Well-Read

Well-Read 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!

 

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)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Bookshop
Well-Read on Instagram

Well-Read Episode 125 - Fall/Winter 2023 Preview

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

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Ann’s picks:

• Reykjavík by Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdottír (releases September 5) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Arnaldur Indriðason books
  – Parnassus Books
  – Ann Patchett books
  – Independent People by Halldór Laxness (buy from Bookshop)
• Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison (releases September 19) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Cackle by Rachel Harrison (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Return by Rachel Harrison (buy from Bookshop)
• Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot (releases September 19) (buy from Bookshop)
  – The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones (buy from Bookshop)
• Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling (releases October 10) (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling (buy from Bookshop)
• Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (releases November 7) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (buy from Bookshop)
• The Excitements by C.J. Wray (releases January 30) (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (buy from Bookshop)
  – Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (buy from Bookshop)
• The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (releases February 13) (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (buy from Bookshop)
• The Kamowaga Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai (releases February 13) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (buy from Bookshop)

Halle’s picks:

• The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman (releases September 26) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Bad on Paper (podcast)
• The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab (releases September 26) (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (buy from Bookshop)
  – Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab
• Family Meal by Bryan Washington (releases October 10) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Memorial by Bryan Washington (buy from Bookshop)
  – Lot by Bryan Washington (buy from Bookshop)
  – Bryan Washington at New York Times Cooking
• The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (releases October 10) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (buy from Bookshop)
  – Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (buy from Bookshop)
• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (releases November 7) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (buy from Bookshop)
  – A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
  – The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
• The Bride Bet by Tessa Dare (releases January 15) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Girl Meets Duke series by Tessa Dare
• Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (releases January 9) (buy from Bookshop)
• Bride by Ali Hazelwood (releases February 6) (buy from Bookshop)
  – Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (buy from Bookshop)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann:  Ascension by Nicholas Binge (buy from Bookshop)
  – Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (buy from Bookshop)
• Halle: Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (buy from Bookshop)
  – With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (buy from Bookshop)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Twitter
Well-Read on Instagram
Well-Read on Bookshop

Well-Read Episode 124 - Books We Wish We Could Read Again for the First Time

You know the feeling…you finish a book you adored and instantly wish you could read it again for the first time. These are the books we wish we could experience again, and boy was it hard to pare them down!

 

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (buy from Bookshop)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (buy from Bookshop)
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (buy from Bookshop)
In the Woods by Tana French (buy from Bookshop)
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (buy from Bookshop)
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Ann’s picks:

• The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (buy from Bookshop)
  – Homecoming by Kate Morton (buy from Bookshop)
• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
  – Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (buy from Bookshop)
  –YALLfest
• Passing by Nella Larsen (buy from Bookshop)

Halle’s picks:

• A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (buy from Bookshop)
  – Oprah’s Book Club
• The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (buy from Bookshop)
• Atonement by Ian McEwan (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Booker Prize
  – Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (buy from Bookshop)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loesch (buy from Bookshop)
• Halle: An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir
  – All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (buy from Bookshop)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Bookshop
Well-Read on Instagram

Well-Read Episode 123 - Books About Road Trips

Road trips are the perfect summer getaway! But if you can't hit the road right now, these books are full of long drives, snacks, singalongs, hijinks, and adventure.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (buy from Bookshop)

Ann’s picks:

• The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan (buy from Bookshop)
• Me (Moth) by Amber McBride (buy from Bookshop)
  - The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
• The Farewell Tour by Stephanie Clifford (buy from Bookshop)

Halle’s picks:

• Mrs. Nash's Ashes by Sarah Adler (buy from Bookshop)
  - Christina Lauren books
• The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (buy from Bookshop)
  - Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (buy from Bookshop)
  - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (buy from Bookshop)
• The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang (buy from Bookshop)
  - Schitt's Creek (TV)
  - Episode 122: Books Like Succession
  - Succession (TV)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei (buy from Bookshop)
• Halle: The Daydreams by Laura Hankin (buy from Bookshop)
  - Saved by the Bell (TV)
  - The All New Mickey Mouse Club (TV)
  - Bad on Paper (podcast)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Bookshop
Well-Read on Instagram

Well-Read Episode 122 - Books Like Succession

If you're missing your weekly dose of the Roy family like us, here are some books that we think will help fill the void after the finale of Succession. As always, we'll end with what we're reading this week.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Succession (TV)
Gossip Girl (TV)
Veep (TV)
Taylor Swift Eras Tour

Ann’s picks:

• The Heiresses by Sara Shepard (buy from Bookshop)
  - Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
• Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie (buy from Bookshop)
• The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur (buy from Bookshop)
  - Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (buy from Bookshop)

Halle’s picks:

• Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (buy from Bookshop)
  - The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (buy from Bookshop)
• A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (buy from Bookshop)
  - King Lear by William Shakespeare (buy from Bookshop)
• Trust by Hernan Diaz (buy from Bookshop)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: Going Zero by Anthony McCarten (buy from Bookshop)
  - Michael Chrichton books
  - John Grisham books
  - Robin Cook books
• Halle: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (buy from Bookshop)
  - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (buy from Bookshop)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Bookshop
Well-Read on Instagram

Well-Read Episode 121 - Beach Reads

Well-Read Episode 120 - Books We Couldn’t Put Down

It’s one of the best feelings a reader can have: that feeling of finding a book that you just can’t put down. We’re discussing some of our favorites and we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.

 

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (buy from Bookshop)

Ann’s picks:

• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (buy from Bookshop)
• Monster by Walter Dean Myers (buy from Bookshop)
  – Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
  – Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (buy from Bookshop)
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (buy from Bookshop)
  – Clue (film)
  – And Then There Were None (TV)
  – And Then There Were None (film)

Halle’s picks:

• Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (buy from Bookshop)
• Until You by Judith McNaught (buy from Bookshop)
  – A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (buy from Bookshop)
  – Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught (buy from Bookshop)
• River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (buy from Bookshop)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (buy from Bookshop)
  – @maryreadsandsips (Instagram)
• Halle: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal (buy from Bookshop)
  – Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal (buy from Bookshop)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Bookshop
Well-Read on Instagram

Well-Read Episode 119 - Spring & Summer 2023 Book Preview

Well-Read Episode 118: Read-alikes for Taylor Swift songs (with a special guest!)

Halle thought it wasn’t possible to love a Taylor Swift-themed episode any more, until her sister Heather joined in as a special guest! (Ann was there too, as a casual fan.) Listen in for book pairings for some of our favorite T.Swift songs, along with general Swifty gushing and the books we’re reading this week.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Taylor Jenkins Reid books
Red (Taylor Swift album)
Fearless (Taylor Swift album)
1989 (Taylor Swift album)
“Blank Space”
Reputation (Taylor Swift album)
“…Ready For It?”
“The Man”

Ann’s picks:

• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (buy from Bookshop) and “exile (feat. Bon Iver)”
  – Justin Vernon/Bon Iver
  – “Death By a Thousand Cuts”
• Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (buy from Bookshop) and “Bejeweled”
  – Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich

Halle’s picks:

• The Idea of You by Robinne Lee (buy from Bookshop) and “Enchanted” and “Dress”
• Someday Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli (buy from Bookshop) and “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”
  – Midnights (Taylor Swift album)
  – Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid (buy from Bookshop)

Heather’s picks:

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (buy from Bookshop) and “august”
  – “This Love”
  – “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince”
• Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed (buy from Bookshop) and “Dear Reader”
  – Dear Sugar column on The Rumpus
  – Dear Sugars (podcast)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths (buy from Bookshop)
  – Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths
  – The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths (buy from Bookshop)
• Halle: Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor (buy from Bookshop)
  – Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (buy from Bookshop)
• Heather: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (buy from Bookshop)
  – Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (buy from Bookshop)
  – Daisy Jones & The Six (TV)
  – “Anti-Hero”
  – Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (buy from Bookshop)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Bookshop
Well-Read on Instagram

Well-Read 117 - Reading From Our TBRs

It’s back…..our occasional episode where we pick books for each other from our massive “to be read” shelves! Listen to what we liked – and what we didn’t! – and find out what we’re reading this week.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Ann’s picks:

• The Maid by Nita Prose (buy from Bookshop)
  – Good Morning America Book Club
  – The Maid (film)
  – Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (buy from Bookshop)
  – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (buy from Bookshop)
  – Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (buy from Bookshop)
  – Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (buy from Bookshop)
  – Goodreads Choice Awards
  – Book of the Month Club
  – The Verifiers by Jane Pek (buy from Bookshop)
• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (buy from Bookshop)

Halle’s picks:

• The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen (buy from Bookshop)
  – You’ve Got Mail (film)
• The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson (buy from Bookshop)
• Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour (buy from Bookshop)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun (buy from Bookshop)
  – The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (buy from Bookshop)
• Halle: The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle (buy from Bookshop)

Well-Read on Facebook
Well-Read on Twitter
Well-Read on Bookshop
Well-Read on Instagram