Bubbles and Books

On this week’s Bubbles & Books, Ellyn and Amanda are joined by bestselling author Jess Walter to talk about his upcoming novel So Far Gone. Expect laughs, insights, and thoughtful discussion as Jess shares how this novel took shape, what it says about the world today, and why he chose to leave social media. And we're so excited to share that Jess will be coming to Dog-Eared Books for a Cocktai...

We are heading into summer and all the reading lists are coming out. Some are thoughtfully curated, and others… sloppily slapped together by AI. But today, we present you with an “AE” (Amanda & Ellyn) generated summer reading list—and trust us, it's way better than whatever the bots cooked up. Whether you're into breezy rom-coms, twisty thrillers, or something a little more unexpected, they've...

We are excited to welcome Dog-Eared Books' best-selling author to the Bubbles & Books podcast! Amanda & Ellyn have popped the bubbles and are chatting all about Kristen's adult cozy mystery How to Solve Your Own Murder and its sequel How to Seal Your Own Fate. Her books are full of twisty plots and eclectic characters, and she's sharing how she crafts a mystery that's both page-turning and...

In today's episode Amanda & Ellyn are breaking down the data from Indie Bookstore Day and giving you the best-sellers, how many passports we gave out, and special anecdotes we noticed throughout the day. Thank you to our listeners who came out to Dog-Eared Books and those who also participated in the Central Iowa Indie Bookstore Day passport. And especially to those who said "Chambong me b*tch...

We put it out there and asked everyone who follows us on social media to ask us anything. From bookish to random, Ellyn and Amanda are sharing everything. This Saturday, April 26, 2025 spend your day visiting Indie Bookstores for Indie Bookstore Day! The Central Iowa Indie Bookstores have brought back the passport challenge. Visit all the indies in two days to win a grand prize! What we're drinkin...

Ellyn has a game for Amanda & Rachel... and they're not very good at it. This episode is a fun one of chatting current reads and testing our bookish knowledge. Get tickets for Kevin Wilson at Dog-Eared Books HERE What we're drinking | Cocktails from Della Viti Ellyn's Currently Reading | Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart & Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez Amanda's Currently Reading |...

It's a very exciting episode, because Amanda and Ellyn are joined by fellow indie bookstore owner Abbey Paxton. Abbey owns Storyhouse Bookpub, located in the East Village of Des Moines. Today Amanda, Ellyn, and Abbey chat about the indie bookstore industry, the good and bad parts of owning a indie bookstore, and the exciting things we have coming up for Indie Bookstore Day 2025.  Mark you calendar...

If you listen to Bubbles & Books, you should know how excited we are about today's guest's upcoming book, "Sky Daddy." Iowa Native Kate Folk joins us to chat about how she came up with the genius novel about a woman who is attracted to planes and hopes to one day be wed to an actual plane in a very tragic way. What may seem like a ridiculous and hilarious novel is a beautiful one about friends...

We have indie bookstore supporter, our friend, and Dog-Eared best-selling author Denise Williams on today's episode of Bubbles & Books. She joins Ellyn and Amanda to chat all about her upcoming book Just Our Luck, the romance genre, and donuts (duh.) Denise has published nine novels including Technically Yours and her debut novel How to Fail at Flirting which just so happens to be the first bo...

We have THE Nicole Cuffy on today's episode. Her upcoming novel O Sinners!, our March 18, 2025 needs to be on your TBR asap. In O Sinners! a young journalist, reeling from loss, investigates a mysterious cult in the California redwoods, only to be drawn in by its charismatic leader—an addictive novel that asks why people give up control and what it takes, ultimately, to find your place in the worl...

Amanda & Ellyn are yapping. And as much as they like to think they're in the know with the youths, they sometimes are a little behind on the times. Hence, teaching them all about yapping. Rachel gave them a list of different topics and yap they did.   Ellyn's Currently Reading | American Mythology by Gino Cromely Amanda's Currently Reading |   The Favorites by Layne Fargo  Books coming out thi...

What is happening in our country feels very scary and very dark. But if there's one thing Timothy Snyder taught us, it's "Don't obey in advance." We hope today's episode can offer you a bright moment in these chaotic times.  Books on authoritarian governments | Autocracy, Inc by Anne Applebaum The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng Ch...

Emily Jane author of On Earth As It Is On Television and soon-to-be-released novel Here Beside the Rising Tide, out January 28, joins Amanda and Ellyn on today's Bubbles & Books episode. After reading her first published novel in 2023, and choosing it for the Dog Pack subscription, Amanda & Ellyn knew anything Emily Jane wrote next would deliver. AND. IT. DID. Listen to learn more about Ja...

Get your notes app ready because you're going to want to write down the books we're excited for for the first half of 2025. Amanda & Ellyn are breaking down all of the big hitters to be on the lookout for in publishing.  Listen and tell us what you're looking forward to! Ellyn's Currently Reading | The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan Amanda's Currently Reading | Private Rites by Julia Ar...

We're back baby, it's 2025, and we're coming at you with an episode all about what we're taking into 2025 with us and what we're leaving behind in 2024. Vision boards were even made with glue sticks, cutouts, and digital scrapbooking. Amanda & Ellyn are excited to share what they're hoping the new year brings. What we're drinking |  Piattelli Vineyard Methode Champenoise Ellyn's Currently Read...

RECEIPTS👏PROOF👏TIMELINE👏SCREENSHOTS👏EVERYTHING! It's the end of the year and we're looking back at the data from 2024. We're sharing our most popular genres, what book we sold the most, and the surprising item that beat everything! We love breaking down the past year to discuss the surprises and expectations of a year at Dog-Eared Books.  We'll be back in the new year, see you then! __________...

Today we welcome Main Street Executive Director Travis Toliver to Bubbles & Books. We're chatting all about Small Business Weekend, and what you can experience in Downtown Ames. Check out our holiday gift guide HERE . ______________________________________________________________________ Make sure to subscribe and rate the Bubbles & Books Podcast. And don't forget to share it with your fri...

October is officially over and we're ready for some holiday romance. In this episode you'll hear about some of our favorite classic holiday romance storylines, books to look out for this season, a possible true love romance in the making, and Rachel & Amanda narrowly avoid parking tickets. This is a classic wild episode of Bubbles & Books you won't want to miss.   Holiday Romances mentione...

Welcome back to another week of Bubbles & Books. This week, we're so excited to welcome children's picture book author & illustrator Jess Hannigan to the podcast. Jess is the mind behind one of our favorite books this year Spider in the Well . Her clever story has brought us so much joy this year, and we loved having the opportunity to chat about how she got started and what we can expect...

The leaves are falling, and that's a sure sign of the book fair rolling into your schools. And if you're lucky, a local bookstore is giving you a taste of the book fair you remember fondly from your youth, but making it fun for your adult self. This week we're reminiscing about the book fair, talking facts about the beginning of the Scholastic Book Fair, and of course sharing all about our upcomin...

We'll tell you now, you're going to want to grab the tissues for this episode. Recently we shared some sad news about our incredible shop dog Lovie getting a cancer diagnosis. While we're confident in the lovely medical team at Iowa State University's Vet Med. But with a tough diagnosis comes tough conversations. Today we are joined by picture book author Derick Wilder. His story "The Longest Lets...

In honor of tonight’s vice presidential debate - book pairings! Ellyn has combined some of your favorite reads with the perfect pairing. One might call her a book sommelier!   What we're drinking | Bubbles of course! Ellyn's Currently Reading | We Do Not Part by Han Kang & The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston Amanda's Currently Reading |   Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery Books coming o...

We're back! Amanda & Ellyn are our queens of a random tangent, so today Producer Rachel has asked the people to ask Amanda & Ellyn random questions, book recommendations, and anything they might want to know.  What we're drinking | Forgot to look at the name, but listener Dace brought it from the country of Georgia! Ellyn's Currently Reading | Colored Television by Danzy Senna Amanda's Cur...

Today we're bringing you an episode of all the things we've been chatting about behind the counter at Dog-Eared Books. There's cannibalism. There's sea monsters. We're talking about menopause. And so many more random, yet entertaining topics. And please make sure to let us know if you think Ellyn and Rachel would be perfect on the Amazing Race.   What we're drinking | I can't remember but it's Fre...

Did you know we're an INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION?!? Yes it's true, and we're so honored to have met our friend Dace who traveled all the way from the county of Georgia to visit us in little old Iowa. So in Dace's honor, we are talking about bookstores we would love to visit around the world.  Bookstores we want to visit around the world: Propsero’s Books Hay-on-Wye (Hi on Wye) Shakespeare and Compa...