Reading Through Life

Show notes:

We’re kind of scared to share these book confessions with you, if we’re being honest. Eek. There are some questionable book practices going on in this episode, but we’re confident that some of you will be able to relate. Hopefully. Don’t hate us. We’re still lovable book nerds.

Special thanks to @coffeebooksandnature for the inspiration for this episode.

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • Adrift by Tami Oldham Ashcraft
  • Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino

* 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:

How did we pack so many books into such a short month?! Who knows, but we did! And we also had a really great month with lots of 5 star reads, so you’re in for a treat of RTL-approved recommendations from us. Check out these 10 books we read in Feb, but don’t forget to join us on Patreon for the Overflow episode where you’ll hear the other 13 books we read. If you’re not a Patron yet, now’s the time to join! 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
  • Revival by Stephen King
  • Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
  • All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
  • Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston
  • The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
  • Recitatif by Toni Morrison
  • Falling by TJ Newman
  • Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker
  • Mama Bear Apologetics by Hilary Morgan Ferrer
  • It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
  • What Do We Know - poems by Mary Oliver

* 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:

Last month, we thought it would be fun to assign a book for the other person to read. It was a little nerve wracking because we both have such different tastes in books, but we decided to go for it anyway. Now we’ve finished up the assigned reads and are ready to share our thoughts. Eek! Come see what we thought and if we’ll try this experiment again. 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
  • Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Landline by Rainbow Rowell
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

* 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:

DNF is a term you hear a lot in the book world. Today, we’re talking about what it means, the pros and cons of DNF-ing a book, and also exactly how to do it, or at least the criteria that we use. We also share some books that we have DNF-ed and why. If you’re ever unsure whether to DNF a book or not, remember to ask yourself this: What would Sarah do?

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
  • The Vacationers by Emma Straub
  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  • Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
  • When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
  • The Maytrees by Annie Dillard
  • Private Way by Ladette Randolph

Thank you to our patron @kirstelisabetreads for the inspiration for this episode!

* 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:

Though we love reading diverse books by diverse authors all year round, in honor of Black History Month, we wanted to share some of the books we love written by Black authors. As always, there’s a mix of genres to choose from, or heck, read them ALL! We won’t judge.

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
  • All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle
  • Ace of Spades by Faridah Abiki-Iyimide
  • The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
  • The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
  • Seven Days in June by Tia Williams 
  • Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
  • The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
  • Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
  • Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
  • The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
  • we are never meeting in real life by Samantha Irby
  • Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
  • So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
  • Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
  • The Color of Water by James McBride
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  • A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
• Also mentioned:
• • Follow author S.A. Cosby on Twitter

* 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:

Did January feel 846 days long, or was it just us? At least it allowed us (well, mostly Sarah) to read a gazillion books and we want to share them with you today. Here are 10 books we read in January - some that we loved and some that we didn’t. Isn’t that just the way the cookie crumbles? Give it a listen and then join us on Patreon for the Overflow episode where you’ll hear the other 11 books we read. 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • The Sun is a Compass by Caroline Van Hemert
  • The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
  • The Push by Ashley Audrain
  • Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins by Oné R. Pagán
  • The Green Ember by S.D. Smith
  • Everlost by Neal Shusterman
  • Winders by Ryan O’Nan
  • Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger
  • The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
  • The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen
  • A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin
  • Truth and Other Lies by Maggie Smith [available March 8, 2022]

* 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:

It’s February, so you know what that means: love is in the air! Or at least on the pages of the books we’re discussing today. We’re basking in some fictional romances that run the gamut from 5-tissue-box worthy ones to light and fluffy ones and everything in between. To paraphrase Mr. Darcy, you must allow us to tell you how ardently we admire and love these books.   

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche
  • The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
  • The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
  • November 9 by Colleen Hoover
  • American Royals by Katharine McGee
  • 28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand
  • The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
  • The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves
  • There’s Something About Merry by Codi Hall
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
  • The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
  • The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
• Also mentioned:
• • Reading Through Life, episode 9: The Loneliness of Motherhood

* 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:

We’re both 100% book nerds and totally proud of it. If you’re listening to this discussion, you probably consider yourself a book nerd too. But what exactly IS a book nerd? And how do you know if you are one? These are the burning questions we answer in today’s episode. And a bonus question: do book-scented candles smell like dust? Join us for the scoop.  

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
  • Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
  • One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
  • I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (available May 2022)
  • 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die by James Mustich
  • The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
  • People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
  • Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton
  • A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
  • Mia’s poetry collection, In the Depths
• Also mentioned:
• • Author Marie Force on readers who email her negative comments

* 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:

Do you remember diving into your favorite book series as a kid? Not-so-patiently waiting to get the next installment from the library or store? In this episode, we had fun revisiting some of the books we loved as a kid, but also sharing the books our kids love now. Fantasy, adventure, comics, historical fiction, and poop jokes - these book recs have them all! Get nostalgic with us, won’t you? 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
  • This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel
  • Books by Roald Dahl: BFG and Matilda
  • Sweet Valley High books by Francine Pascal
  • The Baby-Sitters Club books by Ann M. Martin
  • Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish
  • Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
  • Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
  • Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
  • I Survived books by Lauren Tarshis
  • Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey
  • Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
  • Ninja Kid by Anh Do
  • Henry Hecklebeck by Wanda Coven
  • Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

* 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:

Oh hey, just your friendly TBR expanders (that’s a thing, right?) here. It’s the start of a new year and we know there are some exciting books being released in the near future. We’ve gathered 12 books that we can’t wait to read and we think you’ll like them, too. As always, there’s a mix of genres to suit every reader. We aim to please! 

Click here to join us on Patreon to get extra bookish goodies like bonus episodes, end of year rating guides, book club, and more!

Related Links:

• Books mentioned*:
• • February 2022 Releases
  • • A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury (Feb 1)
    • The Fashion Orphans by Randy Susan Meyers and MJ Rose (Feb 1)
    • The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (Feb 22)
    • What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo (Feb 22)
    • The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka (Feb 22)
    • Influenced Love by Shellee Marie (Feb 22)
  • March 2022 Releases
  • • One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (Mar 1)
    • Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow (Mar 1)
    • The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer Smith (Mar 1)
    • Private Way by Ladette Randolph (Mar 1)
  • April 2022 Releases
  • • Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson (Apr 19)
    • Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel (Apr 26)

* 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.