Perks of Being a Book Lover, hosted by Amy Smalley and Carrie Vittitoe, is a show about books, people who read, and how reading, at its very best, is a social experience. Whether it be a book club, a poetry slam, or the production of a play; words are meant to be shared. 
Listen to us each week on Forward Radio WFMP-LP Louisville at 106.5fm or online at http://forwardradio.org. The program airs on Wednesdays at 6pm and repeats Thursdays at 6am and noon.
Keep up with us and share your reading lives on Facebook, Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod or visit our blog at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com

The Perks of Being a Book Lover

Discussion of the local Louisville economy, gambling trends over the decades, and the recent legalization of sports gambling in Kentucky.

Economic Impact | Episode 10 | Gambling At The Local Level

A discussion of the economic impact of Derby Week on the Louisville Metro Area and what it means for jobs, payroll, sales revenues, and tax revenues.

Economic Impact | Special Episode: The Economic Impact Of Derby Week

This week's program is truly unique - an act of street theater followed by community conversation about the greatest crisis facing humanity - global climate chaos. This week, we bring you edited highlights from "An Enemy of The People: Extinction Rebellion," a performance and dialogue that took over Times Square in New York City on a bustling Wednesday afternoon, June 12th, 2024. Listen in as Bill Murray and many other great actors perform a reading of portions of the great 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, followed by community conversation. This event was organized by Theater of War Productions; Extinction Rebellion; Scientists Rebellion; Green Faith; The People's Senate; Climate Café; and Billion Oyster Project!

Watch a full recording of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB-aoMuTDVQ

On Truth to Power each week, we gather people from around the community to discuss the state of the world, the nation, the state, and the city! It's a community conversation like you won't hear anywhere else!

Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 4pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

Truth To Power | An Enemy of The People: Extinction Rebellion | Bill Murray et al | 6-14-24

A discussion with Dr. Karl Besel of St. Joseph University on his paper "Racial Justice in the Nonprofit Sector: Addressing Nonprofit Sustainability in Diverse Communities."  Interesting findings for nonprofits at the local level.

Economic Impact | Episode 37 | Dr. Karl Besel | Racial Justice in the Nonprofit Sector | 8-12-24

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod
Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover.
To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button.

It's that time of year where kids and teachers are back at school or almost back at school so we thought we would offer recommendations for books related to education—novels or memoirs set in schools or colleges; books with teachers, deans, students, or staff as characters; literature in which education or learning plays an important if not essential role.

Books mentioned in this episode:

1- The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera 

2- Shanghailanders by Juli Min

3- A Five-Star Read Recommended by Fellow Book Lover Dawn Nacker @dawndevoursbooks - How To Read a Book by Monica Wood

4- Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson

5- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

6- The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Matthieu

7- Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by RF Kuang

7- New Kid by Jerry Craft

8- The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

9- The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

10- The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe

11- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

12- True Biz by Sara Nović

13- Girl at War by Sara Nović

14- All Summer in a Day (short story) by Ray Bradbury

15- Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay

16- The Rom-commers by Katherine Center

Bookish events—

1- Poe: A Dream Within a Dream
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/belleoflouisville/items/431538/calendar/2024/10/?full-items=yes&back=https://www.belleoflouisville.org/%23&flow=1089772&g4=yes

2- Untimely Ripp’d 
https://kyshakespeare.com/season/untimely/

3- Cincy Bookstore Crawl
https://cincybookstorecrawl.my.canva.site/

4- Books by the Banks
https://booksbythebanks.org/

5- Cynthiana KY Skeletons
https://wkdq.com/small-kentucky-city-halloween/

6- Rail Explorers
https://www.railexplorers.net/

7- Fenrir Viking Festival
https://www.kyrenfaire.com/viking-fest

8- New Kid by Jerry Craft Book Banning
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/28/1144458555/banned-books-author-jerry-craft-new-kid

Media mentioned—

1- The Whale Rider — 2002
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298228/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

2- Happiness for Beginners (Netflix, 2023)

Perks S11:Ep231 | Back To School: A Book Rec Episode | 8-21-24

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod
Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover.
To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button.

November is Native American Heritage month so in this episode, we’re sharing some books written by Native American authors. There are so many great texts to choose from if you’re interested in broadening your reading. We bring your memoirs, poetry, Pulitzer Prize winners, and more. When we do these thematic episodes, we enjoy hearing from listeners who have their own recommendations within that theme so be sure to shoot us a message or comment on any of our socials. 

Books Mentioned In this Episode:

1- A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

2- Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

3- Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist by Jasmin Graham

4- A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars by Hakeem Oluseyi

5- A Book Recommended by Fellow Booklover Vero Garcia @booksandcoffeemx - All This and More by Peng Shepherd

6- Th Blessing Way and all books in the Leaphorn & Chee series by Tony Hillerman

7- Bad Indians: A Memoir by Deborah Miranda

8- Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis

9- House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

10-Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan

11- An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo

12- Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII by Chester Nez 
13- Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

14- The Fertile Earth and the Ordered Cosmos: Reflections on the Newark Earthworks and World Heritage edited by M. Elizabeth Weiser, Timothy RW Jordan, and Richard D. Shiels

15- Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers 

16- The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich (Birchbark House series #2)

17- The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

18- Shutter by Ramona Emerson

19- Exposure by Ramona Emerson

20- Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

21- The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

22- There, There by Tommy Orange

23- The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

24- The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland



Media mentioned--

1- Reservation Dogs (Hulu, 2021-2023)

2- Dark Winds (AMC and Neflix, 2022 - present)

Perks S11:Ep244 | Native American Heritage Month: A Book Rec Episode | 11-20-24

If you would like to check out Carmichael’s Bookstore Holiday Book Gift Guide, you can find it online at www.carmichaelsbookstore.com/

Website- www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod
FaceBook - Perks of Being a BookLover.
To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.

The delightful Sam Miller, store manager at Carmichael’s Book Store, comes to save the day. She has, as usual, tons of great new reads that are already on shelves and would make perfect gifts this holiday for the book lovers in your life. 


Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante

2- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

3- Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

4- Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery

5- The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya

6- This is Happiness by Niall Williams

7- Time of the Child by Niall Williams

8- Jim the Boy by Tony Early

9- The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

10- The Fortnight in September by RC Sherriff

11- The Movement: How Women's Liberation Transformed America, 1963-1973 by Clara Bingham

12- Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel

13- The Elements of Madame Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science by Dava Sobel

14- The Universe in Verse by Maria Popov

15- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

16- The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

17- Heartbreak is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Revived Pop Music by Rob Sheffield

18- The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

19- We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

20- Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway

21- William by Mason Coile

23- Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison

24- Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

25- House of Frank by Kay Synclaire

26- Pride and Prejudice in Space by Alexis Lampley

27- Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

28- From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

29- Cher: The Memoir (Part One) by Cher

30- The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

31- Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney

32- The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

33-Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories by Ann Byrn

34- Kentucky Ya'll: A Celebration of the People and Culture of the Bluegrass by Blair Thomas Hess and Cameron Ludwick
  
35- The Stackpole Legend by Wendell Berry

36- In Praise of Mystery by Ada Limon, illustrated by Peter Sis

37- Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid 

38- A Five Star Read recommended by fellow Book Lover Perin @mjreadsmagic - Sir Callie and the Dragon's Roost by Esme Symes-Smith

39- Gather by Kenneth Cadow

40- The Horse by Willy Vlautin

41- Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen by Suzanne Scanlon

42- How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery

43- The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

Media mentioned--

1- A Real Pain (2024)

2- Wicked Little Letters (Netflix, 2023)

3- The Lost Daughter (Netflix, 2021)

4- The Return (2024)



Perks S11:Ep245 | 2024 Holiday Book Buying Guide with Bookseller Sam Miller | 11-27-24

This is a REPLAY episode from our Holiday gift buying guide from 2023. We will be back next week with a REMIX episode with  former guest Tracy Clark who has a new mystery you won't want to miss.

This week we chat with our favorite bookseller, Sam Miller, from Carmichael’s Bookstore. Each November we let her do the heavy lifting and share books that have come out and might be good choices for your holiday shopping.

If you would like to check out Carmichael’s Bookstore Holiday Book Gift Guide, you can find it online at www.carmichaelsbookstore.com/

Website- www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod
FaceBook - Perks of Being a BookLover.
To send us a message, go to our website and click the Contact button.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

2- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

3- Foster by Claire Keegan

4- So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan

5- Let us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

6- Fraud by Zadie Smith

7- Armor of Light by Ken Follett

8- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

9- Julia by Sandra Newman

10- 1984 by George Orwell

11- Reformatory by Tananarive Due

12- Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

13- A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

14- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

15- West Heart Kill by Dann Mcdorman

16- The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

17- The Appeal by Janice Hallett

18- The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

19- Stalking Shakespeare by Lee Durkee

20- They Flew by Carlos Eire

21- Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire

22- Wild Girls by Tiya Miles

23- The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl

24- Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl

25- Watership Down (graphic novel) by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin

26- Watership Down by Richard Adams

27- Energy Follows Thought by Willie Nelson

28- World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy

29- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

30- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

31- Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

32- Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

33- Legend & Lattes by Travis Baldree

34- World Central Kitchen Cookbook by Jose Andres

35- Every Cook, Every Kitchen by Feed Louisville

36- Oldest Louisville by Kevin Gibson

37- Always Moving Forward by David Jones and Bob Hill

38- Back Page by Byron Crawford

39- Fathers by Richard Taylor

40- From the Heads of the Hollers by Shelby Lee Adams

41- Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson

42- Lewis Sinclair and the Gentlemen Cowboys by DMS Fick

43- Rabbit Heart by Kristine S. Ervin

44- My Dark Places by James Ellroy

45- Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore

46- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

47- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

48- The Man who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Rescued his Career and Revived our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford

49- Mr. Dickens and his Carol by Samantha Silva

5 Star Read Recommended by Fellow Book Lover Casey @Caseys_reads
12 Months To Live by James Patterson and Mike Lupica

Movie and Series Mentioned:

- CODA (2021) - Apple +
- Bodies (2023) - Netflix

REPLAY Perks S9:E198 | 2023 Holiday Book Buying Guide with Bookseller Sam Miller | 11/29/23

In this interview, Dr. Cynthia Ganote, Founder and CEO of Ganote Consulting, offers tips on small steps we can all take to bring more kindness and inclusion into our personal and work lives, especially as it relates to the troubled times we are living in.

Election Connection | Dr. Cynthia Ganote | Creating more inclusive spaces | 12-3-24

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.
Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod
Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover.
To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button.

You can find Sharon Short at her website, www.sharonshort.com and on Instagram at @sharongshortauthor.

This week we have a Remix episode and catch up with Sharon Short, who we initially interviewed about her historical mystery novels which she wrote under the pen name Jess Montgomery. She has a new stand alone mystery suspense out titled Trouble Island that was inspired by a very interesting family story.  You will first hear our most recent chat with her just a few weeks ago and then we will replay our original conversation with her back in the Spring of 2022 talking about her Kinship series.

Just a note that next week we will have another REMIX episode, this time with award winning mystery writer Tracy Clark whose most recent in the Detective Harriet Foster  series came out Dec 3 titled Echo.  The Washington Post has just named it one of their top mysteries of 2024. 

Books Mentioned In this Episode:

1- Trouble Island by Jess Montgomery

2- The Widows by Jess Montgomery (Kinship series)

3- The Echoes by Jess Montgomery (Kinship series)

4- Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen Kirby 

5- Deer Season by Erin Flanagan

6- How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith


Perks REMIX S11:Ep246 | Trouble Island with Guest Sharon Short | 12-11-24

You can find Tracy Clark on social media on Instagram @tpclark2000, on FB at Tracy Clark and on her website tracyclarkbooks.com/

For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and on FB Perks of Being a Book Lover

This week we have a Remix episode and catch up with Tracy Clark, who we interviewed in Season 8 (episode 161) about her first Harriet Foster novel titled Hide. Her most recent title, number 3 in the series, is called Echo, and it came out Dec 3. We chat with her about this book, as well as the Harriet Foster book she is currently writing. We caught her on a writing day in which Harriet Foster was not cooperating. Then you will hear some of our conversation with Tracy back in 2023 when Harriet Foster first arrived on the scene.  

Books Mentioned In This Episode

1- Hide by Tracy Clark

2- Echo by Tracy Clark

3- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

4- Her Name is Knight series by Yasmin Angoe

5- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

6-The Ninja's Oath (Lily Wong series) by Tori Eldridge

7- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

8- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

9- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

10- American Fever by Dur e Aziz Almna

Authors mentioned:

1- Sarah Paretsky

2- Sue Grafton

3- Agatha Christie

4- Valerie Wilson Wesley

5- Barbara Neely


Perks REMIX S11:Ep247 | Echo with guest Tracy Clark | 12-18-24

A conversation with Dr. John Komlos, Professor Emeritus of the University of Munich, who has edited and contributed to the book, Neoliberal Economic Policy and The Rise of Right-Wing Populism in which I have written a chapter.  Dr. Komlos discusses how past economic policies have given rise to working class discontent and the rise of far-right ideas and policies.  This book has a message and warning about the future of US democracy.  It has recently been published, and for more information on it, here is the publisher's site for the book:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-74979-7

Economic Impact | Episode 46 | Neoliberal Economic Policy And The Rise Of Right - Wing Populism

A discourse on horse racing's current state, its competition, and how gambling is currently doing nationally and locally.  Comparisons are made between what is happening in Kentucky and Indiana on the gambling scene.

Economic Impact | Episode 52 | Horse Racing and Its Competition

An interview with Dr. Ken Chilton of Tennessee State University on his research into how large real estate firms and financial corporations, sometimes known as private equity firms, are buying up residential housing in different metro area markets throughout the US.  Many of these homes are being resold to upscale buyers or rented out to those of a middle income class.  Louisville falls into a category where most are rented due to certain characteristics that make Louisville different from cities such as Nashville or Atlanta.  In many cities, large corporations can own a substantial portion of the local housing stock.

Economic Impact | Episode 54 | Interview with Dr. Ken Chilton on Big Corporations and Housing

A conversation about music and sustainability from deep within the Bluegrass world in Louisville, Kentucky.

Our guests are members of the Cottonwood Buds, three buds playing folk-adjacent tunes in Louisville, featuring three-part vocal harmonies with acoustic guitar and a few other novel instruments. They perform in studio for us three absurd climate change songs and share thoughts on sustainability. The Cottonwood Buds are:

- Carolyn Waters is a vocalist and guitarist by night and a consultant for parks, outdoor programs, and ecology projects by day.

- Rina Perlin is a lifelong singer and, for the past several years, also a practicing psychiatrist in Louisville.

- Jon Riesser enjoys all sorts of guitar, but especially likes flatpicking and accompanying folks in bluegrass and old time music - he plays guitar, banjo, a little harmonica, and sings in The Cottonwood Buds! He also does law stuff.

Keep up with them at https://www.instagram.com/thecottonwoodbuds and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561925151416

Cottonwood Buds photo used with the band's permission.

10.08.25 / Music & Sustainability with The Cottonwood Buds

A conversation with Marxian/socialist economist Michael Roberts on the current state of the global economy and where things may be headed.  Are we in a period of secular stagnation or the "winter" of a long wave economic cycle.  Is "time running out" on the capitalist economic system, and if so, what can be done?

Economic Impact | Episode 59 | Economist Michael Roberts on the Global Economy--Time is Running Out?

Forward Radio is independent, listener-sponsored, volunteer-powered, grassroots community radio WFMP-LP Louisville, Kentucky. We have been broadcasting at 106.5fm and live-streaming at forwardradio.org since April 9, 2017. Please donate at forwardradio.org to keep us on-air. It costs $42/day to keep this programming coming your way.

Perks S11:Ep231 | Back To School: A Book Rec Episode | 8-21-24

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