Off the Shelves Podcast

This week, we’re talking about running in a completely insane lightning storm, international travel & pre-flight tummy troubles and we’re subbing a work story for some rapid-fire workplace questions. What’s your biggest workplace ick? What's advice you'd give yourself at 25 that she would completely ignore?

And we’re still looking for your work stories, so send those in to [email protected] But for now, let’s get into it.

We’re back with another banned book, and this one landed on Utah’s banned book list earlier this year: What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold.

It’s a quick read, and both of us pretty much immediately understood why Utah schools chose to pull it from shelves. You guessed it, folks: sex.

And in case you’re wondering, no, we still don’t think books should be banned. But at this point, we’ve read enough of them to have a pretty good idea what tends to send the book-ban crowd into a tizzy.

On a much lighter note, we love Fall.

What's Cookin:

Burger Bowls

Let's go Shop:

Cure Hydration

HydroJug

Another week, another chat. A disastrous day for one of us, Dancing with the Stars, a Hyrox biological contamination, and, because we deserve nice things, there are always cookies.

No work story this week, but we still want to hear from you. Send us your hilarious, horrific, and haphazard workplace stories at [email protected].

We’ve never been more disappointed that a book was banned, or more confused about why it was banned in the first place. John Green’s Looking for Alaska was banned by Utah schools this year, and honestly, we’re not sure what got the school districts’ panties in a twist. This book was honest, smart, and incredibly tender. We both loved it, and we think everyone should pick this one up.

And as a side note, Debbie is currently spending all of her money on more Beth the Baker cookies. You should too. Just save some brookies for her.

Let's Make Dinner:

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Harmons Skewers

Let's Go Shopping:

Trader Joes Pumpkin Hand Cream

Clean Simple Eats Pink Burst Protein Powder

We’re back with another listener work story, and this one comes with a question for us: what would you do?

We’ve also got a little book-banning news, because it is a book podcast, and there might be a Halloween costume idea forming.

So, let’s get into it.

Okay, okay. We know it’s been a while since we’ve done a banned book. And, yes, this one isn’t banned either. But honestly, we wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually finds its way onto somebody’s list.

This week, we’re reading Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. It came highly recommended by several trusted sources, so obviously we had to pick it up. And let’s just say... this is not the book either of us expected to be reading.

Let's Shop:

Tatcha Skin Cream

Costco Egg Bites

What's for Dinner:

Sweet Potato Beef Bowls

Sweet Potato Chili

This week on Just This, we’ve got another listener work story, and let’s just say… Chad needs to do better. One of us gets hit on in a grocery store, and Arkansas is making headlines for a law that can make it a crime to provide a minor with a book deemed “harmful.”

Why are we still criminalizing books?

This week, we read The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley, and man... it was a little too similar to I Who Have Never Known Men for one of us. We also have a message for the scientists out there: we need you to get to work on a new tonic that we are pretty sure could save the world. So grab a drink, settle in, and let’s talk about it.

Let's Shop

Saie Lip Gloss

Let's Eat

Korean Beef Bowls

We’ve got another work horror story for you this week, and this one is a doozy. Our listener send-in is a hiring and onboarding bait-and-switch nightmare. Because apparently, sometimes the job you interviewed for and the job you actually get are not the same. 

We want to hear your work drama, workplace disasters, or even your wins. Send them our way at [email protected]. We promise to judge the situation, not you.

This week we picked up a book that neither of us was particularly excited to read. Is it satire? A psychological thriller? Book club fiction? We still don't really know. What we do know is that Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke gave us plenty to talk about. So grab a strong beverage, settle in, and let's unpack this one together.

Have you read this one? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Want to read it? Get your copy here: Yesteryear

Let's Shop:

Salt and Stone deodorant

Let's Eat:
Smash Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Sesame Ginger Pineapple Beef