Plans Are Booked

Get out the tissues, because this week we're talking about books that made us cry. Kaitlin admits that stories about teenage boys going through a hard time always wreck her, Stephanie shares three favorites (and gets a bit choked up on air), and Molly heads to memoir land to revisit the books that undid her, including one that made her ugly cry on a plane. In our catch up, we shift into joy mode. Stephanie updates us on her new volunteer role at a horse barn and Molly raves about a new restaurant find in Cambridge. We close by sharing what we're reading now, including a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that has surprisingly scathing Goodreads reviews. We love hearing what you're excited about and what you think we should read next. Connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send an email to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

This week we're gushing about one of our favorite authors, Tia Williams. We share how moved we were by Seven Days in June and how eager we were for this year's release of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. In our catch up, Molly shares about her recent trip to Library Restaurant, Kaitlin tells us about her spring break in Florida, and Steph asks the question, "Do you have an inner monologue?" which leads to a 15-minute discussion on how our brains work. This episode Molly admits her newfound obsession with the rescue pup Miss Peaches, and we debate matching swag to support her animal rescue work. We close by sharing what we're reading this week - a mix of fantasy, murder mystery, and small town romance. We love chatting with you, so please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

Welcome to episode 21. Our podcast is old enough to drink. Cheers to that! This week we're talking about mysteries - why we love them, our early childhood favorites, and how this genre reels in even the most skeptical young readers. We deep dive on a mystery we all just finished, The Butcher and the Wren. Author Alaina Urquhart lives in Boston, hosts two podcasts, and works as an autopsy technician. In our catch up, Kaitlin shares about her flat tire disaster, Molly recaps her day at jury duty, and Steph updates us on her current phase of the house renovation: bathroom tiling. We close by sharing what we're reading this week. Steph confesses she added a book to the DNF pile, Kaitlin is nearly done with Seven in Days in June by Tia Williams, and Molly has fallen down the Helen Hoang rabbit hole. We love hearing from you, so please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

It's our 20th episode! We're celebrating with prosecco, funfetti cake, and a genre we all adore - graphic novels. Kaitlin kicks us off on why she loves the combination of beautiful illustrations with powerful dialogue, Steph shares a graphic novel she read recently that moved her to tears, and Molly reviews her first-ever read of this kind. We also live react to the movie trailer for The Idea of You (give episode 3 a listen if you missed our review of the book). We talk about the casting of Nicholas Galitzine as Hayes and Anne Hathaway as Solene, and how we hope the film will embrace their story. We also give a shoutout to a local Massachusetts bookstore we're loving, and Molly unwraps a blind date book on air. We love hearing from you, so please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or shoot us a quick email to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

This week we're celebrating an author who has inspired and educated us, Angeline Boulley. She writes stories with indigenous women at the center. We loved her first book, Firekeeper's Daughter, and just raced through her second one, Warrior Girl Unearthed. We talk about Boulley's position in the Obama White House, the way she has nuanced conversations about identity, and how she brilliantly brings readers into a fully immersive world. In our catch up, Kaitlin shares how pho healed her from a lingering cold, Stephanie updates us on her renovation house, and Molly recaps her long weekend in Miami with her family. We close with the list of what we're currently reading, during which Kaitlin introduces us to a new genre called "door stop fantasy." Stephanie is reading the new Ali Hazelwood book, Bride, and Molly is reading a book Ali Hazelwood recommended called Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne. We love hearing from you and knowing what you are reading. Connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send us a quick note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

This week we're riled up about romance. We're hot off attending the "Happily Ever After" event at WBUR City Space where we had the extreme pleasure of hearing from romance authors Beverly Jenkins, Jasmine Guillory and Ali Hazelwood. We share the most memorable moments from the panel discussion, the ways they made us feel seen, and advice they offered to aspiring writers. We also sing the praises of the amazingly talented moderator, Kalyani Saxena. In our catch up session, Kaitlin brings us on her house hunting journey, Stephanie fills us in on the latest at her renovation project, and Molly admits that she actually cooked on her recent weekend trip to Maine. We close by shouting out the current books we're reading, which are an extra eclectic mix this week. Listen carefully for a heads up on the subject of next week's episode (hint: we're transporting ourselves to Michigan). We love chatting with all of you, so please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send a us note to plansarebooked@gmail.com.

It's our 17th episode, Kaitlin's lucky number, and we have a big one for you this week. We're going deep on an author who has written children's books, YA and adult fiction - Lauren Oliver. Stephanie and Kaitlin share how they bonded over Oliver's books early on in their friendship, and we all agree that YA has dramatically risen in popularity and visibility since Oliver's books began hitting shelves in 2010. We also share what we're reading this week, including three books we're racing through and can't wait to pass on to each other. In our catch up, we gush about some food favorites - a new ramen spot for Kaitlin, a surprising presentation of tiramisu for Molly, and the secret to Steph's addictive brown butter chocolate chip cookies. We love hearing from you, so please reach out to us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

Welcome to our Sweet Sixteen! This week we're gushing about actress Minka Kelly's memoir. You may know her from Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, but we're certain you don't know about her wild childhood and the intense journey she experienced on the road to Hollywood. In our catch up, Kaitlin shares that she's interviewing for a new teaching position, Stephanie updates us on her current flip house project, and Molly rates Amazon Prime's latest rom-com. We wrap by sharing what we're reading this week, including a graphic novel, Tia Williams' new romance, and a book with a superb acknowledgements section. We love hearing from you and knowing what you're reading, so please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or reach out to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

This week we begin by exchanging Galentine's Day gifts and reviewing the movie All of Us Strangers, co-starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. Then, we deep dive on what may be our most polarizing book choice yet - Glossy by Marisa Meltzer. We talk about startup culture, the power of Boy Brow, and how an intern at Teen Vogue became a beauty mogul. We close by sharing what books we're reading currently - three extremely different genres this week. We love hearing from you, so please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com. 

It's a big week for the Plans are Booked gals! Molly shares her brush with fame, putting her two degrees of separation from Taylor Swift. We rave about Stephanie's latest book draft and the epic brunch she hosted to collect feedback from reader friends. She goes deep on whether she wants this new book to be classified as literary fiction or romance. Next, we work up an appetite sharing our favorite cookbooks. Stephanie praises Chrissy Teigen and her corn pudding, Kaitlin confesses she can't stop making Stanley Tucci's eggs and tomato, and Molly admits she's still turning to the chocolate chip cookie recipe she learned in elementary school. We close out the conversation with what we're reading this week and a few of the books we'll be discussing throughout February. As always, we love hearing from you. Please connect with us on Instagram, @plansarebooked, or send us a note to plansarebooked@gmail.com.