*Want to add our podcast directly to your podcast feed? CLICK HERE for all the details.*

Hi, book nerds! We’re really excited to bring these monthly episodes to our paid subscribers. We’ll be sharing what we read this past month, starting with some featured books that have more of an-depth review. And then we’ll finish off the episode with the rest of the books we read with a couple of quick thoughts, and also share some books we’re excited to read next. Time to dive in!

If you aren’t yet a paying subscriber, click the button below to upgrade and unlock the entire episode. It’s just $5/month to support our show.

*Want to add our podcast directly to your podcast feed? CLICK HERE for all the details.*

Hi, book nerds! We’re really excited to bring these monthly episodes to our paid subscribers. We’ll be sharing what we read this past month, starting with some featured books that have more of an-depth review. And then we’ll finish off the episode with the rest of the books we read with a couple of quick thoughts, and also share some books we’re excited to read next. Time to dive in!

If you aren’t yet a paying subscriber, click the button below to upgrade and unlock the entire episode. It’s just $5/month to support our show.

*Want to add our podcast directly to your podcast feed? CLICK HERE for all the details.*

Hi, book nerds! We’re really excited to bring these monthly episodes to our paid subscribers. We’ll be sharing what we read this past month, starting with some featured books that have more of an-depth review. And then we’ll finish off the episode with the rest of the books we read with a couple of quick thoughts, and also share some books we’re excited to read next. Time to dive in!

If you aren’t yet a paying subscriber, click the button below to upgrade and unlock the entire episode. It’s just $5/month to support our show.

*Want to add our podcast directly to your podcast feed? CLICK HERE for all the details.*

Hi, book nerds! We’re really excited to bring these monthly episodes to our paid subscribers. We’ll be sharing what we read this past month, but we’ll be going a little more in depth than we do in our weekly recaps. Well… sort of. We kind of decided that we don’t want to talk much about books that we don’t really care for (other than a quick thought about why it didn’t work). We’d rather be super excited about sharing books we loved or want to feature for a particular reason. Let us know what you think about this change.

If you aren’t yet a paying subscriber, click here to upgrade and unlock the entire episode. It’s just $5/month to support our show.

*Note: At times throughout the episode, Mia’s mic was giving her grief. Please give us grace.*

Well, hello there! We’re back in your ears and we’re so excited to share our top fiction books of 2024. We each have our top 10 lists and we even have 2 books in common, gasp! We hope you enjoy our lists and the giggles and we’re wishing you happy holidays from our bookshelves to yours.

Number 10[07:22] M: TOLD YOU SO by Sarah Asermily[09:10] S: HOW TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT by Emma Noyes

Number 9[10:18] M: SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN by John Wiswell[11:39] S: THE DAYS I LOVED YOU MOST by Amy Neff

Number 8[12:45] M: MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES by Rufi Thorpe[13:52] S: THE SAME BRIGHT STARS by Ethan Joella

Number 7[14:45] M: SMALL MERCIES by Dennis Lehane[15:45] S: THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES by John Boyne

Number 6[16:51] M: THE SAME BRIGHT STARS by Ethan Joella[17:51] S: FATHER OF THE RAIN by Lily King

Number 5[18:40] M: BLACKTOP WASTELAND by S.A. Cosby[19:42] S: MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES by Rufi Thorpe

Number 4[20:36] M: A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS by Paul Tremblay[22:13] S: BLUE SISTERS by Coco Mellors

Number 3[23:04] M: IF WE WERE VILLAINS by M.L. Rio[24:08] S: THE OTHER YEAR by Rea Frey

Number 2[25:33] M: YOU LIKE IT DARKER by Stephen King[26:35] S: THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah

Number 1[27:45] M: I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS[29:13] S: SANDWICH by Catherine Newman

Also mentioned:

* Best of 2024 Books So Far

* Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age by Shannon Watts (Sarah’s story is in here!)

Show notes:

We left you with a cliffhanger in our last episode about some big news for RTL. Well, the day has come to give you the full scoop about the podcast and its future. This is a don’t-miss episode, so please tune in! We love you, book nerds. 

Join our RTL Substack to become a free or paid subscriber.

Follow RTL on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahhartleyco 

Follow Mia on Instagram: @fastlifeinslowlane

Show notes:

We’re back again with our monthly reading recap. We’re sharing 10 books we read in March and giving you the scoop on what we loved and didn’t. Also, Patrons, don’t forget to tune into our Overflow bonus episode this Friday to hear the rest of our March reviews. Happy listening!

Find the time stamped show notes below with links to all of the fun things we mentioned.

Something Bookish:

[01:59] S: The Bookish Goods store

[02:53] M: I Am Homeless If This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore

Lithub article: 30 New Books Critics Think You Should Read Right Now

Books We Read in March:

[05:04] S: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

[06:59] M: It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman

[08:33] S: Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

[10:18] M: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

[12:37] S: Something Wild by Hanna Halperin

[14:27] M: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

[16:48] S: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

[18:16] M: Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix

[19:54] S: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

[22:36] M: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

[25:54] The Rest of the Books We Read in March

Want our show notes delivered right to your inbox? Join our RTL Substack so that you’ll get a link for every single book we mention with no extra work. It’s free!

Follow RTL on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahhartleyco 

Follow Mia on Instagram: @fastlifeinslowlane

* The books noted above contain affiliate links. This means that we may get a small kickback if you purchase through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Show notes:

Music and books pair together so well. We’re both huge music fans and reading books about music and musicians really fascinates us. Today, we’re sharing some fiction and nonfiction books recs about music and we hope you’ll tune in to find some new faves!

Click here to join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus bookish goodies! Get our monthly overflow, new books episodes, and Life Through Reading episodes, our private Facebook group, and more. Plus, supporting us in this way just shows that you love what we do!

Find the time stamped show notes below with links to all of the fun things we mentioned.

Something Bookish:

[04:43] S: Grayson by Lynne Cox

This is Love podcast, “Something Large and Wild”

[06:18] M: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Fiction Books About Music:

[12:35] S: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

[13:20] M: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

[14:22] S: The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton

[14:57] M: The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

[16:06] S: Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

[16:53] M: Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

[17:42] S: Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman

[18:19] M: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

[19:11] S: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

[20:06] M: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

[21:03] S: Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

[21:41] S: The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Nonfiction Books About Music:

[22:29] M: The Beautiful Ones by Prince

[23:10] S: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

[23:56] M: Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton

[24:38] S: Open Book by Jessica Simpson

[25:16] M: Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis

Want our show notes delivered right to your inbox? Join our RTL Substack so that you’ll get a link for every single book we mention with no extra work. It’s free!

Show notes:

It’s time for our February reading recap! We’re sharing 10 books we read in February and our opinions of them, the good and the bad. It was a bit of a weird reading month for us, but we powered through! Also, Patrons, don’t forget to tune into our Overflow bonus episode this Friday to hear the rest of our February reviews. Happy listening!

Click here to join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus bookish goodies! Get our monthly overflow, new books episodes, and Life Through Reading episodes, our private Facebook group, and more. Plus, supporting us in this way just shows that you love what we do!

Find the time stamped show notes below with links to all of the fun things we mentioned.

Something Bookish:

[02:13] M: If you’re in a reading rut, try reading books in a different format. Audiobooks have helped me get my reading mojo back!

[02:45] S: I’m sharing a lovely memory of going to the bookstore with all of my boys recently. 

Books We Read in February:

[05:51] M: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

[07:54] S: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

[10:14] M: Leaving: A Novel by Roxana Robinson

[13:12] S: Five Years From Now by Paige Toon

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon

[14:59] M: In Bloom by Paul Tremblay

[16:17] S: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

[18:10] M: Survive the Night by Riley Sager

[19:49] S: The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger

[22:50] M: If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook

[25:06] S: Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

[27:40] The Rest of the Books We Read in February

Want our show notes delivered right to your inbox? Join our RTL Substack so that you’ll get a link for every single book we mention with no extra work. It’s free!

Follow RTL on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahhartleyco 

Follow Mia on Instagram: @fastlifeinslowlane

* The books noted above contain affiliate links. This means that we may get a small kickback if you purchase through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Show notes:

Debut novels are so exciting! Can you imagine being a writer and getting your book out into the world for the first time? We love supporting debut authors and today we’re sharing more debut novels we’ve loved (check out episode 74 of the podcast for part 1) and a few we’re excited to try. 

Click here to join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus bookish goodies! Get our monthly overflow, new books episodes, and Life Through Reading episodes, our private Facebook group, and more. Plus, supporting us in this way just shows that you love what we do!

Find the time stamped show notes below with links to all of the fun things we mentioned.

Something Bookish:

[02:49] M: Let’s be friends on Goodreads.

[03:07] S: Check out PangoBooks and visit my store.  

Debut Novels We’re Excited to Try:

[05:49] M: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (out Mar 5, 2024)

[07:02] Jaded by Ela Lee

[07:50] S: The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

[09:32] A Good Happy Girl by Marissa Higgins (out Apr 2, 2024)

Debut Novels We’ve Loved:

[10:59] M: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Verity by Colleen Hoover

[12:27] S: In Memoriam by Alice Winn

[13:35] M: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Dracula by Bram Stoker

[14:59] S: Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

[16:08] M: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

[17:25] S: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

[19:58] M: Brooklyn ‘76 by Anthony Ausiello

[21:20] S: A Little Hope by Ethan Joella

[22:28] M: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

[23:54] S: The Measure by Nikki Erlick

[25:02] Sarah’s Other Notable Debuts:

• The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch

• Love Buzz by Neely Tubati Alexander

• How to be Eaten by Maria Adelmann

• Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

• Pete and Alice in Maine by Caitlin Shetterly

• Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

• The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman

Also Mentioned:
RTL Episode 74, Debut Novels We Loved

Want our show notes delivered right to your inbox? Join our RTL Substack so that you’ll get a link for every single book we mention with no extra work. It’s free!

Follow RTL on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahhartleyco 

Follow Mia on Instagram: @fastlifeinslowlane

* The books noted above contain affiliate links. This means that we may get a small kickback if you purchase through our links, at no additional cost to you.