Podcast appearances and mentions of rebecca yarros

Send us a textOur spoiler-free Kingdom of Ash deep dive continues with chapters 22-29.Spoiler section focus: Blue Annis (sorry, Cass). Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 305 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair KAL News Events Ask Me Anything On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Skein & Co and Handmade Hygge   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Tie Dye Day Socks Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Steel Toes base in the Tie Dye Day Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page 262.3 meters for Stash Dash   Four Leaf Clover Granny Square Blanket Pattern: Four Leaf Clover Granny Square by Apinya Roszko Hook: H (5.0 mm) Yarn: Knit Picks Brava 500 in colorway Mint & Loops and Threads Impeccable in Colorway 01808 Center square (in darker green)- 4g. Three rounds on outside of clover (in mint)- 12g Size:  6 inch square. 5x7 blanket (30x42”) before border. Modification- the pattern calls for attaching new yarn (at the end of the square) to make the stem for the clover. I just chain to get to the center, make the stem and cut the yarn. I find it easy to crochet the granny square around it in Mint. No issues and one less end to weave in. I am joining squares as I go. I used this YouTube tutorial to remind me how to do this. 1186.1 meters for Stash Dash   10,426.8 meters for Stash Dash this year.   716 Splash Pad Socks Yarn: 716 Knit Sock Set  in the 716sock base in the colorway: It needs to be ok with getting on a boat with Levar Burton and never coming back. Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: stripe of black, stripe of bright poolside colors (orange, yellow, peach, greens & aquas . 344.2 yards/ 86 grams used.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Sweetly Striped Hat Pattern: Sweetly Striped Hat by Chit Chat Knits. $4.50 knitting pattern available on Ravelry Yarn: Berroco Vintage in colorway 5185 Tide Pool Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) & US 8 (5.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Pattern: Snack Shack Sponsor- Chit Chat Knits- 20 points Project Bag & Notions Pouch- Pro Shop Sponsor The Huckleberry Girl- 40 pts each= 80 points   Traveler Sweater Pattern: The Traveler by Andrea Mowry ($9 pattern available on Ravelry & the designer's website) Yarn: Hazel Knits Small Batch Sport (90/10 SW/Nylon) Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: 5 purl ridges done   Mayor of Halloween Town Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh Targhee Sock in the Mayor of Halloween Town colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Cast on 9/4 for Pigskin Party Project bag: Pro Shop Sponsor Wandering Purl (40 pts) Yarn: Pro Shop Sponsor Woolens & Nosh (40 pts) About the yarn: Light gray- larger stripes with smaller stripes of dark gray, white and orange   Born to Be Mild Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Born to Be Mild Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress- just into the leg of the first sock. About the yarn: tan base with browns and robin's egg. It reminds me of a robin's nest.   From the Armchair   Writers & Lovers by Lily King. Amazon Affiliate Link. Check out Season 3 Episode 6 of the Books, Beach & Beyond podcast with Elin Hilderbrand with Lily King Euphoria by Lily King. Amazon Affiliate Link. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Amazon Affiliate Link. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. Amazon Affiliate Link. In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Lily King talking on Books, Beach & Beyond (2025)-  on love "Love is really the most important thing to us and possibly the thing, the only thing that is going to save us from our other impulses. I am extremely concerned about the state of mind of this country and what we are allowing and what we have voted in and what we are experiencing and, in in some ways, our lack of resistance to it, and our our silence and our complicity. And it all really comes down to love. And if we lose that ability, I don't think AI is going to help us with love, I don't think Instagram is going to help us with love. I feel like all of our habits that are increasing and increasing are pulling us apart even giving us the illusion that its not, but we are, and we have to remember what it is like to love people. In all of those forms. It is the thing that makes us human. And we have to stay human." Lily King   A few of my other favorite quotes from Writers & Lovers “When my mother died, I sort of felt her inside me sometimes,' I say. ‘Like I'd swallowed her.' He laughs. ‘Swallowed her.' ‘I still have moments when I feel that, when it feels like she's inside me, and there's no difference between us or that the difference doesn't matter.” ― Lily King, Writers & Lovers   “I can tell he lost someone close somehow. You can feel that in people, an openness, or maybe it's an opening that you're talking into. With other people, people who haven't been through something like that, you feel the solid wall. Your words go scattershot off of it.” ― Lily King, Writers & Lovers   “When I was visiting her a few years ago she hugged me and said, ‘Tomorrow after you leave I will stand here at this window and remember that yesterday you were right here with me.' And now she's dead and I have that feeling all the time, no matter where I stand.” ― Lily King, Writers & Lovers   “I look into my eyes, but they aren't really mine, not the eyes I used to have. They're the eyes of someone very tired and very sad, and once I see them I feel even sadder and then I see that sadness, that compassion, for the sadness in my eyes, and I see the water rising in them. I'm both the sad person and the person wanting to comfort the sad person. And then I feel sad for that person who has so much compassion because she's clearly been through the same thing, too. And the cycle keeps repeating. It's like when you go into a dressing room with a three-paneled mirror and you line them up just right to see the long narrowing hallway of yourselves diminishing into infinity. It feels like that, like I'm sad for an infinite number of my selves.” ― Lily King, Writers & Lovers   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   KAL News   Pigskin Party '25 Event Dates: KAL Dates- Thursday September 4, 2025- Monday February 9, 2026 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Our Official Sponsor for Quarter 1 (October): Love in Stitches with Knitty Natty is hosting a Cozy Up Challenge. The challenge doesn't start until 10/1 but you can start planning now. Check out the details in this Ravelry Thread. Join Knitty Natty & me for a special zoom hangout Thursday 10/2 at 8p Eastern. Details will be shared in the Start Here Thread. Check out this Ravelry Thread with helpful tips for the event, crowd sourced from our incredible players.   Updates In This Episode Thanks to Mary for her Commentator report. She talked specifically about these 2 large projects that have already been finished. 904Stephanie (my teammate!) has already finished a blanket- Ravelry photo & cmfamigli has already finished a pullover- check out her Ravelry Project Thanks to Sarah for starting a Pigskin Tips Ravelry Thread! Add your Super Bowl Prediction- details in this Ravelry Thread Our first Official Sponsor of the Quarter is Love in Stitches! Check out all of the details in this Ravelry Post. Join Knitty Natty & me for a special zoom hangout Thursday 10/2 at 8p Eastern. Cast on, chat, learn about some of Natalie's cool cozy patterns and have some fun. Official Sponsor for Quarter 2 (November)- Twice Sheared Sheep Official Sponsor for Quarter 3 (December)- Suburban Stitcher Official Sponsor for Quarter 4 (January)- Yarnaceous Fibers   Events DFW Fiber Fest Sept 19-21 in Irving Texas Adirondack Wool & Arts Festival September 20 & 21 in Greenwich, New York. Greater Boston Yarn Crawl. September 26-28 - 16 shops Cape and South Shore Yarn Haul. September 25-28- 8 shops Vermont Sheep & Wool. October 4 & 5 Indie Untangled. October 17 CAKEpalooza. October 17 A Woolen Affair. October 17 NY Sheep & Wool (aka Rhinebeck). October 18 & 19. Down Cellar Studio Meet up at Saturday 2p at the Pavilion to the left of the beer tent! Come and say hi. The Fiber Festival of New England. November 1 & 2 Sunkissed Fiber Festival: January 24-25, 2026- just outside Tampa, FL   Ask Me Anything Tune in to hear my answer to kjkrochet's question: How did you come up with the concept for Pigskin Party?   On a Happy Note Saturday of Labor Day weekend- Clear the Needles Event w/ Love in Stitches group 2 fun pool days over Labor Day Weekend complete with cornhole tournament  I gifted my friend Megg her "I'll bring the dance moves" hat to go with my "I'll bring the alcohol" hat since my dad always teases her for dancing constantly. Dinner with Melissa of Maple Roots Creative Dinner with friends including my dance teacher from middle/high school Pigskin Paty Kick Off Weekend was so much fun! Seeing Passengers at American Repertory Theater   Quote of the Week “It's a particular kind of pleasure, of intimacy, loving a book with someone.” ― Lily King, Writers & Lovers   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Send us a textOur spoiler-free Kingdom of Ash deep dive continues with chapters 14-21.Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

I discuss the first two books in The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, as well as the first two book in the Belgariad series by David Eddings.

After a brief diversion into talking about the upcoming Wedding of the Century, the Junkies convene the Pop Culture Junkie Book Club for a discussion of the book genre reshaping the publishing business: Romantasy. This genre blends Romance and Fantasy and certainly isn't new; the Twilight series came out in the 90s and the genre reaches back even further than that. But it is undeniably hot now: Romantasy titles account for nearly half of total fiction sales. Olivia and Shauna discuss some of the most popular Romantasy works, like A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, and discuss how Greek and Norse mythology inform the genre, as well as its variations, tropes and archetypes. Finally, the Junkies give their recommendations to start you on your journey into the realms of fantasy romance. You can watch the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos We have affordable and rewarding Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W Website: www.popculturejunkie.com Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast Instagram: @pop.culturejunkie Threads: @pop.culturejunkie Bluesky: @pop-culture-junkie.bsky.social  Email: junkies@popculturejunkie.com Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez

Send us a textWe're diving into A Court This Cruel and Lovely, the first book in the Kingdom of Lies series by Stacia Stark. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

In this empowering conversation, Lesley Logan welcomes back sex educator Dr. Celeste Holbrook to talk about her new book Missionary Position: A Slightly Irreverent Guide to Sex After Purity Culture. Together they unpack healing from harmful narratives, navigating seasons of change in your sex life, and discovering the ‘glittery middle,' where you get to define pleasure, intimacy, and authenticity on your own terms.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:How to let your sex life evolve with every stage of life.The five-year journey and setbacks behind Celeste's debut book.The four archetypes for healing and reclaiming sexual agency.Why faking orgasms is a “fawn response” and how to break the cycle.The freedom of defining your own sexual ethic in the “glittery middle”.Episode References/Links:Dr. Celeste Holbrook's Website - www.drcelesteholbrook.comDr. Celeste Holbrook's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drcelesteholbrookDr. Celeste Holbrook on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DrCelesteHolbrookMissionary Position: A Slightly Irreverent Guide to Sex After Purity Culture by Dr. Celeste Holbrook - https://a.co/d/3UimUKxA Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings - https://a.co/d/ibRaesYFourth Wing Series by Rebecca Yarros - https://a.co/d/7Qhgk2REp. 202: Jake Kelfer - https://beitpod.com/jakekelferEp. 265: Daniella Mestyanek Young - https://beitpod.com/daniellayoungGuest Bio:Dr. Celeste Holbrook is a sex educator, speaker, and small-town Texas horse girl who's on a mission to make conversations about sex less awkward and way more empowering. With a Ph.D. in Health Education from Texas Woman's University and a thriving virtual practice, Celeste helps people create lives filled with pleasure, connection, and confidence—starting in the bedroom. After years of struggling with pain and shame around sex, she set out to find answers no one else could give her—and ended up becoming the expert she needed. Today, she guides women toward pleasurable sex by helping them understand their bodies, claim their worth, and ask for what they want without apology. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Celeste Holbrook 0:00  Expecting your sex life to look the same when you are 20 and 30 and 50 and 70 is not helpful for you, and so allowing it to mature as you mature is the most helpful thing that you can do for yourself, I think, when when it comes to your sex life.Lesley Logan 0:19  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 1:02  Hey, Be It babe, okay, this might be the first guest that is coming on for a third appearance. I think she won. I could be wrong, but I think she won. Dr. Celeste Holbrook is back. She's back. We're gonna talk about a couple of things. We're gonna talk about sex, we're (inaudible) we're gonna talk about her book. We're gonna talk about the journey that one goes on to get their work out into this world. And so even if you are like, I don't want to talk about the sex part, like, well, we should talk about the sex part. That's actually what we should do. But I want you to hear this, because I think it's so easy to hear people on a podcast go, oh, it's so easy for them because they got on a podcast, like, it's so easy, and you don't hear all the doors that get shut all the time. And I also am excited for you to hear like there are people in this world who just want to help each other out, and I think we need evidence of that. And I'm super, super excited that I get to be a cheerleader for amazing humans in this world like that. When I think about my, like, genius zone or something like that. Like, sometimes I think it's that I just get to cheer on people who are doing hard things and go, I see you, and you're doing great. And I can't wait. I can't wait. So guys, I'm gonna stop this, because we're gonna get right into we get right into it. And if you have this is the first time you're hearing about Dr. Celeste Holbrook, I really encourage you to go back to the first two episodes we did together. Go do the oldest one, then the second one, because I think you'll get a full picture of everything. We talked about a lot of good stuff. So she's gonna change your life. All right, here she is. Lesley Logan 2:31  All right, all right. So you guys, we're just gonna get right into this episode. Dr. Celeste Holbrook is back. You guys, third time won't be the last time. I somehow have to have her on annually. I think, Celeste, can you tell everyone why you're back. Let's just get in. Let's just start there. Celeste Holbrook 2:46  Okay, so I'm so excited, I can't even, like, contain myself. So I'm back because I have a book out, and I have a book really, truly because of Lesley Logan, because I have tried to publish this book for so long with traditional publishing, and I just got closed door after closed door after closed door for a lot of different reasons, which maybe we do and don't go into, I don't know, but Lesley reached out to me and was like, Celeste, I have this company. They do professional publishing. They're really great, and I just latched onto it, and I did every single thing that they suggested, and it was such a beautiful experience. So the whole point of this is I have a book, and I have a book because of you, and I want to aggressively love you today for encouraging me to do this.Lesley Logan 3:38  I am taking all that love also like this podcast, is why you have it, because I met that guy, because I interviewed him. And I have to, like, I'm not even I'll have to go back to the archives to figure out how I got this person, but I interviewed him, and I'm like, I really like this person. Like, I think he's great. Like, I've written a book, and I would have loved his help. Then, because I met him and had him on the pod, we had three of our clients use him, so I got to see from different perspectives how it was so when, and here's the thing, you were always on my feed, like, the algorithm would always, like, send you, and I like, just love all your stuff. And then it, like, kind of stopped, because I don't know that's how the algorithm works. And I happened to look at your stories, it was your stories, I'm pretty sure, and you were sharing this thing. And I'm not normally someone who's like, let me go in on the six minutes of a story. But I was like, I'm procrastinating. I'm in and so I was like, wow, what perfect timing this was, because I could have easily missed that whole section. And so I just want to, I'm just so grateful for divine like, I think that, like, there's divine appointments and divine interventions in a non-church way, guys, but we're meant to be in each other's lives and this book. Okay, so I guess, in case people don't know who you are, maybe we should do a quick like, who are you? Because we have new listeners, right? Hi, new listeners. You're going to want to go back to the other two. We're going to link them in the show notes. But can you tell everyone who you are and what you rock at? Celeste Holbrook 4:57  Yes, absolutely. So my name is Dr. Celeste Holbrook, I am a sex educator, and I have a PhD in health behaviors with a postgraduate emphasis in sexual behaviors. So I help people, a lot of women and lots of couples, figure out how to make sex better, whether that is they are experiencing pain or they're experiencing shame from growing up in like, ultra religious household, or they just need, like, some help through menopause or through after having a baby or things like that. So I am your very practical sexual health help. That's what I do. Lesley Logan 5:38  I love it the practical because, you know, like, I will say, having lived in L.A. and going to different sex shops, you don't look like the person who works the sex shop. Celeste Holbrook 5:48  No, no. Lesley Logan 5:50  Not to like, like to stereotype. But there's a, there would be a type that, like, works at the sex shop, and it's not you.Celeste Holbrook 5:56  Yeah, no, it's not me. And I just want to be super accessible, because not everybody wants to, like, swing from the chandeliers all the time. You know, a lot of people are out there just struggling to find the time to connect. Like, I cannot tell you how many times I have had a conversation about what to do with the dog in your bedroom when you want to have sex so the dog's not looking over at you or jumping on the bed, or, like, these are the practical applications that we are talking about in sex education in my consult sessions.Lesley Logan 6:27  Yeah, well, and because, because I think everyone's just so overwhelmed, like I saw something, and someone's stories, and they're like, went to their friend, their niece's like, soccer game, and she's like, looking around just like, no wonder no one's having sex. Like everybody is at the soccer game and they're exhausted, and then get the soccer game they're fighting about to do or you forgot the thing. Like, no, no answer. But nobody wants to have sex after this. Celeste Holbrook 6:53  No, no. Why would you want to have sex after that? Exactly right. That's exactly right, yep. Lesley Logan 6:59  So, so I want to touch on, like, there's a lot of different chapters, and maybe this is something that your book covers, but like, there's, you know, I think when we're younger and like, it feels like it's easier to do things, maybe, and then you get older, and like, there's more responsibilities and there's more stuff to think about. And like, it becomes something that goes away, and then your hormones change. So, in your book, do you cover, like, the journeys that were all going on, or is it more specifically for people from the purity culture, like, what? What were you excited to write about?Celeste Holbrook 7:30  Sure. So the book is called, I have the manuscript and printed out right here. It's called Missionary Position: A Slightly Irreverent Guide to Sex After Purity Culture. So I do take the approach of, like you growing up in a purity culture background, in, like, a high demand religion background, evangelical culture, things like that. But the book is in four parts. So like a four-part guide to basically healing, and you can apply these steps to any issue you are having in sex. So, yes, I do talk quite a bit about the effects of purity culture and how to overcome those effects. But it can, you can apply it to, you know, the trauma you had from a sexual assault. You can apply it to just the doldrums of being married to the same old penis for like, 20 years or whatever, you know, like you can apply these steps to anybody. So basically, there's four steps, and I have made them into archetypal women. So your first step is your analyst. She's like, the nerd she's looking at, like, okay, what are we carrying around? What does your backpack look like that you're carrying around? Is it full of shame? Is it full of neglect? Is it full of fear? Like she's the analyst. Your second archetypal woman is your assassin. She's she is taking what the analyst has found, and she is just like, slicing through it, right? She's your assassin. She's your inner assasin. She's your deconstruction, basically. Your third archetypal woman is your healer. So after you've done the work of understanding what's in your backpack, slicing out what needs to go, then your healer starts helping you regenerate your ideas about sex through a gentle reeducation. So we're relearning about some things that maybe we have always thought one way about. Maybe we're relearning about the idea of virginity. We're relearning the I about masturbation. We're relearning about what great sex is, right? The healer is our gentle reeducation, and then our fourth archetypal women woman is our explorer, and she's like, gonna try some new things. She's gonna go to the sex toy store, she's going to touch herself in a new way, and maybe, if that's too much, maybe she's gonna try sex with the lights on, right. And so these are the four women. They represent four steps, and within each step there are some really practical things that you can do to help move you to the next step. So you can apply this to any issue you're having in sex, and get to the other side where you're trying, you're you're now exploring, you're trying new things.Lesley Logan 10:12  I that's a way. I mean, well, like an archetype. I like that. And I've, you've been on my mind a lot lately, because society is quite interesting right now, like the trad wife situation. I'm like, that looks really beautiful. Like, I would love, like, I have white countertops. I'd love them to clean all the time. I'm certainly not capable of doing it. But I'm like, I don't know that. I think they're doing a really good job marketing a beautiful esthetic without realizing, like, all the stuff that comes with that, you know, like, all the religious stuff that comes with that, and how that can harm how we feel about our bodies. And I, I like, was raised in purity culture, and I didn't think it affected me. I'm like, I'm good. But actually, no, actually, I remember, like, I remember, oh, it does, because you're like, you think that you're like, oh, I'm on that. I'm that doesn't affect that like you, you start to realize, even if you weren't raised in church, just the way that public school systems have appropriated some of the modesty rules, like what you're told, what you can wear to school and and how thick this the tank top strap can be, and you can't be disruptive, even though the boys' pants are halfway down their legs, and I'm looking at underwear all the time. You know, I think that even for people who weren't raised where they're told, like, your father has you until you're given away to someone else, there is some level where all of us were affected by like, don't be a distraction. Don't, make sure you don't wear that so you don't look like a certain like you're not attracting bad people, you know, that kind of a thing.Celeste Holbrook 11:44  Yeah, I totally agree, Lesley. I think that there's very few people in the United States that have a great, comprehensive, inclusive sex education. I think very few of us. I think this is changing, and hopefully with, you know, recycle breaking next and next generations, but American society in general wants to put sex on either end of a spectrum. We want to either like, don't think about it. Don't talk about it. This is not for you until you are reaching a certain age or marriage or whatever, and then on the other side is like, why aren't you liberated enough to have all to do all these things you know, like, so there's these two, like, ends of the spectrum, and all of us really live in the middle. Yeah, none of us is really on either side at all, but we but it like breaks America's brain to try and think about, like, living outside of one of those two spectrums. So I talk about in the book about the non, about the non-binary. We are not binary people. As far as what we want to do in our sex life, and figuring out, how do you live in the middle area, which we often call gray, but I call glitter. Yes, it's the most fabulous place to live is in the middle, in this glittery middle, where you get to define your own sex ethic based on your value system, on your intuition, on your sex education, and you get to decide what works best for you. And maybe that is boundaries around when you have sex awesome, as long as it's your choice that's amazing. And maybe that is opening your relationship up and trying swinging or whatever it is that's awesome as long as it's your decision and not one manipulated by society or cultural values or religious values.Lesley Logan 13:27  Yeah, I think that's, I think I like to think about that even this thing, it's, you're right, it's America, it's people like, I'm in Pilates industry. And I said something the other day where I was like, well, you can say that, but it doesn't like, there's also the idea that we could prepare people for an exercise, right? And this person, like, went off on me, and I was like, so you need to understand that what you're mad about me is what you're doing here. Second, Pilates is not black or white. It's not this or that. It's a lot of gray. It's a lot of glitter, like glitter. It's like, because our bodies are different and where we are in our practice, where we are in our life, maybe what season we're in, maybe you're in a season of young children, it's going to be very different what you're wanting and ready for, and have the capacity to take on versus they're teenagers and out of the house and really don't care where you are versus you don't have kids at all. Like, there's all these different seasons. And I think we are like, oh, this is how I've always liked it, so this is how I have to keep liking it. Celeste Holbrook 14:25  Yes, yes, that's so wise, Lesley, that's so wise. I think there are a lot of and we talked about this in our last on our last podcast together, a lot of the similarities between what happens in sex and what happens in like a Pilates, a workout space or Pilates space, as far as how we view our bodies and what we feel is like, right, or what we feel is appropriate, I guess, for our bodies like I should be wanting this, because that's what I did when I was 27 or I should be looking like this, because that's what I looked like when I was whatever, 30 or whatever. And I think there's lots of room to allow ourselves compassion to grow as we grow in our sex life, in our workouts and whatever, expecting your sex life to look the same when you are 20 and 30 and 50 and 70 is not helpful for you, and so allowing it to mature as you mature is the most helpful thing that you can do for yourself, I think, when, when it comes to your sex life. Lesley Logan 15:28  Yeah, we'll keep talking about this, it'll come up. But I do, I do want to go back to like, the journey of this book, because this book has been in you for a really long time. And I think whether or not people want to write a book, you can insert goal, whatever your goal is, because you we will all in trying to get something out into the world or get something that we desire done, hit roadblocks. So you hit some roadblocks. Can we talk about, how many years of roadblocks? Can we talk about what you like, what kind of roadblocks you were hitting and, like, how did you keep going? Because quite honestly, I'm surprised you even told the story, you know what I mean, like, I'm surprised you didn't go, okay, well, that's that, the door, the door has been slammed shut.Celeste Holbrook 16:12  Yeah, yeah. And I really appreciate you asking this, because I know sex is really fun to talk about, but this is, like, my personal, like, lifelong dream is to have a book, and it feels really, I feel really seen when you ask about the process of it, and when I think about the be it, you know, be it till you see it, bold, executable. I think I'm getting this right, intrinsic, targeted, so I think about my word for this year was bold. So that was like, my like, I gotta be more bold. I want to say what I want to say. I don't want to be making myself smaller anymore. So the story behind the book, I have always thought about writing a book. I myself am a slow reader. I don't read very fast, and I for a long, long time I thought I was dumb because I don't read very fast, which is silly when I think about it now, but all growing up, I was slower than all of my friends reading. It was frustrating to read. And I've just, I like, I was still a good student. I still did all of the things that I needed to do, but I just, I just took time. I just took more time to write, to read all of those things, and I think in part, that's what made me get a PhD, because I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't dumb. Turns out, I'm not dumb. I just am. I need to go at my own pace. And so one of the things that you talk about a lot on the podcast is like, how do you prioritize yourself? I prioritize myself by allowing myself to go at my own pace, like I can read as slow as I need to read, I can answer emails as slow as I need to answer emails. It's frustrating to me and other people, but at the end of the day, like it, it's honestly who I am. I'm just considerate and slow and thoughtful, and I've learned to like that about myself instead of hate that about myself. So the idea of writing a book was really, like tantalizing to me, but I had a lot of insecurities about my ability to actually do it. I'd written a dissertation, which is I, in my opinion, harder because it's boring. Lesley Logan 18:19  Yeah, yeah, no, that's one of the reasons why I, like, stopped going to school. I was like, I can't write another boring paper.Celeste Holbrook 18:25  Oh, my God. Like, who's reading? Like, my mom didn't even read it. She's like, oh, congratulations. It's like, collecting dust, right? So I had done that, and so I thought, like, well, if I'd written a dissertation, it just take you just take a chunk at a time. I can surely write a book. So in 2000 and let's see 2016, Nate and I was like, Nate, I really want to write a book. I'm going to go to a writer's conference. So he's like, great, let's go. I was like, found one in Hawaii. He's like, even better, let's go.Lesley Logan 18:55  I love, I love when a goal and a tax write off can be in a place you want to go. Celeste Holbrook 19:01  That's right, that's exactly right. We ended up getting a tent. There's like, these glamping tents on Maui that you can get, and it's just, like, really fun. It's like, on the beach, but you still have, like, sort of a bathroom, you know. But so we're, like, we needed to do it on cheap, because we were kind of broke, like, got these glamping tents, and I went to these writers conference during the day, and Nate did whatever during the day was at this writing conference, and it was through Hay House, and there was a contest. So if you went to the writers conference and you wrote a proposal, you could enter it in, and they were going to pick three writers to to give a book deal to, I would, and this is me being so sure of myself. Like, yes, I've spent a lot of time feeling insecure that about my reading and writing. But for the most part, my whole life, I have been, like, with no good reason, confident. Like, I'm just like, I don't know, confident.Lesley Logan 19:53  Yeah. I mean, that's cool. That's a great that's so many people don't inherently have that. I. And like to kind of have that and then use it is a wonderful, it's a wonderful thing. Celeste Holbrook 20:06  Yeah, I just, I just was like, no, I'm gonna get this, you know, I'm gonna write this proposal. People are gonna love it. I'm gonna get this competition. Anyway, long story short, did not win any (inaudible). Lesley Logan 20:16  Oh, I thought this was going towards you won. Oh, my God, she won. It. (inaudible) second look. I automatically just assumed you're gonna slay. So I'm just like, she won.Celeste Holbrook 20:32  This is about closed doors, Lesley. Lesley Logan 20:34  Okay, that's true. That's true. Celeste Holbrook 20:36  Yes. So I did not win. I was for sure I was gonna win, did not win, not even, like, a hello, right? So I was like, oh, maybe I need to work a little harder. So I had this whole proposal. My book was like, looking back, I'm like, I'm so glad that I didn't win. My book was called Sexual Wealth. Lesley Logan 20:54  Oh, yeah, that's that's not you.Celeste Holbrook 20:57  It's not me. I was like, it was like, sex through finance, bro language or something. And I was just like, this is a terrible idea, but the spark was there, like, I really wanted to write a book. So that was 2016 I kind of held onto it, thought about it, kind of put it in a drawer for a while. In 2019 I got on a fairly large podcast with Jen Hatmaker, so she's an author, and she does a lot of work in, like the ex-evangelical space, or had started down that road. So I got on this podcast through just like pitching. I got on this podcast. It's pretty big, big podcast. And not long after that, a person from HarperCollins, like a division of Harper Collins, reached out to me and said, hey, have you ever considered writing a book? So the publisher reached out to me, which is very unusual. Lesley Logan 21:47  That is cool, though. Yes. Celeste Holbrook 21:49  Yeah, yeah, very unusual. Usually, you are pitching to publishers. So they heard me on the podcast, and they were like, hey, you know, we're interested in you submitting a proposal. I'm like, I'm freaking out. Like, this is so exciting, right? I realize I probably need representation, so I get a literary agent. I kind of shop around and get a literary agent. She's amazing, Rochelle, and I end up pitching my proposal. I worked it out, you know, I update it from sexual wealth to something else. I update it, I pitch it, and they're pretty slow. The publishing industry is so slow, you know this, you know this, so slow. Lesley Logan 22:24  I have watched too many of my friends write books. I'm so great. I'm proud of all of them. But also the ones that have gone traditional publishing, it is slow, like molasses moves faster, you guys. That's, you know, like, just don't bet on don't hold your breath.Celeste Holbrook 22:40  Oh my gosh, it's the slowest process of all time. And so I was like, okay, I, you know, they reached out to me. So I'm here in my very confident space, like, oh no, they're gonna laugh. Yeah, they're gonna choose. They reached out to me. Why wouldn't they choose me? At this point, I have like, 1500 followers. I have, like, I have no platform, right? I still have a very small platform, but a bunch of really engaged, lovely humans. So I'm, I'm fairly sure they're going to choose me. Eventually, months and months and months later, they get back to me and they're like, yes, we want it is literally like, I don't know, six months later, they're like, we want to offer you a contract, and we want to go under contract, just small. It's a $20,000 contract. They're gonna pay me 10,000 upfront, and then 10,000 the book publishes. I was like, great, I have to pay out my agent too. So I'm I'm coming home with like, $8,500. I was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. Just to get one dime to like (inaudible).Lesley Logan 23:36  I mean that you got anything, because it's not, it's not always normal that even a first time writer gets anything until the book sells. So, yeah.Celeste Holbrook 23:44  Yes. So I was thrilled. I was thrilled. So I started writing my little heart out. They don't actually give me anything, a contract or anything, until my my my first draft is due. So I turned in my first draft and then they signed me. So I write the whole book without a contract. So submit the first draft. This is like March of 2020, so keep that in, put to context. Things that are. Lesley Logan 24:08  Things are things are going on. Celeste Holbrook 24:10  Things are going on. What's happening? So I get my first round of edits back. I'm still super excited. And then in July, my agent calls me, and she's like, I hate to have this conversation with you, but your book has been orphaned. Your editor left the company, and nobody else wants to pick it up. Lesley Logan 24:32  No, no. Celeste Holbrook 24:35  Yeah. So this is like, in the big scheme of things, like, it was the way it needed to work out, because they were already giving me feedback. It was the (inaudible) the imprint. And I'm not trying to slander any publishing industry, but this is just what happened to me, right? I was getting feedback of, like, oh, I don't know if you should, like, go that hard. Or I don't know if you should. You might alienate readers. If you talk about religion in this way, or, you know, this is you're gonna lose your Catholic audience. I'm like, I'm not trying to make the Catholics happy. I'm sorry. Lesley Logan 25:12  Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I interviewed, I don't know if it was in my interview, but when I was talking with Daniella Mestyanek Young who wrote Uncultured, she was only allowed to talk about three sexual like, misconduct, things that happened to her, and not even the worst ones. They actually, like, got rid, yes, yeah, they were like, and you can only talk like they she had to. And she's been very vocal about it. She's like, because she was talking about God and all these things and like, like, yeah, you can't really talk about that. And then she was like, you know, saying that she got raped in military. And they're like, so we don't like, maybe we just do only one of those, like, very and so, and she was with a publisher, and she got published, but she it's a watered down version of her story, because apparently readers wouldn't be able to handle the true thing. And it's like, you know, like, we're, how are we supposed to change the world? We don't know what's going on. So anyways, yeah. Celeste Holbrook 26:02  Yeah, I and I heard, I heard that kind of from different places, like, oh yeah. I had to, like, say this instead of that or whatever. And I'm like, yeah, that's a little bit happening to me. And I had written it with the understanding, like, this is for a still Christian audience. I understood this, it was with a Christian publisher. So I'm like, that's fine. Like, as a sex educator, you have to be able to be fluid enough to write to the audience that's in front of you. Like, when I go speak, sometimes I'm in front of really conservative audiences, and I adapt my language. That's fine. Like, that's okay to do. I'm still, I still feel helpful. I still feel like I'm pushing the envelope, but in a way that feels the most accessible for the audience in front of me. So I'm okay adjusting, but also like I didn't, I didn't want to water it down so much that I felt like it wasn't me. Lesley Logan 26:51  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Celeste Holbrook 26:53  So anyway, lost my contract in July 1st of 2020, which was and that whole thing, the whole next two years was really difficult. My husband is an emergency medicine physician and it was just a real hard time in the family, family. Lesley Logan 27:09  Yeah, no, lots, lots going on, lots of stress, lots of worry, lots. Yeah, you're afraid, yeah, you know. So like, you know. So we live where we live, and not everyone believe we're going through certain things. So that's even more stressful. Yeah. Oh, my God, that's a lot. The book, the book hit a wall.Celeste Holbrook 27:26  It hit it hit a wall, and probably had to find time. But I was, I was really, just really sad. Rochelle, my agent, was like, okay, we're just gonna, like, pick it back up. We have this proposal, we have a book written. It's, it'll be easier for another publisher to pick us up. And so we start, like, pitching to these other publishing companies. She has all these connections, you know, she's pitching, pitching, pitching, nothing's landing. I'm getting good feedback back. Like, you know, your platform's too small. That's fair. I started trying to grow it. You know, that's when Instagram was a little easier to grow. Now it's super hard to grow. But started growing it. I went from 1500 to 20,000 you know. Lesley Logan 28:04  That's a big deal, because other 20,000 like, those are not bought, you know, like, yeah.Celeste Holbrook 28:09  No, yeah. And I'm a hard follow. I get that. I have, like, you know, dildos in my videos. Like, I get that I'm not an easy follow. It's not and I'm, you know, Shadow banned all the time, and I get all these notifications that my stuff is not being shown to new audiences. I get that. I get that I'm a hard follow, but that's what publishers want. They want you to have a ready-to-buy platform, which I get. They're trying to make money. But I got a lot of that feedback. I got a lot of, ooh, this is a little it's a little too much for us as a Christian publisher. Like, okay, I get that. And then it was kind of like this line for non, non-Christian publishers, like, we don't really, we don't really talk about religion that much, and then we're not really talking about sex that much.Lesley Logan 29:00  Right? So you're like, too much of the different things for the different people, that's really rough, because it's like, we'll never be everything for anyone, but to not feel like you fit somewhere when you have something to say, that's hard.Celeste Holbrook 29:13  Yeah, yeah, it is really hard. And I think it's what people needed. It's because it's, again, it's the glitter, it's the middle. Like, yeah, I don't fit into either of these spaces. I'm kind of like exploring the middle, right? So that was the feedback I was getting. And finally, we did that for five years, from 2020 to 2025 October of 2025 Rochelle had a call with me, and she's like, honey, I have nowhere else to go. I'm sorry. This has to be the end of it. Bless her. She she did the best that she had, and I am forever grateful for her. But that was it, and that was that's where we're caught up to, where you saw my story, and I was like, just sharing with my audience like I had an unhappy ending, and I'm gonna sit in my sadness right now and just tell you, like life isn't always hunky dory for a sex educator, for anybody, for you for me, and this is where I am right now, and I'm pissed and I'm sad, and the end, right? And then sweet Lesley shows up in my DMs, and she's like, babe, I have this great idea for you. I'm like, okay, so she you send me this information for this company I have a call with, I think Jake who you interviewed. Lesley Logan 30:19  Yeah, Jake Kelfer. Yep, yep, yep. Celeste Holbrook 30:21  I have a call with Jake, and let me tell you, working with them has been and I'm not getting paid for any of this right to for BIB, but working with them has been so healing, so much agency in the process. I got to say exactly what I wanted to say. I got to go at the pace that I wanted to go, like, it was just incredible. Lesley Logan 30:44  So is this book, like a new book? It's not what you're pitching around. It's the glitter you really wanted to write. Celeste Holbrook 30:51  It's the glitter I really wanted to write. Totally different. Yeah.Lesley Logan 30:54  Yes, oh, I love that. And also, like, so, first of all, you guys, did you hear five years? Five years and now we're going on, you know, like, so, yeah, five years and then now big. But here's the other thing, like going through all of those things, you got feedback and made tweaks and did these things. So then when you're writing the book that we're gonna all get to read, I can't even wait to read it. It's the best version of a book that could ever be, because it's really not your first book you've written so manyCeleste Holbrook 31:24  You're so right. And over the course of the years, I changed, as we should. I hope I look back in five years and go like, yeah, I'm a different, new person from who wrote this book. But I was different, and I was more comfortable, like, straight up saying I'm not a Christian anymore. You know, I was more comfortable saying, like, is this a religious book? Yes, because we talk about religion. Do I identify as Christian? No, because of these reasons. Do I think we could learn some stuff from the Bible? Sure. Do I think we're going to talk about the Bible? Yes. I think we have to, because we're talking about purity culture. But I don't, you know, certainly not in 2020 was I willing to be like, yeah, I'm not a Christian, but so much stuff happened between 2020 and 2025, that just took me right on out.Lesley Logan 32:10  Yeah, yeah, no, I hear you on that. I and, you know, like, I have a brother in seminary school, so it's very interesting around here. And I had just said, you know, if, if, the if, all the Christians in the world actually did what Jesus said, like, we would have solved child child poverty and immigration and health care. And, you know, I've had a family member respond, well, if everyone just came to know, and I'm like, no, no, no, that's actually not what the Bible says. Here's the problem, I've read it so like I where I am in my life, which five years ago I was definitely not. Is just like I'm frustrated that a book, any book, has controlled people in such a way that's affecting even their sex lives, but also just lives, the lives of people who didn't even read the book. And so that's where, like, I get upset we don't have to have religious talk on this podcast. But that's that's just where, like, I'm coming from as a person with it. I'm, like, I have a really hard time with it, because it's not a loving world, and it with all the people who say they are, you know, believers. It should be. It should be a very loving world. So, so I think it's really I love. Thank you for sharing the story. This is great.Celeste Holbrook 33:30  Yeah, I totally. I just want to affirm what you're saying. Because I think the the main bottom line for me was it has harmed more than it has helped. Has it helped? Absolutely, there's some really beautiful ways in which Christianity has helped, but has it harmed more than it has helped? I absolutely believe, yes. And so for me, that was the final straw. Do I think Jesus was cool? Yeah. I think He was a radical non-white dude who did really amazing things that we can learn from, right? I believe he saved me from my sins. Not really, but, yeah, that's where I landed. And I was able to say this in in this book, which I would never have been able to do before. Lesley Logan 34:09  Well, also, thank you for sharing it with us, because I also just someone like to see it's a really interesting thing to say, like my husband and I, like go like to say out loud, it's very I don't want to speak for him, because, like, maybe it was a different but, like, it's really hard to say out loud when you're like, I don't believe anymore, and you're like, you know?Celeste Holbrook 34:29  Right, it feels really weird. Lesley Logan 34:31  Yeah, it does. But because it's such an identity that you're raised with, and I think going back to, like, that purity culture that your book is about, and by the way, everyone, like, I just want to say, like, even if you haven't been in that, it's, I think that reading about those things really helps me. It makes it helps make the world make sense to me. Like, I read Tia Levings book, A Well-Trained Wife, and I was like, oh, I get it now. I get why they're acting like this. I get why they're thinking this. Because, like, otherwise, you're like looking at people like they're aliens, and you're like, I don't understand. So I also think it can be really impactful to read just to understand, what are people thinking? What are they going through? Why is it harder for some people to have great sex, or want to have great sex, or feel comfortable having great sex, than for other people? Celeste Holbrook 35:18  Yeah, I totally agree with you. It's so fun, interesting. Most of couples that I talk to, most of them are straight couples, heterosexual couples, and a lot of times, the woman in the partnership will, you know, talk about sex in one way, and the man in the partnership will talk about sex in a different way. And just like, I just don't get it. If it feels good, why wouldn't you want to do it? And so when we kind of like, deconstruct and explain, like, well, she's been taught that sex is dangerous her whole life, and so her nervous system feels on alert, even when there are good things in the future to come with that sexual experience. So to have to overcome this idea of fear and danger in your nervous system, just to get to the beginning of arousal is a whole different ball game than you who starts at arousal, and because it feels very regulating, like, I lean into arousal because it feels regulating as a straight man who's raised in America, and so like, just being able to, like, if you're a dude who picks up this book, It might help you understand the women in your life a little bit better, even if they didn't grow up in purity culture. Most of us grew up with the idea that sex is going to harm us. Lesley Logan 36:28  Yeah, yes. Well, I mean, like, yeah, it's like, even if you weren't raised that way, you also, as a woman, were raised like, be fearful of any bad any man who's coming near you, walking up next to you, like, all these different things. And so it is very difficult to just like, let that go. It's not like, it's like, oh, it's Halloween. I can get Todd Kenny from a stranger now, like, this doesn't work like that. You know, like especially because it's like, your whole life these just little things that are being told. I think that's great for men to read. I think that's such a that's a, what a wonderful way to think about it, who this book could be helpful for? I want to take a brief detour, because you said something on your Instagram a bit ago that truly, like, blew my mind and also made so much sense, right? You said, if you're faking an orgasm, you're fawning, right? It's a fawn response. So can we talk about what a fawn response is? And that a little bit, because I think too many women do that. I only say that because I have friends who talk about it and I'm like, I mean, I just wouldn't just would be like, it's not working today, sir.Celeste Holbrook 37:38  Yes, yeah. I mean, I've done it when I was experiencing really painful sex when I first got married, because of vaginismus, because of purity culture, like I did anything to try and get out of the situation, right? So, so a fawn response is something that we do in response to something traumatic. When something traumatic happens, we go into fight, flight, freeze or on. So fawn is I'm pleasing you know this, this circumstance or person in my life, so there are no negative consequences, all right. So when we fake orgasms, and a lot of women have a lot of guilt around doing this, and this is why I posted that, because I want you to feel not guilty about this. I don't want you to do it forever, but I want you to understand why you're doing this. We fawn response an orgasm when we feel overwhelming pressure to have an orgasm when we feel overwhelming pressure to have an orgasm, it's coming from a fragile man who cannot handle or has put too much value on your ability to come as a validation for his ability to be great, right? I put too much pressure on your ability to be to come is a validation of my ability to be good or great. So part of the work has to become men saying like my validation is not wrapped up in her ability to come, without saying, I still can't give her pleasure. It's kind of, it's, it's, it's nuanced, but I really want women to understand when you're fawning, when you're faking an orgasm, you are essentially doing harm reduction. I don't want the negative consequences of his fragility, so I will fake it so I don't have to deal with that. That is easier for me. That is harm reduction.Lesley Logan 39:47  Right, right, right. And one would hope that a conversation or few could be had, like, here's what's going on and here's how I don't want you to feel and here like, yeah, that's probably where you come in. Celeste Holbrook 40:01  Yes, yeah. It's a really delicate situation. I do have lots of times people come in and the female, the woman in the partnership, will be like, hey, you know, this is what's going on, and this is why I want us together to come but to sessions, but like, I don't know how to tell him, like, it's been years and I've been faking it for years, right? Okay, no problem. We don't have to. I don't believe full transparency is always kind. I believe in honesty. I don't necessarily believe in full transparency. Like, you can, you can be really unkind with full transparency, but you can still be honest. Like, hey, I really want to experience a little bit more sensation when we have sex. Can we work on some new techniques? Can I show you how I masturbate? Can we make it slower so I can feel something different? I really want to make my orgasm stronger, right? So we can be clear with what we want going forward without being like, you know what? I faked it for the last 12 years, right? Because that's on you for not for not saying something as well. Lesley Logan 41:08  Yeah? Because that doesn't like, it can only be, it's not anyone's fault. But also, like, they can't change if they don't know, yeah. Oh, you're so brilliant. You're so amazing. Wait, when is the book coming out? When do I get to read it? When can I preorder, like.Celeste Holbrook 41:23  You are so cute. So it'll by the time this drops, it'll already be out, and we'll send links to to upload it, but it comes out on June 10th and so it's right around the corner. Lesley Logan 41:32  Okay, well, I'm gonna pre I'm gonna pre order. I gotta or I'll order on June 10th. So we can make you a number one, Bestselling Author. We get whatever we get to do, so I can write my authenticated review. After buying it, all the things I can't wait. I'll take it with me on tour.Celeste Holbrook 41:49  Thank you. I'm so like, I just like, I'm cheesing so hard because I'm so excited about it. I reread it again this morning, just like as a skim to look at all the layout on the pages. And I'm just so proud of it. I'm so proud of it, like it finally is here.Lesley Logan 42:07  I have so many chills. I'm gonna cry. Okay, we're gonna take a brief break. We're gonna find out how people can find you, follow you and work with you. Celeste Holbrook 42:14  Okay. Lesley Logan 42:15  All right, Dr. Celeste Holbrook, where do you hang out? You said Instagram. Is there anywhere else? What links? What input handles? Where can they go to buy the book is it on your website, all the things.Celeste Holbrook 42:25  Yes, the book is on the website, but you can buy it the most easily on Amazon. If you do, please leave a review that would be really helpful. And you can go to my website to get into Pleasure Club. That's my monthly subscription where we have a sex ed session every month and a book club session every month we flip between fiction and nonfiction books, which is really, really fun. Lesley Logan 42:44  Oh, fun. I know Brad and I got into the, of course, like everybody in the world, we got into the the dragon situation, yeah. Okay, every. Celeste Holbrook 42:52  Fourth wing? Lesley Logan 42:53  Yeah, yes. Fourth wing, the second one, the third one. You guys, we actually reread the first and second one to listen to the third one, we're going to go back through all three. Highly recommend it with your, with your partner. I think it's a great she writes good sex stories. They don't it's not super cheesy. So I really like them. Celeste Holbrook 43:13  I love that. I think this revolution. I mean, people have been reading Roman ensembles forever, but I think it's really healing. I actually wrote about this in my newsletter this week. Reading sex scenes through a female lens is really, really healing and really helpful, because it it gives you the confidence to be like, oh, I can ask for that, or I can wait for that, or I can ask to slow down or speed up, or whatever, and I can expect somebody to listen and garner consent and all of those things. So reading sex scenes through the female lens or listening to them, I think, is very, very helpful. Celeste Holbrook 43:46  Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I got distracted from your book club. So what's your website again? What's your handle? Celeste Holbrook 43:53  So you can find me at Dr. Celeste Holbrook on Instagram, on and on YouTube, and my web, my website. drcelesteholbrook.com. I just had like a whole mind blowing, like I was thinking about sex scenes written through the female Iens and I couldn't I couldn't go back. Yeah.? So, drcelesteholdbrook is where you can find me almost anywhere. Dr Celeste Holbrook. Lesley Logan 44:14  Perfect, yeah. Sorry, I have an ADHD brain. Lesley Logan 44:16  I love it. I love it. Lesley Logan 44:18  Bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted steps people can take to be it till they see it. What do you have for us this time? Celeste Holbrook 44:23  Oh, well, something we talked about already earlier. But the way that I am best executable is actually just to go at my own pace, even though it's slow.Lesley Logan 44:32  Yeah. Oh, I love that. I really do love that. And I also, you mentioned, like, the prioritizing of self. That's one of the ways you did it. I wanted to acknowledge like when you sat in your car and you shared that something had come to an end, that is also a way of prioritizing yourself, because you're feeling your feelings, and you're also letting people know that you're feeling these feelings, like we don't have to, like pretend around people, so just thank you for being you, and always for, you are always in the word gets misused, but you are so authentic and so authentic and just, I really feel like I've it's been so fun over the past five years to watch you grow with what you're doing and how you're educating people and how you're supporting people. And so I'm just so grateful to be on your journey. I can't wait to read your book. I'm so stoked for you. This is the coolest thing. And and you guys, how are you gonna use these tips in your life? Please tag Dr. Celeste Holbrook, send this to a friend. Here is the deal, not all friendships talk about sex, so one of the things you can do is just send the podcast or the book. You don't have to have the if you're not there yet, that's okay. But I think like, the more, the more women hear about all these different things that could be glitter, the more life we're living and the more fun we're having, the more we feel seen. So just thank you so much for being you, Dr. Celeste Holbrook.Celeste Holbrook 45:53  Lesley, you are the reason this book exists. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you so much for having me in your life and on your podcast. And someday, someday we will hug each other in real life.Lesley Logan 46:03  Yeah, yeah, yeah. We will. It'll happen. I think this winter tour, I feel it in me. All right, you guys, you know what to do. Until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 46:12  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 46:54  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 46:59  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 47:03  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 47:11  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 47:14  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Send us a textOur spoiler-free Kingdom of Ash deep dive continues with chapters 6-13. Maasverse Spoiler Section at the end of the episode. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

In this episode, we sit down with Analeigh Sbrana, author of the highly anticipated romantasy sequel Lore of the Tides. Following her breakout debut Lore of the Wilds, Sbrana returns with a story full of forbidden magic, grief, identity, and longing romance that raises the stakes for both her heroine and her world. We talk with Analeigh about: Why she chose to center Lore's journey around justice instead of revenge, setting her apart in a genre that often leans into vengeance arcs. How she approached writing Lore's grief and emotional growth after the fallout of book one. The symbolism of Lore's ink-stained hands and forbidden magic, and how it ties into themes of identity and power. Crafting a romance arc filled with longing, betrayal, and trust issues—and why the emotional risks feel just as high as the magical ones. How queerness and Black identity are seamlessly woven into her worldbuilding. The larger themes of power, oppression, and resistance that resonate with our world today. Whether you're already obsessed with Analeigh's romantasy universe or discovering her books for the first time, this conversation digs deep into the heart of her storytelling and why Lore of the Tides is a must-read for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and epic romantasy sagas. Sponsor: Lola Blankets: For a limited time, our listeners are getting a huge 35% OFF their entire order at LolaBlankets.com by using code BOOKTALK at checkout. Just head to LolaBlankets.com and use code BOOKTALK for 35% OFF. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. PLEASE support our show and tell them we sent you. Hello Fresh: Go to HelloFresh.com/BOOKTALK10FM now to Get 10 Free Meals + a Free Item for Life! One per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. Share your thoughts for a chance to be featured! Submit them at ⁠⁠⁠⁠booktalkforbooktok.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a future mini-episode or exclusive Patreon discussion. Support the Show:  Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/booktalkforbooktok⁠⁠⁠⁠  Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Etsy Store⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Us on Social: Instagram: @BookTalkForBookTok TikTok: @BookTalkForBookTok YouTube: @BookTalkForBookTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textA love letter to one of our favorite series of all time, the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, and our original book boyfriend, Jericho Barrons. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textWe're kicking off our Kingdom of Ash (!!) deep dive with a (very) quick refresh of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn and KOA chapters 1-5.Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

We're counting down the days until the publication of The Hallmarked Man! Nick Jeffery and John Granger take perhaps the last look at Rowling's most recent postings before they dive into discussion about the meaning and artistry of Strike8.In today's conversation, they review Rowling's relationship with Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, a New York Times feature article ‘The Wizard's Everlasting Spell' about the growth of Potter fan fiction with a romantic twist, and Rowling's acerbic review of Nikola Sturgeon's memoir Frankly. Nick and John discuss along the way the initial response of cultural gatekeepers to the quality of the writing in Harry Potter, the history of Rowling's relationship with the writers of romantic fan fiction using her characters in light of Fifty Shades of Gray, and Hogwarts Professor's role in making ‘Rowling Studies' legitimate and the culture-wide acceptance of Rowling as a writer of merit “something we've always known” rather than a controversial assertion.And what does all that have to do with the imminent release of Hallmarked Man? Nick and John share their more-than-tentative plans for reading Strike8 and the best way — not the only way, of course, but a much better way than, say, cataloging predictions everyone will forget by mid-September — to prepare for our first reading of an epic Rowling-Galbraith title.We hope you are as excited as we are to the advent of Hallmarked Man and that you're looking forward to exploration of its breadth and depth beneath the surface plot with us in the coming month!Links To Subjects Discussed Above:The Wizard's Everlasting Spell Why Magic, Dragons and Explicit Sex Are in Bookstores Everywhere: Romantasy is propping up the fiction market. Thanks to a generation that grew up reading about a boy wizard. (The New York Times, 20 August 2025, Alexandra Alter)The new version of the [‘Dramione' Potter fan fiction] story that so captivated Ms. Stallone will soon be released as “Alchemised,” and the novel's publisher, Del Rey, is betting that the feverish devotion to its fanfiction predecessor will translate into blockbuster sales. Del Rey has ordered a first printing of 750,000 copies for the novel's release in late September; translations are lined up in 21 languages.Besides appealing to hordes of existing fans, “Alchemised” has another advantage: It taps into the raging appetite for romantasy, a subgenre that blends fantasy elements like magic, fairies and dragons with love, yearning and explicit sex.In a way, the romantasy explosion — driven by the success of blockbuster authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, whose series have sold millions upon millions of copies — stems from the legacy of popular young adult series like “Twilight” and “Harry Potter.” Those books molded generations of young readers who have grown up but still crave big fantasy novels — now with a dose of erotica.“They grew up with the characters, and the stories ended, but there's still such a huge appetite,” said Leah Hultenschmidt, publisher of the romance imprint Forever. “They're still hungry for that magical world building, an epic cast of characters and heroism, and maybe they just want it a little spicier.”Publishers are frantically searching for the next breakout romantasy series. Last year, romantasy sales topped more than 32 million copies in print alone, a 47 percent jump over the previous year, according to Circana Bookscan. Five of the 10 best-selling adult fiction titles this year are romantasies. At the same time, adult fiction sales overall have stagnated.The kind of romance that's selling like crazy now — erotically charged genre mash-ups — first took off in fanfiction before publishers recognized there was an appetite for it.“For a long time, you had to go to fanfiction to find that,” said Anne Jamison, a professor of English at the University of Utah who has studied fanfiction. “Romantasy basically is what fanfiction made.”* Alchemized Sen Lin Yu* ‘Romantasy' Novels on Amazon, Etc.The twilight of Nicola Sturgeon: J.K. Rowling reviews FranklyI know I'm stating the obvious, and I'll probably be one of countless reviewers making the same point, but it's impossible to read Nicola Sturgeon's memoir without remembering the smash hit fictional franchise, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. For those who don't know (ie, everyone who wasn't a tween or teenage girl, or living with one, 2005-2015), Twilight was massively popular for roughly a decade, each new book or film being greeted adoringly by its devoted fans. [opening paragraph)Rowling and Romantasy:* ‘The Twenty Richest Authors in the World:' Rowling #2 (!), Meyer #18, Collins #20* The Sunday Times' List of the “100 Bestselling Books of the Last Five Decades:” Rowling #23, Meyer #42, 58, 59, and 64* Twilight Book Sales * Stephen King: “Stephenie Meyer Can't Write Worth a Darn”* Speaking of Disappearances – Whatever Happened to Stephenie Meyer?* Fifty Shades of Grey Book Sales* ‘Fifty Shades Outsells Harry Potter'* ‘Rowling Refuses to Read Fifty Shades'* Rowling about Sales of Fifty Shades: “Just think how many books I could've sold if Harry had been a bit more creative with his wand.”Rowling August 2025 Tweet about Writers who are All Lake No Shed (and Vice-Versa) The Silkworm and its Women Writers:* Kathryn Kent: “I write fantasy with a twist… It's fantasy slash erotica really, but quite literary” (416) “She makes Dorcus Pengelly look like Iris Murdoch” (232)* Dorcus Pengelly: “She writes pornography dressed up as historical romance” (225)* Elizabeth Tassel: All Shed, No Lake (per Strike)You told Quine that Bombyx Mori sounded brilliant, that it would be the best thing he'd ever done, that it was going to be a massive success, but that he ought to keep the contents very, very quiet in case of legal action, and to make a bigger splash when it was unveiled.And all the time you were writing your own version. You had plenty of time to get it right, didn't you, Elizabeth? Twenty-six years of empty evenings, you could have written plenty of books by now, with your first from Oxford… but what would you write about? You haven't exactly lived a full life, have you?… (442)Did it feel good, raping and killing your way through everyone you knew, Elizabeth? One big explosion of malice and obscenity, revenging yourself on everyone, painting yourself as the unacclaimed genius, taking sideswipes at everyone with a more successful love life, a more satisfying — (440)* Michael Fancourt about women writers (298):I said that the greatest female writers, with almost no exceptions, have been childless. A fact. And I have said that women generally, by virtue of their desire to mother, are incapable of the necessarily single-minded focus anyone must bring to the creation of literature, true literature. I don't retract a word. That is a fact.* Hobart's Sin, Owen Quine's first and best novel, the “Key” to Tassel's Bombyx Mori, the “book within a book:” “The plot of Hobart's Sin turns on Hobart, who's both male and female, having to choose between parenthood and abandoning his aspirations as a writer: aborting his baby, or abandoning his brainchild” (229)* “It's all about a hermaphrodite who's pregnant and gets an abortion because a kid would interfere with his literary ambitions” (242)* Rowling about The Silkworm: It is the Story that Inspired the Series, the Lake OriginActually, the plot for Silkworm predated the plot for Cuckoo's Calling. I'd had the idea for that plot, the book within the book, for seven or eight years before I wrote it. That often happens with me, I have an idea and I keep it and sit on it. But I keep it and I play with it like a Rubik's cube and there'll come a point where everything clicks and it's ready to be written. I have a lot of notebooks filled with these kinds of things. Silkworm was like that. I sat on that plot for a long time before using it.* “It's a novel about novels with another novel inside it” (~1;15)Reading for Wisdom and JolliesAn Introduction to and Example of Reading Rowling at Four Levels: A Quadrigal Reading of The Christmas PigReading Rowling the Hard, Right Way versus Enjoying the Surface Story and Discussing Themes: An Introduction to Perennialist ReadingTraditional Symbols in Harry Potter and Cormoran Strike: A Perennialist ViewHarry Potter's Bookshelf — What to Read to Understand Rowling's Artistry and How to Read Her Work to Grasp Her Meaning and IntentionThe Deathly Hallows LecturesHarry Potter as Ring Cycle and Ring Composition* ‘How Does Ring Composition Work Anyway?'Darke Hierogliphicks: Alchemy in English Literature from Chaucer to the Restoration (Stanton Linden)How to Think About The Ink Black Heart Pre-Publication – Seven Tools for Serious Readers to Review (February 2022)And Don't Forget!* In Praise of Friendship - a Robin and Strike Heresy Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 203, Gayle Weiswasser, co-founder of Wonderland Books, an independent bookstore in Bethesda, Maryland, returns to the podcast with Sarah for a one-year check-in on the shop's journey. From holiday-season chaos to surprising customer favorites, Gayle shares what worked, what didn't, and why she still handpicks every title on the shelves — plus the biggest lessons (and mistakes) from year one. Plus, Gayle shares some great book recommendations. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Gayle shares what it was like to open the bookstore right before the holiday season. How the store's first year compared to their original projections and expectations. The now-dispelled fears Gayle had before opening. Why she's glad they curated every book in their inventory themselves, and why they still do all the book buying in-house. The course correction Wonderland had to make in their romance section. The biggest mistake they made before opening their doors. Which genres and titles have become customer favorites and which don't seem to sell well. How they plan and host book events — and why those events are such a key part of the store's community success. The books that taught them exactly how (and how not) to decide how many copies to order. The surprising punch poetry has packed with customers. Whether Gayle's own reading life has bounced back after the pre-opening stress and time crunch. Gayle's Book Recommendations [39:12] Two OLD Books She Loves One's Company by Ashley Hutson (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:25] Sam by Allegra Goodman (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:46] Other Books Mentioned The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (2020) [44:40]  The Girls from Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe (2014) [44:42]  Two NEW Books She Loves The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:01] What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[47:18] Other Books Mentioned The Wedding People by Alison Espach (2024) [46:56] Pretty Things by Janelle Brown (2020) [49:06] One Book She DIDN'T Love Back After This by Linda Holmes (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:55] Other Books Mentioned Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (2019) [51:14]  Flying Solo by Linda Holmes (2022) [53:34]  One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Wreck by Catherine Newman (October 28, 2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[53:57] Other Books Mentioned Sandwich by Catherine Newman (2024) [54:03]  Last 5-Star Book Gayle Read The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [55:34] Books from the Discussion Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025) [16:30]  Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (2025) [25:41]  The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) [26:39]  The Wedding People by Alison Espach (2024) [26:40] The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023) [26:42] James by Percival Everett (2024) [30:09] Heartwood by Amity Gaige (2025) [31:28] Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (2025) [31:38] Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (2025) [31:55]   Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025) [32:00]  Cher: Part One: The Memoir by Cher (2024) [32:25]  Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell (2025) [32:35]  Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields and Rachel Bertsche (2025) [33:07] Yoko Ono: A Biography by David Sheff (2025) [33:10]  My Friends by Fredrik Backman (2025) [38:29] 

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Tower of Dawn chapters 65-68. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

  #876: Join Michael Bosstick for an exclusive conversation with Mimi Evarts – The Skinny Confidential's powerhouse Director of Branding, the driving force behind every chapter, & most importantly, Michael's Sister-in-Law. Having been a key mentor throughout Mimi's stages of life, Michael sits down with her for a candid, real talk about navigating your 20s & lessons learned. In this episode, Michael & Mimi share hard-earned life lessons on investing early, cultivating meaningful relationships, discuss transformative books that shifted their perspective, & reveal the invaluable advice they wish they'd known sooner. Plus, get Michael's hot take on Rebecca Yarros' book, Forth Wing! Get ready for an inspiring conversation to level up your life & mindset – no matter your age.   To Watch the Show click HERE   For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM   To connect with Mimi Evarts click HERE   To connect with The Skinny Confidential click HERE   To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE   Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE   Shop The Skinny Confidential at https://bit.ly/ShopTSC15 and use code HIMANDHER15 to get 15% off sitewide for a limited time. Excludes bundles and subscriptions.   Head to our ShopMy page HERE and LTK page HERE to find all of the products mentioned in each episode.   Get your burning questions featured on the show! Leave the Him & Her Show a voicemail at +1 (512) 537-7194.   This episode is sponsored by The Skinny Confidential Your daily routine done better – with The Skinny Confidential Caffeinated Sunscreen. Subscribe today at http://bit.ly/TSCSunscreen and get it delivered right to your door – because great skin doesn't take days off!   This episode is sponsored by Just Thrive  Visit https://justthrivehealth.com/discount/TSC and use code TSC for 20% off.    This episode is sponsored by Squarespace Head to https://www.squarespace.com/SKINNY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code SKINNY This episode is sponsored by Hiya Health Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal you must go to http://hiyahealth.com/SKINNY.   This episode is sponsored by Throne Ready to level up your performance? Check out Thorne's Magnesium Bisglycinate and more at http://Thorne.com.   This episode is sponsored by DailyLook For 50% off your order, head to http://DailyLook.com and use code SKINNY.    This episode is sponsored by Policygenius Head to http://policygenius.com/SKINNY to compare quotes and get the coverage you need. Produced by Dear Media

Send us a textWe're diving into Navessa Allen's dark, second-chance mafia romance, "Caught Up."Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Empire of Storms chapter 75 and Tower of Dawn chapters 58-61. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textWe're diving into Nocticadia, a dark, atmospheric tale of deadly secrets and forbidden love by Keri Lake. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Empire of Storms chapters 68-74 and Tower of Dawn chapter 57. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

In this episode, the sisters give their first Book Club update on The Lies of Lena by Kylie Snow. We've read the first half, and we're spilling all the tea on what we liked, what we didn't, and what we're dying to find out next.Meanwhile, Sam confesses her newest obsession: sports romances (spomance, anyone?), before we take a full plunge into the world of Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean series.We're talking all things Violet and Xaden—who's suspicious, who we're side‑eyeing, and who we desperately need more backstory on. Will Sam ever read Onyx Storm? Did anyone else get a book hangover as bad as ours after finishing this series?And because we can't stay on track, we also take a nostalgic detour into early 2000s Mandy Moore and end up in an unexpected deep dive on Chesleigh's reaction to the last episode of The Last of Us.If you're ready for bookish chaos, sisterly hot takes, and a whole lot of romantasy fangirling, this episode is for you!

Send us a textWe're diving into The Sea Witch, a spicy Little Mermaid retelling by Rebecca F. Kenney. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Empire of Storms chapters 64-67 and Tower of Dawn chapters 53-56. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Empire of Storms chapters 60-63 and Tower of Dawn chapters 49-52. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are finishing up season seven with a look back and a look forward! Season Seven In Review: interesting stats, regrets, and exciting upcoming content! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  .  1:24 - Season Seven, In Review The most downloaded episodes of the season 1:58 - CR Season 7: Episode 22 - Our Top Reads of 2024 2:09 - CR Season 7: Episode 24 - Mary and Roxanna's Top Reads of 2024 3:24 - CR Season 7: Episode 4 - Reading Routines + The Journey Of Currently Reading (Our 300th Episode) 4:07 - Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones Favorite individual episodes 7:44 - CR Season 7: Episode 34 - Reading What We Want + Our Reading Life Temp Checks (Meredith) 8:34 - Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard (Blackwell's link) 11:26 - CR Season 7: Episode 29 - Series Completist + Non Tragic Bookish Tragedies (Kaytee) 11:40 - CR Season 7: Episode 39 - Brain Farts + Reading Canadian (Kaytee) 11:51 - CR Season 7: Episode 30 - New Indie Bookstores + Our Six Star Reads (Meredith) 12:41 - Boss My TBR Segments (Meredith) CR Season 7: Episode 2 - Library Love + Boss Our Summer TBR Update CR Season 7: Episode 5 - Talking to Fictional Characters + Boss My TBR CR Season 7: Episode 14 - Bookish Lego + Boss My TBR CR Season 7: Episode 26 - Bookish Geese + Boss My TBR CR Season 7: Episode 32 - Reading Retreats + Boss My TBR CR Season 7: Episode 40 - Bookish Friends Step Up + Boss My TBR Books we brought that added to the experience by talking about them 15:50 - I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (Meredith) 15:54 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Meredith) 15:59 - 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare (Meredith) 16:05 - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (Meredith and Kaytee) 16:09 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 17:51 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (Kaytee) 19:04 - The Odyssey by Homer (Kaytee) 19:24 - My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (Kaytee) 19:49 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 20:21 - The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (Meredith) 20:29 - The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Meredith) 21:14 - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann 21:30 - The Ruins by Scott Smith (Meredith) 21:32 - The Grip of It by Jack Jemc (Meredith) 21:33 - True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik (Meredith) 22:26 - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee) 22:30 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Regrets from season seven? 23:08 - I've been very distracted by work and work projects, and that has impacted my reading. (Meredith) 24:29 - That I closed a part myself off for many months of the past year. (Kaytee) Is there anything new coming to Currently Reading? 23:58 - Nothing being subtracted, but we're thinking about what we can add to the big show. 26:43 - Freshening up the big show and Patreon with a little “summer cleaning” brainstorming. 27:31 - Be sure you are following us on Instagram as Betsy continues to try new things, so you can let us know what you'd like to see more of! Be sure to email us any ideas for our Deep Dive — at currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com  Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July's IPL is brought to us by Booktenders of Barboursville, West Virginia (@booktenderswv). Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.  All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Use code NERDYNIGHTLY15 at www.mistymountaingaming.com for 15% off your order!Join us as we finally dive into the wide world of Rebecca Yarros?!?Follow Clarus - https://www.beacons.page/claruspolarisFollow Nerdy - https://www.beacons.page/nerdynightlyJoin the Discord! - https://discord.gg/sZ2xy2bseaPO Box: ​503-7700 Hurontario St unit 420 Brampton ON Canada L6Y 4M3Patreon - patreon.com/nerdynightly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Use code NERDYNIGHTLY15 at www.mistymountaingaming.com for 15% off your order!Join us as we finally dive into the wide world of Rebecca Yarros?!?Follow Clarus - https://www.beacons.page/claruspolarisFollow Nerdy - https://www.beacons.page/nerdynightlyJoin the Discord! - https://discord.gg/sZ2xy2bseaPO Box: ​503-7700 Hurontario St unit 420 Brampton ON Canada L6Y 4M3Patreon - patreon.com/nerdynightly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Empire of Storms chapters 57-59 and Tower of Dawn chapters 44-48. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Schwupps, schon ist wieder das erste halbe Jahr rum. 2025 höre ich extrem viele Hörbücher (aktuell 75 %) und bin mit 63 gelesenen Titeln zur Halbjahresmarke quantitativ weit vorne mit dabei. Deswegen lasse ich traditionell die gelesenen Bücher im „Mid-year book freak out“ Buchtag Revue passieren. Beim „Mid-year book freak out“ Buchtag geht es um 13 Fragen rund um das bisherige Lesejahr. Der Original-Buchtag stammt von Ely auf YouTube. „Mid-year book freak out“-Buchtag - die übersetzten Fragen: 1. Das beste Buch, das du 2025 bislang gelesen hast. 2. Der beste Nachfolgeband, den du bislang 2025 gelesen hast. 3. Eine Neuerscheinung, die du gerne lesen möchtest, aber noch nicht gelesen hast. 4. Die heiß ersehnteste Neuerscheinung im zweiten Halbjahr 2025. 5. Die größte Enttäuschung. 6. Die größte Überraschung. 7. Dein liebster neuer Autor (Debüt oder für dich neu). 8. Dein neuester fiktionaler Schwarm. 9. Deine neueste Lieblingsfigur. 10. Ein Buch, das dich zum Weinen gebracht hat. 11. Ein Buch, das dich glücklich gemacht hat. 12. Das schönste Buch, das dieses Jahr bei dir eingezogen ist. 13. Welche Bücher musst/möchtest du bis Ende des Jahres gelesen haben? Im Buchtag erwähne ich folgende Bücher: „Seven Years from Now“ von Ashley Poston* „Die Insel der tausend Leuchttürme“ von Walter Moers  „Great Big Beautiful Life“ von Emily Henry* „Grand Hotel Avalon“ von Maggie Stiefvater oder „Finde den Mörder | Die Blumen von Elysium“ von Antony Johnston Die „Der Sommer, als ich schön wurde“-Reihe von Jenny Han  „Rain“ von Virginia Bergin Caroline Wahl Lukas Blomqvist aus „Deep End“ von Ali Hazelwood Liv aus „Mr. Wrong Number“ von Lynn Painter*  Die „Vampire Royals“-Dilogie von Marie Niehoff  „Die unerhörte Reise der Familie Lawson“ von T.J. Klune „Vilest Things“ von Chloe Gong und „Give me Butterflies“ von Jillian Meadows  „Summer in the City“ von Alex Aster* „Vorsehung“ von Liane Moriarty* „15 Sekunden“ von Chris Warnat * „Kleine Wunder in der Mitternachtskonditorei“ von Lee Onhwa* Reihen beenden, z.B. „Leichenblässe“ von Simon Beckett und „The Storm“ von Virginia Bergin, und den Rest meiner „12 für 2025“-Liste, z.B. „Die Päpstin“ von Donna W. Cross und „Onyx Storm“ von Rebecca Yarros, und „SuB-Senioren“, z.B. „Sense of Danger“ von Jennifer Estep und „Die Gilde der Schatten“ von Nicole Gozdek. Kennt ihr eines der erwähnten Bücher und stimmt ihr mir zu? Welche Antworten hättet ihr gegeben? Wer auch Lust hat, mitzumachen, fühle sich bitte getaggt! Viel Spaß beim Zuhören, eure Ilana *Das Buch wurde mir als Rezensionsexemplar vom Verlag oder dem Autor/der Autorin zur Verfügung gestellt. Ich benutze Affiliate Links von Amazon.de, d.h. ich erhalte eine Provision, wenn ihr sie klickt und Produkte bestellt. Näheres siehe "Impressum und Rechtliches".

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Empire of Storms chapters 52-56 and Tower of Dawn chapters 41-43. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are joined by show regulars Roxanna and Mary and they are discussing: Unique or Shared!: We give you a statement that may make us either unique or shared, and discuss! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  2:52 - Unique Or Shared 3:22 - I am the worst library user ever. (Roxanna) 5:21 - Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend 12:37 - I love a buzzy book moment. (Mary) 14:23 - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 14:46 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 14:47 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 15:27 - The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett 17:49 - I LOVE finding backlist hidden gems over buzzy moments. (Meredith) 18:22 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 18:45 - Lexicon by Max Barry 20:15 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver 20:30 - The Odyssey by Homer 23:27 - I am the only one that purposefully seeks out five chili pepper books. (Kaytee) 25:22 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass 28:44 - I will never read a book without checking Goodreads first. (Roxanna) 37:24 - My book slump reset is a complete genre change. (Mary) 47:09 - I will “experience” a book I know won't be for me. (Meredith) 47:43 - Dream State by Eric Puchner 48:02 - The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller 52:15 - While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams 53:15 - Schuler Books 53:36 - I keep my TBR in rainbow order. (Kaytee)   Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July's IPL is brought to us by Booktenders in West Virginia! Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.  All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Send us a textWe continue our tandem deep dive with Empire of Storms chapters 50-51 and Tower of Dawn chapters 36-40. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: readerly badges and DNFing books Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: we check in on our reading lives and press book into the other's hands The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  2:19 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 8:02 - Our Current Reads 8:30 - A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera (Kaytee) 8:46 - A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera 8:49 - CR Season 5: Episode 1 8:53 - Cafe Con Libros 8:55 - An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera 8:57 - CR Season 6: Episode 6 12:29 - With A Vengeance by Riley Sager 14:09 - Home Before Dark by Riley Sager 14:10 - Lock Every Door by Riley Sager 14:14 - The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager 14:20 - Survive the Night by Riley Sager 14:52 - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 14:54 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 15:11 - Nine Lives by Peter Swanson 18:29 - Uncommon Measure by Natalie Hodges (Kaytee) 22:29 - The Midsummer Bride by Kati Wilde (Meredith) 25:43 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 28:02 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee) 31:19 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 32:05 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 33:42 - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Meredith) 37:17 - This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar (Meredith mistakenly titled this book. This is the correct one!) 39:21 - Reading Life Temp Check + Pressing Books Into Each Other's Hands 40:19 - Uncommon Measure by Natalie Hodges 51:38 - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby 52:01 - All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby 54:49 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 56:13 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 57:32 - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 57:54 - Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, Schuler Books in Michigan Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.  All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Attention all sports romance books fans! In this episode I'm sharing my all-time favorite sports romance books for each sport to give you the best recommendations for your to read list. Whether you love hockey romance books, baseball romance, football romance or all the sports, I've got you covered with these romance books you're going to love.BOOKS MENTIONED:Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid: https://amzn.to/4nD3GXJHim by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy: https://amzn.to/44ouMJePucked by Helena Hunting: https://amzn.to/4erXvBAFall With Me by Becca Mack: https://amzn.to/46brmfiThe Player by K Bromberg: https://amzn.to/443z1LoPlay Along by Liz Tomforde: https://amzn.to/3TG5l0yThe Trade by Meghan Quinn: https://amzn.to/3FZ4RjcAnything But Minor by Kate Stewart: https://amzn.to/44fI3DFThe Game Plan by Kristen Callihan: https://amzn.to/45I9Pv1The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton: https://amzn.to/443Fki2The Rule Book by Sarah Adams: https://amzn.to/4emLxckThe Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams: https://amzn.to/4lvdcdvThe Right Move by Liz Tomforde: https://amzn.to/46eEf8lFangirl Down by Tessa Bailey: https://amzn.to/3TGpd3FEndurance by Amy Daws: https://amzn.to/4eowMWjEverything For You by Chloe Liese: https://amzn.to/44j5xI1Kulti by Mariana Zapata: https://amzn.to/44elYWcReal by Katy Evans: https://amzn.to/44khZY2The Guy on the Left by Kate Stewart: https://amzn.to/44sqSiCVariation by Rebecca Yarros: https://amzn.to/3Gl9pAlWild Side by Elsie Silver: https://amzn.to/4nlih9LThe Failing Hours by Sara Ney: https://amzn.to/46bzhcwThe Player and the Pixie by Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway: https://amzn.to/44kicKOThis post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Ep. 199, Susie Boutry (@NovelVisits), Catherine Gilmore (@GilmoreGuide), and Sarah are all back on the mic, ready to catch up on how their reading is shaping up for 2025 — so far!  They talk about the current publishing landscape, what books are topping bestseller lists to date, and their personal reading as it stands halfway through the year. They share reading stats and talk about expectations and hopes for the remainder of the year. Plus, their TOP 5 books and their biggest disappointments so far. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. The Bookish Landscape [1:13] Books Mentioned Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (2025) [3:28]  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (2023) [4:08] Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (2023) [4:11] The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024) [4:22] Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (2025) [4:53]  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) [4:59]  The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (2024) [5:02]  Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (Dog Man, #13) by Dav Pilkey (2024) [5:07] The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (2022) [5:13] The Crash by Freida McFadden (2025) [5:17] Atomic Habits by James Clear (2018) [5:24] A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015) [5:41] Next to Heaven by James Frey (2025) [9:44]  James by Percival Everett (2024) [11:20] Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (2024) [11:22] Audition by Katie Kitamura (2025) [12:31]  The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) [13:51]  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (2015) [15:52]  The Wedding People by Alison Espach (2024) [17:03]  The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) [17:22]  Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) [17:35]  Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (2025) [18:35]  The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison (2025) [19:10] The Garden by Nick Newman (2025) [19:16]   The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025) [19:34]  Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (2025) [19:58]  Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025) [20:34] Tilt by Emma Pattee (2025) [20:38]   The Compound by Aisling Rawle (2025) [20:44]  Dream State by Eric Puchner (2025) [20:49]  Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson (2025) [21:06] Hot Wax by M. L. Rio (September 9, 2025) [21:18]  Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch (2025) [21:39]  Personal Reading for 2025 (So Far) [22:49] Books Mentioned Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (2020) [27:14]  The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023) [27:16]  Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025) [31:07] Top Five (So Far)  [31:27] Susie Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:49] Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:03] The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:07] Nesting by Roisín O'Donnell (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:11] The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [53:12] Catherine The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[33:45] This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:06] Heartwood by Amity Gaige (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [51:28] Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[53:59] Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding by Lian Dolan (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [56:03] Sarah Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:00] The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:31] The Slip by Lucas Schaefer (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:03] The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:26] The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[54:55] Other Books Mentioned The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb (2025) [40:25] Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (2025) [40:40] Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel (2024) [47:47] The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (2020) [48:22] I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin (2023) [52:54] Biggest Disappointments (So Far)  [57:46] Susie The Strange Case by Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:09] The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[58:13] Fulfillment by Lee Cole (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:18] Catherine The Favorites by Layne Fargo (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:51] Dream State by Eric Puchner (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:56] The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:08] Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:45] Sarah Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:00:16] What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:00:28] Audition by Katy Kitamura (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:00:51] Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (July 8, 2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[1:01:43]

Send us a textOur Throne of Glass deep dive continues with Empire of Storms chapters 42-49. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Use code NERDYNIGHTLY15 at www.mistymountaingaming.com for 15% off your order!Join us as we finally dive into the wide world of Rebecca Yarros?!?Follow Clarus - https://www.beacons.page/claruspolarisFollow Nerdy - https://www.beacons.page/nerdynightlyJoin the Discord! - https://discord.gg/sZ2xy2bseaPO Box: ​503-7700 Hurontario St unit 420 Brampton ON Canada L6W 4M3Patreon - patreon.com/nerdynightlyBusiness Contact - nerdynightly@gmail.com"Nerdy Nightly Theme" by Alex Levitt - @alevitt1990Check out his Soundcloud -https://soundcloud.com/alex-levitt-1990 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textOur Throne of Glass deep dive continues with Empire of Storms chapters 34-41. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textWe continue our tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn with EOS chapters 31-33 and TOD chapters 31-35. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Ricki and Josh take you on a journey of their thoughts for the soon-to-be-adapted, smash hit novel Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. Join in on the conversation with Josh and Ricki on the Talking BAK discord subchannel and follow Ricki on Tome

Send us a textLace up your sh*t-kickers, open a Tootsie Pop, and text the group chat (sorry, Lassiter), because our Black Dagger Brotherhood episode is available wherever you get podcasts and YouTube, true?Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Howdy and so long! We hate to say it, but season 3 is about to be in the rearview mirror. Wow. 3 Seasons. It's incredibly humbling to have been able to make it this far, so let me start off by speaking for both Idiots when I say thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting us then, now, and in the future.  As has become a tradition, we like to end or begin seasons with more lighthearted things, and we brought back Dr. Dean Scott for this season closer, and he bookends the season nicely. We talk all sorts of fictional creatures, some from books suggested to us by the Brain Witch Idiot, and some from Dean's books. These include dragons and griffins from the Empyrian Series (for the love of god, Rebecca Yarros, please don't sue me) and the Harry Potter series (for the love of god, JK Rowling, please learn about love) and critters from Scott's book series "The Dragon Vet" and "The Half-Life of Grief". Everything Scott writes is amazing, please, check him out, but check out our second conversation with him. Then, inbetween waiting for next season to drop and re-listening to our entire back log and listening to Cory Johnson and the Broken Nightscape's musical breadth, you can read his many books. You can find the Common Idiot's music on any streaming service. You can also hear a song written and performed in about an hour (without the studio, so the quality isn't great, but it's an homage to you!) at the end of this episode, which may or may not eventually be on all streaming services, with the rest of my music. Also, still planning on a full album out soon. Still so excited. While I'm stealing the spotlight and being selfish for a second, I do want to take a moment to be vulnerable. I have a bit of a...stomach issue. The doctors are still working on figuring out what it is exactly. Don't worry, this isn't a "I have 3 months to live" message, but it's still important to be open. The best guess is GERD, but it presents in a lot of different ways. There are some other health complications that might be along side and either exacerbating the problem, or being a menace of its own. Unsure, and unclear. The worst part, from a performer's standpoint, is I sometimes have difficulty swallowing, and I'm quite literally unable to do anything until it passes. So, if you've heard times where it sounds like I'm letting out a big sigh of disinterest, it is because I'm finally drawing my first breath in 30 seconds, or have moments where I pause for a long time between words, same thing. Adding to this is I have a tic in my face that sort of comes and goes, and I think sometimes these two problems love to tag team me into submission. It honestly has affected my confidence, but that's a whole different thing. The problem manifests itself, too, with a lot of burping, or even just throat sound from my esophogus doing...idk, bullshit things. I normally edit it all out, but it's often extremely time consuming. I did not do that in this one, and it can be heard. I apologize if it sickens you. I'm not a fan of the sound, hopefully everything else distracts nicely. There have been a few other episodes where it was there and I either missed them in editing, or ran out of time and had to leave them. I shied away, I'm not anymore. Also, I'm seeking treatment, trying to fix it, and hopefully it will never be a problem in the future.  A note about Kent. I want to take a second to just thank my best friend on this whole fucking planet for being with me in this. He could have picked a lot more qualified people to run this with, he chose me. He does tend to make poor life choices. Anyway, I love you, brother. Stepping off the soapbox, send questions and hate mail for Deano at @toonfull Insta Dean Scott Facebook funnyvet.com toonfull@gmail.com Find all his books on Amazon, Kindle, or reach out to him direct. He'll even do doodles and autographs.  Find the Idiots on Facebook using their names Insta @KentMorton @CoryJohnsonatbn @vm4ibi TikTok @dogtorkentandthemutant @CoryJohnsonatbn

Send us a textWe continue our tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn with EOS chapters 29-30 and TOD chapters 25-30. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Send us a textK.F. Breene month continues with Warrior Chronicles. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

This episode, Hannah and Amber dive deep into Heir of Fire, chapters 52-54. *This podcast contains spoilers for the entire TOG series, more specific time stamps provided for other SJM series provided below. Episode Outline: What's Bookin' Good Lookin: 5:00Chapter Recaps:  10:05Glass Reflections:  31:33Wyrd Gate Theories: 37:50Book Recs:Variation by Rebecca Yarros, Ice Planet Barbarian Series by Ruby DixonAs always, thank you for being a part of our book club! Please be sure to rate and review the pod!Patreon: patreon.com/HouseofWindBookClubAudible Trial: www.audibletrial.com/houseofwindEmail us your theories or questions: houseofwindpodcast@gmail.comTheme Music: Age of Mythology by Feysilian Studios*The story and all characters portrayed in voiceover intro as well as discussed in the podcast belong to Sarah J Maas*

Send us a textWe continue our tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn with EOS chapters 24-28 and TOD chapters 22-24. Full schedule on IG @DTFaePodcast. Summon us @DTFaePodcast We like our coffee icy and our books spicy! Oh, and we're totally Down To Fae. A podcast for fantasy romance readers and fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent. Follow along as your delulu hosts discuss your favorite romantasy books in a chapter-by-chapter read, re-read or refresher.

Two sisters, Nicole and Lexi, say farewell to Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm with a live Q&A! If you love this kind of content, you can access Q&As like this EVERY MONTH on the Fantasy FanClub! Join Fantasy FanClub to enjoy all our bonus content: https://fantasyfangirls.com/fanclub SPOILERS FOR ALL OF ONYX STORM Head to https://www.squarespace.com/FFG to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FFG. For a limited time get 40% off your first box PLUS get a free item in every box for life. Go to https://Hungryroot.com/FFG and use code FFG. Function currently has a waitlist, but they are offering our audience the chance to skip it! Head to https://functionhealth.com/FFG or enter code FFG when signing up to skip the waitlist! Head to https://NakedWines.com/FANTASYFANGIRL, click ‘Enter Voucher' and put in my code FANTASYFANGIRL for both the code AND password for 6 bottles of wine for JUST $39.99 with shipping included. Check out https://DrinkAG1.com/ffg to get started with AG1's Next Gen and notice the benefits for yourself. Get the next book series we're covering on the show (starting May 2025) https://amzn.to/3OisV0W SHOP FANTASY FANGIRLS MERCH: https://fantasyfangirls.myshopify.com/ JOIN THE FFG NEWSLETTER - https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/newsletter    SUPPORT THE SHOW THROUGH OUR AMAZON SHOP: https://www.amazon.com/shop/fantasyfangirlspodcast   Onyx Storm Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4c6aicyWRDijobMKwxvGq4?si=21f821f9394d4390 Give us a follow: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: @fantasyfangirls   Want to get in touch? Reach out to us here: https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/contact Listen to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast on your favorite podcast platform: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/24KydMMzrYfVpDggkFZx4j?si=fd7dc956393041b8    Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-fangirls/id1706179464    Visit the Fantasy Fangirls website: https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/   Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow Empyrean readers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two sisters, Nicole and Lexi, dive deeeeeep into chapters 62-66 of Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm! SPOILERS FOR ALL OF ONYX STORM Get renovating with Wayfair. Head to https://Wayfair.com right now. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R dot com. Go to https://Quince.com/ffg for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order. Right now LMNT is offering a free sample pack with any purchase. Get yours at https://DrinkLMNT.com/FFG. Take proactive care of your health and head to https://OPositiv.com/FFG or enter FFG at checkout for 25% off your first purchase. Get started today at https://chime.com/FANTASYFANGIRL. Map of Navarre - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/350999364728024183/feedback/?invite_code=9bd717b48f12434eb2045f2780196c19&sender_id=431079132990802530 Join Fantasy FanClub to enjoy all our bonus content: https://fantasyfangirls.com/fanclub Get the next book series we're covering on the show (starting May 2025) https://amzn.to/3OisV0W SHOP FANTASY FANGIRLS MERCH: https://fantasyfangirls.myshopify.com/ JOIN THE FFG NEWSLETTER - https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/newsletter    SUPPORT THE SHOW THROUGH OUR AMAZON SHOP: https://www.amazon.com/shop/fantasyfangirlspodcast   Onyx Storm Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4c6aicyWRDijobMKwxvGq4?si=21f821f9394d4390 Give us a follow: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: @fantasyfangirls   Want to get in touch? Reach out to us here: https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/contact Listen to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast on your favorite podcast platform: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/24KydMMzrYfVpDggkFZx4j?si=fd7dc956393041b8    Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-fangirls/id1706179464    Visit the Fantasy Fangirls website: https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/   Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow Empyrean readers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two sisters, Nicole and Lexi, dive deeeeeep into chapters 56-61 of Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm! SPOILERS FOR ALL OF ONYX STORM Get 25% off your first month at https://ritual.com/FFG Start Ritual or add Stress Relief to your subscription today. Try Function and skip the waitlist using my link https://www.functionhealth.com/FFG. #AD This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/ffg and get on your way to being your best self. AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You'll get a Welcome Kit, a bottle of D3K2 AND 5 free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out https://DrinkAG1.com/ffg to get this offer! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/FFG to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FFG. Join Fantasy FanClub to enjoy all our bonus content: https://fantasyfangirls.com/fanclub Get the next book series we're covering on the show (starting May 2025) https://amzn.to/3OisV0W SHOP FANTASY FANGIRLS MERCH: https://fantasyfangirls.myshopify.com/ JOIN THE FFG NEWSLETTER - https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/newsletter    SUPPORT THE SHOW THROUGH OUR AMAZON SHOP: https://www.amazon.com/shop/fantasyfangirlspodcast   Onyx Storm Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4c6aicyWRDijobMKwxvGq4?si=21f821f9394d4390 Give us a follow: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: @fantasyfangirls   Want to get in touch? Reach out to us here: https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/contact Listen to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast on your favorite podcast platform: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/24KydMMzrYfVpDggkFZx4j?si=fd7dc956393041b8    Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-fangirls/id1706179464    Visit the Fantasy Fangirls website: https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/   Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow Empyrean readers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two sisters, Nicole and Lexi, dive deeeeeep into chapters 50-55 of Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm! SPOILERS FOR ALL OF ONYX STORM Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/FF to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Right now LMNT is offering a free sample pack with any purchase. To get yours, go to https://DrinkLMNT.com/FFG. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal you must go to https://hiyahealth.com/FFG. Shop the best selection of home improvement online. Get renovating with Wayfair. Head to https://Wayfair.com right now. Go to https://TryMiracle.com/FF to try Miracle Made sheets today! And, whether you're buying them for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, if you order today you can save over 40%. AND use our promo FF at checkout you'll get a FREE 3-PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE an extra 20%! Join Fantasy FanClub to enjoy all our bonus content: https://fantasyfangirls.com/fanclub Get the next book series we're covering on the show (starting May 2025) https://amzn.to/3OisV0W SHOP FANTASY FANGIRLS MERCH: https://fantasyfangirls.myshopify.com/ JOIN THE FFG NEWSLETTER - https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/newsletter    SUPPORT THE SHOW THROUGH OUR AMAZON SHOP: https://www.amazon.com/shop/fantasyfangirlspodcast   Onyx Storm Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4c6aicyWRDijobMKwxvGq4?si=21f821f9394d4390 Give us a follow: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fantasyfangirlspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: @fantasyfangirls   Email us your favorite Empyrean theories: fantasyfangirlspod@gmail.com Listen to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast on your favorite podcast platform: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/24KydMMzrYfVpDggkFZx4j?si=fd7dc956393041b8    Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-fangirls/id1706179464    Visit the Fantasy Fangirls website: https://www.fantasyfangirls.com/   Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow Empyrean readers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey Making Space fans! As a bonus, we're giving you a special preview of the first episode of an all-new season of Jenna Bush Hager's podcast, ‘Open Book with Jenna'.In this season's debut episode, Jenna sits down with bestselling author Rebecca Yarros. Together they talk about how Rebecca drew on her experience with chronic illness and life in a military family to write “Fourth Wing,” and her process to plot out five books in the series.To listen to the full conversation, just search ‘Open Book with Jenna' wherever you're listening to follow now, or click here: https://www.today.com/open-book-with-jenna