Plans Are Booked

This week we're in a summer state of mind. We're elated about the warmer weather, driving with the windows down, and ordering giant iced drinks. In our catch up, Kaitlin tells us about her weekend trip to Portsmouth, NH. Molly recaps her road trip to Vermont (and her newfound love for maple-flavored desserts), and Steph shares her weekend of reading and hanging with her favorite neighborhood pup. Then, we deep dive on Carley Fortune's newest book, This Summer Will Be Different. We enter Felix into our book boyfriend hall of fame, relish the deep friendship between Lucy and Bridget, and consider a future trip to Prince Edward Island. To keep up with everything we are reading, follow us on Instagram, @plansarebooked. If you have an idea for a future episode, please write to us at plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

We have a very special episode for you this week. In addition to chatting about a book we all loved and think should be required reading, we kick off the episode by sharing the TV shows we are currently loving. Molly admits she finally cut the cord with cable, which launches a spirited conversation about how all of us will watch the upcoming Paris Olympics. We debate which Olympics are better (summer or winter), Kaitlin makes a plea to Steph and Molly to consider watching more professional sports, and Molly argues that being a Bravo TV fan is just as rewarding and competitive. We also catch up on the end of Kaitlin's school year and Steph sending her first query letter. Then we gush about All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, a book that moved us. We discuss how the YA genre embraces tough topics, the power of immigrant stories, and how the author's personal life experience and passions became infused into the story. To keep up with everything we're reading, give us a follow on Instagram @plansarebooked. If you'd like to suggest a book or topic for us to cover, write to us at plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

We're back, baby! After a week off we've returned to the airwaves. In our catch up, Molly shares all about her two-week vacation, Stephanie chronicles her recent escapades at the flip house (hello, flying squirrel!) and she tells us about writing her query letter. Kaitlin updates us on her house hunting quest and we hear all about her private school's recent centennial celebration. This week we deep dive on Kate Kennedy's book, One in a Millennial, including our thoughts on pop culture analysis vs. memoir, the influence of Saved by the Bell, the potency of lifeguard culture, and so much more. We close with what we're reading this week, including two highly praised beach reads and a new author who is being compared to Sally Rooney. To keep up with everything we're loving, give us a follow on Instagram, @plansarebooked. If you'd like to suggest a book for a future episode, shoot us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

This week we celebrate entering our 30s! Well, 30 episodes. In our catch up, Molly shares an intense work moment, Steph talks about a great conversation with a friend writing a memoir, and Kaitlin gives a live text message update on her house hunt. Then we deep dive on a book we all really enjoyed, Songs in Ursa Major. We talk about the appeal of stories set in New England seaside towns, the joy of reading about generations of women living under one roof, the strong side characters in this cast, and Molly's penchant for men who play the piano. We also compare Songs in Ursa Major to another favorite, Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Kaitlin also tells us about the time she took a query letter course with the author, Emma Brodie. We're taking a small break while Molly is on an international vacation, so our next new episode will be Thursday, June 6, 2024. In the meantime, you can follow along with everything we're reading on Instagram, @plansarebooked. If you'd like to get in touch, write to us at plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

We have a packed episode for you this week. Stephanie celebrates finishing the second draft of her book manuscript. She also tells us all about her day trip to Chicago for her cousin's bridal shower at Cindy's Rooftop. Kaitlin shares that she resigned from her teaching position, and Molly and Kaitlin recap their evening at the Boujee Bookstore's Bookstagram Bash in Norwood, MA. We gush about meeting other bookstagrammers, the incredible raffle prizes, and Molly's bounty of winnings by the end of the night. This week we deep dive on Jessica Knoll's Bright Young Women. We talk about the Rolling Stone article that inspired the premise and the parallels to Know My Name by Chanel Miller and the movie Promising Young Woman. We're all across the board genre-wise in what we're reading this week - romance, memoir and pop culture analysis. To keep up with all our book picks, give us a follow @plansarebooked on Instagram. To recommend a book for a future episode, write to us at plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

Fueled by Mexican food, gin cocktails and a bottle of rosé, we're sharing our live reactions to the film adaptation of The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. We gathered at Steph's house to watch the movie together and boy do we have thoughts. We break down our approach to managing expectations when books head to screen, why many of these productions should come with a "loosely inspired by" warning, the shocking changes to the lead character of Solene, the switch up of the primary conflict in the plot, and how Nicholas Galitizine can save any scene. We also chat about the habit of rewatching, and share our review of the Zendaya movie Challengers, which we saw together in the theatre. We chat about the scenes filmed at Kaitlin and Molly's alma mater, Wheaton College, and deep dive on our fascination with actor Mike Faist. We close our discussion with what we're reading right now, during which Molly made Steph tear up by reading a particular excerpt from an acknowledgements section. This episode is a wild one! Join us for more fun on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or shoot us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. We always love hearing from you. 

This week we deep dive on a book we all raced through, She Rides Shotgun. We chat about the appeal of adult / kid tag teams, anti-hero stories, how writers create a sense of grittiness, and whether this author has personal ties that enabled him to write so realistically about both trauma and the justice system. In our catch up this week, Stephanie shares that her flip house is officially listed for sale! We also hear about her weekly volunteering at the horse barn. Molly squeals with excitement about going to the movie theater to see the Zendaya movie Challengers. Kaitlin gives us her top tracks from Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poet's Department, and all three of us share our giddiness about The Idea of You movie release day (today!). If you want to follow along with what we're reading, join us on Instagram @plansarebooked. If there's a book you think we should read and discuss, send us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

We have a packed episode for you this week! In our catch up, Molly shares about her recent girls trip to Long Beach Island. Kaitlin fills us in on her latest round of open houses, her upcoming concert line up, and her discovery of the new Romeo + Juliet coming to Broadway this fall. Stephanie details her volunteer time at the barn, including what made her tear up in the ring. We share our plans for Indie Bookstore Day (Saturday, April 27) and answer the question, "What makes you stop reading a book?" Our answers will definitely surprise you. Then we deep dive on actress and activist Kerry Washington's memoir. Molly shares the two podcast interviews from the book's press tour that made her want to read it, and we all share our reactions to the pacing, the story arc, and the big reveal at the end. As always, we love hearing from you, so please shoot us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com and give us a follow on Instagram, @plansarebooked. 

We are one day away from the release of the new Taylor Swift album and the Plans are Booked gals are excited! Kaitlin shares that she's going to a Swiftie dance party to celebrate. She also fills us in on her house hunting journey and her recent trip to Wu Song tiki bar in Harvard Square. Molly recaps her food-filled weekend in Charleston, SC. Stephanie details the final weeks of her house renovation, including what we're now calling the "no toilet" phase. We close out our catch up with the arrival of our Miss Peaches merch, which supports animal rescues across the country. Then we deep dive on a book we all really enjoyed, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. We talk about the appeal of girl detectives (shoutout to the OG, Harriet the Spy) and how excited we are for the TV adaptation of this book, which is already filming for the BBC. This week, our current reads are across three genres, and we get into a spirited conversation about the future casting of the screen version of Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage. To keep up with everything we're loving, give us a follow on Instagram, @plansarebooked. If you have an idea for a future episode topic, please write to us at plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

Welcome to episode 24. This week we realize that we've been podcasting for six months and have a hilarious conversation about how we picture the calendar in our minds. Molly recaps her recent trip to Providence, including its evolution from "home of the mall" to foodie destination. We share about our group outing to Portsmouth, where we hit two independent bookstores and had a feast at Street. Stephanie updates us on her house renovation, including this week's debacle with the refrigerator delivery. Then we deep dive on a book we all adored, Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman. We talk about how realistic this story feels compared to other books in the romance genre, and who we were picturing as the actor at the center of the plot. We praise one of the side characters, Oliver, and manifest him getting his own spin off story. We touch briefly on another one of Sussman's books, Once More with Feeling, and share our excitement for her next one, which comes out in September. We close with a conversation about what we're currently reading. All three of us were in the mystery / thriller realm this week. We love hearing from you, so please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com.