Life and Lit

Sydney and Paige discuss one of their favorite books by a favorite author, 11/22/63 by Stephen King. This book has it all-historical fantasy, romance, and some JFK. Tune in to hear our takes on 11/22/63!

This week Sydney and Paige discuss the debut novel of the pod's threepeat author Taylor Jenkins Reid.  Published long before her popular bestsellers "Evelyn Hugo", "Carrie Soto", and "Daisy Jones", "Forever, Interrupted" follows the whirlwind romance of Elsie Porter and Ben Ross.  Elsie and Ben quickly fall head over heels for each other until they romance is cut short by Ben's death in...

This week Sydney and Paige discuss the sweeping family saga written by Juliet Grames, "The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna." Despite Paige's protesting about the depressing nature of the book, we think you'll love this story of human resiliency that centers around Stella Fortuna, a young woman who immigrates to America from Italy. It's a tale of hardship, family, and history all wrapped in...

This week Sydney and Paige discuss the highly anticipated new release from Colleen Hoover "It Starts With Us".  After the success of "It Ends With Us", CoHo gives fans a look at what happens next with Lily, Atlas, and Ryle.  An instant bestseller, tune in for our take on Lily and Atlas's world, CoHo's proclivity for unusual names, and the many T-Swift references we were able to draw (it...

This week Sydney and Paige close out spooky season with a thriller by another one of our favorite author's with "The Woman in Cabin 10" by Ruth Ware.  Tune in to hear our thoughts on yet another classic by Ware with the group setting and whodunnit vibes.  We didn't guess the twist at the end, but did you?

Sydney and Paige keep spooky season going with another thriller. "In the Woods" is the debut novel from Tana French. Set in Ireland, it tells the story of a detective on the Murder Squad who is thrown into a case that is shockingly similar to one from his past. 

This week, Sydney and Paige continue their spooky reads with Stacy Willingham's debut novel "A Flicker in the Dark".  When Chloe Davis was just twelve, her father was sentenced to life in prison for confessing to abducting and killing six local girls over the course of a summer in their small Louisiana town.  This left Chloe and her family reeling and dealing with the consequences on their own.  N...

This week Sydney and Paige kick off the month of October (and unofficial spooky season) with "Magic Lessons" by Alice Hoffman.  The prequel to the beloved novel "Practical Magic", "Magic Lessons" explores the origins of the famous Owens witches.  With just the right amount of fantasy mixed with history, this novel was the perfect way to kick off the witch-y season...not to mention the pe...

Books unite us, censorship divides us. This week, Sydney and Paige celebrate Banned Books Week by talking about some of the most widely banned or challenged books....from contemporary Young Adult to American classics, these titles might surprise you. 

This week, Sydney and Paige dive into the new release by one of our new favorite authors "Carrie Soto is Back" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  Carrie Soto was the world's greatest tennis player until an injury forced her to retire.  Now, six years later, Carrie Soto is back to defend her title after rival player, Nicki Chan, ties her record for most Grand Slam titles.  Tune in as we discus...

Sydney and Paige kick off September with a fantasy novel "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue," about a young French woman sentenced to live forever yet be remembered by no one. Sydney and Paige share differing thoughts on this novel about life and love. 

This week Sydney and Paige dive into the lives of their favorite celebrity autobiographies.  Paige discusses the outrageously entertaining and gossip-y memoir "Me" by Elton John, while Sydney gives insight to the lives of her podcast heroes in "Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered" by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.  Tune in for some celebrity tea, wild stories of house parties with...

This week, Sydney and Paige head back to a historical fiction set during World War I. "The Girl You Left Behind" tells the story of Sophie Lefevre and the impossible situations she faces in occupied France in WWI, as well as how those choices intersect with Liv Halston, a widow in the modern day. This novel asks hard questions on who decides what's right or wrong, and how those choices impact othe...

This week Sydney and Paige discuss (or rather, fangirl) over Kate Quinn's surprise short story, "Signal Moon".  This short story joins the ranks of Quinn's successful historical fiction line up and follows Lily Baines and Matt Jackson as they connect through time and try to win one war while preventing another.

Sydney and Paige discuss Ruth Ware's new thriller "The It Girl," a whodunit that gave us a lot of theories--one of which Paige was right about.

This week Sydney and Paige discuss "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig.  Popular since its publication in 2020, "The Midnight Library" explores many of life's big questions and examines how we deal with regret.  After reading the last page, we couldn't help but ask ourselves: what does it truly mean to be successful and live a meaningful life?

Sydney and Paige switch it up this week--instead of a plot deep dive, they go for overall thoughts and LOTS of hot takes on the hot novel "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, which has recently been adapted into a summer blockbuster starring Daisy Edgar Jones. We dive into the unanswered questions, totally random movie nitpicks, and both agree on a comparison between this film and a 2000s rom...

This week, Sydney and Paige cover another Jane Austen classic, "Persuasion." This novel centers around heroine Anne Elliot and her second chance at love with Captain Wentworth. It was just adapted into a Netflix film starring Dakota Johnson. Listen for our takes on this classic novel and current adaptation!

In this week's episode, Sydney and Paige dive into "Normal People" by Sally Rooney.  A hit tv series and popular book, Normal People explores the relationship of Connell and Marianne from their time as teenagers growing up in Sligo, Ireland to their university years at Trinity College in Dublin. Despite their differences, Connell and Marianne form a magnetic bond that keeps pulling them back toget...

Dearest Listeners,  The ton are abuzz now that Anthony Bridgerton has made clear his intention to marry this season.  Tune in with Sydney and Paige as they discuss the latest gossip on the bestselling book "The Viscount Who Loved Me" by Julia Quinn, and the record breaking second season of Netflix's hit series Bridgerton.  Although the characters may be the same, all is not what it seems when it c...

This week, Paige and Sydney do a double feature with two books by popular author Emily Henry. Paige discusses the Hallmark-esque feel of "Books Lovers and Sydney details the popular friends to lovers in "People We Meet on Vacation."

Sydney and Paige discuss the quirky novel "Anxious People" by Fredrik Backman, which quickly became a favorite! Memorable quotes, relatable characters, and the answer to the meaning of life (kidding), this book will make you laugh, cry, and feel seen. Tune in for our take on this unexpected gem!

This week, Sydney and Paige talk about heartbreak, acceptance, hope, and moving on in "Out of Love' by Hazel Hayes.  With a unique format that starts at the end and works back to the beginning, "Out of Love" examines the trials of heartbreak along with the hope of a new start.  Tune in to hear our takes on relationships, what you learn from them, and who believes in true love (or who is...

Sydney and Paige kick off their summer beach read series with "One Italian Summer" by Rebecca Serle, a novel of a woman who spends a beautiful summer in Italy as she grapples with the death of her mother. 

This week Sydney and Paige go back in time to the Golden Age of Hollywood with "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  Fame, fortune, love, scandal, and an unexpected twist, this book has it all.  Tune in to hear our takes on which husband was our favorite, and who was truly Evelyn's great love.