The Reading Lounge

We head to France in this episode of The Reading Lounge as we discuss The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Originally written in French in 2006, the novel has been translated into numerous languages and even made into a French movie. Come listen in as we discuss the the challenges and rewards of the novel.

Of course, our resident mixologist, Sarah, created a cocktail especially for our episode!

The Concierge's Secret

2 oz cognac or brandy

3/4 oz elderflower liqueur

2.5 oz sparkling lemonade

Lemon twist

Mix cognac, elderflower liqueur and ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with sparkling lemonade and garnish with a twist.

Welcome to The Reading Lounge! In this episode, Sarah and Cynthia dive into The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, a novel that weaves family drama, grief, and healing together with warmth, humor, and an unforgettable catnamed Pancakes. Tune in as we share our reactions to the story and raise a glass to this month’s cocktail—a drink we enjoyed almost as much as the book.

Tender Hearts Tonic

1 ½ oz vodka (or gin)

1 oz orange juice

½ oz Aperol

½ oz honey rosemary syrup

2 oz sparking wine (we used Prosecco)

Mix first four ingredients in a shaker with ice, strain intoa glass and top with sparkling wine.

The other books we read and discuss are:

Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See

The Land and Its People by David Sedaris

An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton

Where Her Secrets Lie by Katie Tallo

Everyday I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by HwangBo-reum

We know it is already August, but it feels like we have a stretch of hot, summer days ahead of us.

In this bonus episode, we add a few new selections to our TBR list. We love that we each select books the other has not heard of! Listen in to find some of your late summer reads.

Here are the books we discuss.

Whistler by Ann Patchett

Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

Contrapposto by Dave Eggers

An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton

Social Animals by Camille Perri

You'll Love It Here by Natalie Sue

Sunrise by Tea Obreht

Let's not forget a bright summer cocktail for your outdoor reading.

Peach & Thyme Prosecco Spritz

1 oz frozen peach puree

4 oz Prosecco

Splash of soda

Spring of thyme

Sounds like dessert in a glass!

Enjoy your summer reading!

In this episode of The Reading Lounge, Sarah and Cynthiadiscuss Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett. Pond is a spare novel that weaves together vignettes of a woman’s isolated life in coastal Ireland. It is one of the most unique reads we’ve picked up this year.

We also read one of the most talked about new books thisyear: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We have thoughts on this page turner!

To go along with the longer days of summer and (hopefully)more reading time, we have a refreshing cocktail to accompany your next great read.

The Trembling Moonrise

1 ¼ oz botanical gin

½ oz dry vermouth

½ oz elderflower liquor

¼ oz fresh lemon juice

Mix these ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into a glassover muddled cucumber and mint. Top with 1 oz of prosecco.

Summer in a glass! Enjoy!

We are talking about The Artist and The Feast by Lucy Steedsin The Reading Lounge. Set just after WWI, a famous artist, the artist’s niece, and an aspiring artist and journalist come together in a remote village in the south of France and discover what it means to both unseen and seen and the challenges people face to find their self-expression. Join us in The Reading Lounge to see if you may want to add this novel to your TBR.

Our resident mixologist, Sarah, developed a fabulous andapropos cocktail for this read:

The Crimson Atelier

1 ½ oz vodka

1 oz cranberry juice (we used sweetened)

½ oz Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)

½ oz lime juice

2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs

splash of Prosecco

Muddle a sprig of rosemary in a shaker, add ice, vodka,juices, and Cointreau. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a splash of Prosecco and garnish with rosemary.

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Attribution by Linda Moore is the book we read previouslythat dealt with women in the art world!

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick

The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy

Welcome into The Reading Lounge. In this episode, Cynthiaand Sarah discuss The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn. This historical fiction novel tells the intertwined story of two young women, their families,and those they meet during their different paths in Nazi-occupied Europe. Set largely in Nazi-occupied Europe, the novel confronts the Nazi propaganda machine designed to dehumanize while giving voices to those being dehumanized.

We created a cocktail called Redemption.

1 ½ oz bourbon

1 oz apple juice

½ oz lemon juice

1-2 dashes angostura bitters

¼ oz honey

1 ½ oz sparkling water

Mix first five ingredients in a shaker, strain over ice, andtop with sparkling water.

Other books discussed in this episode:

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney

Shut Up and Read by Jeannine Cook

Shame Must Change Sides by Gisele Pelicot

It's still spring and we have selected six new books we are adding to our TBR lists. If you're looking for suggestions for your next spring read, listen in to this bonus episode of The Reading Lounge!

We are also going to give this refreshing cocktail a try during spring reading season:

Primavera Spritz

1.5 oz vodka or gin

1 oz fresh orange juice

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup or honey

2 - 3 oz sparking water or club soda

Mix all ingredients and serve over ice.

Welcome into The Reading Lounge! We are discussing My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes. Three generations of Mexican American grapple with family history and the "curse" of their names. We discovered this novel and this author at the 2026 Women's Literary Festival in Long Beach, California.

This episode's libation is called: The Truth Tea.

2 oz gin

2 oz chilled mint tea

top with a splash of elderflower liqueur

Shake with ice

Pour into ice filled glass and top with an ounce or two of tonic water, to taste.

Garnish with a lime

Other books we talk about in this episode:

Project Hail Mary

The Boleyn Traitor

Homeseeking

The Conjuring of America

Thanks for joining us in The Reading Lounge.

Pull up a chair in The Reading Lounge as we discuss The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez. The short, spare novel gave us a lot to discuss as we decided on our thoughts and ratings about the novel. The book takes place during the COVID pandemic as a woman navigates her new, adjusted life in New York City. She manages to create a couple of new relationships, including with a parrot named Eureka.

And we found a cocktail aptly named Eureka for our libation!

1 1/2 oz Bourbon

3/4 oz lemon juice

3/4 oz honey chamomile syrup

Mix all ingredients in a shaker and serve over ice.

The honey chamomile syrup was easy and could be used for cocktails, mocktails, or iced tea!

Other books we discussed:

Red Clay by Charles Fancher

All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony

Thanks for joining us in The Reading Lounge.

It's February in The Reading Lounge and we stepping into the world of romance. Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams is a story of obsession and bad choices set in the world of book publishing. Listen in to find out if you should add this novel to your TBR list.

We've waved goodbye to dry January and are toasting this read with an appropriately named cocktail.

The Illicit Affair

1 1/4 oz. Vodka

1 1/3 oz. orange juice

1 1/3 oz. cranberry juice

2 dashes orange bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Enjoy!