SPOILERS!!! Welcome back to the conversation about It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. In this episode Lauren spills all of her thoughts on the characters, the story, and the book as a whole. Michelle revisits her previous thoughts on what consequence and justice could look like for some characters in this book. Olivia and Lauren agree that they both don't like the ending. Join the circle for a long and energetic conversation about this book and all of the controversies that come with it.

Let's talk about sex, baby! This insightful book is one of our favorites. We *came* out of it knowing so much more about communication around sex, managing turn-ons and turn-offs, and dealing with stress healthily. Talking points include:

-completing the stress cycle
-inhibitors and excitors
-how religion may tie into our perceptions of sex
-tending your own "garden"

This is a 10/10 would recommend book for people of all ages and sexual orientations. It's the sex ed that we've all been missing, and leads us all to live a more pleasure-filled life.

TRIGGER WARNING: domestic violence. NO SPOILERS! This episode is all about Colleen Hoover's book It Ends With Us as well as the movie that stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The Circle Time ladies discuss social and emotional implications this book and movie has on its audience. Olivia describes the premise of the book, Lauren explains where she is at with reading it, and Michelle reaaaallllyyy wants to know the ending. Michelle and Lauren predict different endings the book could have and Olivia questions the backlash Lively and Baldoni received during publicity and advertising for the movie. This episode is packed with wonderings and questions that none of them have answers to, so join them for the ride.

Michelle and Olivia get wild in this episode on one of our favorite books to return to: Women Who Run with the Wolves. (And by "get wild" we mean, get pretty sidetracked and don't actually talk about the book all that much. . .whoops!) Conversation drifts from the meaning of nicknames, to the dangers of opening up your heart, to Olivia's current obsession with pregnancy and post-partum journeys. Tune in for a freshly-caught and unfiltered episode.

Welcome to Season 2 of Circle Time! We're back from summer break and we're kicking off the new season with a rare occasion - all 3 of us read and loved this novel! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a story about platonic love, the creative spirit, and, surprisingly enough, video games.

Discussion topics include:
-general gushing about why we loved this book
-what we value in a female main character
-Zevin's unique writing style
-coming back to the idea of forgiveness, as seen in a novel rather than nonfiction

Get on "another level" with us as we talk about human relationships to animals. Can we truly communicate with animals in a deep and meaningful way? Is there a natural hierarchy found in the animal kingdom? Are we all created from the same plane? Would whales want to talk to us?! Join us for this conversation as we try to answer some of these questions.

We're truly getting messy about life and covering a lot of ground in this episode as we chat about Sheila Heti's Pure Colour and welcome our very first guest to Circle Time, our beloved Lex!
Join us for some existential conversation about who we are as animals (bears, fish, or birds anyone?), autofiction, religion, mental health, and versions of the world we hope to see.
This is a much-loved book of Lauren and Lex's--we hope you enjoy it too!

We return to the "woo woo bible" to explore one of our favorite topics: love and relationships. Estés analyzes the story of the skeleton woman; an Inuit folktale that speaks to the transformational nature of love, the willingness to embrace change, and the ability to let the soul speak louder than the ego.

In this episode, Olivia tries to let go of childhood, Michelle tries to figure out how partnership is both risky and a gut-feeling, and Lauren realizes she's got a special someone worth "untangling" for.