Bookish Flights: Themed Book Recommendations & Author Interviews

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Today’s guest is Ashley Terpstra. Ashley and I met while living overseas. We have a lot in common, so we instantly bonded. We have always exchanged books and recommendations throughout the course of our friendship. She is currently taking classes to receive her reading specialist endorsement, so she has lots of extra insight to add to our episode today. 

Every year, I end with a social media post on the favorite book read that year. Again and again, Kristin Hannah came up this year. So when Ashley mentioned she might be interested in doing a vertical book flight, where we take a look at one author, we knew it had to be Kristin Hannah. 

In her episode, she gave us great recommendations:

• the Blinkist App for quick 15 minute overviews of non-fiction books and podcasts. 
• Power Words: Download and print to start using with your Pre-K children to help prepare them for school
• Fry Words Ninja app to help children learn the power words.

She has prepared for us a wonderful book flight today to highlight Kristin Hannah. I am excited for you to hear these literary pairings she has provided for us. Happy listening!

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Little House on the Prarie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• Bringing Up Book Monsters by Amber Ankowski and Andy Ankowski
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Kristin Hannah Vertical Book Flight

• The Nightingale
• The Great Alone
• The Four Winds 

Dessert Pairing

• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

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Today’s guest is Laura Osborne. Laura is Auntie Laura to me, so this episode was a special one for me to record. Throughout the years, she has handed me one great book recommendation after another. She is a go-to person in my life for book recommendations. Laura was involved for many years in a book club with her friends and fellow educators, which helped expand her reading horizons. I love her perspective of taking a little bit of each book with her. 

She has prepared for us a wonderful book flight of books to help us learn more about each other as people. I am excited for you to hear these literary pairings she has provided for us. Happy listening!

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

Show Notes

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Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
• Emma by Jane Austen
• The Flying Angels by Danielle Steel

Book Flight

• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
• Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson (The Kindle copy of this book is currently on sale for $3.99!)
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Dessert Pairing

• The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede

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Today’s guest is Lilianna. Lilianna and I have been friends for a few years. And one thing we are always when we talk is books. She is my subject matter expert for all things children’s books. In this episode, we discussed the importance of reading for your child with benefits including expanding their vocabulary, comprehension of material and improving their attention spans to have improved sustained efforts now and in the future. Lilianna provided so many fantastic tips about helping reluctant readers. The first step after noticing your child is a reluctant reader, would be talking to their teacher. They may have some insight into what your child is struggling with while reading. 

One great tip she gave for us all, kids and adults alike, is don’t forget about book samples. You can read the first chapter ahead of time before purchasing to see if it's the right fit.

Two great websites she shared are 

• Scholastic Books: This website has a book wizard that shows you “books alike” to help you find similar books to what your child has liked before. 
• Common Sense Media for high-quality recommendations by age range and to help you with topics that are covered in the book. 

If you are thinking, this episode was great, but I need more girl recommendations, don’t worry! Check out part 2 in episode 11.

Show Notes

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Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• No Fear Shakespeare Macbeth by Sparknotes (Graphic Novels)
• Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
• James Patterson YA books
• Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan (Historical Fiction)
• Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Dystopian novels)
• The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
• Jodi Picoult
• Ken Follett
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
• The Bookwoman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
• Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

Book Flight

• Refugee by Alan Gratz (there are resources online to help follow the story lines) (Historical Fiction)
• Amulet by Kazu Kubuishi (Graphic novel)
• The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan (Adventure)

Dessert Pairing

• Ungifted by Gordon Korman (Comedy)

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Today’s guest is Jana Gregorek. Jana and I went to college together and through the power of social media we have managed to stay in touch. Jana is always keeping up with the new and the noteworthy books. She also does a fun recap of her year in books, so I knew I had to ask her to be on the show. 

We discuss books coming to you when you most need them, a favorite quote from her Grandmother that inspired this episode and a fantastic curation of a book flight. Jana also told us about the Book of the Month subscription service and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine as an place to gather book recommendations.

I cannot wait for you to listen to the literary pairings Jana has provided for us. Happy listening!

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

Show Notes

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Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• From Scratch by Tembi Locke
• Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

Book Flight

• Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Born to Shine by Kendra Scott

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Today’s guest is Ashley Millar. Ashley and I met last year when we were neighbors. We had a lot of playdates with our kids and in those half Mom conversations (you all know what I’m talking about), we always managed to chat books. I secretly have always wanted to read more books in the fantasy genre but had no idea where to start. Hence, the impetus from this show began. I not only wanted to encourage myself to read outside my comfort zone but hopefully others as well. 

We discuss the amazing maps generated for these books, which may make reading these in a print format better; the world building and how amazing and creative these authors are that write these books. 

Today’s book flight will open up a whole new world of booksI cannot wait for you to listen to the literary pairings Ashley has provided for us. Happy listening!

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Harry Potter (Illustrated): Book 1 by J.K. Rowling
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Way of Kings: Book 1 by Brandon Sanderson
• Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
• The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
• The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
• Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

Fantasy Book Flight

• Eragon by Christopher Paolini
• Mistborn: The Final Empire (Book 1) by Brandon Sanderson
• Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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Today’s guest is Amanda Vernon. Amanda and I have been friends for a few years now. The common theme that caused us to dive deeper into our friendship was books and a book club we did together on self-reflective books. They were an avenue for connection and I am so glad they were!

In this episode, we discuss how our reading changes in different seasons of our lives, books that you keep on the shelf for reference because you just keep going back to them and books that help you put our thoughts into words. We also chat about doing leisure time well and being stewards of good books for our families. 

Today’s book flight will inspire you to dig deep inside yourself, but in a good way, we promise! I cannot wait for you to hear the literary pairings Amanda has provided for us. Happy listening!

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
• Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy
• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
• Churchill's Guide to Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks who Plotted Hitler's Defeat by Giles Milton
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Self-Reflection Book Flight

• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
• 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
• Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown

Dessert Pairing

• On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life by John O’Leary

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Today’s guest is Amanda McArthur. Amanda and I met while living overseas. Serendipitously, we ended up being neighbors. We had a small bookclub together for awhile and have continued to share our bookish finds since moving apart. 

Amanda has the unique perspective of being a 4th grade teacher and inspiring the readers in her family and classroom. She provides us with a book flight stocked full of series that will make you fall in love with the characters throughout the books. These books are perfect for the season and will make you want to curl up with a warm drink, a blanket and dive right in.

We had so much fun talking books, I think you’ll hear it too! Happy listening and as always, let us know in the comments below what other books you would add to the cozy mysteries, strong females book flight.

If you would like to see more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, book 1
• Agatha Christie’s Mrs. Marple series, book 1
• JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books, book 1
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Cozy Mysteries, Strong Females Book Flight

• A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
• One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Dessert Pairing

• Maisie Dobbs, book 1 by Jacqueline Winspear

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Today’s guest is Alex Cohick. Alex and I have been bookish best friends since middle school. So I figured she would be the perfect person to help me kick off my new podcast, Bookish Flights. 

We discuss how books create mental movies and help us escape the heaviness of the world. We chat about books that tackle tough topics, that leave you thinking long after you’ve read them. And that it’s ok to give yourself permission to read the books you truly love and not the books you feel you NEED to read. 

We had such a lovely time chatting books, it makes the distance between us seem small. Our conversation is entirely spoiler-free. I cannot wait for you to listen to the literary pairings she has provided for us. Let us know in the comments below what other books you would add to the romantic fiction book flight.

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Jodi Picoult
• Paradise Trilogy series, Book 1 by Elin Hilderbrand
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Romantic Fiction Book Flight

• Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
• 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
• The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

Dessert Pairing

• I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos

A helpful tip for those with an Amazon Prime account. Don’t miss out on getting books for free through your Amazon Prime Reading. The available books rotate and it works similar to a library account. You can have up to 10 books at a time on your Kindle for free. When you have finished reading, you can simply return it and that frees up space for another book. Thanks for the tip Alex!

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Hi! I’m Kara Infante and this is Bookish Flights. In each episode, I chat with one bookish guest as we take some time to sample and savor the pairing recommendations from their curated bookish flight. We hope to give you suggestions to cultivate your TBR lists and nurture your leisure time through books. This is episode 0, where I tell you all about what I will be doing here. 

This podcast will take you on a bookish journey through book genres, seasonal reads and is a promise of an adventure through books. I hope to inspire you to read more, to read something new and to get more out of your reading life.

So in advance, I just want to say that I am SO glad you are here and thank you for listening! If you’re thinking ahhh, books are not for me, I am going to go out on a limb and say that you just have not found the right book yet. In this first season, I will focus on perusing the different book genres with each bookish flight. There will be something for everyone! In a world, where we are too busy and have too many book choices, my bookish guest and I hope to pare down the options to the best ones. Stay tuned on the blog for the launch of the 2023 Reading Challenge where I hope to encourage to read 15 minutes/day.

In closing, I want to inspire a community of readers, so whenever you share a post of what you are currently reading or will be picking up next, especially if you heard about the book on the show, please tag me. Follow on Facebook or Instagram @BookishFlights.

Since this is a new show, I would love for you to share it with your bookish friends, Because sharing our love of books and reading is what we do, right?? Think of these book flights as indulgences for you and your bookish friends. Thanks for taking the time to share. 

Make sure you are subscribed on Apple podcasts or Spotify to make sure you will not miss an episode. 

Thank you so much for listening. As Emma Thompson said “I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them.” Cheers to you dear readers, until next time.

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