This episode begins Season 11 for us–we’ve got over 200 episodes under our belts and are back to bring you more.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that fantasy is big right now, and we discovered a fun fantasy that feels like an Ocean’s 11 type romp with multiple characters trying to take down a king. The book is titled Five Broken Blades and it is written by Mai Corland. We were delighted to speak with her a couple weeks back, especially since she is now an international bestselling author. And in fact, while recording this episode you will hear Mai receiving some good news. While some people might let this success go to their heads, Mai is down-to-earth and gets entirely too much pleasure poking fun at her new status.

We chat about the fantasy series she can’t stop recommending, why writing middle grade and YA novels was such good prep for pacing in her new romantic fantasy, and how riding the subway opened up her world as a teen.

Books Discussed In This Episode:

1- Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

2- Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland

3- You Are Here: Connected Flights edited by Ellen Oh

4- Emma and the Love Spell by Meredith Ireland

5- The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland

6- Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

7- Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

8- The Jane City trilogy by Fonda Lee

9- The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

10- 5 Star Read Recommended by a Fellow Book Lover Marné Deranger @readerbythewater - Sandwich by Catherine Newman

11- Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives by Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett

12- Such Charming Liars by Karen McManus

13- One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

14- The Cousins by Karen McManus

15- Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson

Our guest this week is Nathan Gower, a writer with roots in Kentucky, having earned degrees from Spalding University and the University of Louisville. He now serves as a professor of English at Campbellsville University. His debut novel, The Act of Disappearing, publishes on May 28 with Mira Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

The novel is about a woman named Julia, who her friends call Jules. Julia has been trying to make a name for herself as a fiction writer, but she works at a bar to make ends meet. It is there that she meets a famous older man named Jonathan Aster who gives her a photograph and offers to pay her to tell the story of the woman in the picture: the woman in the photo is jumping off a bridge holding a baby. Julia begins a quest to discover who this woman is and learns about herself in the process

He also talks to us about how terrifying it was to write a book from a female POV, how the women in his family inspired this story, and the sci-fi book he just read and thoroughly enjoyed even though he doesn’t like sci-fi.

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

1- The Act of Disappearing by Nathan Gower

2- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

3- Dead Boy Detectives by Neil Gaiman

4- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

5- Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen

6- The Moviegoer by Walker Percy

7- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - A 5 Star Read Recommended by Fellow Book Lover Claire Boswell @clairesbookobsession

8- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

9- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

10- The Man In The Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

11- Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite

12- Johanna Porter is Not Sorry by Sara Read

Entertainment mentioned—

1- Beetlejuice (1988)

2- Beetlejuice (Broadway Across America)

3- Seinfeld (1989- 1998, Netflix)

4- Dark Matter (2024, Apple+)

5- The Dead Boys Detective (2024, Netflix)

6- Locke & Key (2020, Netflix)

7- The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

Photograph mentioned—

time.com/3456028/the-most-bea…h-an-immortal-photo/

This week we have our annual summer reading episode with our favorite bookseller, Sam Miller, store manager at Carmichaels Bookstore in Louisville, KY. By this point in our spring season, we are tired, so having Sam on and letting her do the heavy lifting on book suggestions is what we’re about. Sam clues us in to some new fiction, nonfiction, traditional summer reading, mysteries, sci-fi/fantasy, and children’s books you may want to scoop up.

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

1- James by Percival Everett

2- Hamilton by Ron Chernow

3- We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

4- Sandwich by Catherine Newman

5- Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

6- By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

7- Long Island by Colm Tóibín

8- Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

9- Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

10- I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

11- The Summer Pact by Emily Giffen

12- Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy

13- Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

14- Knife by Salman Rushdie

15- The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larsen

16- 1974 by Francine Prose

17- The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

18- Sociopath by Patric Gagne

19- An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

20- The Searcher by Tana French

21- The Hunter by Tana French

22- One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

23- Midnight Feast by Lucy Fole

24- Highway 13 by Fiona McFarland

25- This Bright River by Liz Moore

26- God of the Woods by Liz Moore

27- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

28- Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

29- The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville

30- Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

31- House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

32- Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

33- The Deading by Nicholas Belardes

34- Unicorn Woman by Gayl Jones

35- Eva’s Man by Gayl Jones

36- You Are Here edited by Ada Límon

37- Black Gold by Marguerite Henry

38- The Kentucky Oaks by Avalyn Hunter

39- Bourbonland by Edward Lee

40- Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee

41- Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee

42- The Gaga Mistake by Emma Straub

43- Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

44- The Squish by Brianna Carzoo

45- The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay

46- Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

47- Finna by Nino Cipri

48- The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird

49- I’m Afraid You Have Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

50- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Apps mentioned—

Merlin app (birds)

May is Audiobook Appreciation Month so this week we suggest 10 plus books that give a little added dimension when you listen to the audiobook version. And we aren't even entertaining the notion that listening to audiobooks isn't reading. Listening counts!

Books mentioned-

1- Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

2- The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

3- Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North (A 5 star read recommended by fellow book lover Shannon Loar @shopcoffeekids

4- Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney, narrated by Kristoffer Tabori

5- Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci, narrated by Stanley Tucci

6- Nothing is Wrong and Here is Why by Alexandra Petri, narrated by Rebecca Gibel

7- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, narrated by Marin Ireland

8- The Assasination of Brangwain Spurge by MT Anderson and Eugene Yelchin narrated by Gildart Jackson

9- Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, narrated by an ensemble cast

10- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, narrated by Tom Hollander

11- Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey by Florence Williams, narrated by author

12- Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, narrated by Marin Ireland

13- Ava's Man by Rick Bragg

14-The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and his People by Rick Bragg

15- My Southern Journey: True Journeys from the Heart of the South by Rick Bragg

16- It's All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg

17- Calypso by David Sedaris

18- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

19- Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, narrated by Bronson Pinchot

20- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

21- The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

22- The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia

Movies and Shows mentioned--

1- Big Night (1996)

2- Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy (CNN)

3- The Hunger Games (2012)

4- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

5- Daisy Jones and the Six (Amazon, 2023)

6- Leave the World Behind (Netflix, 2023)

7- Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

We interact with book publicists pretty often, but a few months ago, one of them, Sami Lien, emailed and asked for recommendations about things to do in Kentucky around Derby. She explained that she is in a travel book club; they read books over the course of 12 months about a particular US location and then take a trip to visit. The novel Horse by Geraldine Brooks was the book that inspired this particular trip for their club.

Well, we love books and travel so we had to invite Sami and her book club friend, Marilyn, to be guests on the show. We had a great time learning about the ins and outs of their travel book club and are excited to get to meet them this Friday at a restaurant about an hour outside of Louisville.

Books Mentioned in the Episode:

1- Horse by Geraldine Brooks

2- Relative Strangers by A.H. Kim

3- Once Persuaded, Twice Shy by Melodie Edwards

4- 1984 by George Orwell

5- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

6- Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

7- East of Eden by John Steinbeck

8- Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

9- Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

10- South of Broad by Pat Conroy

11- My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

12- Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

13- Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse by Kim Wickens

14- Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz

15- Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon - A five star read recommended by fellow book lover Caitríona Shannon @these_thats_and_prose

16- Friday Harbor by DC Alexander

17-Blood in the Bluegrass by DC Alexander

18- Mary by Janis Cooke Newman

19- Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming

20- Norah Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Shows mentioned--

1- Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

The Divine Destinations Reading List for Kentcuky and the KY Derby

1- Horse: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks

2- The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

3- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

4- Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

5- Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

6- Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

7- Lincoln by Russell Freedman

8- Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson

9- The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

10- The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis by Elizabeth Letts

11- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

12- The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

13- Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal by Sarah Maslin Nir

14- Lexington by Kim Wickens

This week we have a remix episode because we are attending the LA Festival of Books. We catch up with author Ellen Birkett Morris. We first spoke to her in 2020 about her short story collection, Lost Girls, and now she has recently published a novel Beware the Tall Grass. So we will hear a little something old and a little something new from her in that episode.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Beware the Tall Grass by Ellen Birkett Morris

2- Lost Girls by Ellen Birkett Morris

3- Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

4- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

5- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

5- Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken

6- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

7- Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

8- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers by Mary Roach

9- Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

10- Lake Life by David James Poissant

11- Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

12- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

13- The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

14- Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn translated by Melody Shaw - 5 Star Read recommended by Sarah Phillips @cosymidlifebooknook

Article mentioned in this episode:

lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-for-book-lovers/

This week we are playing the nostalgia card. All of the books we mention are backlist in a big way; the majority are at least 15 years old. Our episode is about books that take up space in our heads. They may be books that, when we see them on a shelf, stir up all kinds of feelings or memories from years past. Or they are books that simply left a huge impression on us and we think about them from time to time. Even though they aren’t new and shiny, these books deserve a place on your TBR.

Books mentioned:

1- The Dead Boy Detectives comic series based on characters developed by Neil Gaiman

2- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

3- Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

4- The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

5- Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin

6- When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker - A 5 star read recommended by fellow book lover - Kasey @kayree_reads

7-It by Stephen King (1986)

8- Jack Gance by Ward Just (1997)

9- Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (the Bernie Rhodenbarr series) by Lawrence Block (1977)

10- The Good Men by Charmaine Craig (2003)

11- The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir (1991)

12- Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography by Marion Meade (1991)

13- Nora: A Biography of Nora Joyce by Brenda Maddox (1998)

14- House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (1999)

15- Eva’s Man by Gayl Jones (1987)

16- Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith (1988)

17- Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895)

18- Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

19- Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

20- Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

Shows mentioned—

1- Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, 2024)

2- Catherine, Called Birdy (Amazon Prime, 2022)

3- Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

4- Sandman (Netflix, 2022)

5- Good Omens (Prime, 2019)

6- Sherlock (Hulu, 2010)

7- The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

8- Emma ( Amazon Prime, 2020)

9- 3 Body Problem (Netflix, 2024)

10- Burglar (1987)

11- House of Sand and Fog (Max, 2003)

12- Lion in Winter (1968)

13- Jude (1996)

14- Far from the Madding Crowd (Max, 2015)

Theatre mentioned—

Broadway across America production of “Six”

Articles mentioned—

8 Bookish Podcasts for Booklovers -

www.badasswomensbookclub.com/blog/2024/…booklovers

This week’s episode is one that big history nerds may find fascinating. In fact, big nerd Carrie could have gone even further down a rabbit hole of Herodotus than she did with our guest Judith Lindbergh. If you feel like playing a drinking game with this episode, between the three of us, we say the word ‘fascinating” at least nine times. Judith’s second novel, titled Akmaral, will be published on May 7 and is a sweeping story of a nomadic woman warrior in Central Asia during the 5th century.

Judith tells us about her inspiration for the novel (and you can find more about the Ice Maiden she mentions in our interview on her website) and how the matriarchal community in which Akmaral lives has connections to the mythological Amazons. Judith relates the challenges of women during the Iron Age to those that modern women have through her story. A perfect saga story for fans of Madeline Miller.

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

1- Akmaral by Judith Lindbergh

2- Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach

3- The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith

4- The Thrall's Tale by Judith Lindbergh

5- Histories by Herodotus

6- Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer

7- The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan - A 5 star read recommended by fellow book lover Linda Lefler @lindalefler

8- This is How Your Marriage Ends: A Hopeful Approach to Saving Relationships by Matthew Fray

9- The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

10- The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl

11- Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl

12- I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

Movies mentioned--

1- White Noise (2023)

Documentary mentioned:

1- Secrets of the Dead: Amazon Warrior Women, www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/amazon…women-episode/1464/.

2- NOVA: “Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrYitmlS1YU.

Article mentioned--

1- The Marriage Lesson That I Learned Too Late --www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/…-dishes/629526/

2- Tuvan Throat Singing - www.songlines.co.uk/features/essent…-singing-albums.

Earth Day is upon us in a few weeks, April 22, and what better time to explore literature that comments on the health of Mother Earth. This week we are talking eco-literature. Eco-literature engages readers on environmental concerns through the interactions between humans and the environment. And it encourages thought about our impact on the planet.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

2- That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

3- That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming

4- Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay Patel

5- Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

6- Did You Hear About Kitty Karr by Crystal Smith Paul - A 5 Star Read Recommended by a Fellow Book Lover Kristin @paws.read.repeat

7- Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

8- Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman

9- Dune by Frank Herbert

10- Don't Call Me a Hurricane by Ellen Hagan

11- Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America by Leila Philips

12- The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel

13- Three Ways to Disappear by Katy Yocom

14- State of Wonder by Ann Patchet

15- What Blooms From Dust by James Markert

16- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

17- Days of Sand by Aimee de Jongh

18- The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin

19- Death in the Air: The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City by Kate Winkler Dawson

20- Hoot by Carl Hiassen

Links to articles we reference:

Library Book Returned After 102 Years

people.com/family-returns-pair…ranch%20on%20Monday.

Wishtree censorship—

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/…ishtree.html

Sting Ray article—

www.npr.org/2024/03/07/12366785…tery-north-carolina

Bringing Back the Wooly Mammoth

www.npr.org/sections/health-sho…-mammoth-extinction

You can find this week’s Austen authors at their websites: www.ahkim.net/ and melodieedwards.com/. They are also on IG @ melodiewritesedwards and @ahkim.writer

Jane Austen was born in 1775 and died in 1817 but she remains a writer who has captured the minds and hearts of many readers. The themes she addressed in her time remain ones that are relevant today: the need to be an individual despite the binds of society’s rules, the complications of marriage, and the power and powerlessness that comes with changes in social class.

Our guests this week, AH Kim, and Melodie Edwards, both love Jane Austen and with such gusto that they wrote their own reimaginings of her novels. They talk about the potential pitfalls of their endeavors given how exacting many Austen fans are, as well as the things they wanted to ensure they kept from Austen versus the creative license they took to make their stories unique to their own experiences and modern times.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

1- Relative Strangers by A.H. Ki

2- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

3- Once Persuaded, Twice Shy by Melodie Edwards

4- Persuasion by Jane Austen

5- Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James

6- Jane and Edward by Melodie Edwards

7- A Good Family by A.H. Kim

8- Long Live by V. B. Lacey - A Book recommended by a fellow book lover Brianna Wright @bwrightsbookreviews

9- Deacon King Kong by James McBride

10- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

11- Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner

12- The Fetishist by Katherine Min

13- Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

14- The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

TV series mentioned:

1- Northern Exposure ( Amazon, 1990-1995)

2- The Reluctant Traveler (Apple +, 2023-present)

Movies mentioned-

1- Pride and Prejudice (1995) with Colin Firth

2- Sense and Sensibility (1995) with Emma Thompson

3- Persuasion (Netflix, 2022) with Dakota Johnson

4- Persuasion (2007, iTV) with Sally Hawkins

5- Persuasion (1995) with Ciarin Hinds

6- Emma (1996) with Gwyneth Paltrow

7- American Fiction (2023)