The Bookshelf

The holiday season is upon us. And as always, there is so much to talk about when it comes to the world of books! So, what will you get in this episode? * The Booker Prize challenge winner * Update on NaNoWriMo * Mini-Book Discussions * Engaging interview with Author DW Brooks Plus a whole lot of fun and laughs! Don't miss it! #HappyReading About Speaking LITerally Resident bookworms Liz & Holly e...

It's October - one of the best times of the year! Join us as we take on all the fun of the spooky season! Besides our chat on upcoming book adaptations, a mention of a recent Disneyland trip and an upcoming Ireland trip, and NaNoWriMo goals, we discuss many books that might give you something to add to your end of the month reading list. Just a small sampling of the books we discuss: * Slewfeet by...

What's in store for you in the latest episode? More of what you have come to expect and love from Speaking LITerally! We give our respects to Dame Maggie Smith, discuss the end of Banned Books Week 2024, and make our formal Booker Prize predictions. Sarah Chamberlain's new book, Slow Burn , and Hooked by Emily McIntire get some mini book discussion air time. And, this is all before we welcome Indi...

It's September, which means it's time to kick off spooky season. Nothing does that better than bringing together the Speaking LITerally Book Club girls for one of our best book discussions to date! What book? Darcy Coates' Gallows Hill! Get ready for a great time! The Gilmore Girls and Hypnovels are also topics discussed in between book conversations which include The Host by Stephanie Myers, Empi...

It's not just Instagram and TikTok. Instead, it's been Bookstagram and Booktok for quite some time! Holly and Liz take on exploring the influence of social media in the literary world, more specifically, their own literary worlds. The bookish duo are both feeling quite under the weather, but that doesn't keep them from having fun and discussing everything from the rise of book clubs and book event...

This is a great episode with not just one special guest, but two! After sharing some of the latest bookish news, Holly's 15-year-old daughter, Penelope, joins the show to participate in a book talk on the newest book in the Inheritance Games series, The Grandest Game, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. She's quite opinionated, especially about Grayson. Then author Kimberly Burns shares her passion for histo...

Indie author Bridget Van der Eyk joins the show to talk about her two romance books, 10 Dates and 3000 Words. Bridget is one of the most bubbly, friendly and carefree people you will meet, and the interview was an absolute blast! Bridget shares her story of self publishing, her inspiration for the story, snippets of her life and what it's like to be an Australian author writing books about the Uni...

Join Holly & Liz as they celebrate 3 years of Speaking LITerally with a classic book club discussion! This wouldn't be the three year anniversary show without a little bit of fun and a whole lot of shenanigans. Between the amazing book club discussion and their thoughts on the new Hunger Games book, there is a lot to talk about. Jinx by Jessica Huntley was a great book club choice. It it a deep an...

It's Dark Academia time and the book duo couldn't be more excited. But there is so much to talk about in the book world. Author Jacqueline Wilson is bringing back the characters from her series The Girls 20 years later as adults, and Ransom Riggs is releasing a brand new Fantasy Series, his first since the "Miss Peregrine" series. Plus conversations on books including Sweet Valley High , Mister Ma...

Get ready for a jam packed episode! This month we are so excited to bring on multiple guests starting with Emily and Jody from Tucson Tome Gnome, a non-profit organization that brings books into the community every month in a Scavenger Hunt style. This is such an amazing organization created by three friends who have a passion of books. The origins of their partnership with author TJ Klune is a re...

It's Book Club Month! Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson is the topic for this month's discussion, and there is a split opinion on it. Before the deep dive into the book, the book duo discuss topics including influential women authors in honor of International Women's Month, Audible's new royalty program, and Leigh Bardugo's new mega publishing deal just to name a few....

Author Katie Cawood joins the show to discuss her book Lesson Learned and the upcoming sequel, Love Lessons, that will be released on March 29. Katie's series is a workplace romance surrounding teachers. We have a fun conversation, including what her 12 year old son thinks. There are also some lively discussions surrounding Romance Exclusive bookshops, Generation Z's reading preferences, and M. Ni...

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024, but before we can embrace the new year, we must close out 2023. This past year has been full of ups and downs, but it didn't fail in providing some amazing reads. After discussing a bedbug issue in a London Library and a research study on reading comprehension impact between print and digital books, the bookish friends dive into all the memorable books of 2023. The...

We are starting 2024 with a bang! Did you set a goal for the year to read more of your TBR list? It's great to have our first episode be on a topic like TBR lists as readers can relate. Join us as we discuss all things TBR, identify some of the books that have been hanging out on our lists and what we plan to do about it. We welcome special guest Kristina Carmela to discuss the 2024 Indieverse Awa...

It's Book Club time! This month's conversation focuses on Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights. It is a collection of 12 short stories set to a Gothic tone. It was a very different read, but provided a lot of topics for discussion. There is also a bonus mini discussion on Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros that you won't want to miss (no spoilers for this one.) This month other topics include...

Author Jes Smyth joins the show to discuss her debut novel, Time for Once, and drops a little exclusive piece of information regarding the upcoming release of her second novel, Dream for a Second. The shenanigans are in full effect throughout this month's show which creates laugh after laugh. Naturally, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros is discussed (with no spoilers) because well, why would it not be...

Welcome back to another adventure into the bookish world. Liz and Holly have finally read their first Colleen Hoover book, Verity , and have quite a lot to say about it with their pals Stephanie and Jennifer as part of the book club discussion. It's also Spooky Season, so it would be irresponsible to not talk about books for the season. Books discussed in this episode include: The September House...

The book duo is back at it! This month they welcome author Peter D Baker to the show to discuss his novel, Rain City Gothic ! Additional book chat consists of Rachel Beanland's book talk debacle in Florida in regards to her new historical fiction book, The House is on Fire and our excitement over next month's release of Lessons In Chemistry on Apple TV. Books discussed this month include: * The 57...

For this August bonus episode, Holly and Liz welcome back Steph and Jenn for a special Book Club focused on Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Spoilers, conspiracy theories, opinions, and predictions a plenty in this fun time for all. Holly and Liz also share some information and their thoughts on Texas House Bill 900 and the idea that Stephen King books are YA. Not sure about that one! There are also...

This month, the book duo is joined by Jenn Bouchard, author of First Course and the soon to be released, Palms on the Cape. Jenn is a fun, laid back author who shares a lot of insight into her books, her process, and the literary world. Holly and Liz also share some thoughts on upcoming adaptions including Wonka; Red, White and Royal Blue; and The Lunar Chronicles to name a few. Oh, and Adam Drive...

Holly and Liz celebrate their two year anniversary of the podcast with a little look back on some of the fun times they've had while discussing everything from the Shutdown/Quarantine of the pandemic to starting their bookstagram accounts. But, there is also much to be covered from A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas to Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson, to all sorts of references to other bo...

Welcome to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Liz and Holly take a deep dive into the ins and outs of this high impacting series, what the impacts it has had on readers and literature and why, plus they share their own personal thoughts, as always. This episode goes off the rails a little bit with some unexpected shenanigans through Liz insulting Holly and Holly's attempts to discuss a book that...

Join us in welcoming author Jessika Grewe Glover back to the show! She first appeared just before the release of her first novel, Another Beasts Skin , back in 2021 and now we are helping to kick off the release of her latest book, Stars Like Gasoline , which is available on April 25. This episode al incudes conversations around the Royal Shakespeare Company's adaption of Hamnet , The HBO Max's Ha...

The Book Club is back and tackles Stephen King's 11-22-63 in this month's episode of Speaking LITerally. Not only are JFK conspiracy theories discussed but also how this particular book is part fantasy, part love story, and even part horror. The group has some strong opinions and thoughts on all aspects of this daunting novel. Holly and Liz also take some time to discuss Roald Dahl and the controv...

Love is in the air this month! Join Liz and Holly as they discuss the soring popularity of the romance genre. They share their thoughts and ideas about tropes and even chat a little about Fifty Shades of Grey. Books discussed include Lessons in Chemistry , Thursday Murder Club, A Fault in Our Stars and The Love Hypothesis . This month the book duo is joined by Words & Kisses Bookshop owner, Amy. S...