A Black woman sits in a chair reading
Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

5 Star Reads of 2023 (so far) + The Wild Wild Alaskan Front with Iris Yamashita

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It’s been a very good year of reading for Renee so far. Even though we’ve barely scratched the surface of the year (and we’re still covered in snow), Renee shares seven books that she’s rated five stars already. Then, Jordy sits down with Academy-Award nominated screenwriter, Iris Yamashita, to discuss her debut novel, City Under […]

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Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Four Books with an Older Main Character + The World As It Can Be with Nic Stone

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As Renee enters her late 30s, she craves books with older main characters. In this short segment, she shares four books that center the lives and stories of older women.  After a short message from our sponsor, Ashley speaks with Nic Stone about her novel, Chaos Theory. The conversation includes how class and power play

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Blog

Mad Honey with Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

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The novel Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is a page-turner that meets societal conversations with the stillness of small-town New England. Olivia is the mother of a child accused of murdering his girlfriend. Told from multiple timelines and perspectives, every character has agency and secrets that they cannot run from. I

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Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Reckoning with V, formerly Eve Ensler

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Ashley interviews V, formerly Eve Ensler, about her book, “Reckoning”. The conversation includes asking V about how she has grown as a storyteller, how do we address one another for progress, her thoughts on content warnings, and how has feminism changed since she wrote “The Vagina Monologues”.  Book content and conversation warning: rape, sexual abuse,

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Blog, Book Reviews, Podcast Shownotes

Ida In the Middle: Book Review + Queerness & Solving the Climate Crisis

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This episode starts off with a review of IDA IN THE MIDDLE by Nora Lester Murad. This book follows Ida, a Palestinian-American girl, as she eats a magic olive that takes her to the life she might have had in her parents’ village near Jerusalem. In the second segment, Niba sits down with Liz Weinberg.

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Rina Raphael
Author Interview, Blog

Rina Raphael and The Gospel of Wellness

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Thanks to money, celebrity, and enticing ads with unfulfilled promises, wellness and self-care have become dominant industries. Journalist Rina Raphael has written a compelling book about these ever-growing industries in The Gospel of Wellness. I asked Rina about how wellness can be about curiosity, how wellness depends on location, celebrities’ influence on wellness, and how

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Hannah Reynolds
Author Interview, Blog

Learning How to Flirt During Hanukkah with Hannah Reynolds

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In the novel Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds, Shira enlists her “nemesis/former crush” to teach her how to flirt. Shira is 16 years old and determined to get a boyfriend during Hanukkah. But during their snowed-in time together, Shira learns there is more to Tyler than she thought. She learns to trust her

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Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

The Eras as Book Recommendations + Stratchey, Woolf & Bloomsbury

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Where are the Swifties? Jordy and Berkley publicist, Kristin Cipolla, sit down to discuss two of their favorite things: Taylor Swift and books. If you’re looking for book recommendations based on each of Taylor’s eras, you’re in the right place.  In the second segment, Alana speaks with Nino Stratchey, of the infamous Stratchey family. They

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Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Sex Education: What We Should Have Learned in High School

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Jordy sits down with Laura Bates, feminist and sexism expert, to discuss her new book, NO ACCIDENT. This YA feminist, survivor thriller explores themes of sexual harassment, rape, abusive relationships, psychological abuse, and friendships in young adults.   Books & Resources mentioned Fix the System, Not the Women by Laura Bates Men Who Hate Women by

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