Bubbles and Books

Today is another round of good books bad reviews. The game where Ellyn reads a terrible review of one of her and Amanda's favorite books! But this time, Rachel is roped in to play the game too. Listen along and see if you can guess the book from a bad review. What we're drinking | Water sadly Ellyn's Currently Reading | Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty & Private Rites by Julia Armfield Amanda...

Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time , graciously joined us for a Poppin' Off episode of Bubbles & Books Podcast. The book, which was an instant bestseller at Dog-Eared Books, was recently named to former president Barack Obama's summer reading list. It's a fascinating story of time travel, love, and identity, and you won't want to put it down. In today's episode, Kaliane shares the...

Today's episode is a special one. We've invited bookseller Bailey, mixologist extraordinaire Darian Everding from London Underground, and author of Absinthe: The Exquisite Elixir , Ted Breaux. Ted is considered to be the godfather of Absinthe, having helped revive its popularity and study it under a modern lens. We're lucky to have Ted and Darian join us on today's podcast and share their knowledg...

Today, we have booksellers Katie and Nayeli joining Ellyn on the podcast. We're chatting about Steamy Lit Con, romance books we're loving, and we ask the questions about cryptid sexiness.  Most importantly, we discuss Bookstore Romance Day which takes place on Saturday, August 17! Dog-Eared Books will be celebrating with all kinds of fun pop-ups. Throughout the course of the day, if you come in an...

This week we're hosting Cori Theroux on Bubbles & Books! Cori is not only the owner of The Green Dragon Bookstore, but also is the brain behind the Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour currently happening in Iowa! The Iowa Indie Bookshop tour is a summer long challenge to visit 36 of Iowa's indie bookstores! There are so many great bookshops to visit you won't want to miss. Plus, if you visit all 36 books...

We are halfway through 2024 and the books have been so so GOOD. Amanda & Ellyn are breaking down their top books of the year so far and this list is one you'll want to pay attention to.  Best of the Year So Far List: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzales The Ministry of T...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELMANDA! Today's episode is all about celebrating Amanda and Ellyn's birthdays. These two born one year and one day apart were meant to have a friendship that blossomed into the beautiful partnership of Dog-Eared Books. In this episode They're sharing their birthday wishes and what they would like this year. It's fun, outrageous, and there's cake!  What we're drinking | Albert Bicho...

Welcome to Poppin' Off! In this episode we welcome Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo's Got Money Troubles & The Knockout Queen , to the Bubbles & Books podcast! Thorpe is an author both Amanda & Ellyn talk about often after they bonded over their love of The Knockout Queen. Most recently Amanda has been working through some of Rufi's other backlist books. When Margo was announced as a forth...

Ellyn is joined by Bailey and Rachel this week, and they're talking about OLD books. Specifically OLD Book Club–obscure, lesser-known, and, hopefully, divine–aims to explore the diverse array of books we call “classic” and to discuss the malleable bounds of the category while also making an often intimidating genre feel both more accessible and more fun. The selection of books intentionally covers...

Sharks. Sleuthing. Stories. OH MY! Ellyn brought Rachel on this episode to play a game of riddles. The two see who are super sleuths and ask each other riddles to solve. Listen along to see if you can figure out the answer for yourself. Plus, you won't want to miss Ellyn sharing all about shark movies. She's made it a mission of hers to watch as many shark movies as possible this summer, starting...

Ah summer, one of our most favorite seasons of reading. We say that as though we know every season is a favorite reading season. But in summer, there's a level of relaxation that we experience and sometimes our reading habits change a bit too. So in this episode Amanda and Rachel go through some of the notable books coming out this summer you won't want to miss.  What we're drinking | Coffee and P...

Summer is fast upon us and at Dog-Eared we're gearing up for our summer reading challenges. We of course are doing our classic kids Cheesy Reading Challenge, in which kids can read towards a goal of earning a free small one-topping pizza from Great Plains Sauce & Dough. But we are also bringing back our adult summer reading BINGO card! With a few fun changes, we have Mariah on the podcast to s...

This episode is definitely rated XXX. On this episode, we welcome one of our good friends, and host of Dog-Eared's Between the Covers rom-com book club, DeAnn Malone! DeAnn is extremely well read when it comes to romance novels which makes her the perfect guest for Ellyn's game she put together. In this episode Ellyn reads off the chili pepper scenes from some of the best romances and DeAnn has to...

We are fresh off of Small Business Week, and Amanda & Ellyn have fellow Main Street small business owner Jenny Pollard on the podcast. Jenny has not only one business on Main Street but two! You may know her incredible store Life Distilled , but she will soon be opening her second project Homegrown Iowa ! Homegrown Iowa, is located at 218 Main Street (right across from Dog-Eared Books), and wi...

What. A. Weekend. We survived Indie Bookstore Day 2024 and we're here to recap all that went down. We've got the data, we got audio clips live from the store, we've got everything you might want to hear about when it comes to the most exciting day of the year. Once again thank you to Fireside Winery for gifting us a bottle of their sparkling Noir de Brickyard to drink on today's episode. What we'r...

We officially have a sponsored episode for bubbles! Many thanks to Cassie and Fireside Winery, located in Marengo, Iowa, for sending us a bottle of their sparkling white Blanc de Brickyard !  Today's episode is all about the beef. A litany of grievance if you will. Amanda & Ellyn are joined by bookseller Mariah, because she is the queen of beef, to chat about all the ridiculous things they hav...

A lot has been happening at Dog-Eared Books and with Amanda and Ellyn, so this episode is all about catching up with each of them, the fun things happening at Dog-Eared Books and of course books that have caught their attention recently. What we're drinking | Sunny With a Chance of Flowers Amanda's Currently Reading: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin...

The best day of the year is coming up soon, and that's Indie Bookstore Day! Held on the last Saturday of every April every year. It is a day to celebrate Indie Bookstores across the country. Each store has a unique fun take on the day, and this year will be better than ever! On this episode Ellyn, Amanda, and Rachel talk about all the exclusives and special things happening at Dog-Eared Books this...

At Dog-Eared Books we love hosting book clubs. We have so many excellent options including our newest one, the Your Best Self book club. Amanda & Ellyn are joined by book club host Christi Hegstad, a professional Certified Coach (PCC) in personal growth and professional development. Your Best Self book club discusses nonfiction books geared toward living and working to our highest potential! C...

In the spirit of March Madness, we’ve built our own March Fiction Madness Bracket, drawing from the best titles of 2023 that are finishing out “the season” with great sales in March. Listen to our podcast, Bubbles & Books to find out who made the bracket and why, then vote in our social media stories in the coming weeks to help your favorite books advance to the Big Dance.  We’re starting with...

Ellyn claims she has created a perfect playlist “Ellyn Middle School Vibes” on Spotify. From this selection of songs, she's using as inspiration for today's episode. Ellyn is going to name a song, share a part of the lyric and then her, Amanda and Rachel are going to build the plot of a story!   Make sure to subscribe and rate the Bubbles & Books Podcast. And don't forget to share it with your...

Amanda & Ellyn are recapping their experience from the bookselling industry's biggest conference of the year, Winter Institute. They share all about the bookstores they visited, authors they met, and other shenanigans they got up to while in Cincinnati. Listen today!  Make sure to subscribe and rate the Bubbles & Books Podcast. And don't forget to share it with your friends. Learn more abo...

Happy almost Valentine's Day! With the day of love upon us, today's episode is dedicated to books that will break your heart. How romantic, right? Sometimes, a heartbreak book might be just what you need! We had our booksellers help us collaborate on a list of books we think will guarantee a few cracks and tears. Plus, you will want to listen to Ellyn serenade with a Jewel song.  Make sure to subs...

Ellyn has created a game for Amanda...and sort of Rachel. She did the research and discovered the WORST reviews of some of the best books. This is hilarious and fun, and Amanda & Ellyn have some thoughts on some of these reviews.  Make sure to subscribe and rate the Bubbles & Books Podcast. And don't forget to share it with your friends. Learn more about a Dog-Eared Books book subscription...

Today's episode is all about the horror genre, specifically our book club dedicated to horror: BOO*-k Club! Booksellers Bailey and Mariah join Amanda and Ellyn to discuss the first six books they've chosen for the year and what participants can expect! Dog-Eared Books has lots of book clubs of all varieties and we encourage you to participate in one or many of them! You can view our whole list of...