by Blair Kamin & Lee Bey   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page. [https://bookshop.org/lists/chicagoan-by-choice-with-molly-page]   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Odyssey by Homer, trans. Emily Wilson  A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan  Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman  All This and More by Peng Shepherd  Hum by Helen Phillips

Episode 109 - A Slow Burn to a Big Fire with Brady Parkin

On this episode, Brady Parkin, @booksbybrady on Instagram, is a bookseller who enjoys reading broadly but focuses on literary fiction. We talk about the seemingly magical access he has as a bookseller, how awards lists impact reading, and he gives a lot of really great book recommendations.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  The Renovation [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780374609429] by Kenan Orhan  Stolen [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781668007167] by Ann-Helén Laestadius    Books Highlighted by Brady: Babel [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780063021433] by R.F. Kuang  The Book of Luke [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781538770153] by Lovell Holder  The Poisonwood Bible [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780060786502] by Barbara Kingsolver  A Guardian and a Thief [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593804872] by Megha Majumdar  Things We Lost to the Water [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593311035] by Eric Nguyen  In Memoriam [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593467848] by Alice Winn  Giovanni’s Room [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780345806567] by James Baldwin  The Magnificent Ruins [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781643755861] by Nayantara Roy  Sisters of a Halved Heart [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781643757698] by Nayantara Roy The End of Drum Time [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781250871817] by Hanna Pylväinen Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593466490] by Gabrielle Zevin  The Secret History [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781400031702] by Donna Tartt  Kaikeyi [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780759557307] by Vishnavi Patel  Middle Spoon [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593835173] by Alejandro Varela  The Emperor and the Endless Palace [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780778305231] by Justinian Huang  Orbital [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780802163622] by Samantha Harvey    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page. [https://bookshop.org/lists/a-slow-burn-to-a-big-fire-with-brady-parkin]   Other books mentioned in this episode: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli  The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee  Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte  Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke  Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Episode 108 - Forced to Read with Lydia Plahn

On this episode, Lydia Plahn, a journalism student in Chicago, who talks about how she incorporates reading into her life as a student, how being a younger sister prompted her to read more as a child, and how important used bookstores are to her. We also talk about one of the classes she took entitled Millenial Fiction so lookout for that!!    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Warning Signs [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9798217059799] by Tracy Sierra  The Renovation [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780374609429] by Kenan Orhan    Books Highlighted by Lydia: Here in the Dark [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781250883049] by Alexis Soloski  Slow Dance [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780063380202] by Rainbow Rowell  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780307454546] by Stieg Larsson  Theater Kid [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781668064184] by Jeffrey Seller  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780593466490] by Gabrielle Zevin  City of Girls [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781594634741] by Elizabeth Gilbert  Conversations with Friends [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780451499066] by Sally Rooney Life Would be Perfect if I Lived in that House [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9780307454843] by Meghan Daum Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781501163883] by Francis Spufford  An American Marriage [https://bookshop.org/a/103140/9781616208684] by Tayari Jones   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page. [https://bookshop.org/lists/forced-to-read-with-lydia-plahn]   Other books mentioned in this episode: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery  A Journey to the New World (Dear America) by Kathryn Lasky  American Girl by Sydney Hanson  Flashout by Alexis Soloski  Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan  Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James  It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover Verity by Colleen Hoover  Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert  Normal People by Sally Rooney  Luster by Raven Leilani  Real Life by Brandon Taylor  Kin by Tayari Jones  Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott