Booking Back

Jun 24 2024 76 ep. 59 mins 5
Booking Back Podcast artwork

Do you long for those schoolyard days where you had all the time in the world to finish a good book? This podcast revisits the books that gave us happiness as children and maybe even later as adults!

  Arts  Fiction  Society & Culture
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The Namesake: " Remember that you and I made this journey together to a place where there was nowhere left to go."

Jun 24 2024 41 mins  
Penn and Joy discuss Jhumpa Lahiri's ground-breaking novel "The Namesake," a coming of age story of an Indian-American kid growing up 1st generation. Watch Nikhil/Gogol as he grows up outside of Boston to discovering himself in New York City. Gogol's experience resonates with first generation kids across America, especially the Indian ones!

The Face on the Milk Carton: "She was a mind floating in an ocean of confusion."

May 27 2024 49 mins  
Penn and Joy discuss this cut classic by Caroline B. Cooney, which riveted the imaginations of teens across the country. After all, don't all kids wonder if they're secretly adopted? Whether you watched the Lifetime movie or read the novel as a teen, travel back and see if it was as good as you remember it.

Monster: "They're strangers but they still find reasons to hurt each other."

Apr 29 2024 56 mins  
Penn and Joy talk "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers. A story unique in that it is a first time read for both ladies, it is a highly acclaimed and highly banned book in America. When Black teenager Steve is falsely accused of participating in a murder of a shopkeeper in his neighborhood, the reader follows his journey through the criminal justice system in New York City. Heartbreaking

The Joy Luck Club: "Then you must teach my daughter this same lesson. How to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever."

Mar 25 2024 49 mins  
Penn and Joy discuss the classic "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan. The complicated relationship between mother and daughter transcends any culture. From tales of the mothers in China, to their adaptation to America, and to the struggle of their Chinese-American daughters, it is a riveting read.

Flowers for Algernon: "There are so many doors to open. I am impatient to begin."

Feb 26 2024 55 mins  
Cry with Joy and Penn as they discuss Daniel Keyes classic work "Flowers for Algernon." Can you imagine science making you smarter, changing your life, and to lose it all? That is the heartbreak of this short story turned novel.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."

Jan 29 2024 43 mins  
Happy 2024! What better way to kick off the year than with reading Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?" Grab your favorite piece of chocolate and listen in as Penn and Joy discuss their favorite parts, movie adaptation, and Wona-isms!

A Christmas Story: "I had woven a tapestry of obscenity that as far as I know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan."

Dec 27 2023 44 mins  
Want to extend that Christmas feeling? Recap "A Christmas Story," by Jean Shepherd with Penn and Joy as they delve into the book that inspired the classic movie. Grab a smooth cup of Ovaltine and listen in; just don't shoot your eye out!

The Polar Express: "...the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe."

Dec 19 2023 51 mins  
Travel to the North Pole with Penn and Joy via "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg. While the movie may be a holiday favorite, it truly all started with a beautifully illustrated children's book. Join us as we discuss!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!: "And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore."

Dec 12 2023 30 mins  
Joy and Penn revisit "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" by Dr. Seuss. Was the book better than the movie? Where did the song come from? And WHO is the Grinch based on? All this and more in today's episode!

A Christmas Carol: "God bless us every one!"

Dec 05 2023 46 mins  
Joy and Penn get into the Christmas spirit by cracking open "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. With a classic crank like Ebenezer Scrooge hating Christmas, all it takes is a haunting and a couple ghosts to turn him around. Find out how in this episode!