Books with Betsy

bookswithbetsy
  • 4.8 (27)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

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. 14h ago

    Episode 113 - The Lit Wagon with Kate Sutton

    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

    44 min

  2. Jun 29

    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 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

    50 min

  3. Jun 22

    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 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!

    45 min

  4. Jun 15

    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   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

    52 min

  5. Jun 8

    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 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

    46 min

  6. Jun 1

    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 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

    48 min

  7. May 25

    Episode 107 - Book Club - Girl, Woman, Other

    On this episode, Sam and Maggie from Off Color Book Club join me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo.    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, June 16th to discuss A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. All are welcome!

    50 min

  8. May 18

    Episode 106 - Do You Even Like Reading with Sirenna Blas

    On this episode, Sirenna Blas, of @sirenbee_readsnthings on instagram, talks about how her life as a stay at home mom affords her amazing reading time. We also talk about how she is not afraid to give a spicy review, who she wants an adaptation from, and how she brings the reading life alive with her kiddos.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Kin by Tayari Jones A Beast Slinks Toward Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang  Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo    Books Highlighted by Sirenna: Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones  Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell Joy is My Middle Name by Sasha Debevec-McKenney The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Endling by Maria Reva Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth by Ingrid Robeyns The Reformatory by Tananarive Due  Antelope Woman by Louise Erdrich  Dominion by Addie E. Citchens  Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle  The WIld Robot by Peter Brown  Laleh and the Language of the Birds by Perin Gurel  Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin & James Dean  Kin by Tayari Jones Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones  The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup  Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte  Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio  The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones  The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw  The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw

    50 min
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4.8
out of 5
27 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
    113
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Books with Betsy

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