This summer I read NINE books that I gave a 5-star rating. NINE. This is unheard of, to read such incredible books all in the same couple of months. But now I'm so excited to share them with you! Join SECRET STUFF, where you'll get access to: My list of Meh Bestsellers to Skip Stephen King Summer book club recaps Fall nonfiction book club Personal updates I don't share anywhere else List of books that I talk about on this episode: The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker Misery by Stephen King Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Billy Summers by Stephen King Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby The Paper Palace Miranda Cowley Heller   FULL SHOW NOTES HERE   Other Episodes related to this one:   Ep 107: 10 Reasons to Read (with @fictionmatters Sara Hildreth) Ep 119: Best Books Lately with Anne Bogel Ep 121: Stephen King Starter Kit Ep 126: Books We Wish We'd Written (with Shawn Smucker)   SPONSORS:   Noom. Go to Noom.com/10Things to start your trial Skillshare. Go to Skillshare.com/YOU for a free month of premium membership   * Thanks so much for listening to 10 Things To Tell You!    Rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast really helps to grow the show.    Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG   Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB   Sign Up for Episode Emails   Join the Connection Group   Listen to SECRET STUFF   Buy SHARE YOUR STUFF. I'LL GO FIRST.      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content warning: Child loss and suicide  This episode is one of the most tender and important I’ve ever shared on this show, and I am just so deeply grateful to Amy Ortloff for having this conversation with me and letting me make it public.  In 2017, Amy Ortloff lost her middle child Ryan to suicide. Ryan was just 17 years old. Less than a week after his death, Amy took to her personal Facebook page and starting sharing every single day. She began by sharing stories about Ryan, family memories and examples of the kind of kid he was. She didn't want her child to be forgotten.  As the weeks went by, deep in grief, Amy also started sharing her own experiences of this devastating time she was living through. She shared what she was learning in therapy, she set and shared her personal boundaries for interaction for those in her small town Oklahoma community.  Amy's sharing was raw and vulnerable. It was heartbreaking and powerful. I made a point to read her posts every day that first year after Ryan.  This episode is about the effects of that real-time sharing during the hardest time of her life, the positive and the negative. Amy was teaching us how to grieve with her, and it made an enormous impact on me long before I ever wrote a book about sharing stuff.  If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741.  Read Amy Ortloff's blog Keep Going Follow Amy Ortloff on Facebook here * Thank you for listening to 10 Things To Tell You. Please share this episode with anyone who might need to listen to Amy's story.  Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Follow @laura.tremaine on IG Follow @mslauratremaine on FB Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group Listen to SECRET STUFF Buy Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm so happy to welcome fellow debut author Sarah Bragg to the show! Sarah's book A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith, and Myself is out this week. We have a great conversation about permission in motherhood and finding our voices.  Find out more about Sarah Bragg Follow Sarah Bragg on IG Buy Sarah's book A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself * Thanks for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! FULL SHOW NOTES HERE Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Making a Favorite Things list is an act of gratitude.  And I remind you of this every 10 episodes of 10 Things To Tell You by listing 10 of my favorite things that are always all over the map: gifts, books, beauty products, philosophies, whatever I'm using or loving or thinking about right now.  And I want YOU to take a few minutes this week and think about 10 things that are bringing your joy. And then I want you to share those things somewhere, either with a friend or social media, or just in your journal or planner.  FULL SHOW NOTES HERE My 10 Favorite Things Right Now: 1. Bartesian 2. Shoes (Born sandals and Amanu custom sandals) 3. Grounded candle and lotion 4. Mailerlite  5. Reading with YOU (IG Reading Parties + Secret Stuff book club) 6. Trampoline 7. Getting back to things that tether you 8. Being an aunt 9. Eye stuff: StriVectin anti-wrinkle eye concentrate and Maybelline Sky High mascara 10. Tremaine fish tank   SPONSORS: Rothy's. Go to Rothys.com/YOU to find your new favorite pair of shoes Betterhelp. Go to Betterhelp.com/YOU for 10% off your first month Acorn.tv. Go to Acorn.tv and enter promo code you (all lowercase) to try it for free for 30 days * Thanks for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Follow @laura.tremaine on IG Follow @mslauratremaine on FB Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Sign Up for Episode Emails Buy Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine Join SECRET STUFF Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This conversation with Leeana Tankersley kicks off a series of BONUS author episodes coming through the fall. Hope Anyway is Leeana Tankersley’s sixth book, and it comes after Tankersley found herself sorting through immense grief following the unexpected end of her long marriage. Leeana Tankersley is funny and relatable and a great writer. I just loved our conversation that was full of vulnerable moments (me) and kind wisdom (her). Buy HOPE ANYWAY Learn more about Leeana Tankersley Follow @LeeanaTankersley on IG JOIN SECRET STUFF   Mentioned in this episode: Shauna Niequist #OneDayHH online challenge Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor Ep 122: Don’t Give Away Your Power (10 Thoughts on Turning 42) * Thank you for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exactly 20 years ago, I was in the middle of the biggest year of my life. I graduated college, moved to Los Angeles, was grieving a devastating heartbreak, and the country was weeks away from the tragedy of 9/11.  In this episode, I am asking YOU to think about the biggest year of your life. The answer may not be so obvious from the outside; it may not be the year you moved or married or had a baby or changed careers. The biggest year of your life may be full of loss or transformation, or both.  Twenty years ago in 2001, I moved across the country with someone I barely knew. We rented an apartment together, figured out Los Angeles together, made friends together, and, eventually, worked on jackass the movie together (something that changed both of our lives).  This is the first time I've ever shared a public conversation with my old friend and roommate Dr. Megan, even though I've been talking and writing about our time together for two decades now.  * Mentioned in this episode: Ep 77: What's Your BIG Story? FULL SHOW NOTES HERE * SPONSORS: Ritual. Go to Ritual.com/10Things for 10% off Noom. Go to Noom.com/10Things for your trial today * Thank you for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Follow @laura.tremaine on IG Follow @mslauratremaine on FB Sign Up for episode emails Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group Listen to the SECRET STUFF Buy Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready to bust out the air mattresses?  This episode is FULL of practical, logistical, and emotional tips for hosting people in your home. I'm sharing everything from the 4 things that keep (most) guests happy, to the mindset shifts that will keep you from being overwhelmed or resentful. Look, if there's one subject I can give many (many) words to, it's hosting houseguests. Since I moved to Los Angeles 20 years ago, I've hosted friends and family of all group sizes, from couch crashers in a tiny apartment to my entire extended family at our new home last month.  Our lovely lake house has also been a revolving door of guests over the years, where I've become an expert at managing meals, airport pickups, activities, and downtime for families and groups.  I know that having guests can be an absolute honor and also completely exhausting. I hope this episode gives you the tools to plan and the freedom from pressure the next time you're the host.  FULL SHOW NOTES HERE Sponsors: Skillshare. Go to Skillshare.com/YOU for a one-month trial of premium membership.  Native. Go to NativeDeo.com/YOU or enter promo code YOU for 20% off your first order. * Thank you for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Follow @laura.tremaine on IG Follow @mslauratremaine on FB Sign Up for episode emails Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group Listen to SECRET STUFF Buy Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My mom returns to the podcast with some new thoughts about how she feels having a daughter who shares herself on the internet, the advice she would give mid-life women, and a long ago conversation between us in the car when she realized there was something...strange...about me.  I love to feature real conversations with friends and loved ones on this show. My mom is one of my favorite people, and I'm grateful she's willing to make these conversations public.  This was a fun, sweet hour together and I encourage YOU to sit down with someone this week and have a meaningful chat.  FULL SHOW NOTES HERE Sponsors: NOOM. Sign up for your trial at Noom.com/10Things Acorn.tv. Try Acorn.tv free for 30 days by using promo code you (all lowercase) * Thank you for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Follow @laura.tremaine on IG Sign up for episode emails Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group Listen to SECRET STUFF BUY Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Shawn Smucker is the author of six novels, including his latest The Weight of Memory (which I devoured in a day). Shawn calls The Weight of Memory "a modern day fairy tale."  FULL SHOW NOTES HERE You can hear more about the trip to Sri Lanka where Shawn and I met in my Secret Tapes interviews (part of my Secret Stuff private podcast).  Sponsors: Prose haircare. Get 15% off your first order by going to Prose.com/YOU Molekule air purifiers. Save up to $120 off by going to Molekule.com and using promo code YOU * Thank you for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! Let's connect: Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Follow @laura.tremaine on IG Follow @mslauratremaine on FB Sign Up for episode emails Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group Listen to Secret Stuff Buy SHARE YOUR STUFF. I'LL GO FIRST. by Laura Tremaine   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is for you and someone else. These 10 Questions are meant for couples, but this isn't a big sit-down heart-to-heart. This is meant to be FUN. Stay open to your own answers and don't assume you know your partner's answers.  Because the main point of these particular prompts is to build CONNECTION. The questions don't go too deep (in case you have a partner resistant to this type of conversation), but you should definitely come away from any discussion using these prompts feeling just a little bit closer.  Most of the prompt episodes like 10 Questions for the End of the Year or 10 Questions to Ask Yourself in the Middle of Anything or  10 Questions To Mark One Year of the Pandemic are great for groups or families, but they also work well for your own introspection and journaling. THIS episode, though, this one is MEANT to be shared with someone else. And while I primarily had romantic couples in mind when I wrote the questions, they're definitely not lovey-dovey. If you don't have a partner, these prompts would also work well with a best friend or a roommate.  I share all 10 Questions with you at the beginning of the episode, then sit down with my husband Jeff Tremaine to use the prompts as a starting point for our own conversation.  FULL SHOW NOTES HERE JOIN THE Stephen King SUMMER BOOK CLUB ON SECRET STUFF   Thank you to our sponsors: Ritual. Go to Ritual.com/10Things for 10% off your first 3 months. Raycon. Go to BuyRaycon.com/YOU for 15% off your entire order. Green Chef. Go to GreenChef.com/YOU100 for $100 off plus free shipping. * Thank you for listening to 10 Things To Tell You! Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on IG Follow @10ThingsToTellYou on FB Follow @laura.tremaine on IG Follow @mslauratremaine on FB Sign Up for Episode Emails Join the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group Listen to SECRET STUFF Buy Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices