Ep 147: Best Books of the Year 2021

Ep 147: Best Books of the Year 2021

My real life book club is BACK with our annual conversation about the Best Books of the Year!

Please welcome my friends Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith back to the show for our fourth annual Best Books of the Year episode.

Read More

Ep 141: 6 Classic Novels You Should Read (with guest Colleen Powell)

Ep 141: 6 Classic Novels You Should Read (with guest Colleen Powell)

I have a running list of classic novels that I want to re-read as an adult or read for the first time because I missed them in high school English class.

If you have the same literary burden, this episode is meant to help you choose a classic that won't be a total bore.

Read More

Ep 126: Books we wish we'd written (A conversation with author Shawn Smucker)

Ep 126: Books we wish we'd written (A conversation with author Shawn Smucker)

This conversation with my old friend Shawn Smucker is one of the best I've had in awhile. We talk about reading and ghost writing and self-publishing and (not) censoring what our kids read.

And we also talk about the books we wish we'd written. Somehow I shock Shawn with one of my answers!

Read More

Ep 121: Stephen King Starter Kit

Ep 121: Stephen King Starter Kit

Stephen King is a genius and I believe we will one day study him in academic settings like we do other literary giants.

(He's also my favorite author.)

I'm making a case today for why YOU should read this master storyteller. He has created some of the most iconic characters and plot lines and imagery in history, but he gets a bad rap from casual readers because his most popular work is horror.

Read More

Ep 113: Best Books Lately (with Sarah's Bookshelves Live)

Ep 113: Best Books Lately (with Sarah's Bookshelves Live)

Good news! My reading rhythms are back, which means more book content than ever before. I am so happy to share this conversation with Sarah from Sarah's Bookshelves Live about the best books we've read lately.

Read More

Ep 108: Best Books Lately (with Meredith Monday Schwartz & Kaytee Cobb)

Ep 108: Best Books Lately (with Meredith Monday Schwartz & Kaytee Cobb)

Not at all sorry to have two books & reading episodes in a row! Especially because my guests for this Best Books Lately conversation are two of my favorites voices in the book-ish world.

Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb are the two women behind the Currently Reading podcast and I think that you will love their varied recommendations in our conversation.

Read More

Ep 107: 10 Reasons to Read (A conversation with Sara Hildreth of @fictionmatters)

Ep 107: 10 Reasons to Read (A conversation with Sara Hildreth of @fictionmatters)

In this conversation, Sara Hildreth from @fictionmatters and I each share 5 reasons we read fiction, why it has matters to us personally and how it changes the world. I just loved chatting with her and we could have talked for hours.

Read More

BONUS: Moms Don't Have Time To.....with Zibby Owens

BONUS: Moms Don't Have Time To.....with Zibby Owens

I am super excited to welcome fellow podcaster and fellow February author to the show. Zibby Owens is the podcaster behind the popular show Moms Don't Have Time To Read Books, where she has some of the greatest author interviews.

But now Zibby herself is the author! This week she released Moms Don't Have Time To....A Quarantine Anthology, with essays about not having time to read, work out, eat, have sex, or breathe. All written by some of the fabulous authors that have appeared on her podcast.

Read More

Ep 102: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.

Ep 102: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.

My first book Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. launches into the world this week!

This book was born out of this podcast. So if you enjoy this show, you will LOVE the book version.

I think it will spark deeper connections in your conversations and meaningful introspection within yourself.

But as much as I talk about SHARING on this show....I'm ready to talk a little bit about the STUFF part of "Share Your Stuff."

Read More

Ep 101: What are you afraid of? (A FREE audio chapter from Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. + an excerpt from the foreward by Jenna Fischer)

Ep 101: What are you afraid of? (A FREE audio chapter from Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. + an excerpt from the foreward by Jenna Fischer)

This is an extra special episode, because I'm giving you a FREE chapter from my new book Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.

Read More

BONUS: (More) Best Books of the Year (According to Laura)

BONUS: (More) Best Books of the Year (According to Laura)

On Episode 96, my real life Book Club shared our top 3-ish favorite books of the year. And while I loved that discussion, there are still so many great books from 2020 I wanted to share with you! So as promised, this is a BONUS episode with my full list of favorite reads in 2020.

Read More

Ep 90: Best Books Lately with Dr. Cara Pence

Ep 90: Best Books Lately with Dr. Cara Pence

I’m joined by one of my oldest and closest friends, Dr. Cara Pence. You might remember Cara from Ep 6: Revisiting Judy Blume. On this episode, we’re each sharing the best books we’ve read lately and talking through two recent best sellers. (One we loved, one we didn’t.)

Read More

Ep 83: Best Books Lately with Christine Koh

Ep 83: Best Books Lately with Christine Koh

It’s time for another episode about the best books we’ve read lately! This time I'm joined by Christine Koh, an author, speaker, blogger, podcaster, designer, and scientist. Yes, DR. Christine Koh is all of those things, and on this episode she is sharing books that speak to the Asian American experience AND her newfound love of the romance genre.

I'm sharing two books about cults, what I'm reading before I fall asleep at night, and the novel that took me totally by surprise.

So there is a LOT packed into this conversation.

Read More

BONUS: More great books to read!

BONUS: More great books to read!

We didn't have time for me to share ALL the great books I've been reading on the recent reading episode, so this is a little bonus to tell you all about my current book stack, including a new novel that's a contender for favorite of the year, and a nonfiction book that I am forcing myself to read with an open mind.

Read More

Ep 74: Best Books Lately with Sarah Bessey

Ep 74: Best Books Lately with Sarah Bessey

It's time for another episode about BOOKS and this time I'm joined by my good friend Sarah Bessey. Sarah is a writer, speaker, and all around woman of wisdom. She is the author of Jesus Feminist, Out of Sorts, and the spiritual memoir Miracles and Other Reasonable Things. She is also the cofounder of the Evolving Faith conference.

Follow Sarah Bessey on Instagram and Facebook

On this episode, Sarah and I each share the best books we've read lately, including popular novels, Canadian authors that fly under the radar, and social justices resources.

Read More