Welcome back, my dear listeners! Join Jen and Lane today discussing one of the most popular characters ever, the ultra-genius consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. Put on your deerstalker caps, grab your magnifying glass, and discover with us how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock's world, and how his stories have resonated around ours.

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Welcome back, listeners! In honor of World Read Aloud Day, Jen and Lane talk about the beautiful world of children's classics, one of the genres that has come to be closest to our hearts. We couldn't decide on a particular story, since there are just too many favorites to nail it down to a particular one! Join us in discussing how children's books have evolved over time, how they affected us when we were kids versus now as adults, and in contemplating what "current classics" have already made their mark in the children's books canon.

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bards Alley Bookshop Website⁠⁠⁠

Welcome back listeners! In today's episode, join Jen and Lane in

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Welcome to the new year, listeners! In today's episode, Jen and Lane discuss Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, a coming-of-age story detailing the transition to womanhood for four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Dive in deep with us and learn the origins of the story, how they were personally reflective of Alcott's own life, and how this book influenced American literature.

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Welcome back listeners! In today's episode of We Speak Volumes, put on your deerstalkers and whip out your magnifying glasses for this classic murder mystery by Agatha Christie, the G.O.A.T.! The Queen of Crime's genre-defining writing has long been regarded as best-in-class, and in this episode Jen and Lane discuss how she broke literary barriers, smashed reader expectations, and earned her spot as the best-selling author of all time.

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Welcome back listeners! On this episode of We Speak Volumes, join Jen and Lane and take a step back into nature with Annie Dillard's nonfiction classic, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Allow yourself to reconnect with the outdoors by means of Dillard's flowing, intimate descriptions of the life surrounding her inside the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Ruminate on the place of oneself within one's surroundings, and experience the exhilarating tales of one stalking nature itself. Listen in listeners, because Jen even has a surprise correspondence from Ms. Dillard herself, a WSV scoop!

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Welcome back, listeners! Continuing our theme of spooky tales leading up to Halloween, Jen and Lane dive into the classic short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Discover how the lanky schoolteacher Ichabod learns of the ghastly tale of the Headless Horseman, and finds himself in a terrifying encounter with the pumpkin wielding specter. Also, learn with us about the centuries-lasting impact of Washington Irving and other Knickerbockers throughout American literature and culture. (and seriously, what is a Whim-wham?)

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Mentioned: Three Men in a Boat (bookshop.org)

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Welcome back, listeners! In today's spooky episode, Jen and Lane get into the October spirit by diving into a classic: Bram Stoker's Dracula. Rediscover the horror of the terrifying blood-sucker that has become a staple in our culture, and how the cliches of vampires are not enough to define this incredible story. Join us, and share your thoughts!

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Mentioned: Elizabeth Costova's The Historian (Amazon.com link)

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Welcome back, listeners! In this exciting relaunch of the We Speak

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Pride and Prejudice poster: Pride and Prejudice

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Jen and Lane delve into the world of Raymond Chandler's classic novel, The Big Sleep. They explore Chandler's unique writing style and how it impacted the mystery genre. Fascinatingly, the mystery begins with a bookstore! The hosts also discuss other important mystery authors from the local Bards Alley community, including Angie Kim, Harper Kincaid, Ellen Crosby, and David Baldacci.

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