Shows
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS12:Ep257 - A Forty Year Kiss with Guest Nickolas Butler + Book Club Recs - 5/7/25Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find Nickolas Butler at https://nickolasbutler.com/ or on IG @wiscobutler
Amy discovered Nickolas Butler earlier this year when she attended the author event for his newest novel A Forty Year Kiss at Carmichael’s Bookstore. Nick has six novels and a collection of short stories under his belt, but A Forty Year Kiss may be hi...2025-05-071h 08
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS12:Ep256 - The Husbands with Guest Holly Gramazio + National Poetry Month - 4/23/25Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find Holly Gramazio at her website https://www.hollygramazio.net/ or on IG at holly_gramazio
When we first heard the premise of Holly Gramazio’s novel The Husbands, we were intrigued. A woman’s husband goes up to the attic to retrieve something and down comes…a different husband. Wouldn’t we all sometimes like to exc...2025-04-231h 07
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS12:Ep255 - Six Walks with Guest Ben Shattuck + Books Recs for Walking - 4/9/25Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find Ben Shattuck at his website https://www.benshattuck.com/ or on IG @Benshattuck_
This week we chat with Ben Shattuck, author of Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau published by Tin House Books in 2022. Amy knew this book would appeal to Carrie because she is nothing if not a literary weirdo, and...2025-04-091h 04
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS12:Ep253 - The Lost Year with Guest Katherine Marsh + Cat Book Recs - 3/12/25Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find Katherine Marsh at her website www.katherinemarsh.com or on IG at @katherinemarshauthor.
This week we chat with Katherine Marsh, author of The Lost Year, a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. I recently discovered this book after one of our book club members selected another Katherine Marsh book, Nowhe...2025-03-121h 11
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS12:Ep250 - They All Fall The Same with Guest Wes Browne + Artsy Fartsy Book Recs - 1/29/25Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find Wes Browne at www.wesbrowneauthor.com or on IG at @browne_all_over
This week we chat with Wes Browne, a Michigan transplant who has been a Kentucky attorney for over 20 years. When he’s not lawyering, he writes crime fiction, and his most recent novel is called They All Fall the Same. In this novel, he picks up...2025-01-291h 06
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS11:Ep241 - Smothermoss with Guest Alisa Alering - 10/30/24Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find Alisa Alering at www.alering.com or on Insta @alisa.alering.
This week we wrap up what has been a month of seasonally spooky books with guest Alisa Alering, the author of Smothermoss, a book that is set in 1980s Pennsylvania Appalachia. It is the story of two sisters who witness a murder on the Appalachian Trail. It is...2024-10-3058 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS11:Ep237 - A Bit Much with Guest Lyndsay Rush - 10/2/24
Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find Lyndsay at her website www.lyndsayrush.com/ and on IG at @maryoliversdrunkcousin
Books Mentioned In This Episode:
1- A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush
2- Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan
3- A Five Start Read Recommended by Fellow Book Lover Meg Longley @ohlongley - Meet Me at the Museum by Ann...2024-10-021h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS11:Ep233 - What We Did This Summer: A Book Rec Episode - 9/4/24
Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button.
For a lot of people, Labor Day, which this year fell on September 2, marks the end of summer, although astronomical summer doesn’t end until September 22 (and meteorological fall actually begins on September 1). And according to Carrie, summer ends on the first day of school, which was Aug 8 here in Louisville KY. And what was a common assignment when you returned back to sch...2024-09-0458 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS11:Ep230 - Bookstore Crawl with Sierra Hollabaugh - 8/14/24Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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You can find the Bookery Cincy at www.bookerycincy.com/ or on IG @bookerycincy.
To find info about the Bookstore Crawl visit FB at Cincy Bookstore Crawl.
This week we chat with Sierra Hollabaugh, one of the co-owners and founders of Bookery Cincy, an independent bookstore located in Cincinnati, OH. When Amy went to Cincinnati recently, she met Sierra so we...2024-08-141h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS11:Ep226 - We Love LA: A Book Rec Episode - 7/17/24
Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button.
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 w...2024-07-171h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastREPLAY - Journeys: A Book Rec Episode***We are on summer hiatus but will be back with an all new episode next week! Happy Reading!
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.
For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and
FB Perks of Being a Book Lover.
Books Mentioned in this Episode
...2024-07-031h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastREPLAY - Summer Reading 2023 with guest Bookseller Sam Miller****We are still on hiatus but will be back with all new episodes in a few weeks. Until then, enjoy our Summer Reading episode from last year with our favorite bookseller, Sam Miller, from Carmichaels Books. Her suggestions may not be hot off the press but still make for great reads. Happy Reading!
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 th...2024-06-191h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS10:Ep222 - Summer Reading with Bookseller Sam Miller - 5/25/24Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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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 rea...2024-05-151h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS10:Ep. 212 Say Yes to Small Presses - A Book Rec Episode - 3/6/24Our website www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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This week we talk about some of our favorite books coming out of small and independent presses. The Big 5 publishers print those blockbusters we love to stick in our beach bag but smaller presses support much more diverse authors and innovative and important stories that may be your next favorite read! We give you a little primer about the difference between a small press a...2024-03-0659 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS10:Ep211 - Shawntaye's Bookish Life with Guest Shawntaye H. - 2/28/24You can Shawntaye on Instagram at @shawntaye1
Our website www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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This week we chat with a Lexington, Kentucky bookstagrammer, Shawntaye, who is such a devoted reader that she makes books part of virtually everything she does, from socializing to volunteering. Amy met Shawntaye in real life before COVID and the Perks has been following her bookish adventures ever since.
Shaw...2024-02-281h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS10:Ep 210 - The Gibson Girl Review Podcast with Guest Amy Drown - 2/21/24You can find Amy and the Gibson Girl review at www.gibsongirlreview.com/ as well as on Instagram at @gibsongirlreview
Our website www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.
As podcast people ourselves, we are always interested in checking out other unique book-related podcasts. You can find a podcast to fit any interest no matter how obscure; there is something for everyone out in the pod universe.
Our guest thi...2024-02-211h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS10:Ep209 - The Heartbreak Years with Guest Minda Honey - 2/24/24To find out more about Minda, go to her website at www.mindahoney.com or find her on social media @mindahoney
Website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
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To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.
We have a remix episode for you this week on Valentine’s Day, and the book we discuss is all about love and the loss of it.
We first talked with author Minda Honey back in the summer of 2019 During that...2024-02-141h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS10:Ep205 - 2023 Year in Review - 1/17/24Website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod
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To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.
Books Mentioned in this Episode:
1- Paddling North by Audrey Sutherland (Rec by Ritu Mukerji)
2- Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann (Rec by Anna Pitoniak)
3- The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Rec by Anna Pitoniak)
4- Working by Robert Caro (Rec by Rachel M. Harper)
5- The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (R...2024-01-171h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS9:Ep203 - Perks REMIX with Books Are My People Podcast - 1/3/24You can find Jennifer Caloyeras at her website www.Jennifercaloyeras.com or on Instagram @ jennifercaloyeras.
Website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod
FaceBook - Perks of Being a Book Lover.
To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.
Our Shownotes:
Books Mentioned in this Introduction:
1- The Boys In The Boat by Daniel James Borwn
Movies Mentioned in this Episode:
1- Get Out (2017)
2- Saltburn (2023)
3- The Lighthouse (2019)
4- Asteroid City (2023)
5...2024-01-0349 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS9:Ep202 - Perks REMIX - MURDER ENSUES on the Thrillers by the Bookclub Podcast - 12/27/23Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod
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To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.
Our Shownotes:
1- Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
2- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
3- Saltburn - (2023, Amazon Prime)
4- Ripley - (upcoming series on Netflix)
Thrillers by the Bookclub Shownotes:
Welcome to Episode 39 of Thrillers by the Bookclub Podcast! Join your hosts Chelsea and Olivia as we talk about t...2023-12-2752 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS9:Ep200 Creativity Keeper with Guest Kelcey Ervick - 12/13/23Website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram- @perksofbeingabookloverpod
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To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.
You can find out more about Kelcey Ervick on her website kelceyervick.com
This week we chat with Kelcey Ervick whose graphic memoir The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women’s Lives Amy discovered after our friend and former guest, Bethany, told us about what a great book it was.
Kelcey is the author of four books but The Keeper is h...2023-12-131h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS9 Ep.197 - A Doctor Detective Drama with Guest Ritu Mukerji - 11/22/23Our guest this week, Ritu Mukerji, is a busy, full-time physician and a mother of 3, but she managed to find time to write her first novel, a recently published historical fiction mystery titled Murder by Degrees about a female physician in late 19th century Philadelphia. She was inspired by her love of the mystery genre as well as her experience living in Philadelphia while getting her medical degree where she would often visit places where female doctors had paved the way for other women to follow.
We chat with Ritu about why physicians can make good detectives...2023-11-2259 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastPerks REMIX S9 Ep193- Mel Joulwan and David Humphreys of the Strong Sense of Place Podcast - 10-18-23For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and on FB Perks of Being a Book Lover.
To send us a message, click on the "Contact Us" button on the website.
To find Mel and David, check out their website, www.strongsenseofplace.com.
or Insta @strongsenseof
In episode 86, we first spoke with Melissa Joulwan during the COVID pandemic. She is one of the co-hosts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast. Melissa has been one of our favorite guests to...2023-10-181h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastPerks Remix Ep. 186 - The Past and the Curious with Guest Mick Sullivan - 8/30/23This week we are giving you something we are calling a "remix" episode. We have a new interview with former guest Mick Sullivan combined with some of his previous interview way back in 2019.
Amy is traveling this week so we’ve reconnected with former guest Mick Sullivan, who is the curator of guest experience at the Frazier History Museum and is also the creator of the award winning children's history podcast, The Past and the Curious, which grew out of the stories he tells people at the museum. His quirky combo of humor and music keeps both ki...2023-08-301h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS9 Ep183 - Are We There Yet? A Journey - 8/9/23This 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.
For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and
FB Perks of Being a Book Lover.
Books Mentioned in this Episode
1- How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
2- American Born Chinese by Gene Lu...2023-08-0900 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS8 Ep. 179 Summer Reading With Guest Sam Miller of Carmichael’s Books 6-7-23At 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.
For show notes for any episode, go to our website at perksofbeingabooklover.com. We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and on FB Perks of Being a Book Lover.
Books mentioned in thi...2023-06-071h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS. 8 Ep. 173 - Big Bookish Endeavors with Guest Cindy Burnett - 4/26/23A 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 als...2023-04-2659 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS. 8 Ep. 170 - Judge A Book By It’s Cover - 4/5/23For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and on FB Perks of Being a Book Lover
Books Mentioned In This Episode
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 fr...2023-04-0559 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS. 8 Ep. 164 - Galentine and Palentine Reads - 2/8/23For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and on FB Perks of Being a Book Lover
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...2023-02-0858 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastREPLAY - Put a Cork In ”Her”story with guest Rebecca Rosenberg 12-28-22**Carrie and I are taking a much needed holiday break. We will be back in Mid-January with all new episodes.
Until then, we have some replay episodes.
New Year’s Eve is just a few days away and often we think of toasting with a glass of sparkly at the stroke of midnight. Historical fiction writer Rebecca Rosenberg’s love of wine and sparkling wine in particular took her on travels to France to visit the great wine houses. And one of the things she discovered was the huge influence women had on the wine and...2022-12-281h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS. 7 Ep. 141 Appalachia is Overflowing with guests Bobi Conn and Kendra WinchesterThis week is a hybrid episode as we slowly creep back into a recording schedule after a nice long summer break. We’ve got Appalachia and Eastern Kentucky on our minds because of the recent catastrophic flooding in parts of the state so we decided that we’d rebroadcast part of an earlier episode with Kendra Winchester, founder of Read Appalachia on Instagram, who champions Appalachian writers on her feed.
But we also had the opportunity to speak this week with Bobi Conn, an Appalachian author and friend of the show who we interviewed in June of 2020 abou...2022-08-0356 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastS 6 Ep. 122 Pop The Cork On ”Her”story with guest Rebecca Rosenberg 2-9-22Part of what drew us to this week’s author, Rebecca Rosenberg, was the cool cover of her historical fiction novel, Champagne Widows. But as we read the book, we realized it was a pretty fascinating story of a young widow, Madame Clicquot, who essentially revolutionized champagne production in France during the Napoleonic years.
Rebecaa has written two other historical fiction novels but Champagne Widows is the first in a series about the trailblazing women of wine in France in the 19th century. As a champagne historian, Rebecca decided these stories needed to be told. She gave us...2022-02-091h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastThe Perks of Being a Book Lover 2021Year in Review and What’s New in 2022 1-5-22
Carrie and Amy take a look back at books they read in 2021 and choose their favorites. Plus, past guests from 2021 share their top reads of the year.
Books mentioned in this episode:
1- Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
2- The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson
3- This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
4- Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia
5- Eat a Peach by David Chang
6- Lakewood by Megan Giddings
7- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
8- Sick Souls, Healthy Minds b...2022-01-0555 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 5 Ep. 115 Page-Turning Artistry with Guest Valerie SaverieEvery guest we’ve had on our show thus far has been someone who interacts with books as Amy and I do--with our eyes and ears. But Valerie Saverie interacts with books in a unique way--she is a book sculptor who uses books as both her inspiration and her canvas.
Based in Colorado, Valerie is the owner and a founding member of Valkarie Gallery & Studio as well as an artist whose work is shown and sold in New York, Oregon, California, and Pennsylvania. In this episode, she talks to us about how books inspire her and what he...2021-12-0159 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 5 Ep. 107 Following A Literary Appalachian Trail with Guest Kendra WinchesterWe have a fondness for Appalachia and have had several guests on the Perks who hail from that area, including Alix Harrow, Ashley Blooms, and Annette Sanuooke Clapsaddle. But Appalachia is much larger than just the small slice that Amy and I often think of. Appalachia is really a huge area that encompasses a vast and diverse array of people.
Today we talk to Kendra Winchester, the co-founder and executive director of the 'Reading Women' podcast and a Book Riot contributing editor. But she is also the person behind the Read Appalachia Instagram account. She tells us...2021-10-0659 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 5 Ep. 100 Globe Trotter with guest Heather Lennon of Arctis Books 8-11-21This week we talk with Heather Lennon, the Sales and Marketing Director at Arctis Books, a new publisher of books in translation for middle grade and young adult audiences. I first encountered Arctis books when I saw an instagram post about a middle grade book called Memento Monstrum originally published in German that will be in US bookstores in October. I liked the book so much I messaged Heather and invited her to be on the show to talk about Arctis specifically and books in translation in general,
Heather has been in publishing for 20 years, with Random...2021-08-1159 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 4 Ep. 84 Book Festivaling All Year Long with guest Sara Woods 4-7-21Remember in high school or college when you were required to take a certain number of humanities classes? Maybe you groaned or rolled your eyes. But maybe it was the spark that lit an interest in subjects that helped you think critically and creatively. It was in a high school humanities class that Carrie was introduced to and fell in love with E. M. Forster’s novel A Room With a View. For me, an introduction to art history in college opened a whole new world and made me want to travel and see the cultures portrayed in the ar...2021-04-0759 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 4 Ep. 77 Romance Language with guest Tiffany Reisz 2-10-21
This coming Sunday, February 14, is Valentine’s Day, and we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk about the genre of romance.
If you are of a certain age, you may most associate romance novels with Fabio, the long-haired king of Romance novel covers. But romance is a very wide umbrella. There are historical romances like the books that inspired the Netflix series Bridgerton, classical romances (think Jane Austen books), and queer romances. Some romances are just about the emotional aspects of love, while others venture into the erotic beyond just a little kiss.
Our...2021-02-1059 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 4 Ep. 76 Braille Broadens Opportunities with guests Gary Mudd and Jayma Hawkins 2-3-21If you are listening to this podcast, you probably appreciate a good book. You can pick up a paperback or read a digital copy on your e-reader whenever you have spare time. But imagine if you didn’t have the ability to see the words on the page? Blindness doesn’t make a person any less of a book lover but it sure does make reading them more complicated.
We assumed that technology would make things easier for people with visual impairment, and while it can help, it can also complicate things. Even recording our podcast took on u...2021-02-0358 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 4 Ep. 75 The Perks of the Merc with guest Amy Hunter 1-27-21If you are a book lover, you are probably also a library lover. Those two things just go together, like peanut butter and jelly or Sherlock and Watson. Some book lovers not only visit their local libraries all the time, but they also visit libraries when they travel. Carrie, for example, checked out Maison de la litterature in Quebec City when she visited several years ago. It is cool to see what libraries in other places look and feel like.
Closer to home, there is a membership library in Cincinnati Ohio that would be well worth a...2021-01-271h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 4 Ep.74 She Illustrates the Point with guest Danica Novgorodoff 1-20-21Our guest this week, Danica Novgorodoff, is a writer, graphic novelist, and illustrator who has written 3 of her own graphic novels but her work has received some extra special attention recently. She is the illustrator of the new graphic novel edition of Jason Reynolds’ award winning young adult novel Long Way Down. She believes she was chosen for the book partly because of her special use of watercolors as a medium for graphic art, which gives the work an ephemeral feel.
Besides this project, she is also in the process of writing a graphic novel on climate chang...2021-01-2059 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 58 RePlay - A Neighborhood Bookstore as Community Outreach with Clare Wallace
***Listeners, this week we have our last replay episode before we start back with Season 4 next week with an all new group of fascinating bookish guests. We’ve been recording over the hiatus, and we are excited to introduce you to more book lovers in just a few more days.
Our rebroadcast this week is from Season 3, episode 58 with Clare Wallace, the executive director of South Louisville Community Ministries which also runs The Rosewater bookstore in coordination with The BookWorks. The community bookstore opened just as COVID was hitting the city in the spring of 2020, and it to...2021-01-131h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastReplay Ep. 39 Cassie Chambers' Hill WomenThis week we wanted to revisit an interview we did with Cassie Chambers.
Ron Howard’s movie adaptation of J. D. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close has sparked quite a debate bordering on controversy in America this fall about Vance’s assertion as to the motivations and plight of Appalachian people. Many authors from this region have wanted to push back on that a bit to show that Appalachia is complex and not merely a place to rise above.
We welcomed Cassie Chambers as a guest back in March 2020, just a...2021-01-0659 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastSeason 3 Ep.73 This Episode Is So "2020"2020 has been one for the books, hasn’t it. See my pun there? A worldwide pandemic, a truly historic election, racial unrest, murder hornets, shortages of toilet paper, and massive fires in California are just a few weird things that happened this year; we all took solace where we could. For book lovers like us, it usually meant a book but could also include new hobbies like puzzles and baking for me, crocheting for Carrie, and wine for the both of us.
For this last episode of 2020, Carrie and I decided to talk about some notable books th...2020-12-3059 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastRePlay Ep. 31 Cook The Books with Laura Lucchese 12-23-20There is a saying, “If you want a happy ending, read a cookbook”. Our guest, Laura Lucchese, is in a book club that always ends well because her group reads and then produces a group meal from cookbooks.
James Beard, the great culinary expert said, food is our common ground, a universal experience. In our mind, to bring books and food together is a match made in heaven.
Laura tells us how many cookbooks have a narrative story just like a traditional book, why cooking from a cuisine outside your own encourages discussion, and how mode...2020-12-2359 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp.72 Don't Omit YA Lit with Mindy Jett 12-16-20If you are a book lover of a certain age, you may have spent a lot of time reading authors like Judy Blume, Paula Danziger, Gary Paulsen, or Christopher Pike when you were a teenager. Although books began to be categorized as ‘young adult” as early as the 1960s, when we were teens we didn’t know that, and we certainly didn’t care what the boring grownups were calling the books we gravitated to.
While it blows our minds to think that it has been 30+ years since the end of the 80s and early 1990s, a lot has...2020-12-161h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 71 A Heroine Rocks The Boat with Tori Murden McClure
Our guest this week, Tori Murden McClure, is a Renaissance woman. She has a law degree, a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard as well as a Master of Fine Arts from Spalding University, the institution where she currently serves as President. She was the first woman and first American to ski 750 miles to the geographic South Pole. She worked as an assistant to Muhammad Ali at the Ali Center, and has served as a chaplain in Boston area hospitals. But what she is most known for is her solo journey to successfully row a boat across the Atlantic...2020-12-0958 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastPerks RePlay - Books and Brews 502 with mk Eagle and Hannah Ellliott 12-2-20This week’s episode is a rebroadcast of episode 25, where we featured two librarians from the Northeast Regional branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. Mk Eagle and Hannah Elliott talked about Books and Brews 502, which is similar to the Library’s summer reading program for kids, except it is for adults and can include beer and coffee.
While Hannah has now moved to Jefferson County Public Schools, mk is still at LFPL and provided us with an update for this year’s program, which, like everything, is different due to COVID. Books and Brews 502 runs from Decemb...2020-12-0257 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 70 A Christmas Carol For The Ears with Amy Wegener 11-25-20If there is anything consistent about 2020, it is how inconsistent it is. We’re not doing the things the way we always have, whether it is doing curbside pickup, outside-only masked visits with friends, or book clubs via Zoom. The same can be said of the performing arts--to stay relevant, they are doing things differently, including shows that they’ve done more or less the same for over 40 years. Actors Theatre of Louisville’s run of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has become a beloved holiday tradition to so many families in the region over the years, including mine...2020-11-2559 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 69 A Voice From Cherokee with Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle 11-18-20When it comes to Native American heritage, most Americans have woefully inadequate knowledge. They may have heard of Squanto or Sacajawea, but that is the extent of their understanding. A 2018 research project conducted by The First Nations Development Institute and Echo Hawk Consulting found that most Americans think there aren’t many Native Americans left in the country, which just isn’t true. There are close to 600 federally recognized tribes in the United States.
November is National Native American Heritage Month so we want to introduce you to some Native authors to add to your TBR all year...2020-11-181h 01
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 68 Shakespeare and the Soldier's Soul with Amy Attaway and Stephen Montgomery 11-11-20November 11 is a day on which we celebrate and honor veterans. It was on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month that the armistice to end World War I occurred. Although the Treaty of Versailles was signed in June of 1919, the temporary end of hostilities had happened six months prior.
Of course, veterans have long played a central role in storytelling and literature. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey tell the stories of men in the midst of battle and what happens to them once they are off the fields. From Ireland to India, wa...2020-11-111h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp.67 Buy Books Before the Bedlam with Sam Miller 11-4-20It isn’t unusual for shops to begin playing Jingle Bell Rock or Baby, It’s Cold Outside about a minute after summer ends, which shoppers either love or abhor. 2020 has been weird in numerous ways, and shopping for the winter holidays, whether it is Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Christmas, is going to prove to be unusual.
Our little goblins and ghouls may still be counting their candy from Halloween and Thanksgiving is still several weeks away but small businesses including bookstores are encouraging shoppers to start grabbing those gifts early this year for multiple reasons. So today we t...2020-11-0458 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp.66 Slaying Satire with Andrew Shaffer 10-28-20We all probably need a good laugh right about now and our guest this week, humorist Andrew Shaffer, is the one to provide it. Andrew is the New York Times best-selling author of the Obama Biden series, a buddy detective mystery series which includes Hope Never Dies and Hope Rides Again. His new book that comes out in November is called Secret Santa and is a clash of the holidays ; Halloween and Christmas; a comedic book that combines horror and holiday vibes about a holiday office party gone bad. He is the author of 11 books in several genres but...2020-10-281h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 65 The Horrors of Writing with Tim Waggoner 10-21-20It’s spooky season and we would be remiss if we didn’t explore a bit the things that make us unsettled and feel that four letter word FEAR. Our guest this week, Tim Waggoner, is a horror and dark fantasy writer who has been recognized in his field with awards such as the Shirley Jackson and the Bram Stoker Award. He is also an educator at heart. He is a professor at Sinclair College in Dayton OH where he teaches a wide variety of writing classes from basic composition all the way up to novel writing and tips for...2020-10-2159 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp.64 Book Your Festivities with Deedee Cummings 10-14-20Two years ago our guest Deedee Cummings decided she wanted to introduce a book festival to the city of Louisville, an event found in many other large cities but missing here. She and her team spent those two years planning and scheduling an event all about books and reading only to have 2020 happen, a terrible, no good, very bad year that has served as a wet blanket for most kinds of fun. Deedee was, of course, disappointed, but she was not deterred.
The first annual Louisville Book Festival will take place October 23 and 24 virtually including a session...2020-10-1458 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 63 You Can't Read This with Natalie McCall 10-7-20
What books do you think about when you hear the term Banned Books; do you envision classics like Huck Finn or The Catcher in the Rye? Or books that you wanted to sneak to read when you were a kid because it had swearing, magic, or sexual content? In fact a book series that has been arguably one of the most beloved in modern history, the Harry Potter series, is still high on the list of Banned Books so many years after it was first published.
Our episode today was recorded during Banned Books Week, a weeklong...2020-10-071h 02
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp 62 Mystical Reads of the Mountains with Ashley Blooms 9-30-20I can always count on my husband, a huge sci-fi and fantasy reader to keep me up to date with some of the newest and most exciting authors in that genre. And when one of them is from our home state of Kentucky, you can be doubly sure Carrie and I will quickly ask for an interview.
Our guest this week, Ashley Blooms, grew up in rural Kentucky, was a John Grisham Writing Fellow at the University of Mississippi and worked for Tor.com, an online magazine that published a wide range of sci- fi/fantasy short...2020-09-3059 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp 61: Bucherfreund Book Lover with Tabby Pawlitzki 9-22-20Our guest this week, Tabby Pawlitzki, is helping us continue our series on Global Readers. Once a season, we talk with a book lover who grew up in another country but has made the United States their home. In seasons 1 and 2 we talked to readers from Somalia and Ireland. In Season 3 we are exploring Germany. Fortunately Instagram has made meeting book-loving people who come from all over the world much easier which is how we connected with Tabby. She joined us remotely from her home in Los Angeles.
Tabby moved from Germany to the United States as...2020-09-2359 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp 60 Bibliophiles Meet Audio Files with Kris Keppeler 9-16-20Did you know the use of audiobooks is on the rise? While print format and e-books are still the most popular, it’s only the audiobook format that has grown in popularity over the last few years. Audiobooks have some great qualities; they are easy to listen to while doing other tasks like commutes in the car and exercise; they are perfect for modern busy lives of multi-tasking; but they also can add a whole new layer of interest to a story if in the hands of a deft and talented narrator. At least ⅓ of the books Carrie and I ta...2020-09-1659 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 59 Big Stories in Small Spaces with Ellen Birkett Morris 9-9-20Our guest this week, Ellen Birkett Morris, has an affection for small things. She says she was born prematurely and was terribly small at birth. She wonders if this is where her fascination with beautiful things coming in small packages began. Ellen is the author of a book of poetry and a new collection of short stories called Lost Girls. What readers may notice about her stories is that though they are small in length, they are powerful in meaning. Each story focuses on a passing moment in the lives of the girls and women she writes about. Ellen...2020-09-0959 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 58 Looking at Life Through Rosewater Glasses with Clare Wallace 9-2-20This past weekend many people recognized Independent Bookstore Day, a day to be extra appreciative of their local bookstores and booksellers that give booklovers all the feels. Everyone loves a bookstore, don’t they?
Our guest today certainly does. When Clare Wallace visits a new place, she always looks for the closest used bookstore. This gave her the idea to open The Rosewater, aptly named after her favorite Kurt Vonnegut book, which she envisions as a comforting living room for everybody. Clare is the executive director of South Louisville Community Ministries, a nonprofit that provides emergency assistance fo...2020-09-0259 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp.57 . Magic In The Middle with Tamika 8-26-20It’s back to school time around the country and whether your kids are going back to a physical classroom or are doing NTI, otherwise known as non-traditional instruction, it’s an exciting time of newness; both for students and teachers. Whether it’s the first day of school jitters or teachers having to figure out how to make learning via computer mimic the discussion and projects that would normally happen in an actual classroom, this school year in the age of Covid has an extra layer of uncertainty .
Our guest this week, Tamika, has been a middle...2020-08-2659 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp 56: Creating a Comic World with David CrosbyOur guest this week, David Crosby, is a recent graduate of North Oldham County High School in Kentucky. He, like many kids growing up in the 21st century, had an undying affection for the Dave Pilkey Captain Underpants series of books. The Captain Underpants books revolve around two 4th grade boys who draw their own comic books that feature their superhero, Captain Underpants, who accidentally becomes real.
David dreamed of creating his own superhero series. What started out as silly stick figure drawings on scraps of paper evolved into a 2 issue comic book series designed by David...2020-08-191h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp.55 The Stories History Tells Us with Jennie Cole 8-12-20Do you read historical fiction or narrative nonfiction and wonder where your favorite authors do their research for the books you love? Our guest this week, Jennie Cole, is an archivist with the Filson Historical Society. An archivist is like a highly specialized librarian who takes care of historical materials such as letters, diaries, transcripts, photos, or even objects and organizes them to preserve them for the public use. And the Filson Historical Society is just a different kind of library; a research library of the history of our region.
Jennie had a father who loved history...2020-08-101h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp.54 A Bus Service For Book Lovers with Melanie MooreWelcome book lovers back to our first episode of Season 3. I was away on vacation so Carrie teamed up with former guest and Ohio friend Giselle Spurgeon, to co-host this week to interview a fellow Ohioan Melanie Moore, owner of the Cincy Book Bus.
When you see an old rusty truck, the first thing that pops into your head is probably not “book store”. Melanie though had other ideas. Her dream of opening her own bookstore after retiring from 25 years of teaching was hampered somewhat by the heavy burden of all the things that go along with havi...2020-08-051h 02
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastRePlay Ep. 30 Not All Superheroes Wear Capes with William Sutton**Our replay this week is an episode that was our first of Season 2 back in January before Covid hit. We talked with children’s librarian with the Louisville Free Public Library system William Sutton. If you are anything like Carrie and I, you are sorely missing your libraries and the dedicated people who staff them. In fact, our library system in Louisville KY furloughed the majority of its librarians for 3 months and only in the last month have patrons been able to do curbside pickup for book holds. In fact I think I have requested more books from the li...2020-07-2959 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastRePlay Ep. 27 A "Meat" and Greet with the Past with Mick Sullivan 7-22-20Carrie and I are still on vacation this week but you can find us with all new interviews and episodes August 5. But Today we have a replay of our interview with Mick Sullivan. Mick is a friend of the show. He helped us begin our adventure in broadcasting and podcasting by giving us the tools and the confidence to get started. He is the creator of the award winning children’s history podcast, The Past and the Curious, which was recently named by the New York Times as one of the best children’s podcasts. In this time of quar...2020-07-2258 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastRePlay Ep. 4 Shakespeare Summertime with Amy Attaway 7-15-20Carrie and I are on vacation this week. We are getting refreshed, renewed, and most importantly Reading for our upcoming season 3 beginning August 5. So today we have a rebroadcast.
We reached way back in the archives to our first season and one of our very early guests, Amy Attaway of the Kentucky Shakespeare Theater. If you are a book nerd like us, it just doesn’t seem like summer in Louisville without seeing one of the great free performances under the stars in Central Park of one of the Bard’s plays. Kentucky Shakespeare recently announced...2020-07-1554 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 53 Building The Table For Diverse Authors with Julia Royston 7-8-20When they think about the publishing industry, many readers can immediately call to mind the big outfits: HarperCollins, Random House, and MacMillan. But there are many small publishing companies scattered all across the country, and even locally.
Our guest today, Julia Royston, is a former school librarian who began her first publishing company as a way to publish her own books in the exact way she wanted them. She jokes that she has “control issues”. But those issues led her to become an entrepreneur who now owns and operates two publishing companies that have been around for over...2020-07-0859 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 52 Jane Is For Everyone with Amanda Beverly
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
These words, from Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are, perhap, some of the reasons why many readers swoon over his character and develop a love for Austen and her works. Other readers, though, like our guest this week, Amanda Beverly, see their families or people they know in the quirky individuals who make up Austen’s communities.
Whatever your reason for liking Austen’s world, t...2020-07-011h 00The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 51 Writers of the Apocalypse with Giselle Spurgeon 6-24-20Are you a reader that shies away from dystopian or pandemic themed books because they just seem too scary in our current reality or do you “lean in” to the darkness and find it “fun”?
Our guest this week, Giselle Spurgeon, is a reader who has long had a fascination with this sub-genre of work.
COVID-19 has affected book-loving people differently. Some of them couldn't focus on reading their books because they felt like they needed to constantly stay informed by watching the news but others dove headfirst into books and reading as an escape. There ar...2020-06-241h 00The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 50 Between The Holler and the Hills with Bobi ConnThis week we branch out away from Louisville and venture out into the state to the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, where our guest this week resides. Bobi Conn is a technical writer by day and author whose first book, In The Shadow of the Valley, was published this past May by Little A Publishing, the literary imprint for Amazon. Her memoir of growing up in a holler on the outskirts of Morehead KY conveys a tension between the beauty of the landscape in contrast to her family’s poverty, her father’s drug addiction and his abuse of Bobi...2020-06-171h 00
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 49 Reading For Summer Sun and Solidarity With Sam Miller 6-10-20It’s officially summer. The kids are done with school and it feels like time to relax a little after a stressful spring. Wouldn’t we all like to be sitting on a beach, by a lake, or on a shaded porch reading the perfect book? But not everyone’s plans are what they once were with the uncertainty that has plagued us in 2020. Maybe our biggest escape is through the pages of a book. Our guest this week is someone we trust to help us with finding that book. We are excited to welcome back friend of the show a...2020-06-1058 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp 48 The History Scene, Stephen King, and the Big Screen with James Markert 6-3-20Our guest this week, James Markert, is a Renaissance man. He was a tennis pro for over 20 years, a bookstore owner, a screenwriter, and the author of 5 historical fiction novels. His first novel, A White Wind Blew, focused on some local Louisville history with the story of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, one of the largest facilities in the country for tuberculosis patients during the TB epidemic in the early 1900s. Now Waverly Hills is known internationally for being the home of the haunted but James’ imagines what life was like for doctors and patients inside its walls. With the su...2020-06-0358 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 47 An Anniversary, A Bored Teen Host, and Some Books 5-27-20When Carrie and I began recording The Perks of Being a Book Lover, we called it our half-assed idea. One year later, we are still half-assing our way through it, although we think we have learned some things and gotten more adept at using microphones, troubleshooting the recording technology, and asking interesting questions of our guests. It was a year filled with laughter, frustrations, and climbing learning curves.
We thought it would be fun for our 1-year anniversary recording and 47th episode to put ourselves in the hot-seat, and fortunately, Carrie’s daughter, Norah, agreed to ask us...2020-05-2758 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 46 The Greenhouse that Sows Literary Seeds with Hannah Rose Neuhauser 5-20-20When I think of a greenhouse, I envision small seeds sprouting roots and then green shoots slowly rising toward the sunlight. The progress to grow may be slow at first but soon becomes rapidly transformational as the plant drinks in the nourishment of the heat, moisture, and sunlight in the greenhouse cocoon.
Our guest this week, Hannah Rose Neuhauser, is the co-founder and program director of The Young Author’s Greenhouse, an organization inspired by the 826 Valencia writing organization for children and teens launched by author Dave Eggers. The Louisville greenhouse, located in the Portland neighborhood, nurtures st...2020-05-2058 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 45 The Quarantine Quest for a Book Club with Robin Weiss 5-13-20We all had big plans for our quarantine free time, right? Maybe we wanted to Marie Kondo organize the whole house, learn how to make beautiful loaves of bread, or begin training for that marathon you’ve had on your bucket list.
Our guest today, Robin Weiss, had a different kind of quarantine goal. She was determined to revitalize her reading life. This mother of 9 who is also a professor of public health as well as a childbirth expert and doula, fell out of love with reading when she attended grad school. In the intervening years, her kn...2020-05-1358 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 44 Postcards From The Edge of Reading with Anita MartinWe probably all have memories of picking up a 25 cent postcard at a cheesy souvenir shop on a summer vacation to send to a friend or family member back home. The first postcard was invented by an Englishman in 1840 but now these iconic colorful cards have whole websites, youtube videos, and pinterest boards devoted to them with themes such as the best ways to write a meaningful message in just a few lines, postcards as a writing process, and 8 reasons you should be sending postcards right now.
Our guest today, Anita Martin, puts much time and energy...2020-05-0657 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 43 A Trifecta of Books, Bluegrass, and the Backstretch with D.C. Alexander 4-29-20
There is a collective sigh of disappointment that you can hear in our hometown this week. The Kentucky Derby race is always run the first Saturday of May; except this year. I checked the weather and it looks like it will be beautiful this Saturday, 79 degrees and sunny, and there are no horses to be run.
But now that you’ve had your Kentucky Derby primer from Carrie and I, we can all still celebrate this event quarantine-style, with a book and maybe a glass of bourbon. Our guest today, D.C. Alexander, is doing his part to help. D.C...2020-04-2959 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 42 - Books That Bring Back Childhood Bliss with Diane Neu 4-22-20Are you nostalgic about a book you read as a kid? What book from your childhood remains vivid in your mind? Our guest today, Diane Neu, hosts a podcast that explores that very question. The podcast titled Shaped by Stories features one avid reader each episode who talks about the book from their childhood or early adolescence that made the biggest impact on them and why. Diane had been a podcast fan for many years; in fact she’s been a podcast listener since almost the beginning of podcasts 12 years ago. But some changes in her own life convinced he...2020-04-2258 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 41 Quarantine Hacks for The Library Stack with Patty Clark 4-15-20
With many libraries across the country having to stay closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, patrons may have more time to discover all the resources libraries have to offer that aren’t between the four walls of a library building. While many of us may be nostalgic about those card catalogues and the check-out card pocket glued inside the back of books, libraries have become focused on information in all forms and the best ways to get it to all of us at home.
Our guest today, Patty Clark, is a digital services librarian with the Oldham Co...2020-04-1557 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 40 Life and Literary Loss with The Long Before the End Bookclub 4-8-20When we recorded with our guests for today’s episode over a month and a half ago, we had no idea how timely our discussion would be. Our topic today is mortality. The vast majority of people probably don’t like talking or thinking about that topic, but with Covid-19 confronting us every day, it's a subject that is certainly taking up space in our heads. But what we discovered during our discussion is that thinking about death also makes you think about the joys of life and humanity; and that’s something we can all use more of.
...2020-04-0859 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastREBROADCAST - Knocking on Fantasy's Door with Alix Harrow 4-1-20Alix Harrow is a Hugo award-winning writer of historical fantasy fiction who also happens to be a fellow Kentuckian. Her debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, has been called by Kirkus Reviews a ‘A love letter to imagination, adventure, the written word,’ and NPR books says it is one that should go on your Favorites Shelf. It has been on the Los Angeles Times Bestsellers List. It was recently nominated for the Nebula Award. She is a rising star in the burgeoning female revolution taking place in the science fiction and fantasy genres.
We interviewed Alix...2020-04-0159 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 39 Mountain Mamas and the Meaningful Memoir with Cassie Chambers 3-25-20Our guest today grew up in poverty in eastern Kentucky, but attended Yale and Harvard, received her law degree, and came back to Kentucky to work for the Legal Aid Society, helping at-risk women in her home state. Cassie Chambers has also written a memoir, called Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains, about life and culture in Owsley County through the lens of three generations of women in her own family.
Her book came out in January of this year. Newsweek has named it a must-read book to savor this Spring...2020-03-2558 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 38 When Reading Goes To The Dogs with Emily McKeehan 3-18-20Our guest this week, Emily McKeehan, left a job in the insurance industry to follow her dream of becoming a high school English teacher because she felt that was what she has been called to do.
When she saw a Facebook article about how therapy dogs can help young elementary students with their reading, she had the crazy idea of trying them with her students at Eastern High School, which is in eastern Jefferson county outside Louisville. What she hoped for was to build confidence in her reluctant freshman readers, but what she got was so much...2020-03-1858 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 36 Books Help the Medicine Go Down with Kimmery Martin 3-11-20“Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also the love of humanity”. This quote from Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is especially true when doctors imbue their experiences into artistic pursuits like today’s guest. Kimmery Martin is an emergency room physician turned author whose medical fiction features female doctors shouldering the life and death responsibilities of their profession but also dealing with questions of friendship, love, and the thorny cultural Issues of our times with a good dose of humor thrown into the mix.
Her first novel Queen of Hearts, published in 2018, was praised by the...2020-03-1157 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 36 The Literary Luck of the Irish with Niamh LutesIt’s the beginning of March; a time for signs of spring, shamrocks, and St. Patrick’s Day when we all feel a little Irish.
Our guest today, Niamh Lutes, is a local music teacher, vocalist, and avid reader who grew up near Kilkenny, Ireland. She gives us a glimpse of a childhood in Ireland and a whole new world of Irish authors to add to our TBR.
Niamh talks to us about some of the Irish folktales she learned in school including the one for which she is named, why she hates the word chic...2020-03-0458 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 35 Revision and Riding the Tiger with Katy Yocom 2-26-20This week Carrie and I traveled to record at the Tompkins-Buchanan-Rankin Mansion, which is a Victorian era mansion built in 1871, with 12-foot ceilings, hand-carved wood balusters, and intricately designed colorful wallpapers. It has been preserved and enveloped by the campus of Spalding University and is the location of their School of Creative and Professional Writing and home base for today’s guest, debut novelist Katy Yocom.
Katy’s novel, Three Ways to Disappear, was published in 2019 and has won numerous awards including The Siskiyou Prize for Environmental Fiction. It has also been selected as a Barnes and Nobl...2020-02-2658 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 34 A Literary Gang of Merry Millennials with Hannah Zimmerman and Amelia Reesor 2-19-20Our guests today are members of a group they comicly refer to as a “literary gang”, a book club called The Monstrous Regiment, a name based on a book by author Terry Pratchett that features a feminist manifesto.
Hannah Zimmerman and Amelia Reesor started the group 3 ½ years ago with a focus on female-centric books, although as you will soon realize, every rule is meant to be broken in this high energy crowd of both male and female 20 and 30 somethings.
Hannah and Amelia talk to us about the difference between being a group that is female-centric versu...2020-02-1959 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 33 What WAS That? Let's Do It Again with Robert Eric Shoemaker 2-12-20Our guest this week, Robert Eric Shoemaker, likes art that defies categorization. He is drawn to literary experiences that he would describe as “all kinds of crazy”. He is a poet, playwright, and translator who is the artistic director of Poetry Is: A Sound Experience, a collaboration between musicians and poets to create an event where the audience interacts with the performance in a way that perhaps makes poetry more accessible.
Eric tells us why some poets think poetry can have the power of magic, why he was drawn to write a musical about famous married poets Sylv...2020-02-1258 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 32 What Will We Read Next with Anne Bogel 2-5-20Our guest this week, Anne Bogel, is a fellow Kentuckian, as well as the person thousands of readers turn to for new book recommendations with both her popular book and lifestyle blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy and on her podcast, What Should I Read Next. On her blog, you can sign up for book journaling classes, be part of a monthly online book club or read lifestyle articles like her tips for cozy sweater care. Her podcast examines the reading life of her guests and suggests new titles for them based on their favorites as well as a book they...2020-02-0559 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 23 An Annual Cure for Writer's Block with Amy Miller 11-6-19Reading and writing just go together. Like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, Simon and Garfunkle. Well that last pair broke up but you know what I mean. The two are undeniably linked. Readers need writers and writers need readers so it makes sense that one of the perks of shared words would be a festival all about the writing process.The Writer’s Block Festival is being held November 16 at Spalding University sponsored by Louisville Literary Arts. Our guest today, Amy Miller, is the executive director of Louisville Literary Arts, an organization whose mission is to offer wr...2019-11-0658 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastBonus Mini episode - So Many Books So Little Time 10-22-19Amy and Carrie talk about some bookish events they have attended lately such as a storytelling festival, Southern Festival of the Book, author talks, and private bookstore recommendations.
Sam Miller The Bookseller's Recommendations
Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams - Western
Opiod, Indiana by Brian Carr - Gritty Lit
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier - Shakespeare retelling
Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach - YA
Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer - Romance Lite
Neverhome by Laird Hunt - Historical Fiction
The Lonely City by Olivia Lang - Nonfiction2019-10-2224 minThe Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 4 - Getting Your Bard On with Amy Attaway - Making Shakespeare UnscaryOn this show, we welcome Amy Attaway, Associate Artistic Director for Kentucky Shakespeare. She will share with us her favorite Shakespeare characters, what is so special to her about live theater, and how memorizing monologues makes you popular at cocktail parties. We are talking all things Shakespeare and the many programs Kentucky Shakespeare has to offer.
You can find us on FB, instagram (@perksofbeingabookloverpod) and on our blog site at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com
Perks airs on Forward Radio 106.5 FM and forwardradio.org every Wednesday at 6 pm, Thursdays at 6 am and 12 pm. We have pur...2019-06-2753 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 3 - Being Inspired to Write by a Hometown Hero with Abigail HarrelsonOn this show, your hosts, Amy Smalley and Carrie Vittitoe, interview Abigail Harrelson, a 20-year old author from La Grange, inspired to write about a local native son known in Hollywood as Buddy Pepper. Her book is called "Pepper at the Piano: The Stories and Songs of Oldham County's Buddy Pepper."
You can find us on FB, instagram (@perksofbeingabookloverpod) and on our blog site at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com
Perks airs on Forward Radio 106.5 FM and forwardradio.org every Wednesday at 6 pm, Thursdays at 6 am and 12 pm. We have purchased the rights to the t...2019-06-2347 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 1 - Multigenerational Bookclubs with Anne BakerOn this show, your hosts Amy Smalley and Carrie Vittitoe discuss multigenerational book clubs with guest Anne Baker, what they are reading these days, and some upcoming (June 2019) bookish events in Louisville!
You can find us on FB, instagram (@perksofbeingabookloverpod) and on our blog site at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com
Perks airs on Forward Radio 106.5 FM and forwardradio.org every Wednesday at 6 pm, Thursdays at 6 am and 12 pm. We have purchased the rights to the theme music used.
2019-06-2349 min
The Perks Of Being A Book Lover PodcastEp. 2 - Gamma Girls Jennie Mulhall and Tricia TaylorOn this show, your hosts, Amy Smalley and Carrie Vittitoe, interview two sisters who started a book club (Gamma Girls) nearly two decades ago that is still going strong. They discuss WWSHR (What Would Silas House Read?) and how spreadsheets can go wonderfully with book clubs.
You can find us on FB, instagram (@perksofbeingabookloverpod) and on our blog site at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com
Perks airs on Forward Radio 106.5 FM and forwardradio.org every Wednesday at 6 pm, Thursdays at 6 am and 12 pm. We have purchased the rights to the theme music used.
2019-06-2347 min
Inspirational Comedy with Dr. Michael SmalleyThe greatest present of all timeAmy: Hello listeners! This is Amy Smalley reminding you this holiday season that sometimes the very best present you can give your family is…...being….present.
Michael: Oh Amy….
Amy: What? You don’t get it? It’s present like a gift but also like you know the present….
Michael: Oh no I get it, listeners I’m so sorry I think that may be the last time I let Amy open the show.
Amy: Hey, everybody loves puns they’re so, punny.
Michael: oh no.
Amy: You should proba...2018-11-1530 min
Inspirational Comedy with Dr. Michael SmalleyWhy women struggle with sexWell, "cough" today uh, hello podcast listeners. Today we’re gonna talk about something, you know, we’re gonna talk about uhhhhhhh... Amy Smalley interrupts, “We’re gonna talk about why women struggle with sex.”
Yup. That’s what we’re doing, so ya.
And then for the distraction of the day, there’s something you can do with cows but it costs $300 an hour. You’ll find out at the end if Amy is open to it.
Follow us on your favorite social app and we might just have a surprise for you:
Instagr...2018-11-0124 min
The Big TopEpisode 11 | Motherhood with Megan SmalleyWe are talking about all things motherhood, but we would be remiss to not talk about the very difficult road some of us walk through to get there: infertility. On today’s show, Megan Smalley brings a feisty and faith-filled view of her well-known journey. Megan is the host of the Give Grace podcast and several amazing resources for walking through hard things. We laugh and learn together with this beautiful and tenacious soul!Megan Smalley is a pastor's kid. A coach's wife. A new mom to twins. A conquerer of infertility. A follower of Jesus. And a...2018-09-2000 min