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Stolen Focus Book Club

Release Date: 01/29/2025

Life After Rejection (Spoiler: It’s Pretty Good!)

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This week, we're talking about rejection, failure, and how two guests dealt with them! First, we’re talking to New York Times best-selling author about navigating rejection on submission, and the daily rejections entailed in living a creative life. Then, we’re talking to about shuttering her business and going back to the corporate world. You can read more from Andrea in her newsletter, and her books , , and . Her latest novel, , is out May 20. Read more from Azora in her newsletter, . You may also remember our about starting her eco-friendly e-commerce...

April 2025 Three Things

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Long time, no things! We’re excited to dive into the random topics on our minds lately, from shows we’re watching, movie news, the celebrity quiz we’re positive you didn’t see coming, and more! Becca’s Things Casual Viewing Content (inspired by this ), specifically and Applying body lotion (Olivia thinks the is worth a try!) Are you a Bird or a Potato? Olivia’s Things Your Favorite Bookstores! (Becca’s - , , , , , , | Olivia - , , , , , ) Pinterest Feed Tours Obsessions Olivia - Becca - Learning French (on ) What we read this week Becca - , (Out...

Running a Bookstore with Maura Cheeks

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Have you ever wondered how a bookstore runs? We think about it all the time, and we are so thrilled to get the scoop from the owner of , and author of Maura Cheeks! We chat with Maura about her dreams of opening a bookstore, what the opening process entails, how Liz’s Book Bar stands out, the book selection process, and how she published her first novel and opened Liz’s Book Bar in the same year. A book frequently purchased at Liz’s Book Bar is . Obsessions Becca - Ken Leung being miles on Lost and Eric in Industry. (anti-obsession of ) Olivia - ...

Deep Cuts Book Club

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It’s time to discuss our March book club pick: We talk about which timeline we gravitated toward most through the story’s 8-year span, the unique relationship dynamic between Percy and Joe, what makes a romance literary, and more! More Literary Romances Obsessions This Month’s Book Club Pick - (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected]) Sponsors Macmillan - Download the audiobooks for and wherever audiobooks are sold. Quince - Go to for 365-day returns, plus free...

Now That’s What I Call Music vol. BOP

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Music is on our minds (especially with our music-focused March book club pick, ) and so today we’re discussing our musical references from different eras of our lives! You can listen to the full playlist of all of our favorites . Obsessions Becca - Max Olivia - What we read this week Olivia - , , (Out July 1) Becca - This Month’s Book Club Pick - (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected]) Sponsors Better Help - Visit to get 10% off your first month....

Rapid Fire Rankings

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This week, we asked listeners in our Facebook Group for categories to share our top 3 rankings! We cover (almost) everything, from food to books to pop culture and more! Food Trader Joe’s products Becca - taco seasoning; hold the cone; pastry pups Olivia (Costco remix) - Rotisserie chicken, Costco Pizza, Carbonara Buldak Ramen, Built Bars Fast food orders Becca -McDonald’s (Chicken Selects), Shake Shack, Dunkin’ (Sausage Egg and Cheese Wake Up Wrap) Olivia - McDonald’s (2 Cheeseburgers, extra pickles), Auntie Anne’s (Pretzel Bites), Starbucks Dips Becca - Chili’s...

March 2025 Three Things

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Happy Three Things Day! We missed Three Things in February, and we have some long-overdue topics to discuss. Including our visions for spring, huge book franchises (and the mental toll on their authors), AI, Severance theories, and more! Olivia’s Things Spring Goals Is Fourth Wing Harry Potter for Adults? What’s going on with the White Lotus? Becca’s Things Chat GBT and AI Assistants Rebecca Yarros’ writing anxiety Severance Theories Obsessions Olivia - Target Future Collective Barrell Jeans Becca - What we read this week Olivia - ...

Isola Book Club

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February has flown, and it’s time for book club! We’re excited to discuss , a polarizing pick within the pod. We’re covering our expectations before reading, the pacing, how we’d handle the scenarios the characters found themselves in, and more! Obsessions Becca - What we read this week Olivia - , , Becca - This Month’s Book Club Pick - (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected]) Sponsors Cozy Earth - Get 40% off your purchase at or use our code BOP....

How Realistic is “Younger”’s Portrayal of the Publishing Industry?

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This week, we were inspired by a thread in our Facebook group and are looking back on season 1 of the TV show ! This is Olivia’s first watch and a rewatch for Becca, and we’re very excited to break down how it reflects the publishing industry, discuss how it portrays authors, talk about the fashion, share if we are on Team Josh or Team Charles, and more! Obsessions Olivia - + Reddit Becca - re-watch What we read this week Olivia - , Becca - This Month’s Book Club Pick - (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email...

Chelsea Handler on Her Latest Book and Turning 50

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We’re thrilled to interview this week! We talk about her forthcoming book: I’ll Have What She’s Having, coming out on her 50th birthday. She tells us about her reading life (and how she could never date someone who doesn’t read), thoughts on aging, and why Jane Fonda gave her notes on one chapter in her book. Chelsea’s book, I’ll Have What She’s Having is out February 25th and is available for pre-order now at . Obsessions Becca - Olivia - What we read this week Olivia - (Out May 20), Becca - This Month’s Book Club Pick - (have thoughts about...

More Episodes

It’s our first Book Club episode of the year! As tradition dictates, we’re starting 2025 with a nonfiction book, Stolen Focus by Johann Hari.

We discuss our overall thoughts on the book, its major themes, how it connects to current events, and our evolving relationships to social media, reading, multitasking, focus, and more! We also ponder if we would go on a 3-month trip without using internet-connected devices.

Related to this topic! A listener suggested using the screen time app Opal. We also recommend reading the newsletter Break Free From the Internet, our Social Media Habits episode with Leslie Stephens, the Search Engine episode “Is there a sane way to use the Internet?,” and Kate Lindsay’s piece in Embedded ‘You might just have to be bored.’

Obsessions

Olivia - The Book Case Podcast

Becca - Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx® Collagen Face & Eye Hydra-Gel Patches

What we read this week

Becca - Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams, One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (out May 6), Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Olivia - Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, Isola by Allegra Goodman, Schroder by Amity Gaige

This Month’s Book Club Pick - Isola by Allegra Goodman (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

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