Book Cougars Podcast: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good Read
Book Cougars
246 episodes
1 week ago
Welcome to Episode 246!
We recap some fun Biblioadventures in this episode. Emily got to see Mel Rosenthal in conversation with Virginia Evans about her debut novel The Correspondent at an event hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers. Chris had a research visit to Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where she enjoyed their book arts exhibit and admired the mantel in front of which Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven.” She also had an impromptu browse at New Haven’s used bookstore, Grey Matter Books.
We also had some Couch Biblioadventures. Because we recently read Daphne Du Maurier’s excellent short story, “The Birds,” we thought we’d also watch Alfred Hitchcock’s movie of the same name, which was inspired by the written word. Spoiler alert: the movie is nothing like the short story. PSA: the birds are LOUD. Other literary-related movies we watched include The Turn of the Screw, starring Michelle Dockery and Dan Stephens. Emily made an exciting discovery about A Star is Born—did you know some famous writers penned the screenplays for various incarnations of this classic story?
Some of the books we discuss include:
– All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley
– Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon by Sara Catterall
– Death at the Door: A Ruby and Cordelia Mystery by Olivia Blacke
– A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhurst
And we discuss our second-to-last ghost story from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce: “The Readjustment” by Mary Austin.
Chris has finished, and Emily is currently reading our Q4 readalong book, How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. The Zoom conversation is on Sunday, November 9th, at 7 pm ET. It is free and open to all, but registration is required. We still have a few spots available, so email us if you’re interested (bookcougars@gmail.com).
Special thanks to this episode’s sponsors: Epic and Lovely by Mo Daviau
and Paper Roses by Debby Show.
Happy Listening and Happy Reading!
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode246
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Welcome to Episode 246!
We recap some fun Biblioadventures in this episode. Emily got to see Mel Rosenthal in conversation with Virginia Evans about her debut novel The Correspondent at an event hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers. Chris had a research visit to Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where she enjoyed their book arts exhibit and admired the mantel in front of which Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven.” She also had an impromptu browse at New Haven’s used bookstore, Grey Matter Books.
We also had some Couch Biblioadventures. Because we recently read Daphne Du Maurier’s excellent short story, “The Birds,” we thought we’d also watch Alfred Hitchcock’s movie of the same name, which was inspired by the written word. Spoiler alert: the movie is nothing like the short story. PSA: the birds are LOUD. Other literary-related movies we watched include The Turn of the Screw, starring Michelle Dockery and Dan Stephens. Emily made an exciting discovery about A Star is Born—did you know some famous writers penned the screenplays for various incarnations of this classic story?
Some of the books we discuss include:
– All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley
– Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon by Sara Catterall
– Death at the Door: A Ruby and Cordelia Mystery by Olivia Blacke
– A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhurst
And we discuss our second-to-last ghost story from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce: “The Readjustment” by Mary Austin.
Chris has finished, and Emily is currently reading our Q4 readalong book, How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. The Zoom conversation is on Sunday, November 9th, at 7 pm ET. It is free and open to all, but registration is required. We still have a few spots available, so email us if you’re interested (bookcougars@gmail.com).
Special thanks to this episode’s sponsors: Epic and Lovely by Mo Daviau
and Paper Roses by Debby Show.
Happy Listening and Happy Reading!
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode246
Book Cougars Podcast: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good Read
1 hour 3 minutes 18 seconds
5 months ago
Episode 236 - From Nyack to Nebraska
Welcome to Episode 236, where we are both back at Book Cougars HQ and happy to be sitting across the table from one another again.
We did some Biblio Adventuring since the last episode! Emily joined the Pride celebration in Middletown, CT which kicked off with Drag Storytime at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore. She also had a lovely visit to Big Red Books in Nyack, NY. Chris was back in the Midwest where she visited the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas before heading to Red Cloud, Nebraska for the 70th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference.
We managed to read a few books between/during our adventures (love those audiobooks on road trips!):
FINDING GRACE by Loretta Rothschild (release date 7/8/2025)
THE PROFESSOR’S HOUSE by Willa Cather
THE BOOKSTORE FAMILY by Alice Hoffman
STILL WRITING by Dani Shapiro
THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS by Ocean Vuong
THE GOOD HOUSE by Tananarive Due, our second quarter readalong pick
Thanks to the sponsors of this episode: Deb Miller, author of FORGET THE FAIRY TALE AND FIND YOUR HAPPINESS, and Jen Michalski, author of ALL THIS CAN BE TRUE.
Continuing our year of reading Ghost Stories, we are excited to announce the third quarter readalong pick. Because we chose a shorter novel this time, we decided to include the story that inspired it as a companion read for Q3: “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The novel that is the official pick is another one with the word “House” in the title. You’ll have to listen to find out or peek at the show notes.
As always, thank you so much for listening and we wish you lots of Happy Reading!
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode236
Book Cougars Podcast: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good Read
Welcome to Episode 246!
We recap some fun Biblioadventures in this episode. Emily got to see Mel Rosenthal in conversation with Virginia Evans about her debut novel The Correspondent at an event hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers. Chris had a research visit to Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where she enjoyed their book arts exhibit and admired the mantel in front of which Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven.” She also had an impromptu browse at New Haven’s used bookstore, Grey Matter Books.
We also had some Couch Biblioadventures. Because we recently read Daphne Du Maurier’s excellent short story, “The Birds,” we thought we’d also watch Alfred Hitchcock’s movie of the same name, which was inspired by the written word. Spoiler alert: the movie is nothing like the short story. PSA: the birds are LOUD. Other literary-related movies we watched include The Turn of the Screw, starring Michelle Dockery and Dan Stephens. Emily made an exciting discovery about A Star is Born—did you know some famous writers penned the screenplays for various incarnations of this classic story?
Some of the books we discuss include:
– All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley
– Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon by Sara Catterall
– Death at the Door: A Ruby and Cordelia Mystery by Olivia Blacke
– A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhurst
And we discuss our second-to-last ghost story from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce: “The Readjustment” by Mary Austin.
Chris has finished, and Emily is currently reading our Q4 readalong book, How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. The Zoom conversation is on Sunday, November 9th, at 7 pm ET. It is free and open to all, but registration is required. We still have a few spots available, so email us if you’re interested (bookcougars@gmail.com).
Special thanks to this episode’s sponsors: Epic and Lovely by Mo Daviau
and Paper Roses by Debby Show.
Happy Listening and Happy Reading!
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode246
