Well-Read

Well-Read Episode #60 - Books for December

We’re getting into the spirit of the season and talking about books to read in December. Afterward, we discuss what we’re reading this week. Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Hallmark Countdown to Christmas

Ann’s picks:

• Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
  – Weezie and Bebe series by Mary Kay Andrews
  – Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews
  – Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews
  – Schitt’s Creek (TV)
  – Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews
• We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
  – Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
• The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
  – My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
  – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Halle’s picks:

• Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
  – Episode 55: Fall 2019 Book Preview
  – The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
• One Day in December by Josie Silver
• Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak
  – The Family Stone (film)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor
  – It’s a Wonderful Life (film)
  – Richard Armitage filmography
  – North and South (TV)
• Halle: The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
  – ALA RUSA CODES Reading List

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Well-Read Happy Thanksgiving!

Sorry, everyone, but we were unable to record an episode this week. We will be back in two weeks with books about Christmas!

Well-Read Episode #59 - Page to Screen

Ann and Halle once again tackle one of their very favorite bookish topics: books that have been adapted for the screen.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Big Little Lies (TV)
"Books Boost Movie and Television Adaptation Success" (blog article)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (film)
Box Office Mojo
"Publishing's Contribution to the Wider Creative Industries" (report by the Publishers Association)
Dublin Murders (TV)
In the Woods by Tana French
The Likeness by Tana French
Outlander (TV)
Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Brooklyn (film)
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
Saoirse Ronan filmography
The Worst Witch (film)
The Worst Witch (TV)
Game of Thrones (TV)

Ann’s picks:

• Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  - Hello Sunshine: Reese's Book Club
  - Reese Witherspoon filmography
  - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  - Saturday Night Live (TV)
  - Daisy Jones & the Six (TV)
  - Fleetwood Mac
  - "Silver Springs" by Fleetwood Mac
• A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell
  - A Simple Favor (film)
  - Anna Kendrick filmography
  - Blake Lively filmography
  - Henry Golding filmography
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
  - Persuasion (film)
  - Pride & Prejudice (TV)
  - Amanda Root filmography
  - Ciarán Hinds filmography
  - Persuasion (TV)

Halle’s picks:

• The Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn
  - Bridgerton (TV)
  - Julia Quinn's Instagram
  - Shonda Rhimes filmography
  - Grey's Anatomy (TV)
  - Scandal (TV)
  - Julie Andrews filmography
  - The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
  - Rokesbys series by Julia Quinn
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
  - Hello Sunshine
  - Draper James
  - Kerry Washington filmography
  - Joshua Jackson filmography
  - Dawson's Creek (TV)
  - The Affair (TV)
• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
  - Red, White & Royal Blue (TV)
  - Greg Berlanti filmography
  - Everwood (TV)
  - Brothers & Sisters (TV)
  - You (TV)
  - The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
  - Meghan Markle interview with ITV

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
• Halle: City of Flickering Light by Juliette Fay

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Well-Read Episode #58 - Witchy Books

In this very special Halloween episode, Ann and Halle discuss why witches are having a moment and suggest some spellbinding books for the season. They end with what they’re reading this week.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV)
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

Ann’s picks:

• How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
• We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
  – Emilio Estevez movies
  – Heathers (film)
  – The Craft (film)
  – The Breakfast Club (film)
  – Stranger Things (TV)
  – The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
  – The Worst Witch (film)
  – Tim Curry movies
• I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé
  – Maryse Condé books

Halle’s picks:

• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
  – All Souls Trilogy series by Deborah Harkness
  – All Souls Universe series by Deborah Harkness
  – A Discovery of Witches (TV)
  – Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
  – ALA Annual Conference
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman
  – Magicians series by Lev Grossman
  – The Magicians (TV)
  – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
  – Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
  – The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
  – Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
  – Practical Magic (film)
  – Sandra Bullock movies
  – Nicole Kidman movies
  – Alice Hoffman books
  – Audie Awards
  – Audio Publishers Association (APA)

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: Ruth Chew books
  – The Wednesday Witch by Ruth Chew
  – What the Witch Left by Ruth Chew
• Halle: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
  – The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

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Tana French books
Halle’s Instagram

Well-Read Episode #57 - Memoirs

Fall is peak publishing season for memoirs, and we've got you covered. Whether you like stories about celebrity life, everyday survival, food, or criminal justice, memoirs offer something for every taste. As always, we end with what we're reading this week.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Still Life by Louise Penny
Educated by Tara Westover
Episode 55 - Fall 2019 Book Preview
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
Inside Out by Demi Moore
Me by Elton John

Ann’s picks:

• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
  - The Office (TV)
  - Late Night with Conan O'Brien (TV)
  - Matt Damon movies
  - Ben Affleck movies
  - The Mindy Project (TV)
  - Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
  - Yes Please by Amy Poehler
  - Reese Witherspoon movies
• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
  - Public Library Association (PLA)
  - Equal Justice Initiative
  - Just Mercy (film)
• Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
  - Los Angeles Times
  - Gourmet Magazine
  - Ruth Reichl books
  - New York Times
  - Gossip Girl (TV)
  - Parnassus Books
  - Ann Patchett books

Halle’s picks:

• Heating and Cooling: 52 Micro Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly
  - Beth Ann Fennelly books
• Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
  - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (TV)
• Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
  - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
  - Jeff Zentner books
  - Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
• Halle: The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis
  - Halle's Instagram
  - Brontë Sisters Mystery series by Bella Ellis
  - Charlotte Brontë books
  - Emily Brontë books
  - Anne Brontë books
  - Rowan Cowen books

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Well-Read Episode #56 - Books that feel like fall!

As the weather turns crisp and the leaves begin to change color, these are the books that put us in the right frame of mind for fall. As always, we end with what we're reading this week.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Ann's picks:

• Still Life by Louise Penny
  - Three Pines series by Louise Penny
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
  - Dracula by Bram Stoker
  - The Witch Elm by Tana French
• A Wicked Way to Burn by Margaret Miles
  - Bracebridge Mystery series by Margaret Miles

Halle's picks:

• The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
  - ALA RUSA CODES Reading List
  - Simone St. James books
  - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
• The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
  - Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
  - Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  - Episode 55 - Fall 2019 Book Preview
  - The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
  - Episode 28 - Our All-Time Favorites

What We're Reading This Week:

• Ann: Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
  - Rosemary's Baby (film)
• Halle: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
  - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Well-Read Episode #55 - Fall 2019 Book Preview

Fall is the biggest season for publishing, and there are so many great books to choose from this year! Ann and Halle discuss what they're excited to read as the weather cools down, and they end with what they're reading this week.

(Apologies for Ann's audio quality - sometimes things don't go right and you don't find out until you're editing!)

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Ingram Content Group
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Ann's picks:

• The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea (releases September 3)
  - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
  - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (releases September 24)
  - Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• Violet by Scott Thomas (releases September 24)
• The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (releases October 1)
  - A Novel from Hell's Library series by A.J. Hackwith
• How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones (releases October 8)
  - Saeed Jones books
  - Roxane Gay books
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (releases October 8)
  - Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
  - Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
  - Nikolai duology by Leigh Bardugo
• White Elephant by Trish Harnetiaux (releases October 29)
  - Clue (film)
  - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
• The Witches are Coming by Lindy West (releases November 5)
  - Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
  - Shrill (TV)

 

Halle's picks:

• The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott (releases September 3)
  - Hello Sunshine - Reese's book club
  - Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
  - Boris Pasternak books
  - John le Carré books
• Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory (releases October 1)
  - The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
  - The Wedding Date series by Jasmine Guillory
  - The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
• The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (releases October 1)
  - Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
  - Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
  - Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
• Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia (releases October 8)
  - The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (releases October 29)
  - The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
  - The Family Fang (film)
• Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz (releases October 29)
  - Educated by Tara Westover
  - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
  - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (releases November 5)
• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (releases November 5)
  - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

What We're Reading This Week:

• Ann: The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan
  - "Fade into You" (song by Mazzy Star)
• Halle: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (releases September 24)
  - Ann Patchett books
  - Parnassus Books

Well-Read Episode #54 - We're Back!

Hi! Remember when we used to be podcast friends? We sure do! Ann and Halle are back with an update over what’s been happening for the past two (!) years, and some of their favorite reads during that time. And of course, they’ll end with what they’re reading this week. 

 

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

NoveList (check your local library)
Parnassus Books
Ann Patchett books
Favorite Books of 2017
Favorite Books of 2018
ALA RUSA CODES Reading List

Ann’s picks:

• The Witch Elm by Tana French
  – Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
• Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein
  – Top Chef (TV)

Halle’s picks:

• The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
  – A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
  – John Irving books
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
  – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  – Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
  – Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  – Episode 17: 2016 Reading Resolutions
  – Episode 43: 2017 Reading Resolutions
  – War and Peace (TV)
  – Andrew Davies films
  – Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  – War and Peace (film)
• Halle: Fumbled by Alexa Martin
  – Playbook series by Alexa Martin
  – Intercepted by Alexa Martin

Halle’s Instagram: @halle770
Halle’s goodreads
Ann’s Instagram: @ferskner
Ann’s Litsy: @ferskner
Ann’s goodreads

Well-Read Episode #53 - Books About Books

Who doesn't love a book about books? (Possibly Ann.) Listen to our picks for the ultimate reading angle for book-lovers. We'll end with what we're reading this week and some news.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry (releases August 15)

Ann's picks:

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
  - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
  - Books by Isak Dinesen
• The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
  - Voynich Manuscript
  - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books (and Two Not-So-Great Ones) Saved My Life by Andy Miller
  - Andy Miller's blog
  - Moby Dick, or, The Whale by Herman Melville
  - The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Halle's picks:

• My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul
  - The New York Review of Books
  - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
  - The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley

What We're Reading This Week:

• Ann: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
  - Episode 51 - Summer Reads
• Halle: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
  - The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
  - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  - Episode 28 - Our All-Time Favorites

Well-Read Episode #52 - Book Tourism - Southeast Asia

We’re starting a new series where we’ll play tourist through books! Our first stop is Southeast Asia. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week.

 

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Ann’s picks:

• The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill
  – Dr. Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill
  – No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith
  – The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
• The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee
• The Girl from the Coast by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, tr. Willem Samuels

Halle’s picks:

• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
  – Newbery Medal
• In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
  – Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Lauren Hillenbrand
• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

What We’re Reading This Week:

• Ann: Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls’ Escape from Slavery to Union Hero by Cate Lineberry (releases June 20)
  – Materials about Robert Smalls at Beaufort County Library
  – Be Free or Die events at Beaufort County Library
• Halle: Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke