We at Talk Booky don't want to say we can predict the future, but this episode makes a good case for us. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, on our pursuit of five-star books to kick off 2026. We are halfway through January with a few hits already. This episode kicks off with some news about Southern literature that breaks stereotypes and YA adaptations that are likely to embrace stereotypes before moving to our TBR progress. This is where things heat up. Aaron already found a five-star read that quite literally fell into his mailbox, and Felicia shed tears for her first two five-star reads of the year. After celebrating, we wrap up with our top five books of 2025 and a fun question about books that intimidate us. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.

Books Discussed at Length:

We Are All Guilty Here - Karin Slaughter

Things You Save in a Fire - Katherine Center

Folklore Rules - Lynne McNeill

Obstetrix - Naomi Kritzer

Super Nintendo - Keza Macdonald

Apprentice to the Villain - Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Stanzas in America - Gilbert Allen

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

ARCs Introduced:

Super Nintendo - Keza MacDonald

The Body - Behany Morrow

Green and Deadly Things - Jenn Lyons

Hell's Heart - Alexis Hall

Sublimination - Isabel Kim

News:

Felicia - https://electricliterature.com/7-books-that-complicate-stories-about-the-south/ 

Aaron - https://bookriot.com/ya-books-to-film-adaptations/ 

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron