Life of Plenty

Lisa and Ashley are joined by Lettie Collier, who talks about how she learned English and to read at the same time, and how she's always had a book on her ever since. She talks about how her wild Little House on the Prairie obsession influenced her early fashion decisions. Her first favorite, however, was the classic The Monster at the End of This Book . She also discusses her love of Joan Didion...

Ashley sits down with Cigi England of Cigi's Boutique and The Exceptional Bean to discuss her entrepreneurial journey and the books that helped shape it; starting with The Baby-Sitters Club . Then they go on to discuss more books like Shopkeeping by Peter Miller, Ina Garten's memoir , and what Cigi calls a must-read for all women over 40, We Might Just Make it After All . 

For the fiftieth episode of Life of Plenty, Lisa and Ashley host two incredible guests, Calvin Crosby of The King's English and Brain Food Books , along with Ann Kjellberg of Book Post .   Together they discuss the books that shaped their lives, ranging from comic books and Beverly Cleary's Ramona series, to Peter Pan, Ginger Pye in their childhoods all the way to Salmon Rushdie, Toni Morrison, an...

This episode is part of a four-part series as partners with Restoring Childhood Putnam County, an initiative to help families "hit pause on constant screen time and press play on the kind of childhood that builds imagination, confidence, and real connection."    On this episode of the Life of Plenty Podcast, Lisa goes solo to provide a breakdown of Putnam County's community read, The Anxious Gener...

This episode is part of a four-part series as partners with Restoring Childhood Putnam County, an initiative to help families "hit pause on constant screen time and press play on the kind of childhood that builds imagination, confidence, and real connection."  In this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley and Lisa talk with educator Ryan Dalton and leader of the community-wide deep dive into The Anxio...

This episode is part of a four-part series as partners with Restoring Childhood Putnam County, an initiative to help families "hit pause on constant screen time and press play on the kind of childhood that builds imagination, confidence, and real connection."  In this latest episode of Life of Plenty, Lisa and Ashley discuss the upcoming community read of The Anxious Generation, spurred on by Ryan...

This episode is part of a four-part series as partners with Restoring Childhood Putnam County, an initiative to help families "hit pause on constant screen time and press play on the kind of childhood that builds imagination, confidence, and real connection."  On this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley is in the studio with none other than her husband, Tony Michael. Tony is a therapist and a profes...

On the latest episode of Life of Plenty podcast, Ashley and Lisa dive into the benefits of writing and how writing is an important aspect of book culture. They discuss how we are all writers, and the importance of writing by hand, along with the writing tools available at Plenty. 

On this episode of Life of Plenty podcast, Lisa and Ashley talk about Independent Bookstore Day, happening April 26th, this Saturday! 

Life of Plenty host Lisa Uhrik talks with Jodi Pitts on her reading journey, from The Babysitter's Club, the dictionary, and how reading Charlotte's Web led her to steal a pig that would become a pet. Jodi also discusses reading multiple books at once, her favorite reads, and what she'd take on a trip to a deserted island.      

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley and Lisa sit down with Emily Liner of Friendly City Books. Emily talks about how she decided she wanted to make a difference, and how that took her from working for the government in DC to opening a nonprofit bookstore in Columbus, Mississippi.  They discuss connecting even "non-readers" with books, and how The Monster at the End of this Book may be the pe...

On this episode of the Life of Plenty podcast, Ashley and Lisa sit down with therapist, author, reader, and tea enthusiast Marissa Fike. They discuss how books teach us to be listeners, and how books can be used in therapy.   Marissa talks about her own podcast, Herbal or Verbal, which combines her love of books and tea, and how books can help us recognize issues in our lives.

Clarissa Murphy joins Lisa Uhrik on this episode of Life of Plenty to discuss the books that made her and how she chose a career in books.  She discusses the impact books had on her at a young age, especially Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  Then Lisa and Clarissa get into a discussion about non-readers — and whether or not they actually exist.

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Lisa sits down with Jason Rice of Ingram, who helps bookstores set their initial inventory. They discuss books he believes should be in every store, and then some of his favorite reads. From On Beauty by Zadie Smith, to a book he credits himself with making popular — Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists , to one of the hardest books he's ever read and can't unread,...

Lisa and Ashley sit down with Riley Forssell of Delicately Dressed on this episode of Life of Plenty to discuss how she got into her pressed flower business — by not wanting to work a typical "teenage" job. They discuss her entrepreneurial spirit and how her business got its name, from the book of Luke.  She then talks about how her family are readers, sometimes reading together. And then she talk...

Lisa Uhrik and Ashley Michael talk about books that make great gifts, because books make the best gifts. They discuss how to choose books based on what people love and enjoy, or by sharing part of ourselves. 

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley and Lisa are joined by Ali Olsen. Ali started off as a Plenty volunteer and board member, but now works part-time at the store just because she loves it so much. She talks about how her mother got into reading with The Velveteen Rabbit and encyclopedias. She read what she found in the house and then moved onto popular novels, before getting into historical...

In this episode of the Life of Plenty Podcast, Lisa and Ashley discuss meaningful books with Heather Babcock, formerly of Whirlwind Book Bar in Oklahoma. When Whirlwind closed, inventory and chairs from the store made their way to Plenty, so the store has lived on here in Cookeville. Heather shared some of the books that have impacted her, starting Nikki Erlick's The Measure , a novel that asks if...

Lisa and Ashley sit down and chat with Tracey Hackett, the Book Pharmacist. Tracey talks about learning to read despite being diagnosed with dyslexia, and how she grew fond of books at an early age.   Then she discusses how during the pandemic, she obtained a certificate in bibliotherapy, the art of matching someone with a book prescribed to their situation, thus becoming the Book Pharmacist. Toge...

This Life of Plenty episode features a special guest, Ashley's daughter, Wren! A voracious reader, Wren talks about books she remembers from earlier in her childhood, all the way back to board books and Dr. Seuss, to what she's reading now. (The Keeper of Lost Cities series.)    Lisa, Ashley, and Wren discuss traveling through reading, and how books can help you connect with what you're learning i...

On this episode of A Life of Plenty podcast, Lisa and Ashley do a deeper dive into The Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen, and talk about the fact that America was founded on virtues. Lisa briefly discusses her own book, America Becoming, and then they look forward to Jeffrey Rosen's upcoming appearance here in Cookeville. 

Plenty volunteer, Sara Kruszka, joins Ashley Michael on this episode of The Life of Plenty Podcast. She talks about books that shaped her, including Home for a Bunny that she couldn't remember the name of. And then discusses wanting to live in the woods like Laura Ingalls Wilder, be a detective like Nancy Drew, and the various book clubs she's a part of. Her and Ashley also talk about a Goodreads...

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Lisa and Ashley do a deep dive into David Brooks' How to Know a Person. They discuss how important it is to be present in each others lives, and how to be a deep listener in order to really know someone. And inversely, Brooks describes how not to get to know a person.    This was the first staff-wide Plenty Bookshop read, because Lisa and Ashley believe in the im...

On today's episode of Life and Plenty, Ashley and Lisa talk to Dr. Kathryn Wisinger about her reading ritual, and the books that got her into reading. She mentions favorites characters from childhood like Laura Ingalls Wilder and Harriet the Spy.  More recent favorite authors include Amor Towles and Carlos Ruiz Zafón. And she also talks about her love of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and how the...

In this Life of Plenty episode, Lisa Uhrik sits down with Angie Wells, who talks about her lifelong love of reading, which she credits partly to the excitement of the Scholastic Book Fairs she attended in elementary school. From the devastating Where the Red Fern Grows to time traveling with Philippa Gregory's historical fiction, Angie discusses books she's loved.  Angie is a member of the advisor...