Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Welcome to Episode 240!
It’s another 10th episode, which means we’re giving away a book as we do every tenth episode. One lucky newsletter subscriber will receive a copy of CHASING BEAUTY: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra. If you’re not yet subscribed to our monthly newsletter, you can sign up on our website (go to the “support/subscribe” tab). Dykstra will be our guest on the podcast in October, and we hope many of you will join us in reading her award-winning biography of Gardner.
Show notes for this episode: bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode240
In this episode, Emily recaps her Midwest #biblioadventures, which included quality time at the MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY and MYSTERY TO ME bookstore in Wisconsin and WILD RUMPUS BOOKS, COMMA, A BOOKSHOP, and OPEN BOOKS in Minnesota. Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Chris visited KINDRED THOUGHTS BOOKSTORE in Bridgeport and came home with a big stack of new books.
We discuss another ghost story: “Nightmare-Touch” by Lafcadio Hearn from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce. Neither of us had heard of this author before, and we enjoyed his story very much.
Books we read and talk about include
--- EIGHTY DAYS: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World-- by Matthew Goodman
-- THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans
-- THE EL by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
-- A FAMILY MATTER by Claire Lynch
-- THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah
We also talk about what we’re currently reading and hope to read soon, as well as upcoming author events and jaunts. Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Robin Cannon, author of INTO THE SHALLOWS DARKLY.
Oh, and a reminder that our Zoom discussion of THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE by Julia Fine is this Sunday at 7 pm ET.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter: bookcougars.com/subscriber
We are an affiliate of Bookshop. org. Your purchase made through our link is greatly appreciated: bookshop.org/shop/bookcougars
Enjoy the show, and Happy Reading!
Chris & Emily
p.s. If you enjoy our content and would like to support the Book Cougars, become a Patreon patreon.com/BookCougars
OTHER PLACES TO FIND US:
Website: bookcougars.com
Blue Sky: @bookcougars.bsky.social
Facebook: @bookcougars
Instagram: @bookcougars
Threads: @bookcougars
#bookcougars #bookpodcast #podcast #podcastepisode #booktube #books #booksbooksbooks #reading #booksof2025 #bookish #fiction #currentlyreading #bookrecommendations #amreading #newepisode #biblioadventure #literarytravel
Welcome to Episode 240!
It’s another 10th episode, which means we’re giving away a book as we do every tenth episode. One lucky newsletter subscriber will receive a copy of CHASING BEAUTY: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra. If you’re not yet subscribed to our monthly newsletter, you can sign up on our website (go to the “support/subscribe” tab). Dykstra will be our guest on the podcast in October, and we hope many of you will join us in reading her award-winning biography of Gardner.
Show notes for this episode: bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode240
In this episode, Emily recaps her Midwest #biblioadventures, which included quality time at the MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY and MYSTERY TO ME bookstore in Wisconsin and WILD RUMPUS BOOKS, COMMA, A BOOKSHOP, and OPEN BOOKS in Minnesota. Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Chris visited KINDRED THOUGHTS BOOKSTORE in Bridgeport and came home with a big stack of new books.
We discuss another ghost story: “Nightmare-Touch” by Lafcadio Hearn from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce. Neither of us had heard of this author before, and we enjoyed his story very much.
Books we read and talk about include
--- EIGHTY DAYS: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World-- by Matthew Goodman
-- THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans
-- THE EL by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
-- A FAMILY MATTER by Claire Lynch
-- THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah
We also talk about what we’re currently reading and hope to read soon, as well as upcoming author events and jaunts. Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Robin Cannon, author of INTO THE SHALLOWS DARKLY.
Oh, and a reminder that our Zoom discussion of THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE by Julia Fine is this Sunday at 7 pm ET.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter: bookcougars.com/subscriber
We are an affiliate of Bookshop. org. Your purchase made through our link is greatly appreciated: bookshop.org/shop/bookcougars
Enjoy the show, and Happy Reading!
Chris & Emily
p.s. If you enjoy our content and would like to support the Book Cougars, become a Patreon patreon.com/BookCougars
OTHER PLACES TO FIND US:
Website: bookcougars.com
Blue Sky: @bookcougars.bsky.social
Facebook: @bookcougars
Instagram: @bookcougars
Threads: @bookcougars
#bookcougars #bookpodcast #podcast #podcastepisode #booktube #books #booksbooksbooks #reading #booksof2025 #bookish #fiction #currentlyreading #bookrecommendations #amreading #newepisode #biblioadventure #literarytravel
