In this month's Patreon episode, we begin a new series: The Twilight Saga, by Stephanie Meyer. We start with…Twilight! Topics include our initial reactions to reading this book as emotional teens, Vampire Garbage Edward Cullen, Human Bowl of Oatmeal Bella, the unnervingly fast timeline of this book, what the heck is up with Stephenie Meyer, and Taylor’s utter ~chagrin~ throughout this episode. Plus, a quick Vampire Diaries tangent. And of course, we dive into the Twilight movie franchise.

This month's cocktail: The Skin of a Killer (aka Special Sparkly Gin & Tonic)

INGREDIENTS: 

• 6 oz elderflower tonic water (or regular tonic water)
• 1.5 oz Gin
• Juice of ½ lime
• 3 dashes lavender bitters
• 3 dashes orange bitters
• 1 tap edible glitter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Fill tall glass with ice. Add all ingredients and stir
2. Garnish with a lime wheel
   
   
   

Join us next time as we continue our Twilight Saga re-read with New Moon!

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Tom Lin’s 2026 novel Babylon, South Dakota. Topics include traveling to the Dakotas, sentences with “good mouth feel”, the confusing concept of the Methuselah Project (we try our best), the unexpectedly tragic ending, and the souls of animals. 

This week’s drink: South Dakota Gold Rush via Valiant Winery + Distillery

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 oz Clay Turner bourbon
• ¾ oz South Dakota honey syrup
  • Dissolve ½ cup honey into ¼ cup hot water. Let cool before using.
• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice
2. Shake vigorously until well chilled
3. Strain into a whiskey glass
4. Garnish with a lemon wheel

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

Big Mistakes on Netflix

Avatar: The Last Airbender (live action) on Netflix

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we begin a revisit of the Twilight series - Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn - from previously recorded Patreon-only episodes, now available on the main feed!

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Jeffrey Eugenides’s 2002 novel Middlesex. Topics include proper name pronunciation, iced coffee orders, surprising narrative decisions, the immigrant experience in America and the disillusionment of the American dream, Calliope/Cal and the turbulence of adolescence, and Cal’s ultimate decision on how to live his life. Plus, we go on a slight tangent about AI.

This week’s drink: Sidecar (via liquor.com)

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 1/2 ounces cognac
• 3/4 ounce orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• Garnish: orange twist
• Garnish: sugar rim (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Coat the rim of a coupe glass with sugar, if desired, and set aside.
2. Add the cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
3. Strain into the prepared glass.
4. Garnish with an orange twist.

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age by Amanda Hess

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Louis Sachar’s 1998 novel Holes. Topics include childhood memories, the questionable Texas justice system, the tragic tale of Kissin’ Kate Barlow and Sam the Onion Man, coincidence or magic, Stanley’s growth, and terrible adults. Plus, we talk about the stellar movie adaptation, and other required reading in elementary school. 

This week’s drink: Ranch Water (via liquor.com)

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila
• 1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
• Topo Chico, chilled, to top (about 6 ounces)
• Garnish: lime wedge

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add all ingredients into a collins or highball glass over ice and stir briefly and gently to combine.
2. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Xochitl Gonzalez’s 2026 novel Last Night in Brooklyn. Topics include the Great Gatsby parallels, bringing previous book characters back (oh hi Lily King), different types of privilege, brunch confrontations, nostalgia for the cities you lived in, early 2000s Muse and Shiny Toy Guns, Alicia’s journey, and the illusion of freedom wealth brings. Plus, we talk about the Netflix adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures.

This week’s drink: Bensonhurst via Difford’s Guide

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 1⁄2 oz Straight rye whiskey
• 1⁄3 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
• 1 oz Dry Vermouth
• 1⁄6 oz Cynar or other carciofo amaro
• Maraschino cherry, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Chill a coupe glass
2. Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into the chilled glass
3. Garnish with a maraschino cherry

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

Lit Hub Best of the Best Books Summer Reading Challenge

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read Holes by Louis Sachar

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Mieko Kawakami’s 2026 novel Sisters in Yellow. Topics include Mieko’s aesthetic, problems and difficulties with Japanese to English translation, immersion in time and place and expanding our conception of Japan, Hana’s (and other’s) dependence upon and obsession with money, the enigma of Kimiko, and the importance of yellow. 

This week’s drink: Lemon Water

INGREDIENTS 

• Water (still or sparkling)
• Ice
• Lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour water into a tall glass with ice
2. Cut lemon to slices or wedges and add to glass

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

Interview with Mieko Kawakami and her translators

Linea Nigra: An Essay on Pregnancy & Earthquakes by Jazmina Barrera

On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Laurie Colwin’s 1990 novel Goodbye Without Leaving. Topics include Laurie Colwin’s style, Geri’s compassion for black music and awareness of black/white relationships in her current time, domestic apprehension, Geri’s quest for identity and belonging, and European immigrants and American identity. Plus, we sing the praises of the Combo Caddy.

This week’s drink: the Geri (a Taylor Made creation)

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 ½ oz bourbon
• ¾ oz Applejack
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 TB lemon juice
• Dashes of Angostura and cardamom bitters

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled
2. Strain into a glass with a single large ice cube or sphere

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harlow

All Her Fault (TV show)

20 Feet from Stardom (documentary)

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read Sisters in Yellow by Meiko Kawakami

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Ariel Lawhon’s 2023 novel The Frozen River. Topics include the latest hot goss on Disney/Marvel vs Dune 3, cover gripes, the real Martha Ballard and the “mom-ness” of the book, the continuing injustice for women, Taylor’s soapbox on women and medicine, the return of Puritanical hypocrisy, and the inclusion of Doctor and Native medicine. Plus, Taylor finally watched Sinners!! 

This week’s drink: Safety Meeting by Stowe Cider

INGREDIENTS 

• One (1) can Safety Meeting cider, ice cold

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Crack open the can and pour into a chilled glass

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society by Eleanor Janega 

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Alexandra Bell’s 2025 novel The White Octopus Hotel. Topics include plane books (and plane experiences in general), some gripes about the novel, art deco, and the intricacies of time travel. Plus, we check in about the Remarkably Bright Creatures movie, and talk about Spider-Man.

This week’s drink: Death in the Afternoon via liquor.com

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 ½ oz absinthe
• 4 to 4 ½ oz chilled champagne 
• For a less potent cocktail, you can swap the champagne with tonic water and/or decrease the amount of absinthe

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour absinthe into a coupe glass
2. Top slowly with the champagne 

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana by Abe Streep

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

In this week’s episode, Kayla and Taylor discuss Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter. Topics include delicious recipes, listening to the “modern reader” edition, was Nathaniel Hawthorne a woman in disguise?, Hawthorne’s hilarious disdain for Puritans, Arthur Dimmesdale (owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome) and his struggles, Pearl and her uncanny understanding of the world, and the only way this story could end. Plus, we talk Oscars.

This week’s drink: The Scarlet Letter via Charbay Distillery

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 ½ oz Charbay Pomegranate Vodka (or any pomegranate vodka)
•  ½ oz Cointreau
•  ¾ oz Red Wine Gastrique
•  ½ oz Lemon Juice
•  3 dashes Scrappy's Cardamon Bitters
•  Long Meadow Ranch Merlot Sea Salt (for rim)
•  1 Sprig Thyme

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add all ingredients into a shaker and add ice.
2. Shake well and double strain into a cocktail glass, rimmed with the Merlot sea salt.
3. Garnish with the sprig of thyme.
4. To make the Red Wine Gastrique: Reduce by 1/3 a medium to heavy-bodied red wine. While still hot, stir in equal amounts of fine white sugar until dissolved. Add same amount of sherry wine vinegar so that the solution is 1:1:1 and mix. Let cool and keep in fridge.

Current/recommended reads, links, etc.:

The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan

Follow us on Instagram @literatureandlibationspod.

You can email us at [email protected].

Please leave us a review and/or rating! It really helps others find our podcast…and it makes us happy!

Purchase books via bookshop.org or check them out from your local public library. 

Join us next time as we read The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell