Ep 147: Best Books of the Year 2021

Ep 147: Best Books of the Year 2021

My real life book club is BACK with our annual conversation about the Best Books of the Year!

Please welcome my friends Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith back to the show for our fourth annual Best Books of the Year episode.

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Ep 141: 6 Classic Novels You Should Read (with guest Colleen Powell)

Ep 141: 6 Classic Novels You Should Read (with guest Colleen Powell)

I have a running list of classic novels that I want to re-read as an adult or read for the first time because I missed them in high school English class.

If you have the same literary burden, this episode is meant to help you choose a classic that won't be a total bore.

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BONUS: Hope Anyway with Leeana Tankersley

BONUS: Hope Anyway with Leeana Tankersley

Hope Anyway is Leeana Tankersley’s sixth book, and it comes after Tankersley found herself sorting through immense grief following the unexpected end of her long marriage.

Leeana Tankersley is funny and relatable and a great writer. I just loved our conversation that was full of vulnerable moments (me) and kind wisdom (her).

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Ep 126: Books we wish we'd written (A conversation with author Shawn Smucker)

Ep 126: Books we wish we'd written (A conversation with author Shawn Smucker)

This conversation with my old friend Shawn Smucker is one of the best I've had in awhile. We talk about reading and ghost writing and self-publishing and (not) censoring what our kids read.

And we also talk about the books we wish we'd written. Somehow I shock Shawn with one of my answers!

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Ep 121: Stephen King Starter Kit

Ep 121: Stephen King Starter Kit

Stephen King is a genius and I believe we will one day study him in academic settings like we do other literary giants.

(He's also my favorite author.)

I'm making a case today for why YOU should read this master storyteller. He has created some of the most iconic characters and plot lines and imagery in history, but he gets a bad rap from casual readers because his most popular work is horror.

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Ep 113: Best Books Lately (with Sarah's Bookshelves Live)

Ep 113: Best Books Lately (with Sarah's Bookshelves Live)

Good news! My reading rhythms are back, which means more book content than ever before. I am so happy to share this conversation with Sarah from Sarah's Bookshelves Live about the best books we've read lately.

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Ep 108: Best Books Lately (with Meredith Monday Schwartz & Kaytee Cobb)

Ep 108: Best Books Lately (with Meredith Monday Schwartz & Kaytee Cobb)

Not at all sorry to have two books & reading episodes in a row! Especially because my guests for this Best Books Lately conversation are two of my favorites voices in the book-ish world.

Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb are the two women behind the Currently Reading podcast and I think that you will love their varied recommendations in our conversation.

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Ep 107: 10 Reasons to Read (A conversation with Sara Hildreth of @fictionmatters)

Ep 107: 10 Reasons to Read (A conversation with Sara Hildreth of @fictionmatters)

In this conversation, Sara Hildreth from @fictionmatters and I each share 5 reasons we read fiction, why it has matters to us personally and how it changes the world. I just loved chatting with her and we could have talked for hours.

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BONUS: Moms Don't Have Time To.....with Zibby Owens

BONUS: Moms Don't Have Time To.....with Zibby Owens

I am super excited to welcome fellow podcaster and fellow February author to the show. Zibby Owens is the podcaster behind the popular show Moms Don't Have Time To Read Books, where she has some of the greatest author interviews.

But now Zibby herself is the author! This week she released Moms Don't Have Time To....A Quarantine Anthology, with essays about not having time to read, work out, eat, have sex, or breathe. All written by some of the fabulous authors that have appeared on her podcast.

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Ep 102: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.

Ep 102: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.

My first book Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. launches into the world this week!

This book was born out of this podcast. So if you enjoy this show, you will LOVE the book version.

I think it will spark deeper connections in your conversations and meaningful introspection within yourself.

But as much as I talk about SHARING on this show....I'm ready to talk a little bit about the STUFF part of "Share Your Stuff."

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Ep 101: What are you afraid of? (A FREE audio chapter from Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. + an excerpt from the foreward by Jenna Fischer)

Ep 101: What are you afraid of? (A FREE audio chapter from Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. + an excerpt from the foreward by Jenna Fischer)

This is an extra special episode, because I'm giving you a FREE chapter from my new book Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.

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Ep 98: How To Start A Book Club

Ep 98: How To Start A Book Club

People love the idea of being in a book club, but I think most of us would rather join an already formed group, with procedures in place and a warm and fuzzy vibe already established. But if that isn’t readily available to you, guess what the next best thing is? Start one yourself!

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BONUS: (More) Best Books of the Year (According to Laura)

BONUS: (More) Best Books of the Year (According to Laura)

On Episode 96, my real life Book Club shared our top 3-ish favorite books of the year. And while I loved that discussion, there are still so many great books from 2020 I wanted to share with you! So as promised, this is a BONUS episode with my full list of favorite reads in 2020.

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Ep 90: Best Books Lately with Dr. Cara Pence

Ep 90: Best Books Lately with Dr. Cara Pence

I’m joined by one of my oldest and closest friends, Dr. Cara Pence. You might remember Cara from Ep 6: Revisiting Judy Blume. On this episode, we’re each sharing the best books we’ve read lately and talking through two recent best sellers. (One we loved, one we didn’t.)

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Ep 83: Best Books Lately with Christine Koh

Ep 83: Best Books Lately with Christine Koh

It’s time for another episode about the best books we’ve read lately! This time I'm joined by Christine Koh, an author, speaker, blogger, podcaster, designer, and scientist. Yes, DR. Christine Koh is all of those things, and on this episode she is sharing books that speak to the Asian American experience AND her newfound love of the romance genre.

I'm sharing two books about cults, what I'm reading before I fall asleep at night, and the novel that took me totally by surprise.

So there is a LOT packed into this conversation.

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