Pull out your mood rings, because this week we're reading by vibes!

Today I'm returning to the pod with an extra special guest, Rachel Ropeik.

Rachel is a cultural catalyst and pirate who works with equal parts wisdom and whimsy. From navigating the halls of the Guggenheim, the Brooklyn Museum, and MoMA to setting sail as a consultant changemaker, she blends thoughtful disruption and playful innovation in work with both cultural organizations and individuals.

Rachel reached out to me this spring to ask if we could chat about our different reading styles. And even though I was deep in a reading slump... I still said YES PLEASE!

In this conversation, Rachel and I unpack the concept of "mood reading" and share a few of the moods that inspired our recent reads. Tune in for over a dozen vibe-specific recs, including:

From Rachel:

• ​The Antidote by Karen Russell
• The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley
• We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape by Tricia Hersey
• ​Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
• The Nap Ministry's Rest Deck by Tricia Hersey
• Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
• The Mars House by Natasha Pulley
• The Giver by Lois Lowry

From Amelia:

• Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
• The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
• Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
• The Deep by Rivers Solomon
• The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
• Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• Neon Gods by Katee Robert

More links from Rachel: NPR's Book of the Day, NYTimes Read Like the Wind, What To Read If from Elizabeth Held

 
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Today we've got our second ever nonfiction list, and it's all about TIME! 

Tune in to hear how I've been reimagining the clock with the help of these four books. Then find the (affiliate) links below to purchase them for yourself.

 
🕰️ Recommended Books

• Saving Time by Jenny Odell
• Making Time by Maria Bowler (sponsored)
• Dismantling the Master's Clock by Rasheedah Phillips
• World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down by Christian McEwen 

 
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I read 13 books in February and 15 books in March. So we're gonna do another monthly reading recap!

In this episode, I'm sharing 60 second reviews of everything I read in late winter — from dark academia to light romance to my first non-fiction reads of 2025.

You can expect podcasters falling in love, goddesses rising from the dead, and sexy sacrilegious smut. I hope you enjoy!

Books mentioned in this episode:
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Washington
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavasky
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao
Know Your Newlywed (audio only)
Just My Type by Falon Ballard
Priest by Sierra Simone
We All Rot Eventually by Mia Ballard
Elegy for the Undead by Matthew Vesely
Goddess of Filth by V. Castro
The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha
Lo Fi by Liz Riggs

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

Perfume & Pain by Anna Dorn
Back After This by Linda Holmes
To the Gorge by Emily Halnon (I forgot to talk about this one but it's amazing!)
Must Love Silence by Lucy Bexley
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
Goddess Complex by Sanjena Sathian
The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
Everybody is a Liar by Liv Constantine (audio only)
Fat Girls Hiking by Summer Michaud-Skog
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

 
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This one goes out to all my cooler-than-thou millennials tuning in — because this week I’m sharing books set in the indie sleaze scene!

If you’re not familiar with indie sleaze, think skinny jeans, sweaty clubs, early aughts attitude and bands like The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The scene was dominate by boys-in-bands, but in my personal (admittedly nostalgic) experience the music venues were full of women! So I wanted to find books by all the girls in the crowds like me, who loved this music but maybe weren’t well-represented there.
Tune in for three books that are also playlists. I hope you enjoy!

🎸Indie Sleaze Reads I Recommend:

06:15 — Lo Fi by Liz Riggs + the playlist

13:15 — Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley + the playlist

19:00 — I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall + the playlist

And if you love this episode, you might also love the documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom!

 
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OMG we've got our first guest — Bailey Lang of The Writing Desk!

Bailey is a late-diagnosed neurodivergent writer, editor, and coach. Through her company, The Writing Desk, she helps businesses and authors tell stories that matter. Bailey has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember, and her favorite thing to do is talk about books and writing.

Bailey reached out to me at the end of last year, asking if we could do an episode together. She proposed that she could share a list of fiction reads with great neurodivergent representation… and I said YES PLEASE!

So in this episode, we’ll hear from Bailey as she shares a few of her fave books with implicit and explicit representation of autistic or neurodivergent characters. We love to see/hear it!

😎 Bailey’s Book Recs:

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

“Vaster Than Empires and More Slow” by Ursula K. Le Guin

PLUS! This whole list of neurodivergence-related books that Bailey recommends

 
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Poetry is perfect for liminal seasons. And I find myself craving poetic wisdom as winter drags on and slowly turns to spring.

So in this episode, I’m recommending seven recent poetry collections (released in 2023, 2024 or 2025) that are helping me feel alive right now!

These books take on a wide range of themes, tones, and poetic forms, so there’s something here for everyone. Enjoy!

📜 Recommended Books

3:00 Two Open Doors in a Field by Sophie Klahr
5:00 Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan
6:00 Gemini Gospel by Bianca Alyssa Pérez
8:30 recurring characters by evan chelsee
11:45 Amouroboros by Amelia K.
14:45 Big Money Porno Mommy by Catherine Weiss
18:00 Survival Takes a Wild Imagination by Fariha Róisín

 
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February is the shortest, darkest month. So why not go back to the most ominous place I can imagine... high school? ☠️

In this episode, I'm recommending six dark academia books that all take place in high school and are written for a YA audience. 

Tune in to hear how these academic adventures take on the more unsavory aspects of our society — addressing racism, sexism, and classism within the ivory tower and beyond. Then grab the (affiliate) links below to purchase your own copies!

 
🎓 YA Dark Academia Recs:

• How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao
• Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
• The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavasky
• Their Vicious Games by Joelle Washington
• Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
• A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

 
More from Amelia:
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Happy Valentine's season, my lovely readers/listeners!

In this episode, I'm celebrating the month of ~~love~~ by sharing a curated list of 5-star romances including my all time faves, a few unexpected picks, and my February romance TBR.

We're talking about 17 romantic books in this episode — including all your fave tropes like enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, second chance and more.

Tune in to inspire your own heartwarming reading list. Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo
 
💘 ALL TIME FAVE ROMANCE RECS

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

🖤 UNEXPECTED ROMANCE PICKS
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

💓 MY CURRENT ROMANCE TBR
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto

This Time it’s Real by Ann Liang

 
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I read 15 books in January. Some I loved, some I...didn't, and others I barely remember! 🙃

So let's try out a monthly reading recap. In this episode, I'm sharing 60 second reviews of everything I read this month from romance to fantasy to extreme horror.

Dragons, dancers, and time travel, oh my! I hope you enjoy!
 
Books mentioned in this episode:
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Second Night Stand by Karelia and Fay Stetz-Waters
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy
Bluejay by Megan Stockton
Dead Girls Talking by Megan Cooley Peterson
Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir 
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams

 
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My favorite winter activity is cozying up with a good book. And when I *really* want to embrace the dark vibes of the season, I turn to a creepy, cold-weather thriller.

So in this episode, I'm recommending three snow-drenched thrillers that I recently enjoyed reading — all of which feature blizzards, bad relationships, and twists that I never saw coming. I hope you enjoy!
 
Books recommended in this episode:

⛪️ Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
✍️ The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
❄️ Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

 
More from Amelia:
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