All Episodes
Book Cougars Podcast: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good Read — 258 episodes
Episode 259 - Busted by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Episode 258 - Author Spotlight with Heather Harper Ellett
Episode 257 - Author Spotlight with Emily Franklin
Episode 256 - Author Spotlight with Sara Catterall & Q2 Readalong Announcement
Episode 255 - Q1 Readalong: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Episode 254 - Author Spotlight with Tiya Miles
Episode 253 - Author Spotlight with Sharon M. Harris
Episode 252 - Listener Top Tens of 2025 and New Year Reading Intentions
Episode 251 - Top Ten Reads of 2025 with Russell of Ink and Paper Blog
Episode 250 - In podcasting years, we’re older than America250
Episode 249 - It’s Our Ninth Anniversary!
Episode 248 - Author Spotlight with Natalie Dykstra
Episode 247 - 2025 Holiday Gift Ideas & Q4 Readalong (How to Sell A Haunted House)
Episode 246 - A Flock of Words
Episode 245 - Henry James is dead (to us)
Episode 244 - Spooky Stories with Our Mystery Man
Episode 243 - Ghosts, Ghosts, and More Ghosts
Episode 242 - Announcing the Q4 Readalong!
Episode 241 - The Yellow Wallpaper
Episode 240 - The Nightmare Touch
Episode 239 - Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma
Episode 238 - Author Spotlight with Clare Beams
Episode 237 - From Connecticut to Carbondale
Episode 236 - From Nyack to Nebraska
Episode 235 - Hello, Pittsburgh Calling!
Episode 234 - Author Spotlight with Elissa Altman
Episode 233 - Author Spotlight with Matthew Goodman
Episode 232 - Author Spotlight with Eowyn Ivey
Episode 231 - Author Spotlight with Ruth Franklin
Episode 230: "Come for the Skiing, Stay for the Library"
Episode 229 - Announcing our 2nd Quarter Readalong in our year of reading Ghost Stories
Episode 228 - Q1 Readalong: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Episode 227 - Spotlight with Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Megan Marshall
Episode 226 - A Book-Packed Episode including Listener Top Ten Reads of 2024
Episode 225 - Top Ten Books of 2024 with Russell from Ink and Paper Blog
Episode 224 - Author Spotlight with Pamela D. Toler
Episode 223 - Author Spotlight with Brian D. Kennedy
Episode 222 - 2024 Holiday Gift Ideas
Episode 221 - Trial by Ambush with Marcia Clark and John Valeri
Episode 220 - A Shocking Buddy-Read with Our Mystery Man John Valeri
Episode 219 - Exploring Picture Book Art
Episode 218 - Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma
Episode 217 - Author Spotlight with James R. Benn
Episode 216 - Guest Spotlight with Michael Kelleher, Director of the Windham Campbell Prizes
Episode 215 - The Midwest Episode
Episode 214 - Biblio Adventure Extravaganza
Episode 213 - "I'll Have What You're Reading" with Booktuber Shawn Breathes Books
Episode 212 - Author Spotlight with Juliet Grames
Episode 211 - Deep Dive Into Summer Reading
Episode 210 - Getting Cozy with Our Mystery Man, John Valeri
Episode 209 - Author Spotlight with Sara Paretsky
Episode 208 - Author Spotlight with Sara B. Franklin
Episode 207 - Spotlight with Author & Rare Book Dealer Rebecca Romney
Episode 206 - Author Spotlight with Rebecca Rego Barry
Episode 205 - Author Spotlight with Yulin Kuang
Episode 204 - Author Spotlight with Allison Pataki
Episode 203 - Romance Readalong with INDIGO by Beverly Jenkins
Episode 202 - Author & Editor Spotlight with Jessica Pryde
Episode 201 - A Great Last Night with Luanne Rice
Episode 200 - Two Books We Can't Wait for You to Read (times 18!)
Episode 199 - Our 2024 Reading Intentions
Episode 198 - Top Ten Reads of 2023 with BookTuber Russell Gray of Ink and Paper Blog
Episode 197 - Author Spotlight with Pip Williams
Episode 196 - Trying Not To Go Viral
Episode 195 - Hooked by Nonfiction November & 2023 Holiday Gift Ideas
Episode 194 - Author Spotlight with Sarah MacLean
Episode 193 - Book Club Fundamentals with Davina Morgan-Witts Founder & Publisher of BookBrowse
Episode 192 - Author Spotlight with Fancy Feast
Episode 191 - Something So Good It Can Never Be Enough with Poet Shuly Cawood
Episode 190 - Haunted by Hawthorne & The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
Episode 189 - Author Spotlight with Laurie Lico Albanese
Episode 188 - Author Spotlight with Erin Flanagan and Katrina Kittle
Episode 187 - Author Spotlight with Alli Frank & Asha Youmans
Episode 186 - The Long Afterlife of The Scarlet Letter
Episode 185 - Book Cougars Prowling in the Midwest
Episode 184 - Author Spotlight with Bethanne Patrick
Episode 183 - Author Spotlight with Sara Nisha Adams
Episode 182 - Biblio Adventure Bonanza: Making Lemonade Out of Lemons
Episode 181 - Author Spotlight with Sharon Salzberg
Episode 180 - Travels with Chris, Emily, and Charley
Episode 179 - Deep Dive with Poet Shuly Cawood
Episode 178 - Author Spotlight with Jennifer Savran Kelly
Episode 177 - Author Spotlight with Amy Tector
Episode 176 - We're in a New York State of Mind
Episode 175 - He’s BAAACK! Our Mystery Man, John Valeri
Episode 174 - Author Spotlight with Jenna Miller
Episode 173 - Emily's Hidden Reading Slump and Chris's Return to Practical Magic
Episode 172 - Top Ten Reads of 2022 with BookTuber Russell Gray
Episode 171 - Author Spotlight with Marcie R. Rendon
Episode 170 - 2022 Holiday Gift Ideas and Author Spotlight with Malinda Lo
Episode 169 - Author Spotlight with Marcia Clark and Our Mystery Man John Valeri
Episode 168 - Author Spotlight with Blair Braverman
Episode 167 - Author Spotlight with Kelcey Ervick
Episode 166 - All Things Audiobooks
Episode 165 - Author Spotlight with Diane Wilson
Episode 164 - Talking About the Booker Prizes with Russell Gray from Ink and Paper Blog
Episode 163 - Author Spotlight with Shelley Puhak
Episode 162 - Just Us and the Insects (or not)
Episode 161 - Rachel Barenbaum Author of ATOMIC ANNA
Episode 160 - A "Horrifying" Chat with the Editors of OTHER TERRORS: Vince Liaguno and Rena Mason
Episode 159 - On the Prowl Summer 2022
Episode 158 - Author Spotlight with Andrea Wang and Debbi Michiko Florence
Episode 157 - A Chat with AudioBook Narrator Simon Vance
Episode 156 - Announcing Our Big Summer Books with Sue Jackson
Episode 155 - Death on the Nile with Our Mystery Man John Valeri
Episode 154 - Biblio Adventure to NYC and Author Spotlight with Jess Montgomery
Episode 153 - Author Spotlight with Amy Bloom
Episode 152 - Author Spotlight with Kathleen Courtnay Stone
Episode 151 - Spring is in the air and the Book Cougars are on the prowl!
Episode 150 - On the Trail of the Jackalope with Michael P. Branch
Episode 149 - Author and Podcaster Bianca Marais Stops By for a Chat
Episode 148 - Reading Sure Makes Time Fly (how is it already February???)
Episode 147 - Q1 Readalong Pick, 2022 Reading Plans, and 2021 Listener Top 10s
Episode 146 - Top Ten Books of 2021 with BookTuber Russell Gray
Episode 145 - International Biblio Adventure and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Episode 144 - Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary!
Episode 143 - Author Spotlight with Jenna Blum
Episode 142 - O Beautiful Pub Day Conversation with Jung Yun
Episode 141 - Author Spotlight with Alice Henderson
Episode 140 - Our Mystery Man Returns with Spooktacular Recommendations
Episode 139 - Author Spotlight with Janice P. Nimura
Episode 138 - Marilynne Robinson Returns
Episode 137 - Author (and Editor) Spotlight with Juliet Grames
Episode 136 - We Discuss Books by Audrey Audrain, S.A. Cosby, Yan Ge, Alice Henderson, William Kent Krueger, Jung Yun, and MORE!
Episode 135 - Finally, an IN PERSON Joint Jaunt!
Episode 134 - Announcing Our 18th Readalong!
Episode 133 - Recording Together from the New Book Cougars Studio!
Episode 132 - Author Spotlight with Gina Barreca
Episode 131 - Readalong Discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass with Jenny from Reading Envy Podcast
Episode 130 - Author Spotlight with Whitney Scharer and a GIVEAWAY!
Episode 129 - Author Spotlight with Chris Tebbetts
Episode 128 - Author Spotlight with Melissa Homestead
Episode 127 - Flies & Magpies: Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma
Episode 126 - Saltwater in Our Veins: Author Spotlight with Luanne Rice
Episode 125 - Poetry Spotlight with Shuly Cawood
Episode 124 - Dr. Charlotte Markey Is Helping Girls Grow Up Fearless
Episode 123 - Author Kerri Arsenault Promises to Make Us Cretons!
Episode 122 - A Visit with Our Mystery Man John Valeri
Episode 121 - Author Spotlight with Jason Pinter
Episode 120 - Our 2020 Top Ten Books with Special Guest Russell Gray
Episode 119 - Author Spotlight with Bill Goldstein
Episode 118 - Hooray, It's Our 4th Anniversary of Talking Books and Going on Biblio Adventures!
Episode 117 - Our Conversation with Patrick Sweeney about EveryLibrary
Episode 116 - Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi Readalong
Episode 115 - Author Spotlight with Hank Phillippi Ryan and our 2020 Holiday Gift Ideas
Episode 114 - Mary Oliver Synchronicity
Episode 113 - We Bid Adieu to Our First Recording Studio
Episode 112 - We Do Some Alice Hoffman and Louise Penny Fangirling (again)
Episode 111 - We Talk BIG Books and Announce Our Next Readalong
Episode 110 - Author Spotlight with Caroline Leavitt
Episode 109 - Author Spotlight with Kathleen Rooney
Episode 108 - Convenience Store Woman Readalong and Author Spotlight with Fiona Davis
Episode 107 - Author Spotlight with Dr. Maysa Akbar
Episode 106 - Author Spotlight with Anne Oman
Episode 105 - Book of the Month Club Deal and lots of Bookish Banter!
Episode 104 - Author Spotlight with Jung Yun
Episode 103 - Author Spotlight with Emma Viskic
Episode 102 - Author Spotlight with Rachel Barenbaum
Episode 101 - Author Spotlight with Will Schwalbe
Episode 100 - Bookstore Owner Annie Philbrick and Author Shuly Cawood
Episode 99 - You Can't Keep Us Apart!
Episode 98 - Emily Visits Arizona and Chris Takes a Journey Through the Literature of Wales
Episode 97 - Ashley Olson from the Natl Willa Cather Foundation
Episode 96 - Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead Readalong and Booktopia 2020
Episode 95 - Author Spotlight with Matthew Goodman
Episode 94 - Sometimes You Can Biblio Adventure from the Couch!
Episode 93 - Our Top Reads of 2019 and Author Spotlight with Jess Montgomery
Episode 92 - Author Spotlight with Heather Harper Ellett
Episode 91 - Announcing our 12th Readalong!
Episode 90 - Our 2019 Holiday Gift Ideas!
Episode 89 - Min Jin Lee author of Free Food for Millionaires
Episode 88 - Sally Field the AUTHOR
Episode 87 - Chris Discovers a Fantastic Debut Mystery Author: Heather Harper Ellett
Episode 86 - Book Recommendations Aplenty with Ann Kingman, John Valeri, and Elissa Sweet
Episode 85 - Author Spotlight with Mike Branch
Episode 84 - Announcing our 11th Readalong!
Episode 83 - Chris finishes Middlemarch and Author Spotlight with Linda Kay Klein
Episode 82 - Author Spotlight with Fiona Davis
Episode 81 - We're Back! Author Spotlight with Cheryl Suchors and Jean P. Moore
Episode 80 - Sapphira and the Slave Girl Readalong with Jenny Colvin
Episode 79 - Our Book Expo 2019 Interviews!
Episode 78 - Book Expo 2019 Recap!
Episode 77 - Minnesota, Land of the 10,000 Little Free Libraries!
Episode 76 - Dr. Carla Hayden, Tracy K. Smith, Kevin Young at the Schomburg Center
Episode 75 - Biblio Adventure Extravaganza: Roz Chast, Patricia Marx, Mary Norris, Delia Owens, and more!
Episode 74 - Joint Jaunt to see Kingsolver and Powers, and Emily Eats Her Way Through Philly
Episode 73 - True Grit Readalong!
Episode 72 - Our Mystery Man Returns with Book Recommendations Galore!
Episode 71 - Min Jin Lee, JFK Presidential Library, and Riff Raff Bookstore
Episode 70 - Author Spotlight with Virginia Sole-Smith and A Giveaway!
Episode 69 - A Joint Jaunt to Yale University aka "Searching for Rory Gilmore"
Episode 68 - The Widows by Jess Montgomery, Noah Webster House, True Grit and More!
Episode 67 - We Would Love To Have YOU for Dinner!
Episode 66 - The World Premiere of the Radio Play: Yours In Words
Episode 65 - Bianca Marais author of Hum If You Don't Know the Words
Episode 64 - Our First Book Launch with Shuly Xochitl Cawood!
Episode 63 - Born a Crime Readalong and 2018 Holiday Gift Giving
Episode 62 - The Cougars Take Manhattan
Episode 61 - The Libraries, Sleepy Hollow and Upcoming Readalongs!
Episode 60 - Our Mystery Man Returns & A Mysterious Giveaway!
Episode 59 - Learning About Horseshoe Crabs!
Episode 58 - Yippee! Meet the Cougars and a GIVEAWAY
Episode 57 - Orchard House interviews with Anne Boyd Rioux and Jan Turnquist
Episode 56 - Baby, It's Steamy Outside!
Episode 55 - Readalong discussion of March by Geraldine Brooks and our visit to Concord, MA
Episode 54 - Reading Through A Heatwave!
Episode 53 - Chris Talks Bone Fragments AND Our Little Women Readalong!
Episode 52 - What Does 70 Pounds of Books Look Like?!
Episode 51 - BookExpo 2018 - Buzzy Books for the Coming Year!
Episode 49 - Our Mystery Man Returns!
Episode 48 - Jaunt Much? Chris and Emily visit SEVEN bookstores and discuss LOADS of books
Episode 47 - AngieThomas, Cecile Richards, Jhumpa Lahiri, Domenico Starnone and Willa Cather (of course!)
Episode 46 - The Stranger in the Woods
Episode 45 - An Unlikely Visit with Ann Kingman!
Episode 44 - National Poetry Month, Luis Alberto Urrea and books, lots of books!
Episode 43 - A Jaunt To See Two NY Times Bestselling Authors!
Episode 42 - No Power, No Problem! Our Maurice Read Along Conversation
Episode 41 - A Joint Jaunt with Min Jin Lee author of Pachinko!
Episode 40 - Our 4th Giveaway!
Episode 39 - Surprise! A Roadside Meetup with Michael Kindness
Episode 38 - A Cookbook Recall - Who Knew?!
Episode 37 - Boyne, Cather, Harper, Hoeg, Patel and a Joint Jaunt Re-enactment
Episode 36 - Chris and Emily Discuss Their Reading Goals for 2018
Episode 35 - Chris & Emily Discuss Their Top Reads Of 2017
Episode 34 - Holiday Gift Ideas and Our 3rd Readalong
Episode 33 - Bookshops Galore!
Episode 32 - David Bowie, Espionage, Gravediggers, Willa Cather and more...
Episode 31 - Happy Halloween! Surprise, Chris reads some Icelandic Dracula...
Episode 30 - Our 3rd Giveaway and 3rd Read-along!
Episode 29 - Library Sale Booty, Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon and more
Episode 28 - Maynard, Skulls and Keys, Fangirl or Stalker?
Episode 27 - The American Writer's Museum in Chicago, Illinois
Episode 26 - Prizes, Reading Challenges, New Podcasts, Jaunts and Books!
Episode 25 - Our Mystery Man!
Episode 24 - Berry, Cather, Steinbeck and more!
Episode 23 - Chris joins the Criminal Element book review team. Emily reads a steamy poem.
Episode 22 - Author Spotlight with Shuly Xochitl Cawood
Episode 21 - Bookswap, Bookworm, Colfer, Roorbach and Twain
Episode 20 - Another giveaway! Upcoming Grapes of Wrath Read Along and more...
Episode 19 - Our first author spotlight with Laura Thoma
Episode 18 - We won a raffle from New York Review Books - yay more books!
Episode 17 - The Cougars go bicoastal visiting both Portland's in the same week!
Episode 16 - Biblio Adventures galore (and books)
Episode 15 - Booktopia debrief and book recommendations with our guest Ann Kingman
Episode 14 - Leg Cramps, F-Bombs, A Passionate Movie Review (and books)
Episode 13 - Birds, Dickinson, The Dude Diet, Playboy, Steinbeck (and books)
Episode 12 - Surprise, it's a bonus episode with a super-duper special guest!
Episode 11 - History & Hickies and Books & Biblio Adventures
Episode 10 - Our top "ten" of all time, or for today, and a book giveaway/raffle
Episode 9 - Knitted Knockers, Little Free Libraries, Sperm Donation (and books)
Episode 8 - Biblio Adventure Bonanza! (and books...)
Episode 7 - Joint reads of the March trilogy and The English Patient
Episode 6 - Dracula, Legally Blonde and open heart surgery...
Episode 5 - Will Schwalbe, Roxane Gay, Kinokuniya and books, lots of books!
Episode 4 - 2017 Reading Goals / The English Patient Read Along
Episode 3 - Emily (meets) Oprah and much more...
Episode 2 - Top Ten Reads of 2016 and Holiday Gift Ideas
Episode One!