What To Read If

Hi friends, Welcome to August and congrats to those of you who’ve already submitted your Summer Reading Bingo card. I always love seeing what you all are reading. If you haven’t completed your card yet, don’t fret. They’re due Friday, September 11, and one lucky player will win a $50 gift card to Bookshop.org. And, now what to read if … At least three times a week, I ask the dog to take a break on our walk so I can look up a house we’re passing on Zillow. Am I looking to buy a house?

Hi friends, Welcome back to Midsummer Murders Week here at What to Read If. Each year in mid-July or so, in a nod to the British show “Midsomer Murders” and the book series of the same name. Set in a wealthy community in the English countryside, it features detectives solving intricate, bizarre crimes (woman crushed by a giant round of cheese, woman tumbled to death in a dryer, man covered in truffle oil and left for a wild boar). They’re cozy puzzles, not gory.

Hi friends, I’m excited to share a guest post from my friend Samantha Rosen today. Samantha is the editor of Living, Together, an anthology, out tomorrow about communal living, featuring essays from Kristen Arnett, Kim Stanley Robinson and more. I’ve read the book — it’s so good and you can expect to see it in a future edition of this newsletter. — Elizabeth Thanks to Elizabeth for having me! I’m excited to pop in to offer you some reads that really all revolve around one theme: interdependence.

Hi friends, What a weekend.

Hi friends, Happy belated Father’s Day to all the dads out there — and especially mine. His gift is the Yankees’ top position in the AL East standings. I want to quickly thank the two Betsys (Marro and Verecky) for their recent guest posts. They both provided some excellent picks. Quick PSA: Bookshop.org is providing free shipping from June 23rd through June 26th. Sounds like a #PrimeDay to shop there. This week, I have three books for the summer travel season.

Hi friends! I’m excited to share a guest post with you today from Betsy Vereckey, author of the memoir, Moving to My Dog’s Hometown. She kindly sent me a picture of her dogs, and I am delighted to share that with you as well. ~Elizabeth Hello book lovers! I’m filling in as your guest author this week so that Elizabeth can save her linguistic energy for the book that she’s hard at work on.

Hi friends, I hope the first week of June treated you well. I get disproportionate joy out of a month that begins on a Monday — it just feels right. I was happy to see Good People by Patmeena Sabit on this New York Times list of best audiobooks of the year so far. What have been some of your favorite listens of the year? And, now, what to read if … I’m writing this after stopping at the library to pick up my summer reading challenge paperwork.

Hi friends, It’s that time of the year again: Summer Reading Bingo. For the uninitiated, each summer we play Bingo. Fill in the below card with the books you read between Memorial Day and Labor Day for the chance to win a $50 gift card to Bookshop.org. Get your card here. Fill it in with books you read between Memorial Day and Labor Day and submit your completed card here. Everyone who gets Bingo will be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift certificate to the Bookshop.org or LibroFM.

Hi friends, Hope you had a great weekend! I have a special edition from my pal Elizabeth Marro today. She shares my view that finding the right book at the right time is kind of magic. I’ll be back next week — on Tuesday — with this year’s Summer Reading Bingo card. Elizabeth, hard at work on her new book, has given me the mic this week and I’m thrilled. I’m also an Elizabeth but call me Betsy. Like Elizabeth, I love books — reading them, writing them, and talking about them.

Hi friends, Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all the moms out there — and especially to my mom! I hope you all had a wonderful day. We’ve got a fun few weeks at the newsletter: May 18th: a special guest post by novelist Betsy Marro from Spark. May 26th: the kick-off of our annual Summer Reading Bingo game.