With our 4th year anniversary show comes a first for us - a show trigger warning, please see ending note.

Book Club this month is JA Forde's "On a Flight to Sydney." According to a Steph during the show this is "one of my favorite romcoms!" Yep, this book is a perfect summer read, and it becomes one of our longer talks as while it is a sweet romance on the surface, there is so much more.

In this episode, we also discuss the decrease in reading and reading development in children 8-18 as well as doom-scrolling and Book Crawls.

Books discussed include:

• "The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger
• "Ship of Magic" by Robin Hobb
• "Legends & Lattes" by Travis Baldree
• "Shield of Sparrows" by Devney Perry.

Take note that our book club discussion becomes a very personal conversation regarding topics of abuse, PTSD/Trauma and sexual assault. If these are triggers for you, please be aware.

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Dive into the world of books with us again this month as we discuss a wide variety of bookish things including thoughts on the cast for Sunrise on the Reaping and the July release of the Netflix adaptation of Remarkedly Bright Creatures.

Joining the show this month is return Indie author, Jessika Grewe Glover, who discusses her new release, BloodLily, a very spicy vampire romance!

Also discussed are the books Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle, Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley and more!

What are you doing on May 21? Have kids in your life? Join the millions of children around the world taking part in Australia's Simultaneous Storytime and read The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel

Don't miss another amazing episode!

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Becca Lopez, owner of Bookish Becca, Co., joins the show to discuss her shop - how she got started, her goals, and even the challenges of being a small business owner. Her online shop focuses primarily on candles, wax melts, lotions and soaps that are bookishly inspired.

Did you know that April 26 is Indie Bookstore Day? We share some information regarding this annual event, plus we provide updates on the UK beginning to feel some book banning pressure from the US. And, finally, what is your bedtime routine? It might not be listening to the audiobook of The Great Gatsby every night, but maybe it is.

Don't miss this fun epsiode where we also dive into book tropes. Specific books discussed include Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn and Bloodlily by Jessika Grewe Glover (who will be our guest on our next episode!)

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Jenn Bouchard returns to the show to discuss her new book Considering Us, a fun story that won't leave you sad about a young private chef who takes on the role of Director of Dining at a New England boarding school after facing a scandal in Boston.

Not only do we get to welcome back a return author, but you also won't want to miss our discussions on several books and bookish topics including:

• The Sunrise on the Reaping hype
• Ali Hazelwood & Kimberly Lemming and the Tucson Festival of Books recap
• The Outsiders by SE Hinton
• And, not book related, but we do get the gruesome story of President James Garfield's assassination.

There is plenty more fun to be had. Just like with books, we don't want to give away all the spoilers! So relax and take a listen.

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

What an episode this turned out to be! The moral and ethical roller coaster that our speed round takes us on was unexpected, but so, so good! And, all based off of ideas discussed throughout our book club chat on Noni's hit YA book, "The Prison Healer."

Besides an in-depth analysis of our March Book Club pick, there was much to discuss:

• 2025 Indieverse Award nominations are out - Speaking LITerally Podcast is up for THREE!
• New UK Campaign - Make It Fair
• Traveling Books
• Preview of Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Other books that are addressed in this episode include, but aren't limited to:

• Tell Me You Trust Me by Elle Owens
• The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
• Aurora Rising by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Considering Us by Jenn Bouchard

Next episode dropping on March 24 will feature guest Indie author Jenn Bouchard.

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Author Jaqueline Snowe joins the show to talk all things romance, specifically sports romance, and to discuss her debut thriller, Tell Me You Trust Me, that will be released on February 11 under the name Elle Owens.

Onyx Storm is all the rage right now, so there is a deep dive into the book, and thoughts and opinions are shared! Be aware there are spoilers on Onyx Storm that you may want to skip to avoid.

Other topics include, Author's Guild new "Human Authored" certification, book adaptations nominated for Academy Awards, and so much more.

The Book Club is reunited for the first time in 2025 in the next episode which drops March 3rd!

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Hello episode 50! With the first official episode of 2025, the bookish duo rings in a new year with their 50th episode and a fantastic guest author!

Join them in welcoming award winning author Kevin Wolf to the show to talk about his contemporary western fiction mysteries.

Not only is Kevin a fantastic guest, but there are also many discussions revolving around the Tracy Wolff copyright infringement lawsuit, the release of Onyx Storm, and so much more.

Books discussed this episode include: Quicksilver, Orbital, The Heartless Hunter, Crave, and Trialridge just to name a few.

Thank you for coming back for episode 50, and here's to the next 50.

The next episode will drop in February with yet another amazing guest author - this time in the world of romance. You won't want to miss it.

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm

Join Liz & Holly on Speaking LITerally #49 for a bookish look back at 2024!

2024 was another amazing book year! Join Holly and Liz as they reflect on the all the adventures shared over the past year. From Book Club discussions to amazing author interviews, 2024 has been a fun ride.

In this Year in Review, the bookish friends discuss their favorite reads and what they feel was the best book of the year. Liz also teaches Holly how to DNF a book. Nonfiction to romance to fantasy to thrillers are all discussed in this jam packed episode.

The duo will be back with their 50th episode on January 13 when they welcome their first guest author of the year, Kevin Wolf.

#HappyReading

About Speaking LITerally

Resident bookworms Liz & Holly explore their favorite world--BOOKS--in this all new podcast focused around new releases, old favorites, and everything in between.

What are you reading? Find our their favorites and upcoming reads along with stories from authors and more on Speaking LITerally!

Follow on Instagram

@speakliterallypodcast

@lizzieslittlebooknook

@azdesert_bookworm