Cover image of show Books & Blooms

Books & Blooms

Podcast by Val Howlett

English

Culture & leisure

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About Books & Blooms

A non-serious podcast *loosely* about books and plants! Florist/garden enthusiast ValVal and graphic designer/illustrator LeeLee met when they were teens at nerd camp and have been nerding together ever since. In alternating “books” and “blooms” themed episodes, this queer friend duo reads books together, goofs about their lives, and laughs too much. Between Val’s plant stories and Lee’s fun facts, you’ll (probably) learn something. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All episodes

26 episodes

episode We Got Wet artwork

We Got Wet

We are still a couple months in the past - early March 2025! Lee recaps the rest of her Cali vacation. Val is out of breath. How do you feel about baby showers? In the Books section, Lee and Val share their literary turnoffs.  SHOW NOTES:  You can find a pic of Lee in all her Disney ears and taped glasses glory here [https://leelucci.substack.com/p/creative-prompt-draw-something-you].  The story of the Alcatraz Indian Occupation is actually fascinating and complicated–and there was more than one phase of the occupation. You can read more about it here [https://www.nps.gov/alca/learn/historyculture/we-hold-the-rock.htm].  Yayoi Kusama [https://yayoi-kusama.jp/e/information/] and her poem “On Pumpkins [https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/campus-art/read-more]”  Pikmin bloom app [https://pikminbloom.com/] Email the pod: booksandbloomspod@gmail.com [booksandbloomspod@gmail.com] Follow LeeLee: https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures [https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures] Buy merch from LeeLee: https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop [https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop] Follow Books & Blooms: https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl [https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl] Sound attribution credits:  Theme song: Snabba Ladda, Snappy beat, Cheerful feeling! by kjartan_abel – https://freesound.org/s/632406/ -- License: Attribution 4.0. Haiku segment intro: Strange wind chimes duo! — Debussy Bells, bamboo by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/686153/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.  Haiku background: bell-bowl G-ish.wav by Squidocto -- https://freesound.org/s/255762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.  Books segment intro: Summer Surf (loop ver.1) by AudioCoffee -- https://freesound.org/s/711669/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

24 Jun 2025 - 1 h 3 min
episode Trees Aren't Real artwork

Trees Aren't Real

Lee’s in California, and regales Val and the audience with her travel tales. Somehow, from there, they dig into these deep questions. What makes a tree a tree? What would you do if you could change your sex every year? Also, they make a pact. For the Plants segment, it’s a tree episode! Val and Lee don’t know that much about trees though, so they keep it very short.  SHOW NOTES: Here’s [https://www.thebroad.org/art/jeff-koons/michael-jackson-and-bubbles] a photo of the sculpture “Michael Jackson and Bubbles” by Jeff Koons.  The Museum of Jurassic Technology [https://mjt.org] Here’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika#/media/File:Laika_(Soviet_dog).jpg] a pic of Laika, the first doggie in space.  If you, too, would like to puzzle through What Tree Is That?, here’s [https://shop.arborday.org/what-tree-is-that?srsltid=AfmBOooPXPYERb023Jw1xR5IgnXvdMbV1yNfoCJdXp0cgyJ70KmbWAlb] where you can order it.  Email the pod: booksandbloomspod@gmail.com [booksandbloomspod@gmail.com] Follow LeeLee: https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures [https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures] Buy merch from LeeLee: https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop [https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop] Follow Books & Blooms: https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl [https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl] Theme song: Snabba Ladda, Snappy beat, Cheerful feeling! by kjartan_abel – https://freesound.org/s/632406/ -- License: Attribution 4.0. Haiku segment intro: Strange wind chimes duo! — Debussy Bells, bamboo by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/686153/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.  Haiku background: bell-bowl G-ish.wav by Squidocto -- https://freesound.org/s/255762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.  Plant story intro: Golvuna by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/610679/ -- License: Attribution 4.0.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

9 Jun 2025 - 46 min
episode Every Ass Has Its Seat artwork

Every Ass Has Its Seat

Welcome to Season 2!! We recorded this back in early February. Pregnant Val rates fast food chicken nuggets. Lee presents a haiku about Punxatawney Phil and a fun fact about Snoop Dogg. In the Books segment, our hosts have a conversation about what books have been “spoiled” for them by bad-acting authors, and discuss the question: Is it possible to hate an author and still love their book?  SHOW NOTES:  The suffrage episode we referenced is from Val’s old podcast, Research Hole, and lives here [https://www.researchholepodcast.com/episodes/inez-milholland-pt-2-burning-the-candle-at-both-ends].  Punxataney Phil tiktok song: https://www.tiktok.com/@olivesongs11/video/7331570501954850090?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@olivesongs11/video/7331570501954850090?lang=en] Val’s favorite Philomena response: https://www.tiktok.com/@haleyannaaaa/video/7332695161522097450 [https://www.tiktok.com/@haleyannaaaa/video/7332695161522097450] Two other duets:  https://www.tiktok.com/@alexachalnick/video/7332979950129040670 [https://www.tiktok.com/@alexachalnick/video/7332979950129040670] https://www.tiktok.com/@iniebs/video/7332547908757146910 [https://www.tiktok.com/@iniebs/video/7332547908757146910] A video on mahi mahi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N5vC9NTxAU [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N5vC9NTxAU] Email the pod: booksandbloomspod@gmail.com [booksandbloomspod@gmail.com] Follow LeeLee: https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures [https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures] Buy merch from LeeLee: https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop [https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop] Follow Books & Blooms: https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl [https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl] Sound attribution credits:  Theme song: Snabba Ladda, Snappy beat, Cheerful feeling! by kjartan_abel – https://freesound.org/s/632406/ -- License: Attribution 4.0. Trivia segment intro: Electric Chimes.wav by zilverton -- https://freesound.org/s/201109/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.  Haiku segment intro: Strange wind chimes duo! — Debussy Bells, bamboo by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/686153/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.  Haiku background: bell-bowl G-ish.wav by Squidocto -- https://freesound.org/s/255762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.  Books segment intro: Summer Surf (loop ver.1) by AudioCoffee -- https://freesound.org/s/711669/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

26 May 2025 - 1 h 7 min
episode Nothing or Nothing artwork

Nothing or Nothing

Fresh off a cleaning jag, Lee comes in hot with lots of energy and a special segment about floral baby names. That's right, if you are having a baby sometime soon OR if you're just a names/name trends enthusiast, Lee has suggestions for you, plus some names she does NOT suggest. Also: Val has life news and Lee begins a woo-woo journey. In our Plants segment, Val tells a whole story about a 'blackberry bush' that was actually a gooseberry bush. Down with Meat Sweats!  SHOW NOTES; Foxgloves are, in fact, poisonous. [https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/07/uk-poisonous-plants/#:~:text=Foxglove%20plants%20contain%20toxic%20cardiac,headache%2C%20skin%20irritation%20and%20diarrhoea.] Noel Fielding's instagram [https://www.instagram.com/noel_fielding/?hl=en] In case you, too, want to see the cover [https://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Soul-Journey-Beyond-Yourself/dp/1572245379] of The Untethered Soul: A Journey Beyond Yourself Lee's substack: https://leelucci.substack.com That Bojack Horseman episode Val referred to is actually called "Stupid Piece of Sh*t" Follow LeeLee: https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures [https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures] Buy merch from LeeLee: https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop [https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop] Follow Books & Blooms: https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl [https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl] Buy from Books & Blooms: https://www.booksandblooms.shop/ [https://www.booksandblooms.shop/] Sound attribution credits:  Theme song: Snabba Ladda, Snappy beat, Cheerful feeling! by kjartan_abel – https://freesound.org/s/632406/ -- License: Attribution 4.0. Haiku segment intro: Strange wind chimes duo! — Debussy Bells, bamboo by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/686153/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.  Haiku background: bell-bowl G-ish.wav by Squidocto -- https://freesound.org/s/255762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.  Plant story intro: Golvuna by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/610679/ -- License: Attribution 4.0.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

24 Feb 2025 - 1 h 5 min
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En fantastisk app med et enormt stort udvalg af spændende podcasts. Podimo formår virkelig at lave godt indhold, der takler de lidt mere svære emner. At der så også er lydbøger oveni til en billig pris, gør at det er blevet min favorit app.
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