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
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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
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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
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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!
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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
Books with Betsy is a podcast that celebrates the reading life of all readers. Each week, Betsy interviews a different person about their reading life. Listen for book recommendations, reading tips, and to join in the joy that reading brings. And remember, anyone who reads is a reader.
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