The Bookshelf

It's Book Club Month!

Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson is the topic for this month's discussion, and there is a split opinion on it.

Before the deep dive into the book, the book duo discuss topics including influential women authors in honor of International Women's Month, Audible's new royalty program, and Leigh Bardugo's new mega publishing deal just to name a few.

Some books mentioned in this episode include The Watchers, Belladonna, Vampires of El Norte, Necessary Lies and Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone.

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

Author Katie Cawood joins the show to discuss her book Lesson Learned and the upcoming sequel, Love Lessons, that will be released on March 29. Katie's series is a workplace romance surrounding teachers. We have a fun conversation, including what her 12 year old son thinks.

There are also some lively discussions surrounding Romance Exclusive bookshops, Generation Z's reading preferences, and M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming movie adaption of AM Shine's The Watchers which will hit theaters in June.

Some of the books that come up in conversation include The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, Belladonna and Unwind just to name a few.

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2024, but before we can embrace the new year, we must close out 2023. This past year has been full of ups and downs, but it didn't fail in providing some amazing reads.

After discussing a bedbug issue in a London Library and a research study on reading comprehension impact between print and digital books, the bookish friends dive into all the memorable books of 2023.

They discuss topics from the strangest books read to their top genres. The year in review wouldn't be complete without identifying their top monthly reads as well as their favorite book of the year. Spoiler alert - for the first time in podcast history, they picked a different top book!

There are romance and thrillers. There are fantasies and historical fiction. With a combined total of 128 books read between the pair in 2023, there is a lot to talk about.

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

We are starting 2024 with a bang! Did you set a goal for the year to read more of your TBR list? It's great to have our first episode be on a topic like TBR lists as readers can relate.

Join us as we discuss all things TBR, identify some of the books that have been hanging out on our lists and what we plan to do about it.

We welcome special guest Kristina Carmela to discuss the 2024 Indieverse Awards. This is such a cool opportunity and one that we will be discussing and monitoring throughout the year. She shares everything you need to know about how to participate!

There is also some great discussion about Instagram engagement groups, Goodreads, Zooniverse and a whole bunch of books.

You don't want to miss the fun, the laughs, or the tangents. Take a listen!

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

It's Book Club time! This month's conversation focuses on Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights. It is a collection of 12 short stories set to a Gothic tone. It was a very different read, but provided a lot of topics for discussion. There is also a bonus mini discussion on Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros that you won't want to miss (no spoilers for this one.)

This month other topics include the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards, 2023 Booker Prize winner, and the winner for the 2023 oddest book title. Beyond these, there is always so much fun bookish and non-bookish randomness to chat about. Have you heard of lebkuchen? Well, it's a brief topic of conversation.

As always, there are many laughs and so much fun to be had. So sit, back, relax, and take a listen. See you in 2024!

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

Author Jes Smyth joins the show to discuss her debut novel, Time for Once, and drops a little exclusive piece of information regarding the upcoming release of her second novel, Dream for a Second.

The shenanigans are in full effect throughout this month's show which creates laugh after laugh. Naturally, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros is discussed (with no spoilers) because well, why would it not be discussed!? Additional topics this month include James Joyce, Shadow and Bone Season 3 update, Goodreads Book of the Year Voting, and music sensation Pink's partnership with PEN America.

Make sure to listen to the end, the show's traditional speed round is one to not be missed.

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

Welcome back to another adventure into the bookish world.

Liz and Holly have finally read their first Colleen Hoover book, Verity, and have quite a lot to say about it with their pals Stephanie and Jennifer as part of the book club discussion.

It's also Spooky Season, so it would be irresponsible to not talk about books for the season. Books discussed in this episode include: The September House by Clarissa Orlando, Gerald's Game by Stephen King, The Grand Hotel by Scott Kenemore, All Hallows by Christophers Golden plus a few of our other favorites.

Besides scary books and the breakdown of Verity, Bookish topics include AI's impact on the book world, the Booker Prize Shortlist, and more.

When they're Speaking LITerally, it's bound to a good time with plenty of shenanigans.

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

The book duo is back at it! This month they welcome author Peter D Baker to the show to discuss his novel, Rain City Gothic!

Additional book chat consists of Rachel Beanland's book talk debacle in Florida in regards to her new historical fiction book, The House is on Fire and our excitement over next month's release of Lessons In Chemistry on Apple TV.

Books discussed this month include:

* The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

* Stars Like Gasoline by Jessika Grewe Glover

* The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynne Barnes

* The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

And several more!

This episode goes from popcorn to politics., so be prepared!

They return October 23 with another Book Club episode focusing on Colleen Hoover's Verity. This will be the first Colleen Hoover book Holly and Liz have ever read! You will definitely not want to miss it.

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

For this August bonus episode, Holly and Liz welcome back Steph and Jenn for a special Book Club focused on Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Spoilers, conspiracy theories, opinions, and predictions a plenty in this fun time for all.

Holly and Liz also share some information and their thoughts on Texas House Bill 900 and the idea that Stephen King books are YA. Not sure about that one! There are also plenty of other books mentioned and discussed besides Fourth Wing. Some of the books discussed in this episode include: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and several more.

The dynamic duo will return on September 18 with special guest, author Peter D. Baker.

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Bookworm Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com

This month, the book duo is joined by Jenn Bouchard, author of First Course and the soon to be released, Palms on the Cape. Jenn is a fun, laid back author who shares a lot of insight into her books, her process, and the literary world.

Holly and Liz also share some thoughts on upcoming adaptions including Wonka; Red, White and Royal Blue; and The Lunar Chronicles to name a few. Oh, and Adam Driver as Snape? In true fashion, there is a lot of laughter, fun and bookish nonsense. Listen to partake in the fun.

Don’t miss the August 7th episode, where the ladies tackle characters - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Brand New Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebookshelf.substack.com