Books with Betsy

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 read...

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...

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...

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-H...

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 readi...

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!

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...

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 Burk...

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...

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! 

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 Barn...

On this episode, Eric Siewert, a former colleague of mine at our college bookstore, talks about his favorite authors, the ways recommendations are important to him, and he waxes poetic about his love for hardcover books. We also talk about our individual authors we think should be more of a household name.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  The Everlasting by Alix E. Har...

On this episode, I bring back Sam Wilmes from episode 1 to celebrate 100 episodes of Books with Betsy so she can interview me! I am the guest on this episode so if you’ve ever wanted to hear my answers to my interview questions, here it is! We talk about a ton of books and somehow I neglected to talk about Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel which is one of my absolute favorite books. I am sur...

On this episode, Emily Bogaert, a fellow teacher, talks about how her childhood made her fall in love with the library, the joy she feels when getting the right books into the hands of her students, and we talk about the ups and downs of the reading life when you’re a teacher. She also has a reading habit that is absolutely wild and I didn’t even know was still possible.    Books mentioned in this...

On this episode, Jennifer from Off Color Book Club joins me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli.    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, April 21st to discuss True Biz by Sara Novic. All are welcome! 

On this episode, Stephanie Bailey, a fellow Read & Runner, talks about her love of audiobooks, especially a favorite narrator, how much she enjoys graphic novels, and we discuss our shared love of sad books. She also has a surprising way that school helped her fall in love with reading.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  This Here is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry Bra...

On this episode, Arionne Nettles, author, journalist, and professor, talks about how she finds romance to be a comfort, audiobook preferences that she loves, and why she likes talking about books in person but has a harder time with the bookish internet. We also get to talk about her book that I would absolutely recommend widely!   We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything   Book...

On this episode, Will Pass, author and creator of Who Reads Books Anymore, talks about the joy of the library with his kids, how much he learns about books when talking to strangers, and the book that hooked him as a young reader. We also talk a lot about how people develop a rich reading life and I hope this inspires listeners to encourage a non-reader in their life!   Will’s Author Site   Who Re...

On this episode, Sofia and Becca from Off Color Book Club join me to discuss the most recent Off Color Book Club book, There There by Tommy Orange.    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, March 17th to discuss Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli. All are welcome! 

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 Em...

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...

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 epis...

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! 

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     Boo...