Episode 135 – Here Comes the Sun

Spring is here, so we’re thinking about books that feel like sunshine! As always, we end with what we’re reading this week.

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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

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Episode 134 – Spring 2024 Book Preview

It’s that time again…the books we’re looking forward to the most publishing March through May!

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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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Episode 133 – Reading From Our TBRs 2024

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!

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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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Episode 132 – Deep Dive into Romance

In honor of Valentine’s Day, learn everything you need to know about the romance genre!

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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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Episode 131 – 2023 Superlatives

We’re back with our superlatives episode – one of our favorites of the year!

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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 and The 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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Episode 130 – Our Favorite Books of 2023

Our favorite episode of the year, full of our favorite books of the year. Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!

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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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Episode 129 – Trends

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.

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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 by Jordan 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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Episode 128 – Halloween Books

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.

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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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Episode 127 – Books About Books…Again!

It’s time to revisit books about books! We discuss some recent and evergreen favorites.

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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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Episode 126 – Dark Academia

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!

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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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