Grace and Alvina welcome special guest, author Julie Hedlund, to talk about what the 12x12 Challenge is, and they talk about the importance of writing communities and how to create and cultivate them.

For the Fortune Cookie segment, they discuss what they've been reading lately, and they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Sign up for the 12x12 challenge! Link open till the end of February! https://12x12challenge.com/bff

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1.

See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor.

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Grace Lin and Alvina Ling talk about some recent news, including the snow storm, the announcements of the ALA Youth Media Awards, and recent events in Minnesota. They do the Fortune Cookie Segment first and list the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Award winners and honor books, and Alvina shares the books awarded from LBYR. And then they talk about professional jealousy and how to cultivate pure joy and happiness in other people's successes (sometimes called "freudenfreude" or "mudita"), including some concrete tips--including practicing "bragitude". And they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1. See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor. Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/

Grace and Alvina welcome special guest Susannah Richards who has served on many different awards committees! Ever wonder what goes on behind closed doors? Susannah gives some insight on what type of discussion might go on. They talk about the role of luck in the choosing of the winners, and potential sales effects of winning an award. They also touch on the definition of talent and if versatility plays a role or not.

For the Fortune Cookie segment, they share something that is bringing them hope and/or joy. And they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1.

See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor.

Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/

Order Ling & Ting's Lunar New Year: https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover

Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode, and Alvina gives a sneak peak to listeners of this podcast about the name of her new imprint! They discuss a new Amazon Ask This Book AI feature. They also discuss what everyone's responsibility (or not) is about posting about current events on social media. For the third segment, they discuss the proper way to breathe.

And then, children's literature specialist Alison Morris joins to share some book recommendations. They end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1.

See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor.

Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/

Order Ling & Ting's Lunar New Year: https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover

Grace and Alvina talk about the importance of discomfort, using two Hidden Brain podcast episodes plus Adam Grant's book Hidden Potential as jumping-off points. They discuss times in the past where they've embraced discomfort and have grown from the experience, including public speaking and Karaoke! For the Fortune Cookie segment, they make some resolutions for the podcast, including producing a gift for patrons (finally) and having another happy hour! And they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1. See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor. Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/ https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover

Grace and Alvina have their first episode of 2026. They sum up 2025 with one word, they share their proposed words of the year for 2026, and then share four resolutions and some aspirations each. They also share something they want to let go of in 2026. For the Fortune Cookie segment, they share some of the favorite things they consumed over the holidays, including books, movies, TV shows, and food! And, they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1. See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor. Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/ https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover

Grace and Alvina look back on the year and share their highlights and lowlights, look back at their words of the year, and evaluate how they did on their new year's resolutions.

For the Fortune Cookie segment they share their favorite things they consumed all year. And, they end as always with what they're grateful for.

FYI, they're taking the next two weeks off for the holidays! See you in 2026!

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1. See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor. Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/ https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover

Grace and Alvina talk about the difference between wisdom as intelligence, as outlined in an episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, and how this applies to current events as well as the publishing world. They talk about the definitions of both, and how intelligence is not an indicator for success.

For the Fortune Cookie they talk about the nonprofit organization Inkluded and their efforts to diversify the publishing industry. And then Grace tells Alvina about her book A BIG BED FOR LITTLE SNOW. And they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1. See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor. Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/ https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover

Grace and Alvina have their annual holiday gift guide episode where they give gift recommendations for the people in your life! The gifts ideas include bread lamps, banned books socks, board games, and more!

For the Fortune Cookie they talk about School Library Journal's 21st Century Canon and the lack of inclusion of picture books by women. And they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1. See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor. Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/ https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover

Grace and Alvina continue their Publishing Curriculum series and welcome special guest Lianna Izzo, to talk about inventory management! They cover everything from what is entailed with evaluating how many books to print, as well as the supply and demand of books, and which departments Lianna works with the most. They talk about the difference between books printed overseas vs domestic printing, and what happens at the end of a book's life.

For the Fortune Cookie segment, they share their favorite ways to eat Thanksgiving leftovers, and they end as always with what they're grateful for.

Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/Bookfriendsforever1. See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor. Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bookfriendsforever_podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookfriendsforever_podcast/ https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/ling-tings-lunar-new-year-two-times-lucky-hardcover