Podcast by Nicole Klett
30 October 2026
Nicole reflects on election-season anxiety and how escapism through books can offer respite. She shares her upcoming plan to walk the Camino with a long-time friend and how Every Step She Takes inspired their pilgrimage. She connects the craving for community and restoration to novels that transport readers to new places and found families. The episode also highlights two recent book arrivals: Sarah J. Maas’s new Acotar release and Laurie Petrou’s The Rayburn Affair — a literary drama mixing ambition, desire and AI-driven questions about storytelling.
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43:49
23 October 2026
Book banning reached record levels this past year, with nearly 12,000 titles across 114 school districts. Over 7,300 unique titles were affected, including more than 4,500 titles added to the index for the first time. This episode is a passionate defense of reading as self-care, civic right, and empathy-building practice. Using stories from library boards and high school libraries, Nicole contrasts thoughtful, community-based decisions about challenged books with the current trend of small pressure groups and even government officials unilaterally removing titles without reading them. She lists frequently banned books and explains why those stories—about identity, abuse, illness, and desire—are often targeted, and argues that removing these titles robs young readers of crucial mirrors and gateways into reading. The host issues a call to action: check out, buy, and preserve banned books to protect freedom to read.
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54:01
15 October 2026
Nicole breaks down four must‑attend live book events for lovers of reading: bookstore crawls, book release parties, book festivals, and author signings. Drawing on a recent tri‑state bookstore crawl with friends, she describes the passport system, the community energy, surprising neighborhood discoveries, and the unique vibes of independent shops—from romance boutiques to gothic, Harry Potter‑esque stores. She also shares a cozy fall book haul collected during the crawl and explains how these events support local booksellers, libraries, indie authors, and the broader book ecosystem while doubling as memorable mini‑adventures and ways to meet fellow readers. Oh, and if you've been wanting to dip your toes into the world of e-readers or are ready to buy your next one, the new and improved Kobo Plus Library is your sign to get one asap.
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55:38
02 October 2026
Never listened to audiobooks? Or need new recs? Nicole has been listening for 20 years and walks you through her top ten picks with quick emotional takes—why Tom Lake felt intimate with Meryl Streep’s voice, why Tress of the Emerald Sea is an accessible, warm fantasy, and why James and Sunrise on the Reaping are tough but rewarding listens. She describes Heartwood’s multi-narrator structure, the guilty-pleasure fun of Abby Jimenez’s duet POV romance, and the enduring joy (and complexity) of Jim Dale’s Harry Potter performances. The episode closes with an invitation: try audiobooks as self-care and a way to push your reading boundaries.
Three Weeks with My Brother
Tom Lake
Tress of the Emerald Sea
James
Just for the Summer
Sunrise on the Reaping
Harry Potter-The Jim Dale Narrations
Heartwood
You Deserve to Know
Untamed
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34:37
25 September 2026
This episode explores nostalgia as a form of self-care during unsettled times. Nicole traces 90s revival signs—from fashion and commercials to HGTV remakes—and explains why reaching back to comforting eras matters across generations. She shares personal fall plans: rereading or revisiting beloved fandoms like Twilight (now experiencing Edward’s point of view in Midnight Sun), considering reimagined classics, and other analog hobbies to remind us what we did before doomscrolling. The core idea: familiar stories reduce anxiety, let you savor details, and provide an accessible, soothing escape during a season of change.
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50:03
19 September 2026
Welcome in or welcome back to Season 3 of the show! Let's catch up on how your summer went, how your fall reading TBR is shaping up and Nicole will update us on her manuscript and book recs for mood reading in September and beyond.
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41:43