In Our Bookish Era

Fall is finally here, but before we can jump into all our spooky, scary, cozy fall reads, let's chat about what we read last month!

Kristia read 14 books in September, but picked her top favs while Rachael snagged a book with beautiful sprayed edges.

Books Discussed:

Reign & Ruin by J.D. Evans

The Female by Invi Wright

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

Honorable Mention:

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

We're baaaccck!

Your two favorite night owls are back, we may have a new name, but you can still count on us telling you about the books we've been reading and loving lately. 

While we were away, Rachael was in her New Mom Era while Kristia fell into her Romantasy/Smut Era. With lots of pages read since we last chatted, buckle in for quite the episode, we're coving a handful of books this time!

We covered a lot of books this episode, lets jump in.

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ACOTAR Series by Sarah J. Mass

"To the stars that listen and the dreams that are answered"

"I am the rock against which the surf crashes." 

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

"Sometimes, life just throws shit at you and there's nothing you can do but grab a shovel and start digging yourself out."

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

"Be wary. Be clever. Be good."

Assistant to the Villian by Hannah Nicole Maeher

“You just can't kill people and be pretty. It's confusing.”

Lights Out by Kalya James

"We do this together." 

The Coven by Harper L. Woods

“If it is order that you value, then I will bring you nothing but chaos.”

Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera

“You don't owe anyone your whole story.”

Has we've said before, March birthdays are the best birthdays! This episode we've got two books related to birth[days] and an announcement! One book is a memoir and the other is low fantasy. One changed the lives of women, the other has magic! One has a show on BBC the other... well it's just for the hehes and the hahas.

In other news, our very own Rachael is with child! We wish her and her family love, health, and rest in this next stage. With that, we will also be taking a hiatus while they get their baring as a family of three. Be sure and check out our Instagram @isntitpastyourbedtime for updates on what we're reading and status on when we return.

Books Discussed:

Viciously Yours by Jamie Applegate Hunter

Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s by Jennifer Worth

What happens when a Cupid and a Reaper get together to get revenge on said Cupid's ex. Love, obviously. This episode our morally grey leading man is named Death, Daddy Death that is. This adorable novella is gunna hit ya right in the heart.

Book Discussed:

Petty Cupid by Sarah Blue

Sticking with the love theme, but adding in some fantasy. This episode we've got a house sitting over a magical land, with wardens trying not only to protect the house, but their hearts as well. The other is a widely popular story with Fae, magical beasts, invisible walls, and so much more going on than could be said!

Books Discussed:

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

This mini we've got some more dark romance. Here, our leading lady is a ghost with a few goals:

1. Figure out how to not be a ghost any more
2. Figure out who she actually is
3. Find a way to have sex with the four guys in the house she's currently haunting
4. Eat popcorn

Pretty solid goals if you ask us.

Book Discussed:

Four Psychos by Kristy Cunning

Your annual reminder that you should be reading diverse books all year long. But we get it, sometimes it can be a struggle to know where to start, or to get out of the algorithm of white lady authors. Both books this episode are Audible Originals and no longer than 8 hours. One gives How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days vibes, in the best possible way when our main character agrees to be a starter ex for her little sister's crush. The other is set in a future world ruled mostly by AI, and the main human character has to help a stolen robot learn how to be more human.

Books Discussed:

The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa

The A.I. That Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

Romance isn't dead and neither is the love these two feel for each other. Our first mini of February is about two serial killers who fall in love with one another. He's got golden retriever energy and a slight Irish accent, what's not to love. We beg you to please read the CW before reading this book yourself!

Book Discussed:

Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

While we're always trying to improve, resolutions just aren't for us. New year, same us. This episode though we read some books flagged as "self help" to see if they'd give us any little nuggets we could embrace. While neither of these books will likely change our lives, there are a few vibes we took away. Hopefully you're not too hard on yourself this year. Crank your music, buy yourself the flowers, compliment a stranger when you can, and try not to let Betty in accounting get ya down!

We aren't sure how the first round is selected for the Goodread Choice Awards, but we celebrate anyway. This episode covers two of the winner from 2023. They are total opposites. One is about an author stealing not only a manuscript, but so much more. The other, a private detective solving crimes during the pandemic, with some cannibalism mixed in.

Books Discussed:

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Holly by Stephen King