Bookish Flights: Books, Author Interviews & Must-Read Recommendations

Kara Infante
  • 5.0 (95)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

Bookish Flights is the place to talk books and reading. This podcast focuses on connection, storytelling and the transformative power of books. Each episode invites guests to share the three books that have influenced them, unlocking their wisdom and how it changed their lives. Books are a bridge that connects us, a remedy for loneliness, and the best conversational currency to be the most interesting person in the room! Rooted in the belief that stories shape who we are, this podcast brings people together through a shared love of literature. Perfect for book lovers, Bookish Flights inspires listeners to discover the books that can shape their own lives. You will love this show If you have ever asked: What are the best fiction and non-fiction books to read?Which books should I add to my reading list?How can I find more time to read?What are the best books for exploring new genres?What books are perfect for my kids?What is the publishing journey like for authors?What books do my favorite authors love to read?Discover book recommendations across a wide range of genres, including historical fiction, romantasy, rom-coms, mysteries, thrillers and personal development. Check out the website www.bookishflights.com to see book club picks and the wide range of book flights. 

  1. BFF Book Club - The Life She Forgot with Joanna Davidson Politano (E222)

    2d ago

    BFF Book Club - The Life She Forgot with Joanna Davidson Politano (E222)

    Send us Fan Mail This week on Bookish Flights, I'm joined by Joanna Davidson Politano to discuss her latest novel, The Life She Forgot. Known for her atmospheric historical fiction and layered mysteries, Joanna shares the inspiration behind the novel, the first in a new series set around a house built into the cliffs of Cornwall. We talk about her love of creating immersive settings and why she believes there's a difference between a romance and a true love story. We also talk about writing while raising young children, the twists and turns of crafting a mystery, and how books allow us to travel the world without ever leaving home. Episode Highlights: Why Joanna believes "it is fun to travel through fiction"The difference between a romance and a love storyWhat it means to truly love someone well How she builds twists and surprises into her novelsBecoming a "naptime novelist" while raising young childrenConnect with Joanna: InstagramFacebookWebsite📚 Next Meet the Author Book Club - Spies, Lies and Alibis with Natalie Walters 🗓️ Aug 24th | 🕓 5 pm PST / 7 pm CST / 8 pm EST This romantic suspense novel is packed with danger, secrets, second chances, and plenty of twists. We'll be reading it together and then welcoming Natalie Walters for a live author conversation. Register Here. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: Kristy Cambron booksThe Hobbit by J.R.R. TolkienBook Flight The Splendor Falls by Susanna KearsleyThis Promise Remains by Darcy SchockThe Bookshop of 99 Doors by Jaime Jo Wright✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    30 min

  2. 4d ago

    Old Hollywood, Glamour, & Jane Eyre: Inside The Chateau on Sunset with Natasha Lester (E221)

    Send us Fan Mail This week on Bookish Flights, I’m joined by New York Times bestselling author Natasha Lester to discuss her latest novel, The Chateau on Sunset, a feminist reimagining of Jane Eyre set within the legendary walls of the Chateau Marmont. Natasha shares the fascinating history behind one of Hollywood’s most infamous hotels, where generations of actors, musicians, writers, and dreamers have lived, worked, and occasionally gotten into trouble. We talk about her research process, what it was like staying at the Chateau herself, and how the hotel's rich history inspired the atmosphere of the novel. Episode Highlights: The fascinating history of the Chateau Marmont and its connection to Hollywood legends and why it makes the perfect summer readThe enduring appeal of Gothic storytelling and Jane EyreThe themes of ambition, identity, and independence woven throughout Natasha's novelsWhy women should never feel the need to make themselves smaller to get aheadThe importance of turning dreams into actionNatasha's book flight includes some of her favorite reads Connect with Natasha: InstagramWebsiteFacebookSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: Demon Copperhead by Barbara KingsolverHello Beautiful by Ann NapolitanoEnid Blyton booksYesteryear by Caro Claire BurkeBook Flight The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’FarrellThe Night Circus by Erin MorgensternRomantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    30 min
  3. How to Build Community When You're Constantly Starting Over with Kirst of Wives of the Armed Forces (E220)

    Jun 3

    How to Build Community When You're Constantly Starting Over with Kirst of Wives of the Armed Forces (E220)

    Send us Fan Mail In this latest installment of our Year of the Military Spouse series, Kara sits down with Kirst, co-founder of Wives of the Armed Forces (WAF), a community created to help military significant others feel less alone in the unpredictability of military life. What began as a small Air Force spouse community built by Kirst and her co-founder Jen has grown into a welcoming space for military spouses across all branches — one centered on encouragement, resilience, and meaningful connection. Together, Kara and Kirst discuss the realities of military spouse life, including the career sacrifices and overqualification many spouses experience while constantly rebuilding community and identity through moves and transitions. They also explore the role online spaces can play in helping military spouses feel seen and supported, while encouraging people to turn those digital connections into lasting, in-person friendships and local community. Kirst also shares how reading has become a meaningful way for her to step away from screen time and create household rhythms in everyday life. Episode Highlights: Why military spouses are often incredibly overqualified yet underrecognized professionallyThe fast and deeply rooted nature of military friendshipsHow WAF was created to foster positive, solution-oriented community for military spousesReplacing screen time with reading time and building healthier daily habitsWhy meaningful in-person relationships still matter deeply in military life Connect with Wives of the Armed Forces: InstagramFacebookWebsiteSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasHarry Potter series by J.K. RowlingMagic Tree House books by Mary Pope OsborneMy Friends by Fredrik BackmanBook Flight A Mother’s Rule for Life by Holly PierlotMy Sisters the Saints by Colleen Carroll CampbellThe Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark ComerDessert Pairing The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    46 min
  4. Virginia Pye on Historical Fiction of the Recent Past & Infusing Joy into Tough Topics (E219)

    May 29

    Virginia Pye on Historical Fiction of the Recent Past & Infusing Joy into Tough Topics (E219)

    Send us Fan Mail This week on Bookish Flights, I’m joined by Virginia Pye, author of Marriage and Other Monuments, to discuss writing stories set in what she calls “the recent past” and why she’s drawn to exploring moments of cultural and personal change through fiction. We talked about the emotional balance of writing difficult subjects while still leaving space for hope, the surprising role the river played while shaping the novel, and her path to becoming a novelist after raising young children. Virginia also shares a book flight featuring three recent reads she’s loved lately. Episode Highlights: Why twists and surprises matter in her storytellingHer favorite character to write in Marriage and Other MonumentsHow setting can evolve into its own presence within a storyThe marathon-like reality of writing book-length fictionBalancing literary work with teaching, editing, and readingA reading life centered around curiosity and craft Connect with Virginia: InstagramFacebookWebsiteSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann by Virginia PyeHistorical Fiction: Remarkable Women and the Rich History of the South with Katherine Scott Crawford (Ep. 203)Lad: a Dog by Albert Payson TerhuneBlack Beauty by Anna SewellGood Dirt by Charmaine WilkersonI Felt My Life with Both My Hands by Jessica TreadwayKin by Tayari JonesBook Flight Dream State by Eric PuchnerThis is Not About Us by Allegra GoodmanSmall Town Girls by Jayne Anne Phillips✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    35 min
  5. The Power of the Pause: Creating a Life Beyond Work with Lindsay Barnett (E218)

    May 27

    The Power of the Pause: Creating a Life Beyond Work with Lindsay Barnett (E218)

    Send us Fan Mail This week on Bookish Flights, I’m joined by Lindsay Barnett, workplace experience strategist, coach, speaker, and author of Working Hell to Working Well: Making Your Company Work For You. We talk about career reinvention, burnout, identity, and what it looks like to create a life where work supports you instead of consuming you. Lindsay shares her journey from moving to Australia without a clear plan to discovering the through-line that connected all the different chapters of her career. Together, we explore why so many people, especially military spouses and anyone navigating seasons of change, can feel stuck in constant reinvention and how small intentional actions can begin creating meaningful change. This conversation is practical, encouraging, and full of reminders that work is only one part of a full life. Episode Highlights: Why “work-life harmony” matters more than work-life balanceThe power of small actions and intentional pausesCareer reinvention and starting over in different seasons of lifeHow burnout often disconnects us from our own needsRecognizing the through-lines in your personal and professional journeyBuilding a life that prioritizes flexibility, family, and fulfillment Connect with Lindsay: LinkedInOur Kind of Club websitePurchase Working Hell to Working Well: Making Your Company Work for YouSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: Isabel Allende booksDan Brown booksLeadership Embodiment by Wendy PalmerMeditations for Mortals by Oliver BurkemanFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver BurkemanBook Flight The Art of Gathering by Priya ParkerThe Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness by Dr. Kelly HardingThe Midnight Library by Matt Haig✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    42 min
  6. Why Speculative Fiction Lets Us Explore the Hardest Parts of Being Human with Michelle Maryk (E217)

    May 20

    Why Speculative Fiction Lets Us Explore the Hardest Parts of Being Human with Michelle Maryk (E217)

    Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, I’m joined by Michelle Maryk to discuss her debut novel, The Found Object Society—an atmospheric speculative suspense story that blends grief, curiosity, addiction, and the supernatural into a wholly original reading experience. Michelle shares her journey back to fiction after careers in acting, comedy, and voice work, and how those experiences helped shape her confidence and voice as a writer. We talk about her lifelong love of horror and speculative fiction, the emotional themes underneath the story, and the kind of reading experience she hopes to create for readers. This conversation explores storytelling, creativity, grief, and learning to trust yourself on the page—all while diving into a novel built around a mysterious society where members can relive the final moments of someone else’s life. Episode Highlights: How Michelle’s background in improv, acting, and comedy shaped her writing voiceWhy speculative fiction and horror have always felt like home to her as a storytellerWhat she hopes readers take away from The Found Object Society Connect with Michelle: InstagramFacebookWebsiteSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: Margaret Atwood booksMidnight in the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew SullivanMidnight at Soap Lake by Matthew SullivanLou Berney booksMegan Abbott booksOn Writing by Stephen KingTime and Again by Jack FinneyKing of Ashes by S.A. CrosbyThe Doorman by Chris PavoneBook Flight The Paradox Hotel by Rob HartThe Dream Hotel by Laila LalamiGood Neighbors by Sarah Langan✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    37 min
  7. Writing The Revenge Party, Unlikeable Characters & Polished Online Lives with Emily Lynn Paulson (E216)

    May 15

    Writing The Revenge Party, Unlikeable Characters & Polished Online Lives with Emily Lynn Paulson (E216)

    Send us Fan Mail Emily Lynn Paulson joins us on Bookish Flights to talk about her latest novel, The Revenge Party, a dark and twisty psychological thriller about power, manipulation, revenge, and the masks people wear behind polished lives. Known for exploring the tension between image and reality in both her fiction and nonfiction, Emily shares what it was like stepping into thriller writing after writing so personally in memoir and investigative nonfiction. We also talk about creativity, motherhood, online identity, and the freedom, and the vulnerability that comes with different forms of storytelling. Plus, Emily brings a fascinating book flight centered around influencer families and curated lives. Episode Highlights: Transitioning from nonfiction into fictionWriting thrillers with emotional and thematic depthThe freedom of fictional storytellingWhy writing unlikeable characters can be difficultBalancing writing with motherhood and everyday lifeConnect with Emily: InstagramWebsiteSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: Strangers by Belle BurdenAmerican Fantasy by Emma StraubBook Flight Like, Follow, Subscribe by Fortesa LatifiA Well-Trained Wife by Tia LevingsYesteryear by Caro Claire Burke✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    29 min
  8. A Love Letter to Libraries (and Readers) with Gigi Howard (E215)

    May 13

    A Love Letter to Libraries (and Readers) with Gigi Howard (E215)

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Bookish Flights, where we tell our stories through the books that shape us. Today’s episode is a celebration of libraries and the magic that happens inside them. I’m joined by Gigi Howard — librarian of 15 years and host of Drinks in the Library, the only library where drinks aren’t just allowed, they’re required. We talk about her librarian heart, the unwritten (and very real) rules of librarianship, and why protecting a reader’s experience matters so deeply. Gigi shares what it’s really like working in a library, why she started her podcast, and how books can meet us exactly where we are. Whether you’re a lifelong library lover or someone trying to find your way back to reading, this conversation is a reminder that there truly is a book for everyone. So grab your library card — or your favorite drink — and let’s dive in. Episode Highlights: What 15 years in libraries has taught Gigi about readersThe “rules” of librarianship (and why they matter)The brilliance of graphic novels and raising kids who love books and storiesThe question every librarian asks to find the right bookHow Drinks in the Library came to lifeWhy diminishing a reader’s experience does more harm than goodA full Xochitl Gonzalez book flightConnect with Gigi: InstagramDrinks in the Library PodcastSubstackSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show. Books and authors mentioned in the episode: Gingko Season by Naomi Xu ElegantThe Thirteenth Tale by Diane SetterfieldOnce Upon a River by Diane SetterfieldBird by Bird by Anne LamottOn Beauty by Zadie SmithXochitl Gonzalez Book Flight Anita de Monte Laughs LastOlga Dies DreamingLast Night in Brooklyn✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster. Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap Support the show Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! InstagramFacebookWebsite

    53 min
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5
out of 5
95 Ratings

About

Bookish Flights is the place to talk books and reading. This podcast focuses on connection, storytelling and the transformative power of books. Each episode invites guests to share the three books that have influenced them, unlocking their wisdom and how it changed their lives. Books are a bridge that connects us, a remedy for loneliness, and the best conversational currency to be the most interesting person in the room! Rooted in the belief that stories shape who we are, this podcast brings people together through a shared love of literature. Perfect for book lovers, Bookish Flights inspires listeners to discover the books that can shape their own lives. You will love this show If you have ever asked: What are the best fiction and non-fiction books to read?Which books should I add to my reading list?How can I find more time to read?What are the best books for exploring new genres?What books are perfect for my kids?What is the publishing journey like for authors?What books do my favorite authors love to read?Discover book recommendations across a wide range of genres, including historical fiction, romantasy, rom-coms, mysteries, thrillers and personal development. Check out the website www.bookishflights.com to see book club picks and the wide range of book flights. 

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