Speaking LITerally

Natalia Williams joins the show to talk her book Taking the Cake and her Tango Series in our latest episode. It's Halloween, so we discuss the season and how Darcy Coates has become a fixture in our spooky season library. Other topics discussed include the Book of the Year candidates and the Indiverse Awards. To cover the international news of the recent Louvre robbery, heist books are also a big topic of discussion. The fun never stops. Don't 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

Rabbit Moon author Jan D Payne joins the show to share her passion of writing and how her background with the Navajo Nation has shaped her storytelling. Spooky season is here, so we would not be doing our job without discussing some of our picks for the season. Books covered include Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, and October Forever by Katie Cawood. Stephen King and Darcy Coates may also have been pulled into the conversation! We also make our final predictions on who will win this year's Booker Prize, and the questions remains - will Holly remain undefeated in her predictions! Banned Book Week 2025 is discussed as well as the exciting return of Reading Rainbow with it's new host plus so much more! #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

Prepare yourself for an epic adventure in this episode. There are more off-the-rails moment than in any recent episodes making it one of the most fun ones yet! The Book Club girls have quite a bit to share about this new horror book by Nat Cassidy that explores the concept of what happens when we have the power to manifest your fears into real, tangible entities. What else is in store? Well, what do the Babysitter's Club and KPop Demon Hunters have in common? Who is the mysterious author Evelyn Clarke? And, since when is Wuthering Heights a dark romance? All questions answered in the latest episode. Books discussed in this episode include: The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightly and The Whalebone Theater by Joanna Quinn just to name a couple. The real fun? The real fun in this episode comes in our Book Club Discussion and our notoriously crazy Speed-Round. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording. Next Episode will drop on October 6 when we welcome author Jan Payne to the show. #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

Laura Hern, author of The Lainey Maynard Mystery series, joins the show to to discuss her journey as an author. Topics on the show also include adaptation updates, Hank Green's Focus Friend App and many book discussions and mentions: Strange Houses by Uketsu, Babel by FR Kuang, and Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman just to name a few. When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy will be the focus of the next episode's Book Club discussion. Don't 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

Indie romance author Kat Neil joins the show to discuss her series, In the Name of Love. Her series currently has 3 of the 4 books out now. Book 4 is set to be released in late 2025. You'll definitely want to check them out! We also discuss our favorite binge-worthy cooking shows! There is much to discuss this time. Everything from the Jennifer Lynn Barnes book signing event, to book award nominees, to BookTok inspired EF Ultimate Break international tours - we are already packing our bags! We also throw in a few books to discuss that include: From Below by Darcy Coates, Small Favors by Erin A Craig, and Automatic Noodles by Annalee Newitz just to name a few. We even provide a teaser for Leigh Bardugo's 3rd book in her Ninth House series. Don't miss all the fun 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

The long awaited Dinner Party has arrived! So what does an author/character/podcast dinner party look like? What would a dinner at a swanky New York Italian restaurant look like with a group of fictional horror characters? What would their host gifts be? Take a listen and find out! Also in this most recent episode, we discuss books including We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer and Funny Story by Emily Henry. Other topics include AI, Stephen King's upcoming retelling of Hansel and Gretel and the Salt Path Scandal. Indie author Kat Neil will be joining the show to discuss her books and her love of books and writing. Next episode drops on August 4. Happy Reading 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

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: 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: 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 FairTraveling BooksPreview 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 OwensThe Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa BroadbentAurora Rising by Amy Kaufman and Jay KristoffConsidering 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

'Tis the season for Book Awards and holiday reads! This month we have an exciting episode filled with talks of book award winners, Kindle news and a little bit of romance. Holiday book discussions include thoughts on How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn and My December Darling by Lauren Asher before jumping into our Book Club discussion of the Victorian holiday novella, A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews. While Matthews book is sweet and romantic, it is surprising how quickly the discussion turned to more spicy topics in romance books. What do spreadsheets have to do with spice? Well, you'll need to check out this episode to learn more. We will be back in a couple weeks with one of our favorite episodes of the year - Year in Review! Until then, Happy Reading! #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

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 winnerUpdate on NaNoWriMoMini-Book DiscussionsEngaging interview with Author DW BrooksPlus a whole lot of fun and laughs! Don't 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

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 BromChasing the Boogeyman by Richard ChizmarDreamcatcher by Stephen KingWitchy Sour by Gina LaMannaEyes of Darkness by Dean KoontzThe Church Beneath the Roots by Felix BlackwellWhat more would you want during October than witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies and all matters of things that go bump in the night? Well, if you are a Robin Cook fan you're in luck! We do a little dive into medical thrillers as well. There is definitely something for everyone this month don't miss out. We will be back next month with a guest author! Don't forget to vote for us beginning Nov. 1 for the Indieverse Awards! #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'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 Indie author, Madeleine Elizabeth to the show. While Madeleine shares her thoughts and ideas on her debut novel, Castle Witch, she also discusses multiple Taylors, Maine lobsters, the importance of Finding Nemo, and the power of traditional literary elements. #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

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, Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff and One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. It may be one of the longer episodes, but you won't regret sticking with it until the end. The speed round game this episode is definitely one for the books. #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

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 events for Gen Z to the recent BookTok Awards and everything in between! Books mentioned this month include: The God of Woods by Liz Moore, The Taking by Dean Koontz, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, You Like it Darker by Stephen King, 50 Shades of Grey by EL James, and so many more that. The question remains, how has social media influenced your literary journey? #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