Books with Betsy

bookswithbetsy
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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.

  1. 3D AGO

    Episode 93 - AP Lit Hates to See Me Coming with Nicole Abrahamson

    On this episode, Nicole Abrahamson, Off Color Book Club Member, talks about her extremely varied reading life that is inspired by the idea of trying anything once. We also talk about the importance of talking about why you might not like a book and she drops a ton of titles that you might want to add to your TBR.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte  The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy  There, There by Tommy Orange    Books Highlighted by Nicole: East of Eden by John Steinbeck  The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini  The Plot Against America by Philip Roth The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah  Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy  Babel by R.F. Kuang Freedom by Jonathan Franzen  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr  About Grace by Anthony Doerr The Most Fun We Ever Had by Clarie Lombardo  Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang  Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros  Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff  The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte  Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen  Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

    1 hr

  2. FEB 9

    Episode 92 - Characters Having a Bad Time with Rachel Larkins

    On this episode, Rachel Larkins, a listener of Books with Betsy, talks about her project to read all the winners of the Hugo award, so we talk about a lot of really great sci-fi books. We also dish about how great the Book Riot podcast universe is and we might convince you to pick up Dune.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Ring by Michele Lerner You Wanna Be On Top? by Sarah Hartshorne Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte  The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy    Books Highlighted by Rachel: Enders Game by Orson Scott Card  Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell  The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson Red Rising by Pierce Brown A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller  Prophet Song by Paul Lynch  Among Others by Jo Walton  Network Effect by Martha Wells  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir  Dune by Frank Herbert  Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman  The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu  Travel Team by Mike Lupica  Recursion by Blake Crouch  Katabasis by R.F. Kuang  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon  Gilead by Marilynne Robinson  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

    1h 2m

  3. FEB 2

    Episode 91 - Magpie Reader with Amanda Moulson

    On this episode, Amanda Moulson, co-host of the Curious Readers podcast, talks about finding her heartland as a reader, how much women’s voices influence her reading life, and the ways that podcasting about books changes how she interacts with books. We also go down a bit of an awards rabbit hole and find our shared love of pen and paper.    Curious Readers Podcast    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  So Far Gone by Jess Walter  The Compound by Aisling Rawle  The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabelle Wilkerson    Books Highlighted by Amanda: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry  The Melting by Lize Spit  Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason  Green Dot by Madeleine Gray  Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny  Angel Down by Daniel Kraus  One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad  Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry  Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell  I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver  The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny  Buckeye by Patrick Ryan  On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle  Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

    49 min

  4. JAN 26

    Episode 90 - Book Club - Project Hail Mary

    On this episode, Stephanie Majercik and Nicole Abrahamson from Off Color Book Club join me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.    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, February 17th to discuss There There by Tommy Orange. All are welcome!

    50 min

  5. JAN 19

    Episode 89 - Well-Loved Books with Giorgia Riddell

    On this episode, Giorgia Riddell, of Fostered Fiction, talks about her love for used books, especially those that are already annotated, her memories of listening to books on road trips, and we get into the current reading stats from last year and encourage anyone who wants to talk about reading online to go out there and do it.    Fostered Fiction on TikTok  Fostered Fiction on Instagram    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa Tilt by Emma Pattee  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir    Books Highlighted by Giorgia: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar  The Secret History by Donna Tartt  You Weren’t Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah  Lie With Me by Phillipe Besson  What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez  Creep by Emma van Straaten  Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon  The Will of the Many by James Islington  Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab  If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga  Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket  The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale  Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins  The Friend by Sigrid Nunez  Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin  Is This a Cry For Help? by Emily Austin  Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut  Seascraper by Benjamin Wood  Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell  Seven Days in June by Tia Williams  You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi  The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones  The Housemaid by Freida McFadden  This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone The Only One Left by Riley Sager  Gone Girl by Gilian Flynn  Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk  Endling by Maria Reva  The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    54 min

  6. JAN 12

    Episode 88 - Achieving Goals as a Chaotic Mood Reader with Alexander Davidson

    On this episode, Alexander Davidson, an English teacher and author, talks about his life as a self-proclaimed chaotic mood reader and gives a lot of really excellent book recommendations from a wide range of genres. He also talks about his recently developed love for audiobooks, and gives some great recommendations for narrators to look out for.    Mr. D Reads on Instagram    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and his Mother) by Rabih Alameddine   Books Highlighted by Alexander: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern  Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson  Beach Read by Emily Henry The Overstory by Richard Powers Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi The Guncle by Steven Rowley  Dark Matter by Blake Crouch  The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes  Young Mungo by Douglas Stewart  Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides  Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen  Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei Brenyah    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak  Matilda by Roald Dahl  Holes by Louis Sachar  Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds  Beartown by Fredrik Backman  A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman  The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley  The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams  Forget Me Not by Julie Soto Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine  James by Percival Everett  The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty  The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern  North Woods by Daniel Mason  Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

    59 min

  7. JAN 5

    Episode 87 - Best of 2025 Part 2

    On this episode, past guests of Books with Betsy and I share our favorite books of 2025! Listen to hear about lots of great 2025 books and the excellent backlist we got to this year.    Books mentioned in this episode:    Betsy’s Top 11 Books (in no particular order):  The Sisters by Jonas Hassan Khemiri  Endling by Maria Reva The Director by Daniel Kehlmann  The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Biography of X by Catherine Lacey  Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet  Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing Devil is Fine by John Vercher  There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes, Jr.  A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar  Reservoir Bitches by Dalia de la Cerda    Books Highlighted by Guests: Tina of TBR, etc:  One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford  Dominion by Addie E. Citchens Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher  Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Jen Price: The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis Canada by Mike Myers  Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza Saltwater by Katy Hays Come Fly With Me by Camille Di Maio Bre of Brezzylovesbooks:  Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems by Melania Luisa Marte What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo  Maggie; or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee  Maggie Brennan:  There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib  Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Wolf Pack by Amelia Brunskill  Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed   Amy Smalley:  Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce  You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith  The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case by Chuck Hogan  Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman  Carrie Vittitoe:  My Father’s Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Family’s Past by Ariel Sabar   Angel Down by Daniel Kraus  The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon  Mary Hopper:  The Black Wolf by Louise Penny  Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  The Moscow Sleepers by Stella Rimington  The Searcher by Tana French  The Hunter by Tana French  Aflame: Learning From Silence by Pico Iyer  Karishma Verma:  The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading by James Patterson and Matt Eversman  You Wanna Be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America's Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne  Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez  The Housemaid’s Secret by Frieda McFadden  The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke Alayna Mills:  Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Flashlight by Susan Choi  We Do Not Part by Han Kang  Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz  Heart the Lover by Lily King

    1h 28m

  8. 12/29/2025

    Episode 86 - Best of 2025 Part 1

    On this episode, past guests of Books with Betsy and I share our favorite books of 2025! Listen to hear about lots of great 2025 books and the excellent backlist we got to this year.    Books mentioned in this episode:    Betsy’s Best Categorically (books that…):  Shocked me:  It’s Not the End of the World by Jonathan Parks-Ramage Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell  Made me Cry: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Are You Happy? By Lori Ostlund  Underrated: Fundamentally by Noussaibah Younis  What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown  Recommend Widely: There is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone  Isola by Allegra Goodman  Hard to Recommend:  King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby  Flesh by David Szalay  Made me Think About my Life Differently: Uzumaki by Junji Ito  Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa    Books Highlighted by Guests: Deedi Brown:  The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow Telephone by Percival Everett  Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara  Francisco Rafael Peralta-Cerda:  Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman  Displacement by Kiku Hughes  Yellowface by R.F. Kuang  Chloe Waryan:  The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones  The Secret History by Donna Tartt  Woodworking by Emily St. James  Poor Things by Alasdair Gray Jess Abra Sandy:  How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix  Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews Soft Science & Other Poems by Franny Choi  Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong  Shakia Perry:  Issac’s Song by Daniel Black  King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby  Zeal by Morgan Jerkins  Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan  Chelsey Stone:  The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé Deirdre Harrison:  Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer  Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself by Lisa Marchiano  The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley  Chirri & Chirra: The Snowy Day by Kaya Doi & Yuki Kaneko  The Red Fruit by Lee Gee Eun  Red Sled by Lita Judge  Jordan Hernandez:  This is Your Mother by Erika J. Simpson  The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley  Loca by Alejandro Heredia  Liv Hoselton:  Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green  A Noble Madness: The Dark Side of Collecting from Antiquity to Now by James Delbourgo  Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton Frankenstein by Mary Shelly  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens  Leah Rachel von Essen:  And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts  Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert  One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

    1h 35m
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4.8
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    bookswithbetsy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Books with Betsy

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