Listen Now

In this episode, Erin will go through her regular spiel quickly up front but please don't miss this opportunity to meditate on what is happening in the world and to hear some recommendations on books you should read to help build empathy and heal our nation.  Included in this episode is an 8:46 silence to help you contemplate where you are at, Erin shares where her heart is, we hope it will open a conversation for you.

In this episode we talk about a few books Erin has been reading including The Holdout by author Graham Moore, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo and of course Lyndon B Johnson and the American Dream by author Doris Kearns Goodwin.  This last book of course kicks off some thoughts on today's political climate!

This week we are excited to welcome yet another young reader.  Eleven-year old Riley McDonnell joins us this week to share what she's reading now, what she wants to read next, and a review of her favorite book, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  Our host Erin will also share her list, as well as review the newest novel from author Colston Whitehead, The Nickel Boys. If your heart was broken and rebuilt by The Underground Railroad, you won't want to miss this newest book.  Whitehead once again brings your heart to the brink of despair and regret for this nation and its history in the mistreatment of African-Americans while showing you the resilience of the human spirit.

This week we continue to hear from some of our youngest readers on suggestions of what to read while on lockdown.  Erin, our host covers her current reading and recent books added to her list, while Maddie gives a review of the book Wonder and Jack talks about the Percy Jackson series by author Rick Riordan. For reference, our readers this week are 9 years old and in 4th grade.

We are excited to bring this fun quickie episode featuring my niece, Molly Miller as my co-host!  She is as big a book lover as I am and so fun to talk to!  She and I both go through what books we are reading and what books we are excited to read.  I review Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee and Molly reviews One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus.  Bring along your young reader to hear their peer review books!

Today Erin dives into some deep thinking about the current coronavirus crisis and recommends some books on grief, as well as some tips on how to think about finding reading time in these days of idleness and fear. Additionally, she reviews the book Between Earth and Sky which follows an interesting and saddening part of our US history when it was common practice to pull Native American children from the reservations and put them into "savage-taming" boarding schools.

Join guest host Erin Fabio and author Amy Bonnaffons as they discuss The Regrets.  This is Ms. Bonnaffons' debut novel about love, life, and the complications of relationships.  Featuring an underlying story about the afterlife, this book opened up a great discussion on our emotional availability in relationships, sex, the differences between generations on sexy, and oh did we mention sex. Fun and winding conversations with a new and introspective author.

These are crazy times, and hopefully they'll be times when more people than ever are not only reading more but talking more. In this episode, Erin reviews the book They Eat Puppies, Don't They? by author Christopher Buckley. A wonderful satire about our relations with China. A book filled with humor, a wonderful array of vocabulary, and characters so hyperbolic you'll buy it.

In this episode, we hear from our host Erin about what she is currently reading, what books she's added to her queue and why, as well as a brief review of the book A Gentleman in Moscow by author Amor Towles.  As you've heard from previous reviews of books like Do Not Say We Have Nothing and Pachinko, this book opened up another new world, the world of 1922 Russia.  A bonus, Erin gives us her rave review of the new Ben Affleck movie, The Way Back.

In this short episode, our host Erin Keating offers insights into what she's reading now, what books she's added to her queue and why, and finally offers a review of the book In the Garden of Beasts by author Erik Larson.  If you have an interest in history but generally feel iffy about reading history, look no further, Erik Larson is a master at writing history to sound more like a novel. In this book we learn more about what being an American diplomat in Germany as Hitler was coming to power would've been like.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. A wonderful novel that could have stood on its own merits of being a fun read, a love story, and a whirlwind through history.  However, it also served as a great teaching moment on how history repeats itself, how living forever has its disadvantages, and that love never dies.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book What Blooms from Dust by James Markert. Follow this story of a family and community that finds prosperity in the new frontier but succumbs to the desolation of the Dust Bowl and how hope is restored through love and light.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book Kindred by author Octavia Butler.  A masterful work of science fiction meets historical fiction following the life of a black woman trapped between living in the 1970s but time traveling back to the antebellum South.  It will make you think about the ways we allow ourselves to change to fit the narratives of our times.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book Pigs by Johanna Stoberock.  If you loved Lord of the Flies and are wanting to further explore your feelings on our consumerism and its effects on the environment, look no further.  This book is a powerfully written tale that pushes us to rethink what we consider trash and its impact on the world.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall. What a tale about four people from different faith backgrounds and walks of life who find each other in marriage, friendship, ministry, and life.  Whether you are a person of faith or not, this story levels the playing field and offers a real life perspective of what finding faith means to a variety of people.

In this super short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. If you haven't read much about apartheid and what happened in South Africa this is a must read.  Mandela tells a truly personal tale of his childhood, how he was reared and learned of politics and tribal life, as well as his marriages, his start in the ANC and of course he covers his years in prison and beyond.  An astonishing story of tenacity, faith, and how one man changed a nation.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. Dealing with death is hard enough, do we really want to know when we will die?  The Immortalists explores this question through the eyes of a family of four children who visit with a seer at a young age. It's heart wrenching, thought provoking, and well written.

Join guest co-host of the week, Nancy Walker and Erin as they discuss the biography by Evan Thomas, First: Sandra Day O'Connor. Nancy Walker is the recently retired Pastor for Congregational Care at Columbia Baptist Church.  Both Erin and Nancy share the distinction of being the only daughter in large families full of sons.  A generation apart but both having followed Sandra Day O'Connor, they each bring a unique perspective of what it's been like being raised a girl in today's world and in the not so distant past.  Explore this theme and more with Erin and Nancy as they take on First.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. If you have found yourself feeling less than educated on world history, Min Jin Lee takes us through the interesting history of the Koreans and Japanese from the early 1900s through modern day by way of a beautiful and difficult multigenerational family story.

In this short episode, we look at what our host, Erin, is reading now, what new books have been added to her queue, and a short review of the book Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders.  Saunders has a beautiful way of weaving a story about the tremendous grief of Abraham Lincoln over his son Willie with stories of those passed on who are trying to help young Willie as he makes the "transition".  The dialogue and writing throw many for a loop but Erin will give you her opinion on why its worth the patience to read it!