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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It’s that time again…the books we’re looking forward to reading this fall!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Ann’s picks:

• Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson (releases September 3)
  – Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (releases September 10)
• The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison (releases September 24)
• Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera (releases September 24)
  – The Devil Wears Prada (film)
• Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (releases October 1)
  – Ina Garten books
  – Barefoot Contessa (TV)
  – @storeboughtisfine (Instagram)
• A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney (releases October 8)
• Hate Follow by Erin Quinn-Kong (releases October 8)
  – Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
• The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong (November 5)
  – Travis Baldree books

Halle’s picks:

• Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (releases September 10)
  – The Measure by Nikki Erlick
• The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave (releases September 17)
  – The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
  – The Last Thing He Told Me (TV)
  – Reese’s Book Club
  – Laura Dave books
• Entitlement by Rumaan Alam (releases September 17)
• Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (releases September 24)
  – Normal People by Sally Rooney
  – Normal People (TV)
  – Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
• Heir by Sabaa Tahir (releases October 1)
  – All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
  – National Book Award for Young People
  – Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
  – Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir
  – The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater
• Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London (releases October 1)
  – One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
  – A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
  – BuzzFeed: “This Quiz Will Determine Whether You’re More Demure Fall or Brat Summer”
  – Twilight (film)
• Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi (releases October 1)
• Rental House by Weike Wang (releases December 3)
  – Chemistry by Weike Wang

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann:  Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
  – Emily Henry books
• Halle: So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

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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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We’re trying something new this week, as we review the books we read (or didn’t read…) from our Spring Preview 2024 episode. Let us know what you think!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Ann’s picks:

• Funny Story by Emily Henry 
• The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

Halle’s picks:

• The Great Divide by Christina Henríquez
• Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González
• Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
• The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
• How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
  – People We Meet on Vacation (film)
• Real Americans by Rachel Khong 
• Happy Medium by Sarah Adler
• Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  – Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  – Ben-Hur (film)
• Halle: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

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It’s that time again…the books we’re looking forward to, publishing June through August!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Ann’s picks:

• Enlightenment by Sarah Perry (releases June 4)
  – The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
  – The Essex Serpent (show)
• Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (releases June 11)
  – A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
  – The Blair Witch Project (film)
• It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant (releases July 9)
• Nicked by M.T. Anderson (releases July 23)
  – Feed by M.T. Anderson
• Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell (releases July 30)
  – Landline by Rainbow Rowell
• The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava (releases August 6)
• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (releases August 6)
  – The Goose Girl
• We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft
  – “I Love the Nightlife” (song)
  – Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft

Halle’s picks:

• Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (releases June 11)
• Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (releases June 18)
  – The Change by Kirsten Miller
• A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston (releases June 25)
  – The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
  – Rebecca Serle books
• The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (releases July 2)
  – The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamai
  – Elena Ferrante books
  – Khaled Hosseini books
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (releases July 2)
  – Tana French books
  – Long Bright River by Liza Moore
  – Lisa Jewell books
  – Jane Harper books
• All This & More by Peng Shepherd (releases July 9)
  – The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
  – Blake Crouch books
• The Wedding People by Alison Espach (releases July 30)
• The Friend Zone Experiement by Zen Cho (releases August 6)
  – Succession (TV)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann:  You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
  – Jesse Q. Sutanto books
  – Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
• Halle: The Most Famous Girl in the World by Iman Hariri-Kia

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