Last June I turned 30, and I shared a personal episode on the podcats about the 30-things books have taught me in my life. In celebration of my birthday and turning 31, I'm sharing my personal favorite 30 books I've read this last year with all of you. Some of these books made me cry, some of them shocked me, and some gave me the spooks, but all of these books' characters, plots, and stories stuck about because they sank into my soul leaving me to feel that wild and beguile feeling of bewilderment.

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• A Secret History by Donna Tart
• The Art Forger by Barbara A. Shapiro
• The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
• The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
• Taste by Stanley Tucci
• The Mystery of Ms, Christie by Marie Benedict
• The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
• The Astonishing Life of August March by Aaron Jackson
• Orwells Roses by Rebecca Solnit
• The Sisters Sweet by Elizabeth Weiss
• The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
• The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
• The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
• Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Theresa Anne Fowler
• The Maid by Nina Prose
• The Ballerina’s by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
• Heiresses; The Lives of Million Dollar Babies by Laura Thompson
• The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers
• The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani
• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
• The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli
• Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr
• Mean Baby; a Memoir by Selma Blair
• The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess
• The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Still Life by Sarah Winman
• Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

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• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

We're diving into the world of Heiressess, their haunting stories, and how the true (grim) fates of these women of means transformed fiction novels (as well as tv shows and movies). 

Books Shared In Today's Episode:

Currently Reading: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Heiresses: The Lives of Million Dollar Babies by Laura Thompson

The Magnolia Palace By Fiona Davis

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Grand Design: A Novel of Dorothy Draper By Joy Callaway

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

The top five books I cannot wait to read this summer are filled with mystery, suspense, romance, feel-good vibes, and a little bit of justice-seeking power. I share with you the five books as well as their synopsis and why I'm so excited to pack these in my pool bag all summer long.

Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

Horse, A Novel by Geraldine Brooks

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

Ever wanted to dive deeper into the life of a beloved author? Ever wondered what they did behind closed doors? Well, today I'm sharing five incredible books (4 fiction, 1 non-fiction) on authors who have beguiled us over the years that will have you loving that author just a little bit more than you did before you started reading.

Books in today's episode:

+ Hammnet by Maggie O'Farrell

+ The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Heather Terelle

+ Z, A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Theresa Anne Fowler

+ Orwells Roses by Rebbeca Solnit

+ The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

Don't Forget To Vote On The Poll If You Are Listening Via Spotify To Determine Season 3's First Episode!!

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

Today I dive into the book that wrecked me (in all the best ways possible) by Marianne Cronin, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. This book was poignant and powerful reminding us of the importance and difference of what it means to live, to love, and to die. This book is a tear-jerker and fabulously written and I'm excited to share my little review on this remarkable book.

** Spoiler Alert, there are spoiler's throughout this episode

Snag your own copy of today's book:

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

I am a huge supporter of audiobooks and have loved talking about my usage of them throughout this podcast and today I'm sharing where I get my audiobooks and all the pros and cons to these apps. So if you're looking to get more audiobooks this year, or even some new ways to get audiobooks, get yourself cozy because we're diving deep into it.

Apps and Programs Mentioned In Episode

- Audiblebooks.com

- Chirp/Chirpbooks.com

- Libby App

Sign Up For The New Newsletter With Monthly Book Lists and Reviews!!!

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

March 25th is International Tolkien Reading Day and to celebrate, I'm sharing today's bonus episode with the history of this holiday, five easy ways to celebrate, and, for the first time ever, reading one of my favorite passages from, The Lord of the Rings, on the episode! So make yourself a nice cup of tea, or possibly a big glass of brandy, and get cozy in your own little Hobbit hole for today's bonus episode.

Edition I Read From:

The Lord of the Rings, Part One, The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ballantine/Fantasy | Ballantine Books | New York

Copyright 1965 by J.R.R. Tolkien | Sixty-Sixth Printing: May 1978

Sources: 

- The Tolkien Society

- Locating the passage I read, Nat Packer

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

The debut novel by Elizabeth Weiss, The Sisters Sweet, just released November 2021 in the US, is a sensational and dazzling historical fiction full of layers, secrets, desires, and a human sense of self and life and I am so excited to be talking about this book today here on the podcast.

Grab A Copy:

- The Sisters Sweet; A Novel by Elizabeth Weiss

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

Have you noticed the sensational trend going on in the literary world where there are more and more books coming out about books, libraries, bookstores, and authors/writers? From Elin Hilderbrand's newest novel last year, Golden Girl from the POV of an author to the stack of novels revolving around books, it's a big trend and I am here for it.

This is why I've put together today's episode sharing 5 booms (plus some honorable mentions) where I share some of my favorites and TBR's of books on books. So snuggle up, and get your pen and paper ready, because you're going to want to read all of these.

Books Included In Today's Episode:

- Midnight Library by Matt Haig

- The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

- The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

- The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

- The Paris Library by Janet Skesllen Charles

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

Today we dive into a compare and contrast of the most borrowed books in 2021 from the New York Public Libraries to nationwide the most borrowed books in 2021 in all public schools and public libraries and compare and contrast that with just a handful of the most anticipated book coming in 2022.

All facts and research were paraphrased and pulled from:

The Literary Hub (Most Borrowed Books) (Most Anticipated Books)

Overdrive

Barnes and Noble

Books Mentioned in today's episode:

+ A School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

+ The Stars Are Not Yet Bells by Hannah Assadi

+ How High We Go In The Darl by Sequoia Nagamatsu

+ Violeta by Isabel Allende

+ The Swimmers by Julia Otsuka

+ The Men by Sandra Newman

+ The Fell by Sarah Moss

Books I've Currently Been Reading:

+ The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

+ The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

+ Ulysses by James Joyce

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.

After falling in love with Stanley Tucci on screen as an actor, his IGTV episodes became a source of joy for me during the lockdown back in 2020 and 2021. After watching every episode of his show, "Searching for Italy" on CNN and HBO Max, I knew I had to read his book, Taste, My Life Through Food. This was one of the best memoirs I've ever read and because of the incredible recipes shared throughout the book, has earned itself a place on my cookbook shelf instead of a place in the library. This is why I am so ecstatic to be talking about my journey to this book and how much this book meant to me as the child of an immigrant. 

Purchase your copy here: Taste, My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

• Please note that all rights of each of the books mentioned in this episode stay with their authors and respectable publishing houses. All opinions are my own. By purchasing a book from these, or any other links on my podcast episodes or show notes, I will be making a small affiliate profit which helps me continue to make each week's episode.