A few weeks ago we talked about journeys and this week we are completing the circle with an episode about destinations; specifically about places we have visited in the last few years. Do you read books about the places you travel before or during a trip? We talk about how it can enrich both your reading and travel experience.

You can find books we've talked about and other curated lists at our Bookshop page at bookshop.org/shop/PerksOfBeingABookLover

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Broadway Butterfly by Sara DiVello

2- When You Find My Body by D. Dauphinee

3- Alice the Cat by Tim Cummings

4- Tell the Rest by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

5- Burying My Dead by Bettie Lennett Denny

6- Martin Marten by Brian Doyle

7- Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan

8- The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett

9- The Highland Witch by Susan Fletcher (Corrag)

10- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

11- The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's

First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth

12- Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

13- 44 Scotland Street (#1) by Alexander McCall Smith

14- Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

15- My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith

18- West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

19- City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

20- The Tale of Halycon Crane by Wendy Webb

21- The Crow Road by Iain Banks

22- The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter

23- Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby

24- Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby

25- All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby

5 Star Recommneded Read By a Fellow Booklover - Ivana @MissTuned

1- Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino

Shows mentioned--

1- The Bear (Hulu)

2- Beef (Netflix)

3- Romeo and Juliet (1968)

Articles mentioned--

www-nbcnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www…na98970

We were honored to welcome Andy Hunter, the CEO of Bookshop.org to the podcast this week. Andy is a writer, a publisher, and now heads up a company that competes with Amazon for on-line book sales. But unlike Amazon, the proceeds of Bookshop.org’s sales go back to independent bookstores.

At the click of a button, you can order a book to be delivered while your favorite independent bookseller gets part of that sale. Independent bookstores that sell most of their books during summer or don’t have the capacity to ship books can create a Bookshop.org page and sell books to anyone at any time. Authors, schools, and book influencers can create pages, too.

We talk with Andy about why he started this endeavor a few months before COVID hit, why he loves Coney Island, and how his degree in philosophy has affected the types of books he gravitates to.

Oh, and as of this recording, we decided to get with the times. The Perks is a Bookshop affiliate; you can see any of the books we talk about on the show on our new bookshop page and order them there.

bookshop.org/shop/PerksOfBeingABookLover

You can find Bookshop at https//bookshop.org.

Books mentioned in this episode:

1- Is It Hot In Here? (Or am I Suffering for all Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth?) by Zach Zimmerman

2- Emergency by Kathleen Alcott

3- The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut

4- When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut

5- Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

6- The Wizard's Guide to Magical Baking by T. Kingfisher

7- The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

Movies mentioned--

1- Barbie (2023)

Podcast episode-

1- Thrillers by the Bookclub Podcast - Ep. 39 - Murder Ensues

Recipe Mentioned:

smittenkitchen.com/2015/07/tomato-…olone-sandwich/

This week we are talking all about journeys. Whether they be physical or mental, we whisk you away in a good book. Choose from 10 book recommendations from Carrie and Amy for when you're ready to be on the move.

Books Mentioned in this Episode

1- How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas Foster

2- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

3- Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

4- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

5- The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman

6- The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester (The Surgeon of Crowthorne)

7- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

8- Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Lauren Artress

9- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

10- Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

11- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

12- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

13- What the Ermine Saw: The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Most Mysterious Portrait by Eden Collinsworth

14- News of the World by Paulette Jilles

15- Enemy Women by Paulette Jilles

16- Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

17- The Road Towards Home by Corinne Demas

18- A Pearl in a Storm: How I Found my Heart in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean by Tori Murden McClure

19- The Gran Tour: Travels with My Elders by Ben Aitken

20- Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker

21- Cosmic Cats and Fantastic Furballs by Mary Turzillo

22- Your Cat and Other Space Aliens by Mary Turzillo

23- Mars is No Place for Children by Mary Turzillo

5 Star Book Recommendation by a Book Lover

1- Empire Of A Vampire by Jay Christoff recommended by Tiffany K., Omaha, NE. Instagram @chaiteaandbooksareallineed

Shows/Movies watched—

1- American Born Chinese (Disney+, 2023)

2- Annihilation (Netflix, 2018)

3- The Professor and the Madman (2019)

Labirynth Locator

www.labyrinthlocator.com

Bookish News

Article about Henrietta Lacks

apnews.com/article/henrietta-l…efa34c9b79a544f0729

This week we chat with Katrina Kittle, a Dayton, OH author whose most recent novel is titled Morning in This Broken World. I met Katrina when I took her online writing class not even knowing she had a new novel coming out but had heard such wonderful things about her four previously published books. Katrina is a real delight of a person. She is fun and bubbly but she would say she is also anti-social. So maybe a mix of both Carrie and I?

Her newest novel is about a group of unlikely companions who quarantine together during the Covid pandemic.

You can find Katrina Kittle at her website www.katrinakittle.com or on instagram at @katrinakittle

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

1- 5 star recommednation by fellow book lover Megan Cox

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

2- Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle

3- Reasons To Be Happy by Katrina Kittle

4- Invitation by Mary Oliver

5- Babel by RF Kuang

6- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

7- Yellowface by RF Kuang

8- Come With Me by Erin Flanagan

9- Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane (audiobook narrated by Noah Galvin

10- The Guncle by Steven Rowley

This week we celebrate all the special days of June! Want a book rec for Pride month? We have one. What about Juneteenth or Father's Day? We have you covered. And did you know it's National Audiobook Month? It's new to us as well but we love audiobooks so we give you some recommendations for that too. And we throw in one wildcard category - one of those random National Days or Months that always makes you wonder why there needs to be a month for that:)

This is the last episode for Season 8. We are taking a month off for summer family travel and some rest and relaxation. We will be back the late July/ early August with all new episodes. Until then, we will air some of our favorite past episodes in case you missed them the first time around.

Happy Reading!

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

2- The Road by Cormac McCarthy

3- No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

4- Changes: A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo

5- Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo

6- The Scent of a Garden by Namrata Patel

7- The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel

8- The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule

9- Fun Home: A Famliy Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

10- Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

11- And Then the Grey Heaven by RE Katz

12- Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

13- The Changeling by Victor Lavalle

14- Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney

15- The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

16- The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

17- The Chosen by Chaim Potok

18- Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

19- The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

20- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

21- Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis by Emily Willingham

22- The Good One by Polly Stewart

23- On Earth as it is on Television by Emily Jane

Shows/movies mentioned--

1- No Country For Old Men ( 2007)

2- My Octopus Teacher (Netflix, 2020)

Articles Mentioned

1- www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/20…-author-dies/

2- www.vox.com/culture/2017/9/13/1…ler-lists-explained

This week we chat with Vicki Johnson, a debut picture book author whose book, Molly’s Tuxedo, is a delightful story about a child who doesn’t want to wear the frilly, itchy dress and tight shoes her mother thinks is appropriate for school pictures. Molly wants to wear…you guessed it, a tuxedo that has pockets. The book, which is illustrated by Gillian Reid, was published by Little Bee Books in collaboration with GLAAD, a nonprofit organization focused on LGBTQ advocacy and ensuring fair, accurate, and inclusive representation. Vicki tells us all about it and the path to her becoming a writer.

She tells us about her move from DC to a small 200 year old cabin in the woods of WV, her sweaty history, and her new app that has rocked her world.

You can find Vicki at her website www.vickijohnsonwrites.com or on Instagram at @vickijohnsonwrites. You can also see her past work on Instagram at @cabin.reads.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Molly's Tuxedo by Vicki Johnson

2- Wool (Silo series #1) by Hugh Howey

3- The Pants Project by Cat Clarke

4- The Daughters of Ys by MT Anderson

5- Everywhere With You by Carlie Sorosiak

6- Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall

7- Grandad's Camper by Harry Woodgate

8- Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery

9- A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

10- Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Thermes

TV series mentioned:

1- Platonic (2022 - Apple +)

2- Silo (2022 - Apple +)

Apps mentioned:

1- Merlin Bird ID

2- Seek

At the start of summer, we like to chat with Sam Miller, bookseller and manager at Carmichael’s Bookstore here in Louisville (We actually like to chat with Sam anytime, but she has especially useful information about new books twice a year.) Sam does the heavy lifting this week by telling us what is coming out and might be good for your TBR list.

Books mentioned in this episode:

1- The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

2- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

3- Be Mine by Richard Ford

4- The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

5- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

6- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

7- Color of Water by James McBride

8- Deacon King Kong by James McBride

9- The Tusk that Did the Damage by Tania James

10- Loot by Tania James

11- Happy Place by Emily Henry

12- I Didn’t Do It by Jamie Lynn Hendricks

13- Only One Left by Riley Sager

14- Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith

15- Independence Square by Martin Cruz Smith

16- Small Mercies by Dennis LeHane

17- Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

18- Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

19- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

20 The Other Renaissance by Paul Strathern

21- Ice by Amy Brady

22- The Soldier’s Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II by David Chrisinger

23- Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer

24- A Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

25- Pageboy by Elliot Page

26- Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You by Lucinda Williams

27- Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City by Jane Wong

28- King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

29- Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby

30- Sweet Enough: A Dessert Cookbook by Alison Roman

31- Franklin Smoke by Aaron Franklin

32- Love is a Pink Cake by Claire Ptak

33- Back to the Dirt by Frank Bill

34- Code of the Hills by Chris Offutt

35- If You Write Me a Letter, Send it Here by Louisville Story Program

36- Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.

37- Tar Hollow Trans by Stacy Jane Grover

38- The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers

39- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

40- Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

41- Weather Together by Jessie Sima

42- The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

43- Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane

44- Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

45- Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott

46- Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman

47- Prom Mom by Laura Lippman

48- The Disinvited Guest by Carol Goodman

This week are celebrating AAPI Heritage Month (Asian American Pacific Islander) and we give you a list of 10 (plus maybe a few more) of our favorite books to add to your TBR written by authors with family heritage from this part of the world. We give you books in a variety of genres; literary fiction, historical fiction, memoir, food writing, graphic novels, horror, poetry, and middle grade.

So join us this week as we explore the big wide world of Asia and the Pacific Islands heritage in literature. Plus, we talk about the most recent Jane Austen film adaptation we've watched, a new environmentally friendly product we've tried, and why sometimes it might be nice to be a disembodied head.

Books mentioned--

1- Persuasion by Jane Austen

2- Emma by Jane Austen

3- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

4- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

5- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

6- The Girls of Fall by Jessica Minyard

7- You Should Have Known by Rebecca Keller

8- An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helen Tursten

9- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

10- Another Appalachia by Neema Avashia

11- The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel

12- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

13- The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

14- The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

15- Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef's Journey to Discover America's New Melting-Pot Cuisine by Edward Lee

16- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

17- The Fervor by Alma Katsu

18- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

19- Two Brown Dots by Danni Quintos

20- World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

21- A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

22- The Milk Lady of Bangalore by Shoba Narayan

23- Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia by Christina Thompson

24- Moloka’i by Alan Brennert

25- Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

26- The Cheating Cell: How Evolution Helps Us Understand and Treat Cancer by Athena Aktipis

27- A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

28- The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

29- Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and 500 Miles Across Spain by Andrew McCarthy

Movies mentioned--

1- Persuasion (Netflix 2022)

2- Ted Lasso - Season 3 (Apple TV 2023)

3- Jury Duty (Amazon 2023)

4- Enchanted (2007)

5- The Terror (Hulu 2018)

Jessica Brody is the author of the well-known writing book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and teaches classes on this writing method, but she has published over 20 books for all ages, including middle grade. Her most recent, titled Amelia Gray is Almost Okay, came out in March of this year.

Amelia is a kid who moves around a lot due to her father’s job as a hotel renovator and reimaginer. Like a lot of middle schoolers, she is trying to figure out who she is and what she’s good at. During one memorable summer in a new town, she decides to try on different personas to see which one fits best. Is she an athlete, a theater kid, or a reporter? What I loved about this book is that I could relate to it even as an adult. I still try different versions of myself sometimes.

Jessica talks to us about what words in the English language really get under her skin, how being fired from MGM Studios gave her the writing opportunity she needed, and her overwhelming passion for spreadsheets.

You can find Jessica at her website www.Jessicabrody.com and on her instagram at @jessicabrody.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Amelia Gray is Almost Okay by Jessica Brody

2- Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

3- Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

4- Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody

5- Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up by Jessica Brody

6- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

7- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

8- Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp

9- The It Girl by Ruth Ware

10- Big Tree by Brian Selznick

11- The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

12- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

I think many aspiring writers have a juicy family story passed down that they are sure would make a great novel. Our guest this week, Ciera Horton McElroy, had heard stories about her grandfather, a scientist who worked at a plant that produced materials for a hydrogen bomb during the height of the Cold War in the 1960s. That one family story is the jumping off point of her debut novel, a work of historical fiction titled Atomic Family that takes the reader on a journey to an era of burgeoning women’s rights, Sears Roebuck fashion, and the suburban American dream. With some good old radiation thrown into the mix.

We talk to Ciera about what it was like to be a tourist at a now abandoned hydrogen bomb facility, how writing a little blog at 16 helped her start her own company, and the big differences between living in a state like Florida versus the Midwest.

You can find Ciera on her website at www.cieramcelroy.com and on instagram @cierahmcelroy.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1 - Atomic Family by Ciera Horton McElroy

2- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

3- Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson

4- Second Nature: Scenes from a World Remade by Nathaniel Rich (basis for Dark Waters)

5- All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

6- Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

7- I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkah

8- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

9- Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

10- White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

11- I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez

12- Hester by Laurie Albanese

13- Madame Pommery by Rebecca Rosenberg

14- Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg

Movies/Shows mentioned--

1- A Man Called Otto (Netflix 2022)

2- Our Great National Parks (Netflix 2022)

3- Dark Waters (2019)