By Her Shelf

Welcome to a special episode of By Her Shelf! Every day for the next twelve days, I'll be sharing my thoughts on one book I read that impacted me this year. In this first episode, I share about the book that broke my reading slump this summer. This tale of two sisters whose bond is tested when the man one is in love with becomes interested in the other was a real page turning debut. Full of dark humor, this character driven book had just enough plot to keep things interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

Today, we're getting to know Betsy Pendergrass By Her Shelf! Besty is a wife, a mom of four, a writer, and a passionate gatherer. Betsy and her husband Taylor share tips for gathering people and recipes for feeding them in the community they've built at gatheringaround.com. In this episode, Betsy and I discuss: Plot driven vs. character driven novels Scary librarians and One More Page Syndrome. You can find all the books we discussed at www.byhershelf.com

Today, we’re getting to know Kate Motaung by her shelf: Kate Motaung is the author of A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging, Influence: Building a Platform that Elevates Jesus (Not Me), A Start-Up Guide for Online Christian Writers, and Letters to Grief. She is the host of Five Minute Friday, an online community that encourages and equips Christian writers, and the owner of Refine Services, a company that offers writing and editing services. Kate and her South African husband have three children. Find Kate at Heading Home, Five Minute Friday, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In this episode, Kate and I chat about the bookish assignment that made her hate reading, the book that inspired her to restart her book, A Place to Land, as a memoir, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and so much more.

On this episode, we're getting to know Christina Yother By Her Shelf! Christina is the Amazon bestselling author of the Hollow Hearts historical romance series. She have been involved with writing, blogging, and social media for several years and earned a Ph.D. in 2012 by writing one of the first dissertations to explore how women build community through writing online. She lives in smal-town Georgia with her husband and three children. You can find her writing at christinayother.com. In this episode, Christina and I chat about: -Hollow Hearts, Christina's historical fiction trilogy. -Books you don't remember buying (or reading) -Censorship vs. age appropriateness -Dust jackets and dog-eared pages And so much more. Christina even convinces me to join her in an informal Goodreads challenge (which I haven't stuck to--sorry Christina) that you may want to implement if you're guilty of a certain reading habit.

Today, we're getting to know Amanda Pittman By Her Shelf: Amanda Pittman is a Christian, a wife, and a mother. She is the author of two books, “Reflecting God’s Beauty,” and “Love Your First Year of Marriage.” Amanda is the founder of the Confident Woman Mentorship Program and helps her husband pastor The Gathering Oasis Church Downtown. In her free time, Amanda creates social media content that inspires and equips women to be confident and Christ-centered. In this episode, Amanda and I discuss: Consumption vs. creation in social media and reading Why even avid readers should give themselves space to write The odd reading habit Amanda shares with her mother ...and so much more.  Amanda was the very first person I interviewed for By Her Shelf, and this interview really set the tone for me. Her words about creating and using our voices were the exact encouragement I needed to hear as I was stepping into this new space. If you find yourself struggling with self-confidence or using your voice,

Today, we're getting to know Abigail Rudibaugh By Her Shelf:Abigail calls Cincinnati, Ohio home alongside her husband and two young daughters. As a graduate from Miami University of Ohio in Integrated Language Arts, she spent nine years teaching, but is now taking time to nourish her writer's soul. Abigail believes that in a prescriptive and productive world, poetry has become the umbrella in which she can finally find some shade. Find her on Instagram & Twitter @pocketsoflovely or at pocketsoflovely.comIn this episode, Abby and I discuss:-The "lovely" story behind the name Pockets of Lovely-How being a writer has changed the way she reads-The late Mary Oliver, one of Abby's favorite poets-Embarrassing book habits-FOMO on pop lit conversationsAnd so much more.Whether or not you consider yourself to be a poetry lover, I guarantee you'll connect with some part of this interview with Abby.The books (These are affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you buy through one of these links):The first book

Today we’re getting to know Madeleine Riley By Her Shelf: Madeleine is a special education teacher by day and a voracious bookworm by night. She shares her bookish life on her literary-themed Instagram @topshelftext. A loyal New Englander, she loves the ocean, cats, organizing, and is an aspiring gardener. When she grows up, she wants to be the muggle version of Hermione Granger.   In this episode, Madeleine and I discuss: How she implements reading into her curriculum as a special education teacher How watching the white Nationalist march in Charlottesville, Virginia sparked the Diverse Books Club, and why she shuttered the club with over 13,000 members How she makes her Instagram more accessible and inclusive The feedback she receives the most often from her appearance on What Should I Read Next The book recommendation she’s been avoiding. Full show notes available at: http://byhershelf.com/2019/01/28/bhs-episode-3-the-muggle-version-of-hermione-granger-with-madeleine-riley

Today I have the absolute pleasure of introducing you to Agatha Marshall. Agatha is a mom, the author of the cookbook Come Eat with Aggie, an entrepreneur, and a publishing consultant with Lincross Publishing, an independent publisher assisting authors who want to publish their passion professionally while keeping their rights and royalties. We discuss Agatha's work with Lincross, her cookbook "sheroes," and the oft-assigned play she dislikes so much she can barely utter its name. If you're an aspiring author, or aspiring to put down the takeout menu and learn to cook fabulous meals on a less glamorous budget, you need to get to know Agatha by her shelf today.

On this episode, I give the origin story for By Her Shelf, the blog as well as the podcast. I share what you can expect, challenge you to get after the thing you've been dragging your feet on, and encourage you to acknowledge and spread the gift of literacy.