In this interview, I chat with Beck Dorey-Stein about Spectacular Things, having her book selected as a Reese's Book Club pick, writing about sacrifice and grief, tackling the sister relationship in fiction, writing about soccer, the hardest character for her to write, her title and cover, and much more.
Beck's recommended reads are:
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Wreck by Catherine Newman
Thanks so much to those of you who have donated to the show. Donate to the podcast here or on Venmo.
Check out this list of all the great books I loved in 2025.
Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2026? Check out our fifth Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead, and we color-code by genre in this one!
Spectacular Things can be purchased at my Bookshop storefront.
Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly Buzz Reads column with five new recommendations each month.
Link to my article about older protagonists in fiction.
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jayda Justus - Gift Giving for the Holidays 2025
Jayda Justus of The History Mom recommends books for gift giving this holiday.
Favorite Fiction:
● Nostalgic reading - The Star of Camp Greene by Joy Callaway
● Old favorites made new - The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler, The Worlds of Jane Austen: The Influences and Inspiration Behind the Novels by Helena Kelly, and Jane Austen’s Fashion Bible by Ros Ballaster
● Old favorite/new favorite pairing - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and The Jackal’s Mistress by Chris Bohjalian.
● Vacation reading - The Lost Baker of Vienna by Sharon Kurtzman
● Sweet reads - Katherine Reay, Kristy Cambron, Sarah Sundin, and Laura Frantz
● Entertaining reads - Destiny of the Republic by Candace Millard
250th for America:
● For guys: fiction - Jeff Shaara and John Jakes, nonfiction - Rick Atkinson and Nathaniel Philbreck
● For women: fiction - King’s Mountain by Sharyn McCrumb, My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, and Answering Liberty’s Call by Tracy Lawson. Nonfiction - Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts
● Middle grade: Susanna’s Midnight Ride by Libby McNamee
First Lady history:
● Official White House China by William G. Allman
● Jackie Kennedy: Jackie by Dawn Tripp and And They Called it Camelot by Stephanie Marie Thornton (fiction), and Designing Camelot by the White House Historical Society (nonfiction)
Royals watchers:
Nonfiction - Sally Bedell Smith has written many biographies of the Royal family and The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II by Catherine Ryan
Fiction - Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, The Gown and Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson, and The Queen’s Faithful Companion by Eliza Knight
Christmas Books:
O. Henry for the Holidays by O. Henry
Cookbooks:
The Southern Kitchen by Ivy Odom
The Pioneer Woman Cooks―The Essential Recipes: 120 Greatest Hits, New Twists, and Perfected Classics by Ree Drummond
Sign up for my literary salon.
Jayda can be found on her website and Instagram.
Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2026? Check out our fifth Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead, and we color-code by genre in this one!
Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly Buzz Reads column with five new recommendations each month.
Link to my article about Best Books of 2025.
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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November's Real Time Reading
Kelly joins me for November's Real Time Reading episode where we discuss our current, past, and upcoming reads.
Kelly's Selections:
Last:
One & Only by Maureen Goo
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Now:
The Whisper Man by Alex North
You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
Next:
Kin by Tayari Jones
Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston
DNFs:
None
Book Mail highlights:
Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
Cindy's Selections:
Last:
A Guardian and a Thief by Megda Majumdar
Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
Now:
A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman
Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson
Next:
Family Drama by Rebecca Fallon
Bumblebee Season by Eileen Garvin
Didn’t Work/DNFs:
A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly
The Picasso Heist by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
Book Mail highlights:
Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi
Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi
Connect with Kelly Hooker on Instagram.
Donate to the podcast here or on Venmo.
Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2026? Check out our fifth Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead, and we color-code by genre in this one!
Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly Buzz Reads column with five new recommendations each month.
Link to my article about Best Books of 2025.
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Kelly Hooker - Our Top Reads of 2024 (originally aired 12/9/24)
In this episode, Kelly Hooker and I discuss our top reads of 2024.
Our Top Shared Reads:
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
We Used to Life Here by Marcus Kliewer
Kelly’s Remaining Selections:
Mercury by Amy Jo Burns
Everyone but Myself by Julie Chavez
Drinker of Ink by Shannon Castleton
Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Trafficking by Jason De Leon
How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
Same as it Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
God of the Woods by Liz Moore
The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella
The Best Lies by David Ellis
The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
The Sing Sing Files by Dan Slepian
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
Cindy’s Remaining Selections:
Family Family by Laurie Frankel
The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate
Dixon, Descending by Karen Outen
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Whiskey Tender by Deborah Taffa
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
When Women Ran Fifth Avenue by Julie Satow
The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi
The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley
Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin
Honorable mention: Maria by Michele Moran
Join my Patreon group to support the podcast. Other ways to support the podcast can be found here.
Connect with Kelly Hooker on Instagram.
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding - ANNE OF AVENUE A
In this interview, I chat with Emily Harding and Audrey Bellezza about Anne of Avenue A, modernizing Persuasion, the publishing process, co-writing books, setting the book in New York City, and much more.
Audrey's recommended reads are:
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Emily's recommended reads are:
Backslide by Nora Dahlia
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Thanks so much to those of you who have donated to the show. Donate to the podcast here or on Venmo.
Want to know which new titles are publishing in June - October of 2025? Check out our fourth Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead.
Anne of Avenue A can be purchased at my Bookshop storefront.
Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly Buzz Reads column with five new recommendations each month.
Link to my article about older protagonists in fiction.
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thoughts from a Page is hosted by me, Cindy Burnett, a voracious reader and book columnist who provides you with casual author conversations and insider information on all of the newest releases that I have read and personally recommend. With so many books coming out weekly, it can be hard to decide what to read so I find the best ones and share them with you. Listen to find your next great book.