Books and the City
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Top 10 Books and the City Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Books and the City episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Books and the City for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Books and the City episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
INTERVIEW: Melissa from the New York Public Library
Books and the City
11/05/20 • 26 min
Today, Kayla and Libby are chatting with Melissa, who is a Managing Librarian at the Bronx Library Center! Stay tuned to hear all about what Melissa’s typical day at the library looks like, the advice she has for anyone wanting to work at the library, what she misses most about being in-person at her Bronx Library Center, and some of the odd things she’s found in the pages of returned library books over her 20 years working there. If you’ve missed browsing the library as much as the hosts of Books and the City have, this interview will fill that library-shaped hole in your heart while we all wait for this pandemic to end. You can find the links we discussed in this episode below, and feel free to drop us a line at [email protected]. Thank you so much for listening!------------------------>
Find out if your local NYPL branch is open for Grab & Go service (or as Kayla would say, takeout for books) here!: https://www.nypl.org/locations/directory.
Help the NYPL celebrate their 125th birthday!: https://www.nypl.org/125
Top 10 checkouts of all time: https://www.nypl.org/125/topcheckouts
Melissa has been reading (and watching): Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman
Melissa’s all-time favorite book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Explore the rest of the library’s many resources on their website: https://www.nypl.org!
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
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Chicken Girl
Books and the City
07/06/20 • 64 min
First thing's first, thank you all for being as pumped about the Books and the City merch as we are!!! Don't forget, these designs will only be available until July 12 so grab yours today. Proceeds are going toward the Black Art Futures Fund. And then stick around because we're talking about fictional BFF's on today's episode. Find out which book character we'd each love to hang with, and please help Emily remember the title of a fifth grade-fave. Then of course, we have some great book talk lined up, ranging from contemporary fiction to very hot takes on a popular YA fantasy series. Read on for links, and check out bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity to shop the books we’ve discussed on this episode, and all past episodes! Check out our website at www.booksandthecitypod.com to order your merch (available through July 12, hurry!) If you want to drop us a line about the books we talked about in episode 15 or anything else, send a note to [email protected]>
Becky just read: Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid (16:15-23:54)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/605904/such-a-fun-age-by-kiley-reid/
Up next for Becky: Fast Girls by Elise Hooper
Kayla just read: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (23:55-36:10)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/577068/mexican-gothic-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/
Up next for Kayla: The Royal We + The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
Emily just read: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (36:11-53:21)
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses-9781635575569/
Up next for Emily: The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
Libby just read: Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith (53:22-1:01:35)
https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062943170/stay-gold/
Up next for Libby: The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
Meet Your New Favorite Book Club
Books and the City
02/13/20 • 76 min
Pop some champagne because we’re kicking off Books and the City with some exciting convos about how we met, what we’re reading right now and what we want to read next! Plus, are we ALL Charlotte York or does someone have to be the Samantha?! Here are the books we discussed and the bar that matches it in NYC ------------->
Kayla Read: The Words I Never Wrote by Jane Thynne https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557329/the-words-i-never-wrote-by-jane-thynne/ Read this one while you have a cozy hot toddy and type away at your own history-making novel on the vintage typewriters at The High Line Hotel’s Lobby Bar in Chelsea.
Up next: Before and After by Judy Christie
Becky Read: City of Flickering Light by Juliette Fay https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/City-of-Flickering-Light/Juliette-Fay/9781501192937 Read this while you sip a latte or an old fashioned at the art deco themed Five and Dime in the Financial District. Go at night for happy hour and you might find a silent film (or should we say flicker!) projected on the wall.
Up next: Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown
Emily Read: Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/ronan-farrow/catch-and-kill/9780316486637/ Because of the sensitive subject matter of this book we do not have a location recommendation to go along with it. Read this book in the place that makes you feel most comfortable. <3
Up next: Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein
Libby Read: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765334336 Get yourself some craft beer on tap at Burp Castle While you read this book! This medieval-themed bar in the East Village is the perfect place to read, especially since patrons aren’t allowed to speak louder than a whisper. A rule that is heavily enforced by bartenders.
Up next: Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
Amigas, Cheetahs, Friends for Life
Books and the City
06/14/21 • 66 min
We’re (still) reflecting on our upstate retreat, and today we’re sharing what we learned about each other after spending our first full weekend together. The answers may surprise you a little bit! And before we get into some quality book talk, we have some exciting announcements about the fan club book club, BATC merch, and a possible end-of-summer Tri-State meet up 👀 keep your eyes and ears peeled for more on that. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! You can join our fan club here: https://www.patreon.com/booksandthecitypod. Grab your BATC merch: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at [email protected]------------->
Libby just read: Eat A Peach by David Chang (15:22-29:59)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/552829/eat-a-peach-by-david-chang-with-gabe-ulla/
Up next for Libby: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Kayla just read: Long Bright River by Liz Moore (30:00-41:08)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600396/long-bright-river-by-liz-moore/
Up next for Kayla: Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
Emily just read: The Prestige by Christopher Priest (41:09-53:30)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312858865
Up next for Emily: The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
Becky just read: Is This Anything? By Jerry Seinfeld (53:31-1:02:51)
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Is-This-Anything/Jerry-Seinfeld/9781982112691
Up next for Becky: Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
Chaos: Indie Bookseller Edition
Books and the City
03/07/22 • 52 min
Hi, hello, happy March, welcome to another chaos episode! Today, we’re joined by the incredible Nicole Brinkley. Nicole is a manager at the independent bookstore, Oblong Books, located in Rhinebeck, NY. We’re picking her brain about all things indie bookstores and her amazing podcast, Misshelved, where she connects booksellers with authors for a conversation. BUT FIRST: before this interview, Nicole actually sent us a brief questionnaire about our reading tastes. She then used that info to choose three 2022 new releases for each of us (including a couple of bonus “buddy read” picks!) This was SO MUCH fun, and Nicole really nailed all her picks for each of us. Hope you’re ready to add 12 news books to your TBR... We have links to Nicole and her store below, along with a list of all the incredible sounding books she mentioned on this episode. Thank you for listening, we love you! Grab your BATC merch (including the coveted SWEATSHIRT) here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at [email protected]. --------------------------------------------------->
Oblong Books: https://www.oblongbooks.com/
Find Nicole online! Here’s her website: https://www.nebrinkley.com, and here she is on social media: https://www.instagram.com/nebrinkley/?hl=en
Listen to her podcast, Misshelved: https://misshelved.nebrinkley.com/
Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Emily:
THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston
THE SIGN FOR HOME by Blair Fell
A FAR WILDER MAGIC by Allison Saft
Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Kayla:
THE HACIENDA by Isabel Cañas
TO MARRY AND TO MEDDLE by Martha Waters
LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Libby:
THE BOOK EATERS by Sunyi Dean
A TINY UPWARD SHOVE by Melissa Chadburn
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING by Henry Fry
Preorder the books Nicole recommended for Becky:
ACTS OF VIOLET by Margarita Montimore
PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by Grace D. Li
SIREN QUEEN by Nghi Vo
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.
“Do you guys match your socks?”
Books and the City
10/17/22 • 63 min
Join us as we roll with the changing seasons by pinpointing what’s in and what’s out. Per usual, our algorithms are all feeding us wildly different trends, so there’s a chance we did this completely wrong. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Then stick around to hear some good convo about a classic book, a magical book, a new take on the Almost Famous story, and a queer book. Thanks so much for listening! You can get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at [email protected]>
Emily’s pick: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (16:52-28:07)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/117657/song-of-solomon-by-toni-morrison/
On Emily’s TBR: Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
Becky’s pick: The Moon, The Stars and Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan (28:08-35:51)
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-moon-the-stars-and-madame-burova-ruth-hogan
On Becky’s TBR: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare
Kayla’s pick: Groupies by Sarah Priscus (35:52-47:33)
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/groupies-sarah-priscus?variant=39727618195490
On Kayla’s TBR: From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper
Libby’s pick: Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour (47:34-1:00:42)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250810465/yerba-buena
On Libby’s TBR: Intimacies by Kate Kitamura
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.
Surprise! Featuring a Very Special Guest
Books and the City
05/25/20 • 59 min
We are so excited to be speaking with graphic designer extraordinaire, Nicole Zollos! She's the mastermind behind the Books and the City podcast art and all of the fantastic illustrations that you've probably seen and drooled over on our Instagram feed. Turns out, when she's not creating beautiful artwork, Nicole is a huge book nerd! So she joins the podcast this week to talk all things books, illustrating, & her longtime friendship with Becky (so presh). And of course, stay tuned to hear your usual hosts talk about some of their recent reads - after Emily tries to bully Libby into revealing her British accent. As always, thanks for listening and ENJOY! Read on for links, and make sure you check out bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity to shop the books we’ve discussed on the podcast! We feel weird recommending bar pairings during quarantine when you can’t go visit, but we’ll bring them back post-quar! If you have a perfect bar + book pairing in your city, OR any thoughts about the books we talked about in episode 10, send us a note at [email protected]!------------->
Emily just read: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (17:20-28:00)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374537159
Up next for Emily: Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
Kayla just read: Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (28:48-35:23)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250236609
Up next for Kayla: The German Heiress by Anika Scott
Becky just read: The Summer Set by Aimee Agresti (35:24-46:02)
https://www.harlequintradepublishing.com/shop/books/9781525823589_the-summer-set.html
Up next for Becky: Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Libby just read: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (46:04-55:39)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723634
Up next for Libby: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
BONUS! Nicole just read: Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor (15:36-16:52)
https://www.lbyr.com/titles/laini-taylor/days-of-blood-starlight/9780316215404/
Up Next for Nicole: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
Dating Apps & Throwbacks
Books and the City
05/03/21 • 62 min
We’re kicking off May with a super fun throwback book convo! We all chose books that we read more than one year ago, and tried to do the barest plot refresher before talking about them. We kept the books a surprise (kind of) from each other, so tune in for a very fun episode. And before we even get into that, we’re workshopping some dating app bios for each other. Not to brag, but we are really good at it. Plus! Becky makes a very special May fan club book club announcement. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! You can join our fan club (and book club!) here: https://www.patreon.com/booksandthecitypod. Grab your BATC merch: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at [email protected]------------->
Becky’s throwback: The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles (18:43-25:58)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/540700/the-air-you-breathe-by-frances-de-pontes-peebles/ Up next for Becky: Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
Libby’s throwback: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (25:59-34:58)
https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/eleanor-catton/the-luminaries/9780316074292/
Up next for Libby: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Emily’s throwback: Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen (34:59-51:08)
https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393346619
Up next for Emily: The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
Kayla’s throwback: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (51:09-58:52)
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-alice-network-kate-quinn?variant=32122703183906
Up next for Kayla: The Light Over London by Julia Kelly
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
Invisibility Cloaks & "I (Sometimes) See Dead People"
Books and the City
05/10/21 • 54 min
Today, we're hitting record like 4 seconds after consuming a weird coffee shot drink halfway through a marathon record, so bear with us. Before we get into the book talk, we're sharing which fictional element we'd want access to in the real world. Things get weird, but mostly on brand. And then: the books! There's memoir, YA coming of age, courtroom drama, and a Los Angeles classic. Thank you for listening ❤️!! You can join our fan club here: https://www.patreon.com/booksandthecitypod. Grab your BATC merch: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at [email protected]------------->
Emily just read: Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran (11:18-20:07)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250194718
Up next for Emily: The Nix by Nathan Hill
Kayla just read: The Boys’ Club by Erica Katz (20:08-30:02)
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-boys-club-erica-katz?variant=32306064752674
Up next for Kayla: The Other Mrs. Miller by Allison Dickinson
Becky just read: Mazie by Melanie Crowder (30:03-41:38)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/572844/mazie-by-melanie-crowder/
Up next for Becky: The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Libby just read: Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz (41:39-52:41)
https://www.counterpointpress.com/dd-product/13223/
Up next for Libby: Eat a Peach by David Chang
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
Us Just Struggling to Pronounce “Aurora”
Books and the City
06/07/21 • 78 min
Helloooo, and welcome to our last recording from upstate! Shoutout to us for managing to stretch this trip out a solid few weeks. So we’re reveling in a fun in-person “upstate” recording and chatting about our ideal middle school slumber partiess before we jump into some entertaining book talk! On the docket today, we have some sci-fi, a magical murder mystery, a villain origin story, and some contemporary witchy satire. Thank you for listening, we love you forever! You can join our fan club (and book club!) here: https://www.patreon.com/booksandthecitypod. Grab your BATC merch: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we’ve discussed on this episode and past episodes at bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at [email protected]------------->
Emily just read: Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (20:23-31:50)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250772800
Up next for Emily: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Becky just read: Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia (31:51-47:38)
https://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/embellweatherem-emrhapsodyem/9780544483910
Up next for Becky: Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld
Libby just read: Malice by Heather Walter (47:39-1:01:47)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/635783/malice-by-heather-walter/
Up next for Libby: Piranesi by Susanna Clark
Kayla just read: A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin (1:01:48-1:15:56)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608156/a-special-place-for-women-by-laura-hankin/
Up next for Kayla: Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells
Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Books and the City have?
Books and the City currently has 189 episodes available.
What topics does Books and the City cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Books and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Books and the City?
The episode title 'INTERVIEW: Melissa from the New York Public Library' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Books and the City?
The average episode length on Books and the City is 56 minutes.
How often are episodes of Books and the City released?
Episodes of Books and the City are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Books and the City?
The first episode of Books and the City was released on Feb 13, 2020.
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