Last June I turned 30, and I shared a personal episode on the podcats about the 30-things books have taught me in my life. In celebration of my birthday and turning 31, I'm sharing my personal favorite 30 books I've read this last year with all of you. Some of these books made me cry, some of them shocked me, and some gave me the spooks, but all of these books' characters, plots, and stories stuck about because they sank into my soul leaving me to feel that wild and beguile feeling of bewilderment.
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• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
We're diving into the world of Heiressess, their haunting stories, and how the true (grim) fates of these women of means transformed fiction novels (as well as tv shows and movies).
Books Shared In Today's Episode:
Currently Reading: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Heiresses: The Lives of Million Dollar Babies by Laura Thompson
The Magnolia Palace By Fiona Davis
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Grand Design: A Novel of Dorothy Draper By Joy Callaway
A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
The top five books I cannot wait to read this summer are filled with mystery, suspense, romance, feel-good vibes, and a little bit of justice-seeking power. I share with you the five books as well as their synopsis and why I'm so excited to pack these in my pool bag all summer long.
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
Horse, A Novel by Geraldine Brooks
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Ever wanted to dive deeper into the life of a beloved author? Ever wondered what they did behind closed doors? Well, today I'm sharing five incredible books (4 fiction, 1 non-fiction) on authors who have beguiled us over the years that will have you loving that author just a little bit more than you did before you started reading.
Books in today's episode:
+ The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Heather Terelle
+ Z, A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Theresa Anne Fowler
+ Orwells Roses by Rebbeca Solnit
+ The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
Don't Forget To Vote On The Poll If You Are Listening Via Spotify To Determine Season 3's First Episode!!
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Today I dive into the book that wrecked me (in all the best ways possible) by Marianne Cronin, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. This book was poignant and powerful reminding us of the importance and difference of what it means to live, to love, and to die. This book is a tear-jerker and fabulously written and I'm excited to share my little review on this remarkable book.
** Spoiler Alert, there are spoiler's throughout this episode
Snag your own copy of today's book:
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
I am a huge supporter of audiobooks and have loved talking about my usage of them throughout this podcast and today I'm sharing where I get my audiobooks and all the pros and cons to these apps. So if you're looking to get more audiobooks this year, or even some new ways to get audiobooks, get yourself cozy because we're diving deep into it.
Apps and Programs Mentioned In Episode
- Audiblebooks.com
- Libby App
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• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
March 25th is International Tolkien Reading Day and to celebrate, I'm sharing today's bonus episode with the history of this holiday, five easy ways to celebrate, and, for the first time ever, reading one of my favorite passages from, The Lord of the Rings, on the episode! So make yourself a nice cup of tea, or possibly a big glass of brandy, and get cozy in your own little Hobbit hole for today's bonus episode.
Edition I Read From:
The Lord of the Rings, Part One, The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ballantine/Fantasy | Ballantine Books | New York
Copyright 1965 by J.R.R. Tolkien | Sixty-Sixth Printing: May 1978
Sources:
- Locating the passage I read, Nat Packer
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
The debut novel by Elizabeth Weiss, The Sisters Sweet, just released November 2021 in the US, is a sensational and dazzling historical fiction full of layers, secrets, desires, and a human sense of self and life and I am so excited to be talking about this book today here on the podcast.
Grab A Copy:
- The Sisters Sweet; A Novel by Elizabeth Weiss
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Have you noticed the sensational trend going on in the literary world where there are more and more books coming out about books, libraries, bookstores, and authors/writers? From Elin Hilderbrand's newest novel last year, Golden Girl from the POV of an author to the stack of novels revolving around books, it's a big trend and I am here for it.
This is why I've put together today's episode sharing 5 booms (plus some honorable mentions) where I share some of my favorites and TBR's of books on books. So snuggle up, and get your pen and paper ready, because you're going to want to read all of these.
Books Included In Today's Episode:
- Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
- The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
- The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
- The Paris Library by Janet Skesllen Charles
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Today we dive into a compare and contrast of the most borrowed books in 2021 from the New York Public Libraries to nationwide the most borrowed books in 2021 in all public schools and public libraries and compare and contrast that with just a handful of the most anticipated book coming in 2022.
All facts and research were paraphrased and pulled from:
The Literary Hub (Most Borrowed Books) (Most Anticipated Books)
Books Mentioned in today's episode:
+ A School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
+ The Stars Are Not Yet Bells by Hannah Assadi
+ How High We Go In The Darl by Sequoia Nagamatsu
+ Violeta by Isabel Allende
+ The Swimmers by Julia Otsuka
+ The Men by Sandra Newman
+ The Fell by Sarah Moss
Books I've Currently Been Reading:
+ The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
+ The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
After falling in love with Stanley Tucci on screen as an actor, his IGTV episodes became a source of joy for me during the lockdown back in 2020 and 2021. After watching every episode of his show, "Searching for Italy" on CNN and HBO Max, I knew I had to read his book, Taste, My Life Through Food. This was one of the best memoirs I've ever read and because of the incredible recipes shared throughout the book, has earned itself a place on my cookbook shelf instead of a place in the library. This is why I am so ecstatic to be talking about my journey to this book and how much this book meant to me as the child of an immigrant.
Purchase your copy here: Taste, My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Today I'm sharing three easy and quick
- Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell
All information on books mentioned that wasn't my own opinion was pulled from goodreads.com
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• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Today I'm sharing the top 6 tools I am using this year to help me be a better reader, engage with other readers more and stay on track for my reading goal. Below are links to all of the tools and apps mentioned in today's episode.
- Reading Log by Everyday Reading
- Good Reads (I've linked my profile so we can be friends!)
- Book of the Month Club (get your first book free by signing up with this link)
- Book Marks
SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER STARTING JANUARY 2022!!!
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Get ready my muggle friends for a special podcast episode celebrating twenty years of the Harry Potter movies and the beloved books that started it all! From fun facts to a trip down my own memory lane to share last week's Instagram polls you guys answered on all things Harry Potter, Including who really was "The Chosen One".
This episode is not in relation or supported by HBO Max nor Warner Brothers or the author and publishing houses of the Harry Potter Series. All opinions shared on the episode are my own. Websites I found the information shared on the podcast are:
- Harry Potter Reunion, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/harry-potter-reunion-photo-return-to-hogwarts-daniel-radcliffe-emma-watson-1235129492/
- Interesting Facts About Harry Potter, https://www.insider.com/harry-potter-little-known-facts-2019-1#some-of-the-food-on-set-was-real-20
• Please note that all rights of each of the books and movies mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
The last year has gone by so quickly and yet so incredibly slow, and through it all, I've read so many amazing books. And a few not-so-good ones. And on today's episode, I'm sharing if I was able to complete my 2021 Reading Challenge, what I love (and not so love) about reading challenges, and end the whole thing with a fun little challenge for you! So grab a cup of coffee, or hey, a glass of wine, and listen to today's episode.
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
If you've read Miranda C. Heller's most recent book, The Paper Palace, and as soon as you finished it, wanted to pick it back up and read it again... here are five books that continue the same vibe and feel of Heller's fictional world.
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Inspired by art, art history, and the beloved Vincent Van Gogh, as a past art student and forever lifelong artist, I wanted to share some of my favorite Van Gogh-inspired or influenced books and movies to bring more than Starry Skies and Sunflowers into your life. If you're a long-time fan of Van Gogh or a recent lover of the peculiar artist, you are welcome here. So pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and be inspired by the artist who has stollen the hearts of so many over the years.
• Please note that all rights of each of the books and movies mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Today we're talking all things goth novel. What makes a novel a gothic novel, what are some of the classic gothic novels, and three modern takes on gothic novels that I've read and LOVED! So get cozy, and get ready for some moody winter reads that are anything but holiday cheer.
Books Mentioned In Today's Episode:
- The Astonishing Life of August March by Aaron Jackson
- The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Today I'm sitting down to share with you all of my thoughts on the recent 2020 adaption of Emma directed by Autumn de Wilde and compare it with the infamous Jane Austen novel. From what I thought of how the adoption played with the 1995 adaption, Cluessles, what I found most hilarious about Mr. Knitghtly to the small hints of Austen's novel hidden throughout, we're diving into Austen's world.
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
Every summer, I compile a list of books to read. Sometimes their classics I've missed out on, or want to revisit. Sometimes their brand spanking new, just published that year, but ultimately it's always a list of 15-20 books I'm dying to read while I lounge at the pool, by a lake while my family goes fishing, or on an airplane as I hope from one corner of the world to the next.
My list for 2021 was filled with almost 20-books I was dying to read, but in the wake of 2020, my summer didn't provide ample reading time. So, I'm sharing the list of books I did read with my personal rating and the list of books I didn't read (but trust me, I'm getting to them ASAP!) There's no shame here today, just a list of amazing books. Some read. Others waiting their turn.
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The 'Read" List
- The Queens Gambit by Walter Tevis
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Salt to Sea by Ruta Sepertys
- Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber
- The Lost Apothecary by Sara Penner
- The Paris Library by Janey Charles
- The Jane Austen Societ by Natalie Jenner
- The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
- Lore by Alexandra Bracken
- Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers
The "Not Read" List
- Once There Was Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
- The House of Vesper Sands by Peraic O'Donnell
- The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murry
- The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
- Jane Steele by Lindsay Faye
- The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
- The Astonishing Life of August March by Arron Jackson
- Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
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Want to get some of these books at a fraction of the price sent right to your mailbox every month like happy snail mail? Then I cannot recommend the Book of the Month Club. It's a box membership (and trust me, I typically am super disappointed by monthly box memberships!) that allows you to choose your book of the month, skip a month if you don't like that month's selection, and much more! Join today by following this link (yes it's an affiliate link) but also get a discount and start getting the best sort of happy mail possible. Book mail.
Join Book of the Month Today by clicking HERE.
• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.
