Episode 123 Jessica Bell on “Housekeeping” by Marilynne Robinson I love noticing book covers, and paying attention to what I like and dislike about them, and it was really run to talk about them with a professional. Today I’m talking to multi-talented book-cover designer Jessica Bell about “Housekeeping” by Marilynne Robinson. Jessica examined the cover of my copy of the book, and we talked about why it worked on me. Even better, we talked about the insides of books, and why this one, in particular, is hard to describe and even harder to forget. It’s a book that sticks with you forever, particularly if you get the quotes inscribed on your coffee mugs! Jessica Bell is a multi-award-winning author/poet, and singer-songwriter who was born in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to having published a memoir, five novels, three poetry collections, and her bestselling Writing in a Nutshell series, she has been featured in a variety of publications and radio shows such as Writer’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, The Guardian, Life Matters, and Poetica. She is also the Publisher of Vine Leaves Press, and a highly sought-after book cover designer. She currently resides in Athens, Greece, with her partner and son, and a pile of dishes that still don’t know how to wash themselves despite her consistently teaching by example. Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram Guest: Jessica Bell Newsletter/Website/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Linkedin/YouTube Discussed in this episode: Can You Make the Title Bigga? By Jessica Bell Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Home by Marilynne Robinson Lila by Marilynne Robinson Gilead by Marilynne Robinson Giving Birth to Motherhood by Amie McCracken & Katie Rössler, LPC (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bestbookeverpodcast.substack.com

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