Books with Betsy

• Episode 60 - Pull Your Guts out Through Your Nose with Melissa Joulwan of Strong Sense of Place

  On this episode, Melissa Joulwan, author and co-host of the podcast Strong Sense of Place, discusses the way her personal reading life and work for the show overlap. We talk about her deep and varied book preferences, our shared love for diving deep into a backlist, and you get to hear the fabulous way she describes the books she loves.   Strong Sense of Place website https://strongsenseofplace.com For the podcast, extensive show notes, book lists, and travel tips and photos.    For people new to the show, this is a good place to start: https://strongsenseofplace.com/welcome   Substack https://strongsenseofplace.substack.com/ Free newsletter with photos and book recommendations, behind-the-scenes stories, secret recipes, inspiring ideas, and (sometimes) silly stuff.   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby  The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark Skeleton Crew by Stephen King   Books Highlighted by Melissa: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte A Room with a View by E.M. Forester The Inn at Lake Divine by Elinor Lipman   Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery  Circe by Madeline Miller  Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  Less by Andrew Sean Greer The Trick by Emanuel Bergman Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory  A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles  Odds Against by Dick Francis Dietland by Sarai Walker Piglet by Lottie Hazell The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Well Fed Weeknights by Melissa Joulwan  Rollergirl by Melissa Joulwan  The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva  This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart  Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver  The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde  The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell  What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher  Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  Carmilla by Joseph Sherican Le Fanu Hungerstone by Kat Dunn  The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller  Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel  The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon  A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn  A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley  The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley  The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley  2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino  Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino  The Way Men Act by Elinor Lipman  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller  Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer  My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh 

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• Episode 59 - Picked it Up Out of FOMO with Samiksha Gaur

  On this episode, Samiksha Gaur, a mom and baker who has found herself enjoying dark romance recently, talks to me about her life engaging with bookish social media. We talk about a bunch of series that she loves, how she got back into reading later in life, and we give a big shoutout to Tanima Kazi for getting us connected!   Follow Samiksha on Instagram    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab New People by Danzy Senna  King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby    Books Highlighted by Samiksha: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross Broken Bonds (The Bonds that Tie Series #1) by J. Bree A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR Series #1) by Sarah J. Maas  The Kat Bunglar by Tanima Kazi  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Quicksilver by Callie Heart Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  Lady Iris’s Lover by Kelsey Painter Mindf*ck by S.T. Abby  Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Famous Five by Beja & Nataël  Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene Goosebumps by R.L. Stine  Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton  Never Lie by Frieda McFadden  There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak  Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros  Caraval by Stephanie Garber  Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber 

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• Episode 58 - Challenges My Expectations with Jess Abra Sandy

  On this episode, Jess Abra Sandy, a self-described lapsed opera singer and cyber security expert talks about how poetry has provided for her in different ways as her seasons of life change. We also talk about books that make us want to throw them across the room, how her reading life has changed as her kid has grown, and Jess shares a lot of very insightful thoughts about the reading life.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  Devil House by John Darnielle Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet  Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson   Books Highlighted by Jess: What Narcissism Means to Me by Tony Hoagland Priest, Turned Therapist, Treats Fear of God by Tony Hoagland Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor I Sailed with Magellan by Stuart Dybek The Ocean in the Next Room by Sarah V. Schweig Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss  The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones East of Eden by John Steinbeck My World - And Welcome to It by James Thurber    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin  Nancy Drew #1: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene The Wasteland, Prufrock, and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot  Fox by Joyce Carol Oates  The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop & Amy Sherman-Palladino  White Teeth by Zadie Smith  Midwest Shreds by Mandy Shunnarah  Good Bones by Maggie Smith  Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson  Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson  Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

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• Episode 57 - It's Not Cheating with Caroline Pilman

  On this episode, Caroline Pilman, a fellow Chicago Public Schools teacher, and I discuss the many ways of reading, all of which are acceptable. We also discuss a shared pet peeve in children’s literature, how a seasonal career can affect the reading life, and how Chicago Public Schools does one thing right.    American Library Association Lists  CPS Battle of the Books 2025   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak  Amatka by Karin Tidbeck Devil House by John Darnielle   Books Highlighted by Caroline: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt  One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Kristy’s Great Idea (The Babysitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin The Giver by Lois Lowry  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle  Dog Man by Dav Pilkey The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson  Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson

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• Episode 56 - Feels Folkloric with Meara McNitt

  On this episode, Meara McNitt, a social media professional who loves stories of all types, discusses her love for all kinds of books, including an interest that her friends suggest she doesn’t yell about in the bookstore. She talks about a lot of books that haven’t appeared on the show yet and I go on a bit of a rant about one of my favorite hot takes.    Meara on TikTok    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy’s reading:  There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak  Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe    Books Highlighted by Meara: Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell  That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams  Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson  Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig  They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas  The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  Divergent by Veronica Roth  Matched by Ally Condie  Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots: Bailey School Kids #1 by Debbie Dadey  Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne  The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz & Stephen Gammell  Unwind by Neal Shusterman  Scythe by Neal Shusterman  House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig  Hose of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig  Small Favors by Erin A. Craig  The Belladonna Collection by Adalyn Grace  All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace  A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi  The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict  Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell  My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite  Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite  Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh  Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas  The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  Severance by Ling Ma Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson  The Lamb by Lucy Rose  A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers  Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda  1984 by George Orwell  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley  Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell’s 1984 by Sandra Newman

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