Shelf Obsessed

Carleigh and Hannah discuss bookish hot takes. Cartoon romance covers, mass market paperbacks, hyped books... nothing is safe.

Bunny, by Mona Awad, is a nightmare fairy tale of Samantha Mackey as she navigates an exclusive MFA program in the company of a clique of girls who call each other "Bunny." She gets an invitation to join the Bunnies' Smut Salon and the book gets very hard for Carleigh and Hannah to describe after that. But they give it the ol' college try (wink wink). 

Spoilers begin in minute 31. 

Carleigh and Hannah talk about upcoming books releasing in 2024 that they're excited about. Of course, they mention Emily Henry and Riley Sager, but tons of other exciting books are on the list too!

A Short Stay in Hell is about a religious man who dies and discovers that the afterlife he believed in during his life on Earth is not exactly what he expected. He gets cast into a version of hell based on Borges's Library of Babel where he (and others in his same situation) are tasked with finding the story of their life in order to go onto a version of heaven. It is a task none of them understand at first, but they (and us as the readers) get a little taste of what 'infinite' actually means. Existential, haunting, beautiful, thought-provoking - this novella packs quite a punch. 

Spoilers begin in minute 33.

Happy New Year! Carleigh and Hannah celebrated by making their new reading goals for 2024. Do you have reading goals for this year?

Carleigh and Hannah answer 15 questions about their 2023 reads, including what book was their absolute FAVORITE of the year. Can you guess?

Carleigh and Hannah review Lovelight Farms, by B.K. Borison. It's a lighthearted, somewhat spicy, cute Christmas romance novel. They also give an update on the Goodreads Choice Awards and which of their favorites may or may not have won.

Spoilers for Lovelight Farms begin in minute 34. 

If you need a non-fiction book to reach your reading goal by the end of the year, Carleigh and Hannah HIGHLY recommend this one. John Green wrote this collection of essays that will inspire you, tear your heart out, and make you nostalgic for experiences you haven't had yet. And then at the end of each chapter, he gives the topic of the essay a rating on a 5-star scale.

Sort-of-spoilers all the way down.

Carleigh and Hannah discuss the Goodreads Choice Awards (including the Romantasy category - new this year). They predict which ones will win and talk about all the books they still need to read.

How is it almost the end of the year?! Carleigh and Hannah discuss the goals they made at the beginning of the year. And how they may or may not be meeting those goals by the end of 2023.