Book Club Fiction | Realistic Motherhood with Author Hadley Leggett (E124)

01/01/25 • 49 min

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Bookish Flights: Books, Author Interviews & Must-Read Recommendations

In today’s episode, I am chatting with Hadley Leggett. Hadley writes layered book club fiction exploring truth in shades of gray. Her winding career path has included degrees in medicine, biochemistry, Spanish, and science journalism, as well as a ten-year stint as a stay-at-home mom. After moving all over the United States during her childhood, she now lives in Seattle with her husband and three children, as well as her parents, three cats, and an ever-rotating troop of foster kittens. Hadley’s first novel, All They Ask Is Everything, is her love letter to the messiness of motherhood and will be published by Lake Union in August 2024.

Episode Highlights:

Hadley's Career Journey: Learn how Hadley transitioned into medical writing and how thinking outside the box helped her leverage her unique skillset.
Motherhood’s Messiness: We discuss the societal pressures on mothers, emphasizing that while we ask more of them, basic support systems are often lacking. We also explore realistic motherhood, the highs and the lows.
Finding Community: Hadley shares the importance of creating a supportive network, whether it’s among friends or within writing communities.
Book Flight of Book Club Fiction: Discover Hadley’s perspective on book club fiction—books that strike a balance between genre/mainstream writing and literary fiction. Her book flight features 3 books in this genre that focus on portraying realistic motherhood.

This is such a fantastic episode on the reality of motherhood, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Connect with Hadley Leggett:

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Book Flight

If I Lose Her by Brianne Sommerville
Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker

Ready for a monthly literary adventure? We now have the BFF Book Club. Join us each month to explore a new book. After reading, connect with fellow book lovers and meet the author in a live interview! Can’t make it live? Don’t worry—we’ll send you the recording. You can find all our upcoming book club selections HERE.

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

Send us a text

Episode Highlights:

Hadley's Career Journey: Learn how Hadley transitioned into medical writing and how thinking outside the box helped her leverage her unique skillset.
Motherhood’s Messiness: We discuss the societal pressures on mothers, emphasizing that while we ask more of them, basic support systems are often lacking. We also explore realistic motherhood, the highs and the lows.
Finding Community: Hadley shares the importance of creating a supportive network, whether it’s among friends or within writing communities.
Book Flight of Book Club Fiction: Discover Hadley’s perspective on book club fiction—books that strike a balance between genre/mainstream writing and literary fiction. Her book flight features 3 books in this genre that focus on portraying realistic motherhood.

This is such a fantastic episode on the reality of motherhood, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Connect with Hadley Leggett:

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Book Flight

If I Lose Her by Brianne Sommerville
Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

Previous Episode

How to Make 2025 Your Best Reading Year Yet | Tips, Goals and a Challenge (E123)

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In today’s solo episode, I’m sharing actionable tips, personal goals, and an exciting new reading challenge to help you make 2025 your best reading year yet. Whether you’re aiming to read more, discover new authors, or simply have your best reading year yet, this episode is packed with inspiration for all readers.
Episode Highlights:

Why reading matters.
Set reading intentions:
- What genres or topics are you curious to learn more about?
- Is there an author’s backlist you were hoping to explore?
- Do you want to read to relax? To learn? To challenge yourself?
Practical strategies for building a consistent reading habit.
How audiobooks can transform your reading life.
The value of joining a reading community like the BFF Book Club. 😉
Tracking your progress.
Details about the 2025 Bookish Flights Reading Challenges for adults and kids.

Join the 2025 Reading Challenge:

This year, we’ve created a fun and flexible challenge to inspire your reading journey.

Adults: Complete 12 prompts for 12 books.
Kids: Complete 8 prompts with a fun coloring progress tracker!

Resources Mentioned:

The BFF Book Club – Join here.
Episode 116: Do Audiobooks Count as Reading?
StoryGraph and Goodreads
Bookish Flights’ book flight database with fiction, non-fiction, and children’s book recommendations.

Get Involved:

What’s your reading goal for 2025? Share your plans with me on social media
- Instagram
- Facebook
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for more bookish inspiration and leave a review if you enjoyed the episode!

Thank you for tuning in to Bookish Flights! Let’s make 2025 your best reading year yet!

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

Next Episode

Teetering TBR Piles & a Historical French Fiction Book Flight with Author Debra Borchert (E125)

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In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to be joined by Debra Borchert. Debra’s career journey is as fascinating as the stories she writes. From her beginnings as a clothing designer to acting, hosting TV shows, working in high-tech marketing, and technical writing for Fortune 100 companies, she has truly done it all. As a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Debra infuses her expertise in textiles and clothing design into her historical French fiction, earning accolades such as the Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice and Publishers Weekly Booklife Editor’s Pick.

Join us as we delve into a multifaceted career journey, contrasting life in Seattle and New York and the inspiration drawn from traveling to story settings. Discover the creative process of connecting with characters through recipes, and enjoy a humorous anecdote about a speeding ticket linked to her favorite author. Plus, don't Debra’s curated book flight featuring novels set during the French Revolution.

Episode Highlights:

Debra’s Diverse Career Path: From fashion design to acting and more, explore how varied experiences shape a writing journey.
Authentic Storytelling: The role of travel in bringing vivid detail and imagination to her stories.
A Writer’s Favorite: The book closest to Debra’s heart and why it stands out among her works.
Getting Into Character: How recipes help Debra step into the shoes of her characters.
Book Flight: Debra’s book flight features captivating stories set during the French Revolution.

Connect with Debra Borchert:

Books and authors mentioned in the episode: