Okie Bookcast

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Welcome to Your Next Great Read! We are joined by historical romance author, Natalie Griffin (and her beautiful daughter Rylee!) to talk about what we're reading and why you might love it. We also talk a bit about the new Oklahoma Independent Booksellers Association and Hannah's (successful!) attempt at her first marathon. Something for everyone!

Connect with Natalie: website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

Connect with Hannah: website | Twitter | Instagram

Find Oklahoma Independent Bookstores: okiebookcast.com/bookstores

Discussed on the Show:

Natalie 

A Court of Silver Flames -  Sarah J. Maas

Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Lost Apothecary - Sarah Penner

Into the Wilderness series - Sarah Donati

Hannah

The Husbands - Holly Gramazio

Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab

Cross My Heart - Megan Collins

The Lost Apothecary - Sarah Penner

J

Overgrowth - Mira Grant

Razorblade Tears - S.A. Cosby

Cold Eternity - S.A. Barnes

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Volume 12! This time we have poems from 15 Oklahoma poets cued up and ready for you to enjoy. Be sure to connect with the poets across their social media (linked below) to let them know how much you appreciate their work.

You can check out previous volumes at okiebookcast.com/behindtherain

Here's the Lineup:

Spring Morning - Ruth Key

• Instagram @ruthkeypoetry

Sing to Me Ocean - Ken Hada

• Facebook: @ken.hada.3
• Website: kenhada.org

Goodbye to Talequah - Uriah Maravilla Greer

• Instagram: @uriahwrites

Barbed Wire Manual - Kristen Grace

• Instagram: @_kristen_grace

My Oklahoma Boy - Nichole Yates

• Instagram: @nicholeyates

The Slow Torment of Sunset - David Jennings

• Facebook: @DJennPhotos
• Website: davidjenningsartinphotographyandpoetry.com

Backyard Magic - Sydney Aerin

• Instagram: @sydneysometimes

Mr. Nonchalant Introduces Himself to the Party - Durell Carter

• Instagram: @durell.carter

Caregiver - Aubrey Green

• Instagram: @bluecloverediting

Howl at Night - Jake Spann

• Facebook: @jake.spann.9

Hope Like a Wildflower - Holly Jahangiri

• Bluesky: @jahangiri
• Website: https://jahangiri.us/2020

In the Garden on Lowell Street - Lydia Renfro

• Instagram: @lyd.fro
• Website: https://lydiarenfro.com/

Cruel Calculations - Brand Rackley

• Instagram: @brandrackley 

Walking - Alice Vile

• Instagram: @alice.a.vile

Textilation - Andrew Morris Gilman

• Instagram: @andrewmorrisgilman

Observations on Fear - Ruth Key

• Instagram @ruthkeypoetry

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Chapter 70!

My guest is romance author Allison Ashley. Allison is an oncology pharmacist who has released five romance novels, including her brand new book, If Tomorrow Never Comes. In our conversation, we talk about the new book and about tropes she loves. We also talk about her interest in incorporating science and medical themes in her work and the challenge of keeping romance stories fresh. 

Connect with Allison: website | Instagram

Get J's New Book, College Unpacked

Mentioned on the Show

Romance Round Table - Bookcast Chapter 68

Would You Rather - Allison Ashley

The Roommate Pact - Allison Ashley

Sherry Thomas

Adriana Herrera

Lisa Kleypas

Bridgerton - Julia Quinn

Throroughbred Series - Joanna Campbell

Black Stallion Series - Walter Farley

Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Your Next Great Read! Our guest this month is Bookstagrammer (and Dad baker!) Kenny Kemper. We cover over a century's worth of books - from classic scifi to thrillers to horror to romance. You're going to find a book to love in this conversation!

Connect with Kenny: Instagram

Connect with Hannah: website | Twitter | Instagram

Discussed on the Show:

Kenny
Whiplash River - Lou Berney
Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros
The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah
Blood Evidence - Robin James

Hannah
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Mistakes We Never Made - Hannah Brown
This Thing Between Us - Gus Moreno
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurie

J
First-Degree Magic - J.M. Linkhart
The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells
Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones
The Children of Men - P.D. James

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Chapter 69!

My guests are Kelleigh Knight-Whitten and Tyler Whitten, owners of KNight’s Nook bookstore in Yukon, Oklahoma. We recorded at the store, so the audio may be a bit different than you’re used to. Kelleigh and Tyler launched Knight’s Nook in October of 2024 and are doing some really great things in their community. You are going to love getting to know Kelleigh and Tyler as we talk about how the store came about, their commitment to indie authors and to their community, and the incredible care they take as they curate their shelves. 

Connect with Knight's Nook: website | Instagram | Facebook

My new book, College Unpacked: A Practical Guide to Choosing, Preparing For, and Excelling in College, is out! Find out more and get your copy at jhallwriter.com

Mentioned on the Show:

Rose Neal
Natalie Griffin
Berserk - Kentaro Miura & Jason Deangelis
Naruto - Masashi Kishimoto
Dragonball - Akira Toriyama & Toyotarou
JuJitsu Kaisen - Gege Akutami
Demonslayer - Koyoharu Gotouge
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Cemetery of Forgotten Books Series - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Diviners Series - Libba Bray
These Shallow Graves - Jennifer Donnelly
Stalking Jack the Ripper series - Kerri Maniscalco
Cassandra Clare - City of Bones | Mortal Instruments
Columbine - Dave Cullen
Stiff - Mary Roach
Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Mary Higgins Clark
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Captain Underpants - Dav Pilkey
Animorphs - K.A. Applegate
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Your Next Great Read! 

Bookstagrammer Melissa Coast is back with us to talk book reviews and recommendations. We cover a wide variety on the show - everything from "fluffy" romances to horror to fantasy to books that defy classification. There's a book for you on this show! 

Connect with Melissa: Instagram | Linktree

Connect with Hannah: website | Twitter | Instagram

Discussed on the Show:

Melissa

The Light Brigade - Kameron Hurley
James - Percival Everett
Beartown - Frederik Backman
Even Though I Knew the End - C.L. Polk

Hannah

Better than the Movies - Lynn Painter
Onyx Storm - Rebecca Yarros
Jane Darrowfield and the Madwoman Next Door - Barbara Ross
Beloved - Toni Morrison

J

Exposure - Ramona Emerson
Jade City - Fonda Lee
All the Water in the World - Eiren Caffall
Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Welcome to Chapter 68 of the Bookcast! 

It's February and that can only mean one thing - it's Romance Round Table time! I'm joined by 3 fantastic romance authors to talk about their work, expectations of the romance genre, writing spice, and representation. This thoughtful conversation is full of information about the genre, insights into writing romance, and laughs. So, Many. Laughs. 

You've going to love getting to know  Nichole Yates, Heather DuBree, and Holly Skinner. 

Connect with Nichole: website | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Heather: website | TikTok | Instagram

Connect with Holly (H.B.): Linktree | TikTok | Instagram

Join the Launch Team for J's new book - College Unpacked!

Mentioned on the Show:

Whispers of the Deep - Emma Hamm

Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

Done and Dusted - Lyla Sage

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien

Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica 

Tornado Ally - Lainey Ross

Shark Heart - Emily Habeck

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas

It Ends with Us - Colleen Hoover

Onyx Storm - Rebecca Yarros

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab

Sara Cate

Katee Robert

Erin Stirling

The Serpent and the Wings of Night - Carissa Broadbent

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater 

Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Happy 2025! We're looking forward on this edition of Your Next Great Read by sharing some books we're excited to check out in the coming year. We also talk about some things we've been reading and Hannah gets mad at me about a book she can't believe I've never read.
Get ready to fill your TBR !

Connect with Hannah: website | Twitter | Instagram

Books Discussed:
Hannah
The One - John Marrs
Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Three to look forward to
Onyx Storm - Rebecca Yarros
Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins
The Unseen - Ania Ahlborn
Backlist
The Winter People - Jennifer McMahon

J
Gutshot Straight - Lou Berney
Children of the Neon Bamboo - B. Glynn Kimmey
Three to look forward to
King of Ashes - S.A. Cosby
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones
Jade City - Fonda Lee
Backlist
11/22/63 - Stephen King

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

It's Volume 11 of Behind the Rain! I've got poems from 14 Oklahoma poets cued up and ready for you to enjoy. Be sure to connect with the poets across their social media (linked below) to let them know how much you appreciate their work.

You can check out previous volumes at okiebookcast.com/behindtherain

Here's the lineup:

Supernatural - Andrew Morris Gilman

• Instagram: @andrewmorrisgilman

Twelfth-Hour Lightning Strike Piano Tunes Itself to Midnight - Michelle Lark

• Instagram: @fairylarks

The Land We Belong To - Brand Rackley

• Instagram: @brandrackley 

The Songbird - Shy Norton

• Instagram: @shylascribblesart

Haboob - Scott LaMascus

• Instagram: @scott_lamascus

An Aroma - Jake Spann

• Facebook: @jake.spann.9

The Waving Wheat Can Sure Smell Bittersweet - Sydney Aerin

• Instagram: @sydneysometimes

To Someone I Can't Fall With Again - Seth Copeland

• Instagram: @sethtcope
• Website: https://neutralspaces.co/seth_t_copeland/

The Halls of Snow and Sleep - Kristen Grace

• Instagram: @_kristen_grace

You Were But a Batch of Bones and Fur - David Jennings

• Facebook: @DJennPhotos
• Website: davidjenningsartinphotographyandpoetry.com

Nocturne - Aubrey Green

• Instagram: @bluecloverediting

What I've Learned from Watching Yes Men Win - Durell Carter

• Instagram: @durell.carter

Gather - Alice Vile

• Instagram: @alice.a.vile

So Little Time - Linda Neal Reising

• Instagram: @nealreising

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Welcome to Chapter 67!
My guest is indie author Luke Swanson. Luke has been a part of a couple of different shows, but this was my first chance to interview him and we had a blast!
Luke is an author with five published novels under his belt, each in a vastly different genre. He says that Much like Oklahoma's weather, what he's reading and what he's writing could change within the hour. If you want someone who can recite "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" from start to finish but also gets really nerdy about Civil War history, he's your guy.

Connect with Luke: website | Instagram | TikTok

After the interview - I give some updates about where the show is heading in 2025, so be sure to stick around for that.

Mentioned on the Show:
Alex Rider series - Anthony Horowitz
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon
Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
The Pawn - Steven James
Havah - Tosca Lee
Mystic River - Dennis LeHane
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin
My Thoughts Be Bloody - Nora Titone
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH