It is all in the language by Raquel Reyes

LUCY BURDETTE: Today I'm delighted to introduce writing pal, Raquel Reyes. Last year her debut novel was published to amazing accolades. (This was in the New York Times: "Mango, Mambo, and Murder furthers my belief that the cozy mystery has become one of the most diverse, and most vibrant, in contemporary crime fiction..."

Isn't that a wonderful introduction? Even more fun, for those of you who might be in Key West in November, I'll be interviewing Raquel at Books and Books on November 5. But today she's here to talk about her second book, Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking. Welcome Raquel!

RAQUEL REYES: I might be new to many of Jungle Red's readers. My second full-length mystery hit shelves (virtual and real) on October 11th, 2022. But a quick click or search will tell you something important about my writing. I use Spanish and Spanglish in my books. It's kind of my thing. I even wrote about it for Writer's Digest. But I'm not here to tell you about Spanish. The language I want to explore with you is the language used in book reviews. 

I hope we can agree that not every book is for everybody. And that is alright. Actually, that is better than alright—It's ideal. Variety is good. Fiction is like a sampler box of chocolates. We all have our favorite and least flavor flavors. I prefer dark chocolate, especially the ones with nuts, and I don't mind an orange cream or a marshmallow filled on occasion. The one with the cherry in the center is my least favorite.

chocolates by Bennilover

Have you ever seen someone bite into a chocolate from the sampler tray, find it wasn't the flavor they liked, then put it back in the tray? So, rude, am I right? I mean, all the person had to do was look at the flavor chart. They didn't have to ruin all the chocolates in the box. I'm sure one of their co-workers or family members probably likes the flavors they don't like. They could have left that chocolate for them to enjoy. 

The same is true for book reviews. The language/word choice a reviewer uses can be the difference between the flavor chart method and the teeth marks horror. Take, for example, a recent review of my book Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking. (Here is the link to the full review.) received. 

"I like Miriam. I think I'd enjoy having her as a friend. It might even bring back my neglected Spanish. That said, although new to this series, I was pleasantly surprised to find that after being thrown off my reading stride initially by the frequent use of Spanish, much of my Spanish came back to me. I wonder how much that might impact those who know little or no Spanish, however. To the author's credit, she makes no apologies for its use. Miriam notes that she and her non-Hispanic husband have made a real effort to raise a bilingual child, Manny. Having lived in Florida much of my life, I can attest to how valuable such a skill can be. Most was usually either indirectly restated or easily figured out, I'll note. Heck, we even learn a few words in Kreyol, such as "wi" means "yes"and "Mesi" means "thank you"." June Price. 10/12/22

This reviewer used the chart method. She informs that the novel has a flavor she learned to like but might not be to everyone's liking. I'm not going to show you the teeth mark reviews because I don't want to call anyone out. But trust me, I (and most authors) have gotten plenty of spat out bonbon kind. As a reader and an author, I find the chart kind most helpful.  

Do you read book reviews? Have you ever written a book review?

~~~

RAQUEL V. REYES writes Latina protagonists. Her work has won a LEFTY award, and International Latino Book Award, been nominated for an Agatha Award and optioned for film. Raquel's short stories appear in various anthologies, including The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022. (Headshot by Morgan Sophia Photography.)

~~~

About Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking

It's time for a savory soirée—but something sinister is stewing—in Raquel V. Reyes's second delightful Caribbean Kitchen mystery, perfectly delicious for fans of Mia P. Manansala.

Fall festivities are underway in Coral Shores, Miami. Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith wakes up to find a corpse in her front yard. The body by the fake tombstone is the woman that was kicked out of the school's Fall Festival the day before. Miriam's luck does not improve. Her passive-aggressive mother-in-law puts her in charge of the Women's Club annual gala. But this year, it's not canapes and waltzes. Miriam and her girlfriends-squad opt for fun and flavor. They want to spice it up with Caribbean food trucks and a calypso band. While making plans at the country club, they hear a volatile argument between the new head chef and the club's manager. Not long after, the chef swan dives to his death at the bottom of the grand staircase. Was it an accident? Or was it Beverly, the sous chef, who is furious after being passed over for the job? Or maybe it was his ex-girlfriend, Anastasia? Add two possible poisonings to the mix and Miriam is worried the food truck fun is going to be a major crash. As the clock ticks down and the body count goes up, Miriam's life is put in jeopardy. Will she connect the dots or die in the deep freeze? Foodies and mystery lovers alike will savor the denouement as the truth is laid bare in this simmering stew of rage, retribution, and murder.

Come see us on Saturday!

Hank and Lucy explain it all: How to Help Your Favorite Writers!

LUCY BURDETTE:  Since we have two releases in the next ten days on JRW, we thought you might appreciate some suggestions on how you can make a difference in a writer's success.

* Pre-order the book to let the publisher know how anxious you are to read it.

HANK: Yes, yes! I cannot believe there aren't authors out in the sheets, right? Yelling..please please..

LUCY:  * Leave a review at Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble

* Tweet a link to the book with a few words of praise

HANK: Yes yes. Sisters in Crime did a big survey, and found the number one was readers learned about new books was word of mouth. It seems obvious, but it makes a HUGE difference. If you love something, say something!

Can we make that our Jungle Red motto? One kind book word a day. I'm in!

Susan's new Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante--FAB!--comes out the 27th.

My new WHAT YOU SEE comes out Tuesday. (Aunt Agatha's Robin Agnew's review said it was "Flawlessly done." Whoa.

LUCY: * Use your Facebook status to leave a link or the cover

HANK: There must be some survey about how many times you have to see a cover or photo before it registers in your bran. Anyone know? How much is too much?

LUCY:  * Mention the book in your Facebook group or other online forums

* Go to the book signing or launch party!

HANK: Yes, Yes, mine for WHAT YOU SEE is Thursday Oct 22 at Brookline Booksmith. And a fab pre-party on October 21 at FoxTales Books in Atlanta! Y'all come!

LUCY: * Post the book cover on your Pinterest board

Hank. :-(  I am terrible on Pinterest. How about you?
 
LUCY: * Ask for the book at your local bookstore. If they don't carry it, urge them to pick it up and tell them how much you like it.

* Find out which local indie bookstore the author uses and request a signed or personalized copy

* Take a picture of the book you love in a bookstore and post it online. A picture's worth a thousand words on social media.

HANK:  Yes, yes, please! And tag the author. He/she will be so thrilled!

LUCY:  So if you love a book/author, tell the world!

But most of all, enjoy the book! We love writing them and we love to know you are out there reading. And we'd love to hear your suggestions...

And PS, speaking of the new books, Hank and Susan are visiting Mystery Lovers Kitchen today with two fabulous cocktail recipes and a double giveaway. Come say hello!

HANK: And don't forget to…well, you know. Happy Sunday, everyone, and Happy Bookday to all.

Finding a Needle in a Haystack — Kristopher Zgorski of Bolo Books

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Delighted to introduce Kristopher Zgorski, of Bolo Books. While I read many book blogs, I must confess that I've often felt that Kristopher and I must have been separated at birth — our opinions on books are that similar. So I know if Kristopher really loves something — whether it's a book, film, or TV show, odds are really, really, really high I'll love it, too. (Um, hello FOX's Empire, which I wouldn't have seen without Kristopher's high recommendation!) 

Kristopher, with all the books in the world you could choose, how do you pick which ones to review?

Kristopher Zgorski: As a book blogger, I am often asked how I choose which books I am going to read and review. 

I should first say that I do not review every book I read. In fact, I would say that only roughly 1/3 of the books I read in a given year end up being reviewed. Because I want BOLO Books to remain a positive place which encourages reading, I really only review books that I truly enjoyed and feel completely comfortable recommending. 

But this still does not answer the question at hand.

Given my position as an online advocate for books and reading, I have to stay on top of the latest industry buzz titles. I do this via social media, conventions, and digital galley distribution sites. Beyond that, much of what I glom onto comes via word-of-mouth recommendations.

Let’s look at each of these in a bit more depth:

Social Media:  Almost daily, I will hear about a book on Twitter or Facebook that peaks my interest. Once that happens, I begin to look into the title further to see if it fits the BOLO Books genre, sounds like something I will potentially enjoy, and check out the release date. Since I only review new titles (generally within the first month of release), I am often able to place that book on my general TBR list rather than the blog list. I am pretty good at knowing what types of books I will NOT like, so I can usually avoid them as well. 

As an example, I first heard about The Girl on the Train months before it was released. I was immediately interested and kept the title in mind. Then I heard that galleys were given out at Theakston’s Old Peculiar conference and I started to make efforts to obtain an early copy. Ultimately successful, I added the book to the schedule and waited until it was closer to release date to read it. At that time, I enjoyed it enough to decide to review it, knowing that it was going to be a big (and controversial) title. 

Online Galley sites (like NetGalley and Edelweiss):  These sites are for reviewers and librarians. They grant access to e-versions of titles. Each of these sites has the ability to narrow down the available titles by genre/topic/publisher, so that makes it manageable. From there, I often go by author recognition/cover/release date to see what books I might consider reviewing. Since I am only one person, I am limited to the number of books I can review in one week. There have been times when I have done up to three, but I prefer to keep it at one or two. This means that once I choose some possible books for any given week, I stop requesting titles for that week, hoping that one of the books I have already chosen will be strong enough to merit a review. This can backfire, but one has to create a cutoff at some point. 

Notice that I said cover design. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that sometimes (especially for debut authors), I make a decision based on cover design. I am certain that I am missing some great titles this way, but hopefully if that is the case, I will hear about them in another way. (Example, I passed on Kristi Belcamino’s Blessed are the Dead because I hated the cover design. Then I met Kristi, was told by various folks that the book was excellent, and noticed that future cover designs were improving. I gave the book a shot, loved it, and reviewed it (in one of the rare cases where I posted a review outside the artificial one month review window I have set for the blog). 

Conventions: It goes without saying that conferences strongly influence potential reviews on the blog.  I regularly attend Bouchercon and/or Malice Domestic. There are countless other conferences of interest as well. Meeting an author or seeing them interact on a panel can cause me to try a book that I might otherwise have passed on. Also, the swag bags at these conventions are often filled with advanced copies of books the publishers are excited about. (Hint: If you are willing to volunteer to help at these cons, you are often given added perks, so don’t miss out on that opportunity. It’s also the best way to meet new people who will become future friends).

Word-of-Mouth:  I am fortunate to know many folks in the crime fiction industry – Authors, booksellers, publicists, and fans. Many of them know my tastes via the blog.  They have no problem saying “have you read so and so?” Since they are blog followers, I know that typically, they are trying to steer me in the right direction to something I might otherwise have missed.  Many books I review come to me this way. Please, share the news about books you love. That is how word-of-mouth momentum works. If you look at a career like Louise Penny’s, you will see that in the beginning, she was selling books almost solely on the endorsements of early readers. Once that momentum began, there was no stopping it and she is now a New York Times bestseller. 

So, that’s it in a nutshell. There are many another factors that can influence the choices I make, but I try to be as willing to help new authors as I am the already established. But one blog can only do so much. If you are a fan and want to help out, consider starting a blog, leaving reviews on other sites, or just spreading the name of new books you have enjoyed. I know the authors will appreciate it.

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Reds and lovely readers, how to you choose what to read next from your TBR pile? Is there a blogger or reviewer out there you rely on? Do you blog and/or review? 

Tell us in the comments!

What, me worry? Pre-launch jitters

HALLIE EPHRON: So my book comes out tomorrow and my stomach is doing flip flops and I can't sleep I am so anxious. I tell myself: Hey, there are people who will love it and people who won't. It's all about personal taste. And besides that, getting reviewed at all is a gift.

But still I read reviews with my eyes squinched, half-closed so I can shut it down if there's a snarky (and probably valid, sadly) remark about me or my lovely characters or my clever plot. You'd think with this being my 9th novel I'd have gotten over it.

And because misery loves company, I was telling Jacqueline Winspear (whose 11th Maisie Dobbs mystery, "A Dangerous Place," debuted last week; USA Today ran a glowing review), how nervous I was, expecting her to be all lah-dee-dah and tell me that yes, it does get better.
 
But no. She said she dreads these before-launch days as much if not more than me. I found this oddly reassuring.

So, dear Reds, does pre-launch give you the jitters? Or is it just an exciting version of "anything can happen days?" And while we're at it, what's your cure for nausea and insomnia?

LUCY BURDETTE: First of all, we can't wait for pub day so everyone can read this great book!

I kind of like the pre-launch days because anything is possible. To me the more stressful time is launch week itself--waiting for those reviews to hit and watching the silly numbers--which truly don't mean much because we don't have access to the whole picture.

But I can't imagine that any writer has a thick enough skin so that they aren't nervous...wouldn't that mean you hadn't put everything you had into it?

RHYS BOWEN: Having had a book out three weeks ago and having returned home from an exhausting three days in Southern Cal last night I'm still in full launch jitters mode. Really manic, swinging between elation and despair.

I saw who had a new book out on the same day and resigned myselt to not making the New York Times list with this book. Then I found that the Huffington Post had done a feature on the seven most suspenseful new books and I was one of them!

So ups and downs. Knowing I shouldn't read reviews, especially Amazon, but doing it anyway. The thrill of seeing my new book on the shelf in one store and the agony of defeat when a Barnes and Noble has never heard of it.

I'm trying to learn never to expect too much and being pleasantly surprised by the good things. But I haven't learned it yet. Probably never will.

So Hallie, enjoy every moment. Tell yourself that you are luckier than several zillion writers who are dying to have a book published or who have self-published it but nobody will ever know about it. You're in the top tier, the tip of the pyramid. It will be a brilliant success!
HALLIE: As a wise woman once said... well, what you just said, Rhys. And congratulations on the Huff Post call out! Wow!!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Hallie, I'm excited about your book launch for you!! And I have no doubt that reviewers AND readers will love it. It's a great book.

That said, however, I sympathize with you. I try not to look at numbers (although for the first few days it's impossible not to...) I wish I had never heard of Amazon ranking. I dread reviews, even though over the course of sixteen books the good have certainly outnumbered the bad.

Still, there's always a first time, and THIS one could be the book that is a total flop, right? I try (and mostly succeed) not to read any reviews on Amazon. And I tell myself repeatedly that all I can do is write the best book I can, and then go on to the next one.

Cure for nausea and insomnia?  Read a good book:-)

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Oh, I was a mess at first — a total mess. But with each book, more things seemed to happen, both good and bad in so-called real life.

For my last book launch for THE PRIME MINISTER'S SECRET AGENT,  I was in the hospital with Miss Edna — and, honestly, I really didn't care about reviews or really anything much at all besides her and my family. My book tour that summer was plagued with worries I'd have to fly home at a moment's notice for an emergency or worse.

Which all sounds pretty depressing — except that it give great perspective on the vicissitudes of this business. And I'm grateful for that.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Here's what I think.  The only thing worse than prelaunch--is NO pre-launch. Right? AmIright?

So--easier said than done, I know--count your blessings, this is wonderful, your book is wonderful, this is it it IT, and the hard part is over (sort of, except the air travel and smiling)(but that can be wonderful), you've written it, it has a gorgeous cover and a gorgeous inside and everyone is going to clamor for it.

My cure for insomnia and nausea is ..um, well, nothing. I'd say shopping, but you don't do that and it doesn't work anyway, or wine, but that way lies madness and you can't drink during the day.

Exercise?

Really--how about simply TRY to be happy. Your stomach is hurting and you can't sleep because you are EXCITED! Yay.

(And you can do the same for me in October.)​

HALLIE: I AM happy, because while I'm posting this I get a link to a review of my book in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It's a rave, and ends with:  

"So hooray for Hollywood, hooray for homicide, and hooray for Hallie Ephron, who begins with a seed of truth and grows it into a bumper crop of crime and cynicism."

That helps. In fact, it's probably the best antidote for this version of anxiety.

What do you do to keep quiet butterflies in your stomach and lull yourself into tranquility. I'm listening!

Life Lessons I may never learn.

RHYS BOWEN: A couple of years ago I wrote a blog about life lessons I may never learn. One of the first lessons on the list was never to try out a new hairdresser just before I'm about to go on a book tour.
So guess what I did today? I went to a new salon. One that came with good reviews and used organic products. And I knew I was in trouble when my stylist asked how much I wanted taken off. Then she snipped maybe an eighth of an inch and asked if it all right so far. Then another eighth, very tentatively. Since I didn't trust her skill to take off more I left it at that. So my bangs are still in my eyes. My hair is still straggly at the back of my neck and too long to style properly.
So what do I do? Find another salon before I go on tour next week? Or...another of the life lessons from my list.. snip at my bangs myself?

Here is my list. How many are you guilty of?

Ten Life Lessons I have yet to Learn (and may never do so)

1. I can’t trim my bangs as well as my hairdresser. I should especially never try this on the night before I leave for a convention.
2. On a similar theme: I should never try out a new hairdresser on the day before a book tour or photo shoot.
3. Shoes from catalogs never fit me. And there is a second part to this: items in a catalog never look as good in real life. This may be because they are modeled by 18 year old size 00s and pinned for the pix..
4. A review is just one person’s opinion. I keep telling myself this but the least little snipe sends me into deep depression.
5. If I take only one white shirt on a trip, there will always be turbulence on the flight and I'll get coffee spatters on it. 
6. I should never try out a new recipe on the night I have guests I want to impress.
7. I should not buy something just because it’s a bargain. My closet is full of such items, not ever loved and hardly ever worn.
8. Worrying gets you nowhere. I am a champion worrier.
9. I have no control over the success of a book after it leaves my hands. I can work myself into exhaustion setting up events, touring, making postcards, doing radio interviews and in the end it all comes down to the publisher, timing and luck.
10. I can’t please all of the people all of the time. There is never going to be one book that is equally loved by the whole population. So some readers will always complain when there is a touch of romance in my books and others will complain that there is not enough romance in my books. I should therefore only write to please myself.
11. Okay, so I can’t count either. But if there’s only one life lesson I should have learned is that life is short and wonderful, there’s no going back, we’re only celebrating this day once, so make the most of it.

Who would like to share life lessons that they have never learned but would like to?

So how about you?. Are there any life lessons you’ve finally learned the hard way, or are you like me—destined to make the same mistakes over and over.

Are you a POD person?

Hank Phillippi Ryan:  I love this photo. It's unusual because--I'm not talking. (Joke.) Anyway I'm listening to the brilliant Cari Dubiel, at the NEO-SinC  (I know, I think it's funny too, but we love them!)  "Killer Heat" event at the Beachwood Branch of the Cuyahoga Public Library in Cleveland!  (I said that all in one breath.)

It was a fabulous jam-backed day, wall to wall people, and Cari and I presented an hour just for mystery lovers. Our goal--to do our bit for discoverability. To give readers a whole wonderful list of books to read. So we chatted about some of our current faves, and why we were reading them, and also asked the audience for suggestions. It was like one big book club, and it was a real treat.  

Here's a link to the list of just SOME of the books we discussed. Can you predict why? Do you agree that they're discussable? (Do you think discussable is a word?)

Defending Jacob – William Landay
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
The 500 – Matthew Quirk

Don’t Ever Get Old – Daniel Friedman

Rage Against the Dying – Becky Masterman

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary – Susan Elia Macneal

Black Fridays – Michael Sears

Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie

The Daughter of Time – Josephine Tey

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton – Elizabeth Silver

Dare Me – Megan Abbott

The Burning Air – Erin Kelly

Always Watching – Chevy Stevens

Blood Orange – Karen Keskinen

Anyway! The thing about Cari--not only is she the Assistant Manager, Adult Public Services, at Twinsburg Public Library in Twinsburg, Ohio. She has two blogs of her own: a personal blog, Walking Identity Crisis, and an official Twinsburg Public Library blog, The ABC Book Reviews: A Beth and Cari Production. 

Not THIS kind of pod person!

And she's a real pod person. Not that kind. She does a podcast. A what? Yeah, a podcast. About books! Cool, huh?  So I invited her over to chat about it!

Cari Dubiel:

Hello, fans of Jungle Red!  I’m here today to talk about my podcast, The ABC Book Reviews.  If you’re not already a podcast listener, they’re a great way to pass the time while driving, running, or washing the dishes.  Much like audiobooks, they give you something to focus on and get excited about if you’re not entirely excited about the task you’re doing. 

Why listen to our podcast?  I could start by telling you that last year, it was chosen as one of the best book podcasts out there by the Wall Street Journal Online.  But that would just be boastful of me.  Instead, I’ll talk about the appeal – why it’s worth your time.  The hosts are me (Cari Dubiel) and Beth Hatch.  We’re both librarians as well as writers, and we talk about the latest books we’re reading, and why you should read (or not read) them too.  We love mysteries, so if you’re looking for another good one, chances are we’ll talk about one or two.  But we also talk about a wide variety of genres, so if you’re looking for new reading recommendations, we’re the place to go for that, too.

Our podcasts are funny (we like to believe that, at least).  We’ve been described as “two girls chatting over a cup of coffee” or “two girls chatting in the back of the bus.”  Two girls chatting… that’s the gist of it.  It’s like you’re overhearing our conversation.  There’s a fun feeling to that, isn’t there?  I always want to join people’s conversations when I’m in public.  I realize that probably makes me creepy, but especially if they’re talking about books, I want to know what they think.

We also go on tangents.  We’re both moms, so we talk a lot about parenting.  We’re writers, so we spend a lot of time deconstructing books, figuring out why we like or don’t like them.  Beth is really into the paleo diet and exercise.  So I guarantee that you’ll take away a long list of reads from every show, but you may also learn something completely off the wall, like how to get a baby to go to sleep (I’m still not sure exactly how that works) or the trials and tribulations of living with a vinyl hoarder (that would be my husband).  We don’t censor ourselves, either, so you may hear some interesting stories about weird things that happen in the library.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

HANK: Wait. Wait. I have LOTS of questions.

Like: What is a podcast?  How does it even work? Why are they called podcasts?

Cari: Podcasts are audio files that live online.  They're called podcasts because most of them were designed to be downloaded to iPods.  They are kind of like mini radio shows.  There are lots of different formats for them - sometimes it's just a person talking into a microphone - sometimes it's cohosts (like us) - sometimes it's a whole panel.  Most people download them from iTunes onto an iPod or iPhone, but you can also listen to them on the web or on a phone or MP3 player that's not an Apple brand.

HANK: Whose idea was this--and how did you pick the title?

CARI: My old boss at the library had purchased the recording equipment with the intent to do a "library podcast."  He thought people would be interested in listening to a podcast about library news and events.  Well, we found that in the town we serve, the audience was very narrow.  Podcasts appeal to a niche group: people who commute, exercise, travel, knit, etc.  They want something to listen to to pass the time.  So in order to get a broader audience, we needed to expand the topic past Twinsburg.  We thought it would be fun to sit around and talk about books, so we decided to try it and see what happened.  Beth came up with the title since our names started with B and C.  

HANK: Were you frightened the first time?

CARI: Not at all.  I was a DJ on my college radio station, so I was used to being on the microphone, and we didn't really think anyone would ever listen to it.  Now I know better.

HANK: How do you decide what to talk about? Where do you record them?

CARI: We generally have a rough idea when we start, but go on a lot of tangents. We do a lot of "what are you reading" podcasts because people love to get new ideas for books to read, and they want to hear personal recommendations.  Occasionally we will see a news article and want to talk about it, or we'll be reading a bunch of books on a certain topic and want to highlight it (say, funny books, or mysteries).  We usually record either at my library or at Beth's, but occasionally we will record on Skype if we don't have time to get together.  Beth used to work with me at Twinsburg, but she got another job, so we see each other less.

HANK: Do things always go the way you planned? Do you edit or change them? How often is there a new one? HOw would people know?

CARI: We do edit out the "ums" and if we end up going on a tangent that might offend people, we edit that out too.  We can't swear or say anything that would make the library look bad.  But other than that, they're pretty much straight from the mic.  We try to update twice a month, but sometimes it's harder since we're at different libraries now.  We update our blog, Facebook, and Goodreads when we have a new podcast, or you can subscribe to our iTunes feed if you are a regular podcast listener.  There is also an archive of 100+ episodes.  We have had people talk about how they "binge listen" and go back and hear everything we did!

HANK: How has it changed your life, doing these?

CARI: Now there are a bunch of people around the world who know who we are and that we love books.  They've read books because of us, and their lives (I hope) have been changed by their enjoyment of those books and of the podcast.  I also hope they love libraries just a little more, too.  

HANK: That is so exciting! And works so perfectly.   So--do you all listen to podcasts? I have to admit it's a new experience for me...do you have a favorite one? I'm off to binge-listen to Cari....and hey, I'll give a collection of books to one lucky commenter! Because reading is what it's all about.

*************

How do you find Beth and Cari?
Cari says:

Find us on iTunes, subscribe in an RSS reader, follow  on Facebook or Goodreads – there are plenty of ways to join the conversation.  Thanks to the fabulous Hank Phillippi Ryan for the opportunity to share my podcast with you.  Happy listening!