You are invited to join Novel Feelings' 2025 Book Club (a.k.a. season 4!) in collaboration with Amplify Bookstore. Tune in to learn about how the book club will work, to hear about our book club choices, and for a special interview with Marina from Amplify about their mission and history.

Amplify is a bookstore dedicated to books by authors who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour – with the aim to diversify your bookshelf.  Get 10% off our book club picks with the code NOVELFEELINGS10.

 * Book club info, detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings [https://linktr.ee/novelfeelingspod]
 * Amplify Bookstore: http://amplifybookstore.com/products/novel-feelings-book-club [https://amplifybookstore.com/]

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

We’re diversifying your bookshelf in our 2025 book club

This week, we're celebrating our 50th podcast episode! Join us for a retrospective into the inception of Novel Feelings, as we celebrate what we've achieved in four years, highlight some of our favourite memories, and revisit some of our best (and worst) books we've covered on the podcast. Plus, you're invited to join our new Facebook community - where we'll be posting announcements, chatting about what we're currently reading, and hosting future book club chat.

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our NEW Facebook community: facebook.com/groups/novelfeelings [https://www.facebook.com/groups/novelfeelings]
 * Our website: novelfeelings.com [http://novelfeelings.com]
 * Instagram: @novel_feelings [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Join our 2024 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/5e4e0083-8d80-41e9-ab4b-648a9422fa9b].

Has Novel Feelings entertained you, or taught you something? Show your support with a once-off donation by buying us a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/novel_feelings [https://buymeacoffee.com/novel_feelings]. All proceeds go towards making the show stronger and more sustainable for the future.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

50th episode spectacular

We were thrilled to sit down with Danielle Binks to talk all about her latest novel, Six Summers of Tash and Leopold: a big, hopeful, coming-of-age middle-grade book that features complicated families and life-changing summers. The novel follows the titular characters as they deal with difficult life transitions and school can't (a.k.a. school refusal). Danielle chats about the therapeutic nature of writing, and reflects on the different expectations we place on children and adults when it comes to facing anxieties.

Content notes for this episode: anxiety, depression, gambling addiction, agoraphobia, pet loss.

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Join our 2024 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/5e4e0083-8d80-41e9-ab4b-648a9422fa9b].

Has Novel Feelings entertained you, or taught you something? Show your support with a once-off donation by buying us a coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/novel_feelings]. All proceeds go towards making the show stronger and more sustainable for the future.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

Danielle Binks on writing middle grade, school refusal, and the power of sad stories | Author interview

In this interview, we welcome author Nina Kenwood back to the show, where we will be discussing her new book - and her first book for adults - The Wedding Forecast. Topics include starting over after a long-term relationship, anxieties around parenthood and aging, and stability versus taking a leap.

Content notes for the episode: anxiety and overthinking; situationships; grief over loss of a parent

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Join our 2024 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/5e4e0083-8d80-41e9-ab4b-648a9422fa9b].

Has Novel Feelings entertained you, or taught you something? Show your support with a once-off donation by buying us a coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/novel_feelings]. All proceeds go towards making the show stronger and more sustainable for the future.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

Nina Kenwood on life stability, 30s anxieties, and wedding drama | Author interview

Priscilla and Elise sit down with Emma Lord to discuss her debut novel, Anomaly. The novel follows teenager Piper Manning, who wakes up after an apocalyptic pandemic alone - and with an uncontrollable power. We talk about the depiction of grief and PTSD, Piper's isolating experience in the aftermath of a pandemic, Anomaly's cast of lovable characters, and monsters that get inside your head.

Content notes for the episode: Grief; death of family members; post-partum depression, anxiety and insomnia; COVID-19 lockdowns; re-living traumatic memories; bullying

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Join our 2024 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/5e4e0083-8d80-41e9-ab4b-648a9422fa9b].

Has Novel Feelings entertained you, or taught you something? Show your support with a once-off donation by buying us a coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/novel_feelings]. All proceeds go towards making the show stronger and more sustainable for the future.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

Emma Lord talks grief, trauma, and the apocalypse l Author interview

Author Alice Robinson joins Elise and Priscilla for an insightful interview about her new release, If You Go. The novel follows protagonist Esther, who must piece together a timeline between her past and the highly confusing present. We chat about a non-linear experience of grief, the relationship between feminism and motherhood, and speculate about the future.

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Join our 2024 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/5e4e0083-8d80-41e9-ab4b-648a9422fa9b].

Alice Robinson: grief, parenting and an uncertain future  | Author interview

Elise and Priscilla chat to author Ariane Beeston on her memoir, Because I'm Not Myself, You See, which traces her experience with motherhood and mental illness. Discussion topics include perinatal and postnatal depression and anxiety, postpartum psychosis, inpatient treatment, and stigma.

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Twitter [https://twitter.com/novel_feelings]
 * Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/novel_feelings].

Join our 2024 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/5e4e0083-8d80-41e9-ab4b-648a9422fa9b].

Detailed show notes available on our website.

Ariane Beeston explores mental illness and motherhood | Author interview

In this episode, Priscilla interviews clinician-author Dr Sarah Sasson about the newly released Tidelines, a tender coming-of-age novel about growing up in the face of unimaginable loss. Tidelines examines the stories we subconsciously write for ourselves, and what remains later, when we have the courage to tear them apart. Discussion topics include substance use, ambiguous grief and loss, and burnout in the medical profession.

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Twitter [https://twitter.com/novel_feelings]
 * Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/novel_feelings].

Join our 2024 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/5e4e0083-8d80-41e9-ab4b-648a9422fa9b].

Detailed show notes available on our website.

Interview with Sarah Sasson

Nobody said fifth grade was going to be easy, and Penny Lowry has a million questions going through her mind all the time. The Penny Draws series by Sara Shepard follows Penny as she navigates feelings, friendships, and all sorts of changes that life brings her way. 

In turns sweet and hilarious, we adored the series, and we were delighted to chat to Sara about how she approaches writing themes of mental health and anxiety for a younger audience.

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Twitter [https://twitter.com/novel_feelings]
 * Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/novel_feelings].

Join our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/3bd1085e-7b70-4327-b1d5-74616296ec18].

Detailed show notes available on our website.



Interview with Sara Shepard

How do you pick up the pieces after life has served you enough trauma for a lifetime?

Charlotte, aged 17, is trying to recover in a world that owes her nothing, but has taken so much. In our season 3 finale, we dive into Girl in Pieces' representations of self-harm, hospitalisation, and unhealthy relationships, and ask the big question: does this book risk doing more harm than good?

Spoiler review starts at 31:34.

Find Novel Feelings via:

 * Our website [https://novelfeelings.com/]
 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/novel_feelings/]
 * Twitter [https://twitter.com/novel_feelings]
 * Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/novel_feelings].

Join our 2023 Reading Challenge on The Storygraph [https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/3bd1085e-7b70-4327-b1d5-74616296ec18].

Detailed show notes available on our website.

Note: We will going on hiatus in the first half of 2024, but hope to launch Season 4 later in the year!

3.6. Girl in Pieces | Self-harm, PTSD, & Recovery

Two psychologists take a deep dive into your favourite books.