Finding Favorites with Leah Jones

Leah Jones
  • 5.0 (26)
  • LEISURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Finding Favorites is where we learn about people’s favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. Every other week, host Leah Jones sits down with a guest to learn about how they found their favorite thing, why they love it and why they think other people will fall in love, too.

  1. SEP 7

    Jesi Bender loves victorian homes in Utica

    Author/artist Jesi Bender joined Leah to talk about her novel Child of Light, available from Whiskey Tit press, and Victorian houses in Utica, New York. Note from Leah: In this episode, I boldly say that there are no Victorian houses in Chicago, because they all burnt down in the Chicago fire. I couldn't have been more wrong. Follow Jesi Bender online https://www.jesibender.com/ https://www.jesibender.com/child-of-light.html  Show Notes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burned-over_district https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fountain-elms-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utica,_New_York https://oneidacountyhistory.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_House_(Georgetown,_New_York) https://abandonedonline.net/location/spirit-house/ https://www.hamilton.edu/offices/lits/special-collections/college-archives https://www.uticaod.com/picture-gallery/news/history/2025/01/18/photo-gallery-look-back-at-the-history-of-genesee-street-in-utica/77743355007/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utica_Psychiatric_Center https://inmatesofwillard.com/2012/09/08/1880-the-utica-crib/ Of course there are Victorian Homes in Chicago. I had amnesia. https://www.zillow.com/chicago-il/victorian-style_att/  https://fortunerestoration.com/services/residential-painting/painted-ladies/  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschal_Beverly_Randolph https://www.reddit.com/r/Watchmen/comments/npiyzq/did_the_hbo_show_influence_this_long_overdue/ https://www.cureddocumentary.com/ Follow Finding Favorites on Instagram at @FindingFavsPod and leave a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or Spotify. Got a question or want to suggest a guest? email Leah at FindingFavoritesPodcast@gmail.com Support Finding Favorites by shopping for books by guests or recommended by guests on Bookshop.

    57 min

  2. AUG 31

    A Mitzvah to Eat with Sarah Osborne

    To kick off the month of Elul and High Holy Day preparations, Leah sat down with Sarah Osborne, founder of A Mitzvah to Eat, to talk about how her organizations supports Jews who are unable to fast on days like Yom Kippur. We also talk about leadership, our mutual friend Evonne, and tongue drums. Order your A Mitzvah to Eat care package by September 12, 2025 to receive before Yom Kippur.  A Mitzvah to Eat https://fnd.us/a-mitzvah-to-eat-care-packages https://www.amitzvahtoeat.org/ https://www.amitzvahtoeat.org/about https://www.amitzvahtoeat.org/yom-kippur-1   Show Notes https://findingfavorites.podbean.com/e/evonne-marzouk-writing/ Tongue drum: https://www.balmyworld.com/products/sound-healing? https://www.mayyimhayyim.org/ https://www.mayyimhayyim.org/ceremonies/ https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08712-2.html? https://slate.com/culture/2025/08/long-story-short-netflix-show-pandemic-covid-grief.html https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33247080/ Follow Finding Favorites on Instagram at @FindingFavsPod and leave a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or Spotify. Got a question or want to suggest a guest? email Leah at FindingFavoritesPodcast@gmail.com Support Finding Favorites by shopping for books by guests or recommended by guests on Bookshop.

    1h 2m

  3. AUG 3

    Shai Korman loves film festivals

    Shai Korman, one of the Friday Night Movie podcast hosts, is on the road with a movie he produced with his sisters. He took a break in between festivals to talk about The Floaters, film festivals and Weird Al.  Follow Shai online Shai Korman: https://www.instagram.com/pancake4table/  Friday Night Movie Podcast: https://fridaynightmoviepod.podbean.com/  Floaters the Movie: https://floatersmovie.com/ Show Links Weird Al tour: https://www.weirdal.com/tour/ Weird Al Behind the Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36CtQCvc7e8  Taskmaster Season 19: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRWvNQVqAeWKt7kCUfEMdJi40m7H58CJd    Tires https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tires_(TV_series)   Bentonville Film Festival: https://bentonvillefilm.org/ Floaters IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31145438/  And Mrs. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6614198/    Don’t Tell Larry https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16311236/ Bird in Hand https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36298555/ Espina https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17016098/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1  Adult Children https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17424166/  Lemonade Blessing https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32432676/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1  Cotton Candy Bubble Gum https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28305079/  Magic Hour https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32134256/?  Sabbath Queen https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32145808/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1  Malka https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32778054/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1  Frankenbabes from Beyond the Grave https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36364856/? Follow Finding Favorites on Instagram at @FindingFavsPod and leave a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or Spotify. Got a question or want to suggest a guest? email Leah at FindingFavoritesPodcast@gmail.com Support Finding Favorites by shopping for books by guests or recommended by guests on Bookshop.

    55 min

  4. JUN 30

    Sharna Marcus loves Chipotle

    Israel-based educator and writer Sharna Marcus joined Leah on Friday, June 20th, to share the story of how she was able to get to Indiana from Israel during the active war with Iran. Spoiler alert: a cargo ship was involved. We talk about her work as a Middle East history educator, the damage done by the "weapons of mass destruction" lies told by the Bush administration, finding Jewish identity and community, and more.  Follow Sharna online https://x.com/MsSMarcus https://www.instagram.com/sharnaranee/ Note from Leah: The podcast is just on a break while I recover from gallbladder surgery in march, moving in late April, and figuring out a whole new apartment. We recorded this episode before the US got involved directly in the war and I'm releasing it a few days after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel started.  In case it does not "go without saying" I deeply desire all of the hostages should be returned home immediately, that humanitarian aid needs to flow into the Gaza strip, and that I desire peace and safety for all people living in and around Israel. I don't know how we get there. A few other links https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Golden_Age https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/first-islamic-public-hospital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wo2TLlMhiw https://www.youtube.com/@crashcourse/search?query=israel  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid https://rebooting.com/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-one-un-leaders-mistaken-timeline-caused-confusion-about-gaza-childrens-starvation-risk  https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/  https://zionistutopia.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

    1h 11m

  5. APR 20

    Lee Upton love bunnies

    Author Lee Upton joined Leah to talk about her newest book Wrongful, available for pre-order now for May 1 delivery, and about how she became a bunny person. PSA: Bunnies are exotic pets and not responsible Easter presents. Stick to chocolate and toy bunnies today! Where was the podcast? Leah had emergency gall bladder surgery which meant hitting eject from her life for about a month. So happy to be back on the mic and to welcome back engineer-extraordinaire Rob Abrazado.   Keep up with Lee online Wrongful is available for pre-order now and releases May 1, 2025: https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/catalog/wrongful/ Lee's website: https://www.leeupton.com/ Show Notes Sagging Meniscus Press: https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/ Tabitha, Get Up: https://bookshop.org/p/books/tabitha-get-up-lee-upton/21257767 Kate Racculia: https://www.kateracculia.com/ Agatha Christie: https://www.agathachristie.com/ The Withers (coming in 2026 from Regal House Publishing): https://regalhousepublishing.com/forthcoming-publications/ Book & Puppet Co.: https://www.bookandpuppet.com/ Ghostlit: https://bookshop.org/p/books/ghostlit-poems/121f3a980b2b881e On the Rocks: https://www.theodoraziolkowski.com/books Asterism: https://asterismbooks.com/ I Am a Bunny: https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-am-a-bunny-ole-risom/8547916 Michael Sowa: https://michaelsowa-art.de/ Esterhazy: The Rabbit Prince: https://www.amazon.com/Esterhazy-Rabbit-Prince-Irene-Dische/dp/0152009213 Instant Relief Therapy: https://www.wikiart.org/en/michael-sowa/instant-relief-therapy Bunny by Mona Awad: https://bookshop.org/p/books/bunny-mona-awad/12087549 Alice in Wonderland: https://bookshop.org/p/books/alice-in-wonderland-illustrated-lewis-carroll/7841425 Rabbit, Run (the first book in John Updike's Rabbit series): https://bookshop.org/p/books/rabbit-run-john-updike/11076364 The Velveteen Rabbit: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-velveteen-rabbit-margery-williams-bianco/19005883 Donnie Darko: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/ Harvey: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042546/ Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery (the first book of the Bunnicula series): https://bookshop.org/p/books/bunnicula-a-rabbit-tale-of-mystery-deborah-howe/286233 Bunnicula (TV series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5444412/ Watership Down: https://bookshop.org/p/books/watership-down-richard-adams/286191 The House Rabbit Society: https://houserabbit.org/ POP Cats: https://popcats.co/   Finding Favorites is edited and mixed by Rob Abrazado. Follow Finding Favorites on Instagram at @FindingFavsPod and leave a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or Spotify. Got a question or want to suggest a guest? email Leah at FindingFavoritesPodcast@gmail.com Support Finding Favorites by shopping for books by guests or recommended by guests on Bookshop.

    53 min

  6. MAR 9

    Brandon Klein loves to interview

    Detroit-based Brandon Klein sat down with Leah to talk about his love of interviewing - AKA non-fiction storytelling. Brandon has been a meditation coach, lived "van life" in the national parks, and is the creator and host of Humanize the Human Eyes. Keep up with Brandon on YouTube and Instagram https://www.youtube.com/@brandonmklein/videos https://www.instagram.com/brand0nklein/ Show Notes https://www.descript.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanseisen/ https://goodnightoscar.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_gGwOlIb9k https://blackwing602.com/collections/pencils https://findingfavorites.podbean.com/e/lucas-balisong-knives/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression Fact check: It was Jack Paar and not Dick Cavett that hosted Oscar Levant, sorry for so confidently talking about the wrong late night host. Second fact check: Rob Abrazado will return to editing the podcast on the next episode. The last few weeks have been rough in the Jones house, but I recently closed on a condo sale and have returned to the land of the living.

    1h 2m

  7. FEB 3

    Christine Marie Eberle loves the Ignatian Pilgrimage in Spain

    Christine Marie Eberle returns to Finding Favorites to discuss her new book and the pilgrimage that inspired her to write it. Her new book Finding God Along the Way: Wisdom from the Ignatian Camino for Life at Home is available now. We have an in depth conversation about the logistics, prayer and intentions of going on this pilgrimage in the fall of 2022. Christine-Marie-Eberle.com Finding God Along the Way Show Notes The Way on IMDB Camino del Santiago (the other pilgrimage in Spain) Camino Ignacio Ignatian Volunteer Corps Ignatius of Loyola Follow Finding Favorites on Instagram at @FindingFavsPod and leave a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or Spotify. Got a question or want to suggest a guest? email Leah at FindingFavoritesPodcast@gmail.com Support Finding Favorites by shopping for books by guests or recommended by guests on Bookshop.

    1h 26m

  8. JAN 19

    Best of 2024 with your favorites

    Every year, we start by looking back at 2024. We asked friends and past guests to send in voice memos highlighting their favorite things of 2024. In this episode you'll hear from Shai Korman – Friday Night Movie Podcast Jesse Dukes – Upper Middle Brow Liz Nord Laura and Annie – BFF Sticker Club Chris Bagg – Upper Middle Brow Pam Mandel – Canned Mike Maddaloni Amy Guth – Canned Rocco Cataldo - Some stuff from Rocco Jason Mathes Steve Higgins Rabbi Michael Zedek Leah's recommendations for the year include Live comedy performances Jackie Kashian Laurie Kilmartin Kyle Kinane Paul Scheer book launch with Adam Pally Dinosaur Improv at the Den Michelle Collins at City Winery Live theater Illinoise at Chicago Shakes Some Like it Hot Death Becomes Her Great Comet at Writer’s Theater An Enemy of the People Here There Are Blueberries Follow Finding Favorites on Instagram at @FindingFavsPod and leave a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or Spotify. Got a question or want to suggest a guest? email Leah at FindingFavoritesPodcast@gmail.com Support Finding Favorites by shopping for books by guests or recommended by guests on Bookshop.

    1h 1m
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About

Finding Favorites is where we learn about people’s favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. Every other week, host Leah Jones sits down with a guest to learn about how they found their favorite thing, why they love it and why they think other people will fall in love, too.

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