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In this episode, we're doing something a little different. I'm opening up my private monthly book club discussion (usually just for Flying Higher members) and sharing it with you. This month we read the bestselling novel Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We get into the tradwife aesthetic, performative Christianity, and the difference between a woman who genuinely loves a homemaking life and a system that demands every woman perform one. Key Takeaways:The reason the beautiful tradwife image is so seductiveThe most convincing performances usually start with a belief that's actually sincere. One character's storyline sparked a heated disagreement in the group about who gets to be "smart" in stories like this one, and why that distinction matters There's a subtle difference between a woman choosing a traditional role and a woman being conditioned into one, and it changes everything about how we respond to the trend.What does authentic faith look like once the performance stops? If you're a divorced Christian woman who loves self-development and learning new things, consider joining the Flying Higher community! Get Today's Free Resource:
Liebesgeschichten, die psychische Erkrankungen ernst nehmen statt sie zu romantisieren.
Flashback Summer is over, but we still ended up back in 1855…or did we? By popular request, we read Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We were joined by S. Jae-Jones, author of the Guardians of Dawn series (including the latest in the series, Suhwa.) Listen to this episode while you churn your butter. (It’s an extra long ep so you might have time to make a fresh loaf of bread, too!) Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains sexual assault. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Diabolical Lies podcast “Ballerina Farm is Happy With Her Choices” by Stephanie McNeal “Here's what you don't see about Ballerina Farm's tradwife life – and it's depressing af” by Laura Butler “Anne Hathaway makes first comment about Yesteryear adaptation after author addresses book's backlash” by Shelby Stivale Fundie Fridays Episode #214 – Corinne Coming up next: Verity by Colleen Hoover.
The Real Housewives of D.C.'s Mary Amons steps back Behind The Rope. Mary talks all things from one of the best franchises gone, but never forgotten, RHODC. Mary talks all her fav franchises, the joys of RHOSLC and the ups and downs of one Miss Mary Cosby. Mary fills us in on all the off camera drama and updates going on in her life as well as in the lives of her RHODC colleagues Lynda Erkiletian, Cat Ommanney, Staci Turner and last, but certainly not least, Michaele Salahi Schon. Mary gives us her thoughts about the too soon end to RHODC, Andy Cohen's tweets about a desired RHODC reboot, and, what would that even look like. @maryamons @hippychicaofficial @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef BROUGHT TO YOU BY: MOOD - www.mood.com/velvet (20% Off With Code Velvet on Federally Legal THC Shipped Right To Your Door) LOLA BLANKETS - lolablankets.com (Use Code VELVET To Get 40% Off The Most Comfortable Blankets Ever!) INDEED - indeed.com/PODCAST (Seventy Five Dollar $75 Sponsored Job Credit To Get Your Job The Premium Status It Deserves) KLARNA - klarna.com (Or Download The Klarna App For The Smarter Money Partner) QUINCE - quince.com/velvetrope (Get Free Shipping and 365 Day Returns to As You Indulge In Affordable Luxury) WAYFAIR - wayfair.com (Join Wayfair Rewards Today To Get 5% Back On Every Purchase & Start Saving On Your Next Home Upgrade) TASKRABBIT - taskrabbit.com (Or On The Taskrabbit App Use Code Velvet For $15 Off Your First Tasker) SMILESET - smileset.com/velvet (Get 35% Off The Smile Of Your Dreams) ADVERTISING INQUIRIES - Please contact David@advertising-execs.com MERCH Available at - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's finally here - the Yesteryear episode. What book should we read next? Let us know in the comments! Call (917) 512-1758 to leave us a voicemail! International Dialers can leave us a voice memo on WhatsApp: +1 (646) 423-7020 FOLLOW DES: Tickets: https://punchup.live/desbishop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desbishop Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desbishop X: https://x.com/desbishop YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Desbishopcomedy TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desbishop5 FOLLOW NICOLE: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleclyons/ Produced by Nicole Lyons Productions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolelyonsproductions/ Website: www.nicolelyonsproductions.com
Hi. Katy, Cody, and Jonathan are off for the next week, so here's an episode of Way Less News we recorded in advance! Forget the horrors while the news friends chat about Obsession (the movie), Yesteryear (the book), and hear Cody air his frustration at people who don't understand the ending of the new Spider-Man. We'll be back with Some More News and Even More News the week of August 24.Spoiler Alert for Obsession. Mostly spoiler-free for Yesterday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.PATREON: https://patreon.com/somemorenewsMERCH: https://shop.somemorenews.comYOUTUBE MEMBERSHIP: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvlj0IzjSnNoduQF0l3VGng/joinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Kulturkalaset är tillbaka! I dagens avsnitt pratar Fanny Wijk och Alice Dadgostar om sommarens it-bok Yesteryear – och frågar sig om tradwifes verkligen är värre än andra influencers. De har också varit på Way Out West och sett Lily Allen och Zara Larsson. Får man kommentera en kvinnas kropp 2026 och varför lyckas Zara Larsson inte göra bättre låtar?Lyssna i din poddspelare, varje lördag! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jennie Nash hosts a #amwriting podcast BookLab with guest Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told and newly released Sisterhood Above All (co-written with Amayah Shaienne), and discusses Barber's range across thrillers and romance, her character-first approach, and how RushTok inspired an authentic sorority-rush thriller featuring Madison, Shay, and Ava as tensions escalate and someone dies. They define RushTok as viral TikTok coverage of University of Alabama sorority recruitment and note its broad international fascination. In the BookLab, they evaluate three first-page submissions by asking “Would we turn the page?” They praise Heather's Trust Me for strong voice, vivid Austin setting, and an intriguing problem hook, with minor notes about genre context. They decline Odeon Omega due to unearned logistics and too much dialogue despite an intriguing title/advert. They find Empty Spaces compellingly written but confusing from too many names and unclear stakes, suggesting more interiority and clarity.#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Connect with KathleenVisit Kathleen's website to find her books and more: https://www.kathleenbarber.comTranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Jennie Nash, and you're listening to the #amwriting podcast, the place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most. This is a book lab session where we answer the most important question about your first pages.Would we pick up the book? Would we turn the page? Today, I have a really special guest with me. I have Kathleen Barber here, who is so many things. She's the author of Truth Be Told, which was adapted as a series on Apple TV, Follow Me, Both Things Are True, and just brand new, like it came out four days ago, Sisterhood Above All, with, I'm gonna try her name, Amaya Chen?How do you-Barbara: Yeah. Uh, um, yeah. That's, that's very close. I think it's Amaya Chen.Jennie: Okay. Yeah. Uh, so we're gonna hear about that in a minute. Um, I haven't, I haven't cracked it open yet, but I'm so [00:01:00] excited for it. Um, Kathleen's also an Author Accelerator certified book coach and a former attorney, and she lives in Washington, DC with her family.So welcome, Kathleen.Barbara: Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here.Jennie: So I watched your unboxing the other day. It was so fun, and I didn't realize that we had scheduled this right on top of, like the actual- Oh ... launch of your book.Barbara: No, that, that's okay. It's, it's great. Um, it gives me something to think about that's not just, like, spiraling.Like, is anybody gonna read my book? Is anybody gonna like it? Um, so it gives me something else to focus on.Jennie: Well, it's so interesting you say that because I think of you as this really seasoned pro and, you know, it's been really interesting for me to watch your career because you've written some really different kinds of books.You did a ... Well, your first book was obviously a big thriller and a huge success, and at one point, you pivoted to romance, and now you're doing ... Well, I, I saw that book list [00:02:00] called Sisterhood Above All, a soapy thriller Yes. Yes ... which is such a great description, and you did it with a collaborator. So you just seem interested in story to me.Barbara: I, I am. Yeah. I'm always very ... I always start a story with the characters. Um, and so then their story kind of spirals out from there. Um, yeah, so I, my last book that came out before this one was, was a rom-com. Um, and I was really nervous when I started writing it. I was like, “How am I going to write this when I've been writing suspense and thrillers before?”And it turns out that, like, at the heart of it, stories are stories, and people are people, and, you know, in a romance, happy things happen. In a thriller, bad things happen, but things still happen.Jennie: Amazing. So give us the overview of the brand new book, ‘cause it's, it's really juicy.Barbara: Yeah. Yeah, so I'm really excited about it.Um, Sisterhood Above All is a thriller set during sorority rush, and so it follows three different [00:03:00] women who are involved there. There's Madison, who is the president of what's she perceives as to be the coolest sorority on campus, so she's kind of the gatekeeper, and there's Shay, who is the president of a rival sorority and trying to shake, shake up the Greek institutions, and then there's Ava, who is a potential new member.She's going through rush. She's desperate to join Madison's sorority, um, and she might be a little too desperate. Uh, so you know, it's a thriller. Bad things happen. Somebody dies, um, you know, and things kind of spiral out, spiral out of control.Jennie: But tell us about the collaboration, ‘cause it's- Yeah ... so interesting how that came about and how it went and-Barbara: Yeah.You know, it was, it was a lot of fun. Um, I, like many writers, write alone, and I had never really considered collaborating with anybody before, um, but- But when I was kind of talking about this, I, I'd been pitching my agent a sorority themed thriller for a while. [00:04:00] Um, and at one point when, when Rush Talk was getting really big a couple summers ago, she was like, “This is the moment.This, you should write this book, but I think that in order to make it feel more authentic, we should bring in somebody who's living this in this moment.” Um, so one of her colleagues found Amaya, who, um, was up until very, very recently an active member of a sorority at the University of Alabama, and brought us together.And Amaya and I got along right away, and we both had kind of the same vision for what we wanted the book to be, and so collaborating with her was, was a lot of fun in a way that I had been nervous that it wouldn't be. But it was, it was a really good time, and I'm really, really proud of the book.Jennie: So for those who don't know or weren't following, can you tell us what Rush Talk-Barbara: YeahwasJennie: or isBarbara: or- Yeah ... shall be? Yes, yes, yes. So, um, so if you're gonna join a sorority, um, you go through, you go through recruitment and which is very slangily [00:05:00] called rush. Um, and so on TikTok a few years ago, um, people started sharing about their experiences during sorority rush, but specifically, uh, during sorority rush at the University of Alabama.Um, and it really took on a life of its own, like people were watching it like it was, you know, a television program. Uh, they made a documentary about it, which, you know, I'll, I will let you make your own conclusions about the documentary. Um, but people just got really, really into it, and people... And it was kind of appealing to people who had gone through sorority rush at some point, were thinking about going through a sorority rush, or who were just invested in, you know, watching people have these kind of outlandish experiences and, and share them.So, um, itJennie: was a lot of fun. My understanding was that it got very, very popular in other countries?Barbara: I- it's definitely... [00:06:00] Yeah. You know, um- So sorority, some, some sororities are international. Not, not all of them are. Um, but by and large, when they say international, they mean that there are chapters in Canada, not that, like, there are chapters in, you know, like Europe or, or other countries.And so it just, it's something that is so unique and so, like, uniquely about, like, this type of college experience that I think it's been really interesting to people in lots of different places.Jennie: Yeah, yeah. Fascinating. So obviously the book has been out, like, mere hours here. But, um, how does it feel? Are you, are you- It's excitingyou said you were excited and proud and- SoBarbara: exciting. Yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm really, really proud of the book. I love it. I mean, I know everybody, like, loves their own books, but I do. I truly, like, love this book, and I just really hope that the readers do too.Jennie: You know, it's not true that everybody loves their book.I, I was dying to have somebody on the podcast who will never come on the podcast. But I- Yeah ... I heard a story about somebody who [00:07:00] got a seven-figure deal for a book that they really didn't actually love, and then- Oh, no ... they, they wrote it. It came out, and then when they had to co- come time to do the publicity, they just dreaded it.They, it was like a, just they did it for the money. They got the money, and then didn't, didn't wanna talk about it, like felt sort of ashamed about it. And I was like, “Oh, please, come talk about that.” But of course they, they won't. So...Barbara: That's wild. Isn't that wild? That's wild. Yeah. I just, I just can't even imagine how that would feel.Um, I mean...Jennie: I know. Well, I, uh, the cover of this, um, of this new book, Sisterhood Above All, is- is really cool too. So we will link to it in the show notes, and everyone can go read it and check it out, and, um, Kathleen's other books, I've read them all, and you have such range and, um, like I said, [00:08:00] interesting stories.So with that, let's get to our, our Book Lab entries. We just always wanna start by thanking those who submitted. It's not easy to do this, to put your stuff out there with no context and no ability to talk back or anything and have random s- people on the internet, you know, talk about your stuff. So really appreciate the, the risk-taking of doing that, and we do this in order to help us all get better and, and learn, you know, what works and, and, um, for your own self or your own writing, what, what you want it to be.So what we're gonna do, as always, is I'm gonna read the entry, and then we're gonna ask ourselves, would we turn the page? So, um, the first entry is Fiction and it is, uh, author's name is [00:09:00] Heather and the name of the work is Trust Me. So here we goI can't tell you whether it's the Johnny Cash mural, clusters of candles nestled into every corner of the long stone bar, or the smoky scent of Palo Santo that tucks Austin into my head the first night. Maybe it's the unexpected jazz trio on a Tuesday in a town built for blues, country, and rock, or it could be the two cowboys deep in conversation at a table in the back of the bar.I'll later, I'll later learn that making a hot Austin guy a cowboy because of his hat, faded jeans, and scuffed boots is the same as labing- labeling a frat bro in a hoodie and sweats an athlete. It's just how they dress. I can tell you I like the looks of Austin men a hell of a lot better, especially that wide silver belt buckle that dresses up the whole package in a bow.It's going [00:10:00] on nine PM when I arrive at Whistlers in East Austin, and the bartender hands, hands me a peach-colored mezcal craft cocktail. Fresh juice, pungent herbs, and the smoky sister to tequila are the perfect salve after what's transpired since my flight landed from New York two hours earlier. I follow the snake tattoo on his foreha- forearm as the bartender shakes another cocktail for the couple next to me.Damn, he's hot, too. The crowd starts to pick up, and I signal Snake Tattoo for another before I lose his attention for good. The warm agave liquor spreads through my bones, and I start to relax. Maybe this isn't the disaster I think it is. Maybe I can actually pull it off. I glance around at the mostly twenty and thirty-something crowd angling for spots at the bar.The women wear short dresses and long hair. The men, well, those jeans are something, along with their finely cut biceps and well-placed tattoos. Can't help but glance over at those cowboys again and get a warm smile in [00:11:00] return. Easy, girl. Back to business. I have a problem, and this second mezcal is going to help me solve it.All right. What do you think? What was your first impression?Barbara: I really enjoyed that. I would definitely turn the page there. I, I feel like there was, like, a really strong sense of, sense of place, and I, in particular, I really enjoyed the, the first line, not only because it gives us that sense of place, but it, because it also then tells us something about the narrator and how she perceives the world around her in that first line.Jennie: Yeah, and, and there's a good m- a, a good question at hand here, which is what's she doing here?Barbara: Mm-hmm.Jennie: She's come from New York. We get that. It's a little unclear how, how old she is, ‘cause she's referencing other people's ages, but not her own, so we, we don't really know what's happening or what, what's, what's about.[00:12:00] Um, I mean, I thought the writ-Barbara: Well, IJennie: agree. Yeah. I thought the writing was great. It sort of tripped along-Barbara: Mm ...Jennie: um, nicely. IBarbara: like at the end where... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on you. No,Jennie: no, go. Yeah. I like atBarbara: the end, I like at the end where, um, she says she has a problem, and the second mezcal is gonna help her solve it.I thought that was really interesting, ‘cause I, it piqued my interest, made me wanna know what the problem is, but it's also kind of funny. Like, the mezcal's probably not gonna help you solve your problem, but it's like...Jennie: Yeah. No, it's so true. I was longing for a little bit more of a sense of what's happening here.I mean, this could be any kind of story at this point. It could be she could be a spy. She could be an assassin. She could be trying to get a guy back. Like, we, there's really no sense of what the story's gonna be. I always like that on the first page. What about you?Barbara: Yeah. I, I agree with you. I, it, it could, it could go in any direction.I kind of [00:13:00] sense from the tone that it's, you know, it's going to be something, uh- Well, I guess I don't know. You know, honestly. Now, now that I'm looking at it again and thinking about it, um, you're right, it could be... The, the problem that she has could be a thriller problem, or it could be a romantic problem, since she's kind of made, made comments about the different men.I think that was a hint to me that it might be a romantic problem that she's having, but I actually don't know.Jennie: Yeah. The, the- obviously she's clocking all the hot guys in this bar, which tells us something, either about her or what she's up to. We don't know. Um, but yeah, it's, um, really good detail, like the, you mentioned that first line, and I liked the line about her sh- the self-awareness about, you know, she calls him a cowboy and then she says, you know, sort of like, “Oh, right, that's not really fair.”Mm-hmm. “We don't know.” [00:14:00] You know, that, I thought that was, made me think- Yeah ... this character's gonna know themselves.Barbara: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I agree with that. I, I also really enjoyed the kind of specificity that she uses in the descriptions, like when she talks about, you know, the, the cocktail that she's drinking, and the tattoo on the bartender's arm.Like, I just felt like those details really made the story come alive for me. So that, like, even if I didn't exactly know where we were going, I could, I could picture where we were.Jennie: Yeah. Yeah. That's really well said. Well, we like this. I think I would, I would turn the page.Barbara: I would, I would too, yeah. Mm-hmm.Jennie: We would turn the page. Um, I mean, the only notes I think for me would be, I mean, it's always so tricky, because if we were picking this book up, the title, Trust Me, doesn't really tell us anything, but the cover would.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: The vibe of the cover would. We'd have a little more context for where we were and [00:15:00] what this was about, and that would probably help with the issue that, that I have, which is, well, what kind of book is this?We don't know. Um, and you know, now that I'm thinking of it, we don't even know whe- where we are in time. Um, I'm, I'm assuming modern day, but I don't know why I assumed that. It, maybe it's not. So maybe just a tiny bit more of a sense of- Uh, context for the reader. Mm-hmm. But that's my only note. L- do you have any notes?Barbara: Yeah. You know, I honestly don't think that I, I have any additional notes. I mean, I, I really enjoyed this selection, and I would definitely keep reading here.Jennie: Well, Heather, that's high praise, soBarbara: Yeah, I, I usually have ideas. I usually have notes but I don't.Jennie: Yeah, that's, uh, that's g- a good one for us to start with, and very fun, I hope, for you to hear that from Kathleen.All right, let's [00:16:00] go to our, our next one. This is fiction. It's called Odeon Omega, um, and the author is ... Well, the, the, um, it's coming across as, um, Sound Smith, but who knows what that is? So, um, Odeon Omega, they will know who they are, for sure. All right, here we go. “The grand O-O opening continues all month long at your new entertainment destination, the one and only, first of its kind on this or any other coast, the all-new, all-excitement Odeon Omega.‘Gah!' Emmy shrieked from the bathroom. ‘You can turn the TV volume down now, Seth. We're done.' Seth was still lying in bed, his naked body mostly covered with Emmy's cream-colored, satiny soft sheets. He chuckled while reaching for the remote. ‘I wasn't the one who turned it up.' ‘I know that. I have to [00:17:00] turn the TV way up like that, though.It's the only way to drown out the neighbors. The walls in this place are so damn thin, and they're always banging on them, disturbing me when I'm trying to have sex.' ‘Those b******s,' Seth chuckled. ‘I'm saying, I like ... I'm saying, like, what am I supposed to do? Not f**k? Hey, that is so not an option,' Seth p- Seth pressed the mute button, then went back to lying on his back, his hands behind his head.Another noise startled him, this one coming from Emmy's phone. A toneless version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun blared from Emmy's clutch purse. ‘Turn that off, too,' Emmy shouted from the bathroom. ‘That's my mother's ringtone. I don't feel like talking to her right now.' Seth rolled over to the nightstand and opened her clutch and found the button to silence Emmy's phone.He lingered on the image of Emmy's mother. ‘Wow, Emmy, you and your mom could pass for sisters, easy.' ‘Ew, don't tell me that,' Emmy said. ‘Tell her that, but not me. Bet you're already imagining yourself in a threesome with her and me, [00:18:00] aren't you?' ‘Huh, what's that?' Seth was distracted by Emmy's driver's license in the clutch's interior pocket.He slid it out of the pocket and read what he assumed was Emmy's birth name. ‘Myrtle? What? Your re- your real name is Myrtle?' Emmy stepped out of the bathroom, still naked from their lovemaking, with a sky blue-colored towel clenched between her legs.”That's a vibe.Barbara: It is. It is, yeah. I mean, opening, uh, opening in the aftermath of sex is a, is a bold choice. I'll be honest, I don't feel like I have very much context for what's happening here. Um, it seems like Emmy and Seth don't know each other veryJennie: well. I got that sense, too. I got that sense, too, and that the sex that she has this system for turning up the TV has been for other people.Barbara: Mm-hmm. [00:19:00] Yeah. On, on that note, though, I did kind of have, uh, a fundamental disbelief about the setup that was giving me a stumbling block when I was reading this, just because it didn't seem to make a lot of sense to me that she would turn up the television to distract herself from the neighbors, when I would think that that would be more distracting or, you know, just use music or...And I didn't really understand why she would be explaining it to him after the fact instead of in the moment. Um, that felt like it was perhaps just put there for the reader,Jennie: so that we could be distracted. Yeah, it was a little explainy, a little... Yeah, like a, um, we use that term info dump, and an info dump doesn't have to be a whole scene.It can just be a line like that where I, I didn't buy it either that she would actually say that to him now. Mm-hmm. If... He probably would've said, “Why are you turning the TV on?”Barbara: Right.Jennie: Earlier.Barbara: Yeah. Yeah, [00:20:00] yeah, and it seemed like that would be the conversation that would have before we got to this moment. So that was something that, that I struggled with a bit.Jennie: I also didn't believe, it felt like, uh, unearned that he's pulling this license out of her purse. I could see, I could see that he might have seen something on her phone if he's turning her phone off. But-Barbara: Mm-hmm ...Jennie: to, to actually then see... I kept, like I was trying to think through the logistics. Like, okay, see one of those little slidey things inside a purse, but you can't see- Mmthe driver's license. Like, why would he reach in and pull it out? It felt like the author wanted us to get to this moment where- Mm-hmm ... Seth got this information.Barbara: Mm-hmm. Yeah.Jennie: It, yeah, it felt unearned to me.Barbara: Yeah. I, I agree, especially because it doesn't seem like Seth knows her very well, obviously. Then for him to be [00:21:00] digging around in her clutch purse felt- Untrue to the situation, um, unless something else was going on that we don't hear about.Jennie: Yeah, yeah. Um, this... When I said, like, “Well, this is a vibe,” this character has a, a tone or a style or sense about, like a sort of swagger about- Mm-hmm ... her that interests me. Um, I happen to be in the middle... I'm behind everybody else, but I'm in the middle of reading Yesteryear. Oh. Have you read-Barbara: Oh. Yes, yes.Jennie: Don't tell me what ha- I, I- Don't tell me ...Barbara: I w- I won't. I was also late to it, and everybody was trying to tell me about it, and I was just constantly walking around going, “No spoilers, no spoilers.” Yeah.Jennie: But the, that character has, has such a brashness- Mm-hmm ... of point of view and opinion in both, um, both parts of the story there, and there's something about this character that rem- reminds me of that.[00:22:00] There's like a, I don't know, um, a, just a brashness. S- And I, I've been enjoying that protagonist- Mm-hmm ... the Yesteryear protagonist, just ‘cause it's unusual. I've read a tiny bit, and I know people are saying, “Oh, she is so unlikable,” but there's just something of a character that's so owning their, um-Barbara: Mm-hmmJennie: way, and this woman's ownership of, of her sexuality, I guess, I, I thought was- Hmm ... interesting.Barbara: Yeah. No, I, I, I know what you mean, and I, I, I am intrigued by her as a character because, I mean, again, here she, she seems to have kind of an interesting setup in a, an apartment building that has thin walls, um, has this system of turning up her television, um, but not with Seth before.So, you know, it seems like she's had several partners back to this, this space. Um, but she seems very, very confident and, like you said, kind of swaggery [00:23:00] with him. Um, so yeah, I, I am intrigued to know more about, like, who she is and what makes her that way. Um...Jennie: Yeah. Uh, for me, probably not enough to turn the page.Um-Barbara: Not for, not for me either. I-Jennie: Yeah. And, and I have to say that the thing that intrigues me the most about this whole thing is that the title of this book is Odeon Omega, and that's the random, um- I think that's the random show on TVBarbara: Yeah,Jennie: the- Am I ma- am IBarbara: making that up? No, no, no, that, that, that's the first line.It's, um, it sounds like it's maybe like a commercial. I was kind of envisioning it from the way that it was spelled out as, you know, kind of like, uh, oh, the way that like a, a carnival or like a car salesman is like, “The grand o- o- opening.” Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, that's kind of how I was envisioning it.Um, so I, I didn't, I did enjoy s- seeing that right up front, um, [00:24:00] but I wanted more context to understand what it was, because without that, I, I don't know what that line means. Um-Jennie: And that just the author's choice, like, okay, the TV's on f- for a random reason- Mm-hmm ... or for her systematic sex reason, and, and she's hearing this show opening, and then that's the title of the book.Like, something about this, I, I thought of it as a, yeah, like a carnival or a show or something- Mm-hmm ... a theme park, um, that there's g- that's gonna become central to the story. It's kind of an interesting way of putting that in in, and presumably- Mm ... it will come back, um- Yeah ... in an important way. But I, I was intrigued by that most of all, actually.Barbara: Yeah. No, same, especially because that's the moment that Emmy says, “Turn the volume down.” So I was, uh, so it made it seem, to me at least, that there was something about that particular advertisement that she [00:25:00] was reacting to, and I wanted to know what that was.Jennie: Well, that's a really great point, and I think if we were to give this writer some guidance- Um, it might be to make more of that.Mm. If the character reacts more to that. Like, in, you know, that she can't hear it or that it's upsets her in a particular way, or she gives us some information or context about that so that we, I don't know, I guess we need to be more grounded in, in what's happening.Barbara: Yeah. And I also just feel like that would give us a little bit more s- because it, that's right there in the title, so it's obviously gonna be important to the story.And so like that would give us a little bit of curiosity about what it is and would propel us to try and understand why she's reacting the way that she is. Um-Jennie: Yeah. And just from a technical [00:26:00] standpoint, I'm looking at this entry, it's almost all dialogue.Barbara: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Which I think is hard on a, an opening page.Uh, don't you? I think-Barbara: I, I do. I, I would really have liked to see a little bit more interiority from Emmy here to kind of, I don't know, understand how she feels, not only about that advertisement, but about, about Seth. Like, did she li- does she like Seth, or is he just like a guy, you know? Um, I just wanted to know a little bit more about how she, who I'm presuming is the protagonist, is experiencing this scene.Jennie: Yeah. Um, yeah, there was even a moment when I thought, “Is she selling sex?” Mm-hmm. Is, is that... Is she a sex worker? Um, you know- True ... so too many questions about what's, what's happening here, which I think could be solved by, um, balancing out the dialogue, um, w- with some other information. [00:27:00] Mm-hmm. Um, yeah, I mean, I'm, um, I'm hoping that this character gets a story that we want, we want to read ‘cause I'm intrigued.Barbara: Yeah. Same. Same.Jennie: Yeah. All right. We have one more that we're going to, um, read. Do you wanna read this one? From your little, “Oh, oh, oh,” opening- ... I was like, “Oh, maybe you're a good narrator. I'm not.”Barbara: Sure. Sure. I'll, I'll read it. Um, so this one is called Empty Spaces. Um, it's fiction. I'm not entirely certain who the author is, unless I'm missing that in the spreadsheet.It looks like perhaps it starts with a T. Um, but here, here is the submission. “April 1st, 1995. ‘Please, please, please,' Corey sputtered, gripping the black receiver with both hands while the operator relayed her [00:28:00] request. ‘Person-to-person call for Tess. Will you accept the charges?' ‘No, she's asleep.' Corey knew her mother was at the beige phone on the kitchen wall a thousand miles away.Then her father's voice in the background. ‘Honey, let the girl talk to her dau-...' And dial tone. Corey slammed the receiver back into its cradle. ‘What the f**k?' She missed. Her knuckles scraped the chrome holder, and she unleashed her fury on the edge of the black payphone. ‘F**k, f**k, f*****g f****r.' The rain that had been collecting in the roo- in the rim of the payphone box was shaken loose by her tantrum and cascaded down inside the collar of her flay- flight jacket.Well, Charlie's flight jacket. ‘Skipper,' came Top's quiet baritone from behind her. ‘We're ready to roll.' ‘Thanks, Top.' Corey accepted the styrofoam cup of coffee he handed her, then sloshed her way to the lead truck, Arlo trotting at her heels. She hoisted herself up into the passenger side of the rig. Arlo curled up beside her and dug his head into her lap.Why did her mother have to be such a [00:29:00] little b***h? And on this night. Was it too much to expect her to remember that it was Charlie's birthday? No, Maria remembered. She was the one who kept a file of birthday cards, organized by month and paper clipped to envelopes, neatly stamped and addressed to the recipient.But nobody sends a birthday card to a dead person.” After a few minutes, Top started his status report. “Got word from the 24-hour man. The lot they gave us was too small and underwater. He put up a fuss and got us moved to the football field at the high school.” Corey took a sip. “It'll be nice to have a dry lot.Daisy's got that one nail that looks a little soft.” She fiddled with the radio, settling on a country station, what else was there, and yawned. “Where are we headed tonight?” And that is it.Jennie: Wow, well, author T., uh, Wood, what a treat to have Kathleen Barber read your, read your stuff like that. Gee, you, you sounded amazing.You sounded like you'd written that. That was so cool. Do you- I, uh- ... narrate your own books?Barbara: I, I do not, but I have [00:30:00] small children, and I read aloud every night.Jennie: Do you do the voices?Barbara: Oh, yes, I definitely do the voices.Jennie: Do you do all of them, like, in aBarbara: very- I do all of them.Jennie: You do?Barbara: Yeah, yeah. My, my kids were really into the Wings of Fire series, so I've read all of those books, and there are many, many dragons, and they all have different voices, and if I do not remember the different voice, my children will be like, “Mommy, that's not what Peril sounds like,” and then I'll have to remember and try again,Jennie: so.Take notes? Do you have, do you have a guide? Do you just remember? Um,Barbara: no, I just, I just try and remember.Jennie: Oh,Barbara: my. I should take notes, but I'm not that organized. I just go off.Jennie: That, that's amazing. That's amazing. Um, just while we're talking about it, is there audio already for the new book, for, uh, Sisterhood Above All?Barbara: There, there is. There is, yeah. Um, I recently got, uh, got a peek at it, and I am very, very excited. We have a different [00:31:00] narrator for each of the POV characters, and they are all fantastic. Super excited.Jennie: Amazing. All right, so back to this, back to this work. Um, I thought this was great. Uh, did you, did you, how did you feel reading it?Barbara: I, I, I enjoyed reading it. Um, when, when I was, when I was reading it the first time, I, I found myself getting stopped a few times because I felt like there were a lot of names, and I was confused. Um, you know, it's, it's in- I don't feel like an author needs to spell out for me who every single character is on the first page at all.Um, it just felt like in a small amount of time, there were a lot of names that I felt like I was trying to keep track of, and that was a bit confusing for me. Slowed me down a little bit.Jennie: I agree with that. Actually, the first time that I read it And [00:32:00] admittedly, I was scanning these really fast the first time I read it, but there, there's something to that, how things hit your head.But I thought that, um, I thought Daisy was a horse because I was like the one nail that looks a little soft, like is who, what- Yeah ... where would that matter that we need to be on grass? And, and, and then I was like, “Wait, who even is Daisy?” So I got stuck on that- Yeah ... for sure. And, um, and then the, um, there's a nickname that I think the main...I think Corey, the, the other character calls her Skipper, so I was confused by that. Right. So it, yeah. Yeah. Are those some of the things that you mean?Barbara: Yeah. The, those was... And I was also just a little confused when I first started reading that it starts out with person to person call for Tess, and then we're talking about her mother.And I, I thought at first that her mother was [00:33:00] named Tess, and that, and that the operator was trying to reach her, and that her mother was simply not, simply not wanting to talk even though she was by the phone. But then later on I realized that her mother is actually named Maria, and that Tess must be somebody else.Um, I think Corey's daughter, but I didn't, I didn't catch that on first reading. I had to read it again to be able to understand that.Jennie: Yeah. So there, there is a lot going on for sure. When I said that I thought it was great, I- I'm, I'm hoping that this character's some kind of trucker just because that's cool, and, um, it, it seemed like we have some tension both in whatever's happening around...You know, like, they have a 24-hour man. They're... Uh, so there's something afoot. Like, there's a pr- a project or something afoot that feels like it's not gonna go well or something's gonna [00:34:00] happen there. Um, and I also, you know, now we have the thing with the, well, we learn I think it's the mom. But, um, th- there- Yeahwere enough elements of intrigue, like, what's, what's going on here, what's gonna happen, that I... And I thought it was well-written.Barbara: Yeah. No, and I, one of the things that I really enjoyed was the way, the, the descriptions of what the, what the scenery looks like with the, with like the weather. So like there's, there's the rain, um, there's another line about how when they're like getting into the truck that like the lot is underwater, so I'm kind of like envisioning...I actually don't know what time of day it is, but for some reason I'm envisioning it being a little bit darker, but that might just be because of, of the rain that's happening. Maybe that's what's making me think that it's, it's a little bit darker outside, but I'm like envisioning the, the rain, and they're getting into the rig.But I, I didn't get that she was a truck driver. I, I, I think maybe... But I, but I, [00:35:00] I don't know. I don't know. I thought that maybe she was some sort of- Some sort of, like, news person. But I don't... ‘Cause I don't actually, I don't actually know what a 24-hour man is, so I think that might have... Okay. Yeah. No, I don't know.I was just like... So I, so I didn't know. Um, but I was, I was curious to know... Yeah. I was gonna say, I was curious to know why she was making this call to her mother at this moment, and why she was so desperate for her mother to answer the phone at this moment. Um, so yeah, th- those were, those are questions that I had.Jennie: Usually, back in the day, which this was, um, will you accept the charges was something you did when you had no money.Barbara: Mm-hmm.Jennie: You know, you would call home or wherever and, ‘cause you didn't have money to make a call, so the operator would place the call and ask the [00:36:00] person to accept the charges. Mm-hmm. And normally you would do that with somebody who knows you have, you're having a problem, or, you know.So, like, this is a very particular moment that led me to believe that she didn't, she didn't even have money for a call. So- Mm-hmm ... I don't know why I placed her as a trucker. Like, she climbed into the- Oh, okay ... the rig. She s- she sloshed her way to the lead truck. She's fiddling with the radio station. Like, what, where we headed?Yeah. Like, we're just on a job. I totally made her a truckerBarbara: and I- Yeah. No, no, no. I, well, I think maybe the reason I thought maybe she wasn't was because there were all these other... Because, like, Top is there, and the, it's, it's a lead truck, and she's, she's getting into the passenger side. And there's also a, a, a dog, I assume.I assume Arlo's a dog. I suppose it could be some other sort of animal that's, that's with her, but I, I assume Arlo's a dog. Um- Well,Jennie: so this is actually a really great [00:37:00] conversation for anybody listening, and particularly for this author. You can see that if you confuse your reader They're gonna spend their time with these kinds of questions.Like, is the mother Tess or is it Corey? Is this woman a trucker or not? Is... You know, and those are not the kind of questions you want to be leaving your reader with. Those are-Barbara: Yeah ...Jennie: um, I don't know w- how we would describe them, almost logistics. They're,Barbara: they're more like de- yeah, yeah, exactly. ‘Cause I mean, they're, I, I, I enjoy getting a good question at the start of reading something, you know?Like, you know, I mean, for example, it's, it's really interesting that Corey made what seems to be a collect call, and they didn't just not answer it. They answered it, and then hung up on her, which feels, like, very purposeful. And so, like, I'm very, I'm very curious about that relationship. I'm curious about the fact that, that Charlie is, is dead, um, and [00:38:00] who Charlie is to the, to the narrator.These are things that, like, have piqued my curiosity, and I would like to learn more about, um, would inspire me to read more, to learn more about those things. Uh, but then those other things that we were talking about, like, well, like, who is this? W- what kind of animal is Daisy? Like, what are, where are they actually going?Like, what, what is, what is the goal here? What, what is the deal about the, the lot and the, and the football field? The, w- what are we gonna do here? Those are questions that, that slowed me down, and made me less likely to want to keep reading.Jennie: Yeah. I loved that line, “But nobody sends a birthday card to a dead person.”Barbara: Yeah.Jennie: And I, I'm thinking- Really poignant ... that that's the center of this story, you know, s- who, who was Charlie? I think you said that. Mm-hmm. Was-Barbara: Mm-hmm.Jennie: And ‘cause she's got the jacket.Barbara: Yeah.Jennie: She's got Charlie's jacket, so- That, that'sBarbara: true, and sh- and she's wearing it, I think. [00:39:00]Jennie: Yeah, and, and so- I mean, I suppose Charlie could be a child if this person is older.Barbara: Yeah.Jennie: Like, you know, um, but y- I ... So I had this weird reaction to this, which is I thought it was fun, and maybe that was you reading it. I thought, I thought the writing was great, but I wouldn't turn the page. I'd be frustrated. You know, if, if there was another book or another story that was, um, didn't make me work so hard- Mmto figure out where I was or what was happening, I would choose that over this. So it's a weird combination for me of great job, but it's a no for me.Barbara: Yeah,Jennie: that- What about you?Barbara: That's, that's how I felt. There, there were a lot of elements here that I think are, that are intriguing and that if presented slightly differently would make me want to turn the page.But as, as it is right now, I, I would not. [00:40:00]Jennie: I agree with that. I think it feels close. Mm-hmm. Um, so how could we give this person some direction for, um- Yeah ... well, you talked about all the names, and I don't think the solution is ID all these names.Barbara: Right.Jennie: Mm-hmm. That's gonna be clunky. Or ID all these people. Um-Barbara: Yeah.I, I think for, for me personally, what I think would help was if we were to get a bit more of a peek inside the nar- inside Corey's head, so we could understand from her perspective why it's important that she's making this call, like, what the goal is with the truck. Um, if we just saw it a little bit more from her view and got to know a little bit more of the information that she already holds in her head, I think that would go a long way to making the story feel more accessible to the reader.Jennie: That's really well said, and [00:41:00] hopefully that helps the writer for your next pass to, to think about. But I- there's something, there's something good I think here going on. Mm-hmm. And, uh, I have the same, um, comment that I had earlier. I, I wanna know what kind of story I'm in, and I'm s- and I'm not sure. We were talking about sorting out these relationships and what's happening with the field and the truck and then the weather and all that, but again, is thisThere's no sense of what kind of story this is going to be. And, um, I, I always want a little more. And, and the title is Empty Spaces, which doesn't help, um- Yeah ... point us to that. I hear that. So just a little more, um, of a sense of what world are we? What, what problem do we have? What world are we in? Um, you know, and even just that last bit where the character turns the radio station on and yawns, “Where are we headed [00:42:00] tonight?”It- there's, there's not an urgency of It's, s- nobody's running from anything. There's no- Right ... threat, uh,except for the mom who won't answer the call.Barbara: Yeah, yeah.Jennie: Yeah. Um, so a little, a little more of a sense of what's at stake. Um, I know, we always are asking so much on a first page, but- I know ...Barbara: uh. I know, but e- you know, it's, there are so many things to read, you know, from, like agents, editors, readers, all have so many things to choose from, and so it's just so important to nail that first page, you know?Jennie: How many times do you rewrite your first pages?Barbara: Oh my gosh, so many times. So many times. Yeah. Yeah, well, um, ‘cause usually I write the first page, and then I write the rest of the book, and then I'm like, “Oh, like, the rest of the book does something different. I need to go back and, like, make this first page...”Also, I do, I often do the thing that I think a lot of writers do, which is, [00:43:00] once you've written a little bit further, you realize that, like, you've started at the wrong spot. Um, I mean, the, one of, one of the things that helps me when I, when I think to do it is to use one of the exercises that's in, that's in your work, where you, where you start what, you, you write the beginning and the ending before you even start anything.Um, and I, I, when I remember to do that the right way, that really, definitely helps me. Um, but I don't always remember to do that, and so I have, like, partway in, and then I'm like, “Wait, no, the first page.” So,Jennie: it's- Well, that, yeah, that's a, um, a step in the blueprint for a book book. Um, it's a good one, for sure.Uh, well, thank you so much for joining me for, for this, Kathleen, and congratulations on the new book. Um, for everyone listening, go check out, you can find everything at KathleenBarber.com. And, um, you can find Sisterhood Above All, which is brand new and just out and sounds like so much [00:44:00] fun. I, it's on my TBR, TBR.Yay. I just can't read, I just can't read thrillers at night. I get too scared. So,Barbara: um-Jennie: That'sBarbara: fair. That's fair ...Jennie: I, I have to wait till I'm, like, on a plane or, um, you know, somewhere where I'm reading during the day. Yeah. Is this one, is this one l- scary scary?Barbara: I mean, it's, it's not, like, scary scary. It's, it's not, like, uh- It's, it's not like there's someone who's out there to kill you for reasons that you cannot control.You know what I mean? Like, it's like- Yeah, yeah ... it would be scary to the people inside the book, but it should not be scary to you. ButJennie: I understand how- Well, we don't need to reas- We don't need to reassure me because people love these, love these- Yeah ... and, uh, what a fun, fun setting and setup for- Thank youa thriller. It's, it's exciting. Thanks. So can't wait to see how, how the world receives it. And- Mm ... um, I always hate to say this to somebody whose book just came out, but can't wait to see what you do next. [00:45:00]Barbara: Don't worry, I'm already writingJennie: stuff. Oh, yeah. Do you, ooh, do you wanna, do you wanna tell or no?Barbara: I, I do not, just ‘cause I get really superstitious about it, but, um, but I have something that I'm working on that I'm excited about, so you know, we'll see how it goes.Jennie: I love it. Well, thank you for joining us for Book Life, Jennifer.Barbara: Thanks for having me. That was a lot of fun.Jennie: For our listeners, let's get back to work and finish what matters most.Outro: The hashtag amwriting podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output because everyone deserves to be paid for their [00:46:00] work This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
This week, the Trump administration announced that $2 billion will be given to faith-based organizations providing humanitarian aid, including World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, and Compassion International. We're re-airing a segment in which Mindy Belz discusses the shuttering of USAID during the second Trump administration and why the US has historically offered help abroad. Then, President Trump nominated a new inspector general for the Department of the Interior, who will oversee any review of the recent controversy surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation. Trump nominated Dennis Kirk, an author of The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025. We revisit a conversation between Mike Cosper and David Graham, author of The Project, about the policy ideas behind Project 2025 and how the administration has been enacting them. Finally, tradwives are having a moment, thanks in part to the summer's popular book Yesteryear. Nicole Martin, Russell Moore, Mike Cosper, and Clarissa Moll discuss the phenomenon of tradwives and theobros, as well as how to discern what is genuine and offer true hospitality. REFERENCED IN THE SHOW: After Aid Cuts, US Announces $2 Billion for Christian Groups - CT Emily Belz The Project: How Project 2025 is Reshaping America - David A. Graham GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Mindy Belz is a journalist who has covered wars and victims of conflict in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, and the Balkans. She recounts some of her experiences in a 2016 award-winning book, They Say We Are Infidels. She is the former senior editor at World magazine and has done writing and editing for Christianity Today. David Graham is a journalist based in Durham, North Carolina. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers politics, criminal justice, music, and other topics. His coverage of the 2020 presidential election won the 2021 Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting. He was previously editor of The Atlantic's politics section, which won a Webby Award. Nicole Martin serves Christianity Today as President and CEO. She has more than 25 years of nonprofit, academic, ministry leadership, and church engagement experience and has served at CT since 2023 as Chief Impact Officer and most recently Chief Operating Officer. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore. Each episode offers commentary on current events and headlining news with a roundtable of premier guests, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Host: Alexa Copeland Associate Producer: Alexa Copeland Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hello EICritics, earlier this year we had the pleasure of speaking with author and podcaster, Caro Claire Burke. Since then the book has only grown in popularity and sales. It really has been the book of 2026.A quick synopsis of Yesteryear: Natalie is a trad wife influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers. As far as her audience knows, Natalie loves her farmhouse, her well-behaved children, making sourdough from scratch and her perfect husband Caleb. But behind the scenes of her Instagram content, everything is very, very different. Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in the 1800s. Her phone, her assistants, they're all gone. Is it a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie just knows she has to escape. And don't worry – no spoilers!We loved speaking with her and hope you enjoy catching up on the interview after you've hopefully read the book!Love, O,R,B xxx p.s. we're back next week!
This month, Scott and Matt take a look at the original science fiction novel: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. We're taking a look at the 1818 original edition, but we spend some time chatting about the differences between the two. Note: This is an unedited audio copy of the live-streamed discussion over on YouTube, so you'll hear us interact with the audience a bit.Click here to submit a book for the Book ClubNext month, we'll be taking a look at one of the most popular books of the year: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. The episode will happen live on YouTube on Friday, September 4th at 9:30 PM Central Time!Support us on PatreonMatt's Twitter: @moridinamaelScott's Twitter:@scottdaly85Stay updated with Doof Media: @doofmediaSee all of our podcasts and more at www.doofmedia.com
Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum
Is Nara Smith a tradwife? Not according to her. Nara's recent interview with Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy reignited the internet's debate over whether she has built her brand on tradwife aesthetics while rejecting the label, and whether her denial amounts to gaslighting her audience. The Podly Women use Smith's interview and this summer's buzziest novel, Yesteryear, as launching points for a broader conversation about tradwife culture. Is it an ideology, an aesthetic, or both? Why has it become so appealing, and what messages does it carry about femininity, womanhood, and a woman's identity? Join the Podly Women as they explore the cultural phenomenon of traditional womanhood, and what we lose when a complicated conversation becomes a label. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@spectrummagazine1969 If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at natalie@spectrummagazine.org About our panel: Natalie Bruzon is a journalist and editor, a mom of two young kids, and a Union Adventist University grad. Ezrica Bennett, a writer and graduate student at Claremont School of Theology, Oakwood University grad. Trudy Morgan-Cole is a noted historical fiction author and a recently retired educator and Andrews University grad. Sofia Lindgren is a fabulous twenty-five-year-old, office manager of SPECTRUM Magazine, and Pacific Union College grad.
Send us Fan MailEVERYONE who signs up to our giveaway will receive a FREE Rose suction toy with their @bellesaco order! https://www.bboutique.co/vibe/viralvirtue-pod#bbpartnerSupport the show
An Ashland librarian and bookstore owner share the books drawing Southern Oregon readers this summer, from cozy novels to mysteries and social satire.
Send us Fan MailIn today's episode, I interview Kate Radcliffe and Sophie King, writer and director of the short film "Still Life," which tells the story of a couple dealing with the loss of a baby and all the daily reminders they face of that loss.Listen to hear about the ability we have to find the humor in dark situations, exploring the effects of dealing with loss and trauma while the rest of the world goes on as if nothing has changed, and the process for getting a cast ready to play characters who have dealt with such a profound loss.Books mentioned in this episode include:Yesteryear by Caro Claire BurkeThe Housemaid by Frieda McFaddenFilms and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:“Still Life” directed by Sophie KingRomeo + Juliet directed by Baz LuhrmannMoulin Rouge! directed by Baz LuhrmannThe Virgin Suicides directed by Sofia CoppolaThe Lord of the Rings directed by Peter JacksonThe English Patient directed by Anthony MinghellaHocus Pocus directed by Kenny OrtegaDonnie Darko directed by Richard KellyClueless directed by Amy HeckerlingAmerican Psycho directed by Mary HarronThe Dark Knight Rises directed by Christopher NolanNapoleon Dynamite directed by Jared HessAnora directed by Sean BakerFollow the film on Instagram @still_life_short and find Sophie @sophiekingcr and Kate @katemradcliffe.Support the show
The Venn diagram between Flashback Summer and Sad Girl Summer is overlapping! We read Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. For our discussion we were joined by a very cool sad girl, Theresa Okokon (@Ohh.Jeezzz), the author of Who I Always Was and cohost of Stories from the Stage. By the way, if you haven’t gotten around to reading this one before–it is actually good and we are actually spoiling the heck out of it. You’ve been warned. (And if you have read it: then you know you should have a box of tissues handy for this episode.) Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia Newbery Medal Acceptance speech “Katie Ledecky ‘breaks' Olympic male gold medalist in practice” by Nick Zaccardi Coming up next: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.
We made it - 300 episodes! 6 years! NFC West predictions. Sports of Yesteryear. Reflections(!)
We're back with The Briefing: Our Take, our weekend hang-out where we loosen our ties and kick off our shoes to take you behind the scenes of the week that was, and what you (and we) made of it. This weekend Chris is joined by Justine Landis-Hanley and they unpack how Miles Phillips and his Eastern Rosellas went from a backyard novelty to the ARIA record books. Chris answers your questions about the Kyle Sandilands interview, before they dig into your thoughts on Kmart's knock-off Meta glasses (+ the bird flu conspiracy theory we didn't know existed). We’re also joined in studio by LiSTNR entertainment executive producer Elise Cooper for The Weekend Quiz, who brings more live vocals to the show than actual recording artists. Plus we cap it all off with the Weekend List. The Weekend Quiz (just questions, no answers): Which airline announced it will start charging passengers to put carry-on luggage in the overhead lockers? Which former NRL player and viral book-tokker alleged this week that gambling company promoters would supply him with drugs and alcohol to keep him betting? Who said this and who was he talking about? "What single answer does she have to any of the list of problems and challenges which I went through before? Zip is the answer to that.” What crashed into the moon this week? Name one song Delta Goodrem performed in the Comm Games closing ceremony. The Weekend List: To Watch: Enola Holmes 3 (listener Georgie) To listen to: Dungeon Crawler Carl (listener Narikka) To read: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Episode 231, Al Woodworth (Amazon Senior Editor) returns to the show to discuss Amazon's Best Books of 2026 So Far. They break down this year's list, discuss the books that rose to the top, and explore how the Amazon Books editorial team selected, debated, and ultimately ranked this year's Top 20. Plus, Al shares her personal book recommendations! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Al shares the defining characteristics of Amazon's Best Books of 2026 So Far list. How the Amazon Books editorial team selected and ranked this year's Top 20. Whether this year's list sparked debate and how disagreements were resolved. Why Kin was chosen as Amazon's #1 book of the year so far. The genres that have stood out (and the ones that haven't) in 2026. A look at how books are assigned to Amazon's genre-specific lists. Why some books rank differently on genre lists than on the overall Top 20 list. Under-the-radar books from the list that deserve more attention. Al's personal favorites that didn't quite make the Top 20. Al's Book Recommendations Two OLD Books She Loves Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:54] Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn (US Release: 2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[39:22] Other Books Mentioned Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025) [35:56] Two NEW Books She Loves The Nightingales by Emil Wilson (Aug 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:32] American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee (Sep 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:07] Other Books Mentioned Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) [44:12] One Book She DIDN'T Love Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Apr 7) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:05] One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About The Vanishing Family by Robert Kolker (Sep 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[50:10] Other Books Mentioned Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker (2020) [50:42] Books From the Discussion Kin by Tayari Jones (Feb 24) [2:06] London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe (Apr 7) [3:07] Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Apr 7) [6:43] Strangers by Belle Burden (Jan 13) [6:50] Night Objects by Eli Raphael (May 26) [6:57] The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992) [7:51] The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (2024) [7:54] Land by Maggie O'Farrell (Jun 2) [11:14] Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (2020) [12:15] Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas (Mar 31) [12:56] Famesick by Lena Dunham (Apr 14) [13:04] Transcription by Ben Lerner (Apr 7) [13:48] John of John by Douglas Stuart (May 5) [15:23] Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (2020) [15:27] Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (2022) [15:28] Homebound by Portia Elan (May 5) [16:15] The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (May 5) [17:16] The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009) [17:23] Educated by Tara Westover (2018) [18:52] James by Percival Everett (2024) [19:00] The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller (2024) [19:09] No One's Coming by Kevin Hazzard (Mar 3) [23:43] American Men by Jordan Ritter Conn (Apr 21) [25:29] A Far-Flung Life by M. L. Stedman (Mar 3) [28:25] Whistler by Ann Patchett (Jun 2) [28:38] Into the Blue by Emma Brodie (Apr 7) [32:12] Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell (Apr 14) [32:14] Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell (2024) [32:19] How to Rule the World by Theo Baker (May 19) [33:16]
Xanthe and I were frothing to record this State of the Internet July breakdown, because this was a TRUE "WTF is going on" month!Today's report includes:Our takes on Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke — what was the book REALLY about? Tradwife influencers? Motherhood? Performing womanhood? We get into it and what it means in a broader cultural context.Is "influencer" an insult? We respond to this Reel by Levi Coralynn who addresses the topic, and dive into the overlap between influencers, capitalism and misogynyMeta Glasses — I share my theory about why these will never take off in the way Zuck deludes, Xanthe shares her take on how they've positioned these culturally, and we have to wonder... who (and what?) are these really for?Plus a slew of other AI headlines, including Substack's partnership with Pangram to detect AI writing, the backlash against Meta's gen AI tool, and how did we get to the point of "Claudefishing", where you can have Claude create videos of you from a single imageBIG ep today! We discuss everything through the lens of online leadership, digital behavior, and modern philosophy. You'll leave with clear takeaways to move forward with, as well as a deeper understanding of how these topics are already impacting the conversations you're leading, online and off. The internet is chaos — we'll help you make sense of it from our corner of it all.Connect with Xanthe:Join Social Life and use code CHELSEA for $10 off any membership! It's the social media + content strategy membership to stop second guessing your social media shit and become the sought-after creator you're meant to beCheck out Leadership Lifestyle Carousel Templates — strategic templates designed with your audience's reaction in mindLinks to all of Xanthe's offers: including Leisure Ethic Planner, Content Planner and moreConnect with Chelsea:Pitch Perfect is being laid to rest: come celebrate and see what's next!Get on the Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist
It's an AMEN (featuring a new theme!) and Amy and Gen are discussing the new hit book Yesteryear, Amy's upcoming travel plans, and why Gen swears by a holiday hike. Pre-order Gen's new book Why Kid's Need Boundaries here: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781761906817/ Join our Facebook group and have your say: https://www.facebook.com/groups/246445168215669 Leave your question for Gen and Amy here: memo.fm/beyondthechaos Email us at beyondthechaos@dm.org.au Get your pack of High Low Buffalo cards here Find Amy's wines HERE Produced by DM PodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
spoiler free review! you can find the written version on the white pube website our new book is being announced soon but if you want to get the first one, it's here hehehehe
Pro Football in the 1970s is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear.JOE ZAGORSKI'S BOOKS ON AMAZONFrom the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry LittleFree Spirit at Free Safety: The Incredible (But True!) Football Journey of Bill Bradley The 2,003-Yard Odyssey: The Juice, The Electric Company, and an Epic Run For A RecordAmerica's Trailblazing Middle Linebacker: The Story of NFL Hall of Famer Willie LanierThe Year the Packers Came Back: The 1972 ResurgenceThe NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football's Most Important DecadeEPISODE SUMMARYCHECK OUT THE NFL IN THE 1970S FACEBOOK PAGECHECK OUT JOE'S WEBSITE - JOE ZAGORSKI WRITERIn 2008, I decided to write a book. I wanted this book to be about a subject that was dear to my heart, pro football. And I wanted it to be about the 1970s. That was the decade that I grew up watching and falling in love with the sport. I had a specific outline in my mind for this book. I wanted to devote one individual chapter on each year of the decade of the 1970s. In effect, I wanted it to be an all-encompassing reference style of book.Why? Because although previous books have been written about the NFL in the 1970s, no other book on that subject was comprehensive enough to explore every individual year of the 1970s. So, that's the direction that I wanted my book to take.......Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.PRO FOOTBALL IN THE 1970S BACKGROUNDReliving Gridiron Glory: Pro Football in the 1970s with Joe ZagorskiProfessional football is one of the most exciting spectator sports in America. The decade of the 1970s saw the sport grow by leaps and bounds, thanks mostly to exciting players who quickly became icons. NFL players such as Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, O.J.Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, “Mean” Joe Greene and Fran Tarkenton are still considered household names today.During the 1970s, the growing millions of pro football fans also witnessed numerous exciting games and plays, many of which are still remembered and discussed today. Plays like Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception in 1972, or the original Hail Mary Pass in 1975, or the Sea of Hands game in 1974, or the Ghost to the Post game in 1977…so many memories, and all during one of the greatest decades in NFL history.Joe Zagorski's Pro Football in the 1970s podcast explores all the great memories that occurred in the NFL during that memorable decade. Each segment will tackle a specific event or player in the NFL during the 1970s. Each episode will also include a trivia question from some aspect of that particular episode's theme or topic.Joe Zagorski's Pro Football in the 1970s podcast takes listeners back to a time of old school pro football, where the game might have been simpler in the form of strategy, but it was also more pure and more robust than it had ever been before. Practically everything that happened during that decade on pro gridirons gets attention in this podcast.
PLEASE NOTE: YESTERYEAR SPOILERS AT MINUTE 23 UNTIL MINUTE 27!!!! LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!! To access AD FREE versions of our episodes, as well as bonus episodes and uncut audio and video, subscribe to our Patreon! If today's episode makes you laugh or scream, please do us a favor and rate our show 5 STARS on Apple or Spotify This is the easiest way for us to grow our community! Get your Cutie MERCH! We're on YOUTUBE! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a second of our hijinx - now on video! Follow Us on Social Media! Chelsea: @ohnochels Donny: @realdonnywood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, host Stephanie Hansen speaks with Jordyn Stocks from Paragis Outfitters Bookstore about the impact of recent wildfires on the Ely community, the role of the bookstore in supporting local culture, and the hidden gems of Ely. They discuss the diverse offerings of the bookstore, including popular book recommendations and the importance of community support during challenging times.Visit Ely, Minnesota for fun things to do year-round! Whether you are looking for a place to stay, a delicious meal, a hiking trail, or an immersion experience, we have businesses ready to meet your needs.Stephanie Hansen (00:00.824)Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space, but I also talk to other people too. And I've been doing a little mini-series here for VisitElyMN.com to help you get to know some of the cool Ely businesses. Ely is my second home. It is the place where I wrote the True North Cabin cookbook, and it's very near and dear to my heart. And you may have heard that theyHave experienced some wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe area and around that area this summer. As of this recording, I think the fires are about 40 to 50% contained. Some of the evacuation areas have been lifted. And the town has just really done a great job of keeping people informed and safe. And I'm here today with Jordan Stocks. She is from Piragis Outfitters.And she particularly runs the bookstore that opened gosh, it was last summer already, wasn't it, Jordyn?Jordyn Stocks (00:59.77)Yes, yeah. So in the new space, we've been there since last May, but the bookstore itself has been around in some version for over 20 years now. So it'sStephanie Hansen (01:11.286)So what happened is is there was in the Piragis store, there was the bookstore on the second level, and they used to have another building down the street that they did some surplus kind of sales, and they've merged a lot of that together inside this building. And then you guys have paddle boards and canoes also across the street. Piragis sort of owns this corner that has a lot of fun stuff going on in Ely andI know that with the boundary waters permits being canceled and just opening up more recently to daytime. And I imagine we'll get some more areas that'll open up here as the summer progresses. Has it been a hard time for you guys at the store?Jordyn Stocks (01:54.437)It's it's yeah, it's been a little bit different. It's been a little quieter as you can imagine, in outfitting particularly without having the boundary waters open. We've definitely seen some slowdown in traffic there.Stephanie Hansen (02:07.315)And when you think about the bookstore, yeah. WhatJordyn Stocks (02:11.732)Yeah, the bookstore and the store have maintained like we've still been busy. We've still seen traffic. you know, not as busy as it would normally be. Blueberry festival would have been this weekend, as you know. that didn't happen. But yeah, overall it's still been we're hanging in there. It's still been still been a good weekend, but yeah, quieter.Stephanie Hansen (02:35.286)It's a good example of how smart it is for businesses to kind of silo to. Like, you know, you start with one thing that maybe is your core competency, but then to support the business through non-trip times, you know, you've got the clothing store and then you add the bookstore, which is kind of a year-round service business for the town in and of itself. It's cool to have so many different facets. And I know you guys sell online too and have a pretty big online following.Jordyn Stocks (02:43.473)Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it it it does help that we have a few different things going on with the the clothing and the gifts and the gear and the books and the online presence. So that is that's been nice to have all of that going on. And we've definitely seen an uptick in in online sales and phone sales. So we're still shipping things out all over the country. We're still selling things to, you know, fire crews that are here, local folks that are out and about.People coming up for their cabins. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen (03:37.612)What is your history with Paragas and how did you get started and land in the bookstore component?Jordyn Stocks (03:41.76)well I've been here. This is my third no 14th summer here. So I started out just kind of part-time evening shifts in the retail store. And then the bookstore manager at the time, she was she was moving on to I think she was going back home to Chicago or somewhere. So I was excited about the prospect of working with the books and here I am.Thirteen years later. Stephanie Hansen (04:13.856)And you are an Ely resident. Are there some features about Ely in particular or locations that you feel are like hidden gems?Jordyn Stocks (04:23.909)Yeah, so I was actually born and raised here. So I don't know, growing up I kind of kind of probably took a lot of it for granted, but now you know seeing it with fresh eyes, I guess through people who were coming here for the first time and you know coming here repeatedly year after year. one of one of my favorite things is the the Ely Witten Historical Society. They have this cute little museum in the Vermillion Community College.It's it's free, they just feel like goodwill donations, it's self guided. But there's a lot of really interesting historical things there. They have a lot of a lot of books that were written by local folks about history and like very specific history, like the Birdside River or Winton and the lumber industry. So that's pretty fun local history. I love the sedan mine. It's it's open now for underground tours again, which I'm excited to do this summer. I haven't goneYears. Yeah, we just went.Stephanie Hansen (05:19.384)I'm trying to think.I did go to the Sedan Underground mine tour. It's super cool. I think I went, gosh, probably when I first started coming to Ely. So maybe, you know, like gosh, 20 years ago, but it was so cool to be taken underground and through the mine system. And you went with a original miner. So they would talk about like what their day was like. That seems like a uniqueaspect of being in northeast Minnesota because mining was such a pillar of what was happening here at the time. And just like being underground and the constant temperature, that was one of the highlights of one of the things I've done in town.Jordyn Stocks (06:04.049)Yeah, yeah, it's a it's a very cool experience. I'd highly recommend doing that. but yeah, other than that, we've got a lot of great hiking trails, places to canoe and paddle and swim and do all those things. Berry picking. there's always something to do. We've got a great yeah, we've got a great you know, local art scene with the theater and art shows, we've got the movie theater.It's just a lot of fun stuff to do, always always something.Stephanie Hansen (06:38.12)Absolutely. And I know you guys for such a smallish town, your bookstore has like a big footprint. You guys have sold a ton of the True North Cabin cookbooks for me, so thank you. Also, the Moon Tav the Moon Tavern.Jordyn Stocks (06:49.271)Yeah. Yeah, of course. Thanks for coming and Yeah. Yeah, the the new one's been popular.Stephanie Hansen (06:58.964)And also Kurt's book, The Barrens, the Canoe Book has still done well too. So I wanna thank you for that. And I know you guys have a lot of artists that come through and authors that come through. When you're stocking the bookstore, like who would you say is your ideal customer that you're stocking for? Because you have like such a great romance section, a good kid section.Jordyn Stocks (07:21.126)Gosh, that that's a tough one. and it changes, I feel. a lot of people are just are looking for a book to take out on trip with them. Something something that's gonna like be engaging right away, something that's engrossing. they don't want a lot of heavy reading necessarily. But we've also got people who want, you know, the latest best sellers, the things they're seeing on on book talk or theYou know, Reese's book picks or all those things. but also a lot of people looking for local history, things about the area, just something to kind of you know put them in the mindset of being here in the woods. Yeah. A lot of lot of different customers, a lot of variety.Stephanie Hansen (08:07.916) I imagine maybe that changes as you get into the winter months too and it's more of the regular town folk versus the though you have a big visitors that come in the winter too, ‘cause we come and go snowmobiling, we cross country ski.Jordyn Stocks (08:19.792)Yeah. Yeah, yeah, totally. Yeah, there's definitely people coming all year round. It's it's of course, you know, a little a little more mellow in the winter, not as much foot traffic. But yeah, definitely a lot of locals will they'll special order things, you know, they heard about on the radio or they read about in the paper, or you know, they've gottheir favorite Minnesota authors having a new book come out and they want to pre-order that. So yeah.Stephanie Hansen (08:49.877)Yes. I love that. if you could pick three books that you think are kind of buzzy right now that you see that people are excited about, we'll we'll throw them out there because I think I'm always looking for new reads.Jordyn Stocks (09:05.333)Yeah, so people right now are looking for Theo of Golden. I'm blanking on the author's name, but they're also looking for the correspondent and Calamity Club. And then the newest William Kent Krueger book, which won't be out tillAugust, but you know, they're always looking for his latest. Stephanie Hansen (09:29.815)I think I'm the only one in the world that didn't love that Theo of Golden Book, but you know, everybody's got their own vibes.Jordyn Stocks (09:34.01)I haven't read it, but I've definitely that seems like a book that people are either loving or they're hating. There's no in-between on that, as far as I'm hearing.Stephanie Hansen (09:51.192)I feel like that's also what is the name of the book? And I bought it at your store about the social media influencer who gets dropped into the eighteen hundreds.Jordyn Stocks (10:00.429)Yesteryear. That one's been really popular too. Yeah, that's another love it or hate it one. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen (10:02.347)Yes. Another book that I yes, like I totally hate read that book and read the whole thing and hated it, but kept going. It it was, you know how sometimes you don't love a book, but it's compelling enough to keep reading and sort of see what happens at the end.it's fascinating, I think, that that book got so much traction. But I don't know, like I I love the diversity of what you guys offer there. You have a ton of local too, like Abby Yaminez. I know you have a large section for her romance books. And romance is a big seller.Jordyn Stocks (10:36.246)We do. Yep. It is. We never used to carry much of it or like have much of a demand for it, but it's been like flying off the shelves lately. I I don't I don't know what it is, but and and that's not a genre that I typically read. So I I've been relying a lot on like s like coworker and customer recommendations, which has been fun. .Stephanie Hansen (11:09.793)It for your personal life, like you probably have to read a lot of books. Like how many books do you think you read in a month?Jordyn Stocks (11:17.462)And I I don't know. I also listen to a lot of books, but I don't know how many I read in a month. Probably like half a dozen, maybe. I don't I don't really know. I doStephanie Hansen (11:31.064)That's a lot. I listen to people talk about, you know, is listening to a book the same as reading or does it count? It's like who's keeping score number one? And yes, it counts. when you can think of a book that is narrated by someone that really makes it come alive, like I just listened to Whistler by Ann Patchett, which I don't know if I would have liked that book as much if she hadn't read it.Jordyn Stocks (11:58.966)Yeah, I totally get that. I I listen to more nonfiction, more memoirs and things, and I especially love when the author reads it. Like David Sederis will read his own, like Nick Offerman reads his own. They're both really great to listen to. And it's just I don't know, it it I think it brings a lot more to it in that circumstance. So but yeah. before we break here, I do want to mention that you guys have the catalog. And in the catalog are you have a lot of books in the catalog, a lot of the cookbooks, the seasonal books, there's also gear.Jordyn Stocks (13:16.393)We do. We do, yeah, and we have the website as well that's fully shoppable, the Boundary Waters catalog website. there's I mean certainly more than what was in the catalog, but not not as much as in the store. But there is quite a variety there and I'm I'm always happy to special order things too if someone's looking for something that they're not seeing in the store oron the website that's happy to look for things. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen (13:43.949)That's good to know. That's good to know because I know there's been a lot of interest in supporting Ely in particular. I'm going to link there's a fund that's been established that the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota is putting together and there's three pillars that you can donate to. One is nonprofits, one is Ely specific small business, which I appreciate. And also there is an opportunity to donate to the Wildfire Fund. SoI will put that in the show notes. Anything you want people to know specifically about Ely before we break?Jordyn Stocks (14:15.351)Great.gosh. it's just it's just such a great place to to live and to visit. There's you know great people here. Just the way you know you've mentioned people have been showing up for one another and supporting people during this just weird, uncertain wildfire time. It's it's been really cool. It's just a great place to be. Lots, yeah.Stephanie Hansen (14:42.423)I think so too. We're lucky. And we're lucky to have you, Jordan, be such a good supporter of books and reading. And I appreciate everything Piragis has done for our books. And I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. I always pop in to sign books and I'll see you, I'm sure, in the next week.Jordyn Stocks (14:59.62)Yeah, sorry I missed you yesterday. Hopefully we'll see you soon. All right. Wonderful. You too. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Bye.Stephanie Hansen (15:02.34)Yeah. you will, you will. It's good to see you again, Jordan, and thanks for being a guest. Okay, bye-bye. Mm-hmm.Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode of Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, host Stephanie Hansen speaks with Jordyn Stocks from Paragis Outfitters Bookstore about the impact of recent wildfires on the Ely community, the role of the bookstore in supporting local culture, and the hidden gems of Ely. They discuss the diverse offerings of the bookstore, including popular book recommendations and the importance of community support during challenging times.Visit Ely, Minnesota for fun things to do year-round! Whether you are looking for a place to stay, a delicious meal, a hiking trail, or an immersion experience, we have businesses ready to meet your needs.Stephanie Hansen (00:00.824)Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space, but I also talk to other people too. And I've been doing a little mini-series here for VisitElyMN.com to help you get to know some of the cool Ely businesses. Ely is my second home. It is the place where I wrote the True North Cabin cookbook, and it's very near and dear to my heart. And you may have heard that theyHave experienced some wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe area and around that area this summer. As of this recording, I think the fires are about 40 to 50% contained. Some of the evacuation areas have been lifted. And the town has just really done a great job of keeping people informed and safe. And I'm here today with Jordan Stocks. She is from Piragis Outfitters.And she particularly runs the bookstore that opened gosh, it was last summer already, wasn't it, Jordyn?Jordyn Stocks (00:59.77)Yes, yeah. So in the new space, we've been there since last May, but the bookstore itself has been around in some version for over 20 years now. So it'sStephanie Hansen (01:11.286)So what happened is is there was in the Piragis store, there was the bookstore on the second level, and they used to have another building down the street that they did some surplus kind of sales, and they've merged a lot of that together inside this building. And then you guys have paddle boards and canoes also across the street. Piragis sort of owns this corner that has a lot of fun stuff going on in Ely andI know that with the boundary waters permits being canceled and just opening up more recently to daytime. And I imagine we'll get some more areas that'll open up here as the summer progresses. Has it been a hard time for you guys at the store?Jordyn Stocks (01:54.437)It's it's yeah, it's been a little bit different. It's been a little quieter as you can imagine, in outfitting particularly without having the boundary waters open. We've definitely seen some slowdown in traffic there.Stephanie Hansen (02:07.315)And when you think about the bookstore, yeah. WhatJordyn Stocks (02:11.732)Yeah, the bookstore and the store have maintained like we've still been busy. We've still seen traffic. you know, not as busy as it would normally be. Blueberry festival would have been this weekend, as you know. that didn't happen. But yeah, overall it's still been we're hanging in there. It's still been still been a good weekend, but yeah, quieter.Stephanie Hansen (02:35.286)It's a good example of how smart it is for businesses to kind of silo to. Like, you know, you start with one thing that maybe is your core competency, but then to support the business through non-trip times, you know, you've got the clothing store and then you add the bookstore, which is kind of a year-round service business for the town in and of itself. It's cool to have so many different facets. And I know you guys sell online too and have a pretty big online following.Jordyn Stocks (02:43.473)Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it it it does help that we have a few different things going on with the the clothing and the gifts and the gear and the books and the online presence. So that is that's been nice to have all of that going on. And we've definitely seen an uptick in in online sales and phone sales. So we're still shipping things out all over the country. We're still selling things to, you know, fire crews that are here, local folks that are out and about.People coming up for their cabins. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen (03:37.612)What is your history with Paragas and how did you get started and land in the bookstore component?Jordyn Stocks (03:41.76)well I've been here. This is my third no 14th summer here. So I started out just kind of part-time evening shifts in the retail store. And then the bookstore manager at the time, she was she was moving on to I think she was going back home to Chicago or somewhere. So I was excited about the prospect of working with the books and here I am.Thirteen years later. Stephanie Hansen (04:13.856)And you are an Ely resident. Are there some features about Ely in particular or locations that you feel are like hidden gems?Jordyn Stocks (04:23.909)Yeah, so I was actually born and raised here. So I don't know, growing up I kind of kind of probably took a lot of it for granted, but now you know seeing it with fresh eyes, I guess through people who were coming here for the first time and you know coming here repeatedly year after year. one of one of my favorite things is the the Ely Witten Historical Society. They have this cute little museum in the Vermillion Community College.It's it's free, they just feel like goodwill donations, it's self guided. But there's a lot of really interesting historical things there. They have a lot of a lot of books that were written by local folks about history and like very specific history, like the Birdside River or Winton and the lumber industry. So that's pretty fun local history. I love the sedan mine. It's it's open now for underground tours again, which I'm excited to do this summer. I haven't goneYears. Yeah, we just went.Stephanie Hansen (05:19.384)I'm trying to think.I did go to the Sedan Underground mine tour. It's super cool. I think I went, gosh, probably when I first started coming to Ely. So maybe, you know, like gosh, 20 years ago, but it was so cool to be taken underground and through the mine system. And you went with a original miner. So they would talk about like what their day was like. That seems like a uniqueaspect of being in northeast Minnesota because mining was such a pillar of what was happening here at the time. And just like being underground and the constant temperature, that was one of the highlights of one of the things I've done in town.Jordyn Stocks (06:04.049)Yeah, yeah, it's a it's a very cool experience. I'd highly recommend doing that. but yeah, other than that, we've got a lot of great hiking trails, places to canoe and paddle and swim and do all those things. Berry picking. there's always something to do. We've got a great yeah, we've got a great you know, local art scene with the theater and art shows, we've got the movie theater.It's just a lot of fun stuff to do, always always something.Stephanie Hansen (06:38.12)Absolutely. And I know you guys for such a smallish town, your bookstore has like a big footprint. You guys have sold a ton of the True North Cabin cookbooks for me, so thank you. Also, the Moon Tav the Moon Tavern.Jordyn Stocks (06:49.271)Yeah. Yeah, of course. Thanks for coming and Yeah. Yeah, the the new one's been popular.Stephanie Hansen (06:58.964)And also Kurt's book, The Barrens, the Canoe Book has still done well too. So I wanna thank you for that. And I know you guys have a lot of artists that come through and authors that come through. When you're stocking the bookstore, like who would you say is your ideal customer that you're stocking for? Because you have like such a great romance section, a good kid section.Jordyn Stocks (07:21.126)Gosh, that that's a tough one. and it changes, I feel. a lot of people are just are looking for a book to take out on trip with them. Something something that's gonna like be engaging right away, something that's engrossing. they don't want a lot of heavy reading necessarily. But we've also got people who want, you know, the latest best sellers, the things they're seeing on on book talk or theYou know, Reese's book picks or all those things. but also a lot of people looking for local history, things about the area, just something to kind of you know put them in the mindset of being here in the woods. Yeah. A lot of lot of different customers, a lot of variety.Stephanie Hansen (08:07.916) I imagine maybe that changes as you get into the winter months too and it's more of the regular town folk versus the though you have a big visitors that come in the winter too, ‘cause we come and go snowmobiling, we cross country ski.Jordyn Stocks (08:19.792)Yeah. Yeah, yeah, totally. Yeah, there's definitely people coming all year round. It's it's of course, you know, a little a little more mellow in the winter, not as much foot traffic. But yeah, definitely a lot of locals will they'll special order things, you know, they heard about on the radio or they read about in the paper, or you know, they've gottheir favorite Minnesota authors having a new book come out and they want to pre-order that. So yeah.Stephanie Hansen (08:49.877)Yes. I love that. if you could pick three books that you think are kind of buzzy right now that you see that people are excited about, we'll we'll throw them out there because I think I'm always looking for new reads.Jordyn Stocks (09:05.333)Yeah, so people right now are looking for Theo of Golden. I'm blanking on the author's name, but they're also looking for the correspondent and Calamity Club. And then the newest William Kent Krueger book, which won't be out tillAugust, but you know, they're always looking for his latest. Stephanie Hansen (09:29.815)I think I'm the only one in the world that didn't love that Theo of Golden Book, but you know, everybody's got their own vibes.Jordyn Stocks (09:34.01)I haven't read it, but I've definitely that seems like a book that people are either loving or they're hating. There's no in-between on that, as far as I'm hearing.Stephanie Hansen (09:51.192)I feel like that's also what is the name of the book? And I bought it at your store about the social media influencer who gets dropped into the eighteen hundreds.Jordyn Stocks (10:00.429)Yesteryear. That one's been really popular too. Yeah, that's another love it or hate it one. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen (10:02.347)Yes. Another book that I yes, like I totally hate read that book and read the whole thing and hated it, but kept going. It it was, you know how sometimes you don't love a book, but it's compelling enough to keep reading and sort of see what happens at the end.it's fascinating, I think, that that book got so much traction. But I don't know, like I I love the diversity of what you guys offer there. You have a ton of local too, like Abby Yaminez. I know you have a large section for her romance books. And romance is a big seller.Jordyn Stocks (10:36.246)We do. Yep. It is. We never used to carry much of it or like have much of a demand for it, but it's been like flying off the shelves lately. I I don't I don't know what it is, but and and that's not a genre that I typically read. So I I've been relying a lot on like s like coworker and customer recommendations, which has been fun. .Stephanie Hansen (11:09.793)It for your personal life, like you probably have to read a lot of books. Like how many books do you think you read in a month?Jordyn Stocks (11:17.462)And I I don't know. I also listen to a lot of books, but I don't know how many I read in a month. Probably like half a dozen, maybe. I don't I don't really know. I doStephanie Hansen (11:31.064)That's a lot. I listen to people talk about, you know, is listening to a book the same as reading or does it count? It's like who's keeping score number one? And yes, it counts. when you can think of a book that is narrated by someone that really makes it come alive, like I just listened to Whistler by Ann Patchett, which I don't know if I would have liked that book as much if she hadn't read it.Jordyn Stocks (11:58.966)Yeah, I totally get that. I I listen to more nonfiction, more memoirs and things, and I especially love when the author reads it. Like David Sederis will read his own, like Nick Offerman reads his own. They're both really great to listen to. And it's just I don't know, it it I think it brings a lot more to it in that circumstance. So but yeah. before we break here, I do want to mention that you guys have the catalog. And in the catalog are you have a lot of books in the catalog, a lot of the cookbooks, the seasonal books, there's also gear.Jordyn Stocks (13:16.393)We do. We do, yeah, and we have the website as well that's fully shoppable, the Boundary Waters catalog website. there's I mean certainly more than what was in the catalog, but not not as much as in the store. But there is quite a variety there and I'm I'm always happy to special order things too if someone's looking for something that they're not seeing in the store oron the website that's happy to look for things. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen (13:43.949)That's good to know. That's good to know because I know there's been a lot of interest in supporting Ely in particular. I'm going to link there's a fund that's been established that the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota is putting together and there's three pillars that you can donate to. One is nonprofits, one is Ely specific small business, which I appreciate. And also there is an opportunity to donate to the Wildfire Fund. SoI will put that in the show notes. Anything you want people to know specifically about Ely before we break?Jordyn Stocks (14:15.351)Great.gosh. it's just it's just such a great place to to live and to visit. There's you know great people here. Just the way you know you've mentioned people have been showing up for one another and supporting people during this just weird, uncertain wildfire time. It's it's been really cool. It's just a great place to be. Lots, yeah.Stephanie Hansen (14:42.423)I think so too. We're lucky. And we're lucky to have you, Jordan, be such a good supporter of books and reading. And I appreciate everything Piragis has done for our books. And I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. I always pop in to sign books and I'll see you, I'm sure, in the next week.Jordyn Stocks (14:59.62)Yeah, sorry I missed you yesterday. Hopefully we'll see you soon. All right. Wonderful. You too. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Bye.Stephanie Hansen (15:02.34)Yeah. you will, you will. It's good to see you again, Jordan, and thanks for being a guest. Okay, bye-bye. Mm-hmm.Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe
[REBROADCAST FROM April 6, 2026] In the new novel Yesteryear, a popular tradwife influencer finds herself confronting the harsh realities of the lifestyle she promotes when she mysteriously is sent back in time to 1855. Author Caro Claire Burke discusses the novel, out now. Cover art courtesy of the publisher Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Edel Coffey, journalist and author of In Glass Houses runs through the best of the summer reads to get you through August.Her choices are; YesterYear by Caro Claire Burke, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Transcription by Ben Lerner, A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello, A Plot To Die For by Ardal O'Hanlon and The Keeper by Tana French.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.
Hello and welcome back to Something to Eat and Something to Read, a podcast for people who love food and cooking and reading, hosted by Germaine Leece, a bibliotherapist and psychotherapist based in Sydney and Sophie Hansen, a food writer and farmer from Orange in central-west New South WalesThis episode's book ‘guest' is the hugely successful Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. And the conversation we have around it is a juicy one, spanning everything from returnism, the ‘performance' of eating, cooking and parenting, friction-maxing, trad wife culture, cooking as care vs cooking as control and how this book ‘misses the most important point of all'. What did you think of this page-turner? Show notes are coming to our subscribers shortly. Germaine and Sophie xWe acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we are recording today – Sophie on Wiradjuri Country in central west New South Wales and Germaine on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation in Sydney. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people listening. Get full access to Something to Eat and Something to Read at somethingtoeatandsomethingtoread.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, Kelly and I chat about our favorite books that published in April through June 2026. Our shared top reads: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan The Top of the World by Ethan Joella Kelly's remaining top reads: Start at the End by Emma Grey Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Bramer The Fine Art of Lying by Alexandra Andrews Five by Ilona Bannister The Brunswick by Callie Murray Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi Keep Them Close by David Ellis Cindy's remaining top reads: Land by Maggie O'Farrell Whistler by Ann Patchett Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein The Yankee Sphinx by Mark Frost The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Marie Thorne Last One Out by Jane Harper The Queen and Her Presidents by Susan Page Connect with Kelly Hooker on Instagram. Looking for some great summer reads? Check out my printable 18-page Summer Reading Guide here for a tip of your choice or for a set price here via credit card with over 45 new titles vetted by me that will provide great entertainment this summer - a number of books you will not see on other guides. So many fabulous books are coming out in 2026, and you can learn about a bunch of them in my guide. Thanks so much to those of you who have donated to the show. Donate to the podcast here or on Venmo. Want to know which new titles are publishing in June - October of 2026? Check out our sixth Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead, and we color-code by genre in this one! Sign up for my literary salon in Virginia. Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly Buzz Reads column with five new recommendations each month. Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Send us Fan MailHannah and Laura are covering the first third of Turn Coat by Jim Butcher and are struggling to understand why Harry Dresden is helping out a certain terrible warden. They also chat about the impact of an incredibly popular book, Hannah's journey into The Righteous Gemstones, and a book that Laura is adding to her favorites list.**This episode contains SPOILERS for Turn Coat by Jim Butcher. Spoiler section begins at: 47 min 21 secs. ***CW for the episode: discussions of racism, sexism, politics, climate change, death, violence, blood, gore, immigration, police, sex, drugs *Media Mentions:Turn Coat by Jim Butcher Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance by Denali Sai NalamalapuHeartstopper, Vol. 6 by Alice Oseman Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke The Righteous Gemstones---HBO Max Support the showBe sure to follow OWWR Pod!www.owwrpod.com YouTube: @owwrpodBlueSky: @OwwrPodTikTok: @OwwrPodInstagram: @owwrpodThreads: @OwwrPodSend us an email at: owwrpod@gmail.comCheck out OWWR Patreon: patreon.com/owwrpodOr join OWWR Discord! We'd love to chat with you!You can follow Hannah at:Instagram: @brews.and.booksThreads: @brews.and.booksTikTok: @brews.and.booksYou can follow Laura at:Instagram: @goodbooksgreatgoatsBlueSky: @myyypod
Tradwife? More like Sad Life. Today we are talking about Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. This book has everything we all love about America today: influencers, rich people playing pretend, politicans, and internalized misogyny! WARNING: child abuse, sexual assualtBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/book-cult--5718878/support.
Liza Libes is a writer and literary critic at Pens and Poison. Her parents escaped the Soviet Union. She went to Columbia. She found that Columbia's English Department had replaced literature with Marxist theory, postcolonial studies, and critical theory. She's been pushing back ever since. We talked about: the teachers who made us both writers; reading Wallace Stevens's The Snowman — out loud, in full — and the seventh grade class that made Liza stand in the snow for an hour to understand it; Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and the fascism problem; what happened to Columbia's English Department and why it matters for publishing; why Marxism is fundamentally an ideology of resentment (Bertrand Russell said it 100 years ago); the novel Yesteryear and what it reveals about contemporary literary self-righteousness; why writing characters who disagree with you is the whole point; the Emily Wilson translation of the Odyssey and what "a complicated man" does to Odysseus's character; and Christopher Nolan's Odyssey film — specifically the Cyclops scene he cut, why it was the scene that defined Odysseus, and why its absence drains the heroism from the entire story. Follow Liza at Pens and Poison on Instagram → @pensandpoison TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — Intro — who is Liza Libes and what is Pens and Poison? 1:20 — Looking back on your 18-year-old writer self 2:51 — The teachers who made us writers — Brother Patterson and Poetry Friday 5:34 — Standing in the snow to understand Wallace Stevens — The Snowman read aloud 10:31 — The Lost Generation: Hemingway, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot — and the fascism problem 13:03 — Shakespeare and Co., Paris, and missing Notre Dame before the fire 14:57 — Columbia's English Department: literary theory replaced literature 16:58 — Marxist literary theory, critical theory, and postcolonial studies explained 18:28 — Her parents escaped the Soviet Union — why she takes Marxism personally 19:28 — What literature used to be — humanistic inquiry vs. class consciousness 21:41 — Academia made literature esoteric — and publishing followed 23:01 — The DSA voter: overeducated, underpaid, and resentful 24:44 — Yesteryear — the trad wife novel, Anne Hathaway, and literary self-righteousness 26:03 — When the author's voice drowns out the character's voice 27:14 — Dostoevsky, Lionel Shriver, and characters the author disagrees with 30:23 — Writing outside your experience — her trans character, Lou's gay character 33:22 — Lou's story published alongside Joyce Carol Oates and Junot Diaz 35:20 — Her new novel — exploring faith and Jewish theology 37:32 — Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in Waiting for Godot 39:03 — The Emily Wilson Odyssey translation — "a complicated man" vs. "cunning" 41:10 — What makes Odysseus great — the Cyclops, the cunning, the hubris 43:25 — Nolan's film: the Cyclops scene is gone — and why that ruins everything 45:42 — Greek hubris — Icarus, Arachne, and why pride destroys heroes 47:24 — The sirens scene: what it should have felt like vs. what Nolan did 48:30 — The overall verdict on Nolan's Odyssey — heroism is missing 49:46 — Outro — find Liza at Pens and Poison Watch full episodes on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Vb53s4I0A&list=PLb5trMQQvT077-L1roE0iZyAgT4dD4EtJ Listen on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lou-perez-podcast/id1535032081 Listen on Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2KAtC7eFS3NHWMZp2UgMVU Co-host of Happy Hour Econ → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-econ/id1863476697 Lou's book — That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: https://amzn.to/3VhFa1r TheLouPerez.com | info@thelouperez.com Newsletter: https://substack.com/@louperez #Literature #LiteraryFiction #LizaLibes #PensAndPoison #Odyssey #ChristopherNolan #Columbia #MarxistTheory #ClassicLiterature #LouPerezPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Short Stay in Hell – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Short_Stay_in_Hell Gospel Teaching: Strengthening gospel teaching through teacher council meetings – https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/strengthening-gospel-teaching-through-teacher-council-meetings Sunday Class Changes to Connect Home-Centered Gospel Learning with Church Meetings – https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/sunday-class-changes-to-connect-home-centered-gospel-learning-with-church-meetings Grand Marshall President Camille Johnson – https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-camille-johnson-2026-pioneer-day-parade Utah stakes witness miracles while building Days of '47 parade floats – https://www.deseret.com/faith/2026/07/23/utah-stakes-witness-miracles-while-building-days-of-47-parade-floats/ Most sung Pioneer Day Songs – https://hymnstats.joeystanley.com/posts/pioneer_day/ New Provo MTC mural honors the first single sister missionaries – https://www.ldsliving.com/new-provo-mtc-mural-honors-the-first-single-sister-missionaries/s/13348 New hymns emphasize simple Christ-centered truths – https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/new-hymns-emphasize-simple-christ-centered-truths Volunteers Transform Lives Through Weekly EnglishConnect Classes in England – https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/volunteers-transform-lives-through-weekly-englishconnect-classes-in-englandhttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/volunteers-transform-lives-through-weekly-englishconnect-classes-in-england Pull together as families, says Church President Dallin H. Oaks at biennial family reunion – https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/pull-together-as-families-says-church-president-dallin-h-oaks-at-biennial-family-reunion Judge rejects Chubbuck LDS church leader's plea deal that congregation member called “a slap in the face” – https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/judge-rejects-chubbuck-lds-church-leaders-plea-deal-that-congregation-member-called-a-slap-in/article_c6b493ee-e9d1-4374-94f6-dc73e658932e.html LDS leaders hear something else as construction irks rural Las Vegas neighbors – https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/lds-leaders-hear-something-else-as-construction-irks-rural-las-vegas-neighbors/ Three things people—even members—get wrong about Latter-day Saints – https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/07/16/three-things-people-even-members/ Rare prosecution: BYU student's boyfriend prosecuted for abuse that preceded her suicide – https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/07/18/rare-prosecution-byu-students/ How are global Latter-day Saints doing on mental health? – https://mormonmetrics.com/p/how-are-global-lds-doing-on-mental?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2746392&post_id=201511827&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=69jb7h&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email Confronting “toxic positivity” in the LDS church – https://exponentii.org/blog/confronting-toxic-positivity-in-the-lds-church/ World Cup celebrates faith – https://www.deseret.com/sports/2026/07/18/world-cup-celebrates-faith/ Reading recession: impacts on faith and spirituality – https://www.deseret.com/faith/2026/07/18/reading-recession-impacts-on-faith/ Yesteryear shows how shallow U.S. religion has become – https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/07/19/yesteryear-shows-how-shallow-us/ Influencers are being paid to spread the Mormon church's gospel – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-20/influencers-are-being-paid-to-spread-the-mormon-church-s-gospel 45 years ago today (Jul 23, 1981) – First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve announcement – https://www.todayinmormonhistory.com/2026/07/45-years-ago-today-jul-23-1981-thursday.html 75 years ago today (Jul 20, 1951) – Seventies called to fill missionary need during Korean War – https://www.todayinmormonhistory.com/2026/07/75-years-ago-today-jul-20-1951.html 55 years ago today (Jul 17, 1971) – Relief Society dues discontinued and assets turned over to Church – https://www.todayinmormonhistory.com/2026/07/55-years-ago-today-jul-17-1971.html
Join John Maytham to explore his favourite books for the week. Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After catching up on Salt Lake City divorce drama and the mediocre manosphere that I believe contributed to it, we jump into a review of the psychological "horror" film, Obsession. An instant classic, Obsession tells the story of a cowardly man's choice to put his crush under a spell to love him, rather than muster the courage to express his feelings and accept whatever hers may be. His choice to force his will upon her has devastating consequences for her, for him, and their entire community, but his resolve to have her love him remains. The movie is layered and filled with clues about motivations and messages regarding both the characters and the script. It's a powerful cautionary tale about how quiet, polite, unassuming men can still be dangerous and how narcissism, patriarchy, and fear can warp understanding what love is and isn't. Then, a review of the book Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke, another psychological ride. This one takes you into the mind of a "modern day trad wife" as her commitment to being a perfect, content generating, wife and mother plays out. With a fixation on a life mirroring that of the early frontier and wild west, Natalie, strives to project a specific image and aesthetic. Yet, she hides the unsavory truth of her hard forged reality, perhaps to herself most of all. While the main hook is Natalie suddenly waking up in the early 1800's, the book's observations on centering men, the roles women play to enable that illusion, and the high stakes of religious extremism, are also primary topics. We close with my plug for a series of books that I've recently discovered, the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. The series begins by introducing a girl named Juliette as she's trapped in an asylum due to her dangerous supernatural powers. From there, it evolves into a dystopian, la resistance, self acceptance, enemies to lovers arc - with a love triangle. I'll do a more thorough review when I finish all the books! Both Yesteryear and Shatter Me are currently being adapted into theatrical releases. TIMESTAMPS *approximate due to varying ad placement*:OBSESSON review begins at 13:23YESTERYEAR begins at 48:43SHATTER ME begins at 1:14:00All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is for entertainment purposes only and is sourced via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public websites, books, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity, and presented satirically and in layman's terms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Liberty and Danika discuss The New People, Cool Machine, The Princess Trap, and more great books! Subscribe to All the Books! using RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify and never miss a book. Sign up for the weekly New Books! newsletter for even more new book news. Keep track of new releases with Book Riot's New Release Index, now included with an All Access membership. Click here to get started today! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed On the Show: The New People by Andrea Uptmor The Masala Chai Mystery Club by MJ Soni The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert Yes, Chef by Grace Reilly Lord of the Wood by E.M. Anderson Funerals are for the Living by Sami Ellis Cool Machine (The Harlem Trilogy) by Colson Whitehead The Mortons by Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld Vera Stein Is Fine by Julie Murphy Yellow Pine by Claire Vaye Watkins Fatal Glitch: Camp Zero by Eliot Schrefer, Erin Entrada Kelly Unsayable: A Life in Writing by Michael Cunningham What We're Reading: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell The Talking Bone by Rene Denfeld Serious Music by Percival Everett Life Beyond Measure: Nature's Hidden Wonders at Every Scale by Ed Yong Paperbacks: An Oral History of Atlantis: Stories by Ed Park Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde Links: Jamie Smart and the rise of Bunny vs. Monkey Bestsellers: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Whistler by Ann Patchett Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett Tempting Venom by Rina Kent Communion: The Female Search for Love by bell hooks Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of The Reading Lounge, Sarah and Cynthiadiscuss Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett. Pond is a spare novel that weaves together vignettes of a woman's isolated life in coastal Ireland. It is one of the most unique reads we've picked up this year. We also read one of the most talked about new books thisyear: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We have thoughts on this page turner! To go along with the longer days of summer and (hopefully)more reading time, we have a refreshing cocktail to accompany your next great read. The Trembling Moonrise1 ¼ oz botanical gin½ oz dry vermouth½ oz elderflower liquor¼ oz fresh lemon juiceMix these ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into a glassover muddled cucumber and mint. Top with 1 oz of prosecco. Summer in a glass! Enjoy!
A first -- all book talk from start to finish! Martha is on vacation, and Shona L rounds out our three for this week. We each have a review, plus a roundtable discussion of the buzzy recent release Yesteryear.
Neste episódio de Bom Dia, Obvious, Marcela Ceribelli recebe Lela Brandão para uma conversa sobre corpo, criação e o que acontece quando aprendemos a prestar atenção aos sinais que ele dá.Lela fala sobre o processo de escrever Vertigem, seu primeiro livro, a experiência de ser ouvida por milhões de pessoas, a relação entre corpo e criação e as emoções que acompanharam o lançamento.O papo também tem reflexões sobre vulnerabilidade, exposição, além de uma revelação linda.------------------------------------------------------------------Chegou o Anittaço do Mercado Livre! São ofertas imperdíveis com até 70% OFF, até 24x sem juros com cartão Mercado Pago e frete grátis nas compras acima de R$19. Corre pro appVálido até 19/07/2026 para produtos selecionados e conforme disponibilidade. Veja os modelos participantes, preços e condições vigentes em mercadolivre.com.br/descontaco. Confira as condições em mercadolivre.com.br/l/fretegratis.Análise comparativa independente, baseada em cálculo da média dos prazos de entrega ofertados durante o período 19/03/2026 e 24/03/2026.------------------------------------------------------------------Use o cupom BOMDIA10 e ganhe 10% de desconto no Obvious Clube, a comunidade literária das mulheres que pensam em voz alta.Para conteúdos exclusivos do Bom dia, Obvious, assine a newsletter da Obvious Marcela Ceribelli no Instagram: @marcelaceribelliInstagram da Obvious: @obvious.ccTikTok da Obvious: @obvious.ccChapadinhas de Endorfina: @chapadinhasdeendorfinaOuça também, outros podcasts da Obvious:Podcast Chapadinhas de Endorfina.docPodcast Academia do PrazerLivros da Marcela Ceribelli:Sintomas — e o que mais aprendi quando o amor me decepcionou: AQUIAurora: O despertar da mulher exausta: AQUIInstagram Lela Brandão: AQUI Livro: Vertigem: A coragem de encarar o vazio e escutar seu corpo, de Lela Brandão: AQUI Citações:Oração para Desaparecer, de Socorro Accioly: AQUIBons tempos: Yesteryear, de Caro Claire Burke: AQUI
Happy Pot Luck Saturday!This week we're taking a delicious trip back to the golden age of childhood as we explore the incredible history of the American ice cream truck…from the 1920s Good Humor man to the legendary Hood trucks of Boston and the unforgettable novelty treats that defined the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Why did hearing that familiar jingle send an entire neighborhood sprinting for home? How did the ice cream man become one of America's most beloved summer traditions? And what happened to this uniquely American ritual? Along the way we rank the greatest frozen treats of all time…from Bomb Pops, Strawberry Shortcake Bars, Toasted Almonds, Screwballs, Push-Ups, Chipwiches, Jimmy Cones, Circus Fun, Cannonballs, Nutty Buddies and so many forgotten favorites. We uncover surprising stories behind Good Humor, Mister Softee, Hood, and the entrepreneurs who built an iconic industry on wheels, along with fascinating stats, hidden history, and the business lessons behind one of America's greatest neighborhood traditions. As always on Pot Luck Saturday, we wander wherever curiosity takes us, from pool safety and parenting, back to school back when, and why Gen X is the bridge generation, getting the last novelty ice creams from the truck so to speak. Join us at our Canyon Ranch 2026 Retreat: https://www.canyonranch.com/lenox/retreats/heal-retreat-maria-menounos HEAL SQUAD SOCIALS IG: https://www.instagram.com/healsquad/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healsquadxmaria HEAL SQUAD RESOURCES: Heal Squad Website:https://www.healsquad.com/ Heal Squad x Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HealSquad/membership Maria Menounos Website: https://www.mariamenounos.com My Curated Macy's Page: Shop My Macy's Storefront EMR-Tek Red Light: https://emr-tek.com/discount/Maria30 for 30% off Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/host ABOUT MARIA MENOUNOS: Emmy Award-winning journalist, TV personality, actress, 2x NYT best-selling author, former pro-wrestler and brain tumor survivor, Maria Menounos' passion is to see others heal and to get better in all areas of life. ABOUT HEAL SQUAD x MARIA MENOUNOS: A daily digital talk-show that brings you the world's leading healers, experts, and celebrities to share groundbreaking secrets and tips to getting better in all areas of life. DISCLAIMER: This Podcast and all related content (published or distributed by or on behalf of Maria Menounos or http://Mariamenounos.com and http://healsquad.com) is for informational purposes only and may include information that is general in nature and that is not specific to you. Any information or opinions provided by guest experts or hosts featured within website or on Company's Podcast are their own; not those of Maria Menounos or the Company. Accordingly, Maria Menounos and the Company cannot be responsible for any results or consequences or actions you may take based on such information or opinions. This podcast is presented for exploratory purposes only. Published content is not intended to be used for preventing, diagnosing, or treating a specific illness. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health-care emergency, please contact a qualified health care professional for treatment.
We're talking about the buzziest --- and most controversial --- book of the summer: "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke. It poses a question no one's brave enough to answer: are trad wives and career women fundamentally at odds? Or are they two sides of the same coin, minted by a bigger system that profits from their fight? As two Wall Street veterans recently profiled in Bloomberg for our new career as "finance influencers", we HAD to talk about the novel everyone is calling "rage bait", and we've got quite a lot to say. Fair warning: we spoil everything, INCLUDING the plot twist that has readers and critics alike up in arms. Why is a finance show covering a book about a trad wife influencer? The biggest names in this space, like Ballerina Farms and Nara Smith, are pulling in millions every year. The raw milk industry is a multi-billion dollar megalith expected to double in the next few years. And all of this is fueling a vertical of the creator economy that is growing in size (and scandals). What happens when a woman builds an empire by performing traditional acts of subservient domesticity on the most modern machine ever invented? We also turn the lens on ourselves, as moms, influencers, and educators --- where's the line between education and performance, and what responsibilities come along with influence? Whether you loved this book, hated it, or refuse to read it on principle, we want to know what you think! Let us know in the comments...
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It's an exciting week for our presenting sponsor as Brooks athlete Josh Kerr attempts to run the mile world record at the London Diamond League this weekend. Will he do it? Can anyone spoil the party? Of course, Des and Kara break it all down with predictions. But first... we have a special gift for those who love good intro banter - a brilliantly-long and smile-inducing intro. Everyone else can go touch grass and then fast forward through the first ~40 minutes. We've got a proper catch-up on summer travels, July birthdays, a mini book club chat on Yesteryear, some good laughs over Kara's Strava demotion, a Des training and sandpiper update, and some unhinged discussion of running neuroses. Can you handle a run that doesn't end in a 1-mile or 0.5 mile increment?! Now, we all need to lock in and cheer for Josh. Go get it done Josh! To take advantage of our Ketone-IQ sponsorship, use this link: https://ketone.com/pages/nobody-asked-us. You will receive 30% off on your subscription order so you can try the new flavors!
What if the coziest story of your childhood was only cozy because someone decided what to leave out?This week Brett is back for a book club chat on Little House on the Prairie and the real manuscript behind it, Pioneer Girl. We get into how Laura Ingalls Wilder's actual life story got rewritten by her daughter Rose into something sellable for Depression-era kids, what got cut along the way (a dead baby brother, a murdered family friend, an entire year of their lives), and the Osage history the books erase almost entirely, land that was never actually free, a removal that happened right past their door.We also talk about Pa, who gets remembered as the moral center of the whole series and maybe doesn't deserve it, and about Yesteryear, this year's buzziest book club pick, where a trad-wife influencer wakes up living the 1855 life she's been selling on Instagram.This is a conversation about which parts of our history get to be cozy and which parts get quietly left out, and who decides. If it resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and send it to a friend who loved these books as a kid too.Books & Sources MentionedPioneer Girl: The Annotated AutobiographyThe full Little House series (Laura Ingalls Wilder)The Rose Years series (Roger Lee MacBride)The Caroline Years series (Maria D. Wilkes & Celia Wilkins)Yesteryear by Caro Claire BurkeKillers of the Flower Moon by David GrannPrairie Fires by Caroline FraserFrances Kaye, "Little Squatter on the Osage Diminished Reserve," Great Plains Quarterly (2000)Osage Nation historical documentation (referenced re: 1869–70 removal)PBS American Masters piece on Laura Ingalls WilderComing Up Next Week!Author chat with Gaelynn Lea on her memoir It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect — a folk musician, Broadway composer, and disability advocate on embracing every kind of body.Thank you!xx, Alex Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Halftime Gang awaits tonight's World Cup Semi-Final and talk College Football of Yesteryear with a 90's throwback! Guests: Clay Henry! #Arkansas #ArkansasRazorbacks #Hogs #Hawgs #WPS #ArkansasRazorbacksPodcast #GoHogs #HitThatLine #WooPigSooie #RazorbackPodcast #ArkansasPodcast #HogPodcast #espnarkansas #halftime #worldcup #nba #sec #collegefootball Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Today Liz and Sarah are answering listener questions! If they weren't TV writers, what career would they each choose? (Sarah would like to own a craft store, while Liz's fantasy self is a birth doula.) What did they think of Caro Claire Burke's novel Yesteryear? Why don't they spend more time talking about the negative impact of AI? They discuss all this and so much more! Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Sign up for Liz & Sarah's free weekly Substack newsletter at https://happierinhollywoodpod.substack.com and Sarah's Chickening Out Substack at https://happierinhollywood.substack.com. They'll come right to your inbox! Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,' a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, 'S please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends! LINKS: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: https://amzn.to/440S348 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Yesteryear,” Caro Claire Burke's debut novel, tells the story of Natalie Heller Mills: an ultrasuccessful tradwife influencer who posts about her life on Yesteryear Ranch, a homestead where she grows her own food, tends to cows and chickens, raises her six children and models a particular brand of conservative Christian womanhood. But not all is as it seems. Behind the cameras, nannies care for the children, Natalie shops for the types of groceries she decries online, she detests her husband with his manosphere beliefs, and she's on the cusp of being exposed by a rogue video producer. One day she wakes up and discovers she has been transported to 1855, forced to live the pioneer persona she has been performing online. How did she get there? How can she escape? And what does her misery mean about the lifestyle she has embraced for profit? "Yesteryear" was met with fanfare after it was published in April. Even before the book was released, it was scooped up for a film adaptation that Anne Hathaway is set to star in and produce. The novel was selected as a “Good Morning America” Book Club pick; Burke appeared on “Late Night With Seth Meyers”; and the book has spent more than a month on The Times's best-seller list. Everyone, it seems, is talking about “Yesteryear.” But does it live up to the hype? On this episode of the Book Review Book Club, the host MJ Franklin discusses the book with his colleagues Jennifer Harlan and Joumana Khatib. Other books mentioned in this episode: “Running Out of Time,” by Margaret Peterson Haddix “Gone Girl,” by Gillian Flynn “The Power,” by Naomi Alderman “Eileen,” by Ottessa Moshfegh “The Compound,” by Aisling Rawle “Hot Girls With Balls,” by Benedict Nguyen “Just Watch Me,” by Lior Torenberg “A Good Person,” by Kirsten King “The Guest,” by Emma Cline Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week, Caro Claire Burke, the author of book of the summer "Yesteryear", joins panelists Karen Chee, Peter Grosz, and Shane O'NeillSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
Allie cracks open “Yesteryear,” a time-travel novel that supposedly crushes the tradwife movement and Christian nationalism. Allie peels back to the progressive motivations behind the fiction, while showing the parallels between the book's protagonist and Hannah Neeleman, better known as Ballerina Farm. Additionally, the author said she researched Christianity via Reddit, which results in a number of inconsistencies in the protagonist's faith. Finally, Allie takes some viewer questions on a viewer's husband being deployed, as well as female pastors in a children's ministry. Do you have a question for Allie? Leave a voicemail at 844-755-5252. Share the Arrows 2026 is on October 10 in Dallas, Texas! Tickets are on sale now at: https://sharethearrows.com Share the Arrows is sponsored by: A'del Natural Cosmetics: AdelNaturalCosmetics.com Range Leather: RangeLeather.com/ALLIE We Heart Nutrition: WeHeartNutrition.com Buy Allie's book "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion": https://www.toxicempathy.com – Time Codes 0:00 Introduction 2:47 Yesteryear Plot Analysis 17:58 The Author's Anti-Christian Motivations 32:53 The Inspiration for Yesteryear's Protagonist 37:52 What the Book Gets Wrong About Fundamentalism 48:22 Allie Gives Advice – Today's Sponsors: We Heart Nutrition | Check out We Heart Nutrition at WeHeartNutrition.com and use the code ALLIE for 20% off. Alliance Defending Freedom | Every dollar you give to ADF by March 31 will be doubled by a special matching grant, only while matching funds last. Go to JOINADF.com/ALLIE or text ALLIE to 83848 to have your gift matched to protect brave Americans. Good Ranchers | If you go to GoodRanchers.com and subscribe to any box of 100% American meat, you'll save up to $500 a year! Plus, if you use code ALLIE, you'll get an additional $25 off your first order. Crowd Health | Join CrowdHealth to get started today for $99 for your first three months using code ALLIE at JoinCrowdHealth.com. CrowdHealth is not insurance. Opt out. Take your power back. This is how we win. Patriot Mobile | Go to PatriotMobile.com/ALLIE or call 972-PATRIOT. Use promo code ALLIE for a free month of service. Episodes You May Like: Ep 1311 | Did John Piper Just Call for Open Borders? X Controversy Explained https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-1311-did-john-piper-just-call-for-open-borders-x/id1359249098?i=1000752697343 Ep 809 | The 'Trad' Movement Isn't Biblical https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-809-the-trad-movement-isnt-biblical/id1359249098?i=1000614038103 --- ► Buy Allie's book "You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love": https://alliebethstuckey.com/book ► Subscribe to the podcast: iTunes: https://apple.co/2UVssnP Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2FwkXxj ► Connect with Allie on Social Media: https://twitter.com/conservmillen https://www.instagram.com/alliebstuckey/ https://facebook.com/allieBlazeTV/ ► Relatable merchandise — use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey