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)

This week we focus on books about mom "adjacent" books; by or about motherly figures in our lives. We give you 10 (plus a few more) books to add to your TBR or maybe even gift your mom for Mother's Day. We have memoirs, historical fiction, children's books, speculative fiction, graphic memoir, and even books celebrating moms of the non-human persuasion.

Books mentioned in this episode:

1- Now Beacon, Now Sea by Christopher Sorrentino

2- The Measure by Nikki Erlick

3- They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

4- The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

5- The Other Mother by Rachel Harper

6- Runaway by Erin Keane

7- The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

8- Truth and Other Lies by Maggie Smith

9- The Particulars of Peter: Dance Lessons, DNA, and other Excuses to Hang Out with my Perfect Dog by Kelly Conaboy

10- Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

11- Skylark by by Patricia MacLachlan

12- Caleb’s Story by Patricia MacLachlan

13- Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

14- A Letter to my Daughter by Maya Angelou

15- A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

16- A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

17- A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

18- Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob

19- The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

20- The Need by Helen Phillips

21- The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman

22- Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers

23- Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

24- Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him by Sally Clarkson and Nathan Clarkson

25- Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s by Jennifer Worth

26- Glitter and Gun by Kelly Corrigan

27- Graveyard of Lost Children by Katrina Monroe

28- The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

29- The White Enchantress by Caitriona Drexler

Movies mentioned—

1- The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Podcasts mentioned—

1- The Daily (NY Times)

www.nytimes.com/2023/05/05/podcas…iters-strike.html

2- Tell Me More (Kelly Corrigan)

3- Wiser Than Me (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

Articles mentioned—

www.gq.com/story/writers-strike-2023-wga-explained

www.politico.com/news/2023/05/03/…ok-bans-00095151

apnews.com/article/texas-libra…7784efd2746d292ab68

In just a few days, the Kentucky Derby will be run at Churchill Downs in Louisville KY and for folks here in KY it is a 2 week celebration. This week we are giving you books that are Kentucky inspired; from fiction, to 'sci-fi, memoir to middle grade, short story collections and underdog sport stories, and even true crime. These books will give you a taste of Kentucky when you can't actually be at the races with a mint julep in hand.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South by Gail Jarrow

2- Call Me Athena: Girl From Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith

3- The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

4- Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

5- Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

6- Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

7- Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

8- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

10- Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last by Wright Thompson

11-Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

12- Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander

13- These Prisoning Hills by Christopher Rowe

14- Clay's Quilt by Silas House

15- Blood in the Bluegrass by DC Alexander

16- A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City by David Domine

17- Waverly HIlls Sanatorium by Lynn Pohl

18- A White Wind Blew by James Markert

19- My Old Kentucky Home: The Astonishing Life and Reckoning of an Iconic American Song by Emily Bingham

20- Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson

21- Are You There God? It's Me, Margeret by Judy Blume

22- A Death in Door County by Annalise Ryan

23- Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love

24- Inglorious Empire: What the British Did To India by Shashi Tharoor

25- The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

26- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

Articles mentioned--

Women now dominate the book business (NPR, 2023)

www.npr.org/sections/money/2023…creative-industries

Shows mentioned--

1- Baby J (Netflix) (2023)

2- Heist (Netflix) (2021)

3- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023)

A literary salon sounds so posh, doesn’t it? I imagine the Lost Generation of writers–Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, Gertrude Stein–sitting around in a Parisian flat, discussing the newest trends in literature. But what exactly is a salon? Or what can it be? Our guest this week, Cindy Burnett, hosts a literary salon in Houston, Texas, called Conversations from a Page, and tells us all about what one version of a salon can be. Amy may be well on her way to starting her own salon because she was so intrigued by the idea.

Cindy is also a podcast host. Her show, Thoughts from a Page, is an extension of her salon in podcast form that airs twice a week. She interviews authors of books that she’s has read and have earned her seal of approval.

We find out her favorite national parks, what she misses about being a lawyer, and one reason she won’t read a book.

You can find info about Cindy Burnett at her websites www.cfapage.net and at thoughtsfromapage.com and on instagram at @thoughtsfromapage.

Books mentioned--

1- How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

2- We Came To Here To Shine by Susie Orman Schnall

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

4- The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

5- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

6- Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 by TJ Newman

7- Falling by TJ Newman

8- Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

9- Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybour

10- Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley

11- The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

Movies watched--

Dungeons and Dragons (2023)

Podcasts mentioned--

1- Thoughts from a Page

2- Books Are My People

3- The To Read List Podcast

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