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3.13 The Heiress  by Rachel Hawkins The Heiress is a 2024 mystery-esque fiction story that follows Camden and Jules in current time as Camden is forced to comfront some issues from his past that he would rather avoid. The book is split between Camden's perspective and Jules' perspective as well as letters written 10 years prior by Camden's adopted mom, Ruby, and news clippings from throughout Ruby...

3.12 Part 2 Nightbane by Alex Aster  In Part 2,  Nightbane , we get the aftermath of the curse breaking. I was really expecting this to be a love triangle a la  Hunger Games (Peeta/ Gale/ Katniss) but it really wasn't. That is definitely a factor, but instead of seeing Grim and Oro fight over Isla for the whole book, there are two parallel timelines following Grim and Isla a year ago when they fir...

3.12 Part 1 Lightlark by Alex Aster  Lightlark begins with  Hunger Games vibes and a contest that takes place every 100 years between the rulers of the different magical realms. The prize? Breaking the curse that effects everyone and gaining power. The cost? Killing one of the other rules and as a result their entire realm. Isla is one of the youngest rulers and she has a secret - she was born wit...

3.11 The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang I have been waiting for a new release by Kate Quinn to do an episode since I started this podcast. Kate Quinn is an absolutely fabulous historical fiction writer (the best in the business if you ask me) and I have wanted to share my first reactions to one of her books with you. She always manages to add twists, turns, and surprises that are so f...

3.10 Part 2 Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas For our Part 2 of our second Throne of Glass episode, we are discussing  Heir of Fire . After finishing it, I am standing by my decision to read  The Assassin's Blade  first. I talk all about that in addition to all of the action that takes place in this book. So far, this is my favorite book of the series! What is your preferred reading order for the seri...

3.10 Part 1  The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas For our second Throne of Glass episode, I decided to break it up so for Part 1, we are discussing  The Assassin's Blade . I know there is a lot of contention about the order of the series and we dive deep into that as well as the novellas in this episode and then will discuss  Heir of Fire in Part 2! What is your preferred reading order for the se...

3.9 Non-Fiction Review I love non-fiction so much, but I know it can be hard to get into. Every season, we will have one non-fiction review episode where I give you a short overview of some of the non-fiction books I have read and enjoyed lately. Then, if any sound good, you can explore those instead of having to sift through all of the non-fiction out there! This review will include 5 books I hav...

3.8  A Discovery of Witches  by Deborah Harkness For me, A Discovery of Witches   is like the better, more adult version of Twilight that will keep you coming back time and time again. This is the first of four books, although the fifth is coming out later this year. It is fantasy with a little spice set in modern day. The female main character, Diana is an historian of alchemy and a witch who stu...

3.7 The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick Unusually for me, The Messy Lives of Book People was a very conflicting book. On the one hand, I loved the story line of Liv trying to finish the book of her favorite author under mysterious circumstances and how Patrick tied all of the story lines together in the end. On the other hand, some of the characters, specifically Jake, were absolutel...

3.6 Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas We will ultimately be reading the entire SJM universe, but we are working our way through the Throne of Glass series this season. There are debates about what order you should read these in, but I'm falling Maas' instructions and starting with Throne of Glass and reading Assassin's Blade later in the series. This week, we talked about all...

3.5 The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain The Ladies Rewrite the Rules is a cute and fluffy Georgian period novel where a poorer second son has published a directory of all of the single women and widows with fortunes in London. Based on a real publication, the ladies find out about their inclusion and decide to use it to their advantage. This is the perfect novel for those craving a litt...

3.4 Part 2 Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros This week we continue our discussion of Fourth Wing with a deep dive into Iron Flame. There are lots of spoilers and fan theories as well as my own thoughts and I would love to hear yours. If you like dragons, fantasy, world building, political intrigue, and war, you will like this book I'm sure! Let us know what you thought about this book and your own theo...

3.4 Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros I have been waiting for this episode since I first read Fourth Wing last summer. This episode is full of spoilers and fan theories and my own theories on what is happening. Plus, this is a two part episode and next week we will discuss Iron Flame! If you like dragons, fantasy, world building, political intrigue, and war, you will like this book I'm sure! Let us kn...

3.3 Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Lessons in Chemistry follows Elizabeth Zott in the 1950s and 60s as a chemist trying to make her way in a male dominated world and field. You see her experiences in the lab, ultimately on TV, and her experiences as a single mother. The storylines and characters are emotional and profound and I connected with them in a way I could have never predicted. This...

3.2 I nk Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs For our first fantasy episode of Season 3, it seemed only fitting to start with a book recommended to me and that has a strong focus on books. We again get multiple POVs, but instead of a split timeline, each perspective has a piece of the puzzle that has to be put together to understand the dangers and mysteries of this world where books contain magic sp...

3.1 The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes We are starting Season 3 off strong with a book about books and people who love books. This split timeline and POV WWII story follows three women as they deal with the consequences of the war as well as trying to save books the Nazis are trying to destroy. I absolutely loved this story of small acts of heroism and deep emotional connections bet...

2.21 Cities of Women by Kathleen B. Jones Cities of Women is brand new (released today!) split perspective historical fiction story following a contemporary scholar trying to find evidence of a medieval female artist. The story follows the scholar, artist, and a medieval author working with our artist. Jones is incredibly detailed about all of the techniques for the artistry as well as the researc...

2.20 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon This book will be completely different from anything else you read this year. It follows a young boy through his teen years falling in love, making friends, and overcoming hardships while also investigating an illusive and mysterious author whose books seem to be disappearing. Set in the 1950s in Spain, there are tons of a twist and turns, intriguin...

2.19 The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan Three women in England during WWII are working to make the most of their lives during the War. They come together to help one of their own and eventually others have beautiful white dresses to wear on their wedding days despite the rationing limitations on fabric and clothing. This book is based on the inspirational true story of women donating...

2.18 The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner The Lost Apothecary is a story told from the perspective of three women, two in 1790s London and one visiting London in the present day. All of them are looking to overcome trauma and find their place in the world undefined by the men around them. Filled with intrigue and murder, this book pulls you in not just through the mystery, but also the emotional co...

2.17 Babel by R.F. Kuang R.F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War series has been on my radar for a while. I didn't know what to expect, but I am glad I read Babel . It is long, but necessarily so as there is a lot of world building, action, and necessary history to develop all of the characters and story lines. There are two main themes of colonialism and language/the power of words. Two incredibly in...

2.16 The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler Y'all know how much I love octopuses from our Season 1 Episode 16 (I didn't even plan this!) discussion of Remarkably Bright Creatures . So, I had a feeling I was going to at least enjoy Nayler's debut novel, The Mountain in the Sea . But I was no prepared to love it as much as I did. Nayler is able to dive deep into questions about consciousness, humanit...

2.15 Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See This is our first repeat author outside of a series and I am so excited to share my thoughts on Lisa See's newest book. We discussed her previously in Season 1 Episode 5 The Island of Sea Women . Lady Tan's Circle of Women looks at an actual person, Lady Tan, who was a female doctor in the 1400 and 1500s in China. It follows her through her whole life an...

2.14 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins I honestly was not expecting much from this. After the original story, I was tired of the characters and the story line, but this took me by surprise. I was expecting it to be more about the war and how the Hunger Games started. Instead, it takes place about 10 years after the war when the Hunger Games are already tradition, but not at all...

2.13 The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides This week's episode is a book so outside of my comfort zone and usual read, but was well worth branching out. A friend recommended it and while I was a little skeptical at first, I honestly couldn't put it down. And I couldn't stop thinking about it even after I finished it. This one will hold you in its grip and have you questioning everything. For more...