Bookfluencer: Recent Episodes
Shannon & Tiffany
Bookfluencer is a casual, down-to-earth chat between two book-loving best friends. Each week, Shannon and Tiff will talk about a book they’ve read and recommend -- featuring lessons, ah-ha moments, inspiration or simply the ways they’ve been entertained or encouraged.
Welcome to the Bookfluencer Pod! This month, to celebrate our heritage, each episode will feature a book written by an Irish author. Today we're talking about Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods.
A few takeaways from Conversations with Friends that Shan shares include:
- All of Rooney’s characters are deeply flawed in some way.
- The story is a snapshot of two couples’ lives, their relationships (and affairs), and how those relationships are impacted by internal struggles.
A few takeaways from The Lost Bookshop that Tiff shares include:
- Multiple perspectives and stories intersect across time, which makes for a captivating read as you slowly begin to see how the characters’ lives are intertwined.
- The story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at times.
- It’s a reminder of the magic of books!
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome to the Bookfluencer Pod! This month, in honor of Valentine’s Day, our episodes will feature romance reads. (Tiffany didn’t follow the assignment for this second book because there’s only so much romance she can handle in her literature.) <3 Today we're talking about Emma by Jane Austen and The Maid by Nita Prose.
A few takeaways from Emma that Shan shares include:
- The likable characters and their old-English quips make for an entertaining read.
- Austen’s slow-burn romance keeps you turning pages… will they, won’t they?
- Emma’s disinterest in marriage (or, her resistance to other people’s expectations of when she should marry, and whom), makes her a rebellious woman in the age during which this book takes place.
A few takeaways from The Maid that Tiff shares include:
- Although it falls outside the “romance” theme for this month, an unexpected relationship blooms toward the end!
- The main character, who’s also the narrator, offers a unique perspective. Based on other characters’ interactions with her, her internal dialogue, and descriptions of how she interprets social interactions, Tiff interpreted her to be a person with autism.
- Tiff suspected multiple characters throughout the story, which kept her turning pages to solve the mystery. Spoiler alert: she pegged the wrong person as the killer!
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome to the Bookfluencer Pod! This month, in honor of Valentine’s Day, our episodes will feature romance reads. <3 Today we're talking about The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer and Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison.
A few takeaways from The Collected Regrets of Clover that Shan shares include:
- The main characters’ choice of profession served as a means of penance.
- Our perception of reality influences our choices and actions.
- Sometimes, we imprison ourselves with our own judgment. Self-forgiveness is freeing.
A few takeaways from Lovelight Farms that Tiff shares include:
- Our pasts tend to dictate how we perceive the present and what we fear about the future, but it's unfair to assess our experiences through that tainted lens.
- We all need community – people we can trust, people who believe in us, people who willingly walk with us through the muck. And people who tell us the truth, even when it's hard to hear.
- Setting and character can make or break a story!
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome to the Bookfluencer Pod! This month, our episodes will feature books related to goals and personal growth. Today we're talking about Wintering by Katherine May and Atomic Habits by James Clear.
A couple takeaways from Wintering that Shan shares include:
- Wintering happens throughout different times in our lives, and it’s intended to be restorative.
- Part of emerging from a season of winter is finding new ways to engage; you scale back to rebuild in a new and better way, as Shan put it.
A few takeaways from Atomic Habits that Tiff shares include:
- Habits only work if they work for you.
- Clears’ framework for developing sustainable habits really works! Make it obvious, make it easy, make it attractive, and make it satisfying.
- When you want to break a bad habit, implement the opposite framework you would for building a sustainable habit: make it invisible, make it difficult, make it unattractive, and make it unsatisfying.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome to the Bookfluencer Pod! This month, our episodes will feature books related to goals and personal growth. Today we're talking about You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero.
A few takeaways from YAABAMM that Shan & Tiff discuss include:
- Re-reading a personal development book like this is a good way to measure progress we’ve already made, and identify areas we can continue to grow. There’s always more to discover about ourselves!
- There’s freedom in making financial decisions that work for you. Going into debt to move forward (“you gotta spend money to make money”) isn’t the right move for everyone, and that’s OK.
- Letting go of habits or relationships that no longer serve us to make space for future opportunity is an act of trust and abundance.
- We’re the only people standing in our way of experiencing abundance and realizing our desires.
- The company you keep is as important as the thoughts you keep. If you want to run a marathon, you’re going to train with other runners, right?
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Counting the Costs by Jill Duggar Dillard.
Book talk:
- Think And Grow Rich is a nonfiction book outlining 13 principles for generating wealth. It was written in 1937, but contains familiar concepts about mindset and manifestation, along with real-life stories of individuals who've applied the principles to achieve their financial desires.
- Counting the Costs is a memoir written by a daughter of the Duggar family, famously portrayed on TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" TV show. Jill shares her experiences behind the scenes, how the show affected her life, and her search for answers about contract obligations and compensation.
We'll be back with Season 2 of Bookfluencer on January 10, 2024! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf, Shannon and Tiffany share a few different titles they're each reading, including The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman (Shan stans her) and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. It's a short and sweet update for ya today! #ReadMoreBooks
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.
Book talk:
- The Midnight Library is a semi-fantasy fiction novel about a woman who gets a second (and third, and fourth, and fifth...) chance at life after attempting suicide. By visiting alternate universes, Nora learns what life could have been like had she not made the choices she regrets most.
- The First Ladies is a historical fiction novel that tracks the friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune, who became one of the most important Black educators, civil and women’s rights leaders and government officials of the twentieth century.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs.
Book talk:
- The Haunting of Hill House is a gothic horror novel about a group of curious guests who descend upon an uninhabited manor with a dark past, eager to encounter the spirits who linger there. It's a psychological thriller with enough spooks to give you shivers (but not enough to give you nightmares -- at least in this scaredy-cat's opinion).
- Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a witchy novel about the transfer of magic via books. Much of the story takes place in a library, so you know Shannon was hooked. It's also a different take on magic than she'd seen before (ahem, see Practical Magic, episode 1). Also included: twisty, turny family drama!
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: Foster by Claire Keegan and The Plea by Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf.
Book talk:
- Foster is a beautifully tragic novella about a teenage girl in Ireland and her experience living with a new family for an undefined period of time while her mother was pregnant. The book is written from the perspective of the child, which requires the reader to make inferences based on the limited information and understanding the main character can provide.
- The Plea is a historical narrative nonfiction story recounting the conviction, imprisonment, and eventual pardon of Wesley Elkins, who was sentenced to life at Anamosa State Penitentiary at 11 years old for murdering his parents. The events take place in rural Iowa, and details offer insight into the American court, prison, and news systems during that period of time.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.
Book talk:
- Lessons in Chemistry is a fiction novel based in the 60s about a woman breaking barriers in her career while facing opposition and resistance from men who believe women don't belong in science. Gorgeous prose, multiple perspectives. 10/10 from Shannon!
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a narrative nonfiction story following one man's experience at Auschwitz. We all know the Holocaust was horrific, but the details in this book were gruesome. The prisoners' resilience will remind you of the power of hope and community. It's well worth the read.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and Someone Else's Shoes by JoJo Moyes.
Book talk:
- Dark Matter is mind-bending, suspenseful novel about what life might be like if one man had made different choices in his past. The main character is plagued by his "what ifs," and when he gets the opportunity to experience an alternate version of his own reality, his perspective changes about what truly matters to him as he struggles to make his way home.
- Someone Else's Shoes is a fiction book, both heartwarming and hilarious, that brings women of different economic status together to support one another as they face their own unique challenges.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
WE'RE BACK! Sorry for the hiatus. April was jam-packed for us, so we took some time off. But we're so excited to be back!
Today on the shelf: A False Report: True Story of Rape in America by T. Christina Miller and Ken Armstrong and Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen.
Trigger Warning: rape
Book talk:
- A False Report is nonfiction but reads like fiction. It details one woman's traumatic experience with the justice system, while touching on other women's stories as well.
- The book highlights the cracks in America's justice system -- poor training, mishandling of evidence, lack of communication, and bias.
- The bright spot is the resilience of the woman whose story is at the center of this book, and the tenacity of the female investigators who worked together to help put a serial rapist behind bars and vindicate an innocent woman.
- Other Birds is a magical fiction story with elements of fantasy. A perfect summertime read!
- The setting is present-day South Carolina but almost reads like a period piece.
- Threaded throughout each character's experience is the theme of letting go -- how our pasts haunt us (whether good pasts or bad), and in order to move forward, we need to be willing to let go of whatever it was we lost.
- Tiff was genuinely SURPRISED by a plot twist (gasped out loud!), which doesn't happen often.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: Spare by Prince Harry and When You Read This by Mary Adkins.
Book talk:
- Spare is best enjoyed by audiobook due to Harry narrating it himself.
- The Duke goes into stunning detail about his life -- from childhood through marriage -- and spills the afternoon tea about all those "controversies" the media scooped. (OK, that was dramatic. He speaks his truth.)
- Honestly, Harry's not that different from us. He's human, and he's faced a lot of challenges we can relate to.
- When You Read This is uniquely structured -- a story told entirely through email exchanges, text threads, and blog posts.
- It makes you ponder existential questions like, "What happens to the ones we love, or to the things we create, after we die?"
- The characters grieve in ways that remind you there's no right way to process loss. And healing takes time.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany and The Winners by Frederik Bachman.
Book talk:
- Frederik Bachman’s ability to expand and contract time is mind-blowing. The entirety of this 600-somthing page book happens in the span of 2 weeks.
- Omniscient narrators can be tricky little SOBs.
- Does our identity come from within, or do our actions drive who we are?
- Facing pressure to meet expectations of faith and family and culture is a universal human experience.
- There's bravery required in choosing your own path.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today on the shelf: The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink and Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson.
Can you guess who read which title?!
Book Talk:
- Some regrets are universal to the human experience, as evidenced by the survey responses from real people who shared their regrets with Pink.
- Regrets related to connection -- failures in relationships -- were the most common among survey respondents. #Relatable
- There are ways to ensure regret is productive.
- Good stories need not be complex! Sometimes, simple is best.
- Evoking a sense of nostalgia is a good way to hook a reader.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome back to the Bookfluencer Pod! Today we're talking about Lunar Love, an enemies-to-lovers romance by Lauren Kung Jessen and Somebody I Used to Know, a memoir by Wendy Mitchel.
A few highlights from Lunar Love that Tiff shares today:
- Learning about the Chinese Zodiac.
- Relatable themes including tradition vs. change, imposter syndrome, and cultural identity.
- Scene structure that played out like a rom-com.
Annnnd a few highlights from Somebody I used to Know that Shan shares today:
- The incredible bravery of the author to broach the subject of her own experience with dementia.
- Fear of losing a part of who we are is a universal human emotion.
- Making the world more accessible for people with brain disease makes the world more accessible for everyone.
Read Shannon's blogs at alzheimersdisease.net, and visit alz.org to learn more and support the cause!
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome back to the Bookfluencer Pod! Today we're talking about Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and On Writing by Stephen King.
A few highlights from Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow that Shan shares today:
- Any and all love is beautiful in its own way, however people choose to embrace one another.
- The omniscient narrator and the way Zevin dangles items in front of the reader, creating a sense of intrigue about what's true and what's not, keeps you wanting to read more.
- STUNNING details. (You'll have to listen for the graphic example Shan gives!)
Annnnd a few highlights from On Writing that Tiff shares today:
- Stephen King is a storyteller. Even in a book on the craft of writing, he weaves anecdotes about his childhood, his writing practice, and his career.
- The rules of writing are simple; and yes, there are rules.
- The old adage is absolutely true: good writers are avid readers.
Also, a quick FACT CHECK: Tiff mentioned that King's Carrie began with the idea of an adolescent girl starting her period in the girls' bathroom at school, but that King initially scrapped the concept. His wife, Tabby, eventually helped him finish the story. Overall, that's true, but this mental floss article goes into more accurate detail.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome back to the Bookfluencer Pod! Today we're talking about Celestial Goddess Rising by Katy Sloane and Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe.
A few takeaways from Celestial Goddess Rising that Tiff shares today:
- There's help available to us in the form of Archangels, ancestral guides, and crystal energy -- if we choose to allow that support.
- An appreciation for the author's vulnerability in sharing her own personal experiences throughout her spiritual journey.
- Meditation is a truly powerful and transformational tool!
Annnnd a few takeaways from Empire of Pain that Shannon shares today:
- A renewed appreciation for the journalists who are unwilling to stop pulling at a string and unraveling a story.
- The idea that just because something's always been done a certain way (in a family or in a business), doesn't mean it's how it should continue to be done.
- The complicated web of the opioid epidemic.
Also, a quick FACT CHECK: The Sacklers funded nonprofits within the sectors that Purdue Pharma operated, however they did not create the association of pain management as Shannon mentions in this episode. Just want to clarify!
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome to the Bookfluencer Pod! Today we're talking about Super Attractor by Gabby Bernstein and Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.
A few takeaways from Super Attractor that Tiff shares today:
- It’s good to feel good! Plus a couple feel-good practices Tiff has adopted since reading this book.
- The Choose Again method, and why it's so helpful.
- The power of being clear and unapologetic about your desires.
Annnnd a few takeaways from Practical Magic that Shannon shares today:
- This idea that we have or will be provided what we need; Shan feels badass, empowered, and divine when reading Hoffman's books.
- The application of natural elements for spiritual growth.
- Sisterly love and intuition.
Intro & Outro music credit:
"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/