Podcast appearances and mentions of Sarah Addison Allen

May/June 2025 | Hosts Holly Browning and Dylan Posa talk about our author visit (Victoria Ellen), and recommend: 'Zatanna: Bring Down The House' by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez 'Lost Lake' by Sarah Addison Allen 'A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country' by Robert Hilburn and 'Grunge Is Dead' by Greg Prato

A First Coast Romance Sheila Athens writes smart contemporary fiction set where the South meets the Sunshine state. Her stories are about women seeking to find the peace we all deserve. Readers are drawn to her work because they believe that everyday heroes can make a difference in our world. Featured Book: Mae Van Dorn's Perfect Storm All thirty-four-year-old Mae Van Dorn wants is to live alone. But she soon finds herself living with her estranged brother in a town she's never been to and working for the founder of the local megachurch, though she's as misanthropic as they come. An added benefit of the job: Ezra Watts, the handsome construction company owner who's remodeling the deck at the pastor's waterfront mansion. Between her brother's mysterious past, the pastor's potentially illicit dealings and Ezra's on-again-off-again flirtations, Mae's life spins out of control…and that's all BEFORE Hurricane Carly makes landfall in Jacksonville Beach. Check out Sheila's work from the Library: https://jaxpl.na4.iiivega.com/search?pageSize=20&pageNum=0&sorting=relevance&sortOrder=asc&searchType=everything&query=sheila%20athens&universalLimiterIds=&materialTypeIds=&collectionIds=&intendedAudienceIds=&literaryFormIds=&agentIds=&conceptIds=&language=  After growing up in the Ozarks, Sheila Athens moved to Florida—sight unseen—with the man who would become her husband. Thirty-five years later, she's still on the shores of the Atlantic, grateful that her two grown sons and their families live nearby. After many years as a vice president of human resources, she now spends her time ensconced in her quiet little lair, where she reads, writes and communes with the ducks who live on the lake right off her back porch. She loves quiet spaces, eccentric people and the little band of writer hikers who walk at sunrise on a regular basis. To sign up for her newsletter or to schedule a book club visit (either in-person or virtual), go to SheilaAthens.com. Interviewer Jessica Hatch has a passion for writing genre-blind, character-first fiction. Her work has appeared in such publications as Writer's Digest, The Millions, Fast Company, Neutral Spaces, and Surely Magazine, among others, and her freshman and sophomore novels were published by Hachette UK's Bookouture imprint. Before becoming an author, Jessica worked and interned in New York trade publishing institutions Writers House and St. Martin's Press. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Find her at jessicahatch.com. More Recommended Reading SHEILA RECOMMENDS Looking for other authors of Southern fiction? Sheila recommends Karen White, Sarah Addison Allen, Mary Kay Andrews, and Kristy Woodson Harvey. --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates  Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net 

Jen and New York Times best-selling author, Phaedra Patrick, discuss “The Little Italian Hotel” and how finding a way through heartache can look wildly different from one person to the next.  Phaedra was a self-taught writer who almost gave up on her dream before she had a breakthrough with her runaway hit, “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.” In her darkest moments she always reminds herself, “When I don't feel confident, I just tell myself that I can always feel determined instead.” With that boldness in mind, she writes novels to make people feel good about themselves and want to connect with others.  Particularly compelling moments between Jen and Phaedra include: Phaedra's incredible story of teaching herself to write and dealing with rejection in the beginning of her career The author's insights on the challenges women face on putting themselves first Phaedra's reasoning on the open ending of the book Why connecting with others in warm and gentle spaces can lead to healing * * * Thought-Provoking Quotes: “When I don't feel confident, I just tell myself that I can always feel determined instead.” - Phaedra Patrick Resources and Books Mentioned in This Episode: The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick - https://bit.ly/4fJ92fJ The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick - https://bit.ly/4drmseX Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick - https://bit.ly/3X3ugOr The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick - https://bit.ly/3WIQWSw Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - https://bit.ly/3YKUsyA The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley - https://bit.ly/4fC6XT7 The Love of My After Life by Kirsty Greenwood - https://bit.ly/46SffSQ Phaedra's Writing Tips - https://www.phaedra-patrick.com/writing-tips Guest's Links: Phaedra's Website - https://www.phaedra-patrick.com/ Phaedra's Instagram - http://instagram.com/phaedrapatrick Phaedra's Twitter - http://twitter.com/phaedrapatrick Phaedra's Facebook - http://facebook.com/phaedrapatrick Connect with Jen! Jen's website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker Jen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker Jen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is a production of Four Eyes Media, presented by Audacy.  Four Eyes Media: https://www.iiiimedia.com/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Všechno, co jsem v únoru přečetla a všechno, co mě zaujalo z právě vydaných novinek. Pokud mi chcete sdělit vaše tipy na čtení nebo cokoliv jiného, najdete mě na instagramu jako @les.slov

February 2024 Book Discussion!We loved loved this magical book filled with great characters and a found family trope! We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we enjoyed discussing this wonderful book.--March 2024 Buddy Book of the Month (Cattie's Pick):Starter Villain by John ScalziContact us:bookscatssnacks@gmail.comIG: @bookscatspodcastwww.bookscatssnacks.com

This week we're diving into spooky season with a fellow fall fanatic, Ashley Winstead! We talk about her newest book Midnight Is the Darkest Hour, our enthusiasm for fall, 12-foot skeletons, and we all share some Halloween-season book recs!   Psychological Thriller Book Recs Olivia - None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell Ashley - If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio, Bad Habits by Amy Gentry    Books Too scary to read with the lights out Ashley - Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine Olivia - Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam      Cozy but Still Autumnal Books Ashley - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare, Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper, Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen,  Becca - A Million Junes by Emily Henry, The Cloisters by Katy Hays   Wildcard Fall Reads Olivia - Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Ashley - Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, Savage Appetites: True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession by Rachel Monroe Becca - Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, Playing the Witch Card by Kj Dell'antonia, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness    Obsessions Becca - Blake Rose's Album You'll Get it When You're Older  Olivia - New York Times White Chicken Chili   What we read this week! Becca - The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella   This Month's Book Club Pick -  The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com)   Sponsors Cozy Earth - Take 35% off at cozyearth.com with code BOP StitchFix - Get 25% off when you keep everything in your Fix at StitchFix.com/BOP Betterhelp - Visit BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER today to get 10% off your first month.   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter! Preorder Becca's Book!  Like and subscribe to RomComPods and Bone Marry Bury! Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.  

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: reading on certain dates and galley homework Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: we are bookish travel agents, choosing books to match your travels The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down!  We are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). The goal here is to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your laundry detergent, if you recently got obsessed with switching up your laundry game) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!*   . . . . 1:15 - Bookish Moment of the Week 1:24 - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles 2:05 - Fable App 4:31 - Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou (pre-order. Release date September 12, 2023) 6:16  - Current Reads 6:23 - Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield (Mary) 10:24 - CR Season 5: Episode 33 10:44 - The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett (Kaytee) 11:19 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 12:54 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcet  13:52 - Royal Blood by Aimee Carter (Mary) 15:04 - Storygraph 15:44 - American Royals by Katharine McGee 15:47 - The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 15:56 - Spare by Prince Harry 16:19 - Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson 16:20 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 17:02 - A Beginner's Guide to America by Roya Hakakian (Kaytee) 20:00 - What Looks Like Bravery by Laurel Braitman (Mary) 21:55 - Go As A River by Shelley Read (Kaytee) 25:39 - Deep Dive: Books To Take You Around the World 25:51 - CR Season 4: Episode 44 26:14 - CR Season 4: Episode 5 27:15 - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 27:58 - Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center 28:00 - Wild by Cheryl Strayed 28:43 - Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke 29:46 - Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer 30:56 - How The Word is Passed by Clint Smith 31:57 - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles 32:50 - Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid 34:57 - Happy Place by Emily Henry 35:43 - The Cider House Rules by John Irving 35:46 - A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving 36:10 - The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser 36:29 - City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 37:20 - Gods of Jade and Shadow by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia 37:35 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman 37:48 - Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys 38:17 - Violeta by Isabel Allende 38:26 - Storygraph 39:07 - City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab 39:32 - Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke 39:44 - Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch 39:45 - Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch 40:08 - The Dry by Jane Harper 40:31 - The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 40:57 - Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane 41:00 - Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen 42:00 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 42:01 - The Martian by Andy Weir 42:05 - An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield 42:03 - ANY J. Ryan Stradal book  42:37 - Meet Us At The Fountain 44:12 - I wish all libraries did adult summer reading programs. (Mary) 45:06 - I wish parents would buy their kids Kindle Fires and turn them into reading only machines. (Kaytee) 45:14 - Kindle Fire (but wait until Prime Day to get a discount!) 45:45 - Hoopla 45:56 - Libby 45:57 - Libro.fm 45:58 - Instructions to download Libro.FM (Libby should have no issues) Connect With Us: *Please note the change in Meredith's Instagram handle. This was recorded prior to the change. We apologize for any inconvenience.* Meredith is @meredithmondayschwartz on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading

THROWBACK! Originally released October 31, 2022. We'll be back with new episodes in February 2023! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Today, we're talking haunted house mishaps and embarrassing spooky season stories in general. This episode features one of the funniest miscommunications we've had on the pod in a while, and that's saying something. Then, appropriately, we're talking about some spooky reads including a couple of witch stories (with varying degrees of horror/coziness), and a true-crime-podcast-esque mystery. And don't forget to grab your copy of All This Could Be Different for Libby's November book club! Stay tuned for dates.

Mentioned: - Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen - https://onestopforwriters.com - TBRCon at the FanFiAddict YouTube Channel - The Last of Us - HBO - Missing movie   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen about Other Birds, a whimsical and poetic new novel about 18-year-old Zoey Hennessey, the South Carolina island apartment she inherits, and the quirky and enigmatic neighbors she meets. Sarah talks about the bestselling debut that launched her career and the earth-shattering events that interrupted it, from a sudden cancer diagnosis to the deaths of her mother and sister just a few days apart. She describes how grief and trauma impacted her life and her books and then touches on her daily routines, the books she is reading, her love of food, and her strategies for coping with anxiety.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: bit.ly/3hOpy56Bookshop: bit.ly/3Ge5gufKeep your plants alive with the Planta App! Use this link to get 20% OFF Planta Premium: https://links.getplanta.com/cQUz Subscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're finishing 2022 on a strong note by talking about our favorite books of 2022! We cover our favorite reads spanning 6 different categories, and play voicemails from YOU about your favorite books! Favorite Book Club Pick Olivia: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Becca: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, You Made a Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi Listeners: Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson   Favorite Romance Olivia: Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Becca: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Listeners: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, Thank you for Listening by Julia Whelan, A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera, After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina M. Lopez   Favorite Mystery, Thriller, or Suspense  Olivia: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka Becca: Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins   Favorite Literary Fiction Olivia: Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Becca: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close Listeners: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki   Favorite Wildcard  Olivia: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt  Becca: The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E Smith, The ARC by Tory Henwood Hoen Listeners: Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen, I'm Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, The Wreckage of my Presence by Casey Wilson, The Selection by Kiera Cass   Favorite Book of the Year  Olivia: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman Becca: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub Listeners: Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Babel by R.F. Kuang, Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen   More Listener Reccomendations!!! Human Kind: a Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman, A Promised Land by Barack Obama, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel, Heartless by Elise Silver, Fool Hearts by Emmy Sanders, Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score, Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score, Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C Ford.    Obsessions: Becca: Basking in glow of christmas tree lights Olivia: For the Love of Pickles Facebook Group   What we read this week! Olivia: Scandalized by Ivy Owens, These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark Becca: The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk   Sponsors: Uncommon Goods - To get 15% off your next gift, go to uncommongoods.com/BOP Better Help - Learn more and save 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/badonpaper Zocdoc - Go to Zocdoc.com/BOP and download the ZocDoc app for free to start your search for a top-rated doctor today.   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.  

If you love character driven stories, then this is one for you. Sarah Addison Allen's Other Birds follows the residents (both human and ghost) of an apartment complex following the death of one of the residents. I discuss how there's not a lot of plot, ask if you believe in ghosts, and spend a good deal of time talking about my family's ghost encounters.

On today's Cozy Reads 2022 Recommendations episode, Ashley and Jen share some recent books they've loved that fall into the cozy reads camp. We share about Alexis Hall's Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake and Sarah Addison Allen's Other Birds. (Ashley would like to note that her pick has some cozy components but is an open door romance!)   As we mention in the episode, Libro.fm is doing Credit Bundles for the holidays, and we're happy to support them as an affiliate!   Looking for more cozy reads? Be sure to check out our previous recommendations from episode 151. Visit the Unabridged website for our full show notes and links to the books mentioned in the episode. Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.   Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram, Facebook,and Twitter. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Today, we're talking haunted house mishaps and embarrassing spooky season stories in general. This episode features one of the funniest miscommunications we've had on the pod in a while, and that's saying something. Then, appropriately, we're talking about some spooky reads including a couple of witch stories (with varying degrees of horror/coziness), and a true-crime-podcast-esque mystery. And don't forget to grab your copy of All This Could Be Different for Libby's November book club! Stay tuned for dates.

What is the number one export of Other Birds' fictional Mallow Island? Marshmallows. And today, we're talking with a very sweet guest, Sarah Addison Allen, author of Other Birds. She shares why moms make the best neighbors, why misfits make the most welcoming communities, and why even ghosts still need to learn a thing or two. Other Birds is an enchanting novel that follows the quirky, soulful stories of the unlikely neighbors in a magical apartment complex. This book walks the line between the real and the imaginary, exploring the stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways.Get Other Birds at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

In this week's podcast, Phil hesitantly talks about his latest read, THE CASE AGAINST THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION by Louise Perry. Sara discusses Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen which was our book club pick for September. New Releases this week: Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America by Cody Keenan Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese Billie Starr's Book of Sorries by Deborah Kennedy Phil also mentioned this article from The Guardian about Celeste Ng. Snag her newest book, Our Missing Hearts, out this Tuesday! Also, stay tuned for new books by Cormac McCarthy and John Irving this fall! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sara-putman/support

On this episode, we talk to TWO amazing authors! Meet the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels (Garden Spells, First Frost), Sarah Addison Allen, a self-described master of "southern fried magical realism." She joins us to discuss her long-awaited seventh novel, OTHER BIRDS, which St.Martin's Press just released on August 30th, and which debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list. The crew discuss character develpment, the craft of magical realism, the role that food and the theme of motherhood play in her books, and they go deep as they talk to Sarah about the tragic loss of her mother and how it effected her writing. On the second half of the show, the crew welcomes the USA TODAY bestselling author of six novels (The Hideaway, Hurricane Season), Lauren K. Denton who joins us to discuss her forthcoming sixth novel, A PLACE TO LAND (Harper Muse, October 4th). We hear all about the southern setting in her new novel, her strong female characters, sacrifice and sisterhood.

“I think they grew out of the setting of this weird island, this odd place, this place of southern stories and ghosts and food and how they are misfits, but they find their tribe, they find where they belong with other people who think they don't belong either. And I think that is a universal truth for us all.” Sarah Addison Allen's charming new novel, Other Birds, is our September B&N Book Club pick and she joins us on the show to talk about ghosts, unconditional love, mothers and mothering, place as a character, the problem with notebooks, her writing process, and more with guest host Allyson Gavaletz. And we end the episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.   Featured Books (episode) Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen Bittersweet by Susan Cain The Passion by Jeanette Winterson Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman   Featured Books (TBR Topoff) Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen   This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Allyson Gavaletz and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).   A complete transcript of this episode is available here. 

Episode 24 Title: “The Time is Now” Listen in for a recap of summer at the library and an interview with board members of the Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation to hear all about their summer FUN raiser “Battle of the Burbs”!  The library fundraising thermometer is moving up!!  The Time is Now to learn about how you can support a new library in tiny town. Visit www.mvlcf.org to learn about the new library project and how to make a donation. Amy's Book Recommendations: "Nightcrawling" by Leila Mottley "The It Girl" by Ruth Ware "Inland" by Tea Obrent Coming Soon: "Carrie Soto is Back" Taylor Jenkins Reid "Other Birds" by Sarah Addison Allen "Daisy Darker" by Alice Feeny "Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng JoAnn: "Black Cake" by Charmaine Wilkerson Bonnie: "The 1619 Project" by Nikole Hannah-Jones For more information about the Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation and the new library project visit www.mvlcf.org.

Today in botanical history, we celebrate a German-American botanist who reached out to Queen Charlotte, an American poet who found inspiration in nature and the father of ecology. We'll hear an excerpt from The Sugar Queen - a great fiction book. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that's part of a wonderfully informative series from the RHS. And then we'll wrap things up with a little story about the glory of Kansas gardens in November.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Curated News The Almanac A Seasonal Guide to 2021by Lia Leendertz  Mercy Park garden adds 3 new sculptures | The Joplin Globe | Emily Younker   Important Events November 3, 1766 On this day, a young botanist named  William Young returned to America after receiving the title of the Queen's botanist. William Young was born in Germany, and he immigrated to the United States when he was just a little boy at the age of two. His family settled in Philadelphia and eventually became neighbors to one of America's first botanists, John Bartram. Growing up, William spent a great deal of his childhood exploring Bartram's gardens. Bertram even encouraged him to pursue botany, and he took him along on some collecting trips. By all accounts, William was a smart and self-directed young man. When he was in his early twenties, he decided that he wanted to get the attention of the brand new Queen of England, Queen Charlotte. Charlotte was the bride of George III, and William put together a little parcel for her - a little gift of seeds - along with a letter (no doubt congratulating her on her wedding and introducing himself as an American botanist.) Charmed by William's thoughtful gift, Charlotte decided to summon William to England. She wanted him to come to England to study botany for a year and then return to America to collect plants on behalf of the royal family. And so that's exactly what William Young ended up doing. When he left America, he had no formal training in botany. He was, however, full of potential and eager to learn. This opportunity in England was an extraordinary chance for William to learn the science of botany from the worldwide center for botanical research: England. At the same time, this series of events caused a bit of jealousy and a shock in the American botanical community. John Bartram himself was an old man by the time this happened for William, and he made comments along the lines of, "Hey, I've been in America, collecting and cultivating for decades, and I've never received an offer like this." And so many of the American botanists really couldn't believe William's good fortune. His trip was essentially like winning a botanist lottery with the promise not only of training but steady work and support from a generous, well-funded patron. Despite Charlotte's hopes for William, his peers were dubious of William's ability to measure up to the task. While William was passionate about botany, he hadn't demonstrated any particular acumen or success that should have garnered the kind of opportunity that had come his way. The bottom line was, they didn't think William had it in him. Yet, William's critics were not entirely fair. After all, William had been bold enough to send that package of seeds to the new Queen. And he was smart enough to leverage his German heritage when he wrote to her. Charlotte had German heritage as well, and when she first came to England, she surrounded herself with other Germans who spoke her language and shared her history, customs, and culture. Summoning William to England was just another example of Queen Charlotte making herself feel more at home away from home. When William arrived in England, he was in his early twenties. He had a huge learning curve to conquer when it came to his new station in life. He had no idea what it was like to be in front of royalty or how to behave in Royal circles. Of course, William didn't have a ton of life experience as a young person in his twenties. So, he performed exactly as one might imagine he would: dazzled by the luxury and lifestyle, he quickly began racking up bills. With each passing month, he found himself deeper in debt until he ended up arrested and in jail for the large debts that he owed. Incredibly, it was the Queen who bailed him out - but not before sending him home to Philadelphia with the hopes that he could still perform as a plant collector in America. And so it was on this day. November 3 in 1766, that William returned to America with his new title as botanist to the King and Queen. Instead of being humbled by his financial misdeeds, William returned proud and haughty. He strutted about under the auspices of his Royal appointment, but his behavior didn't endear him to his American peers. They heard the rumors about how William had acted when he was in England and they were turned off by his peacocking and attire. In a letter to the botanist Peter Collinson, John Bartram wrote, “I am surprised that Young is come back so soon. He cuts the greatest figure in town and struts along the streets whistling, with his sword and gold lace.” And then Bartram confided that William had visited his garden three times, feigning respect and bragging about his yearly pay from the Royal family, which amounted to 300 pounds sterling. Now William was no fool, and it's clear that he craved acceptance from his peers. At the same time, he was probably aware of how some of his peers truly felt about him. But he did not dwell on this conundrum and focused on his work. He still had collecting to do for the King and Queen, and he needed to mend fences on that front if he ever hoped to make it as a botanist. And so, he set off for the Carolinas, where he spent an entire year collecting plants. Then, he carefully and quite expertly packaged up all of the plants that he had found and traveled back to London - personally bringing all of these plants to the King and Queen and hoping to get back in their good graces. Although William arrived in England only to be refused to be seen by the King and Queen, he still managed to make his trip a resounding success. By shepherding rare, live plants in wonderful condition from the Carolinas to England, he impressed English collectors. And there was one plant in particular that really helped to repair and save William's reputation, and that was the Venus Fly Trap. William brought many live specimens of the Venus flytrap to England, and as one might imagine, the plant caused a sensation. Without the flytrap, there was probably little that William could say to restore his reputation. So in this sense, his plants, especially the Venus flytrap, did the mending and the PR work for him. What William did was essentially no different than an apologetic spouse who brings their partner flowers after a fight. That's exactly what William did on this trip when he returned and presented the Venus flytrap to England. One other fact about this trip is that William proved himself to be an expert plant packer. Clearly, one of the biggest challenges for early botanists was keeping specimens alive - that was really hard to do. Dead specimens didn't garner anywhere near the attention or pay of living plants. William's skill in this area underscores just how intelligent and thoughtful William could be. A 1771 letter to Humphrey Marshall detailed William's packing technic: William Young sends his plants very safely by wrapping them in moss and packing them pretty close [together] in a box. He ties the moss in a ball around the roots with a piece of packthread...It's very surprising how well they keep in this manner.  William's method differs little from the way plants are packaged and sent by mail today. William ends up devoting his life to botany. He returned to American and collected plants in the Carolinas, returning to England when he had a full shipment. William mastered his collecting strategy over his lifetime - returning again and again to the Carolinas, scouring the wilderness for rare plants like the Venus flytrap that had brought him so much success. Along the way, William continued to struggle financially as he paid his debts. But by the end of his life, William was able to get his affairs in order, and he actually died a fairly wealthy man. Tragically, he died young at the age of 43. In December of 1784, William decided to set out once again for the Carolinas. Unbeknownst to him, he was going on what would become his final collecting trip. He never did reach the Carolinas. He only made it as far as Maryland, where he collected along a waterway known as Gunpowder Falls, where he fell into the river and died after being swept away by the current. His body was found about seven weeks later.   November 3, 1794 Birth of William Cullen Bryant, American poet.   William drew inspiration from the natural world. He once wrote a lovely verse about roses: Loveliest of lovely things are they, On earth, that soonest pass away. The rose that lives its little hour Is prized beyond the sculptured flower. William also wrote about the month of November in a little poem called A Winter Piece.  ...When shriek'd The bleak November winds, and smote the woods, And the brown fields were herbless, and the shades, That met above the merry rivulet, Were spoil'd, I sought, I loved them still,—they seem'd Like old companions in adversity.   November 3, 1841 Birth of Eugenius Warming, Danish botanist. Eugenius was one of the founders of modern plant ecology. He's credited with writing the first ecology textbook with his book, Oecology of Plants: An Introduction to the Study of Plant Communities (1895).   Unearthed Words She went to the window. A fine sheen of sugary frost covered everything in sight, and white smoke rose from chimneys in the valley below the resort town. The window opened to a rush of sharp early November air that would have the town in a flurry of activity, anticipating the tourists the colder weather always brought to the high mountains of North Carolina. She stuck her head out and took a deep breath. If she could eat the cold air, she would. She thought cold snaps were like cookies, like gingersnaps. In her mind, they were made with white chocolate chunks and had a cool, brittle vanilla frosting. They melted like snow in her mouth, turning creamy and warm. ― Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen   Grow That Garden Library Genealogy for Gardeners by Simon Maughan  and Dr Ross Bayton This book came out in 2017, and the subtitle is Plant Families Explored & Explained. Anything that has genealogy and gardening in the title is a book that I'm interested in. Before I get into this particular review, I should mention that this book is part of one of my favorite garden series by the RHS. So in this series is the book Latin for gardeners as well as botany for gardeners. And now this book Genealogy for Gardeners is designed to help you explore and understand plant families - and plant family trees, which to me is even more exciting. Now you may be wondering why. Well, I think the authors do a great job of explaining that in the preface to their book. They write, While most of us think of plants, that's belonging to one big happy family. The fact is they don't. There are hundreds of different plant families, which botanists have cleverly grouped together using what they know of family histories and genealogy and now, of course, DNA to bring some sense and order to more than a quarter of a million different plant species.  But why should this matter to you as a gardener, aside from just wanting to become more knowledgeable about plant families? Well, here's the explanation from the authors: Plant families are all around us. Whatever the time of year, go for a walk and look for wild or garden plants. You'll be surprised at how many plant families are represented within a small radius of your home. Even in your own garden, there will be a fantastic genealogy of plants.  Thanks largely to the efforts of plant collectors and horticulturists who brought the plants into cultivation from the four corners of the world.  When it comes to being a good gardener making connections is what it's all about. And if you are faced with a strongly acidic soil, and know that rhododendrons will grow, then you can broaden your planting ideas to include other plants in the same family, such as Heather. Mountain Laurel, leather leaf, blueberries, and others. If you are designing with plants, you may know that all plants and a particular family, and share certain features, which enables you to mix displays effectively and extend your range.  Now that is a very compelling reason to get to know your plant families. One of the things that I love about this particular series of books is that the illustrations are incredible. The editors have pulled images of botanical art that truly are the best example of some of these plants. The beauty of these books, including the cover, just is not rivaled. In fact, the minute I spot these books, they just have a look and a feel to them - I know immediately that it's part of this series from the RHS. These books are in my office on a special little bookshelf of books that I reference all the time, and this little series from the RHS is such a gem. This particular book about plant family, garden, genealogy - Basically the genealogy of plants-  is one that I go back to again and again, and again. So this is a fantastic book. As I mentioned, the illustrations are great. It is very clearly laid out. They've really done the heavy lifting when it comes to simplifying this material, making it very understandable and accessible. And yet, they do not dumb it down. That's not what this book is about. If you want a book on this topic that is exceptionally clear And is a delight to read, then this is the book that you've been waiting for. So, whether you're a landscape designer, a horticulture student, or just an amateur gardener, Genealogy for Gardeners will help you better understand and utilize plant families in your garden. This book is 224 pages of plant families and plant family trees - and it's part of one of the top garden book series on the market today. You can get a copy of Genealogy for Gardeners by Simon Maughan and Ross Bayton and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $20.   Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart November 3, 1903 On this day, The Cherokee Sentinel (Cherokee, Kansas) published this heartwarming blurb about the gardens in the Heartland of America. Here's what they wrote: It's November, and gardens and flowers are as green and beautiful as in summer. Verily, Kansas is an American Italy and the garden spot of the world.  Well, I don't know how true that was, and I question whether that was written for the benefit of enticing immigrants to come to Kansas. Nevertheless, I found it very sweet, and I thought it was a great way to end the show today.   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Listen in while Niba talks about books that fit the Cottagecore aesthetic. Then stick around for Emma's recommendations on Japanese literature that might have to be added to your reading list.    Cottagecore books mentioned:  Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore  Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen   I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith  Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao    Japanese Literature Books Mentioned:  The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino At the End of the Matinee by Keiichiro Hirano Yokohama Station SF by Yuba Isukari The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri Also mentioned: Osusume Books Follow and support our hosts:   Niba: Instagram // TikTok // YouTube // Twitter // Website   Emma: Instagram Beyond the Box: Our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday This episode was edited by Sarah Hernandez and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Check out our reviews of "Garden Spells" by Sarah Addison Allen, and "The Vine Witch" by Luanne G. Smith. Ready for some magically fun drama? Let's dive in! [Minor spoilers included!]     Sound credits: FoolBoyMedia & Reginaurbina      

Stop, drop and SLOW THE F*CK DOWN.    In this episode, Jill and Nick dive into all the different ways they're unrushing their summer. Living in a new hometown surrounded by so much “new”, as well as empty space can make slowing down a little tricky. If you're in need of a friendly reminder on why it's essential for us to stop and smell the roses more, then this episode is for you.    We are pumped to hang with ya'll today!    

Do we know what "magical realism" is? Are the books we picked for this episode really "magical realism"? Can Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia survive all the existential crises created by four rounds of "Would you rather..."? Find out in this episode. Books mentioned: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, Sharks in the Time of Saviours by Kawai Strong Washburn, The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley, and Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keepitfictional/message

Today we celebrate the man who proved plants have a circadian rhythm. We'll also learn about the nurseryman who helped establish Rochester, New York, as a “City in a Forest.” We’ll remember the pioneer seedsman who started the largest mail-order seed company in the world. We celebrate Thanksgiving with some verses about this time of year. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a beautiful book of fruit prints. And then we’ll wrap things up with the story of a woman who discovered the importance of biological diversity to water health.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show and more... Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org.   Curated News Are your plants wilting and dry despite regular watering? Keep tabs on these side effects of improper watering practices | Chicago Tribune | Tim Johnson   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events  November 26, 1678   Today is the birthday of the French geophysicist, astronomer, and most notably, chronobiologist Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan. Mairan's job as a chronobiologist is a job one rarely hears about these days. In 1729, Mairan put together an experiment showing the existence of a circadian rhythm in plants. Mairan took a Mimosa pudica ("poo-DEE-cah")plant - the heliotrope commonly called the sensitive plant - and put it in constant darkness in a cupboard. All the while, he recorded the plant's behavior. And what do you know? The plant had a natural rhythm of opening and closing its leaves - even if it couldn't absorb sunlight. Now, Mairan didn't think that the plant had an internal clock, but he DID believe that it could attune itself to the sun - even if the plant was blocked from it. No matter the accuracy of Mairan's conclusions, his work was on to something, and it established the foundation for chronobiology or the internal circadian clock.   November 26, 1906  Today is the anniversary of the death of the German-American horticulturist and nurseryman George Ellwanger ("El-WANG-ur"). In the mid-1800s, George Ellwanger and his Irish business partner and experienced nurseryman, Patrick Barry, claimed their Rochester, New York nursery was the largest in the world. Built on 650 acres along Mount Hope Avenue, George started his business on land that boasted an old pear orchard. A renaissance man, George also started writing books on a variety of topics - from gardening and gastronomy to poetry. A perpetual seeker, George returned to Europe to hunt for fine trees to propagate in America. The fruit of George’s vision is evident throughout Rochester but perhaps no more so than in the grand European beeches that dot the city streets and parks. The beeches include several unique species like fern-leaved, copper, purple, and weeping beeches. Today, Rochester has 168 different trees within the city limits, and Charles Sprague Sargent dubbed Rochester the “City in a Forest.” George and Patrick were also known for their fruit trees. In 1900, Mount Hope Nursery exhibited 118 varieties of pears at the Paris Exhibition, which won them a gold medal diploma. In 1888, George and Patrick donated 20 acres of their Mount Hope Nursery along with hundreds of plants to the City of Rochester, which resulted in the creation of beautiful Highland Park. In a Noah’s-Ark-like gesture, George and Patrick donated two of every tree specimen in their nursery toward the effort to create Highland Park. Twelve years after George died on this day, The Mount Hope Nursery closed for good. Today, Highland Park is home to an annual Lilac Festival. Each year visitors stroll the grounds to smell the lilacs, visit Warner Castle and experience the Sunken Garden. Here are some words George wrote about beech trees from his lovely book called The Garden’s Story: “If we take yellow alone for the color-standard, the beech is without an equal. A beech, indeed, is always beautiful. Its colors still remain attractive in late November, varying from rich Roman ochre to deep-brown bronze and from pale rose-buff to lustrous, satiny gray. Its harmony is of marked loveliness in winter, a faded elegance clinging to it like a chastened autumnal memory.” And here’s a thought from George regarding mushrooms from his book called The Pleasures of the Table: "Mushrooms are like men - the bad most closely counterfeit the good."   November 26, 1915 Today is the anniversary of the death of the pioneer seedsman and founder of the Burpee seed company, W. Atlee Burpee - the “W” stood for Washington. Atlee died at 57; just two days after Thanksgiving in 1915. As a young boy, Atlee immigrated from England with his parents. The Burpees settled in Philadelphia, and when Burpee started his business, it was at 219 Church Street in the city of Brotherly Love. Although his father was disappointed that Atlee didn’t follow in his footsteps to become a doctor, Atlee’s mother was sympathetic to her son’s interests. The family loved to tell how Atlee started in business selling poultry with $1,000 seed money from his mother. Atlee handled every aspect of his seed business - from writing descriptions and creating the seed packaging to create a unique catalog every year. Before Atlee, sweet peas were imported from England. By WWI, Atlee sold more sweet peas than anyone else in the world, and he even outsold British seed companies in England. Overtime, Burpee became known for Atlee’s famous motto: Burpee Seeds Grow. As a result of his dedication to quality and innovation, Burpee became the world’s largest mail-order seed company. The spring of 2020 brought a new milestone to Burpee. As people worldwide experienced lockdowns due to COVID-19, Burpee sold more seed than any time in its 144-year history. And here’s a little-remembered fact about the founder of Burpee seeds: he was cousins on his mother’s side with the legendary American botanist, horticulturist, and pioneer Luther Burbank.   Unearthed Words It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon. — Sarah Addison Allen, American author   Chestnuts are delicacies for princes and a lusty and masculine food for rustics and make women well-complexioned. — John Evelyn, English writer, gardener, and diarist   T  Thanks for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather. H  for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday. A  for autumn's frosty art and abundance in the heart. N  for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember. K  for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith, and kin expected soon. S  for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds.    That spells THANKS for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.                   —  Aileen Fisher, American writer, children’s book author, and poet, All in a Word   Grow That Garden Library Wall Art Made Easy by Barbara Ann Kirby This book came out in 2019, and the subtitle is Ready to Frame Vintage Redoute Fruit Prints: 30 Beautiful Illustrations to Transform Your Home. In this book, Barbara shares thirty beautiful fruit illustrations by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840), the renowned painter and botanist from the Southern Netherlands. The images feature grapefruit, plums, cherries, figs, raspberries, quince, pomegranate, and other fruits from France that were painted between 1801-1819. Each 7” x 10” image is ideal for framing and can be easily removed from the book by cutting along the lines. This book is 66 pages of vintage fruit illustrations by Redouté. You can get a copy of Wall Art Made Easy by Barbara Ann Kirby and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $15.   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart November 26, 1907   Today is the birthday of the botanist Ruth Myrtle Patrick. Ruth developed new methods for measuring the health of freshwater ecosystems. Today, the Patrick Principle measures the biological diversity of a stream; the greater the diversity, the greater the health of the water. Ruth learned much from her botanist father, Frank. Looking back on her childhood, Ruth said, “I collected everything: worms, mushrooms, plants, rocks. I remember the feeling I got when my father would roll back the top of his big desk in the library and roll out the microscope... it was miraculous, looking through a window at the whole other world."   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

A Frogmorton Farm short story from the bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's. Perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen, Kristen Ashley and Genevieve Cogman. It's Christmas time again and all is not well at Frogmorton Farm. Jenny and Russell's daughter, Joy, is growing up. Not quickly enough as far as she's concerned but far too quickly according to Russell. Father and daughter are at odds and suddenly the outlook is very dark indeed. That is until Thomas comes to the rescue.

This episode takes a look at ‘First Frost’ by Sarah Addison Allen.Music by Jahzzar – ‘The Last Ones’ and/or ‘Bloom’(Under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)Photograph by Michael Penny.New podcast episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Videos on the Witchfix youtube channel, crafts, unboxings, magical herbs and more.Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/NO4CUXFXJMUW?ref_=wl_shareVote for your favourite book to be reviewed, and add new ones on the podcast’s goodreads List - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/138527.Witchfix_Podcast_Review_ListBuy Waywood by Sarah Goodwin on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Waywood-Sarah-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B00X2HFG9S Buy Dead to Rites by Sarah Goodwin on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Rites-Harper-Gable-Book-ebook/dp/B07HF6KFXC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dead+to+rites&qid=1563460902&s=gateway&sr=8-1Follow on Twitter @WitchfixEmail witchfixpodcast@gmail.com

This episode takes a look at ‘The Sugar Queen’ by Sarah Addison Allen.Music by Jahzzar – ‘The Last Ones’ and/or ‘Bloom’(Under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)Photograph by Michael Penny.New podcast episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Videos on the Witchfix youtube channel, crafts, unboxings, magical herbs and more.Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/NO4CUXFXJMUW?ref_=wl_shareVote for your favourite book to be reviewed, and add new ones on the podcast’s goodreads List - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/138527.Witchfix_Podcast_Review_ListBuy Waywood by Sarah Goodwin on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Waywood-Sarah-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B00X2HFG9S Buy Dead to Rites by Sarah Goodwin on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Rites-Harper-Gable-Book-ebook/dp/B07HF6KFXC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dead+to+rites&qid=1563460902&s=gateway&sr=8-1Follow on Twitter @WitchfixEmail witchfixpodcast@gmail.com

BOOK TALK @ 4:44   Notes from Our Chats :)  - both by Octavia Butler--WITH IMPORTANT NOTE FROM LISTENER MAUREEN: "In the current climate, I think it's worth noting that Octavia Butler is probably NOT one of the few women of color writing science fiction, but rather one of the few women of color BEING PUBLISHED in science fiction. Systemic racism shows up everywhere! The most recent This American Life podcast covered Afrofuturism (and was a rebroadcast), and so I would imagine that lots of POC are writing science fiction, but the publishing world may not be publishing them. And, of course, it's hard for anyone to get published." Book and pattern recommendations below. Tuesday June 9th Book Chat notes Mary Snellings: Overwhelmed by Kathy Lipp  Kathy Lipp has a podcast - Clutter Free Academy podcast Ann Blanton: Vivian Shaw - Greta Helsing series, plus the OLD classic Varney the Vampire by Thomas Preskett Prest  Lina: The Group - Mary McCarthy Side convo - Toshi : our ten year old taught us this new word: Pareidolia - a type of apophenia, which is a more generalized term for seeing patterns in random data. Some common examples are seeing a likeness of Jesus in the clouds or an image of a man on the surface of the moon Mary Snellings : our brains are wired to see faces...in everything Ann B—All points south - Ravelry pattern Casapinka -  Mary is making  Mary:  Laura Ricketts :  Roadtrip dreams:  Amy Hewgill :   here’s a Maori arts school… it’s mainly based in carving, which is a huge tradition -  Series to binge-watch - Numb3rs Watch/listen to James and the Giant Peach read by amazing actors:  We will get past this podcast with Sandi Toksvig Mary Snellings : Patrick Stewart reads Shakespeare sonnets on FB. Laura Ricketts : Fake Doctors, Real Friends- :  Podcast - This Day in Esoteric Political History -  Thursday June 11th Book Chat Notes Aimee: The Imagineering Story on Disney+  Heather: Jim Brown Owns Lester Maddox on the Dick Cavett Show:  Jennifer: Boris Karloff reads “Just So Stories” on Youtube!  Fun to look at:  The Vanishing - Janye Ann Krentz  more books by Krentz -  Daphne du Maurier books:     - Heather/Jennifer:  - Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey (book 5 in the Inspector Grant series) (A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast #156 - covers Daughter of Time - TY Kathy!) Shelly is on Colorado in her “all around the country” reading - Kent Haruf - Plainsong  (good listen) and then onto Connecticut - Bedelia (1945) Vera Kaspery  Heather. Ordover : How the scots invented the modern world - by Arthur Herman  Joe: Is it a Utilikilt or a Kilt  Heather. Ordover : EVERY woman in a cold climate needs this set of stockings:  Joyce - Garden Spells: A Novel (Waverly Family Book 1) Book 1 of 2: Waverly Sisters | by Sarah Addison Allen  Regina’s Crafts and Masks will be open soon on Etsy Listen to Orson Wells - Rebecca -   Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison (alt world detective agency) Space Force  Aimee: The Holiday (Jack Black, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, etc etc etc)  Aimee Woolwine : Listen to - Hildegard Von Blingin’   Jamel aka Jamal   The Original Hildegard  Hildegard of Bingen Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas -  “[A] delicious literary Gothic debut.” –THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (EDITOR’S CHOICE) “Moody and evocative as a fever dream, Catherine House is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step.” – THE WASHINGTON POST A Most Anticipated Novel by Entertainment Weekly • Cosmopolitan • The Atlantic • Forbes • Good Housekeeping • Better Homes and Gardens • HuffPost • Buzzfeed • Newsweek • Harper’s Bazaar • Ms. Magazine • Woman’s Day • PopSugar • and more! A gothic-infused debut of literary suspense, set within a secluded, elite university and following a dangerously curious, rebellious undergraduate who uncovers a shocking secret about an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige. Trust us, you belong here.” Aimee: Horrorstor: A Novel Kindle Edition by Grady Hendrix (Author) - HILARIOUS -  To Knit Candy is making - Hope & Dreams by Agnes Kutas- MDSW fiberoptics in colorway - Atlantic -  Joe: Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho  -  “Magic and mayhem clash with the British elite in this whimsical and sparkling debut.  The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers maintains the magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman as their Sorcerer Royal and allowing England’s stores of magic to bleed dry. At least they haven’t stooped so low as to allow women to practice what is obviously a man’s profession…  At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers, ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up, an adventure that brings him in contact with Prunella Gentlewoman, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, and sets him on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large…”  - low-rent Strange & Norell   - Robert Asprin “Myth” Series Robert Asprin Neuromancer (Sprawl Trilogy Book 1) by William Gibson -   “Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer is a science fiction masterpiece—a classic that ranks as one of the twentieth century’s most potent visions of the future. Case was the sharpest data-thief in the matrix—until he crossed the wrong people and they crippled his nervous system, banishing him from cyberspace. Now a mysterious new employer has recruited him for a last-chance run at an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence. With a dead man riding shotgun and Molly, a mirror-eyed street-samurai, to watch his back, Case is ready for the adventure that upped the ante on an entire genre of fiction. Neuromancer was the first fully-realized glimpse of humankind’s digital future—a shocking vision that has challenged our assumptions about technology and ourselves, reinvented the way we speak and think, and forever altered the landscape of our imaginations.” Heather. Ordover : The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland -  

69. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen Related links for 69. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen : Reply to this episode on ykyz: https://ykyz.com/p/5de7945769d6b1d4c61a94a833406ce9e992f845 PracticalMagic microcast: https://ykyz.com/c/microcast?&username=practicalmagic

This episode takes a look at ‘Garden Spells’ a novel by Sarah Addison Allen Music by Jahzzar - The Last Ones Photograph by Michael Penny. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Videos on Saturday. Listen on the Castbox app or on Youtube. Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/NO4CUXFXJMUW?ref_=wl_share Vote for your favourite book to be reviewed, and add new ones on the podcast’s goodreads List - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/138527.Witchfix_Podcast_Review_List Patreon - patreon.com/Witchfixpodcast Buy Waywood by Sarah Goodwin on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Waywood-Sarah-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B00X2HFG9S Buy Dead to Rites by Sarah Goodwin on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Rites-Harper-Gable-Book-ebook/dp/B07HF6KFXC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dead+to+rites&qid=1563460902&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Follow on Twitter @Witchfix Email witchfixpodcast@gmail.com

Meredith and Kaytee are back in your earbuds and speakers. And we’re feeling a little feisty this week (we know.. that’s your favorite)! You’ll hear a “bookish moment of the week” from each of us: an explanation for the extreme busy-ness around here, and a Patron-related milestone! Next, we discuss our current reads for the week. Two titles from each host, middle grade, YA, contemporary romance, and classic #bookstagrammademedoit. We’ve got an update for you on our Slow But Steady reads and what’s been happening for our own SBS reads in the past week, as well as a few emails from listeners to share. For our deep dive this week, we are discussing our favorite self-help and productivity books. Two Penelopes talking about productivity? Don’t worry, the show notes have ALL the titles! Finally, this week, we are Bellying Up to the Book Bar. Jasmine Lake wants sweet and fun books, she doesn’t mind heavier topics, but as an HSP, they need to be dealt with gently. And we’ve got a bunch of goodies to share with her! As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you’d like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don’t scroll down!  . . . . . 0:45 - Currently Reading throw in the Zazzle Store 4:31 - Currently Reading Patreon (so many fun ways to connect with us over there!) 6:21 - Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes 9:05 - House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig 11:45 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 13:31 - Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner 15:16 - East of Eden by Richard Poe 17:41 - Patrons get access to monthly Kaytee Reads Too Much episodes! 19:11 - Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi 19:19 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 23:26 - Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry 24:44 - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell 24:57 - On Writing by Stephen King 25:54 - Swan’s Way by Marcel Proust 26:49 - Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Michael Zuckoff 27:15 - Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 27:21 - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 27:30 - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 27:32 - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander 29:23 - The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown 29:37 - Daring Greatly by Brene Brown 29:52 - Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown 30:17 - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin 30:22 - Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin 31:01 - The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg 31:24 - Atomic Habits by James Clear 32:02 - Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern 32:28 - 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam 32:54 - Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam 33:08 - The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner 33:12 - Episode 7 of Currently Reading with Jessica Turner 33:36 - Stretched Too Thin by Jessica Turner 34:13 - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson 34:44 - You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero 35:08 - The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal 35:26 - Essentialism by Greg McKeown 35:31 - Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guilleabeau 36:00 - Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski 36:34 - The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz 36:52 - Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle 37:34 - Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner 37:36 - Notes From a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider 38:01 - 10% Happier by Dan Harris 38:48 - Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist 40:44 - Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum 40:55 - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen 41:06 - Blended by Sharon M Draper 41:09 - Heart Land by Kimberly Stuart 41:11 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 42:11 - Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch 42:23 - To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han 42:29 - When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandyha Menon 42:45 - What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum 42:56 - The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg 43:01 - Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg 43:23 - The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber 44:04 - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey 44:09 - Stardust by Neil Gaiman 44:51 - Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi 45:01 - Winterhouse and Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson 45:17 - The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson 45:19 - The Beasts of Clawstone Castle by Eva Ibbotson 45:52 - Harry Potter by JK Rowling 46:09 - The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry 46:38 - The Bookshop Girl by Sylvia Bishop 47:11 - Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose 48:06 - Patrons get access to monthly bonus Belly Up to the Book Bar episodes! *Please note that all book titles linked above are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!*  

The definition of perfectionism, how it shows up in a writer's life, and what to do about it.   Show Notes:   Hello Indie Authors! I'm Valerie Ihsan, and This is Season Two, Episode 20 of the podcast and it's 8/14/2019 as I record this. Perfectionism But first the personal update segment: Course work for Sweet Spot Strategy; contact me via email valerie@ValerieIhsanAuthor.com to meet with me (virtually or locally) for a four question interview. Tell me what your challenges are and how you think a coach or mentor could help you.   I'M READING: In fiction, Just finished Sparks by Maren Anderson and loved it. Now reading First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen, also loving it; Non-fiction: Almost done with Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit   I'd like to remind everybody that this podcast is sponsored by my supporters at Patreon. And being a patron of the arts is a totally cool thing to do. Joining my Patreon community also gets you sneak peeks into my creative world. For $1/month, or more, less than a pack of gum, you too can become a patron of the arts, and me! Find me at: Patreon.com/valerieihsan.    Resources: kriswrites.com Main topic: Perfectionism     Perfectionism   I want to talk about perfectionism. What it is, how it shows up, and what to do about it.   WHAT It has to be perfect before I can release it out into the world. Why? People will think I'm dumb if it's bad. People will think I'm a loser if it's bad. I'll be embarrassed/horrified/ashamed/mortified. People won't take me seriously is if not professional. I'll let myself down if it's not the best I can do. [Xxx] won't be proud of me if it's not any good.   HOW (Stuck in cement.) Rewriting it for ten years and never publishing it or moving on to another project. (Never start.) Find excuses why you can't work on your book. (Kids, partner, no support, no resources, mental illness, chronic health problems, job, too much to do...) I didn't want to be bad at something.  Writing was what I was good at. I didn't want to find out differently. Logically, I knew that books needed to be edited and reworked after writing them, but somehow I didn't *actually* believe that. Somewhere deep inside I thought that if I was good enough (insert negative belief structure to read: good enough person), it would be practically perfect and people would exclaim, "What?! That's your rough draft?! No way!!" Not only did I not want to be bad at something, or more accurately, *look* bad, I didn't want to know that I was sub-par. Not good enough. As a human. WHAT TO DO Know that your first book will not be your best work ever. It might be the best you can do *right now*, but you will grow as a writer. Your skills will improve. Here's how I battled perfectionism one time: I was just about to publish my first novel. It was out at the ARC readers (which is past the point where you want changes to your manuscript--unless it's dire) and one reader (another author) got back to me about what she perceived as a lack of motivation for some of the characters. As if, I--the author--just wanted the characters to do something and so they did it. I was so done with working on this book. It had taken me a couple of years to finish and I was proud of it. When she gave me the feedback, I said, "Thank you. I can maybe see how you'd think that, but here's the thing. It's my first book. I know it's not going to be the best thing I ever write. It's good enough for a first book. I'll make more. But it's time to let this one go. I'm not going to get to be any better of a writer by re-working the one over and over for another six months to a year. But I will improve by writing another whole one." And on another note: RESOURCE:  The Pursuit of Perfection: And How It Harms Writers   by Kristine Kathryn Rusch    I've heard people say that if you aren't doing it, you don't want it bad enough. I'd always get so mad hearing that. I did, too, want it! I just had all this other stuff in the way--what I thought were legit reasons. But, really, what they were was not excuses, it was perfectionism. Perfectionism is self-doubt. AND, I've discovered, a crazy mutant version of the inner-editor. So one thing that helped with that was Nanowrimo. I learned two things the first year I did it (and finished): 1) I worked faster than the inner-editor could keep up. When I'd hear him running up behind me, I stuff earplugs in and say, "It's not about quality, it's about quantity. I just need the words right now." And, 2) I *did* have time to write. With a family, raising two elementary school-aged children, and homeschooling my 2nd grader. None of my excuses worked. I wrote a whole novel in one month. (Maybe you'll learn something different from Nanowrimo.) As far as the self-doubt goes, I just try to remember that everyone (even Lee Child and Steven King and Sandra Brown and Clive Cussler and Rachael Herron and Joanna Penn--read: all authors) has self-doubt. It's part of the writing process. It's part of being an author. When I remember that, I can default into self-care. I have several in my toolbox: Affirmations Meditation Journaling Artist Dates Reading Writing Connecting with other authors Surrounding myself with people who think I'm awesome Read books and listen to podcasts to get inspired, change my mindset, and learn new things. (If I doubt my ability to do something, I'll study it until I'm confident I can do it.) Do something that inspires me   Last thoughts about perfectionism--the kind that keeps you from writing or putting your work out into the world: Go to Goodreads or Amazon and read the reviews of famous authors. Lots of people hated The Great Gatsby; Eat, Pray, Love; The Lovely Bones; and The Davinci Code. If your reviews are coming in and some of them are 1 stars, you're a real writer, and in the company of some of the greats.  The biggest epiphany I ever had as a writer was: My husband is not my target audience. I was never going to write a book that he loved, and that was okay, because he didn't read the kind of books I wrote. I was a much happier writer after that.   How does perfectionism show up in your writing life? How can you deal with it and push through to success?

Ideas for managing overwhelm and burnout.   Show Notes: Hello Indie Authors! This is Episode 17, Season Two, and it's 7/17//2019 as I record this. In Season Two, I'll be talking about Mindset and Work/Life Balance, and all the things that might fall under that category. If you have a particular topic you want to discuss or a question you want the answer to, please contact email me at valerie@ValerieIhsanAuthor.com.   But first Author Life segment: I've been thinking a lot about ways that I can help the writing community and that means YOU. I do have a coaching program that I'm designing with the help of business coach Racheal Cook, MBA--she does the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast. Highly recommend it! And also with the help of some author friends and some prior students. There are a lot of writing coaches out there and I want to make sure I can stand out in the crowd, and offer the help that writers need. Mostly, right now, that means I'm looking at what my strengths are and how I can translate that into a viable service that writers will pay for. Because, maybe like you, I want to make a living with my writing and with my author brain. Minnesota was a great experience. I reconnected with my sister, whom I hadn't seen in twelve years, back when we were more judgmental people. ;-) I'M READING: In fiction, The Reckoning by Louise Penny. And before that, Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen. Non-fiction: Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit: Learn it and use it for life. (Recommended by Racheal Cook.) I'd like to remind everybody that this podcast is sponsored by my supporters at Patreon. And being a patron of the arts is a totally cool thing to do. Joining my Patreon community also gets you sneak peeks into my creative world. For less than a $1/month, less than a pack of gum, you too can become a patron of the arts, and me! Find me at: Patreon.com/valerieihsan.    Resources: Promote Yourself to CEO podcast by Racheal Cook, MBA   Main topic: Taking a day off vs. Goofing off (Managing Overwhelm and Pre-Burnout)   Taking time off to recharge is a necessity. Everyone seems to agree with that, but lots of entrepreneurs, stay at home parents, and grad students seem to agree with it in principle, rather than reality.   I'm good at taking time off when I need it. Saying Yes to myself, watching British gardening shows and Queer Eye on Netflix, or diving into a novel with a dog on my lap. Even napping or sitting in the hot tub when the day has just gone wonky. BUT, I'm afraid I'll Yes myself into laziness.   Where's the line between taking the day off and goofing off?  I know. And I bet you do, too. The trick, I think, is to plan ahead--like budgeting--for the inevitable need to take time off--trying not to have it happen during a deadline or when my reputation, client satisfaction, or money are on the line. I could plan one afternoon a week off to recharge. I could say Yes to myself until I detox and naturally want to create and accomplish. (For burnout or extreme overwhelm.) I could scale back and lighten my load so that overwhelm doesn't happen as frequently. (Requires some checking in and time budgeting.) I could start saying No to things I want to do. I've mastered the saying No to things I DONT want to do. Create systems so that projects take less time to do. (I'm still working on that. Read Running Down a Dream by Tim Grahl for help with that.)   In conclusion, when overwhelm or burnout occur, try on a little compassion. Things don't always go according to plan. Course correction, making a new plan, or sitting out the next dance are all successful tactics of successful authors.   What do you do when you hit overwhelm?

Valerie offers multiple strategies for launching your book and talks about ad stacking.   Show Notes: Hello Indie Authors! This is Episode 16, and it's 6/19//2019 as I record this. Today we're doing Book Launch, Part Two. But first Author Life segment: Life has been getting in the way and I haven't been working this week on my manuscript. Trying not to beat myself up about it. I told my husband I needed a week off to get ready for the vacation...and remembered I often needed a week off AFTER a vacation to get caught back up. So, note to self--vacations take a huge chunk out of writing and revising time. And brain space. I'll be heading to Minnesota and Wisconsin this weekend, seeing both family and friends. Most of the friends I've seen within the year, but my family--some of them--I haven't seen in ten years or even, in the case of my youngest niece, haven't met at all. So I'm hoping to reconnect with that part of my family. This episode will conclude Season One of The Indie Author Mentor. The podcast will resume mid-July (the 17th) for Season Two. I'll be planning out the next season during this short hiatus, so if you have any requests for topics or any questions, please contact me at valerie@valerieihsanauthor.com. Had my monthly review with an author friend of mine. I like these because they always get me back on track and inspired.  I'M READING: In fiction, White is for Witching. Don't know if I like it yet. Non-fiction: YNAB. Nearing the end of them, so I'm thinking about my next reads, and because I'm going on vacation, I'll be bringing favorite authors and lighter reading. That means probably Sarah Addison Allen and Louise Penny, and the like. No NEW PATRONS this week, but I hope you'll consider becoming a patron and helping me reach my FIRST Patreon goal. To earn $125 in monthly income from Patreon. When that happens...extra bonus Q&A episode for Patrons only.  Think of it as an inexpensive mini coaching session with me! Patreon.com/valerieihsan.  Resources: selfpublishingformula.com, booksandtravel podcast, tex thompson's newsletter is either hilarious or inspiring, most times both. Go to thetexfiles.com to read about her and sign up for her newsletter. The blog is funny, too.   Main topic: Book launch, Part Two  

In this episode of The Indie Author Mentor, I go over the uploading process with Ingram Spark and KDP Print, as well as touching on the online stores, like Kobo and KDP (Amazon). I address pricing in various countries (even India).   Show Notes: Hello Indie Authors! This is Episode 14, and it's 6/5//2019 as I record this. Today I'm talking about uploading your files to printers and stores, plus pricing tips. But first a personal update: Revised the chapter on characters this morning in my How to Write a Novel or Memoir book. Met with my architectural team via GoToMeeting this morning and had some technical difficulties. Got me thinking about working from another country and what kind of challenges I might face. Just found out our couch won't be delivered for another two weeks. So, in the meantime, the living room TV watching experience isn't as comfy as it used to be. I'M READING: Just finished Craig Martelle's non-fiction book on Successful Indie Publishing, a great section in the back on running conferences. He does 20Booksto50K. Here's the link for that book: https://craigmartelle.com/books/become-a-successful-indie-author-work-toward-your-writing-dream/ Next, I'll start Wired for Joy as my non-fiction book. In fiction, I finished Cold Comfort Farm and started The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. No NEW PATRONS this week, but I hope you'll consider becoming a patron and helping me reach my FIRST Patreon goal. To earn $125 in monthly income from Patreon. When that happens...extra bonus Q&A episode for Patrons only. Patreon.com/valerieihsan.  Main topic: uploading your files to distributors and stores, plus pricing tips.           https://craigmartelle.com/books/become-a-successful-indie-author-work-toward-your-writing-dream/

Episode 12 comes to you this week. And we’re here to talk TBR. The specifics of what drives us to choose the next book off the stack! You’ll hear a “bookish moment of the week” from each of us: a group of online readers that saves the day and all about audiobook “stories.” Next, we tackle what we are currently reading: some Capital W-Weird picks, some non-fiction, some YA. We’ve got a little taste of everything. We take a mini-deep dive this week into the topic of TBR lists. How do readers in general choose what is To Be Read next? How do we, specifically, choose what to slot into that coveted position? As always, we finish up with A Book (yep, capitalized) that we’d like to press into every reader’s hands. This week we have a perfect Christmas gift idea (and some wonderful accompaniments) as well as a beloved curmudgeon book for almost every reader on your list. Time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you’d like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don’t scroll down!  .  .  .  .  .  3:17 - Audiobook stories on Instagram: click on the Audiobooks Q&A highlight! 6:05 - The Book of Boy by Katherine Gilbert Murdock 8:52 - The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 9:50 - Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brian Sanderson 14:03 - Episode 9 with Meg Teitz 14:32 - Our favorite free Enneagram test: https://exploreyourtype.com/details 15:08 - The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stablile 15:25 - Typeology podcast 15:35 - The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher Heuertz 17:20 - From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon 17:25 - When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon 20:32 - The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell 20:47 - The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs 20:50 - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin 23:15 - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 29:37 - Vox by Christina Dalcher 32:46 - I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel 34:24 - You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero 36:55 - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen 39:06 - A beautiful mug to pair it with 39:10 - The coziest of cozy wraps from Athleta 40:47 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman 42:50 - Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 42:52 - The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg 42:57 - The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick 44:09 - A Man Called Ove movie 45:09 - Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrick Backman *Please note that all book titles linked above are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!*  

El libro elegido para este nuevo episodio es El Jardín de los Hechizos, de Sarah Addison Allen, una novela romántica y de fantasía escrita en 2007. Un libro simple pero adictivo, rápido de leer, con algo de erotismo, romanticismo y también magia… Escucha el podcast y descubre cómo combinan todos estos ingredientes. Gracias por estar […]

Amanda and Jenn discuss vacation reads for dads, toxic friendships, disabled characters, and more in this week's episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by TBR, A Nice Day for a Cowboy Wedding by Nicole Helm, and Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS here, or via Apple Podcasts here. The show can also be found on Stitcher here.   Feedback Attack of the Giant Baby and Other Stories by Kit Reed The Best of Robert Bloch Richard Matheson   Questions   1. I've been trying of late to read more feminist literature and novels from female perspectives. It's been pretty easy to find literary fiction to read, but I'm interested in reading some science fiction and fantasy novels with a feminist slant. I haven't had much luck finding them unless they are YA novels (I've read a few but to be completely honest YA just doesn't do it for me). Any recommendations? Thanks! --Genevive   2. Hello Ladies! I am hoping you can help me find a good book for my father to read on his well-deserved vacation at the beginning of December. He said he really wants to relax and so wants something light-hearted. I’ve realized that when I want a nice light-hearted read I normally reach for YA, which I have a hard time picturing him reading. I was already thinking of suggesting Becky Chambers and Lincoln in the Bardo (I realize the latter isn’t necessarily light-hearted but it just seems so up his alley I couldn’t resist). Some books I know he’s enjoyed in the past include Cutting for Stone, various books by Ken Follet, and A Walk In the Woods. Something humorous would probably be good. Thank you for your help and your wonderful show! I look forward to it every week! --April   3. Jenn and Amanda - I've been realizing over the past year that my closest friendship is with a toxic person and I need to cut ties. We've been friends since college, were in each other's weddings, and have become moms together so it's hard for me to walk away, even though I know it's what's best for my own growth and health. It's left me feeling very lonely so I'm looking for books to fill the lonely void and help me heal (as only books can do). I enjoy most character-driven fiction, as long as there is one likable character to root for, and memoirs that read like fiction (i.e. The Glass Castle). Thanks so much! --Kate   4. Hi! I love your podcast, you guys are great! Like with many people, my family can be hard to shop for. Think you can help with my brother? Some of his favorite authors are Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Matthew Woodring Stover, and Caitlín R. Kiernan. He is also a stickler for facts--he likes fantasy/horror elements, but if there are incorrect facts about real things (especially about history and politics) he'll decide a book is rubbish even if it's otherwise a good book. This means shopping for him can be anxiety producing. Help! --Anxious Sister   5. Hey Jenn, Please help--the love of my literary life is Sarah Addison Allen and I've read everything she's written (including the free shorts on Amazon) multiple times and I find myself needing more books that feel like getting a warm hug. There is something about the pacing and the combination of unique characters and circumstances (a grumpy apple tree? Awesome! Giants? Great! Wallpaper with moodswings? Love it!). I also love that while there are some problems and conflicts, they are not so dark as to overshadow the entire novel and while urgent in the moment, don't detract from that warm-hug feeling. The light touches of magic in otherwise realistic fiction are the thing that keeps me wanting more. Note: please not Beatriz Williams or Alice Hoffman. They keep getting recommended via goodreads, amazon and NoveList and for the life of me, I just can't seem to connect to their characters. Also, I know that you're backlogged, so if you'd rather answer in an email than on the show, that is absolutely fine--I will be grateful for your recommendations whenever and wherever you can provide them. Thanks!! --Abbey   6. Hi! I've been dealing with an undiagnosed chronic illness that has left me housebound for some time now. Reading about other disabled people's experiences has been eye-opening and comforting in that I'm not alone, but many of the books I've read (So Lucky, Invisible, Sick) have been difficult to read because they've touched on a lot of raw wounds. I'd really like to read something more lighthearted, but still featuring disability/chronic illness as a major plot point. I'm open to any genre, but own voices only please! Thank you! --Rachel   7. Just an FYI my name is pronounced Crystal. I am an avid reader of many genres. I find it hard to find mystery novels that I enjoy. I have read all of the Maisie Dobbs series and am a true lover of Sherlock Holmes. I would like recommendations of mysteries with interesting characters that don't seem pulpish. I hope that makes sense. Time, place, location are not a consideration.   Books Discussed The Tangled Tree by David Quammen The Ravenmaster by Christopher Skaife The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison Daughters of the Storm (Blood & Gold #1) by Kim Wilkins Swords & Spaceships newsletter and Goodreads shelf Shark Drunk by Morten A Stroksnes So Anyway by John Cleese The Fever by Megan Abbott Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (TW: extreme violence of basically every imaginable kind) Rosewater by Tade Thompson The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby (rec'd by Susie D) Friend With Benefits Zone by Laura Brown Romances with disabled heroines: https://frolic.media/heroines-with-disabilities-six-romance-recs/ Death Below Stairs by Jennifer AshleyJenn Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye (TW: graphic harm to children)

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is a charming story about witchy sisters falling in love. This is for anyone who loved Practical Magic or Como Agua Para Chocolate, and is in the mood for a sweet, whimsical story about love in all its forms. Sorry, guys, no snark this time, just a lot of mushy goodness, and maybe some laughing through tears. 

In this episode we get lost in The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen and we try our hand at baking a hummingbird cake.

This week we made Fig and Pepper Bread from First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen. Which sister won the bread showdown? Who is fig and who is pepper? Who likes fig and who likes pepper? Join us for the answers as we explore the magical world created in one of our favorite books.

We will be discussing Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen DB65395. This short, whimsical novel combines various genres, and is the perfect end-of-the-summer read. Here is the synopsis from Bookshare.

“Like, You Know” This episode discusses the Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. We also talk about some news items of interest and reveal yet another way to contact the Book Hoarders. Shannon’s Reading List Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins … Continue reading →

Sarah Addison Allen’s fans expect her books to be full of magic […]