In this episode we experiment with what you learn when you read your best friend’s favorite books! Rosika reads Kristen’s favorite books of the last decade and as a thank you Kristen accuses Rosika of being an ecoterrorist. Besties! Also if you couldn’t tell Rosika writes these, lol.

Wanna write in to the show? email us at:

[email protected]

Creators Mentioned

If you wanted to see what Rosika’s face looks like:

Rosika’s Youtube Vlog on Seven Days in June

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTzAIDktb8I&t=35s

Books Mentioned

Y The Last Man: vol 2 by Brian K. Vaughan

Garden Against Time by Olivia Lang

Second Nature by Micheal Pollen 

Cooked by Micheal Pollen

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Educated by Tara Westover

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

North Woods by Daniel Mason

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Kline

In this episode we borrow an idea from the lovely podcast Books Unbound to do our Quarterly check in on our 2025 book goals. But more importantly, Rosika commits a DRAMATIC book betrayal on her bestie!

Creators Mentioned

Books Unbound

https://www.booksunboundpodcast.com/

Marcella in the Margins

https://www.youtube.com/@marcellainthemargins

Jay at my0.25life crisis

https://www.youtube.com/@my0.25lifecrisis/videos

Books Mentioned

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White

Project Hail Mary By Andy Weir

In this episode Kristen and Rosika tackle a difficult topic; what should we do about authors who are problematic people or whose work is problematic? What is our responsibility as ordinary readers? 

Creators Mentioned

Lexie newly nova

https://www.youtube.com/@newlynova

Marcella in the Margins

https://www.youtube.com/@marcellainthemargins

Jay at my0.25life crisis

https://www.youtube.com/@my0.25lifecrisis/videos

Books Mentioned

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill

Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley

“Wildfire Johnny” short story in Baby You’re Gonna be Mine by Kevin Wilson

Giant Days by John Allison, Max Sarin and Lissa Treiman

Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra 

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, multiple artists

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung by Hou Bo & Mao Zedong

A truly fantastic episode featuring: a completely biased review of Onyx Storm, wine, toddler interruptions, a cake odyssey, a Charizard related tragedy, and…. Shadow Daddy? Rosika also does her best drunk history retelling of the plot of the Empyrean Series. Strap in readers, it’s basically book club!

Creators Mentioned

Say Hi to Marcella!!

Marcella in the Margins

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMP2xiAli_wV0MTcDiFpE4g

Books Mentioned

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Is it better to buy books or borrow books? And is buying books from Amazon really so bad? Kristen and Rosika also chat about the perils of home ownership DIYs, Kristen’s questionable relationship with books that end happily, and reveal exactly who keeps punching the microphone!

Books Mentioned

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly  by Anthony Bourdain

Eat a Peach by David Chang

One Bake, Two Ways: 50 Crowd-pleasing Bakes with an All-plant Option Every Time by Ruby Bhogal

Bake Joy: Easy and Imaginative Bakes To Bring You Happiness by Kim-Joy

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Trashy Town by Andrea G. Zimmerman and David Clemesha

This week Kristen and Rosika wander off from the plot of the episode. Choosing to focus instead on the moral ambiguity of a potato related emergency & marinate on a book that makes us reflect on our time as ICU nurses. 

Books Mentioned

Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

World War Z by Max Brooks

Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Kristin and Rosika drink a gallon of Hater-ade and joyfully yell about all the books they hate. And feel better about themselves for doing it, that’s definitely what happens. Spoiler warning for spoiled books in the beginning of the episode!

Creators Mentioned

Lexi aka newlynova

https://www.youtube.com/@newlynova

Books Mentioned

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

The Women by Kristin Hannah

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

The Things They Carried  by Tim O'Brien

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Join us this week as we swan dive into our love of cheesy and sometimes downright terrible romance novels! Love is in the air for Valentine's!

Creators Mentioned

You Can Sit With Us podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/6xglolTDhKYA8OKyM8IgZQ?si=e17cea082a3d4444

Books Mentioned

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

The Maid by Nita Prose

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Earth’s Children Series by Jean M. Auel

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Is finishing books always best? Should we be quitters or completionists? This episode explores the complexities why we do or do not DNF books! Also Kristen makes a friend at her local aquarium.

Creators Mentioned

Books Unbound

Books Mentioned

Oh Crap Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Albatross by Terry Fallis

Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Emma by Jane Austen

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Looking for awesome reads for the year 2025? Check out this episode as we heap praise on our favorite reads of last year!

Creators Mentioned

Books Unbound

Jay at my0.25lifecrisis

Books Mentioned

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

Braving It by James Campbell

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Boreum

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

North Woods by Daniel Mason

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka