Books with Betsy

On this episode, Tatiana, a recent graduate, talks about how she’s renewing her love of reading after finishing school, her blog focusing on making scientific research accessible, and the ways that books have met her in exactly the right time. 

 

Tatiana’s Blog 

Tatiana on Instagram 

 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

 

What Betsy’s reading: 

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig 

Super Castle Fun Park by Daniel Zomparelli

 

Books Highlighted by Tatiana:

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Butter by Asako Yuzuki 

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King 

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner 

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

On this episode, Kate Sutton, owner of the Lit Wagon in the Chicago area, talks about how she brings books to people all over the city, how her work as a therapist influences her book choices, and the kinds of emotional wreckage she expects from a read. She also gives tips on how to be a good customer of the Lit Wagon! 

 

Follow the Lit Wagon

 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly 

 

Books Highlighted by Kate:

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 

All Fours by Mrianda July 

Fractured by C.S. Dodds

Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy 

Birdie and Harlow by Taylor Wolfe

The Best Dog in the World by Alice Hoffman 

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey & Bruce Perry 

The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green 

While You Were Out by Meg Kissinger

 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

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