On this episode, Cynthia Chen, a fellow Reader & Runner, shares some of her piping hot takes about the reading life. She also discusses how she got back into reading after an eight year hiatus and tips for people who want to get back into reading. She gives a lot of really great book recommendations for Chicago books and we talk about how annoying it is when the geography of Chicago is incorrect. 

 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa

The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter

The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 

 

Books Highlighted by Cynthia:

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker 

Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 

Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal

Three Girls from Bronzeville by Dawn Turner 

Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai 

The Chicago Neighborhood Guidebook by Martha Bayne

Running While Black by Allison Mariella Désir

BFF: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate 

 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps #1) by R.L. Stine

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 

The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream by Dean Jobb 

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano 

River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure 

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 

Atomic Habits by James Clear 

The Battle of Lincoln Park by Daniel Kay Hertz

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai