The Books We Loved

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The Books We Loved episodes

August 05 Summer reading horoscopes -- books for every Zodiac sign!
Today the gals give recommendations for every reader, based on Zodiac signs!
In the order discussed:
AQUARIUS:
Homebound, Elan
Truly Devious, Johnson
LEO:
Half Drowned King, Hartsuyker
Harriet Tubman: the road to freedom, Clinton
PISCES:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: a therapist, HER therapist, and our lives revealed, Gottlieb
Evening, Minot
VIRGO:
The Maid, Prose
The Gifts of Imperfection, Brown
ARIES:
Best Offer Wins, Kashino
All the Other Mothers Hate Me, Harmon
LIBRA:
The Fortune Men, Mohammad
March (Trilogy -- link is to book 1), Lewis
TAURUS:
The Marlow Murder Club, Thorogood
Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Mandanna
SCORPIO:
My Sister the Serial Killer, Braithwaite
Family of Spies: a World War II story of Nazi espionage, betrayal, and the secret history behind Pearl Harbor, Kuehn
GEMINI:
My Education, Choi
The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Bostwick
SAGITARIUS:
Gilead, Robinson
Travels with Charley, Steinbeck
CANCER:
Strangers, Burden
Heart the Lover, King
CAPRICORN:
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde
Titan: the life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Chernow

39 min
July 29 Summer Book Club: Emma by Jane Austen
Today the girls are joined by repeat-guest, Angie, to discuss Jane Austen's classic, Emma.
Books Angie recommended during the episode include:
Book of Doors, Gareth Brown
Wild Reverence: a novel, Rebecca Ross
The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
43 min
July 22HOT READ: Ann Patchett's Whistler
Today the gals chat about a podcast favorite, Ann Patchett, and her newest novel: Whistler.
A couple readalikes Olivia shared:
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
Anything by Liane Moriarty
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
49 min
July 15Reader requests x2
Today the ladies make recommendations based on two patron requests. Titles discussed are below:
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro
This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
Circe, Madeline Miller
Babel, R.F. Kuang
Mistborn: The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
A Rover’s Story, Jasmine Warga
Anything by Gordon Korman
The Second Life of Snap, Erin Entrada Kelly
When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead
Pax, Sara Pennypacker
Stranded, Probst
Mob Squad, Dawson
City of Ember series, DuPrau
Hatchet, Paulsen
The Last Kids on Earth series, Brallier
Anything by Margaret Peterson Haddix
20 min
July 08 Summer Book Club: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Today the ladies take on C.S. Lewis' beloved 1950 classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as part of their Summer Book Club series.
Shoot the girls a message if you'd like tailored book recommendations.
36 min
July 01 June reads
Today the ladies share a few titles of books they've recently read, or are currently enjoying. Titles included:
James, Everett
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Mandanna
Here Lies the Librarian, Peck
Villa Coco, Greer
Adult Braces: driving myself sane, West
Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About: a memoir, Klee
Go Gentle, Semple
18 min
June 24Little House on the Prairie
Today Olivia and Manda are joined by Cassie, for a trip to the past, as the ladies discuss Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved, Little House on the Prairie series.
SOURCES:
Various PBS articles
The Pioneer Girl Art Project, South Dakota Historical Society Press
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum website
A Kids Britannica biography
"The Little House Books: a historical slap upside the head," article from the blog, "A Bestiary of Books: Odds and Interesting Children’s Novels, 1900 – 1975”
Several Minnesota Public Radio articles
https://pioneergirlproject.org/2023/08/30/helen-sewell-the-first-little-house-illustrator/
https://lauraingallswilderhome.com/
"Where the Wilder Things are: the Laura Ingalls Wilder roadtrip
40 min
June 17Summer picture books you'll love
Today the ladies are joined by local picture book connoisseur, Ben, for a chat about summer-themed picture books your family will love! To check out Ben's picture book recommendations, he can be found on Substack or Instagram .
Titles discussed include:
Big Mama's, Donald Crews
Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey
It Began with Lemonade, Gideon Sterer
Summer is for Cousins, Rajani LaRocca
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean, Kevin Sherry
Jabari Jumps (and it's sequel, Jabari Tries), Gaia Cornwall
Walking Trees, Marie-Louise Gay
Fireworks, Matthew Burgess
Flotsam, David Wiesner
32 min
June 10Author Spotlight: Margaret Wise Brown
Today the gals discuss author, Margaret Wise Brown, creator of the beloved classic, Goodnight Moon, and many other books.
Recommended reads:
Kids:
The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown, Mac Barnett
Adults:
Margaret Wise Brown: awakened by the moon, Leonard Marcus
In the Great Green Room: the brilliant and bold life of Margaret Wise Brown, Gary
Sources:
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
The Traditional and Fine Arts Organization
Online exhibits on several of the illustrators discussed, taken from the University of Minnesota Libraries
MOMA’s website
https://www.esphyrslobodkina.org/
Encyclopedia Britannica online
An article titled: “Margaret Wise Brown’s Celebration of the Seasons,” by Danielle Ridolfi which was featured on Washington University’s library website
2026 article titled, “The Tao of Margaret Wise Brown,” which was featured in the Brooklyn Downtown Star
44 min
June 03 HOT READ: The Correspondent
Today Olivia and Manda share their thoughts on The Correspondent by Virginia Evans; a 2025 release that continues to appear in the New York Times Best Sellers list (Hardcover Fiction).
Also, in case you couldn't jot it down, Olivia announced this year's Summer Reading list, aka the Brit Lit edition, and titles are as follows:
June: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
July: Emma, Jane Austen
August: Matilda, Roald Dahl
30 min

About The Books We Loved

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The Books We Loved is a podcast about revisiting old favorites with an open mind and a new perspective. Despite the title, we won’t be limiting ourselves to books-- movies, music, TV shows, and…