Talk Booky To Me

Ages ago (about 165 million years ago), in a world much like our own (exactly like our own), dinosaurs (not dragons) roamed. Eventually, a great ball of hot rock (a meteor) fell from the heavens (the sky) and killed them all. Skip ahead to the 1990s, and they were resurrected in literature by Michael Crichton and on film by Steven Spielberg. Skip even further, to today, and they were resurrected again in this very podcast by Felicia! Join her and her cohost, Aaron, as we explore the fascinating world of Jurassic Park. Felicia goes beyond the novel and film that started the dino craze by examining some critical literature, a podcast, and a dragon (not dinosaurs - he insists) inspired novel. It's a fantastic discussion about the wonders of our giant, bird/lizard friends that is sure to spark your interest in diving into the expanded media of the classic blockbuster - Jurassic Park. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below. 
 
Works Discussed at Length:
Jurassic Park (Novel) - Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park (Film) - Steven Spielberg (Director)
What Went Wrong (Podcast) - "Jurassic Park" - https://shows.acast.com/what-went-wrong1/episodes/690bb0e3d4fac9e84b137ea4 
Clever Girl: Jurassic Park - Hannah McGregor
The Great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

The only feeling that comes close to the satisfaction of finishing a great book is walking out of a movie theatre, through the sticky floors with a stomach cramps brough on by artificial butter, after seeing a new Summer blockbuster. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, in this episode as we try to capture the feeling of both in audio format. We start with a few articles on Summer book recommendations and how to read more of them before moving to our purchases and TBR progress. So far, we have read about dinosaurs, dragons that are basically dinosaurs, murderous clowns, sad men in cars, and founding fathers. Seeing all of that together makes me realize this may be the strangest combination of literature I've seen in one hour-long podcast. Anyway, we wrap up with rapid recommendations for adapted reads and some random recommendations for when you inevitably need a break from the page. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below!
 
Upcoming Episode:
Talk Booky: Exploration - Jurassic Park (Releasing 6/22/26)
 
Books Discussed at Length:
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
The Great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly
Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow
Clown in a Cornfield - Adam Cesare
James - Percival Everett
Uncle Vanya - Anton Checkhov
Men Without Women - Haruki Murakami
Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
The Crystal Shard - R.A. Salvatore
 
News:
Felicia - https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/books/features/books-what-to-read-summer-new-releases-b2994764.html 
Aaron - https://www.npr.org/2026/06/12/nx-s1-5856397/how-to-read-more-this-summer 
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

Time for a trip. This bonus episode of the Talk Booky to Me podcast is the first in our Exploration series in which we, Felicia and Aaron, will take extensive, exploratory looks at pieces of literature, stories, literary concepts, ideas, and so much more. This first episode is spearheaded by Aaron and covers Haruki Murakami's "Drive My Car," along with the adapted film of the same name from 2021. To get the full picture, we also discuss two more short stories from Murakami's collection and Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." It's a long, spoiler-filled discussion that will hopefully spark some interest and further explorations of this fascinating story about loss, grief, and what it takes to face a world full of pain and struggle. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.
 
Works Discussed at Length:
"Drive My Car" - Haruki Murakami
"Scheherazade" - Haruki Murakami
"Kino" - Haruki Murakami
"Uncle Vanya" - Anton Chekhov - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1756/1756-h/1756-h.htm 
Drive My Car - Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Director)
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

The June heatwaves send people flocking indoors for A/C and good movies, so we, Felicia and Aaron, decided to get ahead of Blockbuster season by focusing on literary adaptations. Join us on this episode as we cover some news on adaptations to stream this month, exchange books and build a TBR around the theme, introduce a new "deep dive" project, and end with a question about transitioning shows to movies and movies to shows. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.
 
News:
Aaron - https://lithub.com/the-literary-film-tv-you-need-to-stream-in-june-2/ 
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

This is a big one. Normally, Talk Booky uses this time to celebrate our reading goals for the month, but a spur-of-the-moment trip to the book fair changed everything. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we recap our time meeting dozens of independent authors and spending far too much money on their books (they were very affordable; we just bought a lot) at the Front Paige Media Book Fair. Then, we recap some books we purchased and gifted before actually discussing what we read and give some superlatives. This month's reading is certainly varied. Felicia focused on a gory D&D campaign, one of the most heart-wrenching stories of family trauma, and a detective for...food? Meanwhile, Aaron was distracted by a twisted thriller of conmen and cheaters with a quick detour down the Mississippi river. The whole show wraps up with some predictions for future favorite reads, and we say goodbye to May and all of the hectic literary adventures it brought us. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.
 
Independent Authors of Note:
Carter Pugh - https://www.carterpughwrites.com/ 
Madeline Butler - https://www.instagram.com/authormadelinebutler/ 
Jeanne Rietzke - https://www.instagram.com/painted_by_hand_ilm/ 
Kris Wood - https://www.instagram.com/kriswood_novels/ 
G.E. Strohl - https://gestrohl.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqSF4EYHZ4SYY0WdVUfdHrIgqfMIlA5IVg5ysXr6IWSIQdpSNAq 
Haley Davis - https://www.instagram.com/authorhaleydavis/ 
Lyndsay Marie - https://www.authorlyndsaymarie.com/ 
R.D. Moreno - https://www.rdmorenoauthor.com/ 
Emily Antoinette - https://emilyantoinette.com/ 
Ariella Monti - https://ariellamonti.com/ 
Christopher P. Beckman - https://www.instagram.com/christopher.p.beckman_author/ 
Jessica Sherry - https://www.jessicasherry.com/ 
Lesley Camphouse - https://www.instagram.com/authorlacamphouse/ 
Maxamillion Moon - https://www.instagram.com/maxamillionmoon/ 
Sloane Sabel - https://sloanesabel.com/ 
Cori Nevruz - https://www.instagram.com/coriwroteabook/ 
Brian Clopper - https://www.brianclopper.com/ 
Cassie Swindon - https://www.instagram.com/cassie_swindon_author/ 
L. Ballew - https://www.instagram.com/lballewwrites/ 
Ashley Adams - https://www.indieauthorcollective.com/authors/ashley-adams 
A.L. Sterling - https://www.alsterlingauthor.com/ 
Brian Hester and Barbara Beam - https://www.shetalkstofish.com/ 
 
Books Discussed at Length:
The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop - Takuya Asakura
Black Girl Unlimited - Echo Brown
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year - Ally Carter
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
Roll for Initiative - Lesley Camphouse
Kamogawa Food Detectives - Hisashi Kashiwai
Confessions on the 7:45 - Lisa Unger
James - Percival Everett
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron 

Two weeks later, and we are no closer to solving the mystery of endless TBR, but we will not give up! Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we open with some news on book (and comic) recommendations before moving to the real case-of-the-week. Felicia investigated a few classics to see if Robert Jordan or old Bill Shakespeare may have a lead while Aaron travelled from Japan to the deep South and back to Europe, but...it's inconclusive. The trail went cold. Luckily, we are no strangers to cold cases. We end the episode with a discussion about telling versus showing in modern stories to give us a break, but we will be back on the hunt soon! Contact us at the links below, and thank you for listening!
 
Books Discussed at Length:
Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
The Ten Loves of Nishino - Hiromi Kawakami and translated by Allison Powell
King of Ashes - S.A. Cosby
James - Percival Everett
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year - Ally Carter
 
News:
Felicia - https://bookriot.com/best-comic-books-of-the-century-so-far/ 
Aaron - https://booktrib.com/2026/05/15/8-summer-reads-about-friends-bonding-over-a-pact/ 
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron 

It's time to break out the magnifying glass, put on our thinking caps, and find a giant dog that has a loose command of the English language because...a mystery needs to be solved this May! Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we get ready for our monthly reading full of tangled mysteries and twisted criminals. We cover some news about Animorphs and anticipated May releases, follow up with a book exchange and a TBR brimming with investigation and sleuthing, provide some listener recommendations, and finish with a question about the weirdest things we use to save our page when we need a quick snack or bathroom break. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below. 
 
Listener Recommends:
The Finlay Donovan Series - Elle Cosimano
All of the Secret, Book and Scone Society - Elbert Adams
Thank You for Listening - Julia Whelan
 
News:
Felicia - https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2924-readers-most-anticipated-books-for-may 
Aaron - https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/animorphs-tv-series-disney-plus-ryan-coogler-1236678435/ 
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

The last two week so April have been a mixed bag for Talk Booky. On the one hand, Felicia started full-time teaching while taking several literature classes, meaning she read a lot (of student writing) and had to write an ungodly amount about the few books she read.  On the other, Aaron finished three five-star books, almost finishing his TBR for the first time since starting the podcast. Regardless, this has been a fun one. Join us as we cover news about raising literacy rates and celebrating women who are pushed to the edge (weird combo this week), and talk through several books ranging from detective stories set during the Civil Rights Movement to fluffy dreams of turning into an eagle to questionable dietary restrictions in a dystopian future. It's an absolutely wild ride. We wrap up with some superlatives and a fun question on living in literary worlds to lighten the mood. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below. 
 
Books Discussed at Length:
Black Betty - Walter Mosley
Devil in a Blue Dress - Walter Mosley
The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop - Takuya Asakura
Dallergut Dream Department Store - Miye Lee
Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica
The Vegetarian - Han Kang
The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino - Hirami Kawakami
 
News:
Felicia - https://booktrib.com/2026/04/22/when-life-unravels-womens-fiction-with-a-pulse-of-suspense/ 
Aaron - https://www.aol.com/news/dolly-parton-free-book-program-103000672.html 
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron 

A few weeks into a month of translated literature, you may assume we learned a new language, but you would be wrong. You may assume we read some amazing books, and you would be right. That's all that matters...right? Right?! Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we cover our mid-month reading progress for April. We start with some news about historical fiction and people who may make history, move to our TBR progress that involves hard-boiled detective novels and worlds where you can buy dreams. We then recommend some translated books in rapid-fire mode and wrap up with some random recommendations that have very little to do with literature. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.
 
Books Discussed at Length:
Devil in a Blue Dress - Walter Mosley
The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop - Takuya Asakura
Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
Vigil - George Saunders
Hungry Ghosts - Anthony Bourdain
The Dallergut Dream Department Store - Miya Lee
 
News:
Felicia - https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3113-a-jaunt-through-hyper-specific-historical-eras-with-books?content_type=all 
Aaron - https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/ 
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron 

One of our favorite things as literature lovers is experiencing something new. April brings about Spring, washing away some of the stagnation of Winter, and ushering in change. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we kickoff the new season with works in translation! This episode opens with some news on massive amount of upcoming books and a new Lord of the Rings film co-written by a comedian (huh?). We then exchange books originally published in a non-English language and set up TBR's filled with the languages we wish we could speak, ranging from mysterious hotels full of dreams to wintery towns where the only dream is hockey. Then, a listener contributes some suggestions, and we sign off by reflecting on our favorite reads of the year so far. Thank you for joining us, and you can reach us at the outlets below.
 
Listener Recommends:
Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
The Odyssey - Homer
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Hwang Bo-Reum
A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman
My Friends - Fredrick Backman
 
News:
Felicia - https://gizmodo.com/72-new-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-books-arriving-in-april-2000733047 
Aaron - https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5760799/stephen-colbert-lord-of-the-rings 
 
Contact:
Email - talkbooky@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia
Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron