Everyone Loved It But Me: Recent Episodes
Lisa Hedger
In Everyone Loved It But Me, we discuss one popular book each week. Lisa chats with guests whose opinions go against the grain. We don't book bash, but we discuss beloved books with a critical eye. At the end of each podcast, we flip the narrative and discuss books that "Everyone Hated But Me." These are books that are likely less popular and haven't gotten as much attention.
Lisa discusses Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which is a historic book released in summer 2025. This is her latest book that dives into space travel in the 1980s discussing sexism and relationships.
Books Discussed:
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shutterfly
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight by Martha Ackermann
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa discusses My Friends by Fredrik Backman, which was an immediate best seller when it was published in 2025. This is a book that focuses on a dual-storyline highlighting a handful of friends and a story unveiling around art.
Books Discussed:
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh.
Lisa discusses Lisa Marie’s memoir From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. This is a raw memoir and is written jointly by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. It dives into grief and Lisa Marie is quite candid.
Books discussed: Finding Me by Viola Davis
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa discusses We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This is a mystery about the ultra-wealthy family the Sinclairs. Cadence Sinclair Eastman is the eldest daughter of the Sinclair family. The entire family spends each summer on the family’s island and one summer a mystery occurs.
In this episode, Lisa compares the book versus the TV show. In a previous episode, Lisa and her guest Molly Shea had a deep dive into the book and you can find it here.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa discusses the book Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. It was an immediate best-seller. The book was published in 2023 and highlights three daughters who are in northern Michigan with their mom and she shares the stories of you her youth when she dated a famous actor.
Books Discussed:
Bomb Shelter; Love, Time and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott
Lisa discusses The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. This book was awarded the Booker Prize in 2022, which is one of the most prestigious literature awards internationally.
Other books discussed:
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Lisa discusses None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, which is a thriller, but Lisa discusses how it is more of a slow-burn than a thriller and the title certainly sets you up for some predictable events.
Books discussed:
The Last House on Needless Street By Catriona Ward
Lisa discusses The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, which is a historical fiction book about Martha Ballard, who was a real midwife, who delivered more than 800 babies. The book is fiction, but Martha wrote a journal for more than 25 years.
A Midwife's Tale, the Life of Martha Ballard – based on the diary 1785 to 1812.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa and Boston artist Julia Purdy discuss Still Life by Louise Penny, the first Inspector Gamache series. This was published in 2005 and there are 18 books in this series. It is an internationally recognized series.
This article in Vox discusses how Louise Penny has perfected the literary genre with combining murder mysteries in a small town idyllic town filled with artists.
Julia is an artist and you can find her on her website or on Instagram.
Books Discussed on this show:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
Sankofa by Chibunduy Onuzo
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
The Rise of Wolf Eight by Rick McIntyre
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa discusses the popular memoir Be Ready When The Luck Happens by Ina Garten. Garten is a longtime Food Network star and and Instagram star. She delves into her career, and talks a great deal about real estate.
This blog post from Eater describes how much of Garten’s “luck” is really more related to privilege and wealth. She’s able to make many decisions because of her wealth. She quits a job at the White House to purchase the Barefoot Contessa.
Other books discussed:
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Finding Me by Viola Davis
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa discusses 10 books that will be released in 2025 that she thinks should be ones you consider for different reasons. Some are very popular authors and some are quite uniqute.
Here’s the list of books that Lisa suggests you consider reading this year.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward by Melinda French Gates
Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Listeners by Maggie Siefvater
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Lisa discusses and ranks the books she read in January from least favorite to most favorite. And, she discusses three books that will be released this year, that she believes will be super popular.
Books discussed:
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.
The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrew
Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II (Scholastic Focus) by Candace Fleming
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection by John Green
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Lisa discusses Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. This was published in 2021 and brings together a wide range of characters ranging from Constantinople 1453 to Idaho in 2020. These characters will ultimately be connected by the fictional book Cloud Cuckoo Land.
Books discussed:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Overstory by Richard Powers
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa and special guest Emily Binder discuss All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. They have an in-depth discussion about this book, which is billed as a thriller, but they feel the pacing is much slower than they anticipated.
Emily is a marketer, entrepreneur and founder of boutique agency Beetle Moment Marketing and the marketing platform WealthVoice. She is on LinkedIn and X. She's also on Instagram @EmilyBinder.
Books discussed:
The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa ranks the books she read in December 2024 from least favorite to most favorite. She read a number of young adult books this month and ranked those and then ranked the adult books. This eposide doesn't contain any spoilers of books.
Books discussed on this episode:
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Ramona and her Mother by Bevery Cleary
Ramona Quimby Age Eight
Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: A Christmas holiday book for kids by Barbara Robinson
To all the boys I loved before
The Hurting Kind by Ada Limon
So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan
The Wonderful World of Oz by L. Frank Baum
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa discusses her five favorite and least favorite books she read in 2024. There are no spoilers discussed for any books in this episode.
Books discussed.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Finding Me by Viola Davis
After Annie by Anna Quindlen
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham
The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos
James by Percival Everett.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros.
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses several books that could be on the screen in 2025. These are all extraordinarily popular. It’s not guaranteed that these onscreen adaptations will come out in 2025. But they are in the works.
Books discussed:
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Verity by Colleen Hoover.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses one of the most popular books of 2024 – James by Percival Everett. This book is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn.
Other books discussed:
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
The Intuitionist b Colson Whitehead
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses the books she read in November and ranks them from worst to best. She doesn’t share any spoilers on these books, but instead offers up a synopsis for each book and shares what readers might like about each one.
James by Percival Everett just won the National Book Award for fiction. It is a retelling of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of James.
Books Discussed
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop
James by Percival Everett.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
On this episode, Lisa discusses Salem's Lot by Stephen King. This was the second book he wrote and is about what transpires when residents in the small town of Salem’s Lot in Maine become vampires.
In this blog, the reviewer writes about how much they love the book.
Books discussed:
Hatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition by Agatha Christie
The New York Times discusses how riveting this book is even though it doesn’t have the gruesome details of some murder mystery books. Another article in the LA Review - Getting Fooled Again, rereading Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in the Age of Trump – highlights how Christie focuses on people’s stereotypes of men and women.
Books discussed:
Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discussed the books she read in October and ranked them from worst to best.
Books Discussed:
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim
Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition by Agatha Christie
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Sandwich by Catherine Newman, published June 18, 2024. It’s been described as the perfect beach book. It highlights Rocky, who is in her mid-50s and struggling with menopause, anger and grief.
The Washington Post discusses the witty banter and the issues that Rocky faces, thanks to Menopause.
Books Discussed:
Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Anne of Green Gables by Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. This book was written more than 100 years ago and Lisa talks about Anne’s personality and some of the themes in the book. Lisa talks about the strong female friendships. She also discusses how some of Anne's extreme reactions are likely a result of her earlier trauma in life.
Books discussed:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses a preview of some anticipated books coming out in the fall of 2024 as well as a few new fall books that might not be getting the same amount of attention.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten. A review describes this as the dishiest book you’ll read all year. I Read Ina Garten's Memoir In One Night—Here's What Shocked Me The Most
The Life Impossible: A Novel by Matt Haig
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell
From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo
City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim Comes out Nov. 26, 2024
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Playground by Richard Powers
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discussed the 11 books she read in September and ranked them in order from worst to best. This month, she read a wide range of celebrity memoirs and ranks all of her books.
Books Lisa Discusses:
The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham
Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember by Lauren Graham
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
In Pieces by Sally Field
Sights N Sounds with Allen Kiger
Interviewing music and racing royalty.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa celebrates her third anniversary of Everyone Loved It But Me. She discusses how the podcast has changed and grown over the past three years. She discusses challenges with the podcast and lessons learned. She also discusses milestones of the podcast and the most popular episodes during the past two years
She answers questions she’s received from listeners and discusses her future goals for the podcast.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa talks in-depth about the beloved comedy and memoir Yes Please by Amy Poehler.
This is a hilarious book - though only some things don't work as well on the page they might in standup. The New York Times addresses how much of the book is filler with empty pages for writing notes and parts of scripts in the book.
Books discussed:
Finding Me by Viola Davis
In Pieces by Sally Field
Lisa discusses and analyzes Tina Fey's memoir Bossypants, which she wrote in 2011. It is more like a comedy sketch than a deep-dive memoir.
The Washington Post describes how this book doesn’t go beyond Fey’s humor. She sticks with her funny Saturday Night Live types of bits. She doesn’t share her life’s challenges. In The Guardian, writer Carole Cadwalladr talks about the fact that Fey doesn’t offer up any details about her life than her fans already know. She points out that there are very few revelations.
Books Discussed:
Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott
Finding Me by Viola Davis.
Lisa revisited this episode with guest Nicole Zelniker where they discussed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. There are spoilers during this discussion. Nicole has written Letters I'll Never Send and Until We Fall. Check out the rest of her work on her website.
In an interview with PopSugar Reid writes about how Elizabeth Taylor inspired the novel.
Books discussed:
· In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado
· On Beauty by Zadie Smith
· Wander by Allison Kate Stalberg
· How Should A Person Be:? A Novel From Life by Shelia Heti
· Girl, Wo man Other: A Novel by Bernardine Evaristo
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discussed and ranked the eight books she read in August. She doesn’t offer any spoilers on these books; rather, she shares a little bit about each book.
Books read and ranked in August
Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
After Annie by Anna Quindlen
Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopie Goldberg
My Love Story by Tina Turner
One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Muein Mystery School Adventures
Get more from an audio drama than simply escapism.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa offers a treat episode in which she discusses three overlooked books. These books aren’t super popular, but you can consider adding them to your to-be-read list.
Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
After Annie by Anna Quindlen
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Enjoy this revisited episode where Lisa and bookstore owner Laura Larson discuss The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This is a book that addresses suicide and mental health issues. NPR wrote this article tiled “It’s Not Quite Dark Enough in the Midnight Library.”
Laura opened Odyssey Bookstore in March 2020. The store focuses on sustainability and is nestled in a darling spot in Ithaca, New York. You can follow the bookstore on Facebook or Instagram. In next week’s episode, Lisa and Laura will talk about what it was like for Laura to open a bookstore amid the pandemic.
Books Discussed on the Show:
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
The Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Brendt. This book is a non-fiction novel that was published in 1994 and is written as part of the love story of Savannah and part of true crime.
Books Discussed:
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Odysseys of Alaythia
After finding a 100 year old diary, Virginia becomes aware of a fantasy world near her own
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses her first five star book of the year – Finding Me by Viola Davis. This is a powerful and touching memoir written by Davis. She delves into her childhood of poverty along with domestic abuse and sexual abuse that enclosed her family.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa changed her format for a summer episode. Instead of discussing one popular book, she discussed three overlooked books. These are all books that aren’t selling millions of copies.
Books Discussed:
Terrace Story by Hillary Leichter
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa discusses Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, the historical romance between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. Here, she discusses the key differences between the book and Season 3 of Bridgerton, which just came out in the summer of 2024.
Books discussed:
The Queen's Gambit by Evie Dunmore
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa discusses Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, the historical romance about Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. Season 3 of Bridgerton, which highlights this romance, was just released. In today’s episode, Lisa focuses on the book.
Next week’s episode, Lisa will discuss the book versus the TV show.
The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell
Mr. Malcolm's List by Suzanne Allain
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa discusses Silent Book Clubs and the overlooked book Starfish by Lisa Fipps. A silent book club is where people show up and read quietly while being in the company of one another. It has grown in popularity and is a national movement. You'll be able to learn more here.
She also discusses Starfish without any spoilers. Starfish is a book about Ellie, who is overweight and has been bullied most of her life. Her mother put her on her first diet when she was 4. The book is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa and Pam Bice discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Pam is a middle school teacher in Central Ohio.
Gone Girl is a super popular book and received many accolades from The New York Times. It’s been more than ten years since the book was published and spawned the “Gone Girl Effect,” according to The Ringer. Flynn also says it’s not a question of when but if regarding a sequel in a People Magazine.
Gone Girl Effect Books:
The Woman in the Window by A J Finn
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Books Discussed on the show:
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 By Garrett M. Graff
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Comic Boom - Comics in Education
An education podcast exploring the use of comics in education. Each episode I’ll be...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and actress and author Christy Cashman discuss Christy’s new book, The Truth About Horses. In this episode, Christy shares how her love of horses inspired her book. There are no spoilers in this episode.
You can find an interview with Geraldine Books, author of Horse, with Christy Cashman here.
You can find Christy on social media. She is on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. She also has a Tik Tok for her non-profit, YouthInk, @Youth-ink111 and @youthinkretreats.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa and Christy Cashman, actress and author, discuss Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. This book was a Newberry Award winner and is one of the first books banned regularly due to its discussion about religion.
Christy wrote a heartwarming debut Young Adult novel, The Truth About Horses (SparkPress). Next week's episode will focus on The Truth About Horses.
Books Discussed:
Front Desk (Front Desk #1) by Kelly Yang
The Yellow House by Emily O’Grady
You can find Christy on social media. She is on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. She also has a Tik Tok for her non-profit, YouthInk, @Youth-ink111 and @youthinkretreats.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses the debut novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. This was published in May 2022, and received rave remarks from critics and was picked by Jenna Bush Hagger as a book of the month for her book club.
This article on Book Shelf Fantasies highlights that it’s fun to hear from the mind of octopus Marcellus. NPR includes an interview with Van Pelt, where she addresses how she watched octopus videos and that struck the idea to write about an octopus and their intelligence.
The Today Show recommends six other books to read here.
Books Discussed on the show:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Enjoy this revisited episode as Lisa and her guest Storm Kopitsch, youth services director for the Fowlerville, Michigan Library, discuss The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, originally written as Star Wars fan-fiction about Kylo Ren and Rey.
A number of publications lauded the book but Kirkus Reviews offers a constructive opinion.
Storm and her library post frequently on TikTok and have more than 140,000 followers and more than 3 million people have liked their videos. You can also find videos on Instagram
Books Discussed:
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monoghan
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
The Lost Girls: A Vampire Revenge Story by Sonia Hartl
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa and her daughter Liz Hedger discuss how you could rate a library. There are many sites available to rate restaurants, schools, and movies. However, not as much analysis exists on how to review or rate a library. Lisa and Liz discuss criteria such as location, parking, accessibility, programs, and book collection.
Here is an article that discusses essential aspects of libraries.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses her best and worst books of the year so far. She read these books in 2024, not necessarily those published in 2024.
Books Discussed:
Britney Spears: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar
Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond by Henry Winkler
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Foster by Claire Keegan
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
The Truth About Horses by Christy Cashman
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score with avid reader Faith Eck. This book was published in 2022 and is being developed into a movie.
Books Discussed:
Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
My Life with the Water Boys by Ali Novak
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
By the Book-A Meant to Be Novel by Jasmine Guillory
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn (Author)
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
On this special Mother’s Day Episode, Lisa talks with her Mom, Carleen Shidler, and her daughter, Liz Hedger. They share their reading journeys and how the types of books they read have changed over time.
Books Discussed:
Chesapeake by James A. Michener
Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener
Virgin River by Robyn Carr
Bride By Mistake by Serenity Woods
Christian Romance Books by Chloe Carley
The Sheikh’s New Baby by Holly Rayner
MY BEST FRIEND, THE BILLIONAIRE (THE BILLIONAIRE KINGS, BOOK 1) by Serenity Woods
Maverick Mogul by Lila Monroe
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The City of Ember by Jeanne DePrau
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links.
The Silver King's War
The Silver King's War is a series of World War II plays (The Silver King, Marauder Men,...
The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer
Authors, from debuts to bestsellers, chat about books, writing, publishing, and joy.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses some unique programs available at libraries across the country. She examines libraries such as the New York Public Library and its career programs.
The Indianapolis Public Library has a long list of health and safety programs The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has a wealth of programs, including music programs.
San Diego Public Library has dozens of programs available, including many " how-to” programs. Many small libraries also have a wide range of cool events, such as Westerville, Ohio.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses The Women by Kristin Hannah, published in February 2024 and about a woman named Frances “Frankie” McGrath, who becomes a nurse in Vietnam. This episode has massive spoilers in the book. If you want to learn more about the book without spoilers, go to part 1 here. The book is unique in that it highlights the nurses in Vietnam.
The Washington Post offers a list of Vietnam War books to consider reading. The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe addresses this book's predictability and some clichés in the book.
Books discussed:
A Piece of My Heart: The stories of 26 women in Vietnam War by Keith Walker
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses The Women by Kristin Hannah, published in February 2024 and about a woman named Frances “Frankie” McGrath, who becomes a nurse in Vietnam. The book is unique in that it highlights the nurses in Vietnam.
The Washington Post offers a list of Vietnam War books to consider reading.
Books discussed:
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam by Bao Ninh
Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses an overlooked book, Foster by Claire Keegan and also Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.
The New York Times addresses this book and also talks about how novellas don’t get the same attention as other books.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa discusses A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and the new TV show, which was just released on Paramount Plus. There will be spoilers for the first TV episode.
Lisa discussed the book in 2022 with author Joshua Berkov and if you would like to listen to that episode, it is here.
The New York Times discusses how Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead first filmed together back in 2017. They are now married, and Ewan plays the Count, and Mary Elizabeth plays the Count’s girlfriend.
The Los Angeles Times addresses how this almost fanciful fairytale is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The Guardian delves into how this TV show combines the serious and goofy aspects of the Count.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton. Published in 1948, the book details South Africa before the apartheid political system came into effect. The book sold more than 15 million copies before Paton’s death. It is studied internationally by many schools.
Lisa talks about the experience of reading the book while also listening to it on YouTube, being read by Best Tutor Friendwho is also a teacher. She posts about reading on Instagram too.
Books Discussed:
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and her special guest daughter, Liz Hedger, discuss the super-popular Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros.
Lisa and Liz discussed the first book in the series, Fourth Wing in the fall of 2023 in the Fourth Wing Episode and if you haven’t listented to that episode first, you may want to do so.
Today’s episode does include spoilers of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Iron Flame has more than 832,000 reviews on Goodreads and when Iron Flame was released, it sold more than half a million copies in one day.
Books Discussed:
The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses several books to consider putting on your To Be Read (TBR) list for reading and learning more about powerful women in our history. There’s a wide variety of books discussed in today’s episode.
Here’s a list of books to consider from Boston University’s story.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley Paperback by Charlotte Gordon
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Radium Girls by Kate Moore
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Britney Spears: The Woman in Me
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
Heart Berries: A Memoir
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and Diana Rodriguez Wallach talk about young adult horror books. Diana is a multi-published author of young adult novels. Her recent young adult Latinx Horror novel is Lizzie Borden meets Supernatural, named Hatchet Girls. It was released in October 2023.
She did an extensive research and slept in the house where Borden’s parents were killed and she hiked in the nearby forest. She also discusses the book she’s writing now.
You can find Diana on her website here. You can also find her on her Instagram and on
Tik Tok.
She has written several books including:
Small Town Monsters
Proof of Lies
End of the Lie
Lies that Bind
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and Diana Rodriguez Wallach discuss Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, a gothic horror novel about four children trapped in an attic by their mother and grandmother. This book was the first in a series. The book sold more than 40 million copies, but Book Riot addresses how Andrews was perceived differently than Stephen King in this article.
Diana Rodriguez Wallach is a multi-published author of young adult novels. Her recent young adult Latinx Horror novel is Lizzie Borden meets Supernatural, named Hatchet Girls. It was released in October 2023.
You can find Diana on her website here. You can also find her on her Instagram. She’s also on Tik Tok.
Books discussed:
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses a number of unpopular bookish opinions including celebrity stickers affixed to book covers. There’s also a discussion about where to put award stickers on books in Publisher's Weekly.
Another pet peeve discussed is the cartoonish covers that are taking place on most of the romance book covers in this article.
Books Discussed:
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren,
How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur
Faking with Benefits by Lily Gold
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Britney Spears: The Woman in Me, a memoir that was released in the fall of 2023. Britney Spears discusses the trauma she experienced in her childhood and even as a young adult. She had very few advocates in her life sticking up for her and she felt very alone as she fought for her children.
Books Discussed:
Paris: The Memoir
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond: Henry Winkler’s Memoir. Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond by Henry Winkler
Lisa talks about Winkler’s memoir and how he delves into his dyslexia and his highly complex relationship with his parents. He also shares his longtime relationship with Ron Howard.
Books Discussed:
Bettyville: A Memoir
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses the celebrity memoir Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar, which came out in the fall of 2023. She was raised in a conservative household and is famous because her family was on TLC’s popular show, 19 Kids and Counting. Jill marries Derick and grapples with her life being raised in a semi-cult. She was taught that men are superior and women’s roles are to raise children and marry, and are discouraged from higher education. She has tremendous trauma that she’s grappling with, and this episode addresses her trauma, which includes sexual assault.
Other Books Discussed:
Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. This is a young adult book based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan centered on the Ojibwe tribe and a young adult who tries to solve a murder mystery. The artwork on the cover is beautiful and this article discusses how the artwork was set up.
Other books discussed:
Backwater by Joan Bauer
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and Boston artist Julia Purdy discuss Still Life by Louise Penny, the first Inspector Gamache series. This was published in 2005 and there are 18 books in this series. It is an internationally recognized series.
This article in Vox discusses how Louise Penny has perfected the literary genre with combining murder mysteries in a small town idyllic town filled with artists.
Julia is an artist and you can find her on her website or on Instagram.
Books Discussed on this show:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
Sankofa by Chibunduy Onuzo
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
The Rise of Wolf Eight by Rick McIntyre
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses how challenging it can be when you're in a reading rut and crafts some ideas on how to move past the rut along with other unique reading goals for 2024. Consider goals that go beyond the "number" of books you read.
Lisa discusses her five most favorite and least favorite books that she read in 2023. Not all of these books were written in 2023.
Books Discussed:
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candace Millard
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Hey Kiddo: A Memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
Stoner by John Williams
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses some of the most anticipated books for 2024. She highlights books written by extremely popular authors such as Matt Haig, Emily Henry and Kristin Hannah.
Books Discussed:
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
James by Percival Everett out in May 2024
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Book of Love by Kelly Link
Black Cat and White Dog Search for the Meaning of Life: A Children's Fable by Kelly Link
House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir by RuPaul
The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses her reading in 2023 and ways you can evaluate your success other than just hitting a certain number of books.
Books discussed:
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Bit Flip by Mike Trigg
Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
Falling for You: A Buckeye Falls Novel and Falling Home: A Buckeye Falls Novel.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
The Shining by Stephen King.
Stoner by John Williams
Hey Kiddo: A Memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Hatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
The Cider House Rules by John Irving
Last Night in Twisted River
Shark Heart: A Love Story
ADELAIDE by Genevieve Wheeler
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and romance author Libby Kay discuss Libby’s book series, the Buckeye Falls novels. She’s written four so far and is working on the fifth one. You can find all of the books on her website, but books in that series include Falling for You: A Buckeye Falls Novel and Falling Home: A Buckeye Falls Novel.
You can find more information about her writing and novels on Instagram and Facebook. She also is a co-host of a romance podcast, which you can listen to or watch on their You Tube channel.
Books Discussed:
A Virgin River Christmas: A Holiday Romance Novel
Almost Perfect part of the Fools Gold series by Susan Mallery
Come Back to Me by Sharon Sala, part of the Blessings Georgia series
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and author Libby Kay discuss Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. This was a humorous holiday book released in 2001 and turned into a popular movie by the name of Christmas with the Cranks.
Libby has written the Buckeye Falls novels, including Falling for You: A Buckeye Falls Novel and Falling Home: A Buckeye Falls Novel.
You can find more information about her writing and novels on her website, Instagram and Facebook.
Books Discussed:
The White Christmas Inn by Colleen Wright
Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and author Genevieve Wheeler discuss the 1984 by George Orwell. They discuss the book in depth including a number of topics such as the forbidden affair in the book. The book was written more than 70 years ago, but it discusses how a number of the issues addressed are still essential today.
They also discuss Genevieve’s book ADELAIDE, which was published this year by St. Martin’s Press. You can find Genevieve on Instagram and her website.
Books discussed:
Orwell Diaries by George Orwell
Down and Out in Paris and London & The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Legend by Marie Lu
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discussed her five favorite audiobooks that she listened to this year and a number of her favorite audio books.
Books discussed:
Hey Kiddo: A Memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Spare by Prince Harry
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses three popular books that, in the fall of 2023, have been released on the screen – either as a movie or a limited series. She discusses Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.
Lisa delves into each movie and how it compares to the book. Time Magazine says the limited series of All The Light We Cannot See is a simplistic version of the book. The Daily Beast calls Mark Ruffalo’s accent abominable.
Lisa and Kirsten Plonner discussed All the Light We Cannot See on this episode and Kirsten didn’t like the way the book ended. Still, the limited series has an entirely different ending, which Lisa discusses in today’s episode.
Lessons in Chemistry is available on Apple TV and a new episode drops on Fridays. Lisa discussed Lessons in Chemistry on an episode of the podcast here.
In Lessons in Chemistry, there were some dramatic changes from characters form the book to the show. For instance, one character Harriet was an aging housewife, but in the limited series, they change her to a young African American attorney. Vulture Magazine says that the show introduces a marginalized character and marginalizes her story.
Killers of the Flower Moon is now on the big screen and there is some debate about the age of the actors and this article delves into that topic. CNN discusses the length of the movie.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and Megan Samarin, the co-host of the podcasts Girls Gone Hallmark and Approved with Megan and Wendy discuss The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, (a combined pen name) of Christina Hobbs and Laura Billings. They write a number of fiction and romance novels.
The Unhoneymooners is set up as an enemies-to-lovers trope. Megan and Lisa discuss their thoughts on the book and Megan shared other Christina Lauren books that she enjoyed more.
You can also find Megan on her Girls Gone Hallmark Instagram or via Megan and Wendy on Instagram. Their website also contains their links here.
Books discussed:
Roomies by Christina Lauren
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Georgie, All Along: An Uplifting and Unforgettable Love Story by Kate Clayborn
Love Lettering: A Witty and Heartfelt Love Story by Kate Clayborn
Playing with Matches: A Lit Lovers Romantic Comedy by Ciara Blume
A Lit Lovers Series by Ciara Blume
Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo
Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses five celebrity memoirs she’d like to read – all three memoirs have been released this year, and have created a massive buzz. It’s possible she’ll discuss one of these books in-depth in the coming weeks.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears. She didn’t give any face-to-face interviews about this book, and New York Times writes about how it’s quite unique that she didn’t give any interviews. It’s already reached No. 1 on the New York Times’s Bestseller’s List. This article, article written by a longtime fan, who thought she knew everything about Spears, says she still learned a lot from the book.
Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar Dillard. She was on the TV show Eighteen Kids and Counting and she shares the problems of being in a strict religious environment and being raised on reality TV. People Magazine wrote about some of the bombshells from her book.
Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth by Pamela Anderson. Vanity Fair says the book has passages in verse as well, which is quite unique.
PageBoy by Elliot Page. Page was in the popular movie Juno and discusses coming out as gay and also delves into gender dysphoria.The actor shares fears and obstacles to gender transition.
Being Henry...the Fonz and Beyond by Henry Winkler. He shares his childhood and also his immense struggle with dyslexia. Here’s an article which delves into the conflict between Winkler and Tom Hanks. The pair were both part of Turner and Hooch, but Winkler says he was fired early into the filming of the movie.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
For spooky October, Lisa discusses one of the scariest books – The Shining by Stephen King. It is regarded as one of the most popular scary books and was turned into a movie that is also considered one of the spookiest movies, but King didn’t didn't like the movie. There were significant changes in characters and even the ending is different.
The Shining repeatedly makes lists of the best spooky books.
In the overlooked discussion, here’s a list list of other spooky books to consider.
Books Discussed:
Usher's Passing by Robert McCammon
Property of a Lady by Sarah Rayne
The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and her special guest her daughter Liz Hedger discuss the amazingly popular Fourth Wing Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. This book was released in May 2023, and was instantly sold out in most bookstores. It was an instant bestseller and one of the most popular books of 2023.
Lisa and Liz discuss the characters, plot and have a lively discussion about the dragons.
Books discussed:
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Legend by Marie Lu
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa talks with Kate Reynolds, a librarian from Canada, and they discuss popular author Roald Dahl and the publisher’s decision to edit his work. Lisa and Kate share their concerns about the edits. Kate discusses how an author gets an opportunity to spend a great deal of unsupervised time with children.
The edits are actually regressive - rather than progressive, Kate says during this episode.
Kate is known as the Lavender Librarian and is an openly autistic and queer librarian from Canada. In 2021, she founded Storytime Solidarity to create inclusive StoryTimes that welcome everyone. You can find her on instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
This discussion also delves into the massive problem with book banning and Kate recently wrote this article about book banning.
This story from the Wall Street Journal discusses the edits that were made in February 2023 in Roald Dahl’s books. This article from The New York Times article addresses how edits have hit a number of authors including Agatha Christie, James Bond, etc..
Here’s a list of books for children who love Roald Dahl books and are looking for similar whimsical books.
Books discussed:
A Day With No Words by Tiffany Hammond
Aviva Versus the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gailman
Big Wig by Jonathan Hillman
The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Banned Book Week of 2023, which is meant to educate individuals on the alarming number of books that are being protested and banned each year. The American Library Association tracks the data and says that an unprecedented number of attemps to ban books have occurred in 2022 and already this year.
In this episode, Lisa discusses what it means to challenge a book, and offers up ideas on what readers can to to ensure books aren’t being banned. She also discusses the 10 most banned books of 2022.
.The 10 most banned books in 2022:
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maria Kobabe
- All Boys Aren't Blueby George M. Johnson
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Flamer by Mike Curato
- (Tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
5.(tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Out of Darkness Ashley Hope Perez
- (tie) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
- (tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
- (tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
- (tie) This Boy is Gay by Juno Dawson
The American Library Association tracked the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2021, and they are:
1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maria Kobabe and she is quoted in this article.
2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
3. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
4. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
5. The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
9. This Boy is Gay by Juno Dawson
10. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa celebrates her two-year anniversary of Everyone Loved It But Me. She discusses how the podcast has changed and grown over the past two years. She also discusses milestones of the podcast, and the most popular episodes during the past two years
She answers questions she’s received from listeners and also discusses her goals for the podcast in the future.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and was published in 2003. This is a love-story of Henry and Clare. The book goes back and forth and details how the pair met and fell in love, especially with Henry traveling back and forth in time.
Other books discussed:
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
The Story Chaser
This is a journey along the way of writing my first book. I will be telling some...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses the upcoming season of Everyone Loved It But Me. She shares a sneak preview of four episodes that she’ll be sharing later this fall and winter.
Episodes later this fall include:
Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Roald Dahl books
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Lisa also has a segment called, “I Finally Read it.” She shares her quick thoughts on reading one of John Irving’s books. She read Last Night in Twisted River.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa discusses One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle, which is a story that portrays the complex mother-daughter relationship and delves into grief. Katie’s mom, Carole, died, and Katie is devastated because they were best friends. Katie goes on the trip while she’s discovering Italy, she stumbles upon her mom, Carole, who is suntanned, beautiful and in her 30s.
The New York Times highlights the notion of meeting your mom before she becomes a mom and appreciating her as a person and not just a mom.
Books Discussed:
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa discusses The Measure The Measure by Nikki Erlick, which is a fictional book that was published in 2022. The book delves into what happens if everyone finds out when they will die.
This New York Times article, “How Would Your Life Change if You Knew When it Would End," discusses the book's unique premise.
Erlick posted a list of other books to consider if you loved, The Measure.
Books discussed:
Stoner by John Williams
Lisa discusses 10 ways to shake up your book club a little bit to offer a new variety of books and topics. In a 2022 podcast episode, she discussed tips for struggling book clubs, and you can check out that episode here.
Book Riot offers up some themed book club ideas.
Lisa discusses whether audio listening is cheating and if it counts as reading. There are many teachers, experts, and psychologists with a wide range of opinions on this topic.
Though, most experts agree listening to a book counts as reading. In Readers Digest UK, this article interviews many experts who all agree that listening to audiobooks does count as reading.
Psychology Today delves into how you process the book slightly differently when listening to it versus reading it. One of the critical differences is reading is something you do, and listening is something that happens to you, according to the article.
Time Magazine highlights differences in reading versus listening to books.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa discusses what makes a classic in today’s Book Bits episode. There’s great debate about the definition of a pure classical novel. Lisa has discussed a number of classics on previous episodes, including Wuthering Heights, The Alchemist, Little House on the Prairie, A Christmas Carol and How Green Was My Valley.
Pan MacMillian states this description of a classic novel and talks about the ingredients in a classic.
Wikipedia also offers up a wide range of discussions about classic literature, delving into how authors have debated this topic for decades and centuries.
New York Times has written about how book publishers are editing and tweaking classical books such as Agatha Christie’s books.
This article highlights the classics ‘we not so secretly hate.’
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa and Heather Lipe, owner of Woodchuck Arts, discuss How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn.
There is great debate about the book because years after Llewellyn’s death, it was discovered that he was not from Wales, according to this story titled, How phoney was my Welsh Valley
Heather owns Woodchuck Arts, a web design and graphic design business. You can also find her on Instagram.
Books Discussed
The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks
And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa and her guest Storm Kopitsch, youth services director for the Fowlerville, Michigan Library, discuss The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, originally written as Star Wars fan-fiction about Kylo Ren and Rey.
A number of publications lauded the book but Kirkus Reviews offers a constructive opinion.
Storm and her library post frequently on TikTok and have more than 140,000 followers and more than 3 million people have liked their videos. You can also find videos on Instagram
Books Discussed:
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monoghan
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
The Lost Girls: A Vampire Revenge Story by Sonia Hartl
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa discusses West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, who wrote a historical fiction book based on the true story of two giraffes being transported from New Jersey to San Diego in 1938 after a horrible hurricane hit their boat.
On Rutledge's website, she explains how she researched this story and how she learned about this event.
If you scroll through the San Diego Zoo timeline, in the section on 1938, you’ll see pictures of the giraffes being transported.
Other books discussed:
The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa discusses the five books she’s looking most forward to reading this year. Lisa thanked readers for listening.
Five Books she can’t wait to read:
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
2. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
3. The Measure by Nikki Erlick
4. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
5. The World According to Garp by John Irving
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a commission.
Lisa talks about her favorite and least favorite books so for 2023. She also discusses where she stands for her reading goals.
Books Discussed on the podcast:
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
Normal People by Sally Rooney,
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus,
Bit Flip by Mike Trigg
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen
Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa discusses the very popular book, The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein. This was published in 2008 and has sold more six million copies of the book have been sold. It has been turned into many children’s books and a movie.
It spent over 3 years on the New York Times Bestseller’s List.
Books Discussed:
The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa and Philip Gabriel is the translator
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.
Lisa discusses Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and how her opinions have changed.
This article from PBS delves into how handle these books with racist descriptions. NPR wrote about how a division of the American Library Association decided to strip Laura Ingalls Wilder’s name from a major children’s literature award regarding concerns about how Wilder referred to Native Americans and blacks.
The New York Times writes an article about how Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book appeal to both Republicans and Democrats alike.
Other books discussed:
Backwater by Joan Bauer
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Finally! A Book Club You'll Love
LIT Society is the hilarious weekly show that'll make you fall in love again with reading!
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa and her guest avid reader Faith Eck have a fun and musical conversation about Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
This is an extraordinarily popular book and received many positive attributes. This article in the New York Times discusses the aspect of writing the lyrics.
Books Discussed:
The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen
Stevie Nicks - Visions, Dreams & Rumours by Zoe Howe
Play On: Now, Then, and Fleetwood Mac: The Autobiography by Mick Fleetwood and Anthony Bozza
This Bird Has Flown: The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul, Fifty Years on to Collections by John Kruth
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, published in 2022 and an overnight success. The book focuses on Scientist Elizabeth Zott, who struggles in the early 1960s with a sexist all-male research team at the Hastings Research Institute.
The New York Times highlights how Garmus learned chemistry and researched texts from the 1950s to write this book.
Books Discussed:
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links.
Lisa analyzes the latest book bannings with Amanda Gorman’s poem The Hill We Climb being banned in one Florida elementary. The restriction is because one parent who cited the poem had indirect hate speech.
In this NPR article, the parent’s petition is included, and the parent incorrectly stated that the poem's author was Oprah Winfrey.
Here's where you can read or hear the poem. Penguin Random House and others are suing a school district in Florida for the excessive book banning, citing that it violates students’ first amendment rights.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links.
Lisa discusses The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, which is a bestseller book focused on Elle, a married mother who has an affair with her longtime friend. The book goes back and forth into the past and present day highlighting the family’s time on Cape Cod, at The paper Palace, their cottage.
This book excels in its setting as this article in The New York Times discusses.
Books Discussed:
Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links.
Lisa analyzes Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, a memoir published in 2021 highlighting Michelle’s complicated relationship with her mom, Chongmi. Chongmi died when Michelle was just 25.
The two bonded over Korean food, and every time, Michelle enters the Korean grocery store H Mart, she weeps over the loss of her mom. She first wrote about crying in H Mart in 2018 in this New Yorker article.
Lisa ranked this book as her favorite book in 2021 and was quoted in this article discussing this book. Lisa re-read the book in 2023 in light of its popularity to analyze the book.
Books Discussed:
Fierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick
Tastes Like War: A Memoir by Grace M. Cho
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links.
On this special Mother’s Day Episode, Lisa talks with her Mom, Carleen Shidler and her daughter Liz Hedge. Each share their reading journey and how the types of books they read have changed over time.
Books Discussed:
Chesapeake by James A. Michener
Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener
Virgin River by Robyn Carr
Bride By Mistake by Serenity Woods
Christian Romance Books by Chloe Carley
The Sheikh’s New Baby by Holly Rayner
MY BEST FRIEND, THE BILLIONAIRE (THE BILLIONAIRE KINGS, BOOK 1) by Serenity Woods
Maverick Mogul by Lila Monroe
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The City of Ember by Jeanne DePrau
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links.
Lisa discusses The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. This is a cozy murder mystery that was released in 2020. The book highlights four seniors who live in a retirement village south of England where they meet together each week to solve crimes.
The book is enormously popular and three other books in the series have been released. Here’s an article that discusses several British murder mysteries that are similar to The Thursday Murder Club, but that are often overlooked.
Books discussed:
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
The Bingo Hall Detectives by Jonathan Whitelaw
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa discusses the popular book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The New York Times shares how Judy Blume finally convinced Hollywood to turn her book into a movie.
Lisa speaks with Annie B. Jones, who owns The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia. Annie hosts the From the Front Porch Podcast where she discusses business and life in the South.
In this article, author Blume shares how she came up with the novel. Time Magazine ranked the book in the top 100 best books released since 1923. This article discusses unique facts about the book.
Books discussed:The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Babysitter's Club by Ann M. Martin
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
Backwater and Thwonk by Joan Bauer
Bloomability by Sharon Creech
The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going
The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
I am Malala (Young Reader's Version) by Malala Yousafazi
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
I Will Always Write Back by Martin Ganda and Kaitlin Alifirenka
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
History Smashers - Pearl Harbor by Kate Messner
Petey by Ben Mikaelsen
Refugee by Alan Gratz
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Tuck Everlasting by Natal
Practicing Connection
Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch host this exploration of personal and collective...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Lisa discusses Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver, which is very popular and is a similar book to Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield.
A number of reviews, including The Washington Post have said this was the best book of 2022. The New York Times says this book is a close retelling of David Copperfield and there aren't a lot of major plot differences between the two books.
This article states that you can read Demon Copperhead without reading David Copperfield.
Kelly on Goodreads says the book is stereotypical, painting people from Appalachia poorly.
Books Discussed on the Show:
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth Macy
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa discusses the debut novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. This was published in May 2022, and received rave remarks from critics and was picked by Jenna Bush Hagger as a book of the month for her book club.
This article on Book Shelf Fantasies highlights that it’s fun to hear from the mind of octopus Marcellus. NPR includes an interview with Van Pelt, where she addresses how she watched octopus videos and that struck the idea to write about an octopus and their intelligence.
The Today Show recommends six other books to read here.
Books Discussed on the show:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa discusses the book American Dirt by American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. This book delves into a mother and son’s journey to escape the cartel and flee to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant.
This book has caused many people to look at immigration very differently but it’s also been controversial because Cummins is a white writer and isn’t Hispanic.
Myriam Gurba writes an amazing take-down of the book criticizing the characters saying they are stereotypes that she says are highlighted in the book.
Writer Roxanne Gay says in this piece in Medium that the publisher’s dinner in celebration of the book had centerpieces with small concrete walls wrapped with barbed wire was “callous display” and “aestheticizing trauma.”
This piece calls American Dirt trauma porn and The Guardian delves into the responses from Latinix writers.
In this piece, The Long Shadow of American Dirt, a New York Times writer reflects on The American Dirt “debacle” three years later. The piece talks about self-censorship.
Books Discussed:
Salito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Children of the Land: A Memoir by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Where We Come From by Oscar Casares
Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester
Other publications have come up with lists of books to read as well. UST Today has a list of books here. The Texas Observer also offers up 17 great books.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa discusses the latest on book banning, which has gotten much worse in the past year. She starts the episode with the voice of Grace Linn, a 100-year-old, who shared one of the most poignant comments on book banning in Martin County, Fla. She made a quilt about book banning as well.
A number of stories, including this one, share how there were a record number of books subject to banning, according to American Library Association’s statistics.
The book banning raised interest when Martin County, Fla., Banned these books. Of the list, 20 include Jodi Picoult's books and she’s written essays and talked on Tik Tok about the fact that her books are being banned for sexual content, but many of them don’t even have a kiss, according to this article
Book Riot highlights dozens of book challenges across the country here. This article delves into Gov. J.B. Pritzker set up Illinois as a book sanctuary. You can read a copy of his speech here.
Books Discussed:
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa discusses The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, which is a historic fiction about the development of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Kirkus Reviews describes that this book shows why ‘women needed to be in the room where and when, it’s written.’ New York Times also discusses the book.
Other books discussed:
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa and podcast host Laura Szaro Kopinski discuss Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It is the only book she wrote.
The early reviews were mixed, and it wasn’t as popular but writer Virginia Woolf loved the book. Now, BBC and others have placed it on their top 100 lists. This article discusses how Emily Bronte is compared to her sister Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen, but Emily Bronte’s book is different because of its dark themes and violent men.
Laura hosts A Bookish Home, a popular bookish podcast where she talks to authors about their writing process and the books they write. You can find Laura on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
Books Discussed in this Episode:
The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel
Tera Nova by Henriette Lazaridis
The Best of Friends by Lucina Berry
Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura VanderKam
Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
In this episode of Everyone Loved It But Me, Lisa discusses strategies for writing a negative or constructive book review. In most cases, she tries to share specific aspects of the book that might appeal to other readers.
This Book Riot piece discusses ways to write more critical book reviews, offering specifics on each book review.
Lisa also discusses the sudden success of 74-year-old Lloyd Devereux Richards who spent 14 years writing his first novel. It only got dozens of purchases for years until his daughter’s 12-second TikTok Video became a major hit. Since then, Stone Maidens has become an overnight success with many videos on TikTok.
Books discussed:
Stone Maidens by Lloyd Devereux Richards
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
This is a revisited episode where Lisa replays her discussion with Kate Reynolds a librarian from Canada. They first spoke in February 2022 to discuss Dr. Seuss Enterprises' decision in February 2021 not to ‘publish six books. This episode is being published on March 2, 2023, his birthday and Read Across America Day.
Kate is known as the Lavender Librarian and is an openly autistic and queer librarian from Canada. In 2021, she founded Storytime Solidarity to create inclusive StoryTimes that welcome everyone. You can find her on instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
This discussion highlights the importance of representing all children in picture books. In studying more than 50 Seuss books, this analysis shows 2% of characters in the books are minorities, and no little girls of color are in the collection. Plus, Lisa and Kate talk about the types of roles minority and female characters play in the books as well.
Philip Nel, a scholar of children’s literature, writes on this topic, and you can find him here. He has written several books about Dr. Seuss, including: Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books.
Books discussed on the show:
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
What Will Fit by Grace Lin
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Go, Otto, Go! by David Milgrim
Going Somewhere by David Milgrim
An Elephant & Piggie Biggie by Mo Willems
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa discusses Normal People by Sally Rooney, a popular book about first love. Many college students love the book and a reporter with The Ball State Daily wrote a piece about why the book is the "love story of our generation."
A TikTok user wrote that a major aspect of this book is that each person feels like they can't talk to the other person. The Stylist discusses the class divide in relationships and also has another article about depression.
New York Times writes about how Rooney is the first great Millennial novelist.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and Alli Hoff Kosik take a deep dive and discuss the popular book Verity by Colleen Hoover. This New York Times piece discusses Hoover’s immense popularity and how she rapidly rose to fame.
Alli Hoff Kosik is a full-time freelance writer, editor and content manager. She is the host and producer of SSR Podcast. You can find her on instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Books Discussed on the show:
Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir
Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa analyzes the final part of Spare written by Prince Harry. She discusses Spare's remaining part, delving into his relationship and marriage with Meghan.
The media has highlighted this book as a gossip-fest, but at its heart, it is a book of grief. The parts of Harry and William fighting give us insight into the royal family but don’t make this book stand out remarkably.
The book stands out when it’s highlighting the grief he went through with the loss of his mother.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses the middle section of Spare written by Prince Harry. She analyzes how he discusses his grief from the loss of his mother. And, she discusses how the book is at its best when he's highlighting his grief and anxiety.
Harry still has a significant privilege that he may not fully comprehend.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses the first part of Spare written by Prince Harry. She analyzes the first part of the book, which focuses a great deal on his grief from the loss of his mother. The grief he endured is extensive, and he writes in a very poignant way about how he didn't believe his mom had died for years. He calls it her "disappearance" for much of the book.
Lisa also delves into some of his heavy privilege – much of which he acknowledges but also a few aspects he doesn’t address.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa revisits A Man Called Ove written by Fredrik Backman in light of the movie, A Man Called Otto, which was released in January 2023.
The movie A Man Called Ove was released as a Swedish film in 2015 and now this new version features Tom Hanks and is set in America. This story delves into the differences between the two movies.
In addition to her analysis of the movies, Lisa includes the original episode where she and her guest Erin Cataldi analyze the book. Erin is a librarian in Indiana and writes reviews you can find here.
This show contains spoilers. This book is a light-hearted book about curmudgeon Ove, a 59-year-old man who is set in his ways and angry about most everything. Lisa and Erin discuss how Ove changes his tune and his heart grows several sizes, similar to the Grinch.
Backman described in a New York Times piece that he gained the inspiration after reading an article about a man named Ove who had a fit while buying theater tickets. He began writing blog posts called, “I Am a Man Called Ove.”
In this blog post Backman admits that he’s not good at describing people. He says he doesn’t describe how they look. But both Lisa and Erin say the lack of physical descriptions didn’t bother them.
Books Discussed on the show:
· The Dinner by Herman Koch
· Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
· The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
· A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first book of The Brother Cadfael series written by Ellis Peters
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow written by Gabrielle Zevin. This is a book that highlights two friends who create video games, but it is much more than just about video games. It delves into lifelong friendships, trauma and heartbreak.
There will be slight spoilers for the book at the 15-minute mark.
NPR addresses how the book transports us into this world; even non-gamers alike can enjoy and appreciate this book. NPR explains that this is a sweeping narrative highlighting male-female relationships that’s not romantic but grounded on shared passions and fierce arguments.
The New York Times writes about the literary gamer and the comparisons between literary games and reading.
And, this article from The Washington Post also highlights the title hails from Shakespeare’s famous speech, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.”
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses her favorite and least favorite books of 2022:
Her favorites:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Her least favorite books she read in 2022:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a fictional Holocaust middle-grade book by John Boyne. Lisa had an episode about this book in 2022.
The Thursday Murder Club By Richard Osman
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Lisa had an episode on this book.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Lisa discussed this book in this episode.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses 10 strategies for making your 2023 reading goals a reality.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa discusses her 10 reading goals for 2023, including types of books such as more diverse books. One of the top goals is to read authors who aren't as popular and write reviews of their books.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and comedian Leah Bonnema discuss The Holiday Breakdown, which she wrote during Covid. You can find Leah on Instagram. She’s a co-host of Were You Raised By Wolves with Nick Layton.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and comedian Leah Bonnema discuss A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Leah is a national comedian who wrote The Holiday Breakdown during Covid. You can find Leah on Instagram. She’s a co-host of Were You Raised By Wolves with Nick Layton.
In this episode, Leah and Lisa discuss how A Christmas Carol changed how people celebrate Christmas, and made people realize it wasn't just for the rich. Dickens reportedly wrote this book because he was in a financial pinch and needed revenues. Dickens also funded a shelter for women.
Book Discussed:
The Last Victim by Karen Robards
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this Book Bits episode, Lisa discusses reading goals, trigger warnings, and a massive publishing merger that appears to have fallen apart.
Lisa also discusses goals for 2023 including themes such as reading new authors and new books published in 2023.
Books Discussed:
Mission: Get Daddy Better by Todd McElwee
The Holiday Breakdown by Leah Bonnema
The Hollow Inside by Brooke Lauren Davis
Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families by Nicole Lynn Lewis
When We Were Still Alive by Keith McWalter
Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe and her website describes more about the reason she wrote the book.
Big Wig by Jonathan Hillman and Levi Hasting, illustrator
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by Cj Hauser
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Yinka, Where is your Huzband? By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this Book Bits episode, Lisa discusses some of the “best books” ranked by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and The Washington Post.
Amazon ranked its top books of the year, according to this RollingStone article. Barnes and Noble also have ranked its top books, which you can find in this article from Book Riot. The Washington Post has also ranked its books of 2022.
Here are books discussed.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingslover
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Afterlives by Abulrazak Gurnah
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and Adam Katz discuss how reading changed during Covid and still might not be the same. They talk about strategies he used during Covid that could help you today.
Adam is a writer and teacher from New York. He is the co-founder and general editor of 2 Rules of Writing. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter. He wrote this article, Baggage, on Spoonie Press.
Books Discussed:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
The Eye of the World: Book One of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire Book One by George R.R. Marin
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
When Aidan Becomes a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
Till We have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro
The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this podcast, Lisa offers an analysis of beloved books. In today’s Book Bits episode, Lisa discusses three celebrity memoirs: One she loved, one she chose not to read and one she’s looking forward to next year. Lisa listened to the Celebrity Memoir Book Club Podcast as research for this show.
Z-Library was shut down last week by the government and Lisa talks about why this is crushing college students who used it to gain college books. Here’s an article Fast Company. Many folks blamed famous author Colleen Hoover for shutting down Z-library, and it has been described it as her villain origin story. Here’s a non-profit that works to make textbooks affordable. Hoover posted on Facebook and stated she had nothing to do with Z-Library's closure.
Books Discussed on the show:
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry
Spare by Prince Harry
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and Pam Bice by Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Pam is a middle school teacher in Central Ohio.
Gone Girl is a super popular book and received many accolades from The New York Times. It’s been ten years since the book was published and spawned the “Gone Girl Effect,” according to The Ringer. Flynn also says it’s not a question of when but if regarding a sequel in a People Magazine.
Gone Girl Effect Books:
The Woman in the Window by A J Finn
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Books Discussed on the show:
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 By Garrett M. Graff
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
During the pandemic, many book clubs struggled to get together and even today many book clubs have had challenges to meet up again. Lisa offers strategies for new book clubs, and existing clubs on how to meet consistently.
Some tips Lisa suggests are setting a specific date and time for the book club. Organizing the books ahead of time is also a huge help.
Books Mentioned:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zaunner
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwab
The Pilars of The Earth by Ken Follet
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and Tara Wine-Queen discuss The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The book was published in 1988 and has sold more than 150 million copies internationally and received hundreds of awards, and is considered a classic. Coelho has a very interesting biography where he walked hundreds of miles. This article delves into the symbolism, and its’ quotes are heavily used as inspirational.
Tara Wine-Queen is a writer in central West Virginia who posts delightful and charming comments on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Books Discussed:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
Something to Hide a Lynley novel by Elizabeth George
The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Elizabeth George
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Beautiful World, Where Are You? By Sally Rooney
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Bookstore owner Laura Larson talks with Lisa about what it was like opening her bookstore amid the pandemic in March 2020. Laura officially opened the doors to the public of Odyssey Bookstore in the summer of 2020. The store focuses on sustainability and is nestled in a darling spot in Ithaca, New York. You can follow the bookstore on Facebook or Instagram.
Books Discussed on the show:
· A Ghost in the Throat by Dorieann Ni Ghriofa
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and bookstore owner Laura Larson discuss The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This is a book that addresses suicide and mental health issues. NPR wrote this article tiled “It’s Not Quite Dark Enough in the Midnight Library.”
Laura opened Odyssey Bookstore in March 2020. The store focuses on sustainability and is nestled in a darling spot in Ithaca, New York. You can follow the bookstore on Facebook or Instagram. In next week’s episode, Lisa and Laura will talk about what it was like for Laura to open a bookstore amid the pandemic.
Books Discussed on the Show:
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
The Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
This is the 2022 fall preview for Everyone Loved It But Me. Lisa discusses books she’ll be talking about this fall and she also shares some books that are on her wish list to discuss.
Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Also Discussed:
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zaunner
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaeildes
I am Glad My Mom Died byJennette McCurdy
- The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission. For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Banned Books Week starts Sept. 18, to Sept. 24 Publisher's Weekly describes how more books than in recent years are being banned and contested now. Banned Books Week was first launched 40 years ago. In 2021, it was the highest number of books challenged since the American Library Association began tracking books challenged. This article highlights how schools are under pressure.
This CNN article discusses how Brooklyn Public Library has handed out 5,100 digital library cards to young people across the country.
In last week's episode, Lisa highlighted the top 10 most banned books of 2021. Here, she discussed the books banned in 2012.
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Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
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Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
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And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell, Justin Richardson and Henry Cole
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
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Looking for Alaska by John Green
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Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell
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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
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Beloved by Toni Morrison
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The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission. For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa talks about her book blunder with The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, a book she read without knowing it’s considered a sequel to The Glass Hotel. Some reviewers say it’s not a full sequel and others say readers will have a better experience reading The Glass Hotel first. Readers should consider reading Station Eleven.
This article from Wired delves into similar themes of Sea of Tranquility, Station Eleven. This Deadline.com article highlights the popularity of the three books and The New Yorker wrote a profile piece of St. John Mandel.
Banned Books Week is from Sept. 18, to Sept. 24 Publishers Weekly says more books are being banned and contested now. This article highlights how schools are under pressure. Newsweek wrote an article about a teacher in Texas whose banned books display was protested by parents.
The American Library Association tracked the top 10 most frequently challenged books, and they are:
1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maria Kobabe and she is quoted in this article.
2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
3. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
4. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
5. The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
9. This Boy is Gay by Juno Dawson
10. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
- The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission. For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa discusses a new release and very popular book, This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub.
This episode is spoiler free. She shares three things she likes about the book and three things she doesn’t like.
The Wall Street Journal calls the novel “wonderfully observed” and highlights the father and daughter relationship. The Boston Globe writes about how the book allows you to think about what it would be like to see your elderly dying parent when they’re young and healthy.
The Chicago Tribune writes about how the book explores how meaningful moments aren’t always apparent at the time. The New York Times highlights how this book highlights lovely gems of New York in the 1990s.
Books discussed:
· The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
· A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
· The Help by Kathryn Stockett
· Verity by Colleen Hoover
· Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
· To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
This week, Lisa discusses, The Lost Apothecary a debut novel by Sarah Penner. This episode is spoiler free. This is Penner's debut novel.
The book is about an 18th Century Apothecary, Nella, who sells poisons to women seeking to kill men. She has two rules: The poison must never be used to harm another woman and the names of the murderer, and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.
NPR describes it as a poisonously good read, but Publisher's Weekly says it starts out strong but peters out. One Goodreads reviewer Nilufer Ozmekik gave very positive reviews.
Lisa questions some historical facts, pointing out that if a man dies a woman will likely be subordinate to another man. this article about Jane Austen that highlights some of the laws in the 1700s in London for women showing that women did not inherit the estate when a man died and was instead mostly forced to follow another man's rules.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
This is a podcast where Lisa analyzes literature and discusses several bookish topics. This week, Lisa released a Book Bits episode about Barnes & Noble's new policy regarding its effort to reduce the types of new books they’re selling.
Authors have posted online, including Kelly Yang, author of the Front Porch Desk series, along with author Kalynn Bayron who is releasing a new book this fall named: The Vanquishers.
Britney S. Lewis’s debut novel, The Undead Truth of Us, was told it would not be shelved at Barnes & Noble.
Several articles, including Book Riot and Publishers Marketplace, delve into how this policy means fewer middle-grade and debut authors will get their books on the shelves at Barnes & Noble.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
This podcast provides analysis on books and bookish news, and today Lisa discusses her visit to the main New York Public Library – Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
The public library was opened on May 23, 1911, and is an impressive building and worth a visit. When you first walk up to the library, you’ll see the two iconic lions and can read a few fantastic stories about them.
Lisa also had an opportunity to visit limited-time exhibit. You can get more information about the library here. In September 2021, the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures showcases opened. You can get free tickets online or while at the library.
Also, Lisa also catches readers up with the latest news of the U.S. Government trial against Penguin Random House. The trial is in the 2nd week.
In the fall of 2020, Penguin Random House announced it was spending $2.18 billion to purchase competitor Simon & Schuster. The U.S. government has sued Penguin Random House arguing that this deal means fewer authors will be able to earn a living from writing.
The New Yorker asks the question about whether publishing is art or commerce and delves into how “backlists,” “Book Tok” and advance copies are essential in publishing today.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
This podcast provides analysis on books and bookish news and today, Lisa discusses the antitrust trial happening in August 2022 with the U.S. Government against Penguin Random House. This is part two of the discussion of this high-stakes publishing trial.
In the fall of 2020, Penguin Random House announced it was spending $2.18 billion to purchase competitor Simon & Schuster. The U.S. government has sued Penguin Random House, arguing that this deal means fewer authors will be able to earn a living from writing.
CNN writes about this lawsuit in this article. The New York Times also reports in great detail about the dispute with Penguin Random House and the government. The Associated Press delves into this trial which is expected to take three weeks.
One of the first significant speakers was author Stephen King, who described himself as a “freelance writer” in this AP article.
n the second week of the trial, Macmillan’s CEO spoke about how the deal will harm his firm and the industry, including writers.
· In other book news, David McCullough, an award-winning, best-selling author, died at 89. Lisa discusses some of his books.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
This podcast provides analysis on books and bookish news, and today Lisa discusses the antitrust trial happening in August 2022 with the U.S. Government against Penguin Random House.
In the fall of 2022, Penguin Random House announced it was spending $2.18 billion to purchase competitor Simon & Schuster. The U.S. government has sued Penguin Random House, arguing that this deal means fewer authors will be able to earn a living from writing.
CNN writes about this lawsuit in this article. The New York Times also reports in great detail about the dispute between Penguin Random House and the government. The Associated Press delves into this trial which is expected to take three weeks.
One of the first significant speakers was author Stephen King, who described himself as a “freelance writer” in this AP article.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa highlights her favorite books so far that she has read in 2022 and the books that have disappointed her this year. Some of these books were published in 2022 and some were published earlier.
· The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka: this was written in 2022
· The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
· Yinka, Where is your Huzband? By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
· In Pursuit of Disobedient Women: A Memoir of Love, Rebellion, and Family, Far Away by Dionne Searcey
· Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
A few books Lisa has been disappointed in that she is reading this year are:
· The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont, which she discussed in this episode on the podcast
· The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne that was discussed in this episode this episode
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this episode, Lisa shares her own “Everyone Loved It But Me” book. She discusses her challenges reading the popular book, The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont.
This book, just released in 2022, has been extremely popular because it tries to solve the only Agatha Christie mystery that remains unsolved. For 11 days, in December 1926, Christie was missing and her car was found abandoned miles from her house. She was discovered 11 days later and had no memory of what transpired and said she had amnesia.
Lisa offers up some insight about the book without any spoilers.
In this New York Times piece, Gramont shares how she decided to write the book, which was after she discovered that Christie had given the surname of her husband’s mistress when she checked into the hotel during her disappearance.
Christie is the best-selling fiction writer of all time, and her books have become movies and plays. The Christie family website is a treasure trove of insight about her personally, her family, her writing, and her disappearance. The site says she never told anyone – including family – what happened during those 11 days. There are many articles, including this one, that speculates what might have transpired.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
In this Part 2 episode of Where The Crawdads Sing, Lisa, and her guest Jennifer Byrd have an insightful conversation delving into the book's second part. There will be significant spoilers for the book.
Lisa is releasing this revisited episode on July 13, 2022 - the day the movie of Where the Crawdads Sing will be released.
Lisa and Jennifer discussed 2019 piece in Slate, titled “The Dark History Behind the Year’s Bestselling Debut Novel.” The piece discusses how a long-ago murder in Africa influenced Delia Owens’ book. Delia Owens is not a suspect in that case.
However, her stepson Christopher and her ex-husband were implicated by some witnesses and this event was the subject of “The Haunted,” an article by Jeffrey Goldberg and published in the New Yorker.
Books Discussed:
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings
What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson
The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog by Bruce Perry
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this revisited episode Part 1 episode of Where The Crawdads Sing Lisa and her guest Jennifer Byrd have an insightful conversation about social isolation and abandonment. There will be spoilers for the book. The discussion delves into the beautiful lyrical writing about the swamp but also contrasts the limited descriptions of the characters.
During the discussion, they mention, The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog and chat about how children are impacted by their environment.
· You can hear author Delia Owens talk about the book.
· Here’s a review from bookish blog Lit & Leisure that delves into discrepancies of the characters mentioned on the podcast.
· In an article author Janice Harayda calls, “Where The Crawdads Sing” the most over-rated novel of the decade and discusses stereotypes in the book.
· This blog post and a Goodreads review by Betsy Robinson are also highlighted in the discussion.
· This Washington Post article delves into how the writing style changes between descriptions of the scenery and the court room drama.
Books Discussed:
Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
The Library Book.
The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this Book Bits Episode, Lisa discusses the ways libraries have been attacked during Pride Month. Libraries’ funding has been threatened and libraries have been victims of hate crimes.
Book Riot addresses a wide range of attacks on libraries during Pride month.
· A Maryland Librarian arrested for spray-painting groomer on two libraries, according to numerous publications including numerous publications. He e confessed to spray-painting “groomer,” a homophobic slur on two Prince George’s County public libraries. According to an NPR report, old accusations of LGBTQ people “grooming” and “recruiting” children have gained new traction.
· Book Riot describes a protest in Montana: “In Montana, people are complaining that the state library association’s new logo is offensive because (wait for it) it has the colors red, blue, yellow, and green.” This article shows an image of the proposed new logo.
· Leaders in southeast Alaska are considering cutting library funding over the library’s story time event hosted by a drag queen.
· The library board for the Jennings Public Library in Indiana voted that the Pride display be removed Jennings Public Library is in North Vernon Indiana, which is in southern Indiana.
· There were complaints about the library’s pride display in Macon County in Franklin, N.C. and authorities did not agree to increase funds in light of the pride display.
· Proud Boys protesters interrupted a drag story time in the San Francisco, Calif. Area and threatened the performed and scared children.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa discusses some of the library books that have been out for the longest amount of time and were returned dozens or even hundreds of years later.
Here’s an article listing many over-due books returned dozens of years late. The New York Times writes that the New York Public Library has gotten more than 21,000 lost books have been returned to Manhattan and the Bronx.
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George Washington had a book that wasn’t returned for 221 years. This article includes a timeline of the book. He took out The Law of Nations from The New York Society Library on Oct. 5, 1789.
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The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians (volume II) by Charles Rollin. This was loaned around 1854 from The Grace Doherty Library in Danville Kentucky. This article describes how it was returned in 2013 – about 150 years later.
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A copy of Kate Douglas Wiggin’s New Chronicles of Rebecca was checked out in 1911. It was discovered in 2021. This article says the book was in excellent condition.
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The book Insectivorous Plants by Charles Darwin was loaned from The Camden School of Arts Lending Library in Sydney, Australia. It was borrowed in 1889 and returned in July 2011.
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Facts I Ought to Know About the Government of My Country by William H. Bartlett. This was loaned from The New Bedford Public Library in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It was 99 years over-due.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
Lisa and Todd McElwee, associate publisher of the USAE, a newspaper of record for meetings and associations industry, talk about his new book. Todd recently published a children’s book about when he became suddenly ill and how it impacted his family.
The book delves into the journey his family went through to help him get better. It is narrated by his daughter: Mission: Get Daddy Better.
Books Discussed:
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa offers up a Book Bits episode focused on controversy surrounding Pizza Hut’s popular reading program. She also discusses a new app that is designed to help you discover an array of books you might enjoy.
CAMP BOOK IT! Is the longstanding reading program through Pizza Hut, which launched in 1984. When a child reaches their goal, they’ll get a coupon for a Personal Pan Pizza in the mail.
In June 2022, a number of conservatives slammed the program because it includes a suggestion for, “BIG WIG,” by Jonathan Hillman. The book delves into drag performances for children. According to The Manhattan Book Review, the book promotes diversity, inclusivity and self-acceptance.
The New York Times wrote a story about a new app called Tertulia, which is designed to help you discover some of those hidden gems. Barnes and Noble has released its top 10 books of 2022:
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and Todd McElwee, associate publisher of the USAE, a newspaper of record for meetings and associations industry, discuss The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. This is a dark book and spoilers are included in this discussion. It’s a mature discussion that delves into rape and murder.
Todd recently published a children’s book based on his personal story narrated by his daughter: Mission: Get Daddy Better
Articles Discussed:
This article discusses how the original title was Men who Hate Women.
Men who Hate Womenwas changed.This LA Times article highlights the legal fight Stieg Larson’s longtime partner faced at his death. Huffington Post highlights a number of issues with the book in this article.
Books Discussed:
Reborn in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to His Chosen Home by Roger Bennett
Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Kranz
Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now by Barry Miles
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, which is the pen-name of J.K. Rowling.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa offers up a Book Bits episode about unique summer reading programs. An article from Book Riot highlights programs.
Reading programs to consider:· Your Library
· CAMP BOOK IT! When a child reaches their goal, they’ll get a coupon for a Personal Pan Pizza.
· Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program.
· Applebee's Bookworm Reading Challenge
· Scholastic Summer Reading Program Scholastic offers up its Home Base program.
· Boston Public Library Youngest readers can enter this program.
· Books A Million Kids earn free pencil pouches.
· Half Priced Books
· Check local water parks, car dealerships, banks, and credit unions for reading programs in your area.
· Look into professional sports teams such as: Atlanta Braves Summer Reading Program, Denver Broncos Summer Reading Program, Portland Trail Blazers Summer Reading Program, Boston Red Sox Summer Reading Program , Texas Rangers Summer Reading Program, Dodgers Reading ChampionsPortland Sea Dogs Slugger’s Reading Challenge.
· Consider movie theatres including Showcase Cinemas Bookworm Wednesdays.
· Sync Free Audiobook Program Teens can get audiobooks in the summer using an app.
· Chuck E. Cheese Reading Rewards
· Reading Is Fundamental Summer Program Programs for students in grades K to sixth grade.
· The Department of Defense offers military families to participate in reading programs.
· Summer Reading Challenge for Adults
· Libro.fm Listening Challenge This challenge is geared towards adult readers.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
In this Book Bits Bits Episode, Lisa discusses Little Free Libraries, books as graduation gifts, and gearing up for summer reading.
Little Free Libraries is a non-profit group that markets these libraries and anyone who uses the name pays a registration free. There are more than 50,000 little free libraries. A new study criticizes the movement and says book sharing is more complicated than it needs to be right now. This article discusses this topic.
Books Discussed:
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog by Dave Barry
Oh, the Places you'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in College Town by Jon Krakauer
Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture Paperback by Roxane Gay
This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace
The Best of Royko: The Tribune Years by Mike Royko
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Nicole Zelniker discuss The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. There are spoilers during this discussion. Nicole has written, Letters I'll Never Send and Until We Fall. Check out the rest of her work on her website.
In an interview with PopSugar Reid writes about how the novel was inspired by Elizabeth Taylor.
Books discussed:
· In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado
· On Beauty by Zadie Smith
· Wander by Allison Kate Stalberg
· How Should A Person Be:? A Novel From Life by Shelia Heti
· Girl, Wo man Other: A Novel by Bernardine Evaristo
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa delves into the topics of Mothers and Daughters in this Book Bits episode released days before Mother’s Day 2022.
Rather than offering up cheery Mother’s Day books, she shares five books that deal with the complexities and messiness of motherhood.
Books Discussed that delve into complex motherhood topics
· Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
· Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
· The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
· The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
· The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Here are romantic comedies delving into motherhood:
· Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo
· Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
· Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this Book Bits episode, Lisa talks about Independent Book Store Day on April 30. Bookstores all over the country are bringing in authors, creative crafts and major sales.
The American Booksellers Association has included a list of events that booksellers have available in April 2022 and on April 30.
The bookstores in Charlotte, N.C. have created their own website about their Charlotte Book Crawl and the bookstores in Lakeland, Fla. bookstores teamed up for their own book crawl. Here’s information about San Diego's book crawl. Here’s a story about someone’s personal experience of creating their own book crawl.
Lisa talks about how a tiny Bronte book was sold for $1.25 million and the book is now returned home.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this Book Bits episode, Lisa talks about Banned Books, re-reading books and two books that aren’t getting any attention in the category of “everyone hated it but me.”
This NPR article discusses that the American Library Association shows 1,600 individual books banned in 2021. The American Library Association stated in a release that there were more book challenges to books than they have seen since they started tracking it in 2000.
The banning of books has increased but libraries are working to make sure that individuals across the country can access electronic books at the Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library.
This Book Riot article highlights the longstanding book-banning problem dating back to the Puritans.
Books discussed:
· Gender Queerby Maia Kobabe
· The Black FlamingoThe Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
· The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
· Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
· Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heros of the Underground Railroad by Ann Hagedorn
· Fudge Collection by Judy Blume
· Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
· Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke
· When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa speaks with Annie B. Jones, who owns The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia about Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Annie hosts the From the Front Porch Podcast where she discusses business and life in the south.
In this article, author Judy Blume shares how she came up with the novel. Time Magazine ranked the book in the top 100 best books released since 1923. This article discusses unique facts about the book. The book has had multiple covers and one with Margaret texting God was controversial.
Books discussed:The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Babysitter's Club by Ann M. Martin
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Everyone in This Room will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
Backwater by Joan Bauer
Thwonk by Joan Bauer
Bloomability by Sharon Creech
The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going
The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
I am Malala (Young Reader's Version) by Malala Yousafazi
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
I Will Always Write Back by Martin Ganda and Kaitlin Alifirenka
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
History Smashers - Pearl Harbor by Kate Messner
Petey by Ben Mikaelsen
Refugee by Alan Gratz
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa speaks with Annie B. Jones, who owns The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia. She also hosts the From the Front Porch Podcast where she discusses business and life in the south.
Annie will be on the April 13, 2022 episode to talk about, Are You There God? It's me, Margaret, a book, she doesn’t love. But in this episode, she talks with Lisa about what it’s like to keep pivoting during the pandemic to keep her store thriving.
She discusses a teen program called, Dumbledore’s Army and reader’s retreats as well shelf subscriptions. She also talks about the challenges of running a book store during the pandemic.
Books discussed:
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and guest Heidi Rabinowitz discuss Joyful Jewish books. Heidi was on the show on March 23, 2022, for The Boy In the Striped Pajamas episode.
Heidi runs The Book of Life Podcast, a podcast about Jewish kid literature. She has been the Director of the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, Florida since 1998.
Heidi participates in the Sydney Taylor Shmooze, mock award blog. She has served as a member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee and a member of the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award committee.
For alternative titles that represent Jewish joy, here are some of Heidi's suggestions.
And here's a blog post about how people can support Jewish children's literature.
Books Discussed:
Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart. Here’s a link to The Book of Life podcast with E. Lockhart
The Unfinished Corner by Dani Colman. Here’s a link to The Book of Life Podcast on The Unfinished Corner
All-Of-A-Kind Family Uptown by Sydney Taylor
Aviva Vs the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe and her website describe more about the reason she wrote the book.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and guest Heidi Rabinowitz discuss The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a Holocaust fictional middle-grade book by John Boyne.
Heidi shares her thoughts on how the book is offensive to her. She runs The Book of Life Podcast, a podcast about Jewish kid literature. She has been the Director of the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, Florida since 1998.
She participates in the Sydney Taylor Shmooze, mock award blog. She has served as a member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee and a member of the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award committee.
Links:
· This article in Sparknotes discusses how the book isn’t truly a fable.
· Teen Vogue writes an in-depth about numerous problems with the book.
· The Guardian writes about the backlash that Boyne has received and includes his response.
· The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre shares its problems with the book.
· Check out a list of literature about the Holocaust recommended by the Association of Jewish Libraries.
· On The Book of Life Podcast, Heidi's blog post recommends a number of Jewish kid-lit books.
Books Discussed:
People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn
We Must Not Forget by Deborah Hopkinson
The Assignment by Liza Wiemer
Linked by Gordon Korman
Some Kind of Hate by Sarah Darer Littman. Available Nov. 1, 2022. Pre-orders open now.
- After the recording of this episode, Lisa and Heidi learned, there would be a sequel to this book. Here are articles about the sequel from The Literary Hub and The Times of Israel.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and Kate Reynolds, a librarian from Canada, discuss The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. They discuss the meaning of the book, which most say portrays a parent and child relationship. But many believe it portrays a dysfunctional relationship.
Kate is known as the Lavender Librarian and is an openly autistic and queer librarian from Canada. In 2021, she founded Storytime Solidarity to create inclusive StoryTimes that welcome everyone. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Links discussed in the show:
This article delves into unusual facts about The Giving Tree including the fact that it was initially turned down by a publisher and Silverstein dedicated the book to an ex-girlfriend.
Many pieces have been written about the picture of himself that Silverstein chose because children have been scared of the picture. There are Reddit threads dedicated to this very subject, and it was discussed in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid fandom.
Books Discussed:
· Thank you, Omu! by Oge Mora
· The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
· The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
· Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
· A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
· Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and Elisabeth Wang discuss The Four Winds written by Kirstin Hannah. This is a book that highlights the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression.
Elisabeth is a former English teacher and is currently in healthcare communications. She has written the bookish blog Lit & Leisure since 2009. You can also find her on Twitter or Instagram.
The Washington Post suggests that perhaps if Kristin Hannah had more time to hone her skills and a little tougher editing, she could produce something excellent. The New York Times writes that this will resonate with people now.
Books discussed:
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland and Richard Terry
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Butcher's Crossing by John Williams
Stoner by John Williams and Elisabeth wrote this review about the book.
Twentymile by C. Matthew Smith
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
You by Caroline Kepnes
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
Lisa and Kate Reynolds a librarian from Canada, discuss the fallout after Dr. Seuss Enterprises one year ago decided not to publish six books. This episode is being published on March 2, which is his birthday and Read Across America Day.
Kate is known as the Lavender Librarian and is an openly autistic and queer librarian from Canada. In 2021, she founded Storytime Solidarity to create inclusive StoryTimes that welcome everyone. You can find her on instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
This discussion highlights the importance of the representation of all children in picture books. In studying more than 50 Seuss books, this analysis shows 2% of characters in the books are minorities and there aren’t any little girls who aren’t white in the collection. Plus, Lisa and Kate talk about the types of roles minority and female characters play in the books as well.
Philip Nel, a scholar of children’s literature, writes on this topic and you can find him here. He has written several books about Dr. Seuss, including: Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books.
Books discussed on the show:
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
What Will Fit by Grace Lin
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Go, Otto, Go! by David Milgrim
Going Somewhere by David Milgrim
An Elephant & Piggie Biggie by Mo Willems
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives
In this Book Bits show, Lisa talks with two writers about a wide range of topics including books being banned, services for individuals who are blind, and the process of editing erotica books. It’s an educational and entertaining show.
First, Lisa and guest librarian and writer Joshua Berkov discuss library services for individuals who are blind or have a learning disability. You can learn about some of these services through The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.
They also discuss books being banned in 2022.
Berkov wrote The Enlightenment of Angeline and The Enlightenment of Esther. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.
Next, Lisa and her guest Rachel Kramer Bussel discussed her writing career. She writes a wide range of topics about libraries and the publishing industry. She wrote this piece about book titles with swear words.
She also wrote this piece in the Guardian about book titles with hash tags. She is the editor of more than 70 anthologies including The Best Women's Erotica of the Year series. You can also find her on Twitter.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest avid reader Faith Eck have a fun conversation about the romantic comedy The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This is a book published in 2016 about Josh and Lucy who both work in publishing together and despise one another. There will be spoilers in this discussion.
The New York Times says the book is a vibrant take on an old standard and The Library Journal writes that Thorne is a writer to watch.
But the author of Mermaid Reads, a reading blog, says no other hyped-up book has disappointed her as much as this one.
Lisa and her guest discuss a number of romance books and some that are reminiscent of Jane Austen.
Books Discussed on the show:
· Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
· The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
· Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler
· Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
· Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa M. Alcott
· Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
· Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
· Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott
· Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott
· The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell
· Fox Crossing by Melinda Metz
· Pride Prejudice and Cheese Grits by Jane Hathaway
· Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
· Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev
· How the Garcia Sisters Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest librarian and writer Joshua Berkov discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. There will be spoilers of this episode.
Berkov wrote The Enlightenment of Angeline and The Enlightenment of Esther. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads
Towles discusses on his website that he wants to shake things up by writing different types of stories. Towels came up with this idea because he was in investment banking for two decades and traveled and recalled seeing the same people a year later. He wanted to write about people living in a hotel and decided to make the location in Russia with someone on house arrest.
Books Discussed in the show:
· Hell Divers by Nicholas Sanbury Smith
· The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
· Rules in Civility by Amor Towles
· Crimes Against a Book Club by Kathy Cooperman
· May the Best Man Win by Zr Ellor
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Kirsten Plonner have an in-depth conversation about All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This is a Pulitzer Winner and fictional book about World War II. This episode includes spoilers to the book and is a mature conversation that isn’t appropriate for young children.
Links to articles that Lisa and her guest discussed:
The New York Times described how exquisitely realized the character of Marie-Laure was portrayed but argued that Werner was a character who lacked development.
Doerr spoke to NPR about how he came up with the idea of the book. He was on a subway in 2004 going under the city when a person was complaining about losing cell reception in 2004. That gave him the idea about using the radio and the concept that hearing strangers on the other end is actually a miracle. He visited Saint-Malo during a book tour and discovered this town was nearly destroyed in World War II.
The New Republic argues the book falls short on its treatment of WWII by normalizing the Nazi past.
Books discussed on the show:
· The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
· The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
· Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa speaks with two librarians about a number of bookish topics including Book TikTok, and all of the fun and cool things at the libraries. For instance, the Fowlersville Library in Michigan is known for its taxidermy and Johnson County Public Library offers sewing machines and free faxing.
Lisa and Storm Kopitsch, youth services coordinator for the Fowlerville, Michigan Library talk about Book Tok and her library’s One Star TikTok videos. The library had 46,000 followers on TikTok when Lisa and Storm spoke in December. As of January 2022, it has nearly 70,000 followers and 1 million people have liked their videos. The library recently posted this video highlighting all of the fun things you can do at the library.
Also, Lisa and Erin Cataldi, a librarian in Indiana, who writes reviews that you can find here, discuss some cool aspects of libraries. For instance, in many libraries you can fax items for free and get sewing kits for free.
Books Discussed:
They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart
You by Caroline Kepnes
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Erin Cataldi discuss A Man Called Ove written by Fredrik Backman. Erin is a librarian in Indiana and writes reviews that you can find here.
This show contains spoilers. This book is a light-hearted book about curmudgeon Ove, a 59-year-old man who is set in his ways and angry about most everything. Lisa and Erin discuss how Ove changes his tune and his heart grows several sizes, similar to the Grinch.
Backman described in a New York Times piece that he gained the inspiration after reading an article about a man named Ove who had a fit while buying theater tickets. He began writing blog posts called, “I Am a Man Called Ove.”
In this blog post, Backman admits that he’s not good at describing people. He says he doesn’t describe how they look. But both Lisa and Erin say the lack of physical descriptions didn’t bother them.
Books Discussed on the show:
· The Dinner by Herman Koch
· Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
· The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
· A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first book of The Brother Cadfael series written by Ellis Peters
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Rachel Kramer Bussel discuss Room by Emma Donoghue in 2010. This is a dark book told in 5-year-old Jack’s perspective about his experience in “room,” with his ma where they are being held captive. This is a mature discussion that wouldn’t be suitable for young children.
Rachel and Lisa discuss how the book is emotionally devastating but a hopeful story. There are full spoilers in this show.
Links Discussed on the show:
Author Emma Donoghue says on her website Room was written after experiencing the claustrophobia of parenthood and is a metaphor about that experience. She also says that the book was partially inspired by the case of Elisabeth Fritzl who was held prisoner by her father for 24 years and gave birth to seven children during that time.
After Room was published, on May 6, 2013, ABC News reported Cleveland witnessed a miracle when Amanda Berry called 911. Berry along with Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, had been held captive for more than nine years.
The New York Times describes how Donoghue portrays the voice of Jack and the LA Times discusses some very fast shifts in characters and plot.
Books Discussed on the show:
· Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
· Little Beauties by Kim Addonizio
· A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Storm Kopitsch, youth services coordinator for the Fowlerville, Michigan Library, have a compelling discussion about The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is a historic fiction about World War II where the narrator is Death.
Lisa and Storm discuss whether this book is best suited for youth audiences or adults. The New York Times says that teens might find the story a bit too slow. There are spoilers in this show.
Lisa and her guest also talk a great deal about the narration of the book and the choice to have it narrated by Death.
Books Discussed on the show:
· Matilda by Roald Dahl
· They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
· The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
· The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
· The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
· Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall
· Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In today’s Book Bits episode, Lisa discusses some of the most unique items you can get from libraries across the country.
Lisa personally has gotten COVID tests from libraries in Ohio and also rented a projector. Many readers shared that they’ve gotten musical instruments, craft kits and so many other items on her Facebook page.
Here are some links to articles that Lisa discussed:
Book Riot reported that libraries across the country have loaned items such as Santa Suits, which had been available at Bolivar County Library. The publication included a long list of items such as prom dresses, fishing poles, cake pans, and toys.
The Penny Hoarder also wrote a column of items you can get at the library including state park passes, museum passes, tools, cake pans, and pedometers.
A number of libraries including the Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library offer laptops, squash racquets, therapy dogs, and book bags. The Oakland County Library in California has more than 5,000 tools for remodeling and home repairs that you can rent.
Bucks County Library system in Pennsylvania offers a wide range of board games. Many libraries loan out state park and museum passes. Chicago Public Library and Fairfield Public Library offer free museum passes
The Ann Arbor District Library in Ann Arbor, Mich. has artwork you can check out along with musical instruments and has also had Halloween costumes available.
The Seattle Public Library has music practice rooms available free of charge.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
Lisa and her guest Scheffie Lindquist have an entertaining and fun conversation about The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, which is a historic fiction book about Ernest Hemingway’s marriage with Hadley Richardson. There will be spoilers in the book.
McLain writes about how she read letters from Earnest and Hadley and her extensive research was utilized in this book. The Cleveland Plain Dealer described McLain’s masterful way that she portrayed Hadley’s pain in the book. However, The New York Times writes that the book’s dialogue has some clichés.
The Guardian says this book is more of a risky affair than its sugary surface portrays. Indeed, the book delves into how Hemingway fell in love with his second wife while still married to Hadley. Vogue writes an article about Hemingway’s second wife - Pauline and how she’s often villainized.
There is still discussion and debate about Hemingway’s mental health issues. In his book,
Hemingway's Brain, Andrew Farah wrote that due to his many traumas he wasn’t suffering from bipolar disorder or manic depression. He believes he suffered from brain injuries triggered by multiple concussions.
Books Mentioned on the show:
Calypsoby David Sedaris
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris. This includes his famous story about working as a elf for Santa.
Spindle by W.R. Gingell
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In Everyone Loved It But Me, Lisa speaks with a guest who has a unique perspective on a beloved book. This week, Lisa talks with Elizabeth MacBride, a journalist writer, editor and founder of Times of Entrepreneurship. She’s co-author of the book, The New Builders. Elizabeth and Lisa talk about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
This is the story of Addie LaRue, who makes a deal with the devil and gets to live forever, but is cursed to be forgotten. No one who meets her remembers her. Spoilers will be discussed in this episode.
In an Entertainment Weekly article, author V.E. Schwab describes how wanted the book to be a reverse Peter Pan. An NPR article also describes it as beautifully goth. The Washington Post discusses the book and says it is one of the most propulsive, compulsive, and captivating novels in recent memory.
Books mentioned:Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American South by Craig Childs
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Caroline by Adrian Spratt will be released in 2022, but you can get a sneak peek here.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In Everyone Loved It But Me, Lisa talks with a guest about a super popular book the guest didn’t love. In episodes marked, “Book Bits,” Lisa talks about a wide-range of topics.
Today, she speaks with Elizabeth MacBride, a journalist, writer, editor and founder of Times of Entrepreneurship. She's co-author of the book, The New Builders. Elizabeth shares what it was like to write her book during the pandemic.
Elizabeth will be on the podcast again to talk about, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab.
Lisa also speaks with Storm Kopitsch, the Fowlerville, Mich. Library youth services coordinator. Storm produced a TikTok video highlighting financial issues faced at the Fulton County Library in Pennsylvania. The commissioners denied the library’s request for $3,000 because the library allows an LBGTQ support group to meet at the library. Commissioners called the group a “hate” group. The library has received about $30,000 in donations even though government officials turned down the request.
Storm will be on the podcast soon to discuss The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Molly Shea discuss, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This is a mystery about the ultra-wealthy family the Sinclairs. Cadence Sinclair Eastman is the eldest daughter of the Sinclair family. The entire family spends each summer on the island and one summer a mystery occurs.
As a result of this mystery, we meet Cadence who suffers from extreme migraines and takes painkillers daily. Lisa and her guest talk about the characters, and whether the “surprise twist,” at the end is believable. There will be major plot spoilers at 20 minutes into the show.
In the New York Times piece, the publication says the novel didn’t dig deep into the characters' actual personalities. In this Youtube video, E. Lockhart talks about taking the ferry to Martha’s vineyard as a child and seeing the tiny islands owned by uber-wealthy people.
Books mentioned on the Podcast
Whistle, A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart
Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin
Laundry Love by Patric Richardson and Karin B. Miller
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Everyone Loved It But Me is a podcast where Lisa talks about a beloved book from a different perspective. In this episode, Lisa discusses book buying for the 2021 holidays and how the supply chain issues could impact new releases.
Here are books that could sell out this holiday season as predicted by Parade Magazine and Lisa:
· Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
· Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones
· Matrix by Lauren Groff
· One Last Stop Casey McQuiston
· People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
· Cloud Cuckoo Land Anthony Doerr
· The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
· Midnight Library by Matt Haig
· The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
· The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Books to consider as gifts this holiday season:· The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book, 4 by Bill Watterson
· Garfield What Leftovers? His 71st Book by Jim Davis
· Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks
· Front Desk by Kelly Yang
· The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
· Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
· From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg
· You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
· Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
· A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
· The Women of Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
· The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
· Less by Andrew Sean Greer
· Have You Seen Luiz Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Everyone Loved It But Me is a podcast where we take a deep dive and discuss a popular book with a unique perspective. In our Book Bits episode, Lisa tackles book etiquette, literary topics and book news.
In this episode, Lisa talks about the etiquette involved when someone comes to book club and didn’t read the book. She also delves into reading challenges and pen names.
Some popular reading challenges can be found at Goodreads and Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge. Another popular challenge is a 52-book challenge, where you read a different theme of a book each week.
Lisa discusses pen names and the reasons many authors have chosen to have a pen name. Most recently, Spanish author Carmen Mola, who writes crime novels received the highest literary prize. Mola was known to be a pen-name it was told that she was a professor and mom of three children and that’s why she wanted to keep her name private because her books were provocative. But when she went to collect her prize, it was discovered, she was actually three men and there has been outcry since the news was published and the use of pen-names and the back-story that these three men created.
Lisa would love to get your thoughts and questions on any book topics. And, if you have an “Everyone Loved It But Me,” book you’d like her to discuss on the show, reach out to her on her website.
Books mentioned:
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Kristin Schumacher have a compelling discussion about Wonder written by R.J. Palacio. Wonder is a middle-grade book about Auggie, a boy with a facial difference that he refers to as mandibulofacial dysostosis. This condition is more commonly knowns as Treacher Collins syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that impacts the face including the jaw and cheekbone.
This is a beloved children’s book but Lisa and her guest talk a lot about how the book depicts people with disabilities.
Here are some links to articles that Lisa and her guest discussed:
Wonder author R.J. Palacio discusses an ice cream incident happened to her family in real life that inspired her to write the book.
Inspiration porn is an informal term dubbed by the late Australian disability activist Stella Young for a loose genre of media depictions of disabled people. Young has a 2014 TED Talk, titled, “I am not your inspiration, thank you very much.”
Acts of kindness should be celebrated, says Psychology Today. One in four Americans has a disability, cited from the CDC.
Everyone Hated It But Me books:
· Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
· Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein
· Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Everyone Loved It But Me is a podcast where we take a deep dive and discuss a popular book with a unique perspective. In our Book Bits episode, Lisa tackles book etiquette, literary topics and book news.
In this episode, Lisa talks about what happens if you get in “library jail.” That’s a slang term that she uses. Most libraries call it a suspended or frozen account due to fines or items that haven’t been returned.
Also discussed in today’s episode are the fall book fair and reading goals for 2022.
Here’s a piece about someone who returned a book 84 years later. Each library has its own policy for returning books and what happens if you’re late. Here’s the New York City Library policy.
An article in Forbes shows many libraries are now reducing and eliminating fees across the U.S. The American Library Association passed a resolution in January 2019 stating library fines create a barrier.
When asked the hardest scene to film without laughing Jerry Seinfeld says it was season three episode, “The Library,” where he had a confrontation with Lt. Bookman, the library cop.
Books mentioned:
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
Zorrie by Laird Hunt
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
Featherhood: A Memoir of Two Fathers and a Magpie by Charlie Gilmour
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
The Push by Ashley Audrain
On Animals by Susan Orlean
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Leslie Hopping have a spooky discussion about Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Leslie will be the co-host of a bookish podcast named Book Bumble that will launch soon. There are spoilers of the book.
Links to articles:The Guardian describes it as, “Lovecraft meets the Brontes in Latin America," and Vox calls it a deliciously creepy novel. The Chicago Review of Books says character Noemi Taboada is not the “naïve damsel figure."
The New York Public Librarylists the history of the gothic genre and Book Riot offers gothic definitions. Moreno-Garcia has posted her eugenics thesis.
In a CBS This Morning podcast Moreno-Garcia explains why she wrote a Gothic set in Mexico. The History Channel explains eugenics and in an NPR piece, with Moreno-Garcia it is stated the evil of the book is colonialism.
Books mentioned in the podcast:Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Moreno-Garcia
Velvet Was the Night by Moreno-Garcia
At the end of each show, Lisa or her guest discuss books they’ve enjoyed in, “Everyone Hated It But Me.”
Everyone Hated It But Me Books:The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Children of Jacosta by Natalie Haynes
Circe by Madeline Miller
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Vitoria Christopher Murray
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links and the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Kirsten Plonner discuss Untamed by Glennon Doyle. This conversation delves into adult topics such as drug use and alcoholism. There are also curse words sprinkled throughout the episode. Please listen to the episode before playing it in front of children.
Untamed is an extremely popular book and Lisa and Kirsten discuss some of the reasons why the book is so popular and take a deep dive talking about many aspects of the book - including what they liked and didn't like about the book.
At the end of the show, the narrative gets flipped and Lisa and Kirsten discuss some, "Everyone Hated it But Me Books."
Everyone Hated It But Me Books:
· The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
· Everything is F*cked, a Book About Hope by Mark Manson
· Anne of Green Gables Library by L.M. Montgomery
· Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
An article mentioned on the podcast:
· The Seattle Times article describes it as a self-help for wealthy white women.”
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Everyone Loved It But Me is a podcast where we take a deep dive and discuss a popular book with a unique perspective. In our Book Bits episodes, Lisa tackles book etiquette, literary topics, and book news.
In this episode, Lisa talks about if you should attend your book club if you didn’t like the book And, if you do show up to your book club – do you share your true feelings?
Lisa and guest Scheffie Lindquist, who was on The Goldfinch episode, also discuss the question of when you should quit on a book?
Books discussed here:
· The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
· Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
· Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
· What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love by Carole Radziwill
· Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
· A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Lisa and her guest Scheffie Lindquist have a compelling discussion about The Goldfinch. The Goldfinch is a Pulitzer winner and delves into the life of Theo Decker, whose mom was killed in a tragic accident. He’s shuffled around and first lands at a family friend’s house in New York and then later is taken to Las Vegas. But no matter where he is – he is desperately missing his mom. Lisa and Scheffie talk about the beautiful writing and meandering plot. Spoilers are discussed.
Here are books mentioned in the podcast:
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
At the end of each show, the narrative is flipped, and Lisa or her guest discuss books they’ve enjoyed in, “Everyone Hated It But Me.”
Everyone Hated It But Me Books:
Circe by Madeline Miller
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Here are some links to articles that Lisa and her guest discussed:
The New Yorker in its review described the book as similar to children’s literature.
A Vox Article says the book was flawed and that is one reason the movie was panned.
A New York Times Book Review describes the book as a “glorious Dickensian novel.”
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
In this Part 2 episode of Where The Crawdads Sing Lisa and her guest Jennifer Byrd have an insightful conversation delving into the second part of the book. There will be significant spoilers for the book
During the discussion, a book written by they mention Bruce Perry’s book The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog and chat about how children are impacted by their environment.
Lisa and Jennifer discussed the 2019 piece in Slate, titled, “The Dark History Behind the Year’s Bestselling Debut Novel.” The piece discusses how a long-ago murder in Africa influenced Delia Owens’ book. Delia Owens is not a suspect in that case.
However, her stepson Christopher and her ex-husband were implicated by some witnesses and this event was the subject of “The Haunted,” an article by Jeffrey Goldberg and published in the New Yorker.
Books Recommended in Everyone Hated It But Me:
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings
What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
Everyone Loved It But Me is launching in the fall of 2021. We'll be delving into very popular books that everyone loved but me. We won't book bash, but we will take a deep dive into a beloved book. Each episode, we'll also have a section called, "Everyone hated it but me," where we list a few books that either myself or my guest enjoyed.
In this Part 1 episode of Where The Crawdads Sing Lisa and her guest Jennifer Byrd have an insightful conversation about social isolation and abandonment. There will be spoilers for the book. The discussion delves into the beautiful lyrical writing about the swamp but also contrasts the limited descriptions of the characters.
During the discussion, they mention, The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog and chat about how children are impacted by their environment.
At the end of the show, Lisa has a segment called, “Everyone Hated It But Me,” where she or her guest recommends books.
Everyone Hated It But Me Books:
Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President written by Candice Millard
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony
Below are links to articles and videos mentioned on the podcast:
· You can hear author Delia Owens talk about the book.
· Here’s a review that delves into discrepancies of the characters mentioned on the podcast.
· In an article author Janice Harayda calls, “Where The Crawdads Sing” the most over-rated novel of the decade and discusses stereotypes in the book.
· This blog post and a Goodreads review by Betsy Robinson are also highlighted in the discussion.
· This Washington Post article delves into how the writing style changes between descriptions of the scenery and the courtroom drama.
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.