Check Your Shelf

In this episode Jaimee and Jennifer talk about their recent stand out books, their Book of the Month picks, and all things Romance for the month of love. Books discussed in this episode: Stand Out Books: Bride by Ali Hazelwood and Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others by Amy Thielen. BOTM: Ready or Not by Cara Bastone, Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver,Resort by Sara Och, More- A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter, The Women by Kristin Hannah, Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli, and Northwood by Amy Pease Romance: One True Loves and After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and When in Rome and Practice Makes Perfect, both by Sarah Adams. The Closer by Aimee Hyde, Memories of Us by Vanessa Carnavelle, Rock and a Hard Place by Juliana Smith Romantasy: From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer Armentrout, King and Coven series by Madeleine Eliot and Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent. Mystery Romance: Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell Find us on Instagram: @checkyourshelfpodcast Send us an email: checkyourshelfpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode Jaimee and Jennifer talk about their Book of the Month picks, their favorites of 2023, and the NPR Books We Love list. Books discussed in this episode: BOTM: Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver Mercury by Amy Jo Burns Best of 2023: Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen The Last Word by Taylor Adams NPR Books We Love: Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman The Soulmate Equation & The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett Find us on Instagram: @checkyourshelfpodcast Send us an email: checkyourshelfpodcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening!

This episode features more books on our (very very long) TBR lists. Books discussed in this episode: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree King of the Armadillos by Wendy Chin-Tanner Starling House by Alix E. Harrow Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede Fall of Ruin & Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout Round Here & Over Yonder by Trae Crowder & Corey Ryan Forrester Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt Find us on Instagram: @checkyourshelfpodcast

We start the episode by discussing our BOTM picks for October, then jump into a discussion of some of the books on our extensive TBR lists.  Books discussed in this episode: Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Queen of All Fae series by Madeleine Eliot The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai Masters of Death by Olivie Blake California Golden by Melanie Benjamin Grimoire Girl: A Memoir of Magic and Mischief by Hilarie Burton Morgan Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere by Maria Bamford The Host by Stephenie Meyer Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead Madonna: A Rebel Life by Mary Gabriel Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love Find us on Instagram: @checkyourshelfpodcast Send us an email: checkyourshelfpodcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening!

This month Jaimee and Jennifer discuss their one true book love: Book of the Month Club. They talk about how they discovered it and why it's the best thing ever, and then they review several of their favorite BOTM selections.  Books discussed in this episode: None of This Is True - Lisa Jewell 56 Days - Catherine Ryan Howard Divine Rivals - Rebecca Ross Vladimir - Julia May Jonas The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid Hello Stranger - Katherine Center She Started It - Sian Gilbert Maame - Jessica George The Only One Left - Riley Sager Yours Truly - Abby Jimenez I Have Some Questions for You - Rebecca Makkai Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus Oscar's Picks: The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan Renegades - Marissa Meyer City Spies - James Ponti Jaimee & Jennifer's September TBRs: Bring Me Your Midnight - Rachel Griffin Shark Heart: A Love Story - Emily Habeck Things We Left Behind - Lucy Score Holly - Stephen King Find us on Instagram: @checkyourshelfpodcast Send us an email: checkyourshelfpodcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening!

Mallory McCormack from The Staredown podcast joins us for a crossover episode about books and sports! Our book discussion takes us deep into the U.S. women's soccer team's quest for pay equality, but we promise that even readers who don't enjoy sports will love the books we talk about this month! Books we discuss in this episode: Pre: The Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend by Tom Jordan Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis Family Huddle by Archie Manning, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning Bleachers by John Grisham The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer by Caitlin Murray The Guncle by Steven Rowley  Find us on Instagram @checkyourshelfpodcast and @thestaredown_podcast. Thanks for listening!

Media specialist and Alabama Take writer Laura Lott suggests some titles for fiction fans who may be hesitant to dabble in the world of nonfiction. We also talk about her favorite fiction from this year, as well as what we're currently reading and what's next on our TBR list.  Books we discuss in this episode: You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar Savor: A Chef's Hunger for More by Fatima Ali Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family by Rabia Chaudry So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson All That Is Mine I Carry with Me by William Landay Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Legendborn by Tracy Deonn Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall My Murder by Katie Williams In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain by Tom Vitale The Last Word by Taylor Adams Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook Encounterism: The Neglected Joys of Being In Person by Andy Field You can find Laura's article about nonfiction books that she loves here  and her latest article about summer reads here.  Find us on Instagram @checkyourshelfpodcast or email us at checkyourshelfpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!  

This month my friend and fellow librarian Sedona Brewer stops by to talk about our favorite underrated books. Our news segment is dedicated to book bans (and book ban bans - we see you, Illinois!), and then we wrap up with what we're currently reading and what's on our TBR list. 

Mallory McCormack is here this episode for a discussion of Prince Harry's memoir Spare, then she tells us about the Bully Book Club, an international book club made up of dog lovers that she joined during the pandemic. We finish the episode with some excellent book recommendations from Oscar. 

Do you still have some last minute gifts to buy? We have you covered! Jennifer Kimbrough (@jennythebookgal) joins us again to discuss the best book gifts we've ever received and our favorite books to give as gifts. We also talk about what we've been reading, and then Oscar is back to share some book reviews for young readers (46:18).

In our third episode Jennifer Kimbrough joins us to discuss her favorite audiobooks. She also fills us in on the best (and cheapest) ways to find audiobooks and listen to your heart's content (28:00). She sticks around to discuss the buzz around Matthew Perry's new book in our Book News segment (41:54), and then we wrap up with some fiction and nonfiction recommendations (47:22).

Despite a few technical issues, we cover a lot of books in this month's episode! I’m joined by Christa Martin to discuss our love of thrillers and horror novels. We also talk about the National Book Award finalists (kind of) and Prince Harry’s upcoming memoir, then recommend some of our favorite fiction and nonfiction (32:19). Next, Oscar shares some of his favorite historical fiction titles for young readers (54:28), and then Corey and I wrap up the podcast with a discussion of Questlove’s Music Is History (59:56).  

In the first episode of Check Your Shelf we talk about our favorite books and authors, discuss George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood and its HBO adaptation House of the Dragon, and dive deep into Dave Grohl's bestselling memoir The Storyteller.