Our second book for January's prompt to read a book set in a place where you're from is Jim Harrison's True North. True North is set mostly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and follows David Burkett, descendant of lumber barons as he struggles with his family's tarnished legacy.... hahaha jk it's really just a guy talking about his dick constantly. We do not recommend. Content warning: rape, sexual assault, violence, violence against women, violence against children, adult topics, sex, body anatomy, swearing Our next book discussion will be Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood, and following that will be My Garden (Book): by Jamaica Kincaid. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.  If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2024, you can join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2024. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Our first book of the year! Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan is set in the fictional town of Modesta, Michigan, thus fulfilling January's prompt to read a book set in the place where you're from (we're both from Michigan). A new teacher has come to town and she begins to help a group of teenage girls stand up for themselves against sexism... but will they take it too far? Content warning: domestic violence, sexual assault, pregnancy, fatphobia, offensive language Our next book discussion will be True North by Jim Harrison. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2024, you can join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2024. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Happy New Year! Out with the old (reviewing last years reading) and in with the new (walking through the 2024 Bookstore Challenge prompts). Books we will be reading in January: Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan (look for one published before the 2010s to avoid any contemporizing editions). True North by Jim Harrison This is a great resource for finding out what books authors read. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2024. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Last book of the year! It's Becca's pick for December's prompt to read a book by an author who shares the first initial of your surname is Y/N by Esther Yi. We follow a young woman as she descends further into an obsession with a member of a boy band, leading her to even move to another country in order to find him. Content warning: sex, body parts, death Technical note: Corinne was traveling for the holidays when we recorded this, so her audio has some background noise, apologies for that! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. The Bookstore Challenge 2024 will be out soon! Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

First book for December's prompt to read a book by an author who shares your surname or first initial of your surname is Ice by Anna Kavan. This is a sci-fi or slipstream novel about a man searching for a girl in a world that is slowly being consumed by ice.  Content warning: sexual assault, violence Books mentioned: Wide Sargasso Sea-Jean Rhys, A Song of Ice and Fire-George RR Martin, Fight Club-Chuck Palahniuk, Deep Water-Patricia Highsmith, In a Lonely Place-Dorothy B. Hughes, Empire of the Senseless-Kathy Acker Our next reads are Y/N by Esther Yi for December, and Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan for January. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. The Bookstore Challenge 2024 will be out soon! Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Action Items - US Campaign for Palestinian Rights  Action Items - Jewish Voices for Peace November's prompt is to read a book about death and Becca’s pick is The Yield by Tara June Winch. The novel has three different narratives, one being about August, an Aboriginal Australian woman returning to her hometown after her grandfather, Poppy, dies. The second narrative is Poppy writing a dictionary of his Aboriginal language’s words, combined with brief stories from his life. And the final narrator is Reverend Greenleaf, a white minister who runs a mission for Aboriginal people in the distant past. Content warning: violence, racism, sexual assault, colonization, destruction of culture Our next book discussions will be Ice by Anna Kavan and Y/N by Esther Yi. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Action Items - US Campaign for Palestinian Rights  Action Items - Jewish Voices for Peace November's prompt is to read a book about death and Corinne's pick is Jose Saramago's Death With Interruptions. This book is about an unnamed country where suddenly one New Year's, death stops happening. It reads like a textbook at times, going over logistical issues and government responses, with a sprinkling of regular people's reactions to no one dying. And then, in the third act, death enters the picture. Content warning: death Our next book discussion will be The Yield by Tara June Winch. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. And to finish off the year, in December we'll be reading Ice by Anna Kavan and Y/N by Esther Yi.  If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Action Items - US Campaign for Palestinian Rights  Action Items - Jewish Voices for Peace This week was an extra week for October (yes, technically it's November, apologies, I've had some personal stuff going on), so we had our Patreon Patrons pick the book and they chose Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed. The novel is one of the six major novels of The Hainish Cycle. Though The Dispossessed is the sixth published book in the cycle, chronologically, the story takes place before the other novels.  Our main character, Shevek, is an Odonian physicist working on a theory - both mathematical and philosophical. When the government of A-Io offers Shevek an award and he is being prevented from publishing his work by a jealous superior on Anarres, he agrees to travel to Urras and continue working on his theory. The Last Archive podcast: The Word For Man Is Ishi Content warning: Adult language for body parts, sex Our next book discussion will be Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Action Items - US Campaign for Palestinian Rights  Action Items - Jewish Voices for Peace Free Ebooks - Haymarket Books Open Letter from ArabLit Recommended titles: Minor Detail by Adania Shibli and Qissat: Short Stories by Palestinian Women edited by Jo Glanville* *These are NOT affiliate links, The Bookstore will NOT receive commission from Bookshop from any purchases made while visiting these links. This is simply the most convenient non-Amazon related listing to link to. Please also use your local library for resources. This week we read Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney, a sci-fi about a polyglot poet and a rag-tag crew of star-shipmen who are tasked with translating an unknown language to fight an unknown enemy known as Invaders. Content Warnings: brief discussion of how the book handles suicide.  Spoiler Warning: We do spoil the ending, but there is warning in the episode. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Our first book for October's prompt to read a book set in an alternate dimension or different planet is Present Tense Machine by Gunnhild Øyehaug. This is a dreamlike, speculative novel about a woman who is pulled into an alternate universe. Content warnings: None that we can think of. Our next reads will be Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Just a teeny tiny mini episode about Becca's experience at the Detroit Bookfest this past summer.  Our next reads will be Present Tense Machine by Gunnhild Øyehaug and Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

We read Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara. This short story collection was first published in 1972 and features 15 stories, and the incredible voices of folks in New York City and sometimes in the rural south. Content Warnings (for the book, less so for the episode): sexual assault, child abuse, murder Our next reads will be Present Tense Machine by Gunnhild Øyehaug and Babel-17 buy Samuel R. Delaney. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Our first book for September's prompt to Read a Book with an Animal in the Title is The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li. We loved reading about this obsessive, codependent relationships between two girls in post-war France.  Content warnings: mentions of violence and sexual assault (not graphically described) Our next book discussion will be on Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara. Get it from your local library or bookstore and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

For our last book in August, Corinne picked Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo. Content Warning: racism, abuse, alcoholism  Our next book discussion will be The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine follows several generations of a family in the Colorado area. Fair warning, we have some criticisms about this book's writing, so if you loved it, you may want to skip this episode.  Content advisory: violence, sexual assault, racism Our next book discussion will be on Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo. Find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Or: A Fantastic Journey Across Seven Borders, five languages, And Three Major Religions, not counting the minor sects. Told by the DEAD, supplemented by the AUTHOR, drawing from a range of BOOKS, and aided by IMAGINATION, the which being the greatest natural GIFT of any person. That the WISE might have it for a record, that my compatriots REFLECT, laypersons gain some UNDERSTANDING, And Melancholy Souls Obtain Some Slight Enjoyment Content warning: antisemitism, violence, frank talk about sex Our next book discussion will be on Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

July's prompt for The Bookstore Challenge 2023 is to Read a Book Over 500 Pages, and/or a Graphic Novel. Our pick for the 500 pager is coming up later this month, but in the meantime, we have a graphic novel, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. Is it this generation's The Jungle?! We think so!  Content advisory: sexual assault, sexual harassment, workplace safety, capitalism Our next book discussion will be The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

This week we read Weetzie Bat and Witch Baby by Francesca Lia Block (both can also be found in the anthologized book Dangerous Angels). These books were massively popular with off-beat teens in the 90s and have a huge following. Will they still manage to charm jaded 30-somethings in the 2020s? Content warnings for the books: some dark themes including sexual assault and addiction. Also some really egregious cultural appropriation and outright stereotyping/tokenizing. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Becca's DNF book pick for June's prompt is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The novel is Lahiri's follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning story collection, The Interpreter of Maladies.  Our next book is actually two books, Weetzie Bat and Witch Baby by Francesca Lia Block. Find it at your local bookstore or library (it's on Hoopla!) and read along with us. Content warnings: near-death experience, (possible) sexual assault If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

As chosen by our Patrons (plus Corinne), our extra book for May is Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov. Gospodinov is Bulgarian, thus fulfilling the prompt to read a book by an author from a country you've never been to, as neither of us have been to Bulgaria. And as a bonus, Time Shelter was announced as the winner of the International Booker Prize recently! Content warnings: mentions of suicide, euthanasia, Alzheimer's, war, none of which we go into great detail about Our next book discussion is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Corinne's pick for The Bookstore Challenge 2023 prompt to "read a book by an author from a country you've never been to" is An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie. Kpomassie writes about his childhood in Togo and his fulfilled ambition to move to Greenland and experience life there.  Content warnings: animal death, addiction Mentioned in the episode is a Tiktoker who lives in Svalbard, @sejsejlija Our next book discussion, as chosen by our Patreon Patrons, will be Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Becca’s pick for May’s prompt to read a book by an author from a country you’ve never been to is The Fawn by Magda Szabó (the country is Hungary). We are already fans of hers from reading her later novel Abigail, and we're thrilled to read another classic Szabó exploration of a complicated and flawed woman. Content warnings: Deaths, both animal and human If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

We’ve got mixed feelings for this debut about a young immigrant woman trying to find love and community in the Midwest. This week we read All This Could be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews. Content Warnings: sexual violence In May we will be reading books from or about a part of the world we’ve never been to. Becca’s pick, The Fawn by Magda Szabó, is up first. Followed by An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

Content Warnings: violence, self-harm, so much blood, sexual violence, we also swear If you really enjoyed this book, we’re sorry, you may want to skip this one. A Darker Shade of Magic is a contemporary fantasy novel that’s short on background info, long on every trope, and not a series we will be continuing. Our next book discussion will be All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.    If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

April's challenge prompt is to read a book recommended to you by a bookseller or librarian. Ideally, you'd ask a bookseller or librarian for one, but also we know there's a lot of reasons you may not want to do that and that's ok! There are other options, like reading something a favorite bookstagrammer or booktok account has recommended, or picking a book off of a recommendation display at the store or library. Or you can take one of our highly specific (to our own tastes) recommendations that we offer to you in this episode. Books Recommended: Fight Night by Miriam Toewes Quartet and After Leaving Mr. McKenzie by Jean Rhys Evil Flowers by Gunnhild Øyehaug Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls by Kathleen Hale The Membranes by Chi Ta-Wei (this is also on Hoopla) The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard The Mount by Carol Emshwiller (this is also on Hoopla) Collision Course: The Classic Story of the Collision of the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm by Alvin Moscow Our next book discussions will be A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab and All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith is an amalgamation of genres, part autofiction, part disability activist story, part metaphysical, and part crime thriller. Mara Tagareilli is a martial arts master and heads up a successful and important AIDS non-profit in Atlanta. She and her wife of many years have just split and after she collapses while getting a jug of milk from the refrigerator, she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  Judith Heumann's website Content warnings (for the book and the episode): violence against women, murder Next time we'll be reading A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon is a 2017 science fiction novel about the class and race structure on a generation ship making its way through the universe toward the promised land. It features a well drawn main character and a lot of confusing world mechanics, so hang on, because we have some questions. Content Warnings (for the novel and the episode): physical violence, sexual assault, self-harm, suicide Next time we'll be reading So Lucky by Nicole Griffith, find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

This week we read the classic noir novel, In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes. We love it for subverting typical noir tropes and tackling American machismo at the same time. March's promopt for the 2023 Bookstore Challenge is to read a book by an author with a disability or about disability. Becca's pick, An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, is up first. And then we will be reading So Lucky by Nicola Griffith. You can find both at your local bookstore or library (at least one of them is available on Hoopla) and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph, The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Website | Patreon

For February's prompt to Read a Western or Pulp Fiction/Noir, Becca's pick is True Grit by Charles Portis. The novel was a bestseller immediately upon publishing in 1968, and has been adapted twice into movies. We loved this entertaining, funny, action-packed story that is essentially just about a girl bent on revenge.  Next time we'll be reading Corinne's pick, a noir/pulp fiction novel titled In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph, The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Website | Patreon  

For January's prompt, to read a book published in a year ending in 3, Becca had us read The Charioteer by Mary Renault. It was published in 1953 and known for being one of the first popularly published novels about positive homosexual romance. Despite some language differences between two Americans in 2023 and a British woman in 1953, we really loved this story. For February's prompt of reading a western or pulp novel, we will first be reading True Grit by Charles Portis (western) and then either Odd Girl Out by Ann Bannon (pulp) or In A Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes (noir). The first two are available on Hoopla, but you can find any at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! In this episode we also mentioned: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Hello, this is our first episode of the year! January's prompt for The Bookstore Challenge 2023 is to read a book from a year ending in 3. Corinne's pick is Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks, published in 1953. It's out of print in the US but you can still buy in the UK, and you should! Bernardine Evaristo says it's wonderful and do you need a better endorsement than that? If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph, The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Next time we will be discussing The Charioteer by Mary Renault. You can find it at your local bookstore or library (it's on Hoopla) and read along with us. Website | Patreon

Hello, this is our last episode of the year. We made it! This Year in Review is much like the ones from past years, we go over what we did, what we accomplished, any surprising trends we noticed, and have some fun with picking superlatives.  If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph, The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Next time we will be discussing Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks. This book is out of print (CORRECTION: out of print in the US), but hopefully you can find it at your local library, used bookstore, or order from a UK bookstore! Website | Patreon

It’s the Bookstore’s third annual reading challenge! For the last two years it has proven to be a fun way to read in a way that is vaguely thematic for the podcast, as well as a very helpful tool for two painfully indecisive people who need to choose what to read. Keep in mind, also, that we not only accept your accommodations and creative interpretations of these prompts, but we encourage them. Make these babies work for you. This may be called a challenge, but it’s not a competition and there are no rules. Read April’s prompt in December. Read a book by an author with the same first name as you, not last initial. Read a book that is an animal, I don’t mind! Go wild! If you want to read along with the prompt, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph, The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Next time we will be discussing Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks. This book is out of print, but hopefully you can find it at your local library or used bookstore! Website | Patreon

Our last pick for December's prompt to Read a Book Published in 2022 is Becca's choice, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi. It's also our last book for 2022! While we are not romance fans, as you will be able to tell in this episode, we still enjoyed discussing the wild journey this book took us on. Explicit content and spoiler warnings all-around! We'll be releasing an episode going over all of The Bookstore Challenge 2023 prompts soon! Next time we will be discussing Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Website | Patreon

Here is our first 2022 published book for The Bookstore Challenge! You might remember, we interviewed the author of The Old Place, Bobby Finger, back in September, so check out that episode if you haven't! Next time we will be discussing You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, as the last book for December's prompt to Read a Book Published in 2022. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Website | Patreon

Apologies for the late release! I would blame it on the holiday but that would be a lie.  We discussed Corinne's pick for Nonfiction November, Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power by Anna Merlan. Most of the episode we spend talking about the depressing reality of how dangerous conspiracies have been allowed to flourish in the US, but we do get a little lighter near the end. The conspiracy chart by Abbie Richards we mentioned: https://conspiracychart.com/.  Next time we will be discussing The Old Place by Bobby Finger, the first book for December's prompt to Read a Book Published in 2022. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Website | Patreon

First up for Nonfiction November is Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith. It's part memoir, part musical history of the often invisible, always culturally significant Black women who made pop music what it is. Corinne has COVID and also a bit of trouble with her audio up top, so yeah, It's her, hi, she's the problem, it's her. Next time we will be discussing Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power by Anna Merlan. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Links: The Spotify Playlist (coming soon) Danyel Smith on It's Been a Minute

October's prompt for The Bookstore Challenge 2022 is to read a book that's a retelling of a folktale or fairytale. Our second book is Becca's pick, Love in Color by Bolu Babalola.  Next book discussion episode will be on Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

October's prompt for The Bookstore Challenge 2022 is to read a book that's a retelling of a folktale or fairytale. Our first book is Corinne's pick, Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić.  Next book discussion episode will be on Love in Color by Bolu Babalola. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon  

For our second and final book of September we read the paranormal YA novel, Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. Would you notice if your best friend of 16 years had elf ears? Let's talk about it. October's book prompt is to read a retelling of a Folk or Fairy Tale. Corinne's pick is up first and it is Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugresic. And Becca's will be Love in Color by Bolu Babalola. You can find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Episode 130.5 Today we have a very special Between the Books episode! We are thrilled to be interviewing Bobby Finger, the author of The Old Place, which is Corinne’s pick for December’s prompt to read a book published in 2022. Yes, we will also be discussing the novel in depth in December, but for now, to encourage you to buy it, we have a little chat with Bobby about this heartbreaking and heartwarming debut. Next book is Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Episode 130 September's prompt for The Bookstore Challenge 2022 is "Read a YA or Banned Book." Our first book for the prompt is Corinne's, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Next book is Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Episode 129 Our second book for Women in Translation Month is Négar Djavadi's Disoriental. It’s a novel about an Iranian family’s history, relationships, and tragedies in both Iran and France. Next book is The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Episode 128. Our first book for Women in Translation Month is Adania Shibli's Minor Detail. This book contains heavy subject matter including violence and sexual assault, so please be aware of that before listening.  Next book is Disoriental by Négar Djavadi. Find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Our second book for July's prompt "Read a Book Under 200 Pages" is the first book translated from Catalan that we've read for the podcast. Death in Spring by Merce Rodoreda trippy, nightmarish, but ultimately an interesting read.  Next book is Minor Detail by Adania Shibli. Find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Our first book for July's prompt "Read a Book Under 200 Pages" is also the third James Baldwin book we've read for the podcast. Giovanni's Room is charmingly Parisian but also heartbreaking.  Next book is Death in Spring by Merce Rodoreda. Find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Apologies for the audio on this one!  We read (Becca reread) Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood for the June prompt of Reread a Book You Haven't Read in Years. Content warning for discussion of suicide, rape, and sexual assault. Next book is Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. Find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

First up for June's prompt "Reread a Book You Loved" is Corinne's pick, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Published in 1940, this novel is about several characters in a small southern American town.  Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Last book for May's prompt of Award Winning Book is Patreon's pick of Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Next book is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, as picked by our Patreon. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Our next award-winner is Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, winner of the International Booker Prize. Check out photos of Oman in NYT. Next book is Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, as picked by our Patreon. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We read Pulitzer Prize-winning novel So Big by Edna Ferber. Beautiful cabbages! Midwest farmers! Rich Chicagoans!  Next book is Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Our last book for April's prompt "read a book by an author who shares your zodiac sign or birthday" is Corinne's fellow Capricorn, Patricia Highsmith's novel Deep Water. Next book is So Big by Edna Ferber. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

First book for our April prompt (read a book by an author who shares your birthday month or zodiac sign) is Becca's pick of Outline, by fellow Aquarian Rachel Cusk. Next episode will be on Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Corinne's pick for our March prompt (a book published by an indie press) is Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante.  Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

For our first pick for the March prompt, A Book Published By an Indie Press, Becca chose Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

For our last February prompt book, Corinne picked Sally Rooney's Beautiful World, Where Are You. We discuss how maybe this book isn't for us, and also confess we don't know much about Ireland!   Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We're back! We discuss The Mothers by Brit Bennett, Becca's pick for February's prompt: A book people keep telling you to read. Next book discussion will be Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We talk a bit about our picks for January's prompt, Book Adapted into a Movie or TV Show, and then Becca regales Corinne with a tale of an art auction, a sci-fi novel, and cryptocurrency. Lots of laughter! We'll be back in February with The Mothers by Brit Bennett. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout. 

We really enjoyed having a prompt every month to help choose our books, and we loved seeing our listeners using this challenge to pick books as well, so we're doing it again in 2022! These are the prompts we will be following to choose our podcast reads for the year. There is just one prompt per month, making this an approachable and adaptable to work with other challenges you may be attempting in 2022! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Title says it all, really. We talk about our favorite and not-so-favorite books we read this year, and our plans for 2022. We won't be releasing a book episode in January, but we will be releasing a new Bookstore Podcast Challenge for the year! Watch for that episode to drop later this week and we'll post it on social media as well. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Our final book for December's theme of "Book Published Before 1950," we read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, released in 1905. We both loved the 1995 movie as kids and it was interesting to compare. Next week we will be announcing our plans for 2022! To gift a Libro.fm membership, click here! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

For December's theme, A Book Published Before 1950, Becca picked My Great, Wide, Beautiful World by Juanita Harrison, first released in 1936. It's the travel journal of a young Black woman who journeyed to 22 different countries.  Next week we will be discussing A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  To gift a Libro.fm membership, click here! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon  

We've got a chatty one for you this week. Becca received a tweet that prompted her to lightly investigate the origins of the Science Fiction Genre. We talk about where it started, where it's gone, is it different from Fantasy, and is the sky a place or just the top. Next week we will be discussing My Great, Wide, Beautiful World by Juanita Harrison. You might be able to get a copy from a local library, otherwise you should be able to find PDFs online to read if you'd like to read along with us! To gift a Libro.fm membership, click here! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstorepod' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Our final book for Non-Fiction November is The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Our theme for December is Books Published Before 1950. Our next read will be My Great, Wide, Beautiful World by Juanita Harrison, first published in 1936. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Our first read for Non-Fiction November is a memoir called Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. The story of her childhood and teen years, the memoir does cover some sensitive topics related to child abuse and sexual assault. Please listen and read with caution. Our next read will be The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavencencio. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Today we dive into the subject of pseudonyms. Corinne has a recent news item and Becca plays a game. Next time we will be in Non-Fiction November reading Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We return to the well of socially anxious nightmares this week when we read The Lottery and Other Stories by the queen of such fiction, Shirley Jackson for our final episode of Genre: Spooky October. Next time we will be in Non-Fiction November reading Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Becca is gone which means she can't stop me from releasing this former Patreon exclusive episode where we cast a Little Women movie starring The Muppets. Next week we will be discussing The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson.

Becca's pick for the October theme of Genre: Horror, Thriller, Suspense, is The Hunger by Alma Katsu. The novel is a reimagining of the tragedy of the Donner Party as they journeyed to California. This episode asks the question, Can you know ever know too much about the Donner Party? Next time we will be reading The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

This episode is rated R: Restricted, Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian. Or alternately, YA-4? We discuss a recent YA Twitter incident. Next time we will be reading The Hunger by Alma Katsu. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Detransition, Baby is a debut novel by Torrey Peters that also happens to be absolutely perfect for discussion and buddy reading. We really loved this unconventional story of three women on a journey to become (or not become) mothers. We will be anxiously waiting for it to be optioned as a limited series on a premium cable network. Next time we will be reading The Hunger by Alma Katsu. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

On this episode we preach to the choir and discuss why book banning is a bad thing. Next time we will be discussing Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us. Sources for this episode: Penn Live - Ban on books by or about minorities sparks protests, national news in York County York Daily Record - Book ban by Central York school board of racial justice materials spurs student protests Fresh Air - Uncovering Who Is Driving The Fight Against Critical Race Theory In Schools Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. 

For our first read for the September Bookstore Challenge we read Sigrid Nunez's debut auto-fiction novel, A Feather on the Breath of God. It reflects on the author/narrator's parents, both immigrants, her upbringing in New York, and a later love affair with a Russian immigrant in her 20's. Next time we will be discussing Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.   Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

For our final Women in Translation Month installment we read Thora Hjorliefsdottir's Magma. It is a challenging read about a young woman in an abusive relationship. We relate, we don't want to relate. We commiserate. Next time we will be discussing A Feather on the Breath of God by Sirgrid Nunez.   Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

Way back in 2017, the first year of The Bookstore Podcast's existence, we read Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins. When the documentary about her life popped up on Becca's Netflix Recommended, we figured we'd watch and discuss. We have a lot of laughs talking about Collins' fascinating life and work.  Barbara Cartland song Next time we will be discussing Magma by Thora Hjorliefsdottir. It can be found at your local bookstore or through Hoopla if your local library uses that service. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

It's Women in Translation Month and our first pick for this prompt is the recently released somewhat autobiographical/historical novel about the Pinochet regime in Chile, The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez. Long time listeners will be pleased to note that Corinne has transcended using the word "basically" as a filler to using exclusively "essentially." Next time we will be discussing Magma by Thora Hjorliefsdottir. It can be found at your local bookstore or through Hoopla if you're local library uses that service. Other books/authors mentioned: Human Matter: A Fiction by Rodrigo Rey Rosa The Work of Eduardo Gleano We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel   Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

For Women in Translation Month, which is our prompt for August and also celebration in the wider book world, we talk a little bit about previous episodes where we recommend works in translation, as well as some literary translation prizes. Our main topic is a translation game Corinne made, so fair warning, there is lots of laughing in this episode because we have lots of fun. Next time we will be discussing The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We read and discuss 2020 Booker International Winner The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated from the Dutch by Michele Hutchison. Content warning: language, discussion of difficult topics. Next time we will be discussing The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We loved Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead so much that Corinne decided to read Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk. Our July Challenge Prompt was to read another book by an author you have loved before. Next time we will be discussing The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld for our first August read: a book written by a woman that has been translated. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We talk generally about our July prompt, read a backlist title by an author you've loved before. Next time we will be talking about Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

This week we read and discuss Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo. It's Becca's pick for our July prompt: to read a book by an author you have loved before. Next time we will be talking about Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We talk about book settings. Next month the prompt is to read a book by an author you have loved before and Becca's choice is Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

This week for our Beach Read June prompt we read Beach Read by Emily Henry. Which is fitting! Coincidentally the book take place in a fictional Lake Michigan town that happens to exist exactly on top of the town that Corinne's partner is from - so we've got thoughts about how it represents Michigan aside from general banter about romance tropes and feel good reading. Next month the prompt is to read a book by an author you have loved before and Becca's choice is Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon  

Content warning for sexual assault on this episode. We read Diadem From the Stars by Jo Clayton as Becca's pick for June's prompt, Genre: Romance, Fantasy, or Beach Read. It's a pulpy 70s space fantasy that left us confused and maybe even a little irate. Next time we will be discussing Beach Read by Emily Henry. You might have to find this one used, or from your local library. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.  Website | Patreon

We discuss a publishing scandal that at this point feels very cliché. Next time we will be discussing Diadem from the Stars by Jo Clayton. You might have to find this one used, or from your local library. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here. Website | Patreon

This week we read Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe. It's a book full of politics and yet we choose to focus (at least a little) on the sex writing. Next time we will be discussing Diadem from the Stars by Jo Clayton. You might have to find this one used, or from your local library.   Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here. Website | Patreon

Our May prompt was to read a book published the year you were born, so we chat about big book news that happened in our respective birth years, as well as some pop culture tidbits. Let us know what exciting things happened the year you were born! Next time we will be discussing Becca's May prompt pick, Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here. Website | Patreon

Content warnings abound because we read Katherine Dunn's 1989 novel about an abusive carnival family turned cult carnival turned ??? Geek Love. Next time we will be discussing Becca's May prompt pick (read a book published the year you were born) Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here. Website | Patreon

We read National Book Award winner Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. Do we understand how screenplays work? Not really! But we do think this is a very interesting concept. Next week we will be discussing Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

We revisit our dear old friend, Norman Mailer. But before that, we find out the truth about the storied literary feud between Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. Next time we will be reading Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here. Website | Patreon

Discussion and review of The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar for the April challenge prompt: a book that won or was shortlisted for a literary award in 2020. Next time we will be reading Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here. Website | Patreon

We're starting April off with a Between the Books episode featuring recommendations based on our April Prompt, read a book that won an award in 2020. We talk about all the books we've read in previous episodes that won or were on shortlists, and we add a few more of our personal recommendations. Next time we will be reading The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar for the April prompt, a book that won or was shortlisted for an award in 2020. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

This week we read the our final book for the March prompt (read a book you already own). Because it is a 3 book episode month, we turned to Patreon to pick between our respective choices. Becca's pick won and so we read A Question of Power by Bessie Head. The book itself is a little hard to get a hold of, though it seems plenty of fairly priced used options exist. Either way, we hope you'll join us for our discussion of this auto-fiction novel about a South African ex-pat living in Botswana in the 1970s while struggling with mental illness. Next time we will be reading The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar for the April prompt, a book that won or was shortlisted for an award in 2020. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

Our March prompt for our 21 Month Challenge is to read a book you already own. We're here to talk about how great libraries are, why we buy books, why we don't always buy books, how we store books, you know, that kind of thing.  Our next book discussion will be A Question of Power by Bessie Head, you may have to search some less common avenues to find that one. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

First - apologies for Corinne's sub par audio this week, but there were some issues on her end. It'll be back to normal next week. In this episode we discuss The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi and question our Western viewpoints on gender. Our next book discussion will be A Question of Power by Bessie Head, you may have to search some less common avenues to find that one. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

Inspired by this Reddit thread, we talk about the different things that are distracting or take us out of the book. Not necessarily pet peeves, but also maybe a little bit. This brings us to the conclusion that writing is hard! Next time we will be discussing The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

Review and discussion of The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor for our first pick for the March book prompt: Read a book you already own. Next time we will be discussing The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. ____ Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon  

To close out the February prompt for our Bookstore Podcast 12 Month Challenge, we each have some recommendations for indie publishers and books published by those indie publishers. We will list all the books mentioned on our website. Next time we will be reading our first March Prompt book (something we already own): The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

Our second book published by an independent publisher for the February prompt is Frontier by Can Xue. We don't actually know how to explain it or talk about it, but we try! Next time we will be reading our first March Prompt book (something we already own): The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

Our February reading prompt is to read books published by an Independent Publisher. Because we've received so many questions from people interested in how to find more independent presses, we have decided to rerelease an episode we did a couple of years back introducing you the wonderful world of Indies. Next week we will be reading and discussing Frontier by Can Xue, published by Open Letter at the University of Rochester. You can find it at your library or local bookstore and read along with us. Original Description: After a bit of a mis-speak, we realized that we've read more books published by independent publishers and presses than we thought. So we're here to highlight the great work by publishers you suggested and publishers that we think are putting out great work. There's so many to talk about that we couldn't fit it all in! A list of titles and publishers discussed in this episode can be found on the episode post on our website.  

Our first pick for February's prompt is Temporary by Hilary Leichter, published by Coffee House Press. It gets us talking about the mundanity of office life and the strangeness of life under capitalism.   Next week we are reading Frontier by Can Xue. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

Alternate title: TRUST NO ONE! A list of sources for this episode can be found here. Next week we will be discussing Temporary by Hilary Leichter. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

Our January prompt for The Bookstore's 12 Month Challenge is "a book you think you really should have read by now." Becca's pick for that prompt is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.  February is indie publisher month, if you have a favorite indie pub book, we'd love to hear about it! Our first book for February is Temporary by Hilary Leichter. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

This week we have a bit of news, Corinne explores a new GoodReads (and Amazon) book tracking contender called The StoryGraph, and we consider some interpretations for the January challenge prompt: a book you feel you should have read by now. Becca is beckyramone and Corinne is corinnekeener on The StoryGraph. Add us and we will follow back! Next week we will be discussing I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

If you are a die-hard Jane Austen fan, you may want to skip this one. We read Corinne's pick for our January prompt, "A book you think you really should have read by now." P&P is embedded in our cultural consciousness and it was time for us to see what the fuss is all about. Note: Even though Austen is G-rated, this episode contains swearing. Next up is Becca's pick, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

We look back on our reading in 2020, pick some favorites, and make plans (lol, sure) for 2021. Next week we will be reading and discussing Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

This week we read Samanta Schweblin's Little Eyes, a very Black Mirror-type story featuring, you guessed it, some little eyes. We have a conversation about if a kentuki is more like a drone or a phone app, and talk about why exactly someone would want to have a stranger staring at them all the time.  We are off next week, returning December 29th with our Year in Review episode! Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

We've been at it for a little over three years and at the suggestion of a Patreon Patron, we have decided to finally do a comprehensive GET TO KNOW US episode. In this episode you will learn such incredible life details as:  What is our favorite sandwich meat Joey Ramone or Joey Fatone How good is Corinne's Pee Wee Herman impersonation Does Becca know the name of her favorite Star War A list of titles and other recommendations can be found on the blog post for this episode. You can follow Becca and Corinne on GoodReads. Next time we will be reading Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin. Get it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. ___ Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

This week we wanted something very chill, and so we picked the cozy mystery queen, Agatha Christie. Other than the main question of the book, which is who did the murdering, we also wonder if people are really climbing in and out of windows, and why is blancmange so popular?  Next time we're reading Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin.  Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

During Pandemic Times ™, it isn't every day you get to meet new friends. This week we talk with Marci and Ako from The Colored Pages Book Club Podcast about what their podcast is about, how it came to be, and what books they love and have been recommending. Make sure you subscribe to The Colored Pages Book Club Podcast. Here's the books Marci and Ako recommended on this episode. _____ Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

This week we read How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang. We love the Western setting, the lyrical, atmospheric descriptions of the landscape. We have some complicated feelings about the plot and character development. Next time we're reading The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.  Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

We're putting our gift guide out a little early this year to give you time to order from your favorite indie bookstore! We have a list of Black-owned bookstores on our website. The books we recommended on this episode can be found here. Next week we'll be discussing How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

If you're receiving this on the day it is released, that means it's Election Day in the US and I hope if you're eligible to vote, you've either done so or are on your way to the polls. Take care of yourself today and all days! This week we discuss Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, why it's better than classics by old white guys and how it manages to make us swoon over a guy who gets stabbed while gambling despite ourselves. Next time we will be discussing How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

For our Halloween Between the Books episode, we read Roald Dahl's The Witches and watched the 1990 Anjelica Huston vehicle. We digress to talk about what scared us as kids and Dahl's problematic legacy.  Next week we're reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.  Website  Patreon

This week we read and discussed The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. It's a horror/slasher, a good change of pace, and a little confusing, but that's probably because we are both a little unaccustomed to audiobooks. Next time we will be reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Pick it up at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

As the title suggests, today we bring to you a few graphic novel recommendations. Becca recommends Monstress, Kaptara, and The Old Guard. Corinne recommends Dancing After TEN, Cosmoknights, and Pretending is Lying. We also mention a few other graphic novels and comics that got us into the genre, and talk about why we like graphic novels. As always, find all the books mentioned in the episode on our website.  Our recommendations can be purchased here. https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/  Next week we'll be discussing The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Use code "bookstore" at libro.fm to get two months for the price of one. Patreon | Website

Let me warn you up top that we cry in this episode. We read Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey, a memoir about the murder of the author's mother by her step-father. Content warnings for some mild language and discussions of domestic violence. Next time we will be discussing The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Other books mentioned in this episode: Know My Name by Chanel Miller No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. Website | Patreon

We relive our childhoods by reading the first book in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin, Kristy's Great Idea. Other mentions include the Netflix series, obsession with clubs as kids, and figuring out which babysitter we would be. The Bookstore Podcast website Next week we'll be discussing Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey!

Hello Daaahhhlings. This week we read the splendiferously kaleidoscopic Modelland by Tyra Banks. It's out of print, so if you couldn't get your pretty little hands on a copy, we've got an exhaustive 2 hour breakdown of exactly, or precisely (?) what we think we might have read. It really cannot be missed so get your Smizes ready. Next time we will be reading Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey. You can find this one at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Use code "bookstore" to get two months for the price of one at libro.fm. Website | Patreon

We talk about one of our favorite subjects, literary scandals, specifically the ones involving Jonah Lehrer and Cristiane Serruya.  Sources: Jonah Lehrer, Cristiane Serruya 1, Cristiane Serruya 2, Cristiane Serruya 3 Books mentioned: So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson Next week we're discussing Modelland by Tyra Banks! It's out of print so look for it at your local library.  

Find Voter Information Here This week we read Luster by Raven Leilani. Like Ottessa Moshfegh's writing it really captures the mood of a generation. We discuss older men, being bad at parties, and getting caught on very unimportant details. Next time we will be reading Modelland by Tyra Banks and you might be able to find it at your library or used, because it's out of print. But there is this video. Use "bookstore" at check out to get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm Website | Patreon

Today on the podcast we discuss fact-checking or the lack thereof, and recommend some longform journalism. We will have a list of recommended articles on our website The Bookstore Podcast. Next week we will be reading Raven Leilani's debut novel Luster!

Chosen by our Patreon Patrons, we read Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth this week. It is part heist, part animal rights political satire (??). Anyway, here's our thoughts. Please don't be mad at us. Next time we will be reading Luster by Raven Leilani. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with the code "bookstore" at checkout. Patreon | Website

Hey CATS-heads - this week we are releasing a Patreon exclusive episode because we ran out of ideas. Hope you're ready for 53 minutes of us talking about CATS, Old Possum's Book of them, stage productions, insane CGI monstrosities, which CATS is horniest, Becca's better theory about Deuteronomy. All of it. We will be back next week with our discussion of Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth. You can get it from a local bookstore or library and read along with us. Take a quiz.  An article by Jia Tolentino. 

We're a bit late this week, but we have reigned victorious over midterms and work functions and an election to bring you a discussion of Namwali Serpell's magically realistic, somewhat science fictional, family history of Zambia, The Old Drift. Next time we will be discussing Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth. And after that, Luster by Raven Leilani. Mentioned in this episode: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad The Zambian "Afronaut" Who Wanted to Join the Space Race by Namwali Serpell for the New Yorker Libro.fm Use code "bookstore" at checkout for two months for the price of one. Patreon Website

Today we have some fun discussing an article about how libraries are the real enemy. And we also talk about the shadowy world of bestseller lists.  Overdue: Throwing the book at libraries Author loses spot in Top 10 after buying 400 copies of his own book Next week we're reading The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell.

We read Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor. The book is filled with difficult topics, so this episode will not be for everyone. Despite the discomfort some of the themes may cause it is also a very beautifully and interestingly composed book. Next time we will be discussing The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.  Patreon Get two audiobooks for the price of one at Libro.fm with the checkout code "Bookstore"

This episode we take some time to share a few books we're looking forward to reading in the remainder of 2020, as well as a couple news items we found interesting.  Next week will be a discussion of Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor. The Bookstore Podcast

This week we discuss Kazuo Ishiguro's 2015 literary fantasy novel The Buried Giant and are pleasantly surprised to say that we do, in fact, actually like some fantasy novels. Also mentioned in this episode: The Cell (2001 Film with Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn) Ishiguro's novels The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go Episode 8.5 of The Bookstore Podcast. Next time we will be reading and discussing Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Patreon Libro.fm - use code "bookstore" at checkout for two months for the price of one.

This week we delve into some Book Twitter news; explaining the supply chain, revealing our ignorance of how the British government works, and encountering yet other stubborn man unwilling to rethink his preconceived notions.  National Book Critics Circle The Booker Prize Next week we'll be discussing The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro.

This week we read and discussed Heavy by Kiese Laymon and we think you should, too. Our next book will be The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Find it at your library or local bookstore or from Libro.fm with code BOOKSTORE for the audio and read along with us.  

Way back in 2019, Becca and her partner Zac visited Zac's friend Tom, who is the adult services librarian of a library in Michigan. We were onsite at the library, so there are some audio issues, sorry! This episode is quite different from our normal Between the Books episodes, but we thought we'd mix it up a bit. Next book discussion will be Heavy by Kiese Laymon.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich came up 2nd in our Instagram poll of what we should read next. This book made us furious at the legal system and made us laugh at the teenage antics Joe and his friends get into. It's a crime thriller, but also a coming-of-age story.  Next time we'll be discussing Kiese Laymon's memoir Heavy.  Support Black Lives Matter

We took a week off to do some learning, reflecting, and work and now we're back to talk. First and foremost: Black Lives Matter. Less important, but also of interest: some fan fiction is set to make important copyright law precedent. Black Owned Bookstores defund12.org for resources on contacting your local government about defunding the police. Here is a list of Black Trans and LGBTQ+ organizations you should support: The Okra Project Freedom Fund House of GG Trans Justice Funding Project

Our Instagram followers picked it and we read it! To no one's surprise, we loved this debut novel that follows a family through multiple generations and two continents.  Next book is The Round House by Louise Erdrich, which came in second in our poll. https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/

This week we look to fiction for reading about isolation. It's on everyone's mind, so now it'll be in your TBR. Next episode we will be reading and discussing Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Shop books mentioned in this episode. The Bookstore Podcast Website Listeners of The Bookstore can get a 3 month subscription to Libro.fm for the price of 1 by using code "BOOKSTORE" at checkout.

Way, way back in Episode 2, we read Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower. We're returning to the Butlerverse with Dawn, and we had a bit of a different reaction to her work this time. Next time we'll be reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi as picked by our Instagram followers! https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/

Need a quarantine craft to MacGyver? Need help feeling motivated to read books you already own? Well, we've got you covered. We will be discussing Dawn from Lillith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler for our next episode. Find it and read along with us. Notes: DIY Bookspinner Recitatif by Toni Morrison

This week we read celebrated Hungarian author Magda Szabo's novel Abigail. Abigail is Szabo's most popular work in Hungary, but was only recently published in English for the first time by NYRB. And let me tell you, we are thrilled that it was finally translated. Next book we're reading is Dawn by Octavia E. Butler, the first part of her Lilith's Brood trilogy. https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/

The world feels weird and some of us (Corinne) can only focus for very short, very concentrated periods of time. So this week we're talking about short books, novellas and otherwise. Our next discussion will be Abigail by Magda Szabo. To Purchase Books Mentioned in This Episode Episode Notes Patreon  

Thank you to Brilliant Books Monthly for sending us Nella Larsen's Passing! We liked it so much we decided to do an entire episode about it. Next book we'll be reading is Abigail by Magda Szabo. Order online from your local indie bookstore or from Bookshop.org!

We tried to think of comforting books to read during quarantine and failed. What is comfort? We've never heard of it. Next time we will be discussing Passing by Nella Larsen. You can get it and read along with us. Website Patreon Bookshop Affiliate Link Books mentioned in this episode: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Alison Weir King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

We didn't set out to talk about politics and the pandemic, but it's nearly impossible not to since Jenny Offill's Weather could not be more relevant to the current situation. Up next is Passing by Nella Larsen. https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/

There will be explicit content in this episode because we both read stories by famous gay erotica writer Chuck Tingle. Warning: There is lots of laughter! This is Version 2, with even more laughter and any mentions of the cosmic void have been edited out, in case that's what you need right now.  Next week we're reading Weather by Jenny Offill. https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/

There will be explicit content on this episode because we both read stories by famous gay erotica writer Chuck Tingle. Warning: You will hear lots of laughter! This is Version 1 of the episode, we get a little personal about our fears during this time, so if you want solely uplifting silliness, listen to Version 2. We're reading Weather by Jenny Offill next week! https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/

This week we read and discuss The Collection by Nina Leger which is about a lady who commits her sexual partners penises to memory. It's explicit. I literally cannot imagine any of you listen to this with children, but just in case you normally do, don't this time. There's also a quiz about the Bad Sex in Fiction Award at the end of the episode, plus a Mad Lib. So, what I'm saying is. This one is fun. Our next book discussion is going to be Weather by Jenny Offill. We mean this always, but this time we really mean it when we say get it from a local independent bookseller. They need you now more than ever. www.thebookstorepodcast.com www.patreon.com/thebookstore    

This was previously uploaded with the wrong episode file. Still finding ways to make mistakes, folks. This week we cover some recent book news. Next week we will be discussing The Collection by Nina Leger. Sources: Clive Cussler Obituary Booker International Longlist Women's Prize Longlist Maddaddam Ballet Announcement Catherine Pugh Sentenced to 3 Years Prison

This week we read and discuss Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson. Our next book discussion is going to be The Collection by Nina Leger. It's for episode 69 so it's about sex things.  

You ever stop to think about a subject you think you understand and then start questioning everything you thought you knew? This week we get to the bottom of what even is the truth. Just kidding. But we try? www.thebookstorepodcast.com www.patreon.com/thebookstore Books Mentioned:Abigail by Magda Szabo Garden by the Sea by Merce Rodoreda The Tattoist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois The Girls by Emma Cline Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates Women Talking by Miriam Toews

This week we read Alexander Chee's How to Write an Autobiographical Novel.  The Bookstore Podcast Reading Schedule: 3/3 - Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson, 3/17 - The Collection by Nina Leger, 3/31 - Passing by Nella Larson, 4/14 - Weather by Jenny Offill  

We're busy so we've pulled one of our Patreon Exclusive episodes out to show you what you might be missing. www.patreon.com/thebookstore Welcome to our very first Patreon Exclusive Episode. This week we breakdown the recent YA Book Twitter meltdown that precipitated after a vanity tweet by author Sarah Dessen. If you're seeing this, you should have access to a Patreon Exclusive RSS feed. In order to find our feed and how to use it: see this guide.  Show NotesThe Aberdeen News Article Slate Article with Comments from Nelson Jezebel 'The Strawman of the Teenage Girl' Link to some of the Reddit threads that will help you find screenshots of tweets. 

First some news and a correction (and a phone call!), then we review and discuss False Bingo, a book of short stories by Jac Jemc. Next book is How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. Other books mentioned: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah That song: 88 Lines About 44 Women by The Nails - And on listening, yeah, a little problematic. Patreon | Website

We discuss how we feel about movie adaptations of books, and Becca quizzes Corinne on some Oscar winners.  But before that, we recommend some articles of interest regarding American Dirt: Myriam Gurba  David Bowles David Schmidt Parul Sehgal

We discuss and review Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and... well, we can't like them all. Next time we will be reading False Bingo: Stories by Jac Jemc. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. www.thebookstorepodcast.com

We attempt a timeline of the events that have been shaking up Romancelandia, and rhapsodize about the genius of Greta Gerwig and her version of Little Women. Sources: https://www.pajiba.com/miscellaneous/a-timeline-and-explanation-of-the-romance-writers-of-america-controversy.php (and lots of time spent refreshing Twitter!) Next book discussion will be Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods of Jade and Shadow!   

Catch us drinking framboise and pousse-cafes and calling each other "toothsome dishes." Just kidding, we did none of those while discussing Judith Krantz's debut novel Scruples, but the novel does make those sound fun. There's some silliness and some wildly offensiveness on display here, and we try to discuss as much as we can. Explicit warning here, as you might have guessed! Our next book discussion will be Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Here we are with reflections on our year in reading and talking about books. Auld Lang Syne and all that, too. Next time we will be reading Scruples by Judith Krantz. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.

What's this? Another new episode this week! Recently we had the chance to chat with graphic novel writer Mariko Tamaki (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, This One Summer, Skim) about her latest novel for DC Ink, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass. We chatted about how one goes about writing a graphic novel, writing popular characters, and, of course, got some book recommendations (which you can find at www.thebookstorepodcast.com).

Alternate title: WE ARE NOT HISTORIANS. Jenny Erpenbeck's The End of Days blew us away with how masterful she ties everything together. It's so good, we trip over our words and maybe have a slight existential crisis. We will not be releasing an episode the week of Christmas, but we'll be back in the New Year with Judith Krantz's Scruples!

Correction: We stated that this novel was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, but that is wrong. One of Susan Choi's previous novels was a finalist, not Trust Exercise. Sorry for destroying your trust in us. However, this novel DID win the National Book Award for Fiction. We attempt to figure out why. Lots of spoilers in this one, and here's an explicit content warning too.

Check out https://www.brilliant-books.net/ for their Brilliant Books Monthly book subscription service! We are here to tell you what to buy! All the books mentioned will be on the website, which you can find here: https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/ Our next book discussion will be Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, you can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!

We rave about Olga Tokarczuk's genre-defying novel, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, which also has the best book title possibly ever conceived.  Our next read will be either Trust Exercise by Susan Choi or Autumn by Ali Smith (our beloved Patrons will decide!). 

Becca's in DC so we have an actual mini-length mini this week. It's a quick news round-up and also there's a NaNoWriMo quiz so you'll know all of the NaNoWriMo facts! But not necessarily all of the other regular facts because Corinne said that Citrus County was in California even though it said Florida right there in her notes and who also said "Revolutionary Warrrddd(???)" even though she was literally googling "Revolutionary Road" while she said it.  We're probably going to be reading Trust Exercise by Susan Choi for our next episode unless you become a patron and vote for Autumn by Ali Smith. So maybe vote!

This week we discuss the recently translated (to English) literary fantasy/dystopia The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa and Becca recalls a murder story from the 1930's that involves an attic boyfriend. There's a couple spoilers, but we warn you. Our next read will be Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Content warning on this one! We don't go into great detail about the awful events described in the books we recommend, but as these are true horror stories, it might not be suitable for all listeners. Cannibalism, pandemics, more cannibalism, you get the idea.  A list of titles discussed on this episode can be found on the episode post on our website www.thebookstorepodcast.com Costa Concordia article

More literary prize news and ... it's dubious again! We also discuss Booker Prize Shortlist novel 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak. Our next book discussion will be The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!

If the Nobel Prize for literature were a body part, this year it would be two feet stuck firmly in its own mouth. That was going to be the title of the episode, but I figured it was too long. This week we break down a couple of scandals that are plaguing the prestigious award AND we have a conversation with Margaret Pinard from Another Read Through Bookstore in Portland, OR. Next week we'll be discussing 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak. Show Notes and Links can be found here.

This week we give ourselves a bit of a history lesson as we read Qiu Miaojin's Notes of a Crocodile, a satire of Taiwanese society in the late 80s and 90s. Correction for this episode: Becca refers to Qiu Miaojin as Miaojin instead of as Qiu, her surname. Apologies for that mistake. Articles referenced: https://longreads.com/2018/06/07/a-crocodile-in-paris-the-queer-classics-of-qiu-miaojin/ https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/consider-the-crocodile-qiu-miaojins-lesbian-bestiary/ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/books/review/notes-of-a-crocodile-qiu-miaojin.html  

After a bit of a mis-speak, we realized that we've read more books published by independent publishers and presses than we thought. So we're here to highlight the great work by publishers you suggested and publishers that we think are putting out great work. There's so many to talk about that we couldn't fit it all in! Next week we will be reading Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. A list of titles and publishers discussed in this episode can be found on the episode post on our website www.thebookstorepodcast.com.

This is a long one, but it's only because we could not shut up about Trick Mirror and Jia Tolentino. We opine, we contradict ourselves, then we contradict our contradictions. But it's all just being self-reflective of our own self-delusions. You may not believe you need another thinkpiece on the internet and social media, but trust us, you need this book. Millennials, this episode is dedicated especially to you.  Our next book discussion will be on Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

This week's mini has some themed book news. What's an embargo? You're about to find out. Big companies bum us out, but we keep punching up until we reach the obvious ending. And Corinne travelled all the way to Madison, Wi to talk with Gretchen at A Room of One's Own Books about Bookstores Against Borders and how bookstores make your community. We lied in the episode and said that next week we'd be reading Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin, which we'll actually be reading in a couple more weeks. NEXT week we'll be discussing Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino. Sources: After Tor Experiment, Macmillan Expands Embargo on Library E-Books What happens when you give a monopoly a dystopian text: They learn how to be badder

This week we review The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter. Thanks to Two Dollar Radio for providing us with copies in exchange for our honest review. If you have any other indie pubs you recommend, please let us know!  Our next discussion will be Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!

This week we are reviewing the forthcoming Young Adult/Middle Grade book by Akwaeke Emezi, Pet. Our next book discussion is The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

We're coming at this later than usual due to some serious technical difficulties (ok, fine! Corinne managed to talk an entire episode into a mic that was not recording), but here we are at last with our discussion and review of Colson Whitehead's novel The Nickel Boys. Here be spoilers: we warn you before the big one, but if you're particularly sensitive, we suggest you read the book before listening. Our next discussion will be The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.  

Becca and Corinne are here to bring you suggestions for Women in Translation Month. Everything from what to read to how to find it, after this episode you won't have any excuses to keep from reading a book written by a woman who writes in a language other than your own. Next week we will be reading and discussing The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Show notes, including a list of titles discussed can be found on the episode post on our website www.thebookstorepodcast.com.

Becca and Corinne are here to bring you suggestions for Women in Translation Month. Everything from what to read to how to find it, after this episode you won't have any excuses to keep from reading a book written by a woman who writes in a language other than your own. Next week we will be reading and discussing The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Show notes can be found here.

Well, well, well. It's our 100th episode and our 2nd anniversary and in this moment we swear, we're infinite. This week Becca and Corinne take a walk down memory lane, all the way back to the early 2000's and discuss their favorite books from when they were teens. For Becca, it's Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno. For Corinne: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. What were they like in high school? Why did they love these books? And how do they hold up 15 years later? Next time we will be discussing The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Get it and read along with us!

Welcome back to the Bookstore, we're bringing you more authors having fights on the Dick Cavett Show. Next time we'll be reading Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.  

We return to a favorite author and read Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh. What's so relatable about being a disgusting slob person? Not sure, but sometimes we know, it we. Next time we will be reading our teenage favorites, Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. You can find them at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.

Corinne screwed up so this week we bring you a short little piece from last summer when we visited the Detroit Festival of Books because she also always liked this episode and no one paid enough attention to it before. Next week we'll make sure our mic batteries are fresh and we'll be bringing you a discussion of Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh so pick it up at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

This week we read and discuss On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Find out how we fared with this very poetic auto-novel and how we feel about teens being romantic in our general vicinities. Next time we will be reading Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. The interview Corinne mentions is on the podcast Literary Friction the episode title is "Literary Friction Special - Ocean Vuong."

This week we make gin drinks and play the Paperback Game, because it is too hot. There is laughter. Next week we will be discussing On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Get it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

This week we read Women Talking by Miriam Toews. Find out what we like about a book with little plot and many women... talking. Our next book discussion will be about On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Find it where you get your books (preferably not Amazon) and read along with us.

We round up a ton of recent book news: adaptations, new series installments, well deserved awards, book business news, one famous ex-pharmacutical rep turned romance novelist turned private school board member gone bad, one ex-sex crime prosecutor turned mystery novelist turned bad, and more Outrages about Naomi Wolf. A full list of sources for our stories this week can be found on the episode post on our website Our next book discussion is Women Talking by Miriam Toews.

This week we read Sula by Toni Morrison and discuss the criticisms Morrison has faced throughout her impressive career. You can find show notes/sources on the episode post on our website. Our next book discussion will be Women Talking by Miriam Toews.

There will be discussion of stuff that is not appropriate for children. And there will be brief mentions of eating disorders, just in case that's not for you. We just can't turn down a scandal. This week what to do when you didn't fact check your book about Victorian history and how not to respond to a gracious yet negative review of your book. Also Corinne says a lot of things she never expected to say on the podcast. Next week we will be reading and discussing Sula by Toni Morrison. You should absolutely buy it and read it along with us. Naomi Wolf's Career of Blunders Continues in 'Outrages' - The New York Times Book Review Naomi Wolf Got Her Facts Wrong. Really, Really, Really Wrong - Science of Eds This is NOT a Review of Hell's Shadows by Dean Klein - Sci-Fi and Scary  

This week we read The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, despite Corinne calling it "The Dove Avocado" literally seconds into the episode.  Next time we will be discussing Sula by Toni Morrison. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. www.thebookstorepodcast.com

Here's a little shorty for you guys. This week we're excited about books that are coming out this summer, including a number of full length books from some of our favorite journalists and critics at large. We're here to break the stigma about summer reads and prove that like a beach body being the body you have, but in a bikini, the best beach reads are whatever book you are reading on the beach. Next week we will be discussing The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy. Read along with us! The full list of our recommendations can be found on our blog post for the episode.

This week we discuss the complicated task that is reviewing a memoir after we read The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esme Weijun Wang. Our next read will be The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy.

By popular demand: we discuss audiobooks, what we like, what we don't and how to get them. Next time we will be discussing The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esme Weijun Wang. Get it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

This week in book news: a very Becca and Corinne house has hit the market in St. Clair Shores. For a one time Patreon donation of just $500k you can live in it with us. We also read and discussed Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. Due to the length and nature of the book this conversation is not at all spoiler free. We don’t even try. If this troubles you, the book will only take a couple of hours to read and we highly recommend it.

We took a dive into some feminist literary criticism this week and read Joanna Russ's How to Suppress Women's Writing. It was published in 1983 and therefore focuses a lot on strictly women's writing - but we contend these methods have been used and continue to be used not just on work and art by women, but that of people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. You can read the book here. Next week we will be reading and discussing Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Join us this week for a discussion of Sigrid Nunez's National Book Award Winning novel The Friend. In some ways it was a little too real for our real life events, and in others it wasn't quite real enough. This episode contains more expletives than normal. Next time we will be discussing Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. Read along with us!

We're back talking about our boy Bret Easton Ellis and a baffling/hilarious interview he did with the New Yorker. And we know you've been waiting for nearly three months as we finally respond to the Marie Kondo book drama. Sources: The New Yorker: Bret Easton Ellis Thinks You're Overreacting to Donald Trump Electric Literature: Liking Books Is Not a Personality

Content Warning: We read another VC Andrews book. This should be all of the information you need.

A lot of the time we have too much to talk about and we don’t get the chance to discuss all of the book news topics that come our way. Well, not anymore! This week we bring you a digest of the hottest recent book world news from fake news about Kurt Vonnegut, to the latest in dunking on Brett Easton Ellis, we’ve got all of the details and opinions you can handle in under an hour. Next week we will be discussing and reviewing Heaven by VC Andrews. Find it at your local bookstore or library and shake your head along with us.

We talk about a very fun and very quick read, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Also we have news! We just launched a Patreon and if you're interested in helping support the podcast you can check it out at www.patreon.com/thebookstore. We love you. Our next read has us returning to our incest obsessed Queen of Bonkerstown when we read Heaven by V.C. Andrews.

This week we read Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Becca says something along the lines of "I'm usually pretty empathetic, but I just can't care about a school shooter's feelings." We're going to be off next week, but we will be back the following week with a discussion and review of My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.

This week we're here to tell you about good books that we've recently read that you should read, too. Next week we are discussing Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, so read it along with us! Books mentioned: Burning Your Boats by Angela Carter Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Start-up by John Carreyrou Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday The Summer Book by Tove Jansson Katalin Street by Magda Szabo Watch Russian Doll Listen to this episode of This American Life

This one might be a little divisive. We read My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh and talk about loving books with characters who are gross and mean.  This discussion will include topics related to sexual assault and drug addiction. Our next book discussion will be Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Get it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

This week we watched the Studio Ghibli version of Howl's Moving Castle. Does it make any more sense than the book? What's Batman doing here? Next week we will be discussing Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation you can find it at your local bookstore or library and  read along with us.

This week we have an update on 18th Century Shakespeare scammer William Henry Ireland, we talk about the latest literary scam hitting the scene, and we talk about how lighthearted fantasies do not spark joy for Becca as we discuss Diana Wynne Jones's fantasy for people of some age group, Howl's Moving Castle. Next time we will be reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. Get it and read it and talk to us about it.

Seems we’re in an era of wild scams (hi, have you watched the Fyre Festival docs?) so we’re bringing back one of our favorite topics: literary scandals. Tune in for the story of a literary forger desperate to impress his dad, and a wildly popular Man Booker Prize winning novel that is startlingly similar to one by a Brazilian author. Also, we have an update about The Garden Party from a listener. Next week we will be discussing Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Pick it up at your local bookstore or library, and read along with us. And let us know your thoughts! Visit our website to see Corinne in her tap dancing costume and other things related to this episode. Articles of interest: Smithsonian Magazine - To Be... Or Not: The Greatest Shakespeare Forgery New York Times - Tiger in a Lifeboat, Panther in a Lifeboat: A Furor Over a Novel CanLit Guides - Literary Value and Appropriation How I Wrote Life of Pi Wikipedia: William Henry IrelandMoacyr Scliar

This week: corrections, Katherine Mansfield's The Garden Party, velour pants, dancing with people when you don't like being touched. Next book will be Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones.

We read and discuss Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel memoir, Persepolis. Our next read will be The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

This week we read The Wedding by Dorothy West, Becca pronounces "chagrin" wrong, and Corinne has been saying "Marjane" wrong for several weeks now, so we actually don't know anything except that The Wedding is a very solid book from the backlist that you should definitely check out. Next week we'll be reading Persepolis I & II by Marjane (don't worry Corinne has it figured out now) Satrapi so you should, too.

Some listener feedback and a discussion of The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard. What even is this book? Next week we will be discussing The Wedding by Dorothy West and the following week, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

The episode is a little late, but Happy New Year! We're talking about book resolutions, what we learned from our last year of reading, and our January reading project. Next week we're discussing Shirley Hazzard's Transit of Venus.

UPDATE 1/7/2020 - A listener reached out to us on twitter to ask why we believed Hannah Mullet to be black. As she, rightly pointed out, Hannah is Irish. Corinne clearly read the dialect Hannah speaks in incorrectly. It's been a good opportunity to re-examine biases and a reminder to read the text more closely.  The episode has been edited to remove that part of the conversation in order to avoid confusion and unhelpful/incorrect information about the book. How does the oldest book we've ever read for the podcast hold up to the test of time and to the test of Becca's childhood memories? Find out this week as we talk about old timey dating rituals and when it's appropriate to drink wine and find out which March sister we are. Our next read will be Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard.

It's that time of year again! Everyone's working on their best of lists and thinking about all of their reading accomplishments. It's basically an episode straight from high school: first we chat a little about some recent literary world scandals and internet gossip, and then we assign our book superlatives for 2018 readings. Let us know what your favorite books were! You can reach us through www.thebookstorepodcast.com. Next time we will be discussing Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Get it and read along with us!

This time we read one of the most talked about books of the year, and one sure to be on lots of year end lists, as well as a contender for plenty of awards. Does There There by Tommy Orange stack up to the hype? Next time we'll be chatting about Little Women, so brush off the copy you got for your birthday in 3rd grade and read along with us!

Want to take bets on whether or not we liked this book by James Baldwin? Next time we will be reading There There by Tommy Orange, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. You can find it at your local library and read along with us.

This week we bring you weirdly specific book recommendations for some people that might be on your list. As well as solid book giving advice (read that picture book all of the way through before you give it). You can find our list of recommendations - with links for where you can buy them - on our blog post for this episode. www.thebookstorepodcast.com Next week: If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

This week we read and discuss the new novel Melmoth by Sarah Perry. It's a little spooky just to ease you out of that All Horror October hang over. Our next discussion will be If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. Get it and read along with us.   Books mentioned: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Podcast Mentioned: Library Talks with Sarah Perry

They say that women apologize for way too much stuff, and so I'm just going to come out and say NOT SORRY and also SUPER PROUD to bring you this episode in which my mic is a little wonky, but not that bad promise, where we talk about Halloween stuff, short spooky stories you can find online, and try to explain bad internet jokes to one another. Here's the link to this years jezebel scary story contest, enjoy at your own risk! I'll probably link to a couple of the more specific ones we mentioned on the blog. The subreddits we mentioned were r/creepypasta, r/nosleep, r/letsnotmeet, and r/unresolvedmysteries. Next time we will be discussing Melmoth by Sarah Perry, it's available now. Read along with us and let us know what you think!  

This week we read both The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle and the Lovecraft story it was a response to, The Horror at Red Hook. You'll hear our thoughts and SPOILERS on this week's episode. I am too tired to make this witty. Why can't I ever get enough sleep? This is my own horror story. Our next book discussion will be about Melmoth by Sarah Perry. Get a copy and read along with us!

This week's All Horror October installment: Short Stories inspired by our worst fears. What scares us most? And were we able to find stories that evoked that fear? Find out! We read The Raft by Stephen King, and The Screwfly Solution by James Tiptree, Jr. Next time we will be discussing The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, and The Horror at Red Hook by HP Lovecraft.  

Sorry we're late, but here's the all new discussion of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House! How does it compare to other scary stories? Is it the first American Haunted House novel? Is it SCARY? What about the Mystery Spot? I didn't even make a joke about female orgasm and I said Mystery Spot like 15 times!!! Our next discussion will be about The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. You can also read Horror at Red Hook by H.P. Lovecraft to prepare, but be forewarned, it is hella racist.

It's All Horror October and you know what that means: we're talking all horror, all October. This week we cover 2017's banned books and the scariest collection of stories aimed at 10 year olds ever written, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz with legitimately bone chilling illustrations by Stephen Gammel. This is a truly fun packed episode. We've got anecdotes, an original song recording, and a quiz. You won't want to miss it. Promise it's not too scary. Next week we will be reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Find it in a haunted house and then read along with us!

In an attempt to read a great feminist classic, we chose to discuss Erica Jong's Fear of Flying. Is it a classic, does it hold up, do we even feel good calling it feminist? Look no further, the answers are here. We'll be reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark for our next episode, and then doing a full discussion of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House for the following week. Remember to visit thebookstorepodcast.com for fun info related to this read and the episode.

We attempt to make cozy fall reading recommendations, but we're not exactly the coziest gals. We talk about tea, a tweet, and several books that remind us of fall, as well as what we'll be reading for All Horror October (Awoooooo!). You can find all of our reading recommendations and what we will be reading for All Horror October (awoooooo!) on the website: www.thebookstorepodcast.com. Our next book discussion will be Fear of Flying by Erica Jong. You can get it at a used bookstore, probably.

Oh shit we just discovered that detective novels are our romance. This week we read Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. Next time we will be discussing Fear of Flying by Erica Jong. Your grandma probably has it around here somewhere... Check out www.thebookstorepodcast.com for more info related to the episode.

The long awaited call-in episode is here! We finally get to hear your beautiful voices and answer your questions/respond to your stories and we have absolutely the most fun we've ever had recording an episode. Also there is a thunderstorm in the background - so it's basically one of those white noise CD's, too!! If you'd like to give us a call (you do.. you know you do) our phone number is 616-730-1656, or you can email us a voice memo at thebookstorepodcast@gmail.com. Next week we will be discussing Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!  

So we're back from our unexpected break to talk about Haruki Murakami's first ever novels, Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973. The title of the anthologized English version is Wind/Pinball. Our next book discussion will be about Attica Locke's Bluebird, Bluebird. It's available today in paperback!

We read this year's YA sensation, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, and... we've got some questions. Next time we will be discussing Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami. Get it and read it and talk to us about it. Check out the website! www.thebookstorepodcast.com  

We celebrate one year of podcasthood by answering your burning questions. We laugh a lot and talk about ourselves, truly a millennial woman's dream come true. We have read Children of Blood and Bone for next week's episode, you have probably heard of it.

We talk about our call in contest, reading Brooke Bolander's The Only Harmless Great Thing, and how easy she made it to believe in a world where Elephants use sign language. CALL US AND maybe WIN BOOKS 616-730-1656. Next time we are reading Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

Hey! This week we've got some news about a call in contest - our number is 616-730-1656, call us with a question or comment and win some books (so long as you live in the US)! We also talk about The Detroit Festival of Books AND bring you some field recordings from our trip! Next week we're discussing The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander.

This week we discuss Terese Marie Mailhot's memoir Heart Berries. Listen to find out why it's unlike any memoir we've ever read. A list of media related things we bring up: -Roxane Gay's Hunger-Native American memoirists Joy Harjo and Leslie Marmon Silko -Native American poet Natalie Diaz -Chimamanda Ngozie Adiche's TED Talk "The Danger of A Single Story" -Hannah Gadsby's Netflix special Nanette Next time we'll be reading The Only Harmless Great Thing by Hannah Bolander.

We've reimagined the childhood fortune telling game MASH to be about our dream bookstore. Play it with your friends and tell us what wonderful places you dream up! Highlight this week: Becca calling children's story time "a reading to children event." Next week we will discuss Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot.

This week on The Bookstore: fairy tales, scary stories to tell in the dark, and how large format cameras work. We read Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado and mostly don't know what we think. Next read: Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot

Scandals are back in this all new STAR STUDDED episode of The Bookstore! Learn how to game The NYT Bestseller List, and how to befriend your favorite author with the help of just a fax machine and a party city wig. If you're new to the podcast and like this episode, we recommend you check out episodes 9.5 and 12.5 for more scandals and literary gossip.

This week we find out why Less by Andrew Sean Greer is more than just a lighthearted, Eat, Pray, Love novel or more than even just a book about a dude writer. Our next few discussions are: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, Heart Berries by Terese Mailhot, The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander, and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Ayedemi. Find them at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!

This week we read I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan. And reader, we did not like it. Spoilers abound, but don't worry because you're not going to be reading this one anyway - we took care of that for you. Find out what sank this promising premise of a diverse read for us. No new episode next week. Corinne got a house and she's moving and painting and barely sleeping. We'll see you for the next read which is Less by Andrew Sean Greer.  

A wise woman once said, "Sometimes books can tell you a lot about a person, and sometimes they can't, but sometimes they really can." And that wise person was Corinne. This week, Becca and Corinne are inspired by alt-right darling Jordan Peterson's sneaky best selling self-help book to talk about what books would make them run screaming from a date. Join us, and send your bad date stories! Next discussion is I am Thunder by Muhammed Khan. Articles cited: Bowles, Nellie. Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy. The New York Times. Robinson, Nathan J. The Intellectual We Deserve. Current Affairs.

Today we discuss the wildly popular and relevant I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. Some topics include: the interesting dilemma of publishing an unfinished manuscript posthumously, being self aware of true crime obsession, and how to be a better neighbor. Our next book is I Am Thunder by Muhammed Khan.  

Sorry for the delay! But I think I'll get this baby out with about 32 minutes of Tuesday to spare! This week we hear some listen email, talk about how to rate our books, and what we do now that the literary world is coming to terms with #metoo. Our next discussion is I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, and after that will be I Am Thunder by Muhammed Khan. Find them and read them with us!

We read the very funny and strange Aetherial Worlds by Tatyana Tolstaya this week. There was so much to love that it was kind of hard not to just quote it for an entire 40 minutes. Also, tune in for the weirdest endorsement of kombucha provided on a book review podcast in 2018. Tolstaya's apocalypse book that Corinne kept name dropping was The Slynx. The next book will be I'll Be Gone in the Dark, you're never going to get it from your library, so hopefully your local indie has it in stock because you're not going to want to miss it!  

Welcome to our new lifestyle podcast where we talk about owning books and where to keep your books and what color of book will be big this spring and how to prepare the best books for your dinner guests and which books make your butt look better and which books to put on your tricky under eye area. JK. We talk about some cool things in our lives regarding books recently: ie the personal library cataloging app Library Thing, trying to keep a book budget, and how to be our friends on GoodReads (look up bookstore_corinne and beckyramone). Ok, LYLAS, byeeeeee. Next Discussion: Aetherial Worlds by Tatyana Tolstaya

Well, Instagram voted and we read Swing Time by Zadie Smith. It was our first foray into her writing and probably not the best place to start. A paradoxical novel that somehow has a ton going on and nothing at all, we try to pull back the curtain in this week's discussion episode. Next time we'll be reading Aetherial Worlds by Tatyana Tolstaya. And after that, I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara.

We watched the Lifetime Original movie version of Lois Duncan's Stranger With My Face so that you don't have to, but maybe you should because you know what? We kind of loved it. We talk about why we don't trust people who wear shoes and pants at home, how to enter a public space to look for a friend, and cane safety. Peace to you! Next week we're reading Swing Time by Zadie Smith, read it and tell us your thoughts!

This week we're really putting ourselves out there (get it?) discussing Lois Duncan's 1981 classic suspense thriller about astral projection twins, Stranger With My Face. The book was a childhood favorite of both Corinne and Becca, so there's all sorts of nostalgic feel happening here! Next time we will be reading Swing Time by Zadie Smith. Get it from the library or your local indie and read along with us!   Notes: The Jezebel article I mentioned that Lois Duncan does a Q&A in the comments of.

This week Claire Handscome joins The Bookstore to talk about her work on Brit Lit Podcast, Brit Lit Blog, and her upcoming novel Unscripted. She also recommends several incredible new books from the UK that we cannot wait to check out. You can listen to Claire's podcast, Brit Lit Podcast wherever you're listening to this right now. You can find her work at www.unscriptednovel.com. The books that Claire recommends in this episode are: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan The Lido by Libby Page (bonus) Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt Next week we are discussing and reviewing Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan. Read it with us, please!

This week we discuss and review a difficult, but beautiful memoir. After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry is the story of a young girl and her mother before and after her mother's murder. This episode may be difficult for some listeners, please take note that the discussion will address subjects related to the book including domestic violence, rape, and murder. Our next book discussion will be about Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan. Find it at your local bookstore, library, or Corinne's father-in-law's house because she forgot it over there and read along with Becca, at least, until Corinne can get her book back.  

We're fangirling hard this week, so you know it's serious because we don't do that unless Becca is talking about Bones. Patti Smith is great and a beautiful writer and I wish I could dress like her and she has done a lot of cool things. So listen to us talk about how all of this makes us feel and then go read her memoirs if you haven't yet and if you don't like them PLEASE DON'T TELL US. Next week we will be discussing After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry, pick it up at your local bookstore or library and read along with us. Books we mentioned in this episode: Just Kids and M Train by Patti Smith

Ripped right from the headlines, we've read and are discussing The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. If you're looking to read the book and some how have not had the very first line, or premise "spoiled," you might want to read the book first. Will Corinne go to jail for missing jury duty? Will Becca ever order her contact lenses? Subscribe to find out! Our next discussion is After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! Notes: The Killer-Nanny Novel That Conquered France by Lauren Collins for The New Yorker, January 2018

Because of a bit of a vacation we didn't have a lot of time to prepare a typical topic episode for this mini. So we're going to brag about the fact that we've actually been reading some extracurricular stuff! And we've really really liked some of it! Here's what we've been up to and what we're recommending. Next up for discussion is The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. Recommended in this episode: The work of Joy Williams, specifically The Changeling which is being released in an anniversary edition on April 10 from Tin House. Also the story Stuff which was read recently on an episode of The New Yorker Fiction podcast. The Red Clocks by Leni Zuma. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Blood Child: Stories by Octavia E. Butler. The longreads.com newsletter and specifically The Worst Roommate Ever by William Brennan for New York Magazine. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.

We've got a spoiler free discussion and review of Tayari Jones's An American Marriage for our newest episode. It's a beautiful novel that changes every time we think about it. We picked this before Oprah announced it, so we'll be owning knowing that it was really good before anyone else, ok? Our next discussion is going to be The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, so pick it up locally and read along with us. Related Reading from the episode: The Root, In American Marriage, Tayari Jones Gets to the Heart of Our Matter Bitch Media, Personal Political "An American Marriage" Shows How Black Love Survives Injustice

Corinne and Becca discuss two short stories by the late Ursula K. Le Guin and fall in love. The stories read for this episode: She Unnamed Them and The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Our next discussion will be about An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, get it from Oprah and read it with us!

Becca and Corinne make good on their promise from Episode 8.5 to read a romance novel. This week they discuss how the literature world at large has often maligned romance and they talk about the book they chose, A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare. Becca pitches her perfect romance novel and the ladies pick out their pen names. Does this podcast have an HEA? You'll have to listen to find out. Our next discussion is going to be An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. CALL US! Leave us a voicemail at 616-730-1656. Referenced Articles: Roundup of the Season’s Romance Novels by Robert Gottlieb for the NYT Book Review September 2017 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/books/review/macomber-steel-james-romance.html Here’s How Not to Critique Romance Novels - Kelly Faircloth for Jezebel https://jezebel.com/heres-how-not-to-critique-romance-novels-1819188174 For the Love of Independence: Romance Authors are Literature's Unsung Heroes by S.E. Smith for Bitch Media https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/the-case-for-romance-authors

This week we're celebrating gal pals in real life and in book life with the help of Kayleen Schaefer's Text Me When You Get Home. You'll find a review, some great suggestions for books about friends, and some friends from books. Books mentioned: The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, Ghost World by Daniel Clowes, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Turtles All the Way Down by John Green Our next discussion is going to be about A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare. You can get it at the library or your local bookstore and read along with us.

This week Becca and Corinne talk about graphic memoirs and specifically about Thi Bui's The Best We Could Do. Corinne also remembers the name for the pages of the book that are immediately after the cover. It felt like a big deal at the time. More importantly, they make some great points about how literature makes us human. Which is harder to make jokes about. Next discussion: A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare, you know what to do with that information. ;)

In this episode Becca and Corinne discuss what bums them out about the Canon of Western Literature and how it could be improved. They shoot the Canon out of a cannon. I've been trying to make that joke in one way or another since we recorded this thing, and honestly, it's not even a good joke and I kind of regret it now. Also! An offer for a bad-sexy Valentine's Day postcard. Next week we discuss Thi Bui's The Best We Could Do. Read it and listen!

Get prepared to hear us use our English degrees when we say "textual support" 1,000 times, friends. This week we discuss Louise Erdrich's misguided foray into the world of speculative fertility fiction with Future Home of the Living God. We gave it a go and did not get it! As always remember this is a book club like discussion: SPOILERS ABOUND. Our next discussion will be about Thi Bui's 2017 graphic memoir The Best We Could Do. So go read it! We love you and we're in love with you.

Since scandals were so much fun, we thought we'd try our hand at talking literary feuds! It's sort of like an episode of Ryan Murphy's Feud, but in a podcast and about people who write books instead of a TV show about glamorous actresses. Next week we will be discussing Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich. Citing sources: Seeing Mary Plain. The New York Times. Cavett, Dick. Lillian Hellman, Mary McCarthy, and Me. The New Yorker. Armistead, Claire. Richard Ford should swallow his pride over Colson Whitehead's bad review. The Guardian. Massara, Kathleen. 10 Notorious Literary Spats. Flavorwire.

Happy New Year! We're kicking 2018 off by chatting about Jackie Collins' catty bonkbuster Hollywood Wives. Content Warning! This episode talks about sex. Like a lot, because we're talking about a book by Jackie Collins. It's not hot sex, it's not even lukewarm sex, but we still talk about it. Honestly it's everything we wanted, and maybe even a little more. And Corinne makes several baseball metaphors that are not the ones you'd expect. Our next book discussion is going to be about Louise Erdrich's Future Home of the Living God. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!

Becca and Corinne talk about a being tourists in the country of New Zealand, about how some english words don't mean what you think and others mean a lot of things, and about the book Corinne went there to buy (j/k that would be an irresponisble financial decision), Witi Ihimaera's The Whale Rider. Corinne pronounces almost all things wrong, consider this sentence this week's "Words is Hard." Next week we're reading Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins so don't freak out because it's kinda dirty. Books mentioned:The Whale Rider, Witi Ihimaera;The Bone People, Keri Hulme; The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton; Mister Pip, Lloyd Jones; Wild Pork and Watercress, Barry Crump. And an author from Australia: Shirley Hazard And a movie: Hunt for the Wilderpeople The music clip: Christmas in New Zealand by The Long Ryders

Get with it, it's the 90's. This week Becca and Corinne discuss Han Kang's first novel to be published in English, The Vegetarian. They find out that even though it is a mere 150 pages long it is difficult. Some slight content warnings regarding sexual assault and mental illness. Next time they're reading Hollywood Wives by everyone's favorite sexy aunt, Jackie Collins. Pick it up at your local bookstore or library and read along! Here's the interview with Book Page that Corinne mentions.

This week we introduce a new corrections segment and talk about our year in books with some recommended reading you haven't heard us discuss on the podcast. Books mentioned: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin Infomacracy by Malka Older Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd and The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas The Idiot by Elif Batuman Our next discussion will be about both Fever Dream (above) and The Vegetarian by Han Kang.

Sorry we're late, and sorry for the inaccuracies, we'll be addressing some of our mis-speaks in next week's episode. Now that that's out of the way: We're back! And this week we are discussing N.K. Jemisin's 2013 fantasy novel The Fifth Season. There are spoilers. It's sometimes confusing, often times great, and we come to a conclusive decision about the Second Person Present tense. Our next book discussion will be Han Kang's The Vegetarian and maybe also Samanta Schweblin's Fever Dream, we'll see what we can accomplish. You can pick them both up at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

So we're not actually talking about memoirs, that was just a funny line that I said when we were recording this. But we are talking Literary Scandals! All of the dirty, wordy, fraud you can handle this week on My Favorite Literary Scandal. We're off next week, but we'll be returning on December 5 with a discussion of NK Jemisin's The Fifth Season. Find it at your library or local independent bookseller and read along with us.

This week we have a very special guest: the guy who helps us produce this and also the guy who is married to Corinne, Josh Bourdon. We're discussing Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. And also John Green in general. And also mental illness, and being in high school, and other things tangential to the subject. But mostly Turtles All the Way Down. A reminder that this is a book club-like discussion and spoilers abound, if you're not looking for that, meet  back up with us after you've read the book. Our next book discussion is NK Jemisin's The Fifth Season. Find it at a library or your local independent bookstore and read along with us.

Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Horror, NEW WEIRD. There's a lot of genre out there. But what does any of it even mean? We have a lot of questions. And maybe some answers. (No guarantees). This episode was inspired by two articles: Nunnally, Mya. "A Beginner's Guide to the New Weird Genre." Book Riot. 2017 October. Gaiman, Ishiguro. "'Let's Talk About Genre': Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro in Conversation." The New Statesman. 2015 July. Please ignore the fact that I don't remember how to properly cite internet articles ALA style. Our next book discussion is going to be Turtles All the Way Down by John Green.

If only Emil Ferris could have illustrated this episode! This week we talk about the massive graphic novel My Favorite Thing is Monsters Vol. 1 by Emil Ferris, published by Fantagraphics Books. It's got some truly beautiful art and many truly twisty plots, so let's get right to it. **Note: some sort of demon (probably Corinne's cat Murphy) got into the sound board and screwed up Corinne's mic feed while we were playing our quiz, so you'll hear that it cuts short in the episode. Sorry!** You can buy My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris at your local independent bookstore, or borrow it from your library. Our next book discussion is going to be Turtles All the Way Down by John Green and same thing re: bookstores/libraries. You know, if you don't already have it. Please Rate, Subscribe, & Review!

Ermahgerd! We're living in spooky times (it is the fourth week of October after all) so we're talking about nothing but the most chilling classics on this weeks Bookstore mini-episode. That's right, R.L. Stine's lauded and revered Goosebumps Series. Get ready to talk memes, mysterious giggles, and bookstore shenanigans! This week we read Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine, you can get it at your local bookstore or library, or maybe just ask your mom or dad if your copy from 1993 is still in their basement or if they sold it at a garage sale a while back for a nickel. Next week we will be discussing My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris, and you know the drill: find it and read along with us! After that we're reading Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. Just wanted to give a super early heads up! That episode is coming 11/14/2017. Follow us on IG/Litsy/Twitter/FB - @thebookstorepod (sometimes podcast) or send us an email at thebookstorepodcast@gmail.com!

This week Becca and Corinne discuss Ayobami Adebayo's 2017 debut novel, Stay With Me. An incredibly strong first novel that made us feel ALL of the emotions! You can buy Stay With Me at your local independently owned bookstore. Our next book discussion (10/31/2017) will be about Emil Ferris's My Favorite Thing is Monsters. Buy it at a bookstore near you or pick it up at the library and read along with us! You can follow us on instagram/litsy/twitter/facebook: @thebookstorepodcast/@thebookstorepod Or you can write us an email at thebookstorepodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

The leaves are changing, you're wearing pumpkin spice deodorant, and spooky sounds are playing on your favorite radio station. You know what that means... it's book award season! This week Becca and Corinne discuss some book award news and book award related topics They also ponder what reading even means. Follow us on all of the social medias! @thebookstorepod/@thebookstorepodcast Email us at thebookstorepodcast@gmail.com! Next week we will be discussing Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo. Buy it from your local bookseller and read along with us!  

This week we discuss Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin, one of the American Civil Rights Movements lesser taught leaders. We look adoringly at his treatment of women, and wrack our brains to understand some more obscure Biblical references. It's all here, folks! Follow us on all of the social medias, @thebookstorepodcast or @thebookstorepod. Buy Go Tell It on the Mountain at a your local bookstore. Read along with us for our next discussion of Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo.   Source: James Baldwin Audio from Youtube (Creative Commons) - James Baldwin Speaks! The Fire This Time: A Message to Black Youth

We're back for a new mini episode! Like Audrina we just couldn't leave Whitefern. This week we watched Lifetime's movie adaptation of My Sweet Audrina.   You can own My Sweet Audrina from Amazon Prime Video for just $2.99!   Next week we'll be discussing an actual classic, and we'll be much more dignified. You can buy Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin from your local bookstore and read along with us!

This week Becca and Corinne read Gilead by Marilyn Robinson because their first guest, Josh Weston, told them to! Today's episode includes thoughtful discussion of a novel about an intentional and intelligent elderly pastor, weird anecdotes about religious experiences, and a story about why you should never question Marilyn Robinson's dedication to her work. Follow us on instagram, twitter, and now Facebook! Buy Gilead from your local bookstore! Read along with us for our next discussion of Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin.

On our first ever between the book episode (a minisode, a .5, whatever you want to call it!) we bring you the story of the Native American literature world's very own Rachel Dolezal. Becca and Corinne try to break down John Smelcer's many grifting ways in the aftermath of a PEN Literary award scandal. Lessons learned: do some leg work. **NOTE: this episode was produced and published many months before the news of accusations against Sherman Alexie reached outside of the publishing world. The Bookstore stands in solidarity with victims and the #metoo movement. Next week we read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Find it at a bookstore near you and read along! Episode Sources: Smith, Rich. The Stranger. Meet John Smelcer, Native American Literature's "Living Con Job". Mailhot, Terese. Indian Country Media Network. John Smelcer: Indian by Proxy.

This time around we thought we'd read a trashy little romp to round out our summer. And, boy, did we read some real trash! VC Andrew's really brought it with My Sweet Audrina. Listen as Becca and Corinne walk through what is possibly the most offensive book either of them have ever read.   follow us on instagram! and on twitter! or e-mail us about your VC Andrews experiences at thebookstorepodcast@gmail.com   Find My Sweet Audrina at a local bookstore near you! Or read Gilead for our next episode!

Welcome back to The Bookstore, citizens of Earth! This time Becca and Corinne talk about their Read Around the World Challenge and discuss Svetlana Alexievich's Nobel Prize winning oral history, Voices from Chernobyl. Becca's actually been there! We've got personal experience all over this thing! send us an email at thebookstorepodcast@gmail.com follow us on instagram! Find a local bookstore and buy Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich. Read along for next episode with My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews. Rate, subscribe, and review!   NOTES: 1. Deep Vellum Publishing 2. Read Around the World Book List 3. A year of reading the world blog

This episode Becca and Cori discuss the Hulu series that everyone was talking about two months ago, play a game of Title Mashup, and really get into Octavia E. Butler's "Parable of the Sower." If you've got a Title Mashup for us, send it to thebookstorepodcast@gmail.com and don't forget to put "Title Mashup" in the subject line. Purchase a copy of Parable of the Sower from an independent bookstore here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780446675505 Next Episode: Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312425845

Becca and Corinne welcome you to The Bookstore's first episode and discuss Elif Batuman's 2017 novel, "The Idiot." Segments: Working at a a bookstore "The Idiot" discussion Translation Game   Find "The Idiot" at a local bookseller near you: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781594205613

Welcome to The Bookstore. It's like a like a book club but we actually read the book. Take a listen to our series promo to hear more about the show and highlights from upcoming episodes.