Books with Betsy

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!

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

 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash 

Rental House by Weike Wang 

 

Books Highlighted by Molly:

Trust by Hernan Diaz 

The Need by Helen Phillips 

Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It by Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan 

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

Lilian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

Starter Villain by John Scalzi 

Yearbook by Seth Rogan 

Who is This City For?: Architecture, Equity, and the Public Realm in Chicago by Blair Kamin & Lee Bey

 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode 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

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 by Kenan Orhan 

Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius 

 

Books Highlighted by Brady:

Babel by R.F. Kuang 

The Book of Luke by Lovell Holder 

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar 

Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen 

In Memoriam by Alice Winn 

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin 

The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy 

Sisters of a Halved Heart by Nayantara Roy

The End of Drum Time by Hanna Pylväinen

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt 

Kaikeyi by Vishnavi Patel 

Middle Spoon by Alejandro Varela 

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang 

Orbital by Samantha Harvey 

 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

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

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 by Tracy Sierra 

The Renovation by Kenan Orhan 

 

Books Highlighted by Lydia:

Here in the Dark by Alexis Soloski 

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson 

Theater Kid by Jeffrey Seller 

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

Life Would be Perfect if I Lived in that House by Meghan Daum

Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York by Francis Spufford 

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

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