Well-Read: Recent Episodes
Ann Cox and Halle Eisenman
As librarians, books are kind of our thing. Listen in as we talk about what we're reading, make book recommendations, and all sorts of book-related fun.
Somehow this year is already halfway over (!!!!!), so it’s time to check in on our reading goals and parts of our book lives.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Litsy
Next Chapter Society Book Club
Libba Bray books
@mysterymanon on Instagram
@mother.horror on Instagram
@ash.reads.horror on Instagram
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights (film)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Romanceopoly 2026
@booksandlala on Instagram
Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower
Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy
Sarah J. Maas books
New York Times Bestsellers list
J.D. Robb books
C.J. Box books
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir
The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane
This Land Is Your Land by Beverly Gage
A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Strangers by Belle Burden
Famesick by Lena Dunham
Whistler by Ann Patchett
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen books
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Sue Grafton books
Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke
Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino
A Good Person by Kirsten King
Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum
Sky Daddy by Kate Folk
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus
Let’s Kiss and Tell by Joss Richard
It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
- Halle: The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
– The Help by Kathryn Stockett
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If you’re anything like us, you often read a book you love, add the author’s books to your TBR…and there they sit, unread. Thanks to a listener suggestion, we’re making goals this week to rectify that!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Meg Mitchell Moore books
Ann’s picks:
- All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
– Runner by Ashton Lattimore
– Ariel Lawhon books
– The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
– Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
– The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
– The Help by Kathryn Stockett
– The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett - The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
– The Woman in Black (film)
– The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
– Simon Serrallier series by Susan Hill
– Ruth Rendell books
– Inspector Wexford series by Ruth Rendell
Halle’s picks:
- The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
– Sentimental Garbage (podcast)
– Sex and the City (TV)
– The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
– The Gifts series by Caroline O’Donoghue
– Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue
– Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
– Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
– Sarah MacLean books - Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
– Isabel and the Rogue by Liana De la Rosa
– Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa
– Mutual Discord by Liana De la Rosa - Three Junes by Julia Glass
– The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
– The Whole World Over by Julia Glass
– The Women’s Prize for Fiction
– The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown
– The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature - Halle: Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy
– Heated Rivalry (TV)
– Off Campus (TV)
– The Sweet Magnolias series by Sheryl Woods
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Summer is here, and so is a new crop of books! Relax by the pool, go on vacation, or just hang out in air conditioning with our picks.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman
Ann Patchett books
Catherine Newman books
Katherine Center books
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson
So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder
Kin by Tayari Jones
A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman
Whidbey by T. Kira Madden
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Unbound by Peyton Corinne
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monahan
Whistler by Ann Patchett
Ann’s picks:
- A Perfect Hand by Ayelet Waldman (releases May 19)
- Upstairs, Downstairs (TV)
- Downton Abbey (TV)
- The Children by Melissa Albert (releases June 2)
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
- Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
- The Pinnacle by Abir Mukherjee (releases June 16)
- The White Lotus (TV)
- Only Murders in the Building (TV)
- Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh (releases June 23)
- Marion by Leah Rowan
- Psycho (film)
- The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders (releases July 7)
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach
- Hide and Seek by Søren Sveistrup (releases July 7)
- The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
- The Chestnut Man (TV)
- Time to Burn by Ellery Lloyd (releases August 4)
- The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd
- Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour (releases August 4)
Halle’s picks:
- Five by Ilona Bannister (releases May 5)
- Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
- The Passengers by John Marrs
- The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff (releases May 19)
- The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
- The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh (releases June 2)
- As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
- Tropesick by Lauren Okie (releases June 16)
- How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
- Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
- Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood (releases June 16)
- The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
- Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi (releases June 16)
- The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson (releases June 30)
- Die for Me by Shirlene Obuobi (releases July 14)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Greedy by Callie Kazumi
- The Menu (film)
- Halle: Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray
- Book of the Month
- Presumed Innocent (TV)
- Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
- Presumed Innocent (film)
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Thanks to a listener suggestion, we’re finding adult-audience readalikes for the books we loved as kids!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker
Ann’s picks:
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
– The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower - The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright and You’ll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron
– Fear Street series by R.L. Stine
– Christopher Pike books
– The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
Halle’s picks:
- The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin and Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
– Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
– Janice Hallett books - Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal and Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
– Gossip Girl (TV) - The Babysitters’ Club series by Ann L. Martin and Lovelight series by B.K. Borison
– Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: L.A. Women by Ella Berman
– Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante - Halle: Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla
– Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
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Get in the mood for Valentine’s Day (and to clear space off your shelves) when we tackle the pink books on our TBRs!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
– Sarah Vowell books
– Audie Cornish on NPR - The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
– The Guncle by Steven Rowley - American Fantasy by Emma Straub
– New Kids on the Block (band)
Halle’s picks:
- The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson
– Jenny Colgan books
– Clare Pooley books
– Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan - Lovely War by Julie Berry
– Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm
– Ali Hazelwood books
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
– S.A. Cosby books - Halle: Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams
– The Last Word by Taylor Adams
– Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
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It’s a new year and we’re so excited about the roster of books coming out in 2026! Find out what we can’t wait to dive into this winter and spring.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Jane Austen books
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat
Amity by Nathan Harris
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover
Heart the Lover by Lily King
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
Ann’s picks:
- This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman (releases February 10)
– Isola by Allegra Goodman
– Sam by Allegra Goodman - The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (releases February 17)
– The Empress of Rome series by Kate Quinn - Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (releases February 17)
– Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett - My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi (releases March 17)
- The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall (releases March 17)
- The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne (releases April 7)
– Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne - The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (releases April 7)
– V.E. Schwab books
– Cat Clarke books
– Anthony Horowitz books - Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (releases April 21)
– Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
Halle’s picks:
- This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (releases February 3)
- Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson (releases February 10)
– The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson - So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder (releases February 10)
– People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder
– People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry - Kin by Tayari Jones (releases March 17)
– An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
– The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali - A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman (releases March 3)
– The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - Whidbey by T. Kira Madden (releases March 10)
– Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll - Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (releases April 7)
– Diabolical Lies (podcast)
– Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer - Unbound by Peyton Corinne (releases April 7)
– Unsteady by Peyton Corinne
– Unloved by Peyton Corinne
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis
– Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
– The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - Halle: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower
– Gilmore Girls (TV)
– Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
– Bridgerton (TV)
– Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
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We’re making reading resolutions for 2026 and giving out our 2025 book superlatives!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Lauren Bacall filmography
Jane Austen books
Emma by Jane Austen
Libba Bray books
Book of the Month Club
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Emily Henry books
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Next Chapter Society Book Club
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Romanceopoly 2026
Under the Covers (blog)
@booksandlala on Instagram
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
Most Timely
Ann: Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
Halle: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Most Disappointing
Ann: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez; Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See; Knife by Salman Rushdie
Halle: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese; Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry; Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
– Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Favorite Reread
Ann: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
– Persuasion by Jane Austen
– Kristin Atherton filmography
Halle: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry; Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Biggest Surprise
Ann: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
– Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
– Terry Pratchett books
– Neil Gaiman books
Halle:The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith; Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
Least Favorite
Ann: The 23rd Hero by Rebecca Anne Nguyen; Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
Halle: The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb
Book That Lived Up to the Hype:
Ann: The Favorites by Layne Fargo; Long Bright River by Liz Moore; A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Halle: Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino;The Will of the Many by James Islington
Best Distraction
Ann: The Goldens by Lauren Wilson
Halle: If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia; Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
The Book That Ended a Mini Reading Slump
Ann: Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall
– Broadchurch (TV)
Halle: Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Most Unputdownable
Ann: Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter; A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
Halle: Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino; Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer; Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
– Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros
Better Late Than Never
Ann: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara; The Housemaid by Freida McFadden; A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Halle: The Beartown trilogy by Fredrik Backman; Kindred by Octavia Butler
Book That Has Stayed With Me
Ann: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali; The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Halle: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett; Audition by Katie Kitamura
Book That We Didn’t Think We’d Like, But Then We Did!
Ann: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty; The Lack of Light by Nino Haratischwili
Halle:Wreck by Catherine Newman
Author(s) we discovered in 2024 that we’re most excited to read more from in 2025
Ann: Kylie Lee Baker; Michiko Aoyama
– Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
– What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
– Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
– Hot Chocolate on Thursdays by Michiko Aoyama
Halle: Elizabeth O’Roark; Rachel Gillig; Ashley Manley
– The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
– One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
– Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
– The Holiday Club by Ashley Manley
Hidden Gem:
Ann: The Bad Seed by William March
– The Bad Seed (film)
Halle: The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Best Audiobook Experience of the Year:
Ann: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto; Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
Halle: The Favorites by Layne Fargo; The River Has Roots by Amal el-Mohtar
Our Favorite Non-Book Media Property of the Year
Ann: Becoming Led Zeppelin; Friendship; Art for Everybody; Toshiro Mifune everything
– Tim Robinson filmography
– Paul Rudd filmography
– Akira Kurosawa filmography
– Toshiro Mifune filmography
Halle: The Pitt; Man on the Inside; puppies!
The Book We Recommended the Most This Year
Ann: The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
Halle: Heart the Lover by Lily King
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Prize for the Fire by Rilla Askew
- Halle: Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams
– When in Rome series by Sarah Adams
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The year is almost over, and it’s time to reveal our favorite books of 2025! Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Jane Austen books
Agatha Christie books
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
What You’re Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Alchemised by SenLinYu
Ann’s picks:
- Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
– Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree - The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
- Long Bright River by Liz Moore
– Long Bright River (TV) - The Bad Seed by William March
- The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
– My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
– Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano - Umma: A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes by Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn
– @ahnestkitchen on Instagram
– America’s Test Kitchen
– Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim - The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser
– “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser (essay) - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
– “The Goose Girl”
Halle’s picks:
- Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – And How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
- The Will of the Many by James Islington
– Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
– Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
– Divergent series by Veronica Roth - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
- The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
– Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
– The Wedding People by Alison Espach - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
- One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
- The Names by Florence Knapp
- Heart the Lover by Lily King
– The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
– Writers & Lovers by Lily King
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Lack of Light by Nino Haratischwili
– Persuasion by Jane Austen
– The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili
– The International Booker Prize - Halle: The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
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As temperatures drop, we like nothing more than getting cozy with a book. Find out our suggestions for cozy reads this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
– Susan Ryland series by Anthony Horowitz
– Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
– The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
– Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa - Cackle by Rachel Harrison
Halle’s picks:
- A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
– The Very Secret Society for Irregular Witches by Sanga Mandanna - With Love from London by Sarah Jio
- Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
– While You Were Sleeping (film)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
- Halle: Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young
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We’ve been away for a bit, thanks to our travels this fall, but that just means we have a lot of books to talk about!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Ann’s picks:
- Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
– Matt Bomer filmography
– The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
– Outlander (TV)
Halle’s picks:
- Wreck by Catherine Newman
– We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
– Sandwich by Catherine Newman - Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson
– Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
– Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
– Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley - Halle: Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris
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We’re looking back at the formative books that made us the readers we are today, and we’ll end with what we’re reading this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Andrew Lang books
Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Beauty by Robin McKinley
The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye
Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Ann Rinaldi books
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
Fear Street series by R.L. Stine
Christopher Pike books
Cam Jansen series by David A. Adler
Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol
Masterpiece Mystery! (TV)
The Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
Sleepover Friends series by Susan Saunders
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal
Sweet Valley Twins series by Francine Pascal
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Dollanganger series by V.C. Andrews
Goosebumps series by R.L. Stein
Richie Tankersley Cusick books
Nora Roberts books
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Jane Austen books
Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Mary Higgins Clark books
John Jakes books
North and South series by John Jakes
North and South (TV)
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux
Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Frances Burney books
Diane Mott Davidson books
Anne Perry books
The Eight by Katherine Neville
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
Sarah Dessen books
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Mary Kay Andrews books
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn
- Halle: The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill
– Read with Jenna
– Thousand Voices Books
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Autumn is just around the corner, and it’s time to get our fall TBRs in order!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann Patchett books
Taylor Jenkins Reid books
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall
Broadchurch (TV)
Jane Austen books
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold
Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh
Succession (TV)
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
Ann’s picks:
- Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat (releases September 16)
– Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
– Salt Fat Acid Heat (TV) - The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller (releases October 7)
– The Change by Kirsten Miller
– Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller - All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles (releases October 7)
– Death in the Spires by KJ Charles - Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer (releases October 7)
– Grady Hendrix books
– Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix - Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks (releases October 14)
– Only Murders in the Building (TV)
– Angela Carter books - The Unveiling by Quan Barry (releases October 14)
– We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry - Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (releases November 11)
– Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (releases November 25)
Halle’s picks:
- Amity by Nathan Harris (releases September 2)
– The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
– Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
– Doc by Mary Doria Russell
– Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
– William W. Johnstone books - Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (releases September 2)
– Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
– Our Town by Thornton Wilder
– Wallace Stegner books - The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (releases September 16)
- The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover (releases September 23)
- Heart the Lover by Lily King (releases September 30)
– Writers & Lovers by Lily King - An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister (releases November 11)
- Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz (releases November 18)
- I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (releases November 18)
– Circe by Madeline Miller
– Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
– Rick Riordan books
– Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian
- Halle: When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén
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We’re halfway through the year, and it’s time to check in on our bookish goals and reading lives of 2025!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
2025 ALA Annual Conference
Jane Austen books
Book of the Month Club
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Libba Bray books
Agatha Christie books
Emily Henry books
Abby Jimenez books
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
Strange Houses by Uketsu
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Left of Forever by Tara DeWitt
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Women in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
The Names by Florence Knapp
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Heart the Lover by Lily King
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Alchemised by SenLinYu
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Manacled by SenLinYu
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer
Grady Hendrix books
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
- Halle: The Will of the Many by James Islington
– Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
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It’s already summer – how!? But we’re very ready for summer reading with our lists of the books we’re most excited about. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Sleepless in Seattle (film)
When Harry Met Sally… (film)
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Passion Project by London Sperry
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Ali Hazelwood
Annabel Monaghan
Ann’s picks:
- The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King (releases June 3)
- The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (releases June 3)
– The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater
– The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall (releases June 10)
– Broadchurch (TV) - Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (releases July 8)
- How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold (releases July 8)
– And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
– The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (releases August 19)
– Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
– Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
– A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher - Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill (releases August 19)
– Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
– The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
– With a Vengeance by Riley Sager - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (releases August 26)
– Babel by R.F. Kuang
Halle’s picks:
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (releases June 3)
– The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Top Gun (film) - The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (releases June 3)
- Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh (releases June 3)
– Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
– Succession (TV)
– Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn
– Gossip Girl (TV) - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (releases June 10)
- When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa (releases June 24)
- Rose in Chains by Julie Soto (releases July 3)
– The Thrashers by Julie Soto
– The Auction by LovesBitca8 (fanfiction) - The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley (releases June 24)
– Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
– The Mothers by Brit Bennett - These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (releases July 8)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Kate & Frida by Kim Fay
– Love & Saffron by Kim Fay - Halle: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
– Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
– A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
– The Guncle by Steven Rowley
– Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
– Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
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Do you need something to help you smile right now? We sure do, so here are some of the books that have made us laugh out loud.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Love and Hot Chicken by Mary Liza Hartong
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Ann’s picks:
- Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
– Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry - A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
- The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes
– Dead Tired by Kat Ailes
Halle’s picks:
- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
- Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano
– Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich - The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
– Rachel Harrison books - Halle: Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
– Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
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It’s time for our yearly Reading From Our TBRs episode! Listen in as we make a tiny bit of room on our shelves.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
Ann’s picks:
- Final Girls by Riley Sager
– The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager - Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
– Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
– National Book Awards - The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser
– “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser (essay)
Halle’s picks:
- An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
– Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo - All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
- The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Sense and Sensibility: An Annotated Edition by Jane Austen, ed. Patricia Meyer Spacks
– The Favorites by Layne Fargo
– Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett - Halle: Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer
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We’re making reading resolutions for 2025 and giving out our 2024 book superlatives!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Women’s Prize for Fiction
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
From the Front Porch (podcast)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Book of the Month Club
The Bookshop
Parnassus Books
Brandon Sanderson books
Jane Austen books
Libba Bray books
Colin Dexter books
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Emily Henry books
Ann Patchett books
Most Timely
Ann: Hum by Helen Phillips
– Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Halle: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kristen Miller
– The Change by Kristen Miller
Most Disappointing
Ann: The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson; The Women by Kristin Hannah
– Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
Halle: Bride by Ali Hazelwood; Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood; The Postcard by Anne Berest
– Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
– In Memoriam by Alice Winn
Favorite Reread
Ann: None!
Halle: The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater; Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
Biggest Surprise
Ann: The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August; The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff
Halle:The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore
– Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore
– Gilmore Girls (TV)
Least Favorite
Ann: The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons; In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati Alexander
– The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Halle: Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
Book That Lived Up to the Hype:
Ann: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley; The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez
Halle: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney; James by Percival Everett
– Normal People (TV)
– Normal People by Sally Rooney
Best Distraction
Ann: What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
Halle: Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal; Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
The Book That Ended a Mini Reading Slump
Ann: Ghost Mother by Kelly Dwyer
Halle: The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
Most Unputdownable
Ann: What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan; We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Halle: When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff; The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Better Late Than Never
Ann: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
– Good Omens (TV)
– Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer
– The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
– Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Halle: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Book That Has Stayed With Me
Ann: The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
Halle: All Fours by Miranda July
Book That We Didn’t Think We’d Like, But Then We Did!
Ann: The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan
Halle:Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Author(s) we discovered in 2024 that we’re most excited to read more from in 2025
Ann: Kaliane Bradley; Kristen Perrin; Carmella Lowkis; Monika Kim; Cara Bastone
– Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Halle: Cara Bastone; Kirsty Greenwood; Alice Wyn; Yulin Kuang; Holly Brickley; Olivia Muenter
– Abby Jimenez books
Hidden Gem:
Ann: Love and Hot Chicken by Mary Liza Hartong; Ready or Not by Cara Bastone; The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd
Halle: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood; Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
– The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Best Audiobook Experience of the Year:
Ann: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
– Meryl Streep filmography
Halle: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Our Favorite Non-Book Media Property of the Year
Ann: The Bear (TV); The Traitors (TV); Kyle Maclaughlin ads for Arby’s; Moo Deng; The Eras Tour
Halle: One Day (TV); Wicked (film); Nobody Wants This (TV); The Tortured Poets Department (album by Taylor Swift); BookTube; five-year journal
The Book We Recommended the Most This Year
Ann: Love and Hot Chicken by Mary Liza Hartong; The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Halle: The Wedding People by Alison Espach; Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: After Annie by Anna Quindlen
- Halle: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
– Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
– The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
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Psychological suspense continues to be one of the most popular subgenres, but it can sometimes be hard to find the best. This week, we’re covering the authors we’d like to see become household names.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Sarah J. Maas books
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Ruth Ware books
Mary Kubica books
Ann’s picks:
- Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry
– Near the Bone by Christina Henry
– Horseman by Christina Henry - Arrowood by Laura McHugh
– Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh
– The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh - What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
– No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
Halle’s picks:
- Kala by Colin Walsh
– Tana French books
– Jane Harper books - The Quiet Tennant by Clémence Michallon
– Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
– Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra - More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez
– The Push by Ashley Audrain
– The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni
– The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
– Rain Man (film)
– Sherlock (TV)
– The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - Halle: Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
– 2024 National Book Awards Longlist for Fiction
– Booker Prize 2024 shortlist
– Ann Patchett books
– Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
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There are more celebrity book clubs than ever! We’re discussing our favorites and some celebrity book club picks we love.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Read with Jenna
Oprah’s Book Club
Reece’s Book Club
Colleen Hoover books
Sarah J. Maas books
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Service95 Book Club
Fallon Book Club
Marvel
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
“How Celebrity Book Clubs Actually Work” (Esquire article)
Mindy’s Book Studio
SJP Lit
Library Science
Belletrist
TeaTime Book Club
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Good Morning America Book Club
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
Ann’s picks:
- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
- Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
– The Audacious Book Club
– The Help (film)
– Tyler Perry films
– Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV) - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
– The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Halle’s picks:
- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
– The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
– William Kent Krueger books - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
– Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson - The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
– Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd
– An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
– Kate Morton books - Halle: Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang
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Do you have a list of authors who are auto-buys when they release a new book? We’re delving into some of ours!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann Patchett books
Emily Henry books
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Abby Jimenez books
Ali Hazelwood books
Liz Moore books
Kate Morton books
Tana French books
Leigh Bardugo books
Celeste Ng books
Anthony Horowitz books
Sarah Dessen books
Sarah MacLean books
Ruth Ware books
Ann’s picks:
- The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
– Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
– The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
– The Night Watch by Sarah Waters - Still Life by Louise Penny
– Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny
– How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny - The Diviners by Libba Bray
– The Diviners series by Libba Bray
– Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
Halle’s picks:
- The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
– Katherine Center books
– Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins
– Blue Heron series by Kristan Higgins - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
– Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
– Rainbow Rowell books
– Big Little Lies (TV) - Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon
– The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
– The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon
– I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Plus One by S.C. Lalli
– Sonya Lalli books
– The White Lotus (TV)
– The Guest List by Lucy Foley - Halle: Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
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The New York Times recently published their list of the 100 best books of the 21st century, and we have THOUGHTS. Let us know your impressions of the list!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
New York Times: Readers Choose Their 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Martian by Andy Weir
Elena Ferrante books
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Emily Henry books
Abby Jimenez books
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Story by James McBride
Ann’s picks:
- The Round House by Louise Erdrich
- National Book Award
- Thomas Cromwell series by Hilary Mantel
- Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
- Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
- The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
- Booker Prize
- Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Halle’s picks:
- The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
- Pulitzer Prize in Fiction
- Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
- A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
- Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Second Chance Year by Melissa Weisner
- Sliding Doors (film)
- Halle: The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton
- Book of the Month Club
- Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton
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Spring is here, so we’re thinking about books that feel like sunshine! As always, we end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- Village School by Miss Read
– Fairacre series by Miss Read - A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
- Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean
Halle’s picks:
- The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
- The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
– The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman - Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Good Taste by Caroline Scott
– Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
– Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs
– The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan - Halle: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
– AITA on Reddit
It’s that time again…the books we’re looking forward to the most publishing March through May!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
What Should I Read Next? (podcast)
Ann’s picks:
- The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov (releases March 5)
– Stieg Larsson books - The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (releases March 19)
– The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill - Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (releases April 2)
- Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan
– Rachel Harrison books - Funny Story by Emily Henry (releases April 23)
– Happy Place by Emily Henry - The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean (releases May 7)
– Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean - Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith (releases May 7)
- The Guncle Abroad by Stephen Rowley (releases May 21)
– The Guncle by Stephen Rowley
Halle’s picks:
- The Great Divide by Christina Henríquez (releases March 5)
– The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henríquez - Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González (releases March 5)
– Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González - Happily Never After by Lynn Painter (releases March 12)
– Betting on You by Lynn Painter
– When Harry Met Sally (film) - The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (releases April 9)
- How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang (releases April 9)
– People We Meet on Vacation (film)
– Beach Read (film)
– Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
– Saturday Night Live (TV) - Real Americans by Rachel Khong (releases April 30)
– Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
– Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
– Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi - Happy Medium by Sarah Adler (releases April 30)
– Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler - Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan (releases May 21)
– Crazy Rich Asians series by Kevin Kwan
– Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
– Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope
– A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta
- Halle: The Hunter by Tana French
– The Searcher by Tana French
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We love reading books but we also love getting books off our shelves, so that means we love our annual Reading From Our TBRs episode!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- Take It Back by Kia Abdullah
– Kia Abdullah books - Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
– Audie Awards
– Neil Gaiman books
– Terry Pratchett books
– Good Omens (TV)
– The House of the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - Old Lovegood Girls by Gail Godwin
– From the Front Porch (podcast)
– Ann Patchett books
Halle’s picks:
- The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
– My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - The Truth and Other Hidden Things by Lea Geller
– Lori Gelman books
– Class Mom by Lori Gelman - Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
– Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
– Booklist
– Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Here In Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton
– Tara Isabella Burton books - Halle: When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff
– Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
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In honor of Valentine’s Day, learn everything you need to know about the romance genre!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Webinar: Crash Course in Romance
Nicholas Sparks books
Colleen Hoover books
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Sarah Adams books
Mindy Klasky Tropes List
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Hating Game (film)
Ali Hazelwood books
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare
Knockout by Sarah MacLean
The Singles Table by Sara Desai
Battle Royal by Lucy Parker
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
Scandalized by Ivy Owens
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Bridgerton (TV)
How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole
The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Jasmine Guillory books
Tia Williams books
Helen Hoang books
Susan Elizabeth Phillips books
Christina Lauren books
Mia Sosa books
Olivia Dade books
Natalie Caña books
Beverly Jenkins books
Adriana Herrera books
Evie Dunmore books
Courtney Milan books
Jane Austen books
Georgette Heyer books
Julia Quinn books
Cat Sebastian books
Tessa Dare books
Sarah MacLean books
Lisa Kleypas books
Judith McNaught books
Jude Deveraux books
Julie Garwood books
Mary Balogh books
Nora Roberts books
Amanda Quick books
Jayne Ann Krentz books
Romancing the Stone (film)
Carla Neggers books
Sarah J. Maas books
Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Freya Marske books
Olivia Atwater books
Kresley Cole books
J.R. Ward books
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Lana Harper books
April Asher books
Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
Twisted series by Ana Huang
Elsie Silver books
Rebekah Weatherspoon books
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
Devney Perry books
Jennifer Lohmann books
Mariana Zupata books
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Sarina Bowen books
Elle Kennedy books
Windy City series by Liz Tomforde
Twilight Saga series by Stephenie Meyer
Kimberly Lemming books
Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon
Diana Biller books
Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Surrender: Forty Songs, One Story by Bono
- Halle: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
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We’re back with our superlatives episode – one of our favorites of the year!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Halle’s Instagram
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
From the Front Porch (podcast)
Book of the Month Club
Most Timely
Ann: Spare by Prince Harry
Halle: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Most Disappointing
Ann: The Cloisters by Katy Hays and Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian
Halle: Happiness Falls by Angie Kim and Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
– Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
– Saturday Night Live (TV)
Favorite Reread
Ann: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Halle: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid andThe Guncle by Steven Rowley
– Daisy Jones & the Six (TV)
Biggest Surprise
Ann: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
Halle:The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
– The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
Least Favorite
Ann: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
Halle: Mean Baby by Selma Blair
Book That Lived Up to the Hype:
Ann: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Halle: Happy Place by Emily Henry
Best Distraction
Ann: The Last Word by Taylor Adams
Halle: Katherine Center books
– Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
– Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
The Book That Ended a Mini Reading Slump
Ann: Homecoming by Kate Morton
Halle: Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
Most Unputdownable
Ann: What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall and Look Closer by David Ellis
Halle: None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell and Drowning by T.J. Newman
Better Late Than Never
Ann: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Halle: The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline and My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Book That Has Stayed With Me
Ann: The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
Halle: Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
Book That We Didn’t Think We’d Like, But Then We Did!
Ann: The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei and Gods of the Wyrdwood by RJ Barker
– Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Halle:Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
Author(s) we discovered in 2023 that we’re most excited to read more from in 2024
Ann: Nilima Rao, T. Kingfisher, Heather Fawcett
– A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
– Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
– Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Halle: Sarah Adler and Jessica Joyce
– Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler
– You, With a View by Jessica Joyce
Hidden Gem:
Ann: A Death in Denmark by Amulya Malladi and Role Playing by Cathy Yardley and Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
Halle: Talking at Night by Claire Daverley and Chance of a Lifetime series by Kate Clayborn
– Normal People by Sally Rooney
Best Audiobook Experience of the Year:
Ann: Kala by Colin Walsh and Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
– Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Halle: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, narrated by Michelle Williams
Our Favorite Non-Book Media Property of the Year
Ann: “Planet of the Bass” by DJ Crazy Times (song)
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (film)
Barbie (film)
The Shop Around the Corner (film)
Remember the Night (film)
Bob’s Burgers (TV)
Halle: Lessons in Chemistry (TV)
Daisy Jones & The Six (TV)
The Bear (TV)
The Great Canadian Baking Show (TV)
First Draft (podcast)
Sentimental Garbage (podcast)
–The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
– You’ve Got Mail (film)
– Sleepless in Seattle (film)
The Book We Recommended the Most This Year
Ann: Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Halle: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Stateless by Elizabeth Wein
– Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - Halle: Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
– A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
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Our favorite episode of the year, full of our favorite books of the year. Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Ann’s picks:
- Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
– Sleeping Beauty - Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling
– Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - How Can I Help You by Laura Sims
– Patricia Highsmith books - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
– The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - Homecoming by Kate Morton
- Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
- The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
- Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
- Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood
- Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
– Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Halle’s picks:
- Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
- The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
- Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
- Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
– Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Exiles by Jane Harper
– Tana French books - Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
- River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
- Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
– Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
– Happy Place by Emily Henry - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
– Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
- Halle: Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey
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This week, we’re talking about book trends! Whether you’re deep in romantasy or cozy everything, we’re covering some of the biggest trends in publishing right now.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
The Maid by Nita Prose
Anne McCaffrey books
Game of Thrones (TV)
A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin
The Inheritance Cycle series by Christopher Paolini
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R Tolkein
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Debbie Macomber books
Sweet Magnolias (TV)
Virgin River (TV)
The Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods
Virgin River series by Robin Carr
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
Helen Mirren filmography
A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckham
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
@beachreadsandbubbly on Instagram
Jennifer L. Armentrout books
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Serial (podcast)
Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Get Out (film)
Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Victor LaValle books
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited byJordan Peele
Circe by Madeline Miller
Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
- Halle: Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
– Uzma Jalaluddin books
– Maggie Knox books
– Karma Brown books
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Depending on which co-host you ask, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: Halloween! We have plenty of books for all your spooky reading needs this season. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 11 – Spooky Books for Halloween
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
ALA RUSA CODES Reading List
Hocus Pocus (film)
Bleeding Hart Yard by Elly Griffiths
Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths
The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths
Ann’s picks:
- Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
- Overdue by Richie Tankersley Cusick
– Christopher Pike books
– Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine
– Fear Street series by R.L. Stine
– The Mall by Richie Tankersley Cusick
– The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
– Silent Stalker by Richie Tankersley Cusick
–Inferno by Dante Alighieri - Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Halle’s picks:
- The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
- The Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
- Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
– The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
– The Push by Ashley Audrain
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
- Halle: Meet the Benedettos by Katie Cotugno
– Keeping Up with the Kardashians (TV)
– Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
– The Kardashians (TV)
– Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
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It’s time to revisit books about books! We discuss some recent and evergreen favorites.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Ann’s picks:
- The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
– Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
– The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (film) - The Last Word by Taylor Adams
Halle’s picks:
- The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
– Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
– Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
– The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune - The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
– Booklist (magazine)
– One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris
– The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer - The Dictionary of Lost World by Pip Williams
– The Bookbinder by Pip Williams
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Lone Women by Victor LaValle
– Midsommar (film)
– The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle - Halle: The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
– Weyward by Emilia Hart
– Practical Magic (film)
– Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
– Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman
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September puts us in the mood for back-to-school books, but why not add a mysterious twist? We’re talking dark academia titles this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (buy from Bookshop)
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (buy from Bookshop)
The Likeness by Tana French (buy from Bookshop)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (buy from Bookshop)
Dead Poets Society (film)
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Joanna Gaines
Ann’s picks:
- The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton (buy from Bookshop)
- Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (buy from Bookshop)
– Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson - Babel by R.F. Kuang (buy from Bookshop)
– The Secret History by Donna Tartt (buy from Bookshop)
– Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (buy from Bookshop)
– Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- The Cartographers by Peng Shephard (buy from Bookshop)
- Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian (buy from Bookshop)
– Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay
– Dexter (TV) - Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (buy from Bookshop)
– The Secret Place by Tana French (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Cloisters by Katy Hays (buy from Bookshop)
– The Met Cloisters - Halle: The Lost Husband by Katherine Center (buy from Bookshop)
– Halle’s Instagram
– Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center (buy from Bookshop)
– Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (buy from Bookshop)
– Katherine Center books
– The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center (buy from Bookshop)
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We’re exploring fiction that depicts the immigrant and refugee experience, and we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez (buy from Bookshop)
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (buy from Bookshop) – Titanic (film) – Ruta Sepetys books
- The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (buy from Bookshop) – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (buy from Bookshop) – Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (buy from Bookshop) – Exit West (film)
- The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (buy from Bookshop) – Liz Moore books – Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (buy from Bookshop)
- The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez (buy from Bookshop) – Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Art of Escapism Cooking: A Survival Story, with Intensely Good Flavors by Mandy Lee (buy from Bookshop) – Mandy Lee’s Flattening the Bird – Lady and Pups (blog) – @ladyandpups
- Halle: The Verifiers by Jane Pek (buy from Bookshop) – Book of the Month
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Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama by Bob Odenkirk (releases March 1) (buy from Bookshop) – Mr. Show with Bob and David (TV) – David Cross filmography – Saturday Night Live (TV) – Breaking Bad (TV)
- Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum (releases April 5) (buy from Bookshop)
- The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas (releases May 5) (buy from Bookshop) – Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (buy from Bookshop) – Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (buy from Bookshop)
- Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito (releases May 31) (buy from Bookshop) – The Grinder (TV)
- The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (releases June 7) (buy from Bookshop) – Sulari Gentill books
- The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser (releases July 12) (buy from Bookshop) – “The Crane Wife” (essay by CJ Hauser) – From the Front Porch (podcast) – Family of Origin by CJ Hauser (buy from Bookshop)
- Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson (releases August 16) (buy from Bookshop)
- The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (releases August 23) (buy from Bookshop) – The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- Memphis by Tara Stringfellow (releases April 5) (buy from Bookshop)
- The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa (releases April 5) (buy from Bookshop) – The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa (buy from Bookshop) – Mia Sosa books
- Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (releases April 12) (buy from Bookshop) – The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (buy from Bookshop) – Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (buy from Bookshop) – Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain (buy from Bookshop)
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry (releases May 5) (buy from Bookshop) – Emily Henry books – As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr (buy from Bookshop) – Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan (buy from Bookshop) – The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell’Antonia (buy from Bookshop)
- This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub (releases May 17) (buy from Bookshop) – Emma Straub books
- Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore (releases July 5) (buy from Bookshop) – Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (buy from Bookshop)
- Upgrade by Blake Crouch (releases July 12) (buy from Bookshop) – Blake Crouch books
- Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier (releases July 19) – Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Love and Saffron by Kim Fay (buy from Bookshop) – Julia Child – Sunset Magazine
- Halle: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (buy from Bookshop)
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After a year of hard work, we’re happy to share the results of the 2022 Reading List! We’ll share the winners and the shortlist, along with our thoughts. As always, we end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Adrenaline
Winner Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby (buy from Bookshop)
Short List Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka (buy from Bookshop) Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian (buy from Bookshop) The Push by Ashley Audrain (buy from Bookshop) Red Widow by Alma Katsu (buy from Bookshop)
Fantasy
Winner A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (buy from Bookshop)
Short List Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (buy from Bookshop) The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman (buy from Bookshop) When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (buy from Bookshop) The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec (buy from Bookshop)
Historical fiction
Winner The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris (buy from Bookshop)
Short List Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood (buy from Bookshop) – A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (buy from Bookshop) Leonora in the Morning Light by Michaela Carter (buy from Bookshop) The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (buy from Bookshop) A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein (buy from Bookshop)
Horror
Winner Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (buy from Bookshop) – The Ring (film) – The Grudge (film)
Short List The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling (buy from Bookshop) My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (buy from Bookshop) Near the Bone by Christina Henry (buy from Bookshop) This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno (buy from Bookshop)
Mystery
Winner Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (buy from Bookshop) – A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette (buy from Bookshop)
Short List Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (buy from Bookshop) The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson (buy from Bookshop) Sleep Well, My Lady by Kwei Quartey (buy from Bookshop) Under Color of Law by Aaron Philip Clark (buy from Bookshop) – Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (buy from Bookshop) – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (buy from Bookshop) – Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (buy from Bookshop) – Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano (buy from Bookshop)
Relationship fiction
Winner The Guncle by Steven Rowley (buy from Bookshop)
Short List Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto (buy from Bookshop) The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (buy from Bookshop) Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (buy from Bookshop) – Arrested Development (TV) The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan (buy from Bookshop)
Romance
Winner One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (buy from Bookshop)
Short List The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (buy from Bookshop) The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod (buy from Bookshop) People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (buy from Bookshop) For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (buy from Bookshop)
Science fiction
Winner A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (buy from Bookshop)
Short List Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill (buy from Bookshop) Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (buy from Bookshop) One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky Unity by Elly Bangs (buy from Bookshop) – The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Going There by Katie Couric (buy from Bookshop) – The Today Show (TV) – The Morning Show (TV) – Jennifer Aniston filmography – Reese Witherspoon filmography
- Halle: First Comes Like by Alisha Rai (buy from Bookshop) – Modern Love series by Alisha Rai – A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli (buy from Bookshop)
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We're back with one of our favorite Well-Read traditions: book superlatives! Listen in for the books that stood out to us this year. We’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 87 – 2021 Resolutions and Year in Review Beloved by Toni Morrison (buy from Bookshop) Halle’s Instagram Episode 86 – 2020 Superlatives
Most Timely Ann: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin (buy from Bookshop) and The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton (buy from Bookshop)
Most Disappointing Ann: The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse (buy from Bookshop) and Fresh Brewed Murder by Emmeline Duncan (buy from Bookshop) – Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle Halle: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (buy from Bookshop) – The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (buy from Bookshop)
Favorite Reread Ann: Evelina by Francis Burney (buy from Bookshop) Halle: The Likeness by Tana French (buy from Bookshop) – Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
Biggest Surprise Ann: Stealing Home by Sheryl Wood (buy from Bookshop) and Mordew by Alex Pheby (buy from Bookshop) – Sweet Magnolias (TV) – Charles Dickens novels Halle: Red Widow by Alma Katsu (buy from Bookshop) and Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto (buy from Bookshop)
Least Favorite Ann: For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day (buy from Bookshop) – Agatha Christie books
Best Distraction Ann: Cackle by Rachel Harrison (buy from Bookshop) – Hocus Pocus (film) Halle: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez (buy from Bookshop)
The Book That Ended a Mini Reading Slump Ann: Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin (buy from Bookshop) – Alexa Martin books Halle: The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (buy from Bookshop)
Better Late Than Never Ann: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (buy from Bookshop)
Book That Has Stayed With Me Ann: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (buy from Bookshop) and Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (buy from Bookshop) – National Book Award – Printz Award Halle: Take It Back by Kia Abdullah (buy from Bookshop)
Book That We Didn’t Think We’d Like, But Then We Did! Ann: Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill (buy from Bookshop) and Red Widow by Alma Katsu (buy from Bookshop) Halle: One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky and Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (buy from Bookshop)
Author(s) we discovered in 2021 that we’re most excited to read more from in 2022 Ann: Emily Henry, Nghi Vo, Camilla Sten, Gus Moreno – People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (buy from Bookshop) – The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (buy from Bookshop) – When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (buy from Bookshop) – The Lost Village by Camilla Sten (buy from Bookshop) – This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno (buy from Bookshop) – Beach Read by Emily Henry (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Kate Clayborn, Nathan Harris, and Meg Mason – Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (buy from Bookshop) – Love at First by Kate Clayborn (buy from Bookshop) – The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris (buy from Bookshop) – Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (buy from Bookshop)
Our Favorite Non-Book Media Property of the Year Ann: Taco Chronicles (TV) and The White Lotus (TV) Halle: The White Lotus (TV) and Only Murders in the Building (TV)
The Book We Recommended the Most This Year Ann: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (buy from Bookshop) Halle: The Guncle by Steven Rowley (buy from Bookshop) – The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: A Promised Land by Barack Obama (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: The Ensemble by Aja Gabel (buy from Bookshop) – From the Front Porch (podcast) – From the Front Porch episode 350 – Literary Therapy Vol. 12
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Our favorite episode of the year, full of our favorite books of the year. Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia (buy from Bookshop)
- The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod (buy from Bookshop)
- This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno (buy from Bookshop)
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (buy from Bookshop)
- A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (buy from Bookshop)
- Horseman by Christina Henry (buy from Bookshop)
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (buy from Bookshop)
- The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (buy from Bookshop)
- Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (buy from Bookshop)
- Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (buy from Bookshop)
- Mrs. March by Virginia Feito (buy from Bookshop)
- Patricia Highsmith books
- Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (buy from Bookshop)
- Reese's Book Club
Halle’s picks:
- The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (buy from Bookshop)
- Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny (buy from Bookshop)
- Arsenic & Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (buy from Bookshop)
- Tana French books
- Louise Penny books
- Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall (buy from Bookshop)
- The Great British Baking Show (TV)
- The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (buy from Bookshop)
- Battle Royal by Lucy Parker (buy from Bookshop)
- One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (buy from Bookshop)
- The Push by Ashley Audrain (buy from Bookshop)
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (buy from Bookshop)
- Take It Back by Kia Abdullah (buy from Bookshop)
- The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (buy from Bookshop)
- Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon (buy from Bookshop)
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley (buy from Bookshop)
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (buy from Bookshop)
- The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris (buy from Bookshop)
- Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (buy from Bookshop)
- Fleabag (TV)
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (buy from Bookshop)
- The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (buy from Bookshop)
- Elena Ferrante books
- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (buy from Bookshop)
We didn’t get a chance to do a publishing preview this season, but we wanted to share some books we’re excited to read soon. Ann picks three forthcoming titles and Halle went with books she didn’t have time for this year. And we end with what we’re reading this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- The Maid by Nita Prose (buy from Bookshop) – Florence Pugh movies – Little Women (film)
- Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour (buy from Bookshop) – Nina LaCour books
- Body and Soul Food by Abby Collette (buy from Bookshop) – A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collete (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann (buy from Bookshop) – From the Front Porch (podcast) – Succession (TV)
- Battle Royal by Lucy Parker (buy from Bookshop)
- Infinite Country by Patricia Engel (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka (buy from Bookshop) – Brad Pitt movies
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Our annual Halloween episode is back – and so are we! We have some major life updates and books that show that people are much scarier than the paranormal. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 77 – Cookbooks!
Ann’s picks:
- There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins (buy from Bookshop) – Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (buy from Bookshop) – Scream (film) – There’s Someone Inside Your House (TV) – The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins (buy from Bookshop)
- Knife by Jø Nesbo (buy from Bookshop) – Harry Hole series by Jø Nesbo
- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (buy from Bookshop) – Episode 1 – Beach Reads – The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)
Halle’s picks:
- Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger (buy from Bookshop) – Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari (buy from Bookshop)
- The Silence of the White City by Eva García Sáenz (buy from Bookshop) – Tana French books – Jane Harper books
- The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: When Things Get Dark edited by Ellen Datlow (buy from Bookshop) – Shirley Jackson books – Ellen Datlow books – Joyce Carol Oates books – Josh Malerman books – Carmen Maria Machado books – Paul Tremblay books – Kelly Link books – Elizabeth Hand books – Cassandra Khaw books – The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (buy from Bookshop) – “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (buy from Bookshop) – The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (buy from Bookshop)
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Hi all - Due to a death in Ann's family, we will be taking a brief break for the next month. Thanks and happy reading!
Thanks to a fabulous listener suggestion (hi Rikke!), we’re pairing books that inform each other or benefit from reading them back-to-back. What books would you pair up? As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (buy from Bookshop) Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (buy from Bookshop) My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (buy from Bookshop) Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (buy from Bookshop)
Ann’s picks:
- The Seducer’s Diary by Søren Kierkegaard (buy from Bookshop) and Ehrengard by Isak Dinesen (buy from Bookshop) and BONUS City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (buy from Bookshop) – Either/Or by Søren Kierkegaard (buy from Bookshop) – Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (buy from Bookshop) – Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen (buy from Bookshop)
- Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (buy from Bookshop) and Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (buy from Bookshop)
- The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (buy from Bookshop) and Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (buy from Bookshop) – Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie – Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood – Miss Marple (TV) – Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (TV)
Halle’s picks:
- Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterley (buy from Bookshop) and The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (buy from Bookshop) – Lady Astronaut Universe series by Mary Robinette Kowal
- Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (buy from Bookshop) and Chemistry by Weike Wang (buy from Bookshop)
- The Push by Ashley Audrain (buy from Bookshop) and Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips (buy from Bookshop) – Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (buy from Bookshop) – An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (buy from Bookshop) – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (buy from Bookshop) – Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams (buy from Bookshop) – The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard (buy from Bookshop) – Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell (buy from Bookshop)
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This week, we’re responding to a listener request to delve into our favorite bookish media and how we balance it all with our reading. We have some tips and recommendations to help you get the most out of your reading life. As always, we end with what we’re reading this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
For Real (podcast) Underground: A Human History of the World Beneath Our Feet by Will Hunt (buy from Bookshop) Audie Awards Get Booked (podcast) From the Front Porch (podcast) @shelfbyshelf (Instagram) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (buy from Bookshop) Middlemarch by George Eliot (buy from Bookshop) All About Agatha (podcast) Agatha Christie books Litsy Poirot (TV) The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (buy from Bookshop) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (buy from Bookshop) What Should I Read Next? (podcast) Modern Mrs. Darcy (blog) When In Romance (podcast) Book Riot: The Podcast (podcast) Currently Reading (podcast) Reading Glasses (podcast) @thebookshopnashville (Instagram) @melanatedreader (Instagram) @james_travino (Instagram) Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling @wellreadblackgirl (Instagram) @parnassusbooks (Instagram) @booksaremagicbk (Instagram) Emma Straub books @ashleyspivey (Instagram) The Bachelor (TV) Go Fug Yourself (blog) @spiveysbookclub (Instagram) @hithapalepu (Instagram) @graceatwood (Instagram) Bad On Paper (podcast) @beccamfreeman (Instagram) The Idea of You by Robinne Lee (buy from Bookshop) Reese’s Book Club Read With Jenna Book of the Month @halle770 (Instagram) @ferskner (Instagram)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia (buy from Bookshop) – Prince’s Hot Chicken
- Halle: The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan (buy from Bookshop)
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Our memories may be terrible but these memoirs aren’t. We’re revisiting memoirs this week, and end with what we’re currently reading.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty (buy from Bookshop) – Afroculinaria (blog) – BTS (band)
- Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris (buy from Bookshop) – The New Yorker (magazine) – Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris (buy from Bookshop) – Ann Patchett books
- Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark (buy from Bookshop) – My Favorite Murder (podcast) – Mr. Show with Bob and David (TV) – Georgia Hardstark on Cooking Channel
Halle’s picks:
- Open Book by Jessica Simpson (buy from Bookshop) – Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica (TV) – Nick Lachey (singer) – John Mayer (singer) – Dukes of Hazard (film) – Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (buy from Bookshop)
- Becoming by Michelle Obama (buy from Bookshop) – A Promised Land by Barack Obama (buy from Bookshop)
- Here For It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays by R. Eric Thomas (buy from Bookshop) – Elle (magazine) – Bossypants by Tina Fey (buy from Bookshop) – Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham (buy from Bookshop) – Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (TV)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson (buy from Bookshop) – The Women (film)
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Do you like sports? No? Do you like stories of drama surrounding sports? Then we have some books for you! As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ted Lasso (TV) Friday Night Lights (TV) Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger (buy on Bookshop) Friday Night Lights (film)
Ann’s picks:
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (buy on Bookshop) – Newbery Medal – YALLfest – Booked by Kwame Alexander (buy on Bookshop)
- Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (buy on Bookshop) – Chicago Stars series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie (buy on Bookshop) – Sarah MacLean books
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (buy on Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman (buy on Bookshop) – A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (buy on Bookshop) – Beartown (TV) – Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (buy on Bookshop) – Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (buy on Bookshop)
- Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu (buy on Bookshop) – From the Front Porch (podcast) – Check, Please! series by Ngozi Ukazu
- You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott (buy on Bookshop) – Megan Abbott books – Dare Me by Megan Abbott (buy on Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: First Comes Like by Alisha Rai (buy on Bookshop) – Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai (buy on Bookshop) – Modern Love series by Alisha Rai
- Halle: The Survivors by Jane Harper (buy on Bookshop) – Jane Harper books – The Likeness by Tana French (buy on Bookshop)
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Galentine’s Day is here! Gather your girlfriends together, or if you can’t thanks to a worldwide pandemic, pick up one of our suggestions for books about female friendships. We’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Parks and Recreation (TV) My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes by Hooni Kim (buy from Bookshop) Episode 77 – Cookbooks Bridgerton (TV) Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (buy from Bookshop) The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante (buy from Bookshop) My Brilliant Friend (TV)
Ann’s picks:
- The Milk Lady of Bangalore by Shoba Narayan (buy from Bookshop)
- Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (buy from Bookshop) – Sweet Magnolias (TV) – The Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (buy from Bookshop) – Code Name Verity series by Elizabeth Wein – Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- The Girls from Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe (buy from Bookshop)
- The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker (buy from Bookshop) – The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (buy from Bookshop)
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (buy from Bookshop) – The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (buy from Bookshop) – The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: My Lady’s Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris (buy from Bookshop) – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (buy from Bookshop) – Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (buy from Bookshop) –Lord Byron books
- Halle: The Push by Ashley Audrain (buy from Bookshop) – Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage (buy from Bookshop) – We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (buy from Bookshop)
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We love goals and years in review, especially when they involve books! Find out how we did last year with our reading resolutions and what we’re planning for 2021. As always, we’ll finish with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
RUSA CODES Reading List Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (buy from Bookshop) Julia Quinn books Bridgerton (TV) The Bachelor (TV) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (buy from Bookshop) Tana French books Isak Dinesen books Jane Austen books Libba Bray books The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge 2021 NoveList Book Challenge The Bookshop (bookstore) Book Riot Read Harder 2021 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2021
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley (buy from Bookshop) – Malcolm X (film) – Boyz n the Hood (film)
- Halle: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins (buy from Bookshop) – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (buy from Bookshop) – Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (buy from Bookshop)
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We’ve started (what we hope becomes) a new tradition: book superlatives! Listen in for the books that stood out to us for a range of reasons this year. We’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 68 – Out of Our Comfort Zone Part III Episode 76 – Tackling Our TBRs Part II
Most Timely Ann: When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole (buy from Bookshop) Halle: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (buy from Bookshop)
Most Disappointing Ann: White Elephant by Trish Harnetiaux (buy from Bookshop) and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (buy from Bookshop) – Tana French books Halle: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (buy from Bookshop); Honorable Mention: The Bright Lands by John Fram (buy from Bookshop) – Friday Night Lights (TV)
Favorite Reread Ann: The Likeness by Tana French (buy from Bookshop) – In the Woods by Tana French (buy from Bookshop) Halle: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (buy from Bookshop)
Biggest Surprise Ann: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (buy from Bookshop) Halle: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee (buy from Bookshop)
Least Favorite Ann: Space Opera by Cathrynne M. Valente (buy from Bookshop) – Eurovision Song Contest (TV) Halle: The Deep by Rivers Solomon (buy from Bookshop) – Drexciya (techno group) – “The Deep” (song by clipping.)
Best Distraction Ann: The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (buy from Bookshop) – The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay (buy from Bookshop) and All Adults Here by Emma Straub (buy from Bookshop)
The Book That Ended a Mini Reading Slump Ann: Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan (buy from Bookshop) – A Room With a View by E.M. Forster (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters (buy from Bookshop)
Better Late Than Never Ann: On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle (buy from Bookshop) Halle: The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan (buy from Bookshop)
Book That Has Stayed With Me Ann: When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland (buy from Bookshop) or Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (buy from Bookshop)
Book That We Didn’t Think We’d Like, But Then We Did! Ann: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (kind of) (buy from Bookshop) – Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn – Bridgerton (TV) Halle: Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood (buy from Bookshop) – The Human Son by Adrian J. Walker (buy from Bookshop)
Best Quality Read of the Year Ann: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, duh (buy from Bookshop) – Jane Austen books Halle: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (buy from Bookshop)
Our Favorite Non-Book Media Property of the Year Ann: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (TV) and Sarah Cooper anything – Will Ferrell filmography – Sarah Cooper on TikTok – Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine (TV) Halle: Normal People (TV) and Ted Lasso (TV) – Normal People by Sally Rooney (buy from Bookshop) – Major League (film) – Jason Sudeikis filmography – “An American Coach in London” (commercial) – The Great British Bake Off (TV) – folklore (Taylor Swift album) – evermore (Taylor Swift album)
The Book We Recommended the Most This Year Ann: A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Colette (buy from Bookshop) and Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon (buy from Bookshop) and A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight (buy from Bookshop) and The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (buy from Bookshop) – Nina LaCour books – John Wayne filmography – Patsy Cline discography
- Halle: The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi (buy from Bookshop) – Agatha Christie books – The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (buy from Bookshop) – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (buy from Bookshop)
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It’s our favorite episode of the year featuring our favorite books of the year!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
VH1 (TV)
Ann’s picks:
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (buy from Bookshop)
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (buy from Bookshop)
- Circe by Madeline Miller (buy from Bookshop) – The Odyssey by Homer (buy from Bookshop)
- A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Colette (buy from Bookshop) – A Game of Cones by Abby Colette (buy from Bookshop)
- Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (buy from Bookshop) – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (buy from Bookshop)
- Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (buy from Bookshop) – I Await the Devil’s Coming by Mary MacLane (buy from Bookshop)
- How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (buy from Bookshop) – Three Pines series by Louise Penny
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (buy from Bookshop) – One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (buy from Bookshop)
- The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (buy from Bookshop) – The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (buy from Bookshop)
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (buy from Bookshop) – Moby Dick by Herman Melville (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (buy from Bookshop) – Episode 72 – Fiction by Black Authors – Lena Waithe filmography
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (buy from Bookshop) – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (buy from Bookshop) – A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (buy from Bookshop)
- Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade (buy from Bookshop) – Game of Thrones (TV)
- A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight (buy from Bookshop) – Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (buy from Bookshop)
- The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (buy from Bookshop)
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (buy from Bookshop) – Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (buy from Bookshop)
- Long Bright River by Liz Moore (buy from Bookshop) – Liz Moore books
- Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon (buy from Bookshop) – The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon (buy from Bookshop)
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (buy from Bookshop) – A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (buy from Bookshop) – Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (buy from Bookshop) – The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (buy from Bookshop)
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (buy from Bookshop) – Episode 66 – Spring/Summer 2020 Preview – Episode 71 – Beach Reads
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: White Elephant by Trish Harnetiaux (buy from Bookshop) – Episode 55 – Fall 2019 Book Preview
- Halle: The Human Son by Adrian J. Walker (buy from Bookshop)
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When you're having a rough week (and aren't we all?), there's nothing better than sinking into a guilty pleasure read. Or is there such a thing? We'll discuss, and end with what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Mary Kay Andrews books Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (buy at Bookshop) Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James (buy at Bookshop) America's Next Top Model (TV) Eurovision Song Contest Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones Pacific Rim (film) Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard Agatha Christie books Jane Austen books
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Spell Booked by Joyce and James Lavene (buy at Bookshop)
- Retired Witches Mystery series by Joyce and James Lavene
- Halle: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (buy at Bookshop)
- Pop Culture Happy Hour (podcast)
- Man of Steel (film)
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Halloween is here! Halloween is here! Get into the spirit with us as we explore some deliciously creepy books. As always, we’ll finish with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (buy from Bookshop)
Ann’s picks:
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (buy from Bookshop) – Episode 66 – Spring/Summer 2020 Preview – Wilkie Collins books – Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (buy from Bookshop)
- Come Closer by Sara Gran (buy from Bookshop) – A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (buy from Bookshop)
- The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco (buy from Bookshop) – The Ring (film) – Ring by Kōji Suzuki (buy from Bookshop) – The Grudge (film) – There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey (buy from Bookshop) – Room by Emma Donoghue (buy from Bookshop)
- The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (buy from Bookshop) – Rosemary’s Baby (film) – Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (buy from Bookshop) – Sleepaway Camp (film)
- The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (buy from Bookshop) – The Broken Girls by Simone St. James (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (buy from Bookshop) –The Cemetery of Lost Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (film) – The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (buy from Bookshop) – Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (buy from Bookshop)
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With so many of our travel plans canceled this year (RIP Ukraine trip), many of us are heading outside for our vacations. We're talking about books that get us back to nature and we'll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Wine Country (movie) Walden by Henry David Thoreau (buy from Bookshop)
Ann’s picks:
- Force of Nature by Jane Harper (buy from Bookshop)
- Aaron Falk series by Jane Harper
- Jane Harper books
- Minnow by James E. McTeer II (buy from Bookshop)
- Pat Conroy books
- Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck (buy from Bookshop)
- Svartåsen series by Cecilia Ekbäck
Halle’s picks:
- One by One by Ruth Ware (buy from Bookshop)
- Episode 78 - Fall/Winter 2020 Book Preview
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (buy from Bookshop)
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (buy from Bookshop)
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (buy from Bookshop)
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (buy from Bookshop)
- Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed (buy from Bookshop)
- Mary Oliver books
- Wild (movie)
- Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (buy from Bookshop)
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland (buy from Bookshop)
- Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (buy from Bookshop)
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (buy from Bookshop)
- The Good Lord Bird by James McBride (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: Aria by Nazanine Hozar (buy from Bookshop)
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If we can't go back to school in September, we can at least live it through campus novels! We share some of our favorites and what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (buy from Bookshop)
- Leigh Bardugo books
- A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (buy from Bookshop)
- Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher (buy from Bookshop)
- The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher (buy from Bookshop)
- C.S. Lewis books
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (buy from Bookshop)
- Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (buy from Bookshop)
- Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell (buy from Bookshop)
- Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (buy from Bookshop)
- Landline by Rainbow Rowell (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas (buy from Bookshop)
- Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (buy from Bookshop)
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
- Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz (buy from Bookshop)
- Admission (film)
- Admission by Julie Buxbaum (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Things in Jars by Jess Kidd (buy from Bookshop)
- Charles Dickens books
- The Deep by Rivers Solomon (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (buy from Bookshop)
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We love bringing you previews of books we’re so excited about! Listen in for the books we’re looking forward to this fall and winter.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Jennifer Weiner books Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (buy from Bookshop) The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles (buy from Bookshop) Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (buy from Bookshop)
Ann’s picks:
- Eat a Peach by David Chang (releases September 8) (buy from Bookshop) – Momofuku Noodle Bar – David Chang filmography
- The Searcher by Tana French (releases October 6) (buy from Bookshop) – The Witch Elm by Tana French (buy from Bookshop) – Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
- Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (releases October 6) (buy from Bookshop) – Rumaan Alam books
- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (releases October 13) (buy from Bookshop)
- Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (releases October 20) (buy from Bookshop)
- White Ivy by Susie Yang (releases November 3) (buy from Bookshop)
- The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard (releases January 19) (buy from Bookshop) – The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard (buy from Bookshop) – Upstairs Downstairs (TV) – Parasite (film) – @notyourmommashistory on Instagram
- In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce (releases January 19) (buy from Bookshop) – My Favorite Murder (podcast)
Halle’s picks:
- When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole (releases September 1) (buy from Bookshop) – Get Out (film) – Alyssa Cole books – “Alyssa Cole’s New Thriller Looks at Gentrification in Brooklyn” (Buzzfeed article)
- His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie (releases September 1) (buy from Bookshop) – Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
- One by One by Ruth Ware (releases September 8) (buy from Bookshop) – The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (buy from Bookshop)
- Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar (releases September 15) (buy from Bookshop)
- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (releases September 15) (buy from Bookshop) – Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (buy from Bookshop) – The Deep by Rivers Solomon (buy from Bookshop) – The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke
- The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (releases September 22) (buy from Bookshop) – The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi (buy from Bookshop) – Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (buy from Bookshop)
- Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade (releases October 6) (buy from Bookshop) – Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (buy from Bookshop)
- The Cold Millions by Jess Walter (releases October 27) (buy from Bookshop) – Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria (buy from Bookshop) – Jane the Virgin (TV) – Ugly Betty (TV)
- Halle: Atomic Love by Jennie Fields (buy from Bookshop) – A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette (buy from Bookshop) – Book of the Month Club – Kate Atkinson books
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This week….welcome to Well-FED! Haha! Based on a listener suggestion, we’re discussing and cooking from some cookbooks we enjoy, along with our special guest, Halle’s boyfriend Jeremy! Plus what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 74 – Our Favorite Bookish Places
Ann’s picks:
- Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (buy from Bookshop) – Jerusalem by Yottom Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (buy from Bookshop) – Zahav (restaurant)
- Chinese Soul Food: A Friendly Guide for Homemade Dumplings, Stir-Fries, Soups, and More by Hsiao-Ching Chou (buy from Bookshop) – @madhungry on Instagram – Martha Stewart Living – The Food of Sichuan by Fuchsia Dunlop (buy from Bookshop)
- Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts by Stella Parks (buy from Bookshop) – Bravetart (blog) – Serious Eats – The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt (buy from Bookshop) – @bravetart on Instagram
Halle and Jeremy’s picks:
- Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes From My African American Kitchen by Alexander Smalls (buy from Bookshop) – Minton’s Playhouse (restaurant)
- My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes by Hooni Kim (buy from Bookshop) – Daniel (restaurant) – Masa (restaurant) – Danji (restaurant) – Hanjan (restaurant)
- A Blissful Feast: Culinary Adventures in Italy’s Piedmont, Maremma, and Le Marche by Teresa Lust (buy from Bookshop) – The Great British Bakeoff (TV) – Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Evelina by Frances Burney (buy from Bookshop) – Jane Austen books
- Halle: The Comeback by Ella Berman (buy from Bookshop) – Jennifer Lawrence filmography – Darren Aronofsky filmography
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We love assigning each other books, so this week we picked books from each other’s massive TBRs (that’s “to be read”) so we could finally check them off our lists. Opinions ensue. We’ll end with what we’re reading this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (buy from Bookshop) Episode 29 – Tackling Our TBRs ALA RUSA CODES Reading List
Ann’s picks:
- A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (buy from Bookshop) – V.E. Schwab books – Victoria Schwab books – Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (releases October 6) (buy from Bookshop)
- The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (buy from Bookshop) – Maise Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear – Perveen Mistry series by Sujata Massey
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (buy from Bookshop) – Kate Atkinson books – A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson (buy from Bookshop)
Halle’s picks:
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (buy from Bookshop) – Episode 8 – Back to School – The Witch Elm by Tana French (buy from Bookshop)
- These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (buy from Bookshop) – Jane Austen books – The Idea of You by Robinne Lee (buy from Bookshop)
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (buy from Bookshop) – The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin – The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (buy from Bookshop) – The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (buy from Bookshop) – The Inheritence trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe (releases September 29) (buy from Bookshop) – The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (buy from Bookshop) – Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (buy from Bookshop) – Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: Jackie and Maria by Gill Paul (buy from Bookshop)
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When your eyes need a break from all that reading, why not go to a bookish place? We’re discussing some of our personal favorites this week, and we’ll end with what we’re reading.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The New York Public Library (New York, NY) The Morgan Library & Museum (New York, NY) Jane Austen books Charles Dickens books Hamilton (musical) Beautiful (musical) Strand Book Store (New York, NY) Tana French books The British Library (London, UK) Angela Carter books The Beatles The Royal Library (Copenhagen, Denmark) Chicago Public Library (Chicago, IL) Nashville Public Library (Nashville, TN) Free Library of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) Beaufort County Library (Beaufort, SC) Tempe Public Library (Tempe, AZ) Tempe History Museum (Tempe, AZ) Parnassus Books (Nashville, TN) Ann Patchett books The Bookshop (Nashville, TN) Road Sides: An Illustrated Companion to Dining and Driving in the American South by Emily Wallace (buy from Bookshop) Golden Fig Books (Durham, NC) The Bookshelf (Thomasville, GA) From the Front Porch (podcast) bookshop.org NeverMore Books (Beaufort, SC) Patricia Highsmith books Ripley series by Patricia Highsmith Edgar Allan Poe books Big Woods Cabin (Pepin, WI) Jane Austen Centre (Bath, UK) Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum (Key West, FL) Ernest Hemingway books Karen Blixen Museum (Rungsted Kyst, Denmark) Tiger Hill (Suzhou, China) Wake County Public Library (NC) Book Sale
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Love in Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson (buy from Bookshop) – Beverly Jenkins books
- Halle: The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez (buy from Bookshop)
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If you’re anything like the rest of the quarantined, you’ve been doing a lot of binge-watching over the past few months. We have book suggestions for when you max out on your favorite show but still want more. And, of course, we’ll end by what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Alias (TV) The Office (TV) CHiPS (TV) Diff’rent Strokes (TV) The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (TV)
Ann’s picks:
- Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan (buy from Bookshop) – Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (buy from Bookshop) – Crazy Rich Asians (film)
- Gossip Girl (TV) – Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar – A Room with a View by E.M. Forster (buy from Bookshop)
- Fleabag (TV)
- Search Party (TV) – Alia Shawkat filmography – Arrested Development (TV) – John Early filmography
- Grown Ups by Emma Jane Unsworth (buy from Bookshop)
- The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain (buy from Bookshop)
- The Great British Bake Off (TV) – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (buy from Bookshop) – Jenny Colgan books
Halle’s picks:
- Succession (TV)
- The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (buy from Bookshop)
- Schitt’s Creek (TV)
- Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper (buy from Bookshop) – Gilmore Girls (TV) – Hart of Dixie (TV)
- Normal People (TV) – Normal People by Sally Rooney (buy from Bookshop)
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (buy from Bookshop) – Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (buy from Bookshop) – Like Crazy (film) – Felicity Jones filmography
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette (buy from Bookshop) – Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (buy from Bookshop) – Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams – A Game of Cones by Abby Collette (releases March 21, 2021)
- Halle: This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagán (buy from Bookshop) – Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (buy from Bookshop) – The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (buy from Bookshop)
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We're not experts on advising which books will make you antiracist (please seek those experts out!), but we can use our platform to promote the works of black authors that we've enjoyed. We're committed to reading and talking about more books by diverse authors, and we hope you'll do the same. As always, we end with what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (buy from Bookshop) How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones (buy from Bookshop)
Ann’s picks:
- The Sellout by Paul Beatty (buy from Bookshop)
- Booker Prize
- The Little Rascals (film series)
- Song of the South (film)
- Passing by Nella Larsen (buy from Bookshop)
- Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett (buy from Bookshop)
- The Bling Ring (film)
- Janet Evanovich books
- Raymond Chandler books
- Detective by Day series by Kellye Garrett
Halle’s picks:
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (buy from Bookshop)
- Southern Festival of Books
- Celeste Ng books
- Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (buy from Bookshop)
- Tayari Jones books
- Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (buy from Bookshop)
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (buy from Bookshop)
- Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (releases September 8) (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away by Ketch Secor and Higgins Bond (buy from Bookshop)
- Old Crow Medicine Show
- Halle: The Deep by Rivers Solomon (buy from Bookshop)
- This American Life (podcast)
- Drexciya (techno group)
- "The Deep" (song by clipping.)
- An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (buy from Bookshop)
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With summer just around the corner, it’s time to revisit one of our favorite topics: the perfect book for a long, lazy day by the water. Check out our beach read picks, and find out what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 1 – Beach Reads The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (buy from Bookshop)
Ann’s picks:
- The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank (buy from Bookshop) – Dorothea Benton Frank books
- Six Years by Harlan Coben (buy from Bookshop) – Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben
- Final Sentence by Daryl Woods Gerber (buy from Bookshop) – Daryl Wood Gerber books – Cheese Shop Mystery series by Avery Aames (pseudonym for Daryl Wood Gerber)
Halle’s picks:
- Beach Read by Emily Henry (buy from Bookshop)
- All Adults Here by Emma Straub (buy from Bookshop)
- Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (buy from Bookshop) – The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup (buy from Bookshop) – Agatha Christie books – Alfred Hitchcock filmography – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (buy from Bookshop) – The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi (releases August 8) (buy from Bookshop) – Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan (releases June 30) (buy from Bookshop) – Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (buy from Bookshop) – Jane Austen books – To All the Boys series by Jenny Han – War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (buy from Bookshop) – To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (film) – To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (film)
- Halle: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (releases June 2) (buy from Bookshop) – Episode 66: Spring/Summer 2020 Preview – The Mothers by Brit Bennett (buy from Bookshop) – Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (buy from Bookshop) – Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (buy from Bookshop)
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Frequent listeners of the podcast will know that we’re both big audiobook listeners, and we’re sharing some of our favorite narrators and the books that represent their work. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Audie Awards The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, narrated by Emma Thompson Authorized: Love and Romance (podcast) Reese Witherspoon filmography Jim Dale audiobooks Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Ann’s pick:
- Rosalyn Landor – The Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm)
- Juliet Stevenson – Juliet Stevenson filmography – Emma (film) – The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm) – Belgravia by Julian Fellowes (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm) – Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
- Katherine Kellgren – My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm)
Halle’s pick:
- January LaVoy – The Diviners by Libba Bray (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm) – The Diviners series by Libba Bray
- Bahni Turpin – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm)
- Rebecca Lowman – Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm) – Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm) – The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black – Caitlin Kelly audiobooks
- Halle: The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm) – Animal Farm by George Orwell (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm) – Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (buy from Bookshop; buy from Libro.fm)
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By listener request, we’re doing a deep dive of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and the new film adaptation! And of course, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Little Women (2019 film) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (buy from Bookshop) Little Women (1994 film) Little Women (1933 film) Little Women (1949 film) Little Women (1978 TV) Little Women (2017 TV) Little Women (2018 film) Florence Pugh filmography Laura Dern filmography Big Little Lies (TV) Susan Sarandon filmography Christian Bale filmography “Laurie Isn’t a Good Guy; He’s a Nice Guy (TM)” (Book Riot article) Gabriel Byrne filmography
Ann’s pick:
- Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Anne Boyd Rioux (buy from Bookshop) – Ralph Waldo Emerson books – Henry David Thoreau books – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (buy from Bookshop) – J.K. Rowling books
Halle’s pick:
- The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees (buy from Bookshop)
- March by Geraldine Brooks (buy from Bookshop)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald (buy from Bookshop)
- Halle: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin (buy from Bookshop) – Emily Giffin books – Emily Giffin’s Instagram – Liane Moriarty books – Jodi Picoult books
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One of our favorite episode series is back! We’re stretching ourselves by reading books out of our comfort zones, for better or for worse. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness (TV)
Ann’s picks:
- Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews – Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews – Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
- Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente – Eurovision Song Contest – “Waterloo” by ABBA (song)
- The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare – The Governess Game by Tessa Dare – Beauty and the Beast – Castles Ever After series by Tessa Dare – Beauty and the Beast (film) – Episode 18: Out of Our Comfort Zones – Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
Halle’s picks:
- The God Game by Danny Tobey
- Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Episode 66: Spring/Summer 2020 Preview
- The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix – We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson
- Halle: Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little
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With the world in its current state, who doesn't need a comfort read? We're discussing what we look for when we turn to books in difficult times, and we'll end with what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
- Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie
- Foyle's War (TV)
- Midsomer Murders (TV)
- Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
- The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
- The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
- Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid
- Jane Austen books
- Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
- Val McDermid books
- My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl
- Gourmet Magazine
Halle’s picks:
- The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
- Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane
- ALA RUSA CODES Reading List
- Emily Post books
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles (releases June 2)
- The American Library in Paris
- Halle: The Return by Rachel Harrison
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We’re so excited to talk about the books we’re looking forward to this spring and summer (there are soooooooooo many!) And we’ll finish with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Public Library Association (PLA) Conference 2020 We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry Episode 58 – Witches The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan Episode 63 – Royal Reads
Ann’s picks:
- My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
- In Five Years by Rebecca Serle – Rebecca Serle books – Taylor Jenkins Reid books – The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
- Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel – The Act (TV)
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo – The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo – Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature – With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld – Curtis Sittenfeld books
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia
- One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London – The Bachelor (TV)
- The All-Night Sun by Diane Zinna – Midsommar (film)
Halle’s picks:
- The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel – Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
- If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane – Mhairi McFarlane books – The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
- To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters – The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – The Mothers by Brit Bennett
- The Marriage Game by Sara Desai
- I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman – The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
- Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan – Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi – Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Meet Cute by various authors – My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins – Sara Shepard books – Nicola Yoon books – Julie Murphy books – We Are Okay by Nina LaCour – Episode 60 – Books for December
- Halle: The Holdout by Graham Moore – Serial (podcast) – O.J.: Made in America (TV)
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In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re talking about books that grapple with love in all its sweet, messy, delicate, difficult, and wonderful forms. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- Less by Andrew Sean Greer – Pulitzer Prize
- The Only Story by Julian Barnes – Episode 61 – Favorite Reads of 2019 – The Graduate (film)
- The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli – Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – J.R.R. Tolkein books – Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Halle’s picks:
- Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf – Our Souls at Night (film)
- Normal People by Sally Rooney – Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney – Normal People (TV) – Rooney Mara filmography – Joaquin Phoenix filmography – Rachel Bilson filmography – Bill Hader filmography
- The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan – 500 Days of Summer (film)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan – How to Find Love in a Book Shop by Veronica Henry – Jenny Colgan books – The Tattered Cover – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
- Halle: Good Talk by Mira Jacob – Mira Jacob books
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As part of our Book Tourism series, we’re headed to France! Find out which books we turn to when we want to feel très chic. And of course, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 52 – Book Tourism: Southeast Asia ALA Midwinter Conference ALA RUSA CODES Reading List The Passengers by John Marrs
Ann’s picks:
- Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod – Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – Daniel Craig filmography – Janice MacLeod’s Etsy shop
- Nana by Émile Zola – Moulin Rouge! (film) – Les Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola – The Ladies’ Paradise by Émile Zola – The Paradise (TV) – Germinal by Émile Zola – La Bête Humaine by Émile Zola
- The Provocative Colette by Annie Goetzinger – Colette (film) – Colette books – Claudine series by Colette – Gigi by Colette – Gigi (film)
Halle’s picks:
- The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury – Amélie (film)
- The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer – Love and Ruin by Paula McLain – The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
- Amour et Chocolat series by Laura Florand – The Chocolate Thief by Laura Florand
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (releases March 3) – The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen – An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
- Halle: Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman – Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman – Reese’s Book Club
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With so much royal drama in the news right now, we can't help but share our picks for some royal reads. As always, we'll end with what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Royal We by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks The Crown (TV) Go Fug Yourself (blog) The Heir Affair by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks (releases June 16, 2020) Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinton Lauren Graham filmography Mae Whitman filmography
Ann’s picks:
- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
- One Thousand and One Nights
- The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh
- The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
- Agatha Christie books
- Dorothy L. Sayers books
- Inspector Alan Grant series by Josephine Tey
- The Wench is Dead by Colin Dexter
- Richard III by William Shakespeare
- Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird
- Charles Dickens books
- Victoria (TV)
- The Favourite (film)
- Rufus Sewell filmography
Halle’s picks:
- A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
- Reluctant Royals series by Alyssa Cole
- Coming to America (film)
- A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
- Royally Screwed by Emma Chase
- Royally series by Emma Chase
- Royals by Rachel Hawkins
- A Royal Night Out (film)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Kept Animals by Kate Milliken (releases April 21, 2020)
- Halle: The Passengers by John Marrs
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
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Happy New Year! Ann and Halle look back at their 2019 reading and make some plans for 2020. They end with what they’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Goodreads ALA RUSA CODES Reading List POPSUGAR 2020 Reading Challenge Book Riot’s 2020 Read Harder Challenge Litsy Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge What Should I Read Next? (podcast) 2020 Reading Women Challenge Helen Oyeyemi books
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Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon 24in48 Readathon Book Riot 2020 Reading Log War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Jane Austen books Catharine and Other Writings by Jane Austen Lady Susan by Jane Austen Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Tana French books Isak Dinesen books Libby Bray books The Diviners series by Libba Bray
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Monk by Matthew Lewis – Episode 61: Reads of 2019 – Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
- Halle: Best Laid Plans by Lauren Blakely – Michael Connelly books
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We’re getting into the spirit of the season and talking about books to read in December. Afterward, we discuss what we’re reading this week. Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Hallmark Countdown to Christmas
Ann’s picks:
- Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews – Weezie and Bebe series by Mary Kay Andrews – Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews – Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews – Schitt’s Creek (TV) – Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews
- We Are Okay by Nina LaCour – Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
- The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand – My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Halle’s picks:
- Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory – Episode 55: Fall 2019 Book Preview – The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
- One Day in December by Josie Silver
- Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak – The Family Stone (film)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor – It’s a Wonderful Life (film) – Richard Armitage filmography – North and South (TV)
- Halle: The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher – ALA RUSA CODES Reading List
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Sorry, everyone, but we were unable to record an episode this week. We will be back in two weeks with books about Christmas!
Ann and Halle once again tackle one of their very favorite bookish topics: books that have been adapted for the screen.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Big Little Lies (TV) "Books Boost Movie and Television Adaptation Success" (blog article) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (film) Box Office Mojo "Publishing's Contribution to the Wider Creative Industries" (report by the Publishers Association) Dublin Murders (TV) In the Woods by Tana French The Likeness by Tana French Outlander (TV) Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon Brooklyn (film) Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín Saoirse Ronan filmography The Worst Witch (film) The Worst Witch (TV) Game of Thrones (TV)
Ann’s picks:
- Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Hello Sunshine: Reese's Book Club
- Reese Witherspoon filmography
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Saturday Night Live (TV)
- Daisy Jones & the Six (TV)
- Fleetwood Mac
- "Silver Springs" by Fleetwood Mac
- A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell
- A Simple Favor (film)
- Anna Kendrick filmography
- Blake Lively filmography
- Henry Golding filmography
- Persuasion by Jane Austen
- Persuasion (film)
- Pride & Prejudice (TV)
- Amanda Root filmography
- Ciarán Hinds filmography
- Persuasion (TV)
Halle’s picks:
- The Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn
- Bridgerton (TV)
- Julia Quinn's Instagram
- Shonda Rhimes filmography
- Grey's Anatomy (TV)
- Scandal (TV)
- Julie Andrews filmography
- The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
- Rokesbys series by Julia Quinn
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- Hello Sunshine
- Draper James
- Kerry Washington filmography
- Joshua Jackson filmography
- Dawson's Creek (TV)
- The Affair (TV)
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
- Red, White & Royal Blue (TV)
- Greg Berlanti filmography
- Everwood (TV)
- Brothers & Sisters (TV)
- You (TV)
- The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
- Meghan Markle interview with ITV
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
- Halle: City of Flickering Light by Juliette Fay
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In this very special Halloween episode, Ann and Halle discuss why witches are having a moment and suggest some spellbinding books for the season. They end with what they’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV) Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Ann’s picks:
- How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
- We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry – Emilio Estevez movies – Heathers (film) – The Craft (film) – The Breakfast Club (film) – Stranger Things (TV) – The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy – The Worst Witch (film) – Tim Curry movies
- I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé – Maryse Condé books
Halle’s picks:
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness – All Souls Trilogy series by Deborah Harkness – All Souls Universe series by Deborah Harkness – A Discovery of Witches (TV) – Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon – ALA Annual Conference
- The Magicians by Lev Grossman – Magicians series by Lev Grossman – The Magicians (TV) – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis – The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman – Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman – Practical Magic (film) – Sandra Bullock movies – Nicole Kidman movies – Alice Hoffman books – Audie Awards – Audio Publishers Association (APA)
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Ruth Chew books – The Wednesday Witch by Ruth Chew – What the Witch Left by Ruth Chew
- Halle: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
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Fall is peak publishing season for memoirs, and we've got you covered. Whether you like stories about celebrity life, everyday survival, food, or criminal justice, memoirs offer something for every taste. As always, we end with what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Still Life by Louise Penny Educated by Tara Westover Episode 55 - Fall 2019 Book Preview Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell Inside Out by Demi Moore Me by Elton John
Ann’s picks:
- Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
- The Office (TV)
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (TV)
- Matt Damon movies
- Ben Affleck movies
- The Mindy Project (TV)
- Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
- Yes Please by Amy Poehler
- Reese Witherspoon movies
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
- Public Library Association (PLA)
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Just Mercy (film)
- Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
- Los Angeles Times
- Gourmet Magazine
- Ruth Reichl books
- New York Times
- Gossip Girl (TV)
- Parnassus Books
- Ann Patchett books
Halle’s picks:
- Heating and Cooling: 52 Micro Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly
- Beth Ann Fennelly books
- Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
- The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (TV)
- Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
- Jeff Zentner books
- Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
- Halle: The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis
- Halle's Instagram
- Brontë Sisters Mystery series by Bella Ellis
- Charlotte Brontë books
- Emily Brontë books
- Anne Brontë books
- Rowan Cowen books
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As the weather turns crisp and the leaves begin to change color, these are the books that put us in the right frame of mind for fall. As always, we end with what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Ann's picks:
- Still Life by Louise Penny
- Three Pines series by Louise Penny
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Witch Elm by Tana French
- A Wicked Way to Burn by Margaret Miles
- Bracebridge Mystery series by Margaret Miles
Halle's picks:
- The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
- ALA RUSA CODES Reading List
- Simone St. James books - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
- The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
- Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
- Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Episode 55 - Fall 2019 Book Preview
- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
- Episode 28 - Our All-Time Favorites
What We're Reading This Week:
- Ann: Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
- Rosemary's Baby (film)
- Halle: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Fall is the biggest season for publishing, and there are so many great books to choose from this year! Ann and Halle discuss what they're excited to read as the weather cools down, and they end with what they're reading this week.
(Apologies for Ann's audio quality - sometimes things don't go right and you don't find out until you're editing!)
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ingram Content Group The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Ann's picks:
- The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea (releases September 3)
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
- The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (releases September 24)
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- Violet by Scott Thomas (releases September 24)
- The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (releases October 1)
- A Novel from Hell's Library series by A.J. Hackwith
- How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones (releases October 8)
- Saeed Jones books
- Roxane Gay books
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (releases October 8)
- Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
- Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
- Nikolai duology by Leigh Bardugo
- White Elephant by Trish Harnetiaux (releases October 29)
- Clue (film)
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
- The Witches are Coming by Lindy West (releases November 5)
- Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
- Shrill (TV)
Halle's picks:
- The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott (releases September 3)
- Hello Sunshine - Reese's book club
- Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
- Boris Pasternak books
- John le Carré books
- Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory (releases October 1)
- The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
- The Wedding Date series by Jasmine Guillory
- The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
- The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (releases October 1)
- Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
- Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia (releases October 8)
- The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (releases October 29)
- The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
- The Family Fang (film)
- Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz (releases October 29)
- Educated by Tara Westover
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (releases November 5)
- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (releases November 5)
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
What We're Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan
- "Fade into You" (song by Mazzy Star)
- Halle: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (releases September 24)
- Ann Patchett books
- Parnassus Books
Hi! Remember when we used to be podcast friends? We sure do! Ann and Halle are back with an update over what’s been happening for the past two (!) years, and some of their favorite reads during that time. And of course, they’ll end with what they’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
NoveList (check your local library) Parnassus Books Ann Patchett books Favorite Books of 2017 Favorite Books of 2018 ALA RUSA CODES Reading List
Ann’s picks:
- The Witch Elm by Tana French – Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
- Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein – Top Chef (TV)
Halle’s picks:
- The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne – A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving – John Irving books
- City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – Episode 17: 2016 Reading Resolutions – Episode 43: 2017 Reading Resolutions – War and Peace (TV) – Andrew Davies films – Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – War and Peace (film)
- Halle: Fumbled by Alexa Martin – Playbook series by Alexa Martin – Intercepted by Alexa Martin
Halle’s Instagram: @halle770 Halle’s goodreads Ann’s Instagram: @ferskner Ann’s Litsy: @ferskner Ann’s goodreads
Who doesn't love a book about books? (Possibly Ann.) Listen to our picks for the ultimate reading angle for book-lovers. We'll end with what we're reading this week and some news.
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry (releases August 15)
Ann's picks:
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- Books by Isak Dinesen
- The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
- Voynich Manuscript
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books (and Two Not-So-Great Ones) Saved My Life by Andy Miller
- Andy Miller's blog
- Moby Dick, or, The Whale by Herman Melville
- The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Halle's picks:
- My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul
- The New York Review of Books
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
- Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
- The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
What We're Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
- Episode 51 - Summer Reads
- Halle: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
- The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Episode 28 - Our All-Time Favorites
We’re starting a new series where we’ll play tourist through books! Our first stop is Southeast Asia. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill – Dr. Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill – No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith – The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
- The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee
- The Girl from the Coast by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, tr. Willem Samuels
Halle’s picks:
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai – Newbery Medal
- In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner – Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Lauren Hillenbrand
- The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls’ Escape from Slavery to Union Hero by Cate Lineberry (releases June 20) – Materials about Robert Smalls at Beaufort County Library – Be Free or Die events at Beaufort County Library
- Halle: Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
The temperature is rising and we’ve got books to get you in that summertime radness! As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 1 – Beach Reads
Ann’s picks:
- Austenland by Shannon Hale – Austenland (film) – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – Pride & Prejudice (TV) – Jane Austen books – Regency House Party (TV) – Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
- The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer – The Tourist series by Olen Steinhauer – The Yalta Boulevard Sequence series by Olen Steinhauer
- The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews – Mary Kay Andrews books – Dorothea Benton Frank books
Halle’s picks:
- On Folly Beach by Karen White – Karen White books – The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White
- Before the Fall by Noah Hawley – Fargo (TV) – Legion (TV)
- Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson – Morgan Matson books
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – Episode 4 – Winter 2016-17 Book Previews
- We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. by Samantha Irby – Bitches Gotta Eat (blog) – Jenny Lawson books
We’ve reached our 50 episode milestone! We’ll share some behind the scenes info about the podcast, and give you a preview of what you’ll be reading this summer. The episode finishes with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Ann’s picks:
- Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (releases June 6) – Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie – Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie – Anthony Horowitz books – Foyle’s War (TV) – Midsomer Murders (TV)
- You’ll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron (releases June 6)
- People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder (releases June 6)
- The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden (releases June 13)
- The Witches of New York by Ami McKay (releases July 11)
- Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (releases July 11) – Lucky Peach (magazine)
- The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker (releases August 1) – Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
- See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt (releases August 1)
Halle’s picks:
- The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (releases June 6) – The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (releases June 13)
- Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay (releases June 13) – Roxane Gay books – Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxane Gay
- The Windfall by Diksha Bazu (releases June 27) – The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang
- Morningstar: Growing Up with Books by Ann Hood (releases August 1) – The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood
- How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry (releases August 15) – Book Depository – Jenny Colgan books
- Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (releases August 22) – The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – Choose Your Own Adventure series
- The Burning Girl by Claire Messud (releases August 29) – The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: A Castle in England by Jamie Rhodes (releases August 15) – March series by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell – Audubon: On the Wings of the World by Fabien Grolleau and Jérémie Royer
- Halle: The Breakdown by B.A. Paris (releases July 18) – Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
We’re diving into epistolary novels, one of our favorite book formats (and, it turns out, are more than just a book of letters!). As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Goodreads
Ann’s picks:
- Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn
- Sorcery & Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer – Patricia C. Wrede books – Caroline Stevermer books – Jane Austen books – Cecelia and Kate series by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer – Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock – Griffin & Sabine series by Nick Bantock – Morning Star series by Nick Bantock – The Pharos Gate: Griffin & Sabine’s Lost Correspondence by Nick Bantock – Nick Bantock books
Halle’s picks:
- Attachments by Rainbow Rowell – Rainbow Rowell books
- We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver – We Need to Talk About Kevin (film)
- Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel – Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel – Arrival (film) – 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Quick by Lauren Owen – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Halle: The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
This week, we'll visit stories that touch on the experience of war, whether on the front lines or at home. As always, we'll end with what we're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
Ann's picks:
- Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
- Cold Mountain (film)
- The Odyssey by Homer
- National Book Award
- Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
- Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
- Jacqueline Winspear books
- The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro
Halle's picks:
- Fives and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre
- Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
- Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (film)
- Redeployment by Phil Klay
- Serial: Season 2 (podcast)
- The Hurt Locker (film)
- Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- North and South trilogy by John Jakes
- North and South by John Jakes
- Love and War by John Jakes
- Heaven and Hell by John Jakes
- North and South (TV)
- The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
What We're Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
- LaRose by Louise Erdrich
- The Round House by Louise Erdrich
- Halle: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
While we 100% believe that everyone should read whatever they want, experience has shown us that lots of guys gravitate toward certain kinds of reads. Listen for our ideas for books for men, and we’ll close with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The New York Times Best Sellers Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Ann’s picks:
- The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke – Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke – James Lee Burke books
- The Good Lord Bird by James McBride – National Book Award – James McBride books
- Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen – Pirates of the Caribbean series (film) – Carl Hiaasen articles at the Miami Herald – Jimmy Buffet albums and books – The Big Lebowski (film) – Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen – Episode 32 – Fall 2016 Book Preview
Halle’s picks:
- Doc by Mary Doria Russell – Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell – Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt – Tombstone (film)
- The Quiet Game by Greg Iles – John Grisham books
- The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey – Inspector Alan Grant series by Josephine Tey – Josephine Tey books – Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel – Richard III by William Shakespeare
- Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah – Bossypants by Tina Fey – Yes Please by Amy Poehler – The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer
This week, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the vast and wonderful mystery genre! As always, we'll close with what we're reading.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
History of the genre: "The Murders at the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle Agatha Christie books Dorothy L. Sayers books Dashiell Hammett books Raymond Chandler books Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon James Patterson books
Cozies: Masterpiece Mystery! (TV) Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers Ngaio Marsh books Josephine Tey books Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery series by Diane Mott Davidson Laura Childs books A Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown The Cat Who... series by Lillian Jackson Braun Goodreads
Police Procedurals: Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell Leaphorn & Chee series by Tony Hillerman Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak series by Ausma Zehanat Khan Among the Ruins by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Hardboiled: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett Philip Marlowe series by Raymond Chandler Easy Rawlins series by Walter Mosley Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly V.I. Warsawski series by Sara Paretsky The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Softboiled: Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton
Literary: Tana French books The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton Episode 16 - Favorite Reads of 2015 My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk Orhan Pamuk books Ripper by Isabel Allende
Suspense and Thriller: Clive Cussler books Alex Cross series by James Patterson Michael Connelly books Harlan Coben books Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben Mary Higgins Clark books Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty Big Little Lies (TV)
Crossover Genres: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen The Agency series by Y.S. Lee Gaslight Mystery series by Victoria Thompson Anne Perry books An Aunt Dimity Mystery series by Nancy Atherton Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher Fever series by Karen Marie Moning The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis Dirk Gently series by Douglas Adams Peter Grant/Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch Nora Roberts books J.D. Robb books Julie Garwood books Linda Howard books
Resources: Stop, You're Killing Me! Cozy Mystery List
What We're Reading This Week:
- Ann: Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan
- Rachael Ray books
- America's Test Kitchen books
- America's Test Kitchen (TV)
- Alton Brown books
- Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
- Nigella Lawson books
- Dorie Greenspan books
- Dorie Greenspan on NPR
- Dorie Greenspan in the Washington Post
- Ina Garten books
- Halle: The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henríquez
- Episode 44 - Spring 2017 Book Preview
We’ve revisited one of our favorite past episodes with some new “out of our comfort zone” titles. As always, we’ll close with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 18 – Out of Our Comfort Zones Sarah MacLean books Eloisa James books Love By Numbers series by Sarah MacLean
Ann’s picks:
- The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh – Dorothea Benton Frank books – Debbie Macomber books – We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
- Wool by Hugh Howey – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Divergent by Veronica Roth – Silo series by Hugh Howey
- Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie – Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – Jennifer Crusie books
Halle’s picks:
- Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel – Dava Sobel books – The Illustrated Longitude by Dava Sobel – The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
- The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis – Nina Borg series by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis – Hoopla (available via Beaufort County Library)
- View with a Grain of Sand: Selected Poems by Wislawa Szymborska – Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge group on Goodreads – Pablo Neruda books – Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur – The Rain in Portugal: Poems by Billy Collins
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson – Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – Episode 23 – Award Winners – National Book Award – Jacqueline Woodson books
- Halle: Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins – Beverly Jenkins books – Old West series by Beverly Jenkins – Book Riot’s Reading Lives episode with Beverly Jenkins
Despite some sound quality issues (sorry!), we’re back from our hiatus and ready to tell you what you’ll be reading this spring! As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
- White Tears by Hari Kunzru (releases March 14, 2017)
- The Gargoyle Hunters by John Freeman Gill (releases March 21, 2017)
- American War by Omar El Akkad (releases April 4, 2017)
- The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova (releases April 11, 2017) – The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova – Episode 8 – Back to School – The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
- If We Were Villains by M.L.Rio (releases April 11, 2017) – The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown (releases April 25, 2017)
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (releases May 9, 2017)
- York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby (releases May 16, 2017) – Bone Gap by Laura Ruby – York series by Laura Ruby – The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Halle’s picks:
- The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (releases March 7, 2017) – Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (releases March 7, 2017) – Lindy West books – Roxane Gay books – Jenny Lawson books
- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (releases March 7, 2017)
- The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (releases March 28, 2017) – The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah – Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay – The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
- The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn (releases May 2, 2017) – Jane Austen books – Lost in Austen (TV)
- Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan (releases May 9, 2017) – Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan – Commencements by J. Courtney Sullivan – The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
- Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner (releases May 16, 2017) – The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner – Episode 4 – Young Adult Books for Adults – George R.R. Martin books – A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin
- When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: I See You by Clare Mackintosh – Tana French books – I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
- Halle: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (releases April 11, 2017)
Due to some unexpected events, the Well-Read podcast is going to be taking a brief hiatus. We will be back soon with more book recommendations for you!
The year has flown by! It’s time to revisit our reading resolutions of 2016, and make some new plans for the coming year. And we’ll close with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 17 – 2016 Reading Resolutions Goodreads Reading Challenge Book Riot Read Harder Challenge The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak Pop Sugar Reading Challenge Sarah MacLean books Celeste Ng books Daniel José Older books Around the Year in 52 Books Modern Mrs. Darcy What Should I Read Next (podcast) Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge Litsy
LitsyAtoZ Challenge
Eurovision A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Neopolitan Novels series by Elena Ferrante “The Subtle Genius of Elena Ferrante’s Bad Book Covers” (The Atlantic article by Emily Harnett “Elena Ferrante: An Answer?” (The New York Review of Books article by Claudio Gatti) Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Rules of Civility by Amor Towles War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy War and Peace (TV) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French In the Woods by Tana French Three Pines (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache) series by Louise Penny Still Life by Louise Penny The Magicians series by Lev Grossman A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab “Damn, You’re Not Reading Any Books by White Men This Year? That’s So Freakin Brave and Cool” (Jezebel article by Jia Tolentino) Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Sex Object by Jessica Valenti – The Guardian – Jessica Valenti books – The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
- Halle: Leave Me by Gayle Forman – Gayle Forman books
It’s time for our year-end favorites list! Find out what books we enjoyed the most this year. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Episode 16 – Favorite Reads of 2015 Goodreads
Ann’s Favorites of 2016:
- In the Woods by Tana French – Episode 29 – Tackling Our TBRs – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
- People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper – Episode 31 – Books about the Lowcountry
- Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman
- Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk – Episode 37 – What to Read Next
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
- A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay – Episode 38 – Horror for the Brave and the Scaredy Cats
- The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton – Episode 41 – Holiday Book Buying Guide
- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins – Episode 23 – Award Winners
- A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn – Detective Emmanuel Cooper series by Malla Nunn
- Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean – Still Life by Louise Penny – Episode 18 – Out of Our Comfort Zones – Sarah MacLean books
Halle’s Favorites of 2016:
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – Episode 17 – Reading Resolutions for 2016
- Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan – Curtis Sittenfeld books
- Lab Girl by Hope Jahren – Episode 29 – Tackling Our TBRs
- One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Taylor Jenkins Reid books – Jojo Moyes books – Liane Moriarty books
- The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes
- Anything For You by Kristan Higgins – Blue Heron series by Kristan Higgins – On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins (releases January 31, 2017)
- March: Book One by John Lewis – March series by John Lewis
- The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
- In the Country by Mia Alvar – Episode 26 – Short Stories
- My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodie Ashton, and Jodi Meadows – The Princess Bride (film) – As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer – Rumpole of the Bailey (TV)
- Halle: The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner – John Green books
The holidays are here! Let Ann and Halle help you pick the perfect book for everyone in your life. We’ll end with what we’re reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Books for your mom: Ann: Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden by Emily Whaley Halle: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton – Kate Morton books
Books for your dad: Ann: I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away by Bill Bryson – Bill Bryson books Halle: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes – I Am Pilgrim (film in development)
Books for teens: Ann: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor – Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – The Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor Halle: March Books 1-3 by John Lewis – National Book Award – John Lewis acceptance speech for National Book Award
Books for kids: Ann: The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak Halle: El Deafo by Cece Bell – Episode 39 – Retellings
Books for non-readers (who you think should become readers): Ann: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes Halle: The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson – Episode 2 – What to Read After The Girl on the Train – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Books for a significant female in your life: Ann: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling – Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling – The Mindy Project (TV) – The Office (TV) Halle: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed – Episode 28 – Our All-Time Favorites – The Rumpus (website)
Books for a significant male in your life: Ann: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane – Shutter Island (film) Halle: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Books for your Harry Potter-obsessed friend: Ann: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling Halle: Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Books for your friend who loves books: Ann: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde Halle: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – Episode 30 – Books about Libraries and Librarians
Books for animal lovers: Ann: Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt – Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt – Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan Halle: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein – Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn – Does the Dog Die (website)
Books for outdoorsy people: Ann: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Halle: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Books for food lovers: Ann: A Tale of 12 Kitchens: Family Cooking in Four Countries by Jake Tilson Halle: A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg – Orangette (blog)
Books for sports fans: Ann: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander – Kwame Alexander books – Kwame Alexander reading from The Crossover – Newbery Medal Halle: Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger – Friday Night Lights (TV) – Friday Night Lights (film)
Books for gossip magazine fans: Ann: The Heiresses by Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (TV) Halle: A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean – Scandal & Scoundrel series by Sarah MacLean
Swiss Army Knife book (good for anyone): – Book Riot (website) Ann: The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown – Audie Awards – Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Lauren Hillenbrand Halle: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman – Fredrik Backman books
What We’re Reading This Week:
- Ann: Across the Universe by Beth Revis – Pop Sugar 2016 Reading Challenge – Across the Universe series by Beth Revis
- Halle: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner – In Death series by J.D. Robb – Titanic (film) – The Martian by Andy Weir – Lost (TV) – Starbound series by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Pull out a cozy blanket - it's time to find out what you'll be reading this winter! As always, Ann and Halle end with what they're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann's picks:
- Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman (releases December 6, 2016)
- The Dry by Jane Harper (releases January 10, 2017)
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (releases January 10, 2017)
- Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran (releases January 10, 2017)
- Hey Harry Hey Matilda by Rachel Hulin (releases January 17, 2017)
- Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (releases January 31, 2017)
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai (releases February 7, 2017)
- The Jetsons (TV)
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- Ernest Cline books
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (releases February 7, 2017)
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- Stardust (film)
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Halle's picks:
- Books for Living by Will Schwalbe (releases December 27, 2016)
- The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
- Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel (releases December 27, 2016)
- Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia (releases January 3, 2017)
- The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen (releases February 7, 2017)
- The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
- The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Episode 26 - Short Stories
- In the Country by Mia Alvar
- Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson (releases January 10, 2017)
- The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
- Episode 2 - What to Read After The Girl on the Train
- Rear Window (film)
- The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker (releases January 31, 2017)
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (releases February 28, 2017)
- The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky (releases February 14, 2017)
What We're Reading This Week:
- Ann: The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney (releases January 24, 2017)
- "The Gone Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on the Train" (FiveThirtyEight article by Emily St. John Mandel) - The Girl Before (film)
- Halle: Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
- Serial: Season 1 (podcast)
Ann and Halle discuss one of their favorite things to read: retellings of classic literature. They'll end with what they're reading this week.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Ann's picks:
- Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast by Robin McKinley
- Beauty and the Beast
- Jane by April Lindner
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- Jane Austen books - William Shakespeare's complete works
- Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
- Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
- March by Geraldine Brooks
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Ralph Waldo Emerson books
- Henry David Thoreau books
- Little Women (film)
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Geraldine Brooks books
Halle's picks:
- Longbourn by Jo Baker
- Downton Abbey (TV)
- When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
- Fairy Tales series by Eloisa James
- House M.D. (TV)
- A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
- King Lear by William Shakespeare
- National Book Critics Circle Award
- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
- The Arabian Nights
- Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler
- The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
- The Taming of the Shrew (film)
What We're Reading This Week:
- Ann: By Gaslight by Steven Price
- Episode 32 - Fall 2016 Book Preview
- By Gaslight on Goodreads
- Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- Halle: El Deafo by Cece Bell
- Episode 34 - Childhood Favorites
- Newbery Medal
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Episode 5 - Books That Make You Cry
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
A Nightmare on Elm Street series (film)
Ann’s picks:
-
The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle
-
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
-
Misery by Stephen King
-
RA for All: Horror - Becky on the Five Things to Know in Horror
-
Victor LaValle interview on NPR's Fresh Air
-
Victor LaValle books
- Wytches Vol. 1 written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Jock
-
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
-
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
-
The Exorcist (film)
-
Paranormal Activity series (film)
-We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
- Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
Halle’s picks:
-
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
-
Neil Gaiman books
-
Coraline (film)
-
The Fireman by Joe Hill
-
11/22/63 by Stephen King
-
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
-
This is Spinal Tap (film)
-
Star Trek: Voyager (TV)
-
Orange is the New Black (TV)
-
One Life to Live (TV)
- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
What We’re Reading This Week:
-
Ann: East by Edith Pattou
-
East of the Sun and West of the Moon on Sur la Lune Fairy Tales
-
Cupid and Psyche on Sur la Lune Fairy Tales
-
Beauty and the Beast on Sur la Lune Fairy Tales
-
Halle: The Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
-
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
-
The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
-
Episode 37 - What to Read Next
-
The Notorious B.I.G.
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The Notorious R.B.G. tumblr
This week, Ann and Halle discuss how they choose what to read next and close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Halle and Ann suggest some books set in small towns and what they're reading this week.
Thanks to a listener suggestion from Claire, we talk this week about books set in New York City. As always, we close with what we're reading this week.
Thanks to a listener suggestion from Olivia, this week Ann and Halle discuss their favorite books from childhood and close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle give some suggestions for books to read if you can't get Hamilton tickets. As always, they close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle talk about the books they're looking forward to that are releasing in the fall of 2016. As always, they close the show with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle suggest books set in the Lowcountry and as always, finish with what they're reading this week.
This week Halle and Ann talk about a topic close to their hearts - libraries! As always, they close with what they're reading this week.
In this episode Halle and Ann discuss their "to-read" piles and each select three books from their lists for the other to read. As always, they close the show with what they're reading this week.
This week Ann and Halle celebrate their one year anniversary of the podcast by discussing their all-time favorite books. As always, they close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle talk about the books they're looking forward to reading during the summer of 2016. As always, they close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle discuss short story collections and what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle discuss books about food, go on a tangent about the fabulousness of the Great British Bake Off, and finish with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle are joined by special guest Belinda to discuss books that tackle current events. As always, they close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle talk about book awards and whether they influence their reading choices. As always, they finish up with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle travel far from Beaufort County...but only through the pages of books. They each give three recommendations of armchair travel book and close with what they're reading this week.
This week Ann and Halle talk about the books they're looking forward to this spring. As always, they close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle give some suggestions on what to read if you're caught up in the true crime craze. As always, they end with what they're reading this week.
We had a few technical difficulties this week, so our newest episode will be delayed. We're sorry for the inconvenience!
This week, Ann, Halle, and special guest Traci, discuss our Big Read book, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and close with what we're each reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle discuss reading books that take them out of their comfort zones and finish up with what they're reading this week.
In this short teaser, Ann and Halle assign each other books to read that are out of their comfort zones and which they'll discuss on the next full episode.
This week, Ann and Halle talk about their reading goals for 2016 and close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle look back on their favorite books of 2015 and wrap up with what they're reading this week.
This week we have a short bonus episode on the best reading related gifts we've ever received.
This week, Ann and Halle talk about books with holiday themes and make some suggestions for holiday-themed books. As always, they close with what they're currently reading.
This week Ann and Halle talk about the books they're looking forward to reading this winter and as always, close with what they're reading this week.
This week, Halle and Ann talk about what makes a good book club book and give several suggestions for books that are sure to spark discussion. As always, we close with what we're reading this week.
In this episode, Halle and Ann talk about books that feature ordinary people doing extraordinary things with their lives. As always, we close with what we're reading this week.
This week Ann and Halle welcome special guest Traci Cox to share her recommendations for spooky books to read. As always, we close with What We're Reading this week.
In this episode we discuss Ann's reading life and, as always, close with what we're reading this week.
This week, Ann interviews Halle about what made her the reader she is today. As always, we close with what we're reading this week.
This week, Ann and Halle talk about books that take them back to school and, as always, finish up with what they're reading.
This week Ann & Halle discuss the fall 2015 book releases they're looking forward to and, as always, close with what they're reading this week.