Episodes
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My dear friend Mark Lefebvre is back this week to teach me all about Canadian Literature, eh?
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Mark Lefebvre
Website/Instagram
Editor: Emily Zumchak
Website/Email
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast, AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Bob and Doug McKenzie
The Handmaids Tale and Others by Margaret Atwood
Louise Penny
The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
World of Wonders by Robertson Davies
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison
Farley Mowat
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice
A Matter of Will by Rod Carley
Kinmount by Rod Carley
Lives of Girls and Women and Others by Alice Munroe
Steven Leacock
The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot
The Embroidered Book by Kate Hartfield
The Hollow Boys by Douglas Smith
The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee
Changing Vision by Julie E. Czerneda
Flash Forward Robert J Sawyer
Flashforward TV series
Rollback by Robert J Sawyer
Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson
All Those Explosions Were Someone Elseâs Fault by James Alan Gardner
Edenâs Eyes by Sean Costello
Death Drives a Semi by Edo Van Belkom
The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper
The Long Way Back by Nicole Baart
Samantha M. Bailey
Giles Blunt
Michael Connolly
Linwood Barclay
Into The Fire by Rick Mofina
Hollow Place by Rick Mofina
Requiem by Rick Mofina
Canadian Werewolf Series
The Line Painter by Claire Cameron
The Bear by Claire Cameron
The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Color of Heaven by Julianne McClain
Chasing the Wind by C.C. Humphries
Someday Iâll Find You by C.C. Humphries
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
Scott Overton
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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This week's guest is one of my favorite readers, writers and humans on the planet: Mark Lefebvre. Mark has been pushing Terry Fallis' books on me practically since we met, and I'm so glad I finally took his advice. We had a great time discussing political satire, reading slumps, and the differences between American and Canadian humor sensibilities.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Mark Lefebvre
Website/Instagram
Editor: Emily Zumchak
Website/Email
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast, AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
BBE Episode 009 Mark Lefebvre on Earth Abides
BBE Episode 058 Mark Lefebvre on Traveling Music by Neil Peart (this is one of those very rare occasions when Mark and I disagreed about a book, and let me tell you, my friends: saying something negative about Neil Peart in front of Mark Lefebvre was the riskiest thing I have ever done in my life. I am so brave.)
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
BBE Episode 010 Casey Starnes on Catcher in the Rye
Titles Bookstore at McMaster University
High Spirits by Robertson Davies
John Irving
Steven Leacock
McClelland and Stewart
Pygmalian by George Bernard Shaw
My Fair Lady (1964)
Best Laid Plans TV Show
Dennis Hamill
Operation Angus by Terry Fallis
No Relation by Terry Fallis
Up and Down by Terry Fallis
Poles Apart by Terry Follis
The Candidate (1972)
Three Cheers For Me by Donald Jack
The Long Way Back by Nicole Bart
Number One is Walking by Steve Martin
Harry Bliss
The Canadian Mounted by Mark Leslie
Edo Van Belkom
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Episodes manquant?
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This week I'm so delighted for you to meet Kate Reynolds, also known as The Lavender Librarian. Kate is a passionate advocate of inclusive storytimes for children, and she has some innovative ideas for how to share reading time with kids.
I was initially hesitant when Kate suggested we read a children's book for this episode - afraid that we wouldn't have enough to talk about to fill the half hour. But I was so, so wrong. Talking to librarians is always a wonderful experience, but talking to this particular one about this particular book was extra-specially magic.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Kate Reynolds
Instagram/Facebook/Youtube
Storytime Solidarity - Website/Patreon/Facebook Group
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast, AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
A Day with No Words by Tiffany Hammond
Roald Dahl
The Babysitters Club
Beverly Cleary
Mr. Rogers
Sharon, Lois and Bram
Sandwiches by Fred Penner
Je suis une Pizza by Charlotte Diamond
123 Andres
Jim Gill
Little Miss Anne
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Mouse by Art Spiegelman
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Tiffany Hammondâs Instagram
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Today I am joined by Lisa Petersen, my dear friend since college. We agreed to spend the summer revisiting our favorite childhood classics by Judy Blume, and now weâre back to discuss our feelings about the books as children vs. as adults. Along the way, we talked about banned books and parenting, and how our love for Judy Blume has carried us through the years.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Lisa Petersen
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast, AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Judy Blume
The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
The Warrior Cats Series by Erin Hunter
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume
Are You There God? Itâs me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Blubber by Judy Blume
Deenie by Judy Blume
Forever by Judy Blume
Itâs Not the End of the World by Judy Blume
Judy Blume Forever - 2023 film
Are You There God? Itâs me, Margaret - 2023 film
Terry Gross Interview
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
Youâve Got Mail - 1998 film
Also, for fun: 87 Books Featured in âYouâve Got Mailâ
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Yolanda Skeete, an avid reader and co-host of Thrillers by the Book Club SoCal, is back on the show with our book club pal Vanessa Vicente. Yolanda and Vanessa are both bookstagrammers living in Southern California who love to review thrillers, nonfiction, romance, and other genres. As mothers ourselves, we have a lot to say about the 2022 Science Fiction novel âThe School for Good Mothersâ by Jessamine Chan. In this episode, we talk about our experiences, hardships, and joys as mothers, and the discussion ranges from KidLit to Black Mirror to Michelle Obama to questions like âWhy arenât moms allowed to be sexy??â
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Yolanda Skeete
Instagram
Guest: Vanessa Vicente
Instagram
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast, AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2022
Maribelâs Year and Others by Michelle Sterling
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds
Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds
The Couch Potato by Jory John
The Bad Seed by Jory John
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Harambe
Black Mirror TV Show
The Sitting Month
The Drowning Woman by Robin Harding
Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
The Wife Between Us by Sarah Pekkanen
Judy Blume
Are You There God? Itâs Me, Margaret. Movie
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Drowning by T.J. Newman
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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If you have not yet experienced the joy of the "Court of Thorns and Roses" fandom, we are going to fix that today.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest Panel:
Victoria Snow
Instagram
Fareya
Instagram/TikTok/Goodreads
Nicole Burton
Instagram/Goodreads
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAR) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Wings and ruin (ACOWAR) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOFAS) by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
ACOTAR Wiki
Emma Petersen mentioned the ACOTAR books as âbird pornâ when she appeared on the podcast to talk about Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang on Episode 138
A Court of Tattoos and Rosé podcast
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
House of Earth and Blood: Book one of the Crescent City Series by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
@Kaykaysbookshelf (an awesome bookstagram account â scroll her saved stories for Sarah J. Mass mini-guides [spoiler free], maps, glossaries, etc. Her account is well worth a visit if you are a fan.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Daughter of the Moon Goddess: A Fantasy Romance Novel by Sue Lynn Tan
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
The Ballad of Songbirds of Snakes (a Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins
Haunting Adeline by H. D. Carlton
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Today I've got my first "three-peat" guest, Marion Hill. Just like in our two previous conversations, Marion introduced me to a book that I wouldn't have picked up on my own, that I sort of dreaded reading, and that I wound up loving and thinking about nonstop after I finished!
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Marion Hill
Website/Instagram
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
The Book of Strange new Things by Michel Faber
The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Eva Luna: A Novel by Isabel Allende
Marionâs previous picks on the podcast
Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint, which we talked about on Episode 008
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which we talked about on Episode 083
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Gilead by Marilyn Robinson
Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The Sportswriter: Bascombe Trilogy 1 by Richard Ford
Independence Day: Bascombe Trilogy 2 by Richard Ford
The Lay of the Land: Bascombe Trilogy 3 by Richard Ford
Let Me Be Frank with You: A Frank Bascombe Book by Richard Ford
Be Mine: A Frank Bascombe Novel by Richard Ford
The Kammbia Series by Marion Hill
Marionâs 25 by Marion Hill
Marionâs 25 Volume II by Marion Hill
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Ambika Devi
Website/YouTube/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/LinkedIn
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Fun With Dick and Jane
Lilith by Ambika Devi
The Artistâs Way by Julia Cameron
Cupid is a Bastard by Ambika Devi
Journeys Out of the Body by Robert A. Monroe
Danielle Garrett
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christâs Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Artemis by Andy Weir
The Martian by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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My guest this week is my beautiful daughter Ella. Ella just finished a semester at the University of Leicester, where she studied the novels of Jane Austen, and we have been talking nonstop about the books versus the movie adaptations, as well as feminism in Jane Austens books, and whether or not Harry Styles can smolder. It's a journey.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Ella Strauss
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
1st Annual Kids/YA Episode when Ella told me about Kate Atkinson
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Clueless Movie
Bride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility Movie
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft
Here comes the smolder â from âTangledâ
Derek Zoolanderâs âBlue Steelâ
Here is the Mr. Darcy hand flex scene that all the kids are weirdly obsessed with
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird
Eve Ensler
Colleen Hoover
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Bunny: A Novel by Mona Awad
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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My mom is the reason Iâm a reader and today she joined me to talk books. She surprised me by choosing a cookbook (she and I are both fiction junkies) but The Pat Conroy Cookbook made for a great chat. We also talked about how we both cut our teeth on trashy novels and the joys of re-reading favorite books. She even spilled some tea about her book club!
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Betsy Dunn
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
The Pat Conroy Cookbook by Pat Conroy
The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope (this is just one in a whole series of Bobbsey Twins adventures)
Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son by Pat Conroy
Carlsbad Aquafarm
Beaufort, South Carolina really does look like a lovely town
Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home by Ina Garten
Ina Gartenâs Beef Bourguingnon
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King
The Water is Wide: A Memoir by Pat Conroy
The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Y'all already know how much I love Canadians, and today you get to hear from one of my favorite ones.â
â
I've previously interviewed Erin Walker before on Episode 101: Cookbook-Palooza with the women of the Three Kitchens Podcast. Their mission is to inspire fellow home cooks to try something new and have fun in the kitchen. They take a deep dive into a recipe, giving ideas and tips for making it, and they also talk to interesting guests from the food world.â
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Today I get a solo show with Erin, who is a mother, knitter, lover of the great outdoors and (of course) an avid reader. We talked about the book "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing and let me tell you: this is a jaw-dropping story. Erin is the type of human who likes to do treacherous, outdoorsy things, and I am the type of human who only goes outside to acquire more books. But we agree that this book, and the story of this particular adventurer, is an incredible read.âHost: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Erin Walker
Instagram/Facebook/Website
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Endurance: Shackletonâs Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
(Check out Best Book Ever Episode 049, when Ysaura Vanegas talked to me about The Alchemist)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
(Check out Best Book Ever Episode 024, when Jaimie Morimoto talked to me about Pride and Prejudice)
The Promise by Damon Galgut
(Check out Best Book Ever Episode 089, when Stephen Pelton talked to me about Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf,and we veered into a discussion about Damon Galgutâs books.)
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
Endurance: My Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly
More Than Youâll Ever Know by Kate Gutierrez
Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
(Check out Best Book Ever Episode 143, when Katy Leep Arditti talks to me about The House in the Cerulean Sea)
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
(Check out Best Book Ever Episode 089, when Tori Snow talked to me about Hidden Valley Road)
Tastes Like War: A Memoir by Grace M. Cho
(Check out Best Book Ever Episode 110, when Jasmine Vyas talked to me about Tastes Like War).
I was not able to do the Bosom Caresser Speakeasy Episode with the Three Kitchens Gals, but they did it, and it is wonderful. Check it out HERE!
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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It's just Julie this week, with an update about my absence and conversation about how my girlfriends have pulled me through this horrible season of life. Spoiler alert: they fed me tacos and wine and led me to the books that are helping me see things differently. As friends do!
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
This also exists as a stage play adaptation, performed on audiobook by Vanessa Redgrave
Jaymi Couch, The OC Book Girl Instagram
Jaymiâs newsletter, Letâs Read Nonfiction
If you are a So Cal resident, donât miss Jaymiâs amazing So Cal Reads Newsletter, where she links to author and reader events all over Southern California
Geometry of Grief: Reflections on Mathematics, Loss, and Life by Michael Frame
When Your Heart Says Go: My Year of Traveling Beyond Loss and Loneliness by Judy Reeves
This Isn't Going to End Well: The True Story of a Man I Thought I Knew by Daniel Wallace
Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets by Kyo Maclear
The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Bozoma Saint John
What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love by Laurel Braitman
So Sorry for Your Loss: How I Learned to Live with Grief, and Other Grave Concerns by Dina Gachman
One Long Listening: A Memoir of Grief, Friendship, and Spiritual Care by Chenxing Han
Everything All at Once: A Memoir by Stephanie Catudal
How to Say Goodbye by Wendy MacNaughton
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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My beloved Katy Leep Arditti is back this week, with yet another book that ripped my beating heart straight out of my chest, and left me weeping on the bedroom floor in the wee hours of the night. In a good way. We also chatted about perfume and anxiety and book bans, and how this book needs to go to people who experience all three.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Katy Leep-Arditti
Katyâs Bookstagram/Katyâs Perfume IG Account /Perfume TikTok Account
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Katyâs last appearance on Best Book Ever Podcast
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Skylar Salt Air perfume
Fog perfume by Henry Rose
Noir Exquis by LâArtisan Perfumaire
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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I liked todayâs book.
And then I felt very weird that I liked it.
Olivia Day, my guest who brought this confusing, twisty book into my life, is the co-host of the Thrillers by the Book Club pod. She is a long-time lover of thrillers, crime, and mystery stories, and a graduate of International Thriller Writerâs Online Thriller School. Despite the grim thesis of the book we are discussing, Olivia and I had a lot of laughs as we discussed this book. And we drew a pretty effective through-line between the books that represent womenâs ultimate fantasies, whether they are sexual or, you know, murderous.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Olivia Day
Instagram/Twitter
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Thrillers by the Book Club Podcast
Chelsea Hofman on the Best Book Ever Podcast: Episode 137 and Episode 108
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
Temper by Layne Fargo
The Collective by Alison Gaylin
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Best Book Ever Episode 013 Asha Sabella on The Last Mrs. Parrish
Heartsick: A Thriller by Chelsea Cain
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Lisa Marie Cabrelli is my dear friend and one of my favorite people on the planet to talk books with, because her insights always knock me out. She came back to the show today to talk about "In the Woods," the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French. Lisa Marie got me hooked on this series several years ago, and I love hearing her brilliant insights about why crime fiction reflects national identity. Tana French writes literary, thought-provoking genre fiction that is deeply immersive and, as I found out, gets even better on re-reads.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Lisa Marie Cabrelli
Website/Instagram/Twitter
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Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
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Discussed in this episode:
In the Woods by Tana French (Book 1 of the Dublin Murder Squad)
Elizabeth George
Listen to author Aime Austin talk to me about What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George in Episode 047
Ian Rankin
The Inspector Gamache Series by Louise Penny
Tana Frenchâs Intimate Crime Fiction, by Laura Miller, the New Yorker, September 26, 2016
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Ann Patchettâs bookstore, Parnassus Books
This Must Be the Place by Maggie OâFarrell
Hamnet by Maggie OâFarrell
Severance by Ling Ma
Listen to Lisa Marieâs previous appearance on this podcast, when she talked about Severance on Episode 050
Read "The Descent" by Lisa Marie Cabrelli on Yonder
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Dawn Raffel
Website/Instagram/Twitter
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
How to Read War and Peace by Dawn Raffel Oprah Magazine, July 2006 (this article really makes me want to give it a shotâŠ)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Boundless as the Sky by Dawn Raffel
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
The Strange Case of Dr. Couney by Dawn Raffel
Grendel by John Gardner
Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Some of you may remember back in episode 107 when I had Maci Nelson on the show. Maci is an avowed bookworm â iand also the host of one of my favorite shows, the Landscape Nerd podcast, a fantastic resource for anyone who is interested in the outdoor world. You might think this is a niche interest of mine, since Iâm a known garden geek, but whatâs great about the Landscape Nerd is how Maci looks at all aspects of our outdoor spaces â not only which plants grow there, but how we use spaces, how we look at them, evne how they sound. I promise you, even if you are not particularly interested in gardening, you will learn something wonderful when you hear Maci talk to people who care about your landscape.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Maci Nelson
Website/Instagram/Podcast
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Maciâs appearance on the Best Book Ever podcast, when we discussed âHowlâs Moving Castleâ by Diana Wynne Jones
American Society of Botanical Artists
The Art of Botanical Illustration, via Daily Art Magazine
What is Botanical Illustration? via My Modern Met
The Science of Art: Why Botanical Illustration Matters, via National Tropical Botanical Garden
How Art Shapes Our Understanding of Plants and Reveals Wonders Photographs Can Miss, via National Geographic.co.uk
Botanical Illustration is Becoming Endangered, But the Job is Essential, via the Washington Post (no paywall)
Ode to Black Botanical Illustrators
Decolonizing Botanical Illustration, via Draw Botanical
Nirupa Rao: Discovering the Magical World of Botanical Illustration, via National Geographic Society
An Nirupa Rao TED Talk: An Illustrated Kingdom of Real, Fantastical Plants
âPlant Blindnessâ is a Real Thing: Why Itâs a Real Problem, Too, via The Conversation
Draw Botanical.com
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Emma Dayton Petersen lives in NYC, and is working towards getting her Masters Degree in Speech Pathology. While studying, she works full time as a Client Success Manager for a life and career coaching company for creatives. She became interested in the field of speech and linguistics during her time as a theater student at CSU, Fullerton. Emmaâs dream is to use performance and theater as a tool to help people with communicative disorders. Her love of language is what initially drew her to the short story, âStory of Your Life,â and we had a fascinating discussion about what language is, how we communicate, and if weâd want to know the future.
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Emma Dayton Petersen
Instagram
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (this is a book of short stories; the one we discussed today, âStory of Your Lifeâ, is the story that the movie âArrivalâ is based on.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Arrival movie â this movie is also one of my all-time favorites!
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
The Best Short Stories 2022, The O. Henry Prize Winners, Edited by Valeria Luiselli
The Strand Bookstore
Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption edited by Daniel Jones
Modern Love podcast
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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Today we welcome back my friend Chelsea Hofman of the Thrillers by the Book Club and Podcast. I think of all of my guest, Chelsea is probably the one whose tastes are the most polar opposite of mine. Thats why it's always such a blast talking to her. Today we discussed a book about murderous dolls that I shockingly did not hate!
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Chelsea Hofman
Instagram/Podcast
Join the Best Book Ever Newsletter HERE!
Subscribe for FREE to receive weekly emails with complete show notes, photos of our guests, and updates on what Julie is reading on her own time.
Support the podcast for just $5/month and youâll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and youâll receive the weekly newsletter, the monthly curated book list, AND a personal thank you on the podcast AND a Best Book Ever T-Shirt in your favorite color and style.
Discussed in this episode:
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Thrillers by the Book Club
Thrillers by the Book Club Podcast
So, Youâre Interested in Free Books episode of Thrillers by the Book Club Podcast
The Southern Book Clubâs Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Corduroy by Don Freeman
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Taking Tree: A Selfish Parody by Shrill Travesty
Super Scary Haunted Homeschool with Grady Hendrix
The Last Word by Taylor Adams
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Zero Days by Ruth Ware
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing
What Remains by Wendy Walker
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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My friends, Covid finally caught up to me this week, and holy moly did it ever knock me on my on my butt. So, today Iâm sharing a replay episode. This interview with Jeff Adams was one of my all time favorites - heâs a delightful human, a wonderful podcast host, and an incredibly voracious reader. The book we discussed, and this episode, have stuck with me ever since it aired.
Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Jeff AdamsWebsite/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Big Gay Fiction Podcast/Big Gay Author Podcast
Discussed in this episode:
The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen
(Part of the Ivy Years Series)
New York City Gay Hockey Association
Trouble Shooter Series by Suzanne Brockman (This is a 19-book series that begins with The Unsung Hero.)
Love, Simon
The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren
St. Nachos by Z.A. Maxfield
Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
The Extraordinaries by TJ Clune
Camp by L.C. Rosen
V.L. Losey (Romance author)
RJ Scott (Romance author)
The MM Author Podcast
GRL â Gay Rom Lit Retreat
They Both Die At the End by Adam Silvera
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
What If Itâs Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Love, Victor
Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera
The Dreamers Series Adriana Herrera
Book 1: American Dreamer
Book 2 American Fairytale
Book 3: American Love Story
Book 4: American Sweetheart
The Hideaway Inn by Phillip William Stover
The Hockey Playerâs Heart by Jeff Adams and Will Knauss
(Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)
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