Are you looking for your next book recommendation? This book podcast celebrates debuts, backlist, and under-the-radar book selections. Expand your book stack with these recommendations and look at the book industry behind the scenes with Amy Allen Clark (MomAdvice.com). She shares the microphone with her favorite writers and bookstagrammers to help you have your best reading year ever.
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The Best Midlife Books to Inspire Your Next Chapter
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57:50There is nothing more transformative than midlife stories, and Renee from It's Book Talk & More joins me to explore the books that reshape how we see this stage. The All‑Star Book Influencer Series is back, and I can't wait to introduce you to more incredible voices in the literary community. Our guests include podcasters, bookstagrammers, and Book…
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Dive into a stack of mind‑bending thrillers with Kate from Bookwild. Discover her top 5 speculative fiction picks in today's All-Star Book Influencer series. The All‑Star Book Influencer Series is back, and I can't wait to introduce you to more incredible voices in the literary community. Our guests include podcasters, bookstagrammers, and BookTube…
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When a Journalist Outgrows the Word Count
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43:07Journalist Honor Jones discusses her debut novel, Sleep, which explores the #MeToo movement from childhood to the newsroom through a unique fictional lens. Honor Jones's debut novel, Sleep, opens in the heat of a seemingly idyllic summer childhood, where ten-year-old Margaret navigates unspoken secrets within her home. But as the years unfold, the …
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Why Finding Grace Is the Plot-Twist Novel of the Summer
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36:37Holy plot twist! Loretta Rothschild shares her writing process for her buzzy debut, Finding Grace, where the opening sequence stuns in this spoiler-free chat. In today's Book Gang episode, debut author Loretta Rothschild discusses Finding Grace, a domestic drama that cracks wide open into something far more unexpected. This powerful novel explores …
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This Author Walked Away from Law—and Won Big
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1:04:29Lidija Hilje shares how her debut novel, Slanting Towards the Sea, and her own journey is shaped by second chances and the courage it required to begin again. Lidija Hilje brings a rare and powerful perspective to her fiction. After a decade working in Croatian courts, she left the legal field to write in English as her second language and to coach…
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A Professor Turns Sleuth in This Sharp Academic Mystery
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43:38Zoe Wallbrook shares how her debut mystery, History Lessons, blends academia, amateur sleuthing, and suspense in this clever, twisty campus mystery with heart. In today's special July 4th Book Gang episode, author Zoe B. Wallbrook joins me for a smart and surprising conversation about her dazzling debut, History Lessons. This mystery novel brings t…
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How a Chemistry Major Wrote a High-Stakes Debut
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54:41Not knowing the publishing rules helped Austin Taylor sell her debut, Notes on Infinity. From lab notes to spreadsheets, learn her data-driven approach. In today's Book Gang episode, debut author Austin Taylor joins me to discuss her dazzling new novel Notes on Infinity. This high-concept campus novel follows Zoe and Jack, two brilliant students wh…
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Dolen Perkins-Valdez Writes Like Every Book Is Her Last
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36:01Dolen Perkins-Valdez shares the riveting history behind her new book, Happy Land, the research surprises she uncovered, and how urgency drives her storytelling. In today's Book Gang episode, New York Times bestselling author Dolen Perkins-Valdez joins me to discuss Happy Land, a transporting novel inspired by the true story of a lost kingdom built …
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Why Allegra Goodman Hid Her Isola Manuscript
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43:40Allegra Goodman tells the surprising origin story of Isola—from a children's book discovery to immersive museum research—all written in complete secrecy. In today's Book Gang episode, celebrated author Allegra Goodman joins me to discuss her stunning survival novel Isola, the incredible true story that inspired it, and the highly unusual creative p…
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Milo Todd is Reclaiming Trans History
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1:07:11Milo Todd discusses the research process for his debut, The Lilac People. This sweeping historical fiction novel shares a devastating chapter in trans history. Debut novelist Milo Todd joins me to discuss his book, The Lilac People, in honor of Pride Month. This heartbreaking historical fiction novel uncovers a devastating chapter in queer and tran…
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Annie Hartnett discusses the inspiration behind her quirky road trip novel The Road to Tender Hearts and why she breaks all the rules in writing her stories. Annie Hartnett joins me to discuss her latest bestselling novel, The Road to Tender Hearts, and the inspiration behind this road trip story. We explore the heartfelt and humorous moments that …
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This Raw Debut Shows Addiction's True Cost
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55:50In this Jessica Guerrieri interview, we discuss her debut, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and how 12 years of sobriety shaped this unforgettable tale. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a raw and emotionally resonant debut that examines the insidious nature of alcohol addiction and how it distorts relationships, parenting, and one…
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The NEW 2025 MomAdvice Summer Reading Guide includes 56 titles, including upcoming releases, new releases, and backlist gems. Browse 39 pages of bookish fun to prepare for your best summer stack. Welcome to one of my favorite episodes of the year- the official reveal of the 2025 MomAdvice Summer Reading Guide! This year's guide features 56 handpick…
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Writing Bestsellers With An ADHD Brain
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1:08:23In this Allison Larkin interview, we discuss writing Home of the American Circus and the creative writing routines that have transformed her life with ADHD. This week, I'm talking with my friend and bestselling author Allison Larkin about her latest novel, Home of the American Circus. But this conversation goes far beyond crafting this sprawling fa…
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Unboxing the Influencer Life Through Fiction
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34:18This week, we're diving into a debut thriller that's frothy, funny, and unhinged in the best way. Liann Zhang joins me for a laugh-out-loud conversation about her new novel, Julie Chan Is Dead—a genre-blending con-artist thriller about identical twin sisters whose lives split in dramatically different directions… until one of them winds up dead. Wh…
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Journalist Claire Hoffman unpacks Sister, Sinner, the gripping true crime story of evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson’s disappearance and miraculous return. If you've never heard the name, Aimee Semple McPherson, you're not alone—but Claire Hoffman's Sister Sinner will ensure you never forget her name again as America's first mega-preacher. Today, w…
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How The Bright Years Was Paved Through Letters
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45:31Sarah Damoff shares how The Bright Years evolved from an epistolary draft into a powerful multi-POV family saga exploring addiction across generations. Every so often, a debut novel arrives so confident and assured it's hard to believe it's the author's first. Sarah Damoff's The Bright Years is one of those rare books. Deeply informed by her work a…
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How Sarah Harman's Debut Took Publishing By a Storm
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36:15Sarah Harman shares the journey behind All the Other Mothers Hate Me, from journalism to fiction, a fierce book auction, and its upcoming FX adaptation. You'll know immediately if this book is for you from the opening line: "The missing boy is ten-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he's a little shit." That audacious beginni…
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How a Cozy Family Drama Made This Writer Fall in Love With His Craft
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38:06Jinwoo Chong celebrates food, family, & finding love in his cozy novel, I Leave It Up To You. Learn how this project helped him fall in love with writing again. What if you fell asleep in 2019 and woke up in 2021? That's the reality for Jack Jr., who emerges from a two-year coma to find his life unrecognizable. His job is gone, his apartment is los…
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Eowyn Ivey joins us from Alaska to discuss her latest magical realism novel, Black Woods Blue Sky. Prepare to be transported by one of my favorite storytellers! The queen of magical realism, Eowyn Ivey, joins us to share intriguing insights into her third novel, Black Woods Blue Sky, and how her deep connection to Alaska continues to shape her stor…
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How Family History and Legacy Shaped Junie
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56:10Erin Crosby Eckstine discusses her debut novel, Junie, and how her family history transformed her life from English teacher to chosen GMA Book Club novelist. In this episode, Erin Crosby Eckstine shares the moving inspiration behind her debut novel Junie, a profoundly personal story rooted in her own family's history. Erin reveals how Junie's chara…
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Libby’s Best Horror Books of 2024 and Exciting App Updates
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1:02:25Paging library lovers- Joe from the Libby team is back to share the exciting app updates and his top five horror book recommendations from 2024 to read now. In this All-Star Book Influencer series installment, we’re thrilled to spotlight Joe Skelley, cohost of The Professional Book Nerds podcast and a member of the Libby team. Joe shares his favori…
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We read a total of 482 books and are excited to share fifteen of our favorite titles from our 2024 reading list. Explore these new releases alongside our favorite backlist books for your best reading year yet. We invite you to browse our book lists featuring 25 of our favorites. Patrons will receive a printable checklist with today's book titles an…
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The Best Agatha Christie Books Deep Dive Podcast
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31:33Uncover the Agatha Christie beginner's guide with Victoria from The Reader's Couch! Explore her best-underrated gems and find new modern authors like Christie. Deep dive into Agatha Christie's legacy with Victoria Wood from The Reader's Couch podcast! In this episode of the All-Star Book Influencer Series, we uncover what makes Christie's mysteries…
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Join the NEW 2025 MomAdvice Book Club and discover 12 incredible novels together along with many interactive author discussions for this year’s festivities. It's my favorite day of the year (CUE THE CONFETTI) and I'm so excited to invite you to the 2025 MomAdvice Book Club! This year, we're mixing things up to make your book club experience even mo…
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Dive into the world of literary fiction books with Tina from Book Talk, etc. Discover her top 5 book recommendations for readers and why she loves the genre. I'm so excited to launch our new All-Star Book Influencer series with our first guest, Tina from Book Talk, etc., who joins the show to offer our listeners her top recommendations for the best…
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Redefining the Missing Girl Narrative With Emiko Jean
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43:59In this episode, Emiko Jean discusses flipping the script on the traditional missing girl narrative in her new police procedural, The Return of Ellie Black. This week, we’re joined by New York Times bestselling author Emiko Jean to discuss her latest police procedural novel, The Return of Ellie Black. In today’s episode, Emiko offers a behind-the-s…
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How Braving a Literary Seminar Shaped The Lost Story (With Meg Shaffer)
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46:18Meg Shaffer takes us behind the scenes to the literary seminar with legendary writer Richard Russo, who helped her craft her cozy fantasy book, The Lost Story. Imposter syndrome is real and even our favorite authors experience it as they contemplate their next project. In this week's episode, we welcome back bestselling author Meg Shaffer to join u…
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Crafting a Killer Redemption Story With Heart (Rob Hart Interview)
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34:23Rob Hart discusses his gripping novel, Assassins Anonymous, and the heartfelt storytelling approach that defines his work. When Steven Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment, snaps up the rights to a book within 24 hours of acquisition, you know the book must be incredible. Today, Rob Hart joins us to discuss his new novel Assassins A…
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Peek Inside This Disability-Inclusive Bookshop and Why it Matters
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50:19Discover the best Disability Pride Books curated by Cindy Otis from The Stacks Bookstore, who offers readers a virtual tour of her disability-inclusive space. Cindy Otis's journey to opening The Stacks offers a vital and well-thought conversation about her own limitations in accessing bookshops and what was top of mind for her customers when design…
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Spinning a Bad Review Into Romantic Gold With Laura Hankin
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35:53Laura shares the painfully hilarious real-life inspiration behind her novel, discussing how personal experiences with negative feedback trickled into One-Star Romance. The dark horse in my romance stack was Laura Hankin's debut novel, which pulled ahead as my summer favorite. After reading the author for years across genres, I'm honored to have Lau…
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Nicola Yoon Discusses Her Provocative Debut (One of Our Kind)
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33:22Nicola Yoon discusses her provocative adult debut, One of Our Kind, and the surprising inspiration from The Stepford Wives that sparked her daring new story. Writing inspiration can sometimes strike in the most unlikely places. Podcast listening in the shower electrified a story Nicola Yoon had never expected to write. Join us for an enlightening c…
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Digital Dating Turns Deadly in This Debut Murder Mystery
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31:44L.M. Chilton reveals his surprising dating history that inspired his debut thriller, Swiped. After nearly a decade and 212 failed dates, L.M. Chilton channeled his dating frustrations into Swiped, a fresh debut murder mystery exploring the darker side of online dating cleverly crafted for the millennial reader. Today, we discuss his personal story …
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The 2024 MomAdvice Summer Reading Guide includes 35 titles, offering upcoming releases, new releases, and backlist gems. Grab your favorite summer beverage and settle in for this year's summer reading guide, which includes 35 beautiful book selections for your summer. After carefully reviewing eighty books for this season, I've tried to offer some …
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This special crossover episode with The Reader's Couch offers five backlist books for your summer and what it takes to nail a great summer reading guide. Today's episode features Victoria Wood from The Reader's Couch podcast. I asked Victoria to bring her best backlist book treasures from her past summer reading guides that deserve far more attenti…
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What Jeff Zentner Brings to the Romance World
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51:35Jeff Zentner discusses the inspiration for his emotional adult debut romance novel Colton Gentry's Third Act, which celebrates food, music, and second chances. Celebrated young adult novelist Jeff Zentner returns to our space to discuss his transition from writing young adult books to his surprising new release—a romance debut for adults called Col…
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Surprising Truths About Grief With Amy Lin (Here After)
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57:13Amy Lin discusses her emotional debut memoir Here After. We discuss her surprising revelations about the grief process and better steps to show up for grievers. In our fear of saying the wrong thing, we often don't get to engage in essential conversations like the one we share today. Amy Lin, author of Here After, joins the Book Gang podcast to dis…
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This special crossover episode with Thoughts from a Page offers five new historical fiction books in 2024 to read now of compelling women throughout history. Cindy Burnett, the host of the Thoughts from a Page podcast, joins our show in this special crossover episode to discuss her favorite new historical fiction books for 2024 that readers will lo…
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The Kennedy Ryan Phenomenon: Inclusive Narratives With Heart
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1:06:49Kennedy Ryan discusses her rise to the NYT bestseller list as a Black romance writer with moving advocacy for autism representation in This Could Be Us. There is a reason everyone wants to be a part of Kennedy Ryan’s story—her joy is infectious. Today, we offer listeners a front-row seat to her romance Booktok fandom, sold-out book tours, and movin…
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In today's podcast, escape in a time loop novel. We discuss Groundhog Day books and the comforting ways repeating time travel can charm us in our book stack. When we say "time loop," readers immediately react to this statement. Whether it is a no or a yes, Jessica and I have you covered in today's podcast. We discuss why repeating cycles of events …
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This Book Cover Designer Reveals His Surprising Process
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43:36Join us for an inspiring conversation with Faceout Studio book designer Elisha Zepeda as he takes us on a journey from working in a bookstore to navigating his first year in book cover design. Elisha navigates the challenges of cover rejection through a unique avenue- his TikTok account, where readers can discuss the rejected and accepted designs w…
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How Shark Heart Transformed Emily Habeck and Her Readers
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42:02Emily Habeck discusses her widely imaginative debut novel, Shark Heart, and how this writing project transformed her life and the lives of her readers. It's no secret that Shark Heart was my favorite debut of the year, and today's meaningful author conversation only solidified this moving reading experience. We discuss the unusual overlap to our lo…
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The Most Unique Only One Bed Moments in Romance
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1:01:10SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon! Sarah Adler discusses writing her quirky debut novel Mrs. Nash's Ashes and her favorite memorable "only one bed" moments in romance. Sarah Adler didn’t know she was writing a romance book when she started her novel. She wasn’t even a romance reader. All of that changed, though, when she wrote Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, her …
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Let's Head to Art School With These Amazing Books
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49:23SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon! Head to art school with debut novelist Antonia Angress today. We discuss the inspiration for her debut novel, Sirens & Muses, which one of our best debuts of 2023. If you have ever dreamed of attending art school, you will want to tune in to today's discussion and fictional art book stack. Today, we are joined by de…
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SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon! Cue the confetti! This week's episode shares the top fifteen books we have read this year after screening HUNDREDS of books. This discussion includes the best fiction books of 2023 and some of our favorite backlist books we were thrilled to discover this year. There is TRULY something for everyone. We invite you to …
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SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon! Meet MY new book gang collaboration with Victoria from The Reader's Couch Podcast and Cindy from Thoughts from a Page Podcast, as we embark on a new reading journey together. I'm thrilled to bring you a special pop-up episode announcing a fabulous new collaboration for the upcoming year. I couldn't be more excited t…
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The Magic of Belonging in Found Family Books
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52:30SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon! I’m thrilled to introduce you to our new contributor voice to the Book Gang podcast. Jessica Bearak is likely a familiar voice to you because she is such a loyal participant in so many book club spaces around the web. It was such a treat to meet her IN PERSON earlier this year, and after having the best time discuss…
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The 2024 MomAdvice Book Club Books Announced (Part 2)
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28:28Join us in Part 2 of the 2024 MomAdvice Book Club as we unveil the second half of our carefully curated book selections and how to join! Cue the confetti! I'm hosting my first backlist book club year in honor of my 20th year as an online creator, and I would be HONORED to have you join me on this journey. This year's offerings include backlist book…
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The 2024 MomAdvice Book Club Books Announced (Part 1)
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31:11Join us in Part 1 of the 2024 MomAdvice Book Club as we unveil the first half of our carefully curated book selections and how to join! Cue the confetti! I'm hosting my first backlist book club year in honor of my 20th year as an online creator, and I would be HONORED to have you join me on this journey. This year's offerings include backlist books…
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The Best Reading Hacks for Chronic Pain
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1:19:17SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon! Chronic pain shouldn't stop you from living your best reading life. A registered osteopath shares her surprising tips for a cozy winter reading season. Does the perfect reading chair exist? How do I maintain a good reading posture? And what book format is best for someone who has chronic pain problems? The answers m…
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