Plans Are Booked

Join us as we get to know a new side of Cher, the global icon. We talk about Cher's traumatic childhood, her complicated relationship with her mother, her romantic patterns, her rise to fame, the abuse she suffered, and our enormous admiration for the human rights champion she has become. We also draw parallels between her story and the many other memoirs we've read by women in the entertainment industry. In our catch up this week, Molly and Steph recap an awesome author event at Porter Square Books and Kaitlin welcomes an adorable house guest. In what we're reading this week, Steph devours the new Ali Hazelwood book, Molly reads her first hockey romance, and Kaitlin recommends a tale of revenge and retribution. To follow along with all of our picks, join us on Instagram @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected]. 

This week we discuss an essay collection that asks really hard questions. What do you do when you learn an artist you adore has done something deplorable? What is your duty as a fan? Should you separate the work from the person? Can you? Claire Dederer's commentary is brilliant, compelling, and will stay with you long after you finish the book. We share personal stories about the monsters we've grappled with, talk about the insane double standards for men and women, and how this book feels like it was written for the exact time and political climate we're living in. In our catch up, Kaitlin shares about a superb meal, Molly visits a new bakery, and Steph prepares for demo week at her new flip house. We also chat about escaping into fantasy books during tough times and the constant struggle between savoring a book and binge reading it. In what we're reading this week, we cross three genres. Give us a follow on Instagram @plansarebooked to see all of our current recommendations. You can also write to us at [email protected]. 

This week we're headed back to high school. We're talking about coming of age, social hierarchy, queen bees, teenage gossip, and much more. We even get to hear some war stories from Ms. Mattison's classroom. We Run the Tides is one of those great books that straddles the line between adult fiction and YA. In our catch up, Steph dreams of a meet cute at Target, Kaitlin and Molly are giddy about being beta readers for Steph's new book, and Molly shares her quest to see the Oscar-nominated movies. In what we're reading this week, Steph has entered the land of Onyx Storm, Molly delights in the charm of Ina Garten's memoir, and Kaitlin reunites with New England's own, Jodi Picoult. To follow along with all of our book recommendations, join us on Instagram, @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected]. 

You know Rebecca Yarros from Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and the newly released Onyx Storm, but did you know she has dozens of other fiction books? This week we explore the full Rebecca Yarros book list, calling out favorites like Variation, Full Measures and Great and Precious Things. We talk about her talent for world building, her preference for small towns and all their quirky locals, her mastery of family dynamics, her gift for conjuring flawed mothers, and the book boyfriends she's dreamed up that make us swoon. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin shares some new habits and routines for 2025, we celebrate Steph finishing her book draft, Molly has her parents in town, and we answer a powerful question posed on Bookstagram. In what we're reading this week, Steph has started a memoir with an iconic author bio, and Molly and Kaitlin debrief on a coming of age story set in the 70s. To follow along with all of our recommended reads, join us on Instagram @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected]. 

Join us this week as we chat about family dynamics, sisterhood, masking, addiction, grief and forgiveness, all inspired by Blue Sisters. This is a story about three women, each at a critical inflection point. We talk about the authenticity of the characters, the questions we were left with, and our hopes for an eventual screen adaptation. Fun fact: all three of us read this book on vacation. It traveled to New York City, the Bahamas and Jackson Hole. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin shares the highlights from her time in London and Paris, Molly and Steph gush about their winter trip to Wyoming, and Steph gives an exciting flip house update. To ensure you're seeing all of our book recommendations, join us on Instagram, @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected].

This week we're reunited with an author we all admire. We're discussing the fiction novel debut of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, who wrote The Undocumented Americans. This new work, Catalina, is about a young woman attending Harvard while juggling the many stressors and anxieties that come with being undocumented. We applaud Villavicencio's sharp writing in which every single word packs a punch and praise her ability to balance difficult topics with wit, humor and levity. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin previews the itinerary for her upcoming trip to London and Paris, Steph shares some ridiculous health insurance shenanigans, and Molly recaps a night out on Newbury Street. In what we're reading this week, Steph boards a submersible and Molly falls further down the One Tree Hill rabbit hole with another cast member's memoir. To follow along with all of our book picks, join us on Instagram @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected]. 

This week we're talking about a memoir that took all of us by surprise. Patrick Bringley leaves a prestigious job at The New Yorker to become a security guard at the MET. His story not only brings readers behind the scenes of one of the most influential centers of art in the world, but it's a powerful testimony about loss, grief, love and hope. We talk about the passages that made us cry, the importance of brevity in long-form prose, all the cool stats we learned about the MET, and how the book's illustrations make this a beautiful gift. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin shares about a new priority for 2025, Steph tells us all about her new interior design project (and we hatch a plan for a manuscript inspired by it), and Molly gushes about the movie Wicked. We close by sharing a list of books we can't wait to read in 2025. To follow along with all of our recommendations, join us on Instagram @plansarebooked. You can also write to us [email protected]. 

Join us as we deep dive on a story that left us with so many questions. This week we discuss All Fours, a book that felt truly singular. Molly shares what compelled her to purchase it, then we opine about unlikeable narrators, a break dancing scene we can't get out of our heads, the taboo topic of menopause, and where we think this title may have come from. In our catch up this week, Steph spreads holiday cheer by bringing a mini horse to school, we share our recent tarot card readings with House of Stellium, and respond to a listener looking for true crime recommendations. In what we're reading this week, Steph finally wins a Goodreads giveaway and travels to a new version of Whoville, and Molly heads back to Stars Hollow with Kelly Bishop's memoir, The Third Gilmore Girl. We close by sharing two books we're covering in upcoming episodes if you'd like to read along with us. For all of our book picks, join us on Instagram, @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected]. 

We're back in Memoir Land this week, talking about the life of Elvis' daughter Lisa Marie Presley. The book is told from two perspectives, Lisa Marie and her daughter Riley. We talk about Elvis' super stardom, growing up in the shadow of fame, celebrity marriages, and more. All of us were moved by Riley's description of grief and we had a new appreciation for her portrayal of Daisy Jones. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin secures us tickets to see Paul Mescal in New York, Steph decorates for the holidays, and Molly hits a Goodreads milestone. We share five new books during what we're reading this week. Steph is gripped by a Rebecca Yarros second chance love story, Kaitlin is juggling two popular fiction titles, and Molly devoured two steamy romance novels. To follow along with all of our book recs, join us on Instagram @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected]. 

This week we are transported to Tree Hill, North Carolina thanks to Bethany Joy Lenz's memoir. The actress, best known for her role as Haley on One Tree Hill, has written a vulnerable and honest account of her time in a religious cult. We talk about the power of high control groups, how to recognize gaslighting, and how her story shed new light on her role on a fan favorite show. We discuss the iconic TV show, the rewatch podcast, and our hopes for Lenz in the future. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin shares about her first few nights in her new house, Steph shows gratitude as her first season volunteering at the barn winds down, and Molly gushes about Steph's cooking at Friendsgiving. In what we're reading this week, Kaitlin is starting a thriller, Steph returns to an author whose prose always moves us, and Molly devours a small town romance. To follow along with all of our book recommendations, join us on Instagram @plansarebooked. You can also write to us at [email protected].