Babes in Bookland: Your Favorite Women's Bookclub Podcast

Beyond Survival Mode // Parvati Shallow's "Nice Girls Don't Win"

Can nice girls win? You know her as one of the most iconic players in Survivor history, but Parvati Shallow's memoir, Nice Girls Don't Win, reveals the story behind the strategy. My friend, Diliana, joins me as we dive deep into Parvati's remarkable journey from growing up in a cult-like commune called The Ranch, to winning Survivor twice, to finally doing the hardest thing of all: healing. We explore the four Fs — fight, flight, freeze, and fawn — and how Parvati spent most of her life cycling through them without realizing it. We talk about the performance of being "the good girl," what it costs women to be likable, and why the villain edit she carried for years says so much more about our culture than it does about her. And along the way, we get personal about growing up in survival mode, about not wanting to be a burden, about the belief systems we inherit from the people who raised us, and the long, non-linear work of unlearning them. This one is for anyone who has ever shrunk themselves to be loved, wondered why they can't just get over it, or needed a reminder that the mess and the healing are both part of the win. Purchase Nice Girls Don't Win by Parvati Shallow [https://bookshop.org/p/books/nice-girls-don-t-win-how-i-burned-it-all-down-to-claim-my-power-parvati-shallow/e37da8ccf1a741a9?aid=118071&ean=9780593730577&listref=season-3-memoirs&next=t] Other books mentioned: Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker [https://bookshop.org/p/books/complex-ptsd-pete-walker/6677e3f8aa4aac6c?ean=9781492871842&next=t&aid=118071&listref=referenced-reading] The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-body-keeps-the-score-brain-mind-and-body-in-the-healing-of-trauma-bessel-van-der-kolk-m-d/9e63236863805513?aid=118071&ean=9780143127741&listref=referenced-reading&next=t] Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott [https://bookshop.org/p/books/existential-kink-unmask-your-shadow-and-embrace-your-power-a-method-for-getting-what-you-want-by-getting-off-on-what-you-don-t-carolyn-elliott-phd/4d8631b121e47756?ean=9781578636471&next=t&aid=118071&listref=referenced-reading] Thank you for supporting the show! Xx, Alex ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

AUTHOR CHAT: Cassidy Gard's "Cosmic Goodness"

One good choice can re-route an entire life, but only if you trust yourself enough to make it.  I sit down with memoirist Cassidy Gard to talk about the real story behind her healing memoir, "Cosmic Goodness: Surrendering the Shadows to Live in the Light." We also get delightfully specific about book cover decisions, permissions, and why the right quote can set the emotional tone for a chapter.  From there, we go deeper into the heart of her message: “cosmic goodness,” a grounded kind of spirituality she defines as "courage meeting clarity." Whether you love the woo or you hate it, the point is still practical and universal-- Your life changes when your daily decisions match the life you say you want. Cassidy shares the exercises that helped her shift her inner world, including conscious sobriety, writing-based practices for anger, and a commitment to alignment that keeps her open to the right conversations and opportunities.  We also talk about the hard truths that shaped her. Growing up poor with an alcoholic father, shame that settles into the nervous system, imposter syndrome, and the surprising moments that made her feel seen. Motherhood brings another layer, including postpartum anxiety, postpartum rage, and the long road to forgiving yourself after a terrifying accident. The conversation ends with a nuanced take on separating art from artist and how we can outgrow what once carried us.  If you care about memoir, intuition, healing, spiritual growth, postpartum mental health, and rebuilding a life with intention, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Purchase "Cosmic Goodness" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/cosmic-goodness-surrendering-the-shadows-to-live-in-the-light-cassidy-gard/64aefe6990831853?ean=9798895655078&next=t&aid=118071&listref=season-3-memoirs] Xx, Alex Connect with us and suggest a great memoir! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2339134/fan_mail/new] Follow us on instagram! @babesinbooklandpod [https://www.instagram.com/babesinbooklandpod/]  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

TEASER: The Lie? // Amy Griffin's "The Tell"

A glossy, star-studded book launch. A memoir that rockets past 100,000 copies. Then a wave of silence from major reviewers, an investigative report, and a scientific debate that refuses to stay theoretical. We’re talking about Amy Griffin’s The Tell and the chaos that followed its triumphant debut, where celebrity endorsement meets the most contested questions in trauma psychology. My friend, Colette, joins the show as a licensed marriage and family therapist to share her thoughts on it all! Subscribe for the full conversation, share this with a friend who loves book-world drama with real stakes, and leave a review with your take: where do you draw the line between personal healing and public truth? Purchase the episode individually here [https://www.patreon.com/c/BabesinBooklandPodcast] Subscribe on Apple Podcasts for all bonus content [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/babes-in-bookland-your-womens-memoir-podcast/id1754269916] Xx, Alex Connect with us and suggest a great memoir! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2339134/fan_mail/new] Follow us on instagram! @babesinbooklandpod [https://www.instagram.com/babesinbooklandpod/]  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

AUTHOR CHAT: Alexandra Grabbe's "Seeing Joy"

Is it possible to see joy in life's hardest moments? I sit down with memoirist Alexandra to talk about her memoir, Seeing Joy: A Story of Life, Death, and What Comes Next. We dig into how Alexandra’s story began as a caregiving blog in 2006, written first for friends and family and then embraced by strangers who recognized their own fear and tenderness in her honesty. She shares what it took to transform that real-time writing into a publishable memoir, including years of rejection from traditional publishing and the creative breakthroughs that came from adding family letters and her mother’s own unpublished manuscript. If you’ve ever wondered how memoir gets made, this is the unglamorous, deeply human version.  Then we go to the heart of it: hospice care at home, the emotional calculus of choosing home over a nursing facility, and the unexpected moments of grace that arrive alongside the mess. Alexandra describes her mother’s vivid “visitors” near the end of life and what hospice workers call “visioning,” plus how that shifted her mother from fearing death as “the end” to finding a kind of peace. If you’re searching for a clearer way to talk about dying with dignity and still make room for joy, this one stays with you.  If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s caring for someone, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What part of end-of-life caregiving do you wish people were more honest about? Purchase Alexandra Grabbe's "Seeing Joy" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/seeing-joy-a-story-of-life-death-and-what-comes-next-alexandra-grabbe/34d6e90f941f6819?aid=118071&ean=9798897470396&listref=season-3-memoirs&next=t] Purchase Alexandra's father's memoir "Émigré" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/emigr-95-years-in-the-life-of-a-russian-count/9b486cb0064eda0d?ean=9780985809416&next=t&aid=118071&listref=referenced-reading'] Xx, Alex Connect with us and suggest a great memoir! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2339134/fan_mail/new] Follow us on instagram! @babesinbooklandpod [https://www.instagram.com/babesinbooklandpod/]  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

FRIDAY FICTION: Kate Quinn, NYT Bestselling Author!

Kate Quinn has a rare talent. She can drop you into another time period so completely that you forget you’re reading, then hit you with a detail that makes you realize how much of women’s history has been ignored, softened, or simply left out.  In our first Friday Fiction episode, I sit down with the New York Times bestselling author behind her newest release, The Astral Library, The Briar Club,  The Alice Network, The Rose Code, and my personal favorite, The Diamond Eye to talk about where that power comes from and what it costs to do it well. We start with the origin story that shaped everything, a librarian mom who became her first reader and a dad who quietly modeled what real partnership looks like. From there, we get honest about the vulnerability of sharing drafts, the weird confidence a writer has to carry, and why deadlines can be a gift. Kate also walks through the creative leap into magical realism with The Astral Library, plus the nerves of releasing something new when readers expect a certain kind of historical fiction. We also dig into research ethics and critical thinking, from spotting propaganda in memoirs to reading for bias and noticing what a source refuses to say. If you love libraries, hate book bans, write fiction, or just want a smarter way to read history, this conversation is for you!! Subscribe for more author interviews, share this with a reader who loves historical fiction, and leave a rating and review so more book people can find Babes in Bookland. Thank you! Xx, Alex Purchase Kate Quinn's novels [https://bookshop.org/lists/friday-fiction-episodes] Connect with us and suggest a great memoir! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2339134/fan_mail/new] Follow us on instagram! @babesinbooklandpod [https://www.instagram.com/babesinbooklandpod/]  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.