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By Julie Strauss
4.9
4242 ratings
The podcast currently has 156 episodes available.
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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 Else’s Fault by James Alan Gardner
Eden’s 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 I’ll 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!)
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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!)
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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 Hammond’s 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!)
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 we’re 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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Blubber by Judy Blume
Deenie by Judy Blume
Forever by Judy Blume
It’s Not the End of the World by Judy Blume
Judy Blume Forever - 2023 film
Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret - 2023 film
Terry Gross Interview
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
You’ve Got Mail - 1998 film
Also, for fun: 87 Books Featured in “You’ve Got Mail”
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!)
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 “The School for Good Mothers” 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 “Why aren’t moms allowed to be sexy??”
Host: Julie Strauss
Website/Instagram
Guest: Yolanda Skeete
Guest: Vanessa Vicente
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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
Maribel’s 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? It’s 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!)
The Best Book Ever Podcast is taking the rest of the summer off to rest, recuperate, and, best of all, to read indiscrimitately.
We'll be back on September 4, 2023, so make sure you have subscribed to the podcast on whatever podcatcher you use.
I'll still send out regular emails with all sorts of bookish news, so make sure you're subscribed to my weekly newsletter HERE.
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
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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 “bird porn” 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 – 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!)
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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
Marion’s 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
Marion’s 25 by Marion Hill
Marion’s 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!)
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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 Artist’s 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, Christ’s 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!)
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 you’ll receive the weekly newsletter AND a monthly themed curated book list.
Become a Founder for $100 and you’ll 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 – from “Tangled”
Derek Zoolander’s “Blue Steel”
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!)
The podcast currently has 156 episodes available.
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