Books with Betsy

bookswithbetsy
  • 4.8 (26)
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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. 6d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. May 11

    Episode 105 - The Absolute Most with Vanessa Diaz

    On this episode, Vanessa Diaz, managing editor with Book Riot, talks about how her reading life is affected by her job, recommends woman-led mysteries, and talks about her current favorite authors. If you like witchy books, you have a lot of really great recommendations in this episode.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Kin by Tayari Jones Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke  The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley    Books Highlighted by Vanessa: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman  Gods of Jade and Shadow by Sylvia Moreno Garcia  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley  Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie  The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson  An Ember in the Ashes by Saba Tahir  The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller  Liliana’s Invincible Summer by Christina Rivera Garza  A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado  Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon  Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas  The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw We Need No Wings by Ann Dávila Cardinal  The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe  London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe  The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream by Patrick Radden Keefe  Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell  The Correspondent by Virginia Evans  The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt  The Secret History by Donna Tartt

    49 min

  6. May 4

    Episode 104 - Screen to Page with Jeff Jones

    On this episode, Jeff Jones, a fan of graphic novels, talks about how he comes to reading through his interest in sci-fi movies. We talk about his favorite weekly read, how he manages his very small TBR, and his discovery of some favorite authors through their work in comics.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaeffer  Suddenly Light by Nina Dunic    Books Highlighted by Jeff: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer The Darkseid War: The Green Lantern by Tom King & Evan “Doc” Shaner Day After Night by Anita Diamant Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli  Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt  Exhalation by Ted Chiang    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Shonen Jump  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir  Strange Adventures by Tom King & Evan Shaner  Vision: The Complete Collection by Tom King  Monstress by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda  Far Sector by N.K Jemisin & Jamal Campbell  The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin  All About Love by Bell Hooks  Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

    54 min

  7. Apr 27

    Episode 103 - Book Club - True Biz

    On this episode, Ben from Off Color Book Club joins me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, True Biz by Sara Novic.    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, May 19th to discuss Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. All are welcome!

    42 min

  8. Apr 20

    Episode 102 - Real People with Tess Page

    On this episode, Tess Page, listener of Books with Betsy, talks about her requirement for books grounded in reality, her high/low reading tastes, and tells some wonderful stories of her reading habits in childhood. We talk about a shared favorite author who has a deep backlist and I encourage you to check her out!   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Milktooth by Jaime Barnett Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma   Books Highlighted by Tess: Riders by Jilly Cooper  Rivals by Jilly Cooper  The Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novel Adaptation by Raina Tagelmeier & Ann M. Martin In a Blue Velvet Dress by Catherine Sefton Excellent Women by Barbara Pym   A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles  Bringing Back the Beaver by Derek Gow   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett  The Dutch House by Ann Patchett  Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell  This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell  Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins  Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

    46 min
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4.8
out of 5
26 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
    109
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Books with Betsy

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