Bookwild

This week, Halley Sutton is back, and we catch up on what we've been reading and watching, as well as our thoughts in Emerald Fennell's upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation. We also share romance-adjacent book recommendations for Valentine's Day. Kate's Books A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams History Lessons by Zoe E Wallbrook This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum The Long Gam...

BONUS EPISODE!! MacKenzie Green and I were set to record yesterday (the morning after the Benito Bowl) for a Friday episode, but all we could talk about was Bad Bunny's performance, so I decide for timing's sake, it made sense to release it today! We discuss it all: why it felt historic rather than merely entertaining, how the show functioned as protest art, communal storytelling, and cultural aff...

This week, I talk with Jeff Rake and Rob Hart about the first installment of their new series Detour. Jeff shares how he got the idea for the story originally for TV, but when he mentioned it to a friend they said it sounded like a novel. When he got connected to Rob, their partnership was instantly born, and they went on to write an entire full-length novel without meeting in person until the ver...

This week, Gare and I chat with May Cobb about her new, messy thriller All the Little Houses! She shares the inspiration for the story, how she managed multiple POVs, and what it was like on the set of The Hunting Wives. All the Little Houses Synopsis It's the mid-1980s in the tiny town of Longview, Texas. Nellie Anderson, the beautiful daughter of the Anderson family dynasty, has burst onto the s...

This week, Gare and I talk with Ashley Winstead about her new contemporary fiction (tragi-comedy but don't tell Ashley's publicists we said so) The Future Saints! We dive into her inspiration for the book, how it changed over the years through rounds of edits, and her fascination with ambitious women and how the world reacts to them. The Future Saints Synopsis This is a love story, but not the one...

This week, I talk with Petra Lord about her debut genre bending fantasy-sci-fi-dark-academia book Queen of Faces. She shares the eight year journey of writing the book, how she injured herself while writing it, and how fantasy worlds are so effective for social commentary. Queen of Faces Synopsis Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. In Caimor, where the ma...

This week, I talk with Amy Meyerson about her new mystery thriller The Water Lies. We dive into her inspiration for the book, how audiobooks changed her approach to pacing, and how she grappled with intuition, pregnancy and motherhood. *This was supposed to be released on January 1, but I put it in my release calendar for February 1, so some of our conversation may seem dated! * The Water Lies Syn...

This week, Gare and Steph and I attempt to predict which books will be some of our favorite books in 2026! Kate’s Books Dead Beat Alex Stern Leigh Bardugo Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead The Caretaker Marcus Kliewer Honey by Imani Thompson Queen of Faces Gare’s Books The Secret Lives of Murderers Wives by Elizabeth Arnott This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum Helpless by Jessica...

This week, I talk with L.S. Stratton about the her new YA mystery thriller Sundown Girls . Stratton discusses how the story began as an adult novel and transformed into YA once she shifted the perspective to a sixteen-year-old protagonist, allowing the narrative to flow more naturally. She shares the real-world inspiration behind the book, including historical sundown towns, racial violence, and r...

This week, I talk with historian Heather Ann Thompson about her new non-fiction Fear and Fury, which traces how the 1984 Bernie Goetz subway shooting became a flashpoint for the Reagan-era rollback of public investment, the rise of punitive policing, and the normalization of white vigilantism. Moving between the lived experiences of the four Black teenagers who were shot and the political, media,...

This week, Erin Ashley is back, and we talk about our Last, Current and Next reads, as well as books we are intrigued by on our TBRs. Kate’s Books Kill Show — Daniel Swearen-Becker When the Reckoning Comes — LaTanya McQueen The Future Saints — Ashley Winstead Blade — Wendy Walker Reader Bot — Naomi S. Baron On Sunday She Picked Flowers — Yah-Yah Scholfield Girl Gone Wild — Courtney Kocak Erin’s Bo...

This week, I talk with Matt Casamassina about his genre-bending sci-fi-horror-thriller Degenerate. He shares his unique approach to audiobook production, how reading Stephen King as a kid influenced his writing, and how one of his co-workers inspired the story. Degenerate by Matt Casamassina Mason Kowalski, a twenty-four year-old copywriter for a San Mateo startup, is on the verge of a nervous bre...

This week, MacKenzie Green is back, and we talk about 2026 releases we are excited about! Books MacKenzie Talked About 2026 Releases Half His Age – Jennette McCurdy Fear and Fury – Heather Ann Thompson There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood – Rasheed Newson Vigil – George Saunders American Fantasy – Emma Straub Lady Tremaine – Gretchen McNeil Other Books Frankenstein – Mary Shelley Blood in the Water –...

This week, Yasmin Angoe is back for the fifth year in a row to talk about here new mystery-thriller Behind These Four Walls! We dive into her inspiration for the story, how she created the wealthy, villainous Corrigan family, and Isla's private investigator adjacent job. Behind These Four Walls Synopsis Isla Thorne had a rough start in life. Orphaned young, she spent her formative years in a group...

This week, Gare, Steph and I share our 2026 bookish goals, and January and February releases we are excited about! Steph also shares a few backlist she will be reading in January and February. Kate’s Books Kin by Tayari Jones Spies and Other Gods James Wolff Queen of Faces by Petra Lord On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield  Unread: A Memoir of Learning (And Loving) to Read on TikTok...

This week, I talk with Amanda Jones, a dedicated small-town Louisiana librarian, about the challenges she faces in her fight against book banning and censorship. She discusses her passion for literature, the importance of representation in books, the defamatory posts about her that spread like wildfire, and the impact of misinformation on community perceptions. Amanda has always championed the imp...

This week, Halley and I catch up on what we've been reading and watching, and then dive into bookish plans and goals for 2026! Check Out Author Social Media Packages Check out the Bookwild Community on Patreon Check Out My Stories Are My Religion Substack Get Bookwild Merch Follow @imbookwild on Instagram Other Co-hosts On Instagram: Gare Billings @gareindeedreads Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland...

This week, I talk with Brittany Penner about her memoir Children Like Us , a haunting, deeply reflective exploration of identity, faith, and survival. Brittany shares what it was like growing up as an Indigenous child adopted into a Mennonite family that fostered dozens of other children, unpacking the long-term impact of the Sixties Scoop, religious indoctrination, and being taught to feel “grate...

This week, Gare and I talk about what we've been watching lately, our favorite 2025 reads, and some 2026 books Gare already loves, as well as some 2026 hopefuls! Our 2025 Faves Kate's Books Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliot Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Williams The Reformatory by Tananarive Due Gar...

This week, I talk with Brian Recker about his book Hell Bent , which examines how fear-based teachings about hell distort Christian spirituality, replacing love, connection, and moral discernment with control, shame, and punishment avoidance. Drawing from his upbringing in fundamentalism and later work as an evangelical pastor, he shares how early indoctrination around hell fractures relationships...

This week, Halley Sutton is back, and we dive into everything we've been reading and watching - which is quite a lot! We also share a few 2026 books we are excited to read. What We’ve Been Reading Everyone Is Lying to You — Joe Piazza Alchemy of Secrets — Stephanie Garber Vantage Point — Sarah Sligar Good Dirt — Charmaine Wilkerson   2026 Hopefuls The Future Saints — Ashley Winstead All the Little...

This week, I talk with John Fram about the creative process behind his new horror-thriller The Midnight Knock , a genre-blending desert nightmare. He dives into selling the book early, wrestling with a complex multi-POV structure, and navigating the behind-the-scenes realities of publishing—from word-count limits to printing costs to foreign rights. He traces the story’s roots from a childhood mom...

This week, Gare, Steph and I share our last, current and next reads! Kate's Books Last - Degenerate by Matt Casamassina Current - Children Like Us by Birttany Penner Next - Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson Gare's Books Last - All the Little Houses by May Cobb Current - Heated Rivalry by Rachel Ried Next - The House Guests by Amber and Danielle Brown Steph's Books Last - Everyone is Lying to You by...

This week, Kristi DeMeester shares how her new novel Dark Sisters emerged from a collision of personal history, cultural rage, and the disturbing ease with which faith, patriarchy, and power can be weaponized. We discuss purity culture, megachurch hypocrisy, witch-trial history, feminist reclamation, the generational impact of religious fundamentalism, and how horror can become a perfect container...

This week, MacKenzie Green is back and we dive into the complexities of pop culture, the deeper meanings embedded in modern media, how storytelling has evolved, the impact of anti-intellectualism, and the importance of critical engagement with entertainment. We discuss the intersection of identity and societal issues, emphasizing that every piece of content carries a message, whether overt or subt...