Books & Blooms cover art

Books & Blooms

Books & Blooms

Written by: Val Howlett
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About this listen

A non-serious podcast *loosely* about books and plants! Florist/garden enthusiast ValVal and graphic designer/illustrator LeeLee met when they were teens at nerd camp and have been nerding together ever since. In alternating “books” and “blooms” themed episodes, this queer friend duo reads books together, goofs about their lives, and laughs too much. Between Val’s plant stories and Lee’s fun facts, you’ll (probably) learn something.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Val Howlett
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Episodes
  • We Got Wet
    Jun 24 2025

    We are still a couple months in the past - early March 2025! Lee recaps the rest of her Cali vacation. Val is out of breath. How do you feel about baby showers? In the Books section, Lee and Val share their literary turnoffs.


    SHOW NOTES:


    You can find a pic of Lee in all her Disney ears and taped glasses glory here.


    The story of the Alcatraz Indian Occupation is actually fascinating and complicated–and there was more than one phase of the occupation. You can read more about it here.


    Yayoi Kusama and her poem “On Pumpkins”


    Pikmin bloom app


    Email the pod: booksandbloomspod@gmail.com

    Follow LeeLee: https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures

    Buy merch from LeeLee: https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop

    Follow Books & Blooms: https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl


    Sound attribution credits:

    Theme song: Snabba Ladda, Snappy beat, Cheerful feeling! by kjartan_abel – https://freesound.org/s/632406/ -- License: Attribution 4.0.


    Haiku segment intro: Strange wind chimes duo! — Debussy Bells, bamboo by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/686153/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.


    Haiku background: bell-bowl G-ish.wav by Squidocto -- https://freesound.org/s/255762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.


    Books segment intro: Summer Surf (loop ver.1) by AudioCoffee -- https://freesound.org/s/711669/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Trees Aren't Real
    Jun 9 2025

    Lee’s in California, and regales Val and the audience with her travel tales. Somehow, from there, they dig into these deep questions. What makes a tree a tree? What would you do if you could change your sex every year? Also, they make a pact. For the Plants segment, it’s a tree episode! Val and Lee don’t know that much about trees though, so they keep it very short.


    SHOW NOTES:


    Here’s a photo of the sculpture “Michael Jackson and Bubbles” by Jeff Koons.


    The Museum of Jurassic Technology


    Here’s a pic of Laika, the first doggie in space.


    If you, too, would like to puzzle through What Tree Is That?, here’s where you can order it.


    Email the pod: booksandbloomspod@gmail.com

    Follow LeeLee: https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures

    Buy merch from LeeLee: https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop

    Follow Books & Blooms: https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl


    Theme song: Snabba Ladda, Snappy beat, Cheerful feeling! by kjartan_abel – https://freesound.org/s/632406/ -- License: Attribution 4.0.


    Haiku segment intro: Strange wind chimes duo! — Debussy Bells, bamboo by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/686153/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.


    Haiku background: bell-bowl G-ish.wav by Squidocto -- https://freesound.org/s/255762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.


    Plant story intro: Golvuna by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/610679/ -- License: Attribution 4.0.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    46 mins
  • Every Ass Has Its Seat
    May 26 2025

    Welcome to Season 2!! We recorded this back in early February. Pregnant Val rates fast food chicken nuggets. Lee presents a haiku about Punxatawney Phil and a fun fact about Snoop Dogg. In the Books segment, our hosts have a conversation about what books have been “spoiled” for them by bad-acting authors, and discuss the question: Is it possible to hate an author and still love their book?


    SHOW NOTES:


    The suffrage episode we referenced is from Val’s old podcast, Research Hole, and lives here.


    Punxataney Phil tiktok song: https://www.tiktok.com/@olivesongs11/video/7331570501954850090?lang=en


    Val’s favorite Philomena response: https://www.tiktok.com/@haleyannaaaa/video/7332695161522097450


    Two other duets:

    https://www.tiktok.com/@alexachalnick/video/7332979950129040670

    https://www.tiktok.com/@iniebs/video/7332547908757146910


    A video on mahi mahi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N5vC9NTxAU


    Email the pod: booksandbloomspod@gmail.com

    Follow LeeLee: https://www.instagram.com/leelee_draws_pictures

    Buy merch from LeeLee: https://www.redbubble.com/people/superstarling/shop

    Follow Books & Blooms: https://www.instagram.com/booksandblooms_phl


    Sound attribution credits:

    Theme song: Snabba Ladda, Snappy beat, Cheerful feeling! by kjartan_abel – https://freesound.org/s/632406/ -- License: Attribution 4.0.

    Trivia segment intro: Electric Chimes.wav by zilverton -- https://freesound.org/s/201109/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.

    Haiku segment intro: Strange wind chimes duo! — Debussy Bells, bamboo by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/686153/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.

    Haiku background: bell-bowl G-ish.wav by Squidocto -- https://freesound.org/s/255762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0.

    Books segment intro: Summer Surf (loop ver.1) by AudioCoffee -- https://freesound.org/s/711669/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
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