Meredith and Kaytee are back in your earbuds and speakers. And we’re feeling a little feisty this week (we know.. that’s your favorite)!

You’ll hear a “bookish moment of the week” from each of us: an explanation for the extreme busy-ness around here, and a Patron-related milestone!

Next, we discuss our current reads for the week. Two titles from each host, middle grade, YA, contemporary romance, and classic #bookstagrammademedoit.

We’ve got an update for you on our Slow But Steady reads and what’s been happening for our own SBS reads in the past week, as well as a few emails from listeners to share.

For our deep dive this week, we are discussing our favorite self-help and productivity books. Two Penelopes talking about productivity? Don’t worry, the show notes have ALL the titles!

Finally, this week, we are Bellying Up to the Book Bar. Jasmine Lake wants sweet and fun books, she doesn’t mind heavier topics, but as an HSP, they need to be dealt with gently. And we’ve got a bunch of goodies to share with her!

As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you’d like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don’t scroll down! 

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0:45 - Currently Reading throw in the Zazzle Store

4:31 - Currently Reading Patreon (so many fun ways to connect with us over there!)

6:21 - Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

9:05 - House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

11:45 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

13:31 - Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

15:16 - East of Eden by Richard Poe

17:41 - Patrons get access to monthly Kaytee Reads Too Much episodes!

19:11 - Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

19:19 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

23:26 - Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

24:44 - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

24:57 - On Writing by Stephen King

25:54 - Swan’s Way by Marcel Proust

26:49 - Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Michael Zuckoff

27:15 - Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

27:21 - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

27:30 - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

27:32 - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

29:23 - The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

29:37 - Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

29:52 - Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

30:17 - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

30:22 - Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

31:01 - The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

31:24 - Atomic Habits by James Clear

32:02 - Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

32:28 - 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam

32:54 - Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam

33:08 - The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner

33:12 - Episode 7 of Currently Reading with Jessica Turner

33:36 - Stretched Too Thin by Jessica Turner

34:13 - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

34:44 - You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero

35:08 - The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

35:26 - Essentialism by Greg McKeown

35:31 - Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guilleabeau

36:00 - Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

36:34 - The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

36:52 - Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle

37:34 - Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner

37:36 - Notes From a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider

38:01 - 10% Happier by Dan Harris

38:48 - Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

40:44 - Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

40:55 - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

41:06 - Blended by Sharon M Draper

41:09 - Heart Land by Kimberly Stuart

41:11 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

42:11 - Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

42:23 - To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

42:29 - When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandyha Menon

42:45 - What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

42:56 - The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

43:01 - Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg

43:23 - The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

44:04 - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

44:09 - Stardust by Neil Gaiman

44:51 - Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

45:01 - Winterhouse and Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

45:17 - The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson

45:19 - The Beasts of Clawstone Castle by Eva Ibbotson

45:52 - Harry Potter by JK Rowling

46:09 - The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

46:38 - The Bookshop Girl by Sylvia Bishop

47:11 - Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose

48:06 - Patrons get access to monthly bonus Belly Up to the Book Bar episodes!

*Please note that all book titles linked above are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!*