Ahead of St. Patrick's Day, we're going beyond the next chapter and taking you to Ireland! We're joined this week by Valley teacher and author Jennifer Deibel. She's out with a new book called "Heart of the Glen." Jennifer teaches in the Valley and is passionate about reading and literacy. She also spent 10 years living in Ireland and Austria. She talks about how she became an author, what surprised her most about the publishing world, and what gives her hope while working in public education.

Calling all historical fiction fans! On this episode, our host Whitney Clark is joined by New York Times best-selling author Fiona Davis. She's out with a new book called "The Stolen Queen." This novel takes us from The Met to Egypt! It's a mix of glamour and mummies, mystery, and Davis describes it as a cross between  "Indiana Jones," "Thelma & Louise" and "The Devil Wears Prada." Davis talks about how she went from acting to writing, why it's so important to portray female friendships in her novels, and what research went into this book. It included a trip to Eygpt!

Do you need a hug? We all do sometimes! In honor of Valentine's Day, this week we are joined by two librarians from the Maricopa County Library District with their book recommendations: specifically books that feel like a hug! They offer a few titles that may give you some comfort, a sense of community, feel-good reads, cozy fantasy books and more. Here is the list: 

"Britt-Marie Was Here" by Fredrik Backman

The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire

"Legends & Lattes" by Travis Baldree 

"This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

"The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse" by Charlie Mackesy

"How to Stop Time" by Matt Haig

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, New York Times best-selling author Tessa Bailey is out with her latest spicy sports romance “Dream Girl Drama.” When a professional hockey player and a harp player have a chance encounter, there is an instant love connection. Unfortunately though Sig and Chloe find out their parents are engaged and they have to make some tough choices about their careers and relationship. The new release comes as Tessa is making a stop in the Valley on her book tour! She talks to Whitney about what she loves about meeting her readers, what her husband thinks about her love stories, why romance has become such a popular genre, and how a real-life hockey player inspired this book!

It's a new year, which means we have another year of new books and reading to look forward to! On this episode, we're joined by Rylie Occhipinto and Melati Parker from Wijaya House in Tempe. It's a locally owned bookstore and flower shop with regular classes for the community! They talk to Whitney about which books they are looking forward to this year. That includes the following:  

Whitney's picks: 

"Atmosphere" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"Elphie" by Gregory Maguire

"One Golden Summer" by Carley Fortune

Melati's picks:

"King of Ashes" by S.A. Cosby

"Katabasis" by R.F. Kuang

"The Listeners" by Maggie Stiefvater

"Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" by Grady Hendrix

"The Unworthy" by Agustina Bazterrica

"Courtroom Drama" by Neely Tubati-Alexander

Rylie's picks: 

"My Friends" by Fredrik Backman

"The Lamb" by Lucy Rose

"Fun and Games" by John Patrick McHugh

"Sunrise on the Reaping" by Suzanne Collins

Do you set high standards for yourself or others? Do you consider yourself a "perfectionist"? In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Ellen Hendriksen who's out with a new book called "How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists." The author is a clinical psychologist who's been featured in major publications like the New York Times, the Washington Post, Psychology Today and many more. She also founded an award-winning podcast called Savvy Psychologist.  Dr. Hendriksen talks about different forms of perfectionism, how it can lead to burnout and what you can do if you recognize those symptoms in yourself. 

The year is coming to an end! Did you hit your reading goal? Do you want to read more in 2025? This episode is dedicated to helping you find more time to read. Whitney is joined by three other members of Arizona's Family who are avid readers. From audiobooks, to finding books you love, they talk about their favorite ways to squeeze reading time into their busy lives. The crew also talks about their favorite books of the year! 

It's the end of the year, so our host Whitney Clark is taking a look back at her favorite books of the year! She picks her top ten, and a few of the authors appeared on the podcast earlier this year. That includes Kristin Hannah who wrote "The Women," Kate Quinn of "The Briar Club," and Stephen Rowley the author of "The Guncle Abroad."

If you don't love Arizona quite yet, get ready to fall in love! In this episode we're joined by Roger Naylor. He's an Arizona-based travel writer and author in Arizona who's out with a new book called "Arizona National Parks and Monuments." It's a comprehensive guide to the 34 national park units in the state, including everything from the Grand Canyon to the smaller sites like the Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Roger shares his favorite things about the parks and gives some tips if you want to travel this winter. 

This episode features an Arizona author and her debut novel! "All Our Wars" by Stephanie Vasquez is out now. It's a fictionalized organized crime thriller featuring the daughter of a high-ranking Mexican cartel leader. After Sofia De Luna's mother was murdered, Sofia has to make some tough choices about her family business. It's a love story with dual timelines for fans of shows like Netflix's "Narcos." Vasquez grew up in Tucson and studied Journalism and Latin American studies at the University of Arizona. She's written for a number of publications, including the Tombstone Epitaph. She talks about why she is drawn to stories about families, which TV shows and movies inspired her book, and how she became a published author through a contest.