If you can’t get enough of sports and global camaraderie watching the Paris Summer Olympics on your TV screens, we have an interview for you today to scratch that itch even more; books that include women’s soccer.

In Season 10, we did a dual-interview with two authors who wrote Jane Austen-inspired books: AH Kim and Melodie Edwards. It was so much fun, we thought we would do it again. This time, though, we’re pairing two women who wrote books related to soccer

Sarahlyn Bruck is the author of several novels; her most recent is titled Light of the Fire, which is about two adult women who were connected by soccer in high school. Jean Duffy’s debut nonfiction book is titled Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World, about older women who play recreational soccer. These two writers, who both have an abiding love of the game, were down with joining each other and us to chat about their respective books.

While these books on the surface deal with soccer, they ultimately address friendship and teamwork, the elements of the game that change lives for the better.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Light of the Fire by Sarahlyn Bruck

2- Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World by Jean Duffy

3- The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women's Lives by Kelcey Ervick

4- A Five Star Read Recommended by Fellow Book Lover, Patricia @patriciapluggedin - Funny Story by Emily Henry

5- I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

6- Anna Bright is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schnall

7- Invisible Women: Exploring Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez

8- Magonia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

9-Know My Name by Chanel Miller

10- Starter Villain by John Scalzi

11- Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Media mentioned—

1- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

2- Trying (2024, Apple+)

3- Catastrophe (2015, Amazon Prime)

4- The Dropout (2022, Hulu)

Our Episode with Kelcey Ervick about her graphic memoir, The Keeper -ThePerksofBeingaBookLover.podbean.com/e/s9ep…21323/

This week we chat with Carter Wilson, a thriller writer and podcast host who lives in Colorado and who is the author of nine novels. His most recent is titled The Father She Went to Find, a story of Penny, a girl who suffered a brain injury at an early age that left her a savant with curious abilities. It was at this time that her father disappeared, but he has remained in contact via a birthday card every year. Until she turns 21. And that is the impetus she needs to go find him. This is a road trip/ scavenger hunt thrill ride that even has a few Stranger Things vibes. It’s set in the 1980s after all.

Carter talks to us about why this book is different from all his others and his favorite TV thriller series he has watched this year. And we laugh when he tells us one of the reasons why someone might start writing a book.

Books mentioned--

1- The Father She Went to Find by Carter Wilson

2- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Yayoi Kusama (Penguin Classics) 2012

3- Deception at Diamond D Ranch by GR Stahl

4- Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

5- Pines by Blake Crouch

6- Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

7- Greenwood by Michael Christie

8- My Mama, Cass: A Memoir by Owen Elliot-Kugell

9- The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel by Douglas Brunt

10- The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

11- The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

12- The Language of Love and Loss by Bart Yates

13- The Five Star Read Recommended by a Fellow Book Lover Iresha Jayasinghe @resh_bookstagram - Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil

Movies and Series

1- Where'd You Go Bernadette (2019)

2- Shogun (Hulu, 2024)

3- Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

Links--

1- Salted Brown Butter Krispie Treats recipe - smittenkitchen.com/2009/11/salted-…-crispy-treats/

2-Yayoi Kusama Exhiition - www.speedmuseum.org/yayoi-kusama-in…urvive-forever/

3- Rediscovered Books in Boise, ID - www.rdbooks.org/

4- Free Little Art Galleries (FLAGS) - freelittleartgalleries.art/

So back during Season 10 we flew to Los Angeles, California for the LA Times Festival of Books, which was held on the campus of USC. We were able to meet our bookish friend, Jennifer Caloyeras from the Books Are My People podcast; hear cool authors and audiobook narrators speak; and visit some awesome places in LA.

Amy is usually the one who reads around the places she is visiting, although she is apparently rubbing off on me because I’m finding myself doing it too. We decided to make an episode centered around Los Angeles/Hollywood reads.

Books Discussed in This Episode:

1- Everything I Learned, I Learned In a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin

2- The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen

3- The Library Book by Susan Orlean

4- A 5 Star Read Recommended by a Fellow Book Lover Lauren Becker @laurenashleybecker- Elephant and Castle by Hannah Ledford

5- Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins series) by Walter Mosley

6- The Monstrous Misses Mai by Van Hoang

7- Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

8- Daytime Drama by Sarahlyn Bruck

9- Code Name Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem

10- California Dreamin: The True Story of the Mamas and Papas by Michelle Phillips

12- Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

13- Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

14- The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia

15- Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle

16- Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

17- Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

18- Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

19- Wildfire by Hannah Grace

Movies mentioned--

Feast of Death (documentary about James Ellroy) - 2001

Articles mentioned--

100 Best Books of the 21st Century - www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/…21st-century.html

Episodes mentioned--

1- www.perksofbeingabooklover.com/episodes/…m-vidrine

2- www.perksofbeingabooklover.com/episodes/…akespeare

This episode begins Season 11 for us–we’ve got over 200 episodes under our belts and are back to bring you more.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that fantasy is big right now, and we discovered a fun fantasy that feels like an Ocean’s 11 type romp with multiple characters trying to take down a king. The book is titled Five Broken Blades and it is written by Mai Corland. We were delighted to speak with her a couple weeks back, especially since she is now an international bestselling author. And in fact, while recording this episode you will hear Mai receiving some good news. While some people might let this success go to their heads, Mai is down-to-earth and gets entirely too much pleasure poking fun at her new status.

We chat about the fantasy series she can’t stop recommending, why writing middle grade and YA novels was such good prep for pacing in her new romantic fantasy, and how riding the subway opened up her world as a teen.

Books Discussed In This Episode:

1- Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

2- Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland

3- You Are Here: Connected Flights edited by Ellen Oh

4- Emma and the Love Spell by Meredith Ireland

5- The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland

6- Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

7- Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

8- The Jane City trilogy by Fonda Lee

9- The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

10- 5 Star Read Recommended by a Fellow Book Lover Marné Deranger @readerbythewater - Sandwich by Catherine Newman

11- Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives by Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett

12- Such Charming Liars by Karen McManus

13- One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

14- The Cousins by Karen McManus

15- Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson

Our guest this week is Nathan Gower, a writer with roots in Kentucky, having earned degrees from Spalding University and the University of Louisville. He now serves as a professor of English at Campbellsville University. His debut novel, The Act of Disappearing, publishes on May 28 with Mira Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

The novel is about a woman named Julia, who her friends call Jules. Julia has been trying to make a name for herself as a fiction writer, but she works at a bar to make ends meet. It is there that she meets a famous older man named Jonathan Aster who gives her a photograph and offers to pay her to tell the story of the woman in the picture: the woman in the photo is jumping off a bridge holding a baby. Julia begins a quest to discover who this woman is and learns about herself in the process

He also talks to us about how terrifying it was to write a book from a female POV, how the women in his family inspired this story, and the sci-fi book he just read and thoroughly enjoyed even though he doesn’t like sci-fi.

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

1- The Act of Disappearing by Nathan Gower

2- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

3- Dead Boy Detectives by Neil Gaiman

4- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

5- Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen

6- The Moviegoer by Walker Percy

7- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - A 5 Star Read Recommended by Fellow Book Lover Claire Boswell @clairesbookobsession

8- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

9- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

10- The Man In The Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

11- Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite

12- Johanna Porter is Not Sorry by Sara Read

Entertainment mentioned—

1- Beetlejuice (1988)

2- Beetlejuice (Broadway Across America)

3- Seinfeld (1989- 1998, Netflix)

4- Dark Matter (2024, Apple+)

5- The Dead Boys Detective (2024, Netflix)

6- Locke & Key (2020, Netflix)

7- The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

Photograph mentioned—

time.com/3456028/the-most-bea…h-an-immortal-photo/

This week we have our annual summer reading episode with our favorite bookseller, Sam Miller, store manager at Carmichaels Bookstore in Louisville, KY. By this point in our spring season, we are tired, so having Sam on and letting her do the heavy lifting on book suggestions is what we’re about. Sam clues us in to some new fiction, nonfiction, traditional summer reading, mysteries, sci-fi/fantasy, and children’s books you may want to scoop up.

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

1- James by Percival Everett

2- Hamilton by Ron Chernow

3- We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

4- Sandwich by Catherine Newman

5- Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

6- By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

7- Long Island by Colm Tóibín

8- Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

9- Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

10- I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

11- The Summer Pact by Emily Giffen

12- Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy

13- Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

14- Knife by Salman Rushdie

15- The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larsen

16- 1974 by Francine Prose

17- The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

18- Sociopath by Patric Gagne

19- An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

20- The Searcher by Tana French

21- The Hunter by Tana French

22- One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

23- Midnight Feast by Lucy Fole

24- Highway 13 by Fiona McFarland

25- This Bright River by Liz Moore

26- God of the Woods by Liz Moore

27- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

28- Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

29- The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville

30- Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

31- House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

32- Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

33- The Deading by Nicholas Belardes

34- Unicorn Woman by Gayl Jones

35- Eva’s Man by Gayl Jones

36- You Are Here edited by Ada Límon

37- Black Gold by Marguerite Henry

38- The Kentucky Oaks by Avalyn Hunter

39- Bourbonland by Edward Lee

40- Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee

41- Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee

42- The Gaga Mistake by Emma Straub

43- Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

44- The Squish by Brianna Carzoo

45- The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay

46- Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

47- Finna by Nino Cipri

48- The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird

49- I’m Afraid You Have Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

50- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Apps mentioned—

Merlin app (birds)

May is Audiobook Appreciation Month so this week we suggest 10 plus books that give a little added dimension when you listen to the audiobook version. And we aren't even entertaining the notion that listening to audiobooks isn't reading. Listening counts!

Books mentioned-

1- Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

2- The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

3- Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North (A 5 star read recommended by fellow book lover Shannon Loar @shopcoffeekids

4- Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney, narrated by Kristoffer Tabori

5- Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci, narrated by Stanley Tucci

6- Nothing is Wrong and Here is Why by Alexandra Petri, narrated by Rebecca Gibel

7- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, narrated by Marin Ireland

8- The Assasination of Brangwain Spurge by MT Anderson and Eugene Yelchin narrated by Gildart Jackson

9- Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, narrated by an ensemble cast

10- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, narrated by Tom Hollander

11- Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey by Florence Williams, narrated by author

12- Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, narrated by Marin Ireland

13- Ava's Man by Rick Bragg

14-The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and his People by Rick Bragg

15- My Southern Journey: True Journeys from the Heart of the South by Rick Bragg

16- It's All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg

17- Calypso by David Sedaris

18- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

19- Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, narrated by Bronson Pinchot

20- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

21- The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

22- The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia

Movies and Shows mentioned--

1- Big Night (1996)

2- Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy (CNN)

3- The Hunger Games (2012)

4- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

5- Daisy Jones and the Six (Amazon, 2023)

6- Leave the World Behind (Netflix, 2023)

7- Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

We interact with book publicists pretty often, but a few months ago, one of them, Sami Lien, emailed and asked for recommendations about things to do in Kentucky around Derby. She explained that she is in a travel book club; they read books over the course of 12 months about a particular US location and then take a trip to visit. The novel Horse by Geraldine Brooks was the book that inspired this particular trip for their club.

Well, we love books and travel so we had to invite Sami and her book club friend, Marilyn, to be guests on the show. We had a great time learning about the ins and outs of their travel book club and are excited to get to meet them this Friday at a restaurant about an hour outside of Louisville.

Books Mentioned in the Episode:

1- Horse by Geraldine Brooks

2- Relative Strangers by A.H. Kim

3- Once Persuaded, Twice Shy by Melodie Edwards

4- 1984 by George Orwell

5- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

6- Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

7- East of Eden by John Steinbeck

8- Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

9- Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

10- South of Broad by Pat Conroy

11- My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

12- Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

13- Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse by Kim Wickens

14- Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz

15- Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon - A five star read recommended by fellow book lover Caitríona Shannon @these_thats_and_prose

16- Friday Harbor by DC Alexander

17-Blood in the Bluegrass by DC Alexander

18- Mary by Janis Cooke Newman

19- Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming

20- Norah Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Shows mentioned--

1- Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

The Divine Destinations Reading List for Kentcuky and the KY Derby

1- Horse: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks

2- The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

3- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

4- Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

5- Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

6- Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

7- Lincoln by Russell Freedman

8- Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson

9- The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

10- The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis by Elizabeth Letts

11- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

12- The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

13- Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal by Sarah Maslin Nir

14- Lexington by Kim Wickens

This week we have a remix episode because we are attending the LA Festival of Books. We catch up with author Ellen Birkett Morris. We first spoke to her in 2020 about her short story collection, Lost Girls, and now she has recently published a novel Beware the Tall Grass. So we will hear a little something old and a little something new from her in that episode.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Beware the Tall Grass by Ellen Birkett Morris

2- Lost Girls by Ellen Birkett Morris

3- Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

4- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

5- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

5- Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken

6- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

7- Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

8- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers by Mary Roach

9- Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

10- Lake Life by David James Poissant

11- Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

12- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

13- The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

14- Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn translated by Melody Shaw - 5 Star Read recommended by Sarah Phillips @cosymidlifebooknook

Article mentioned in this episode:

lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-for-book-lovers/

This week we are playing the nostalgia card. All of the books we mention are backlist in a big way; the majority are at least 15 years old. Our episode is about books that take up space in our heads. They may be books that, when we see them on a shelf, stir up all kinds of feelings or memories from years past. Or they are books that simply left a huge impression on us and we think about them from time to time. Even though they aren’t new and shiny, these books deserve a place on your TBR.

Books mentioned:

1- The Dead Boy Detectives comic series based on characters developed by Neil Gaiman

2- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

3- Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

4- The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

5- Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin

6- When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker - A 5 star read recommended by fellow book lover - Kasey @kayree_reads

7-It by Stephen King (1986)

8- Jack Gance by Ward Just (1997)

9- Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (the Bernie Rhodenbarr series) by Lawrence Block (1977)

10- The Good Men by Charmaine Craig (2003)

11- The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir (1991)

12- Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography by Marion Meade (1991)

13- Nora: A Biography of Nora Joyce by Brenda Maddox (1998)

14- House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (1999)

15- Eva’s Man by Gayl Jones (1987)

16- Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith (1988)

17- Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895)

18- Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

19- Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

20- Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

Shows mentioned—

1- Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, 2024)

2- Catherine, Called Birdy (Amazon Prime, 2022)

3- Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

4- Sandman (Netflix, 2022)

5- Good Omens (Prime, 2019)

6- Sherlock (Hulu, 2010)

7- The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

8- Emma ( Amazon Prime, 2020)

9- 3 Body Problem (Netflix, 2024)

10- Burglar (1987)

11- House of Sand and Fog (Max, 2003)

12- Lion in Winter (1968)

13- Jude (1996)

14- Far from the Madding Crowd (Max, 2015)

Theatre mentioned—

Broadway across America production of “Six”

Articles mentioned—

8 Bookish Podcasts for Booklovers -

www.badasswomensbookclub.com/blog/2024/…booklovers