Reading Through Life

Show notes:

We’re doing it again! We assigned each other a book to read and then waited a few weeks with nervous anticipation for the reviews. Are you taking bets? Did we love the books we were assigned to read or did we hate them? We hate to be those people, but… you’ll have to listen to find out! [insert evil laugh]

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

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

 

Assigned Books:

[1:58] The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

[3:52] The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

 

Bookish Goodies:

[6:18] Sarah - IG account: Erika @dailyebookdeals

[7:21] Mia - RTL Sad Books Mug 

 

Other Books Mentioned:

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

Columbine by Dave Cullen

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

See Jane Snap by Bethany Crandell (shout out to our listener Kimberly @coffeebooksandnature on this one) 

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

 

Related Links:

Episode 28: That Time We Picked a Book For Each Other

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

We read A LOT of books and the number one question we get is how we do it. Well, never fear, we have some great tips in this minisode for you to help you read more books more frequently. It can be done, we promise! 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[3:00] Sarah - Scribd - use this link for 60 days free!

[4:15] Mia - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

 

[6:35] 8 Tips on How to Read More

 

Related Links:

Episode 27: How to DNF a Book

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

Let’s do some book matchmaking today, shall we? In the same way that restaurants will recommend a particular wine to go with your dinner, we’ll be recommending books that pair well together. Just think of us as your gourmet book connoisseurs! 

 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[4:28] Mia - The Read Aloud Revival Podcast hosted by Sarah Mackenzie

[6:33] Sarah - Bookish tattoos

 

Book Pairings:

[8:25] Mia - Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Dracul by Dacre Stoker

[11:09] Sarah - The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

[13:18] Mia - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis, Wild by Cheryl Strayed

[16:08] Sarah - Verity by Colleen Hoover, The Push by Ashley Audrain

[18:10] Mia - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber

[19:55] Sarah - One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London, If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy, The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

[22:08] Mia - City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand

[24:15] Sarah - Olympus Texas by Stacey Swann, We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange

[25:36] Mia - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

[27:45] Sarah - People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

It’s recap time! Tune in for 10 of our June reads. We read some really great books in the month of June and have lots of 4- and 5-star reads to share. Is your TBR list growing by leaps and bounds? We hope so and we have no apologies for it.

 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[3:08] Mia - There and Back by Jimmy Chin

[4:33] Sarah - Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

 

Our June Reads:

[8:10] Mia - The Borrowed World by Franklin Horton and Ashes of the Unspeakable by Franklin Horton

[10:43] Sarah - The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman (available July 12)

[12:03] Mia - Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

[13:56] Sarah - Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

[16:07] Mia - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

[18:37] Sarah - You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

[20:57] Mia - Kaleidoscope by Cecily Wong

[22:40] Sarah - The Bright Side Running Club by Josie Lloyd

[24:33] Mia - If You Tell by Gregg Olsen

[26:26] Sarah - Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

Ahhh, magical realism. It’s a genre that Sarah and Mia both love because it’s like real life, with a little bit of spice. In this episode, we’ll talk about what magical realism is, how it differs from fantasy books, what we love about this genre, and of course, we’ll include some book recommendations. It’s just how we do it, folks. 

 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[3:50] Sarah - Storygraph

[5:10] Mia - Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

 

Magical Realism Reads:

[10:08] Mia - Life of Pi by Yann Martel

[11:02] Sarah - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

[12:09] Mia - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

[13:58] Sarah - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

[15:38] Mia - Chocolat by Joanne Harris

[17:11] Sarah - The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

[19:07] Mia - Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

[20:39] Sarah - In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

[21:55] Mia - The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

[24:01] Sarah - The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

 

[25:30] Sarah’s Bonus Recs:

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman

 

[26:16] Sarah’s Magical Realism TBR list:

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

Summer summer summertime! It’s finally here. And this is a great time for us to recommend some summer reads that’ll satisfy you while you’re reading pool- or beachside, or even in your backyard. Here are 19 unputdownable books with a summer flavor. Start gathering them now so you don’t have to put down your mai tais to go find something to read. 

 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[6:00] Sarah - The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan

[8:10] Mia - In the Depths (a poetry collection) written by Mia Sutton and designed by Sarah Hartley

 

Summer Reading Recs:

[12:21] Mia - Falling by TJ Newman

[13:08] Sarah - People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry 

[13:49] Mia - Verity by Colleen Hoover

[14:53] Sarah - The Love in the City series by Jen Morris

[15:48] Mia - wow no thank you by Samantha Irby 

[17:01] Sarah - Cover Story by Susan Rigetti

[17:58] Mia - Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 

[18:38] Sarah - The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

[19:22] Mia - The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn 

[20:25] Sarah - A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow*

[21:16] Mia - Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton

[22:10] Sarah - The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberly, Austin Sigmund Broka

[23:04] Mia - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby 

[24:18] Sarah - The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle

[25:40] Mia - Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell 

[26:55] Sarah - 28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand

[28:30] Mia - I Would Leave Me If I Could by Halsey 

[29:23] Sarah - Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

[30:33] Sarah - The Last Flight by Julie Clark

*Sarah mentioned this book being inspired by Cinderella. It's actually a Sleeping Beauty retelling. She apologizes for the misspeak.

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

We’re so excited to celebrate Pride Month on the podcast! We’ve got 10 beautiful books by and about LGBTQ people to recommend to you that encompass many different genres. LGBTQ stories are so important to the world because they remind us all that love is love.  

 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[6:32] Mia - Book Trigger Warnings (website)

[7:30] Sarah - A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss (John Oliver)

 

Pride Month Reads:

[9:57] Sarah - Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

[11:30] Mia - Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton

[13:28] Sarah - The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

[15:01] Mia - The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn

[16:42] Sarah - The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch

[18:12] Mia - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby

[19:44] Sarah - All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

[21:09] Mia - Untamed by Glennon Doyle

[22:19] Sarah - This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel

[23:45] Mia - The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

 

[25:13] Honorable Mentions:

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara

Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer

Anything by TJ Klune

 

Related episodes:

Episode 26: 18 Books We Love by Black Authors

Episode 39: 10 Books by Asian Authors We Think You Should Read

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

We’re back again to share 10 books that we read in the month of May. This time, Sarah and Mia might have switched out their reading habits. Sarah read a little bit of everything this month, while Mia mostly read light and fluffy romances. What is happening?! Also, we’ll share the 15 other books we read in our May Overflow episode for patrons, so don’t miss out on that!

 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[5:16] Sarah - Literally Reading podcast

[6:07] Mia - RTL Master Book List - check it out by becoming a patron 

 

Our May Reads:

[10:10] Mia - The Words by Ashley Jade

[12:22] Sarah - The Heart of the Deal by Lindsay MacMillan

[14:23] Mia - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

[16:31] Sarah - The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

[18:58] Mia - The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn

[20:55] Sarah - Darling Girl by Liz Michalski

[23:01] Mia - The Reunion by Meghan Quinn

[24:37] Sarah - The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

[26:48] Mia - The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

[28:50] Sarah - Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (available August 30)

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

🎶It’s the mid-way countdown! 🎶 Wait, that’s not how the song goes. Anyway, we wanted to share with you our favorite books from the first half of 2022. But we wanted to do it our way, superlative style! Come check out the books that have made us laugh, cry, and unexpectedly fall in love. Here’s to the next half of 2022 and more books that we get to read!

 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

 

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

 

Bookish Goodies:

[3:56] Mia - Readers’ Most Anticipated Books of Summer from Goodreads

[4:33] Sarah - Love in the City series by Jen Morris

 

[6:50] Our Fave Books of 2022… So Far

[8:01] Mia - It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover (also discussed in episodes 20, 29, 34)

[9:08] Sarah - Cover Story by Susan Rigetti (also discussed in episode 37)

[10:23] Sarah - Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman (also discussed in episode 33)

Chris Evans interview

[12:04] Mia - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (also discussed in episodes 17, 19, 35)

[13:26] Mia - See Jane Snap by Bethany Crandell (also discussed in episode 37)

[14:52] Sarah - Book Lovers by Emily Henry

[16:30] Sarah - Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover (also discussed in episodes 29, 33, 35)

[17:41] Mia - All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood (also discussed in the April 2022 Overflow bonus episode for patrons)

[19:07] Mia - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (also discussed in episodes 3, 5, 28)

[20:14] Sarah - The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith (also discussed in episodes 21, 31)

[21:33] Sarah - The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch (also discussed in episode 25)

[23:09] Mia - Falling by TJ Newman (also discussed in episodes 4, 16, 29, 32)

[25:01] Mia - Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (also discussed in episode 33)

[26:18] Sarah - Who is Maud Dixon by Alexandra Andrews

[27:56] Sarah - Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston (also discussed in episode 29)

[29:42] Mia - Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover (also discussed in episode 36)

[31:33] Mia - The Push by Ashley Audrain

[31:42] Mia - Corrie ten Boom by Janet Benge

[32:00] Mia - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

[32:33] Sarah - The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

[32:51] Sarah - Book Lovers by Emily Henry

[33:01] Sarah - Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe

Show notes:

Do you ever read a description for a book and get drawn to certain words? Words that make you want to immediately read the story without knowing much else about it? We get it because that happens to us all the time. Those sneaky book marketers know what they’re doing! In this episode, we share the buzzwords that light us up and also a few that turn us away. 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get an exclusive bookish goodie every single Friday. With fun bonus episode series like: Books We Both Love, Monthly Overflow Books, Bookish Conundrums, and The New Books in Our Lives plus a private community for RTL Book Nerds only, you’re going to love being a part of our Patreon. Not only that, but you’re helping to support our show by saying I LOVE WHAT YOU DO. 

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

Bookish Goodies:

[3:36] Modern Mrs. Darcy “Quick Lit” post about her April reads

[3:45] Mia - Fault Lines by Emily Itami

[5:01] Sarah - New bookshelves 

[7:48] Sarah - Feminist bookends

[10:11] Book Buzzwords

[14:22] All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

[16:05] The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

[16:18] TJ Klune Books: The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door

[18:41] Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

[19:21] Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

[20:51] Anti-Buzzword Books:

[21:06] Sarah - The Grace Year by Kim Liggett (Sarah loved this!)

[23:33] Sarah - The People We Keep by Allison Larkin

[23:44] Sarah - One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

[23:55] Sarah - Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (Sarah loved this!)

[24:12] Sarah - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

[24:39] Mia - How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (Mia loved this one!)

[24:49] Mia - When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

 

Follow us on Instagram: @readingthroughlifepod

Follow Sarah: @thekindredvoice

Follow Mia: @miasutton55

 

* 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.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingthroughlife.substack.com/subscribe