Big Book Energy
Hi 👋 My name is Jennifer and I love books! I love them so much I became a librarian, I write stories in my free time, and I have a podcast where I talk all things bookish: Big Book Energy. These conversations will address how books were, are, and will continue to be relevant to our every day lives. Keep reading ❤️
Episodes
Sitting Down With Florida Man
This week, BBE welcomes the Florida Men on Florida Man podcast back to the show. Jennifer sits down with Wayne to discuss Dave Berry’s book, Best State Ever, a heartfelt defense of his beloved state of Florida.
Episode Highlights
- Sponges. Yes, sponges. We know, you're hooked already.
- The Villages: your favorite quasi-dystopian retirement community.
- When are you considered a Floridian? What about a...
The Never-To-Be-Read List
This week Jennifer gives a [belated] look at her 2021 reading and talks about her reading goals for 2022. Yes, she knows that it is already March.
Paige Presents Webtoons: One of Jennifer’s latest Webtoon obsessions, The Gentle Way follows the Judo practitioner Jun as she learns how to confront her fears and overcome her anxiety. Super cute, romance vibes, but also great lessons on how to live your life brav...
BBE is transitioning to a new phase. One that unfortunately lacks Paige. Tune in to hear about her new adventures, plans for the future, and a wrap up of season 4. Stay tuned for a new phase of BBE where Jennifer will continue to bring you all the bookish content you could hope for!
Listen along as we take a dive into what some might consider fanfiction. Whether or not it is, we here at BBE loved hearing Captain Wentworth's side of the Persuasion story.
Paige needed to compensate for the discomfort brought on by reading a spicy romance novel. She went with aliens.
Area 51, by Bob Mayer
- Learn more about the author and his books on his website.
- Want to read about flying saucers and shadowy military ops? Support us by buying a copy from our Bookshop store.
Paige Presents Fun with Comics: Jennifer talks Webtoon Like Wind On A Dry Branch. Click on for some plague, d...
Bring the Romance: Jennifer’s Fav Spicy Webtoons
Carrying on the trend of our July episode, Jennifer dives into some of her favorite ~spicy~ romance Webtoons. With some incredible stories and art, this is just another reason to download the app and get reading stat.
Some of Jennifer’s fav spicy Webtoons:
Support the Pod
BBE branches out with this month's pick into uncomfortable territory for both Jennifer and Paige (but mostly Paige). Tune in to hear out thoughts on our first Guilty Pleasure Pick: The Kiss Quotient.
The Kissing Quotient, by Helen Hoang
- Learn more about the author on her website.
- Want in on the spice? Grab a copy for yourself on our Bookshop store.
Paige Presents Fun with Comics: Girls of the Wild’s on Webtoon.
C...
Shame, Shame: An Intro to Guilty Pleasure Reads
In this first episode of BBE Shorts, Jennifer spends some time musing over what “guilty pleasure reads” means to her, and even reveals some of her favs to fall back on when she’s feeling down. She also explores what our listeners think of as guilty pleasure reads and hints at future episodes that dig more into why we feel guilty about reading certain things rather than others.
Some of J...
As you may remember, we experienced some technical difficulties back in February and weren't able to release our normally scheduled episode. Well, we're back with Tiger's Daughter, for real this time. Tune in to hear our lost episode and what Paige thinks about this Mongol inspired pick.
Mythology & Folklore: Mongolia
Here are the references Paige used for Mongolian mythology:
For our final bonus episode of this season, our coworker Dianna has come on to talk about Period Power. Let us know what you think! We may have a part 2 in store for you!
Period Power, by Maisie Hill
- Visit the author’s website to learn more about her and her work.
- Purchase a copy for yourself and support the podcast at the same time!
Folio Facts: This month, Paige tackles the witch hunting manual, Malleus Maleficarum...
Paige finally gets her chance to make everyone listen to a story from Irish Mythology. Tune in to hear about an Irish epic centered around a cattle raid and a protagonist with the weirdest superpower.
Mythology & Folklore: Irish
- Most of this came from the preface of the Tain
- Wikipedia got Paige through the info on the Morrigan and Lugh
Paige Presents Fun with Comics: Get real bookish and check out The Reference ...
For Jennifer's final episode of the season, she has chosen a slightly different pick with the Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Tune in as she analyzes Campbell's theories on comparative mythology.
The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell
Resources Jennifer used:
- Joseph Campbell has a rather robust wikipedia article, that also details and links some of the critiques leveled against him that you can check out. Like...
This episode we are doing Horror Lite! Paige's friend Sammie chose a book for us that has just enough horror elements to not scare the uninitiated but also has an original concept that all of us appreciated. Tune in to hear about the Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.
The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins
- Check out Scott Hawkins’ website.
- Buy your own copy of The Library at Mount Char.
For this episode, Paige chose a classic feminist retelling of King Arthur: The Mists of Avalon. However, on closer inspection of the author we found some information that casts the novel in a very different light.
Mythology & Folklore: the legend of King Arthur
Resources Paige used for the folklore surrounding King Arthur:
- Britannica articles on King Arthur, Arthurian Legend, and Culhwch and Olwen.
Paige Presents...
Mythology & Folklore: Pre-Columbian
Resources used for general Pre-Columbian mythology:
- The Britannica article on Pre-Columbian cultures was very in-depth
- Lost World of the Maya (Full Episode) | National Geographic
And here is what Jennifer used in relation to Black Sun specifically:
Paige Presents Fun with Comics: This week Paige talked about New Spring, a graphic novel interpretation of Robert Jordan’...
For this episode we brought in an expert! Jennifer's compatriot from graduate school, Ryan, joined us to discuss The Knife Man: Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery, which focuses on the wild life and times of surgeon John Hunter. Both gruesome and fascinating in equal parts, you won't want to miss out on this one.
The Knife Man, Wendy Moore
- For more info about the author and her other book...
This episode, Paige chooses a tale firmly rooted in Norse Mythology. Tune in to hear about everyone's favorite Trickster and his take on some less well known myths.
Mythology & Folklore: Norse
Resources used for general Norse mythology:
- The Creation of the Cosmos: https://norse-mythology.org/tales/norse-creation-myth/
- The Nine Realms in Norse Mythology: https://skjalden.com/nine-realms-in-norse-mythology/
And...
Tune in for a dive into Greek mythology and a book that Jennifer says is the best she's read in a while and one that WILL make you cry: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Mythology & Folklore: Greece
Resources used for general Greek mythology:
- A Brief Summary of Greek Origin Story: https://youtu.be/4VaO1tx29ek
- Crash Course Mythology on Greek creation: https://youtu.be/XNCQ9w59I7M
- Greek Gods family tree: http...
Because Paige's computer ate some of our raw audio for our normally scheduled episode delaying our release, BBE decided to publish a bonus episode for everyone. Enjoy as Paige's sister Kayla joins BBE to discuss a true crime murder mystery as shown in Janice Hisle's Submerged.
Submerged: The Story of Sarah and Ryan Widmer
- Kayla recommends checking out true crime and conspiracy podcast: Mile Higher
- Also, ta...
This week we discuss a classic of Japanese Literature: Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinari. Tune in to hear some wild stories and to hear Jennifer's opinion on a classic.
Mythology & Folklore: Japan
Jennifer did her best to give a brief summary of Japanese religious history during this episode, and here are a few of the sources that she used:
- A bullet list of the main points of Japanese religious histor...
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