Shows
Books with BetsyEpisode 63 - Golden Retriever & Grumpy Cat with Amy Smalley and Carrie Vittitoe of the Perks of Being a Book LoverOn this episode, Amy Smalley and Carrie Vittitoe, co-hosts of the Perks of Being a Book Lover Podcast, discuss their sometimes opposite book preferences, how having a podcast has changed their reading lives, and we laugh a lot. If you enjoy this conversation, definitely check out their show, which has a lot of their fun banter.
The Perks of Being a Book Lover
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Books mentioned in this episode:
What Betsy’s reading:
Night Watch by...2025-07-211h 16
Takes One to Write OneCults - Part ThreeIn the final part of this candid and emotionally resonant series, Katherine sits down with our anonymous guest for a wide-ranging conversation on reclaiming life, identity, and freedom after leaving a cult. Through reflection, analysis, and moments of both levity and gravity, they explore what comes after escape: the long process of unlearning, healing, and re-entering the world.This episode dives into pop culture, spirituality, horror as catharsis, and what documentaries get right—and wrong—about cult life. You’ll hear powerful reflections on trust, autonomy, and the ongoing journey of writing a new story after surviving a syst...2025-04-2148 min
Takes One to Write OneCults - Part TwoIn Part Two of Takes One to Write One: Cults, Katherine sits down again with her anonymous guest as they dig deeper into life inside a high-control religious group. This episode explores the long-term impact of spiritual abuse, how loyalty was weaponized, and what happens when someone begins to question everything they’ve ever been taught.Together, they unpack relationships, identity, and the emotional unraveling that often follows the first steps toward freedom. It’s an honest, intense, and insightful look into the psychological grip these groups can have—even long after someone leaves.Trigger warnin...2025-04-0752 min
Takes One to Write OneCults - Part OneIn this first episode of Takes One to Write One: Cults, Katherine sits down with a guest who bravely shares their experience growing up in a high-control group and their journey to breaking free. Through their anonymous account, we explore what it means to be raised in a cult, the tactics used to maintain control, and the emotional toll of leaving. This conversation is raw, honest, and at times heavy—so please listen with care. Trigger warnings include coercion, trauma, psychological manipulation, spiritual and emotional abuse, and physical assault. Your well-being comes first.TIMESTAMPS2025-03-2449 min
Takes One to Write OneMotorcycle Clubs - Part TwoIn the second part of this two-part series, Katherine continues her conversation with Todd, a lifer in the motorcycle club world. With 18 years of experience, Todd shares his thoughts on what it means to be a part of a club, the emotional ups and downs that come with the territory, and how the landscape of motorcycle clubs has evolved over time. From the challenges of managing relationships within the club to navigating the perceptions of the wider world, Todd pulls back the curtain on what really happens in the day-to-day life of a seasoned member. Learn about the balance...2025-02-1751 min
Takes One to Write OneMotorcycle Clubs - Part OneIn part one of this two-part series, Katherine sits down with Todd, a seasoned member of a long-standing motorcycle club. With years of experience under his belt, Todd shares his unique perspective on the world of motorcycle clubs and their impact on society. From the myths surrounding club life to the realities of maintaining brotherhood, Todd goes into the history, structure, and personal significance of being a club member. He addresses commonly held stereotypes, the importance of club patches and colors, and gives insight into the role of philanthropy in the motorcycle community. Join us for an eye-opening discussion...2025-02-031h 04
Takes One to Write OneCoffee and Baristas - Part TwoIn Part Two of this two-part series, Alex, the experienced coffee shop manager, continues sharing insights into the coffee world. From dealing with customers and navigating the unique culture of a coffee shop to tips for aspiring baristas, Alex dives deep into the nitty-gritty of barista life. He touches on everything from sensory environments and managing chaos, to building relationships with regulars and dealing with tough shifts. If you’ve ever wondered about the day-to-day operations of a coffee shop, the skills you need to thrive as a barista, or what goes into making a perfect latte, this episode is...2025-01-201h 18
Takes One to Write OneCoffee and Baristas - Part OneIn Part One of this warm and frothy two-part series, Katherine cozies up with Alex, the operating manager of her favorite local coffee shop. Alex brings several years of experience in the coffee world to the table—along with a few unforgettable stories. From deciphering complicated espresso orders to watching romances (and breakups) unfold over cappuccinos, this episode captures the full flavor of life behind the bar. They talk third wave coffee, customer quirks, latte art, and what it really means to build a community over caffeine.If you’re a writer curious about people-watching in cafes or s...2025-01-071h 10
Takes One to Write OnePilots - Part ThreeIn the final Part Three, Katherine finishes her conversation with Marco and Nate, both regional pilots in the United States with a combined experience of 17 years. This is the final part of a three part series. Let’s hang!TIMESTAMPS00:00:49 What movies, media, pop culture gets it wrong?00:06:50 So with call-ins, call-outs, when you're talking about anything over the radio? What certain points need to be hit in order to be understood? What are you identifying?00:13:38 What is something that you think most people in your field would lik...2024-12-1650 min
Takes One to Write OnePilots - Part TwoIn Part Two of this 3-part series, Katherine stays grounded (figuratively) while flying deep (literally) with Marco and Nate, two seasoned regional pilots with 17 years of experience between them. This time, the conversation gets personal—and sometimes hilariously honest—as they dive into the emotions, stereotypes, and unexpected curveballs that come with a life spent in the sky. From the thrill of flying next to eagles to dealing with burnout, to answering the age-old question: have you ever been struck by lightning? (Spoiler: you’ll want to buckle up for that one.)Writers and storytellers, this episode is also...2024-12-021h 05
Takes One to Write OnePilots - Part OneIn Part One of this three-part series, Katherine chats with Marco and Nate—two regional pilots with nearly two decades of collective flight time. From what’s in their fridge (yep, we're going there) to what it’s like inside a flight simulator, this episode covers the nitty-gritty of daily pilot life with warmth, curiosity, and a dash of dry skin talk.If you’re someone who loves digging into real-world routines, quirky human details, and niche subcultures (especially ones with uniforms and acronyms), you’ll love this one. Katherine brings her signature writerly eye to the flight dec...2024-10-151h 06
Takes One to Write OnePlaying in a Band - Part TwoIn Part Two of this conversation, we go deeper. This isn’t just about being in a band—it’s about what it means to live a creative life, with all the messy, beautiful, chaotic parts that come with it. Katherine picks things back up with Dave, a guitarist who’s been in more bands than most of us have friend groups, and together they unpack everything from the personalities you run into in the music world, to what it feels like to carry gear, lead rehearsals, and maybe even walk away from something you once loved.As a wri...2024-09-241h 20
Takes One to Write OnePlaying in a Band - Part OneIn this episode, Katherine chats with Dave, a guitarist who’s been playing since the age of fourteen. With experience in eight different bands, Dave gives Katherine (and listeners) a deep dive into the real-life dynamics of playing in a band. Ranging from managing multiple projects to the highs and lows of live performances, this episode uncovers what it’s really like to be part of a band. If you're a musician yourself or if you're writing about a character in a band, or just curious, you’ll walk away with fresh insights into the world of live music. R...2024-09-241h 00
You're BookedRobin Ince - You're BookedThis week on the show we're delighted to present the legend that is Robin Ince! Robin is an acclaimed stand-up, star of Infinite Monkey Cage, podcast host and the author of Importance of Being Interested, I'm a Joke, Bibliomaniac and more! We talked to him outside the Tom Thumb Theatre in Margate (sorry about the extraneous noise) about obsessive book collecting, Kurt Vonnegut's library, the importance of art and what to say when you meet Patti Smith. Find out more about all the books mentioned by visiting our Bookshop.org store. Order your copy of Daisy's new novel Pity...2024-07-2948 min
Fangirl Happy HourFinder by Suzanne Palmer
In 2019, Suzanne Palmer released the first book in a space adventure series. In 2024, we’re here to tell you to read it and all it sequels. Plus, recent reading!
You can read a transcript of this episode.
Finder by Suzanne Palmer — starts at 04:15Reading Recap — starts at 18:31Outro Discussion — starts at 45:32
Media mentioned: Finder, Driving the Deep, The Scavenger Door, & Ghostdrift by Suzanne Palmer; The Martian by Andy Weir; There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension & They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib; Raybearer & Redemptor by...2024-06-0237 min
Quick PicksEpisode 55: Fantasy and Science FictionThough there are so many sub-genres of fantasy and science fiction, and so many formats to enjoy, Nick joins me to talk about some of our favorite books, movies, and video games.
Discussed:
Song of Ice and Fire, by George RR Martin
Roadside Picnic, by Arkady Strugatsky
Pacific Drive (video game)
Dead Silence, by SA Barnes
Circe, by Madeline Miller
Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
God of War (video game)
Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baldree
2024-04-0530 min
COMPLEXITYPhysics of Life, Ep 1: What can physics tell us about ourselves?Guests: Vijay Balasubramanian, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Cathy and Marc Lasry Professor of Physics at the University of PennsylvaniaGeoffrey West, Shannan Distinguished Professor and Past President, Santa Fe InstituteHosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris KempesProducer: Katherine MoncurePodcast theme music: Mitch MignanoOther Music: Blue Dot Sessions, Pink House Music, Eardeer, and Craig Smith.Follow us on: Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • BlueskySFI programs: Complexity Global School Complexity Explorer: Fractals & ScalingEducationBooks & Stories: Tell Me Why by Arkady LeokumScale by Geoffrey Wes...2024-01-3134 min
Shelf MotivatedEpisode 7Librarians Eric and Sharon discuss their reading plans for the summer, re-reading books from our past and the mental health benefits of slow and deliberate reading. Eric's Summer Reading List: Flannery O'Connor - The Complete Short Stories, and The Violent Bear it Away Sarah Orne Jewett - The Country of the Pointed Firs Recent Readings: Ronald Johnson - The Book of the Green Man Shelf Inflicted TBR: Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - Roadside Picnic Sharon's Summer Reading List: Herman Melville--Moby Dick Philip Hoare-The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea...2023-06-1337 min
Books Without Borders11. So… We Watched Persuasion…Welcome to Books Without Borders, the podcast where two people in different hemispheres come together to discuss their favourite things: books!
In this episode, Nina has interesting thoughts about The Power by Naomi Alderman, Emma finally finished Billy Connolly’s autobiography, and we both watched the 2022 Persuasion adaptation.
Send us an email! BooksWithoutBordersPod@gmail.com
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Books mentioned in this episode:
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
The Power - Naomi Alderman
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography - Billy Connolly
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
Scottish Folk...2022-11-161h 11
Book Club (from The Incomparable Mothership)The Machine Was a Vampire (The Incomparable Mothership 600)
In this six-hundredth episode of The Incomparable, recorded across two separate sessions, we talk about a whole bunch of novels—namely, our picks for the best SF/F novels of the first decade of The Incomparable, the 2010s! For our purposes, we’re designating the “decade” as 2010-2019. Along the way, we may ponder the most important question a reader should ask: Are there Zeppelins?
Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign and David J. Loehr
Show Notes & Links
Round One:
Scott - The Dream of Perpe...2022-02-041h 55The Incomparable MothershipThe Machine Was a VampireIn this six-hundredth episode of The Incomparable, recorded across two separate sessions, we talk about a whole bunch of novels—namely, our picks for the best SF/F novels of the first decade of The Incomparable, the 2010s! For our purposes, we’re designating the “decade” as 2010-2019. Along the way, we may ponder the most important question a reader should ask: Are there Zeppelins?
2010s book draft
Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign and David J. Loehr
Show Notes & Links
Round One:
Scott...2022-02-041h 55
Be The SerpentEpisode 99: Detective BoyfriendsOn this week's episode, we're celebrating the release of Freya's debut book by talking about detectives in love! The tentpoles are Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders by Aliette de Bodard, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, and the fanfic If Life Was A Movie We’d Have A Better Soundtrack Than This by galaxysoup.
What We’re Into Lately
Dark Rise by C. S. Pacat
The Saint of Steel series by T. Kingfisher
that ruthless love by alherath
The Warrior of the Third Veil by Victoria Goddard
The Sisters Avrama...2021-11-171h 03
Sprawl Radio[Count Zero Teil 4] Literatur Jahresrückblick im OtherlandWillkommen in Night City…ähh, im Sprawl. Aber ist ja eigentlich das gleiche, oder? Cyberpunk 2077 ist natürlich nicht an uns vorüber gegangen, aber dazu später mehr. Wir zocken erstmal weiter Count Zero und versprechen euch: Hier gibt es keine Bugs und eine stabile Framera-te, denn unsere Konsole stammt von Automatic Jack und wir gehen im Tandem rein. Danach machen wir es uns gemütlich und genießen den weihnachtlichen Duft von heißem Gin, wäh-rend wir das Jahr Revue passieren lassen. Dazu haben wir uns Verstärkung aus dem Otherland geholt, denn seit Neuromancer wissen wir ja: Neu Bon...2020-12-172h 54
The Coode Street PodcastEpisode 387: Ten Minutes with Fran WildeTen minutes with... sees Coode Street presenters Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe talk to readers and book lovers from around the world about what they're reading and what's getting them through this strange time.
Today Gary talks to Fran Wilde, fresh off her nominations for a Hugo Award for her story "A Catalog of Storms" and a Lodestar Award for her novel Riverland. We talk a little about Riverland, what’s she’s currently reading (or re-reading, in some cases for her MFA classes at Western Colorado University), the value of poetry in times of stress, and h...2020-04-1514 min
All the Books!E201: 201: New Releases and More for March 26, 2019This week, Liberty and Katie discuss My Lovely Wife, Good Talk, Dig, and more great books.
This episode was sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton, published by Graydon House Books, and Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, publishers of The Handmaid's Tale graphic novel.
Pick up an All the Books! 200th episode commemorative item here.
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Books discussed on the show:
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Unbecoming: A Memoir of Diso...2019-03-2642 min