Did you know it is National Humor Month? Neither did we but now we do and so do you. Which means this week we are talking about books that make us laugh.

Books We Mentioned:

1- The Peripheral by William Gibson

2- Foundation by Isaac Asimov

3- Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

4- The Martian by Andy Weir

5- The Alaskan Laundry by Brendan Jones

6- Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

7- The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

8- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

9- Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

10- Yearbook by Seth Rogen

11- This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

12- The Guncle by Steven Rowley

13- Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It? A Mother's Suggestions by Patricia Marx; illustrated by Roz Chast

14- Calypso by David Sedaris

15- A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson

16- Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel by Suzanne Roberts

17- Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald

18- She Is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

19- Sacred Geometry by Robert Lawlor

20- Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis

21- What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry

22- Hestia Strikes A Match by Christine Grillo

23- My Father's Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimers by Sandeep Jauhar

24- Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson

TV Series mentioned:

1- The Peripheral (Amazon Prime 2023)

2- Foundation (Apple+ 2021)

Bookish News

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/…olastic.html

This week our guest is Lydia Welker, the digital communications coordinator for the Appalachian Prison Book Project based in Morgantown, West Virginia. This organization does a lot of things, including sending books to prisoners in six states and hosting book clubs for inmates.

I discovered Appalachian Prison Book Project on social media where they often put out requests for specific books prisoners are looking for. There are over 43 books to prisoner programs across the country and you can find one in your area by going to the Books to Prisoners website (www.bookstoprisoners.net/outside-organizations/ ). Book to Prisoner programs believe education is a basic human right.

We talk to Lydia about the most requested books by prisoners, why she is a fanatic for sharks, and the best zombie movie to watch at the holidays.

You can find Appalachian Prison Book Project on Instagram @appalachianpbp and at their website at www.appalachianprisonbookproject.org

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

1- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

2- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

3- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

4- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

5- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

6- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

7- Ulysses by James Joyce

8- Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

9- The History of Everything by Bill Bryson

10- The Body by Bill Bryson

11- Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

12- She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

13- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

14- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

15- Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

16- Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

17- Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

18- Severance by Ling Ma

19- Code Name Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem

Podcast mentioned:

1- You Might Hate This Book podcast

Movies or series mentioned--

1- The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy (Apple + 2023)

2- Get Out (2017)

3- Annihilation (2018)

4- Sharknado film series

5- The Night of the Living Dead (1968)

6- Ravenous (2017)

7- Zombieland (2009)

8- Shaun of the Dead (2004)

9- Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

10- The Last of the Us (HBO Max 2023)

Books mentioned--

1- American Cheese by Joe Berkowitz

2- Blue by Kai Kupferschmidt

3- Bike Riding in Kabul: The Global Adventures of a Foreign Aid Practitioner by Jamie Bowman

4- Nala's World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride Around the Globe by Dean Nicholson

5- What I Hate from A to Z by Roz Chast

6- Franny K Stein book series by Jim Benton

7- Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

8- Tidepool by Nicole Willson

9- A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathan Meiburg

10- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

11- The Hummingbird's Gift by Sy Montgomery

12- H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

13- Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg

14- Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne by Rebecca Rosenberg

15- Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

16-Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne

17- The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy Hoobler

18- Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach

19- The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

20- Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

21- City of Ember by Jeanne duPrau

22- Mordew by Alex Pheby

23-When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

24- Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

25- You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe

26- Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson

27- Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

28- The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny

29- Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

30- Drowned Town by Jane Moore Waldrop

31- Somebody's Daughter by Ashley Ford

32- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

33- The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

34- Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family by Rachel Jamison Webster

35- They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

36- The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

37- Lone Women by Victor LaValle

38- The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myth and Monsters by JW Ocker

Movies mentioned--

Rebecca (2020- Netflix)

Podcasts mentioned--

1- Ologies hosted by Allie Ward

2- Thoughts From A Page hosted by Cindy Burnett

This week we chat with Kelsey Madges, an Ohio middle school librarian and book lover. We talk about the highs and the lows of working in school libraries. If you’re like us, it’s been almost 40 years since you were a middle schooler and lots has changed for kids and the librarians who help them, such as the use of Chromebooks in classes and the current prevalence of book bans. But Kelsey is a book lover and supporter through and through. In fact she admits that she enjoys almost everything she reads.

In this episode, we also cover how we feel about book quotes, why letter writing is still important, and what Carrie should have tattooed on her body.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

2- Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

3- Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

4- Graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier

5- Refugee by Alan Gratz

6- Two Degrees by Alan Gratz

7- Books by Paula Chase

8- Books by Matt Christopher

9- Books by Mike Lupica and Kwame Alexander

10- Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

11- Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

12- Babysitter Club graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan

13- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

14- Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

15- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

16- The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

17- The One and Only Ruby by Katheirne Applegate

18- The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

19- Books by Coleen Hoover

20- Forever by Judy Blume

21- Books by Stephen King

22- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

23- The Martian by Andy Weir

24- The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

25- The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

26- This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel

27- A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

28- Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

29- Women Talking by Miriam Toews

30- The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Broadway show mentioned—

1- Come From Away

Books mentioned in this episode:

1- The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard

2- Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with Kids by Scott Hershovitz

3- American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World by Joe Berkowitz

4- Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

5- The One and Only Bob / The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

6- Pax by Sara Pennypacker

7- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

8- The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

9- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

10- Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (Gold Mountain Chronicles)

11- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

12- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

13- Sandman by Neil Gaiman

14- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

15- The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

16- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

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

18- The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

19- Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani

20- Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

21- The Greenglass House by Kate Milford (series)

22- A History of Scotland by Neil Oliver

23- 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

24- The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

25- The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec

26- Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus

27- Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Book Seller by Oliver Darkshire

28- Dream Girl by Laura Lippmann

29- The Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippmann

Films mentioned--

1- The Pale Blue Eye (Netflix 2022)

2- Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

3- Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

1- Creep: A Love Story by Lygia Day Peñaflor

2- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

3- Unscripted Joss Byrd by Lygia Day Peñaflor

4- All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor

5- You by Caroline Kepnes

6- The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

7- Macbeth by William Shakespeare

8- Atonement by Ian McEwan

9- The Body by Stephen King

10-Mystic River by Dennis LeHane

11- Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

12- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

13- Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson

14- Edie Richter is Not Alone by Rebecca Handler

18- Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

19- The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

20- Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Movies/Shows mentioned--

1- Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

2- Shrinking (Apple +, 2023)

3- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

4- Atonement (2007)

5- Stand By Me (1986)

6- Mystic River (2003)

7- Fleishman is in Trouble (HULU, 2022)

8- His Dark Materials (2022)

9- Stranger Things (Netflix 2022)

Books mentioned in this episode:

1- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

2- The Witches by Roald Dahl

3- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

4- The Martian by Andy Weir

5- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

6- Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong (published Feb 28, 2023)

7- A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy/narrated by Rosalyn Landor

8- The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard

9- A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

10- Dune by Frank Herbert

11- Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence

12- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shafer

13- All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

14- Emma by Jane Austen

15- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

16- Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka

17- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

18- We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

19- Truman Capote by Gerald Clarke

20- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

21- Angels and Insects (Morpho Eugenia) by A. S. Byatt

22- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

23- Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham

24- The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

25- Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan by Hildi Kang

26- Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir by Deborah A. Miranda

27- All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

28- Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns

29- Stealing by Margaret Verble

Movies mentioned--

1- The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

2- A Beautiful Mind (2001)

3- The Imitation Game (2014--based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges)

4- Dune (1984)

5- Dune (BBC, 2000)

6- Lady Chatterley's Lover (2022)

7- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

8- All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

9- Emma (2020)

10- Anna Karenina (2012)

11- Bullet Train (2022)

12- Little Women (2019)

13- We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

14- Capote (2005)

15- Angels & Insects (1995)

16- The Woman in Black (2012)

17- Lord of the Rings series

18- Nightmare Alley (2021)

19- The Storied Life of A J Fikry (2022)

20- Taxi Driver (1976)

Articles mentioned--

A Film That Makes Sex Scenes Look Like Works of Art, Shirley Lee, The Atlantic, Dec 2022

This week we welcome special guest Rachel Harper to Perks. Rachel is on the faculty at Spalding University’s Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing in Lousiville, KY and is the author of three novels. Her most recent, The Other Mother, was published in 2022 and has racked up the accolades. It was named one of Amazon’s best books of 2022, was a Good Morning America buzz pick, and has been awarded the American Library Association’s Stonewall Book Award for Excellence in LGBTQIA fiction.

We chat with Rachel about how her book is like an onion, with many layers to peel back and explore. While it deals with motherhood, it also deals with father-child relationships, identity, race, and how our past affects our present.

You can find Rachel on Instagram @harpsincali and her website www.rachelmharper.com

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

1- The Other Mother by Rachel Harper

2- This Side of Providence by Rachel Harper

3- Brass Ankle Blues by Rachel Harper

4- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

5- As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

6- The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

7- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

8- The Secret History by Donna Tartt

9- Long ass books by Jonathan Franzen

10- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

11- The Case of the Missing Moonstone (The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency) by Jordan Stratfor

12- Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer

13- Women Talk Money: Breaking the Taboo edited by Rebecca Walker

14- Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

15- The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tove Bailey

16- Shutter by Ramona Emerson

Books Mentioned in this Episode--

1- Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald

2- Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

3- Truth and Other Lies by Maggie Smith

4- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

5- A Separate Peace by John Knowles

6- Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

7- Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession

8- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

9- Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

10- The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan

11- Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane

12- Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

13- Cackle by Rachel Harrison

14- Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore

15- Doctors & Friends by Kimmery Martin

16- The Eves by Grace Sammon

17- Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

18- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

19- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

20- White Noise by Don DeLillo

21- We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

22- Waiting For Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Neurotic Angst, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family by Catherine Newman

23- Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

24- Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

25- Everyone Knows Your Mother is A Witch by Rivka Galchen

26- The Line Tender by Kate Allen

27- Trespasses by Louis Kennedy

28- The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney

29- Fieldwork: A Forager's Memoir by Aliana Regan

Podcasts mentioned--

The To Be Read podcast

Movies/shows mentioned--

1- Wildcat (no release date yet)

2- Reality Bites (1994)

3- Gattaca (1997)

4- Mystic River (2003)

5- White Noise (Netflix 2022)

6- White Lotus (HBOMax 2021 - 2022)

Our guest this week, Jayne Moore Waldrop traded legal briefs of a law practice for her writing journals in an MFA program. Her first book, Drowned Town, is a novel in linked stories about the families who lost their homes in the 1960s when President Kennedy announced the creation of Land Between the Lakes, a national recreation area that resulted from damning several rivers and taking land from residents through eminent domain. Jayne explores what the meaning of home becomes when one’s home is now underwater. Her book was selected as one of the best southern books of 2021 by the Southern Review of Books.

Jayne has changed gears once again, this time to tell a picture book story for children titled A Journey in Color: The Art of Ellis Wilson about one of the great artists of the Harlem Renaissance, native Kentuckian Ellis Wilson, who won two Guggenheim Fellowships but has been virtually unknown in his home state. Jayne teamed up with acclaimed Nashville artist Michael McBride to create a book that helps give Wilson his due but also inspire children to follow their dreams.

You can find Jayne on her website www.jaynemoorewaldrop.com and social media on Instagram @jaynemoorewaldrop and FB Jayne Moore Waldrop, Author.

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

1- Drowned Town by Jayne Moore Waldrop

2- A Journey in Color: The Art of Ellis Wilson by Jayne Moore Waldrop and illustrated by Michael McBride

3- The Rabbit Hutch. by Tess Gunty

4- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

5- These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

6- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

7- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

8- Lark Ascending by Silas House

9- Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom by Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr

10- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Films mentioned--

1- So Much to Paint (A documentary on the work of Ellis Wilson

education.ket.org/resources/ellis-…lson-much-paint/

Nonprofit mentioned:

International Book Project - intlbookproject.org/