Books Around the Block

We’re wrapping up our reading year with our Top 5 Books of 2025, plus the one book that truly let us down. We break down our favorites, confess our worst read of the year, and dig into our reading stats including genres, ratings, and a few surprises along the way. Expect strong opinions, light roasting, and plenty of side tangents as we crown the best and worst of our year in books.

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Play Along by Liz Tomforde

But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

Lindsays Top 5:

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hasseini

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Adrienne's Top 5:

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaughy

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Audrey's Top 5:

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaughy

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde

The Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Heart the Lover by Lily King

It’s our Christmas book club episode, and we’re diving into The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. This holiday mystery blends a snowy setting, clever twists, sharp banter, and just enough romance to keep things cozy. We break down the plot, talk favorite moments, debate the mystery reveal, and share whether this one earns a spot on your annual Christmas reading list. If you love holiday mysteries, festive thrillers, or Christmas books with a crime twist, this episode is for you.

How To Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key

The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

It’s almost a new year, which means we are confidently setting New Year reading resolutions and bookish goals for 2026 with absolutely no guarantee we’ll follow all of them. In this episode of Books Around the Block, each of us shares two reading resolutions, from noble literary intentions to slightly unhinged bookish promises.

We talk reading habits we want to fix, TBR delusions we’re embracing, and how we’re hoping to make reading more fun and less stressful this year. If you love setting reading goals, breaking them, and laughing about it anyway, this episode is for you.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

On Writing by Stephen King

We are sprinting to the finish line with a stack of short books under 300 pages that will help you crush those end-of-year reading goals. Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay share their favorite quick hits, the tiny book recs with big vibes in the best ways.

We also dive into Brimstone by Callie Hart and break down the editing controversy that has taken over BookTok. Audrey’s reaction is priceless and completely justified. If you have been wondering what actually happened, we unpack it all.

Grab a cozy drink and a tiny book, and join us around the block.

Books Mentioned:

Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Brimstone by Callie Hart

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The Good Lie by A.R. Torre

No Exit by Taylor Adams

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This is a Safe Space by Lucinda Berry

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

The Compound by Aisling Rawle

We’re wrapping up our November reads and sharing what’s on our December TBR! From five-star favorites to the biggest letdowns, we’re chatting all things books, and revealing if Adrienne loved her official birthday book selection. Tune in for laughs, book recs, and a little friendly chaos on this month's reading wrap-up and TBR hopefuls.

The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Good Spirits by B.K. Borrison

Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Mayluna by Kelley McNeill

Intercepts by T.J. Payne

Cackle by Rachel Harrison

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coban

The Ten Year Affair by Erin Sommers

You Watched in Silence by H. Lee Justine

Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams

Nobody Knows You're Here by Brynn Greenwood

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

The Christmas Bookstore by Jenny Colgan 

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

I was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

Join the Books Around the Block hosts as they dive into Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli, a fantasy romance filled with magic, danger, and serious enemies-to-lovers tension. We break down the world, the romance, the twists, and whether this popular romantasy lives up to the hype. It is the perfect episode for fans of witchy fantasy, slow burn chemistry, and fun book club conversation.

Mayluna by Kelley McNeil

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

Celebrate Thanksgiving with the Books Around the Block crew as Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay each share one book they are thankful for. These books shaped their perspectives and reminded them why reading matters in the first place. The hosts also reveal a few books they are not so thankful for, keeping the conversation honest, funny, and very on brand. Tune in for heartfelt picks and plenty of lighthearted rants.

Heartless Hunter by Kristin Ciccarelli

Good Spirits by B.K. Morrison

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Looking for the best Christmas and holiday books to read this season? In this episode of Books Around the Block, we’re sharing our favorite festive reads, winter and Christmas-adjacent picks, and three books that firmly hold a spot on our holiday TBR — and maybe should be on yours too.

We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Intercepts by T.J. Payne

You Watched In Silence by H. Lee Justine

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman

The Wish by Nicholas Sparks

One Day in December by Josie Silver

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart

Holiday Ever After by Hannah Grace

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

We’re wrapping up our October reads and sharing what’s on our November TBR! From five-star favorites to the biggest letdowns, we’re chatting all things books, and revealing Adrienne’s official birthday book selection. Tune in for laughs, book recs, and a little friendly chaos on this month's reading wrap-up and TBR hopefuls.

Smile For the Cameras by Miranda Smith

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

Heart the Lover by Lily King

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

Mate by Ali Hazelwood

The Academy by Elin Hildebrand and Shelby Cunningham

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill

Intercepts by T.J. Payne

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Dinner For Vampires by Bethany Joy Lentz

Play Along by Liz Tomforde

Down the Drain by Julia Fox

Mayluna by Kelley McNeil

Heartless Hunter by Kristin Ciccarelli

In this episode, Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay dive into His & Hers by Alice Feeney—the addictive psychological thriller full of secrets, lies, and shocking twists. They break down WITH SPOILERS the unreliable narrators, the tangled relationships, and that unforgettable ending. Tune in for theories, laughter, and plenty of “wait, WHAT?” moments. Ideal for thriller lovers and book club binge-listeners.

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

A Witches Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli