Everyone Loved It But Me

Lisa discusses The Women by Kristin Hannah, published in February 2024 and about a woman named Frances “Frankie” McGrath, who becomes a nurse in Vietnam. This episode has massive spoilers in the book. If you want to learn more about the book without spoilers, go to part 1 here. The book is unique in that it highlights the nurses in Vietnam.  The Washington Post offers a list of Vietnam War books to consider reading. The Boston Globe  The Boston Globe addresses this book's predictability and some clichés in the book. Books discussed:  A Piece of My Heart: The stories of 26 women in Vietnam War by Keith Walker   

Lisa discusses The Women by Kristin Hannah, published in February 2024 and about a woman named Frances “Frankie” McGrath, who becomes a nurse in Vietnam. The book is unique in that it highlights the nurses in Vietnam.  The Washington Post offers a list of Vietnam War books to consider reading. Books discussed:  Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam by Bao Ninh Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien  For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission. 

Lisa discusses an overlooked book, Foster by Claire Keegan and also Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. The New York Times addresses this book and also talks about how novellas don’t get the same attention as other books. For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.

Lisa discusses A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and the new TV show, which was just released on Paramount Plus. There will be spoilers for the first TV episode.Lisa discussed the book in 2022 with author Joshua Berkov and if you would like to listen to that episode, it is here.The New York Times discusses how Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead first filmed together back in 2017. They are now married, and Ewan plays the Count, and Mary Elizabeth plays the Count’s girlfriend. The Los Angeles Times addresses how this almost fanciful fairytale is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The Guardian delves into how this TV show combines the serious and goofy aspects of the Count. For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission. 

Lisa discusses Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton. Published in 1948, the book details South Africa before the apartheid political system came into effect. The book sold more than 15 million copies before Paton’s death. It is studied internationally by many schools.  Lisa talks about the experience of reading the book while also listening to it on YouTube, being read by Best Tutor Friendwho is also a teacher. She posts about reading on Instagram too.  Books Discussed:  Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela Things Fall Apart by Chinua AchebeFor more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.

Lisa and her special guest daughter, Liz Hedger, discuss the super-popular Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros.  Lisa and Liz discussed the first book in the series, Fourth Wing in the fall of 2023 in the Fourth Wing Episode and if you haven’t listented to that episode first, you may want to do so.  Today’s episode does include spoilers of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Iron Flame has more than 832,000 reviews on Goodreads and when Iron Flame was released, it sold more than half a million copies in one day.  Books Discussed:  The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation. 

Lisa discusses several books to consider putting on your To Be Read (TBR) list for reading and learning more about powerful women in our history. There’s a wide variety of books discussed in today’s episode.  Here’s a list of books to consider from Boston University’s story. The Women by Kristin Hannah Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley Paperback by Charlotte Gordon The Island of Sea Women by Lisa SeeRadium Girls by Kate MooreA Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina LambI'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdyBritney Spears: The Woman in MeThe Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila HarrisThe Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria RussellHeart Berries: A MemoirHello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano  For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation. 

Lisa and Diana Rodriguez Wallach talk about young adult horror books. Diana is a multi-published author of young adult novels. Her recent young adult Latinx Horror novel is Lizzie Borden meets Supernatural, named Hatchet Girls. It was released in October 2023.  She did an extensive research and slept in the house where Borden’s parents were killed and she hiked in the nearby forest. She also discusses the book she’s writing now. You can find Diana on her website here. You can also find her on her Instagram and onTik Tok.  She has written several books including: Small Town Monsters  Proof of Lies End of the LieLies that Bind 

Lisa and Diana Rodriguez Wallach discuss Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, a gothic horror novel about four children trapped in an attic by their mother and grandmother. This book was the first in a series. The book sold more than 40 million copies, but Book Riot addresses how Andrews was perceived differently than Stephen King in this article. Diana Rodriguez Wallach is a multi-published author of young adult novels. Her recent young adult Latinx Horror novel is Lizzie Borden meets Supernatural, named Hatchet Girls. It was released in October 2023. You can find Diana on her website here. You can also find her on her Instagram. She’s also on Tik Tok. Books discussed:  The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.  

Lisa discusses a number of unpopular bookish opinions including celebrity stickers affixed to book covers. There’s also a discussion about where to put award stickers on books in Publisher's Weekly. Another pet peeve discussed is the cartoonish covers that are taking place on most of the romance book covers in this article.  Books Discussed:  Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano The Hating Game by Sally Thorne The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur Faking with Benefits by Lily Gold How Green Was My Valley by Richard  Llewellyn.For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.

Lisa discusses Britney Spears: The Woman in Me, a memoir that was released in the fall of 2023. Britney Spears discusses the trauma she experienced in her childhood and even as a young adult. She had very few advocates in her life sticking up for her and she felt very alone as she fought for her children. Books Discussed: Paris: The MemoirFor more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.

Lisa discusses Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond: Henry Winkler’s Memoir. Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond by Henry Winkler Lisa talks about Winkler’s memoir and how he delves into his dyslexia and his highly complex relationship with his parents. He also shares his longtime relationship with Ron Howard.  Books Discussed:  Bettyville: A MemoirFor more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.

Lisa discusses the celebrity memoir Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar, which came out in the fall of 2023. She was raised in a conservative household and is famous because her family was on TLC’s popular show, 19 Kids and Counting. Jill marries Derick and grapples with her life being raised in a semi-cult. She was taught that men are superior and women’s roles are to raise children and marry, and are discouraged from higher education. She has tremendous trauma that she’s grappling with, and this episode addresses her trauma, which includes sexual assault.  Other Books Discussed:  Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris HollowayFor more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.

Lisa discusses Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. This is a young adult book based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan centered on the Ojibwe tribe and a young adult who tries to solve a murder mystery. The artwork on the cover is beautiful and this article discusses how the artwork was set up.Other books discussed:  Backwater by Joan Bauer For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation. 

Lisa and Boston artist Julia Purdy discuss Still Life by Louise Penny, the first Inspector Gamache series. This was published in 2005 and there are 18 books in this series. It is an internationally recognized series.  This article in Vox discusses how Louise Penny has perfected the literary genre with combining murder mysteries in a small town idyllic town filled with artists.  Julia is an artist and you can find her on her website or on Instagram.  Books Discussed on this show: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieBehold the Dreamers by Imbolo MbueSankofa by Chibunduy OnuzoBorn a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor NoahThe Rise of Wolf Eight by Rick McIntyreFor more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.

Lisa discusses how challenging it can be when you're in a reading rut and crafts some ideas on how to move past the rut along with other unique reading goals for 2024. Consider goals that go beyond the "number" of books you read. 

Lisa discusses her five most favorite and least favorite books that she read in  2023. Not all of these books were written in 2023.  Books Discussed:Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candace MillardThe Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Crying in H Mart by Michelle ZaunerHey Kiddo: A Memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka Last Night in Twisted River by John IrvingShark Heart: A Love Story by Emily HabeckThe Last House on Needless Street by Catriona WardStoner by John Williams The Unhoneymooners by Christina LaurenTime Traveler's Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerHow Green Was My Valley by Richard  LlewellynOne Italian Summer by Rebecca SerleThe Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation.  

Lisa discusses some of the most anticipated books for 2024. She highlights books written by extremely popular authors such as Matt Haig, Emily Henry and Kristin Hannah.   Books Discussed:  The Life Impossible by Matt HaigJames by Percival Everett out in May 2024Funny Story by Emily HenrySomewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. KluneMartyr! By Kaveh AkbarCome and Get It by Kiley ReidThe Women by Kristin HannahThe Book of Love by Kelly Link Black Cat and White Dog Search for the Meaning of Life: A Children's Fable by Kelly LinkHouse of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir by RuPaulThe Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History  For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation. 

Lisa discusses her reading in 2023 and ways you can evaluate your success other than just hitting a certain number of books.  Books discussed: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Bit Flip by Mike TriggMonique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway Falling for You: A Buckeye Falls Novel and Falling Home: A Buckeye Falls Novel.  The Measure by Nikki Erlick The Shining by Stephen King. Stoner by John WilliamsHey Kiddo: A Memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro ArikawaHatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez WallachThe Cider House Rules by John IrvingLast Night in Twisted RiverShark Heart: A Love StoryADELAIDE by Genevieve Wheeler   For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives compensation. 

 Lisa and romance author Libby Kay discuss Libby’s book series, the Buckeye Falls novels. She’s written four so far and is working on the fifth one. You can find all of the books on her website, but books in that series include Falling for You: A Buckeye Falls Novel and Falling Home: A Buckeye Falls Novel.  You can find more information about her writing and novels on Instagram and Facebook. She also is a co-host of a romance podcast, which you can listen to or watch on their You Tube channel.  Books Discussed: A Virgin River Christmas: A Holiday Romance Novel Almost Perfect part of the Fools Gold series by Susan Mallery Come Back to Me by Sharon Sala, part of the Blessings Georgia seriesFor more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.*The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.