Suswati Basu is a multilingual disabled journalist, mental health books show podcast host, and award-winning activist.She has written for the Guardian, Huffington Post, and the F-Word blogs, and has worked for various media outlets such as the BBC, Channel 4 News, and ITV News. She has worked in China, India, and the UK and currently writes on a freelance basis. As a result, she speaks multiple languages including Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi, and Bengali. Suswati has also appeared on BBC Radio's Wo...
Jun 27, 2022•33 min
Christina Olson was the real-life woman who inspired artist Andrew Wyeth’s painting “Christina’s World.” It’s considered a master work of American art that inspires a lot of feelings in people, myself included. In the novel “A Piece of the World,” author Christina Baker Kline tells a fictionalized version of the real-life relationship between artist and subject. It’s an emotional and complex relationship and a totally compelling book. Joining me today is April Bielefeldt, is a Landscape Photogra...
Jun 20, 2022•31 min
Do you believe in ghosts? Shannon Bailey Grace is the creator and host of the Indie podcast Ghost and Grub. Shannon has a master’s degree in English literature and teaches research and writing at the college level. Her interest in storytelling fuels her love for a good ghost story, and she has a passion for learning about the people and events surrounding each story she tells. When Shannon is not telling ghost stories or traveling to spooky and strange destinations on a constant search to find t...
Jun 13, 2022•32 min
I love cooking almost as much as I love reading, and, in my opinion, a well-written cookbook can be as much fun to read as literary fiction. LA Son, Well Fed, and Back to Basics are three very different cookbooks that are all a great read in different ways. With me today are the hosts of my new favorite show, the Three Kitchens podcast. Sarah Somasundaram, Erin Walker and Heather Dyer are longtime friends and passionate home cooks. On their weekly podcast they take listeners along for a deep div...
Jun 06, 2022•56 min
It's our 100th episode! Let's celebrate, but in the middle of the celebration, let's have an existential crisis! It was tough to be happy this week, but I was able to do it because I had something special in my back pocket: an interview with Charnaie Gordon. Charnaie is a wife, mom, and former Computer Programmer turned full-time Content Creator and Author with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science/Information Technology. She’s also a Distinguished Toastmaster and huge litera...
May 30, 2022•45 min
Kelly Pollock has always been the kind of person who asks questions — lots of questions — to anyone who will listen and answer. With a BA in Religious Studies from Northwestern University and an MA in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara (where she wrote a thesis on feminist witches), she has now turned my questioning to history where she digs deep into stories that aren’t getting enough attention. By day Kelly is the Dean of Students in the Division of the Social S...
May 23, 2022•43 min
We Don’t All Need to Talk About Proust Sivan Hong was a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business and former partner at The Bridgespan Group. Today, she authors and illustrates the best-selling children’s book series The Super Fun Day Books, which focus on neurodiverse children who overcome their challenges with perseverance and bravery. Sivan joined me to talk about “The Sense of An Ending” by Julian Barnes, a book that is really short but packs a real punch. Then we veered in...
May 16, 2022•38 min
Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply to be a guest on the Best Book Ever Podcast. Host: Julie Strauss Website / Instagram Guest: Lizbeth Meredith Website / Facebook / Instagram / Podcast Discussed in this episode: What Comes Next and How to Like It: A Memoir by Abigail Thomas Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters by Lizbeth Meredith Stolen by Their Father (Lifetime movie based on Liz...
May 09, 2022•34 min
Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply to be a guest on the Best Book Ever Podcast. Host: Julie Strauss Website / Instagram Guest: Liam Jenkins Website / Facebook / Instagram Discussed in this episode: Dylan McFinn & The Sea Serpent’s Fury by Liam Jenkins The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling The Discworld Series b...
May 02, 2022•28 min
“Jonathan Livingston Seagull” is one of those books that I’ve seen my whole life, but never actually picked up. I always thought it was a kids’ book. And it kind of is – it’s definitely assigned in a lot of schools. But many adults claim it as an all-time favorite. It’s often cited as the book that starts people on spiritual journeys. Today I am delighted to welcome poet, actress, and podcaster Sonia Iris Lozada to talk about this famously tiny but profound book. Follow the Best Book Ever Podcas...
Apr 25, 2022•29 min
I have loved implementing the lessons from “The Artist’s Way” over the years, and it was a delight to talk about it with someone who has an entirely different creative life than I do. Shay Dominguez is a comedian, podcaster, and mindfulness live event creator, and I absolutely loved talking to her about the vulnerability of an authentically creative life. Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply...
Apr 18, 2022•29 min
I’ve never been a comics reader, and have been looking forward to the day when a guest chose a graphic novel for me to read. Led Bradshaw Brooklyn-born graphic artist who is quickly making a name for himself as one of New York’s up-and-coming black comic book illustrators. As the creator of Jetpulse Comics, his Flagship title “The New Adventures of Jake Jetpulse” is a comic book adventure story that was inspired by his son Jacob who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of four....
Apr 11, 2022•32 min
Leah Carey is a Sex and Intimacy coach and host of the podcast “Good Girls Talk About Sex,” where she interviews people who grew up as little girls plus transgender women about their sex lives. As a coach, she works with people eager to explore new avenues of their sexuality and fulfill their greatest desires, like: learning to talk with current or future partners about sexual desires, diving back into the dating pool after a long time away, having first-time queer experiences, investigating con...
Apr 04, 2022•41 min
Episode 091 Rohit Marawar on “Quiet” by Susan Cain Rohit Marawar is a father of two, a husband, a physician, and an immigrant. Rohit is also a self-described introvert. But nowadays he feels empowered by introversion and is attuned to its needs. However, this was not always the case. I had the best time talking to Rohit about living, parenting, and working as an introvert in a world made for extroverts. We discussed “Quiet” by Susan Cain, a book many readers (including me) describe as “life chan...
Mar 28, 2022•35 min
Jerry Fu is a conflict resolution coach who helps Asian American leaders advance in their career and life journeys. He’s also a voracious and wide-ranging reader, and I was delighted he joined me today to talk about a classic true story of survival and forgiveness, “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand. Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply to be a guest on the Best Book Ever Podcast. Host: Julie S...
Mar 21, 2022•28 min
Today I’m thrilled to be joined by Stephen Pelton, artistic director of the Stephen Pelton Dance Studio in London, England. Stephen is, by his own admission, obsessed with Virgina Woolf, and today we talk about “Mrs. Dalloway” through the eyes of a dancer. He tells me how he uses literature in his choreography, and how Woolf is a surprisingly physical artist. I also got a tour of his Woolf-filled bookshelves! Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Inst...
Mar 07, 2022•35 min
I can't even with how much fun this guest is. Can't. Even. Margit Sperling leads food tours in Madrid! And she's hilarious! And she reads books. I'm not saying she's the coolest person alive, but I'm not not saying it. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply to be a guest on the Best Book Ever Podcast. Host: Julie Strauss Website / Instagram Guest: ...
Feb 28, 2022•33 min
I’ve always thought I was a voracious reader, until I met Liz Scully. Trust me – you really need to hear how much she reads, and how she does it. We also discussed the joys of an audiobook, and how they help us get through books we wouldn’t have attempted on paper. After that, Liz introduced me to a business strategy book. Even if you aren’t a business person, don’t miss this conversation. “Lingo” is not really about business, but about psychology – why do we buy certain things? Why do we feel c...
Feb 21, 2022•47 min
I have been dying for someone to choose a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, and author Carly Heath didn’t let me down when she chose to tell me about the delicious tale of old Hollywood, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and why it is the Best Book Ever. NOTE: I've bleeped out the name of the True Love character, so don't worry! You can listen spoiler free! Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Do you have a book y...
Feb 14, 2022•39 min
Jaclyn Desforges is the author of Danger Flower , a poetry collection about nature, sexuality, reverse mermaids and mothering. She’s also the author of Why Are You So Quiet? a picture book about being an introverted kid. Her award-winning poems and stories have been published in literary magazines across Canada. Today, Jaclyn joined me to talk about a book that I have always thought I hated. It turns out, I fundamentally misunderstood “Jane Eyre,” and this was one of those bookish conversations ...
Feb 07, 2022•41 min
Chris Angel Murphy (they/them) is a queer, trans, and nonbinary LGBTQ+ educator and consultant living in Denver, CO, but is originally from Los Angeles, CA. They have a background in social work and LGBTQ+ community organizing. Chris Angel started LGBTQ+ community organizing as a freshman in high school back in 2001 and has been speaking and presenting on various topics ever since. They also have their own podcast, Allyship is a Verb, in which they interview LGBTQ+ community members from various...
Jan 31, 2022•45 min
It’s always a delight to talk to one of the readers I admire most: returning guest of the show Marion Hill. Today, Marion joined me to talk about the sci-fi classic “Parable of the Sower,” and we had a great discussion about repeated readings, what makes a book sci-fi, and how Octavia Butler transcends any genre. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to ap...
Jan 24, 2022•38 min
Today I'm talking to Jasmin Darznik, the New York Times bestselling author of The Bohemians , a novel that imagines the friendship between photographer Dorothea Lange and her Chinese American assistant in 1920s, San Francisco. Her debut novel, Song of a Captive Bird was a New York Times Book Review editor’s choice book, and a Los Angeles Times best seller. She's also the author of The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother's Hidden Life . Her writing has appeared in New York times, Washington Post...
Jan 17, 2022•38 min
Erica Appelros is a Doctor in Theology and Associate Professor in Philosophy of Religion with more than 20 years of experience as a teacher, coach and speaker, works as an associate professor in philosophy of religion at Lund University, Sweden. She is also a published author in Swedish and in English, and she is dedicated to creating courses, books and workshops to empower people to advance in their growth towards more clarity, knowledge and self-knowledge to live a life with a deeper purpose. ...
Jan 10, 2022•31 min
I’m kicking off the New Year with a solo episode – a list of my favorite reads of 2020. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Host: Julie Strauss Website / Instagram Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply to be a guest on the Best Book Ever Podcast. Discussed in this episode: Romance Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert I love this one on audio , thanks to the incredible voice work...
Jan 03, 2022•16 min
Malavika Praseed is the host of the Your Favorite Book Podcast, a show with a similar theme as the Best Book Ever, but with a different format and philosophy. She’s been my guest here a couple of times, and I love talking books with her. Today, we got together to talk about what it’s like to ask people about their favorite books. What episodes are our most popular? Which ones are our personal favorites? What genres are we missing? Do we have an unpopular book opinions? Hosting these podcasts hav...
Dec 13, 2021•42 min
Ambria Waller has one of my favorite Bookstagram and BookTube accounts – she’s funny, insightful, and always gives me great reading ideas. Today, she joined me to talk about “An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones, an extremely popular book with some extremely unpopular characters. It was so much fun to re-read this modern classic and re-examine it with Ambria. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Host: Julie...
Dec 06, 2021•35 min
It’s time for my favorite episode of the year – the Kids/YA gift Giving Guide! I invited a bunch of kids to tell me about their favorite books, and once again these kids are funny, thoughtful, wise, smart, and so interesting. If you have young people to buy for this holiday season, this episode will give you lots of great ideas. If you don’t have young people to buy for, you will still get some wonderful reading suggestions. I’m telling you – kid lit and YA lit is the most innovative writing out...
Nov 29, 2021•59 min
Lya Badgley has led a fascinating life, and talking to her about the role books have played in her life was a fantastic conversation. She introduced me to the atmospheric thrillers of Lawrence Osborne, who we’ll be hearing a lot more from in the near future – all of his books have been optioned for movies. Lya and I also discussed writers who communicate an immersive sense of place, her life as a rock star, and how she hung on to her humanity while documenting some of the worst atrocities humans...
Nov 22, 2021•34 min
What a delight to chat with world traveler and book lover Carol Yee about her favorite book. “The World Unseen” is a slim love story that manages to touch on racial, sexual, and political tensions, while somehow manages to also be a compelling love story. We also discuss how travel and reading are similar, and the rules of Turkish coffee. One note about our conversation: Carol and I use the word “colored” a lot in the context of the book, which is the correct terminology for the time and place t...
Nov 15, 2021•35 min
