In this episode of the Book Barn Book Club Podcast, Lasha and Lanie welcome guest host Lynn alongside author Gil Merrick for a candid conversation.

Gil Merrick shares his personal journey as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and how that experience shaped his life, his leadership, and his writing. From overcoming trauma to becoming a successful businessman and serving as a team leader for Team USA’s equestrian team, Gil’s story is one of strength, perseverance, and hope.

Books Mentioned

•Haunted Victory — Gil Merrick

•Come September — Gil Merrick

•Cormoran Strike series — Robert Galbraith

•Mr. Peanut — Adam Ross

•Playworld — Adam Ross

•Trust — Hernán Díaz

•All the Light We Cannot See — Anthony Doerr

•One Day — David Nicholls

•A Woman of Substance — Barbara Taylor Bradford

•The Kite Runner — Khaled Hosseini

•Beach Music — Pat Conroy

•The Catcher in the Rye — J. D. Salinger

•The Odyssey — Homer

•To Kill a Mockingbird — Harper Lee

•The King Must Die — Mary Renault

•The Black Stallion — Walter Farley

•My Friend Flicka — Mary O’Hara

Authors Mentioned

•Gil Merrick

•Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

•Adam Ross

•Hernán Díaz

•Anthony Doerr

•David Nicholls

•Tennessee Williams

•Barbara Taylor Bradford

•Khaled Hosseini

•Pat Conroy

•J. D. Salinger

•Homer

•Harper Lee

•Mary Renault

•Walter Farley

•Mary O’Hara

•Ken Follett

•Tami Hoag

•J. K. Rowling

Movies & Plays Mentioned

•Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!

We’re thrilled to welcome Melissa back into the Book Barn for an entertaining conversation! In this episode, we chat about personal reading goals, share what we’ve been reading lately, and dive into our December Book Club pick, Remain. Hope you enjoy this fun episode.

Books Mentioned

•Remain by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan

•Writers & Lovers by Lily King

•Heart the Lover by Lily King

•The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop

•These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

•The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

•Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune

•Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

Authors Mentioned

•Kristin Hannah

Poems Mentioned

•Death Is Nothing at All by Henry Scott Holland

Movies Mentioned

•Signs — directed by M. Night Shyamalan

•Knock at the Cabin — directed by M. Night Shyamalan

•The Sixth Sense — directed by M. Night Shyamalan

•The Notebook — based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, directed by Nick Cassavetes

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!

Lasha and Lanie are back with a festive Christmas episode, and this week they’re joined by Angela and Lanae for all the holiday fun! Together, they chat about The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury, favorite Christmas movies, beloved poets, and classic holiday songs. It’s a merry mix of bookish cheer, lively conversation, and plenty of holiday sparkle.

Books We Mentioned

• The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury
• The Baxter Family series by Karen Kingsbury
• The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
• Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Book 1) by Rebecca Yarros
• A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
• The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy
• The Guest List by Lucy Foley
• Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
• The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens
• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Christmas Songs We Love

• “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” – Michael Bublé
• “Silver Bells” – Dean Martin
• “Mary, Did You Know?”
• “O Holy Night”
• “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
• “The Little Drummer Boy”
• “DJ Play a Christmas Song” – Cher

Poets We Mentioned

• Walt Whitman
• Shel Silverstein
• Amanda Gorman
• Edgar Lee Masters
• Robert Frost

Movies We Brought Up

• Band of Brothers
• A Christmas Story
• Die Hard
• Karen Kingsbury’s The Christmas Ring

Tune in for book talk, lots of laughter, and some holiday miracles. Merry Christmas from the Book Barn family!

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!

In this episode of the Book Barn Book Club podcast, we’re joined by two older students, Veronica and Anderson, who share their fresh insights on classic and modern literature. Their thoughtful perspectives bring new life to books you may know well.

A huge thank you goes out to Lanie's sister for her help with this episode, and to Veronica and Anderson for their thoughtful contributions.

Books Mentioned

• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
• The Stranger by Albert Camus
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
• Bill O’Reilly’s Killing series
• Animal Farm by George Orwell

Movie Mentioned

• Oppenheimer

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!

After a short fall break, Lasha and Lanie are back in the Book Barn! This week, they dive into The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens. It’s a heartbreaking and beautifully written story about toughness, courage, and the lasting scars of war.

The conversation doesn’t stop there! They also chat about other great reads and a Broadway play that completely took Lanie’s breath away. Enjoy, as they chat about the books that have been on their nightstands.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens
• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
• The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
• The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
• Operation Mincemeat (Broadway Play)
• The Christmas Ring: A Holiday Romance by Karen Kingsbury

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!

In this episode, Lanie, Lasha, and guest host Tracy welcome journalist Andy Taylor from the Montgomery County Chronicle. We discuss the novel, All The Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce. Andy is a treasure chest full of knowledge about Cherryvale and the real-life Benders—America’s first known serial killer family.

Books Mentioned

•Mark Twain by Ron Chernow

•Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

•Grant by Ron Chernow

•From the Reservation to Washington: The Rise of Charles Curtis by Debra Goodrich

•Truman by David McCullough

•The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough

•The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

•Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough

•Hell Comes to Play: The TRUE Untold Story of America’s Mass Murdering Family, The Bloody Benders by Lee Ralph

•Hell’s Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier by Susan Jonusas

Authors Mentioned

•Stephen Ambrose

•Fern Wood

Movies & Series Mentioned

•Saving Private Ryan

•Mr. Brooks starring Kevin Costner

•Psycho

•Carrie (based on the novel by Stephen King)

•Band of Brothers

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!

In this episode of the Book Barn Book Club, Lasha and Lanie are joined by one of our very first guests, Lanie’s son, Shane Hammer! Back from the early days of the podcast, Shane helps us dive into a surprising read. Lanie is shocked to discover she loved a book about devils! It’s fast-paced, full of unexpected heart, and proof that sometimes the monsters might just win you over.

Books and Authors Mentioned

•The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

•The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

•The Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie

•Shattered Sea Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

•Never Flinch by Stephen King

•You Like It Darker by Stephen King

•King Sorrow by Joe Hill

•Harry Potter byJ.K. Rowling

Movies Mentioned

•Aladdin

•Pirates of the Caribbean

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!

In this episode, Lasha and Lanie take on two very different books that both explore themes of love, loss, and second chances. One is a gripping novel full of secrets and heartbreak. The other is a moving story of a retired teacher who finds purpose leading a book club in prison. A special thank you to our friend LeAnn, who added insight from her work with women in prison and made this episode so special.

Books discussed:

•Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

•How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

•All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas by Camilla Bruce

Authors mentioned:

•John Keats

•William Wordsworth

Thanks for listening!
We would love to hear from you!
Email: bookbarnbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

You are invited to join our Facebook group, Book Barn Book Club, where we announce our monthly book club selections and continue the discussion!