The Book Cougars step out from behind the microphone.
The Book Cougars: Two Middle-Aged Women on the Hunt for a Good Read is a literary podcast hosted and produced by Emily Fine and Chris Wolak. (We're indy!) Every-other-week we sit down to talk about the books we've read, the Biblio Adventures we've been on, books that have caught our eye, and other bookish topics. We also have regular interviews with authors and other literary professionals.
This channel is our attempt to give listeners some visual background to our reading lives and Biblio Adventures.
Just finishing up my summer reading. Listened to the audio of Limberlost by Robbie Arnott. This is a story of a family run Apple farm on Tasmania (off the coast of Australia) and a young man coming of age while his two brothers are off fighting in WWII in the Pacific. It was a wonderful listen with nature, men in boats and family. Been on a bit of an Irish kick, loved the Rachel Incident and now reading The Coast Road by Murrin--just recently released. Soo good, dark things about to happen--small town type mystery. Lots of good reading. Read James by Everett and it is excellent. Love seeing you both. May made Sept 19 as I will be back on the East coast. Thanks for another wondeful video.
The Moby Dick event sounds like fun (and I loved your pics on IG), but I could never get by with 2 hours of sleep! My days of all-nighters are long over - ha ha The Weight of Ink was very good - my book group all enjoyed it. That's quite a big book haul, Chris! Sounds like some good books for you both! Enjoy that granddaughter, Emily!
Congrats Emily on becoming a grandmother. So great your daughter delivered with a midwife. (I'm a retired midwife and always happy to hear of current midwife births) I just finished reading James. It was even better than I had heard. Great writing, great story and great fun to read. Currently reading The Rachel Incident, another wonderful Irish coming of age type story---listening to that one. It is on the finals list of the six books for the BookTub Prize. Thanks for reminding me about the Oh Reader magazine. I have seen it but am intrigued again to go find it. Happy Reading
Always fun to "hang out with" you two! You always make me laugh :) My high school also had a "smoking lounge" but I use the term loosely because it was just an area in front of the doors to the student parking lot. Keep in mind I grew up in western NY, so it was cold and snowy most of the school year! So, if you drove to school, you had to run the gauntlet of smokers (and the cloud of smoke) to get into the building. I like my feet OK, though I wish I didn't have to go to the podiatrist so often! Enjoy your Big Book, Chris!
Yea me--finished The Count of Monte Cristo. Since finishing I've read 4 short books. My favorite of the 4 was Clear by Carys Davies, great Scottish book.
Witches are my wheelhouse. I don't recall THE MERCIES, but it's on my TBR, now. I like my feet. I love to be barefoot at home, but can't walk barefoot outside ever since I stepped on a tack as a kid.
Currently reading The Song of Wrath by Sarah Raughley. And yes, I like my feet and like to slather them with peppermint lotion. Happy feet, happy walker. 😊
I just finished listening to this episode and I immediately put her new book on hold. It put me in mind of The Sicilian Inheritance, both the novel and the true crime-ish podcast that inspired it (both by Jo Piazza).
Currently reading “The Bandit Queens”, only 50pp to go. For me, it was a much more interesting and entertaining read than “Fellowship Point”. That Borders tee shirt is primo. Yes, they sold loads video cassettes and very tasty coffee as well. They are missed.
What a wonderful adventure! The scenery was beautiful and the bookstores were cozy (even the Barnes & Noble lol). I loved the statue of Steinbeck and Charlie! The Grapes of Wrath is my second favorite book of all time, and I’ve pulled out my daughter’s East of Eden she lent me an embarrassingly long time ago to read soon (hopefully). Great video!
Adding to the chorus of cheers and thanks for this video. The Steinbeck statue alone was worth the price of admission. I also appreciated the other canine content. I want that cute tie-dye tote! I’ve read “The Miniaturist.” I remember not really knowing what type of book it was for most of the book (domestic horror?, slice of life?, historical fiction?), but the characters and the ending are very memorable. I think I gave it four stars.
Looks like a wonderful trip! I've taken the other ferry between CT and LI (further west along the north shore). BTW, every time you said ferries, the captions said "fairies" ha ha. Did you ride on fairies? Cool! Unfortunately, you were on the wrong end of LI for me to get bookstore recs for my son - he and his girlfriend live on the west end, close to Queens. But he does travel on the island for work, so I will tell him anyway! Love the boardwalk, LFLs, and Steinbeck & Charley statue. My mom read The Miniaturist and enjoyed it! Hey, Cape Henlopen is here in Delaware :) Thanks for bringing us along on your adventure!
Great, well planned adventure. Loved seeing all the sights. I have to try pieces of it. Currently on the west coast but missing the Cape. Almost done with my big book summer of The Count of Monte Cristo. Loved it but looking forward to reading lots of new books.
Thanks for sharing your well planned travelogue of the East End. Greenport Library looks so inviting. It was probably hard to resist the urge to take a break and start browsing the stacks.
What a wonderful biblioadventure! Thank you for sharing it! Btw, according to LibraryThing, I gave The Miniaturist 5 stars when I read it back in 2015.
I can attest to how fantastic Louise’s series on the W.P. Non-fiction Longlist was. I am a regular NF reader and thoroughly enjoyed the series - and now I am enjoying the books that sparked my attention based on her reviews. Glad to have been introduced to your channel and am looking forward to watching some of your videos.
Love the Borders shirt! I worked at the Borders store in Eatontown NJ and have great memories from that time. I also read Fellowship Point last year and agree with the comment that it was not what was expected from the blurb inside the book jacket. It’s an engaging story, but at the time I remember being somewhat disappointed. Still, I’m glad I read it.😊
Yes, t-shirts are considered vintage at 20 years! Some can be worth hundreds of dollars! There are quite a few RU-vid channels about vintage Ts if you want to learn more.. Happy reading 👍😄📚
Hey hey! I’m currently reading How to read a book by Monica Wood, loving it so far and I’ve got All Fours by Miranda July on stand by….love the shirt, very neat and I’m also loving the coffee mug! I’m currently looking up a new purse, tote or bag, need something for my essentials and of course my book….any suggestions….I know you ladies are on the go, do you have a favorite you could share?
We both love Baggallini bags! This is a model we both have/have had -- www.baggallini.com/modern-everywhere-bag/EWH710-BG-B0365-NS.html -- it comfortably holds a big hardcover or several regular sized paperbacks and a lot more. The adjustable strap is convenient and the various pockets are helpful.
Hi, Jude! Thanks for listening and for subscribing here, too! We haven't come across this notifications bell issue. Here are some trouble shooting ideas. If a subscriber isn't receiving notifications from a RU-vid channel, there are a few things to check: Account settings Ensure that the Notify me about activity from channels I'm subscribed to option is turned on in your RU-vid account settings. Device settings If using a mobile device, check that notifications for the RU-vid app are enabled in your device's settings. If using a computer, check that notifications from RU-vid are allowed in your browser settings. Channel notification settings Go to your app's settings and tap the Channels tab to see a list of your subscribed channels, each with a bell icon. We hope one of these will help solve the issue. I (this is Chris) also check to see if there are any updates and will often restart my phone/laptop if nothing else helps. Please let us know how it goes!
I just finished "The Winter Queen" by Boris Akunin. It felt very noirish. I don't think I read much Judy Blume as a child as I went to a country school and there were few books there. Our Teacher had to go to a public library and just grab what she could get from the shelves in a hurry as she had to go after work before they closed. Bless her memory.
I’m in the middle of reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and really enjoying it. I also did a buddy read with one of my sons but the book we read ( The Husbands) did not work for either of us. It won’t stop us from future buddy reads! Ha!
Somehow I missed Judy Blume. Maybe I'm too old but I did recently watched the movie as I love author biogrophy movies. So I am very interested in The Genius. thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'm now on a road trip from Cape Cod to Wisconsin and boy am I having lots and lots of biblioadventures. Buying way too many books and seeing how different parts of the U.S.A use and decorate their libraries. I'm still trying to get through The Count of Monte Cristo on this trip. Just past the half way poiint. Not a good book for a road journey but I don't want to put it down. Had to drag out my computer to watch Friday Reads. Love your videos.
Hi Kerry! Thanks for watching us while on vacation...we are honored! Checking out libraries on a road trip is so much fun. It is fascinating how they can be similar but also so different. Good luck with The Count!
Hi, Barbara! How cool that you read it for book club. It feels like a cautionary tale now that some want to roll back the progress that has been made in women's equality and rights.
