Season 6, Episode 26: Patreon Free Trials + Bookish Friends’ Best and Worst Books of 2023

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: bookish pre-orders and picking the right books for ourselves Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: Bookish Friends’ best and worst books of 2023, with interesting overlaps! The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  .  2:19 - Currently Reading Patreon (sign up for a 7 day free trial and check out all the goodness!) 7:42 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 10:57 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (pre-order, releases June 11, 2024) 11:01 - Long Bright River by Liz Moore 12:51 - Fabled Bookshop 14:29  - Our Current Reads 14:42 - The Elephants of Thula Thula by Francoise Malby-Anthony (Kaytee) 15:09 - The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence 18:04 - The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (Meredith) 20:32 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 20:35 - Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 24:12 - Erasure by Percival Everett (Kaytee) 29:48 - The Trees by Percival Everett 30:42 - What the Dead Know by Barbara Butcher (Meredith) 35:28 - The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein 36:51 - Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (Kaytee) 36:56 - The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 40:38 - The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (Meredith) 45:31 - This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger 46:11 - Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger  46:20 - Ordinary Grace by Willam Kent Krueger 46:42 - Deep Dive: Bookish Friends’ Best and Worst Reads of 2023 46:51 - Currently Reading Patreon 50:35 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (#1 best AND worst read) 51:25 - Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (#5 favorite) 51:28 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (#4 favorite) 51:32 - Hello Beautiful by Anne Napolitano (#3 favorite) 51:36 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (#2 favorite) 51:49 - The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (#5 least favorite)  51:54 - Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (tied #3 least favorite) 51:56 - Happy Place by Emily Henry (tied #3 least favorite) 51:59 - I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai (#2 least favorite) 52:23 - Shark Heart by Emily Habeck 52:46 - Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 53:46 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 53:47 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 54:39 - Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld 54:46 - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 57:58 - The Whispers by Ashley Audrain 59:05 - The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin 59:17 - Sarah’s Bookshelves Interview with Lara Love Hardin 1:01:37 - Meet Us At The Fountain 1:01:45 - I wish for  more duologies in the bookish universe. (Kaytee) 1:02:12 - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny 1:02:45 - I want those who love mysteries, thriller and horror to follow @mother.horror on Instagram (Meredith) 1:03:34 - Mother Horror Patreon 1:03:51 - Near the Bone by Christina Henry 1:04:09 - The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February’s IPL is brought to you by Booktenders in Huntington, West Virginia. Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!