Well-Read

By Ann Cox and Halle CarlsonArts Books Leisure Hobbies

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Well-Read episodes

February 14Episode 167 - Reading from our TBRs: Pink Covers
Get in the mood for Valentine’s Day (and to clear space off your shelves) when we tackle the pink books on our TBRs!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
– Sarah Vowell books
– Audie Cornish on NPR
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
– The Guncle by Steven Rowley
American Fantasy by Emma Straub
– New Kids on the Block (band)
Halle’s picks:
The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson
– Jenny Colgan books
– Clare Pooley books
– Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
Lovely War by Julie Berry
– Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm
– Ali Hazelwood books
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
– S.A. Cosby books
Halle: Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams
– The Last Word by Taylor Adams
– Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
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55 min
January 25Episode 166 - Winter/Spring 2026 Book Preview
It’s a new year and we’re so excited about the roster of books coming out in 2026! Find out what we can’t wait to dive into this winter and spring.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Jane Austen books
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat
Amity by Nathan Harris
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover
Heart the Lover by Lily King
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
Ann’s picks:
This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman (releases February 10)
– Isola by Allegra Goodman
– Sam by Allegra Goodman
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (releases February 17)
– The Empress of Rome series by Kate Quinn
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (releases February 17)
– Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett
My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi (releases March 17)
The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall (releases March 17)
The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne (releases April 7)
– Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (releases April 7)
– V.E. Schwab books
– Cat Clarke books
– Anthony Horowitz books
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (releases April 21)
– Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
Halle’s picks:
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (releases February 3)
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson (releases February 10)
– The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder (releases February 10)
– People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder
– People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Kin by Tayari Jones (releases March 17)
– An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
– The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman (releases March 3)
– The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Whidbey by T. Kira Madden (releases March 10)
– Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (releases April 7)
– Diabolical Lies (podcast)
– Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer
Unbound by Peyton Corinne (releases April 7)
– Unsteady by Peyton Corinne
– Unloved by Peyton Corinne
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis
– Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
– The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Halle: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower
– Gilmore Girls (TV)
– Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
– Bridgerton (TV)
– Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
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1 hr 15 min
January 11Episode 165 - Reading Resolutions and 2025 Superlatives
We’re making reading resolutions for 2026 and giving out our 2025 book superlatives!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Lauren Bacall filmography
Jane Austen books
Emma by Jane Austen
Libba Bray books
Book of the Month Club
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Emily Henry books
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Next Chapter Society Book Club
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Romanceopoly 2026
Under the Covers (blog)
@booksandlala on Instagram
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
Most Timely
Ann: Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
Halle: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Most Disappointing
Ann: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez; Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See; Knife by Salman Rushdie
Halle: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese; Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry; Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
– Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Favorite Reread
Ann: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
– Persuasion by Jane Austen
– Kristin Atherton filmography
Halle: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry; Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Biggest Surprise
Ann: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
– Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
– Terry Pratchett books
– Neil Gaiman books
Halle: The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith; Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
Least Favorite
Ann: The 23rd Hero by Rebecca Anne Nguyen; Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
Halle: The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb
Book That Lived Up to the Hype:
Ann: The Favorites by Layne Fargo; Long Bright River by Liz Moore; A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Halle: Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino; The Will of the Many by James Islington

Best Distraction
Ann: The Goldens by Lauren Wilson
Halle: If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia; Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
The Book That Ended a Mini Reading Slump
Ann: Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall
– Broadchurch (TV)
Halle: Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Most Unputdownable
Ann: Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter; A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
Halle: Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino; Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer; Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
– Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros
Better Late Than Never
Ann: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara; The Housemaid by Freida McFadden; A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Halle: The Beartown trilogy by Fredrik Backman; Kindred by Octavia Butler
Book That Has Stayed With Me
Ann: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali; The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Halle: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett; Audition by Katie Kitamura
Book That We Didn’t Think We’d Like, But Then We Did!
Ann: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty; The Lack of Light by Nino Haratischwili
Halle: Wreck by Catherine Newman
Author(s) we discovered in 2024 that we’re most excited to read more from in 2025
Ann: Kylie Lee Baker; Michiko Aoyama
– Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
– What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
– Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
– Hot Chocolate on Thursdays by Michiko Aoyama
Halle: Elizabeth O’Roark; Rachel Gillig; Ashley Manley
– The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
– One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
– Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
– The Holiday Club by Ashley Manley
Hidden Gem:
Ann: The Bad Seed by William March
– The Bad Seed (film)
Halle: The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

Best Audiobook Experience of the Year:
Ann: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto; Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
Halle: The Favorites by Layne Fargo; The River Has Roots by Amal el-Mohtar
Our Favorite Non-Book Media Property of the Year
Ann: Becoming Led Zeppelin; Friendship; Art for Everybody; Toshiro Mifune everything
– Tim Robinson filmography
– Paul Rudd filmography
– Akira Kurosawa filmography
– Toshiro Mifune filmography
Halle: The Pitt; Man on the Inside; puppies!
The Book We Recommended the Most This Year
Ann: The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
Halle: Heart the Lover by Lily King
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Prize for the Fire by Rilla Askew
Halle: Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams
– When in Rome series by Sarah Adams
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1 hr 27 min
December 20, 2025Episode 164 - Our Favorite Books of 2025
The year is almost over, and it’s time to reveal our favorite books of 2025! Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Jane Austen books
Agatha Christie books
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
What You’re Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Alchemised by SenLinYu
Ann’s picks:
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
– Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
– Long Bright River (TV)
The Bad Seed by William March
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
– My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
– Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano
Umma: A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes by Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn
– @ahnestkitchen on Instagram
– America’s Test Kitchen
– Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim
The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser
– “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser (essay)
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
– “The Goose Girl”
Halle’s picks:
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – And How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
The Will of the Many by James Islington
– Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
– Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
– Divergent series by Veronica Roth
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
– Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
– The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
The Names by Florence Knapp
Heart the Lover by Lily King
– The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
– Writers & Lovers by Lily King
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: The Lack of Light by Nino Haratischwili
– Persuasion by Jane Austen
– The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili
– The International Booker Prize
Halle: The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
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1 hr 24 min
December 06, 2025Episode 163 - Cozy Reads
As temperatures drop, we like nothing more than getting cozy with a book. Find out our suggestions for cozy reads this week!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann’s picks:
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
– Susan Ryland series by Anthony Horowitz
– Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
– The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
– Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
Halle’s picks:
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
– The Very Secret Society for Irregular Witches by Sanga Mandanna
With Love from London by Sarah Jio
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
– While You Were Sleeping (film)
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Halle: Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young
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47 min
November 23, 2025Episode 162 - What We Read On Our Fall Vacations
We’ve been away for a bit, thanks to our travels this fall, but that just means we have a lot of books to talk about!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Ann’s picks:
Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
– Matt Bomer filmography
– The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
– Outlander (TV)
Halle’s picks:
Wreck by Catherine Newman
– We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
– Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson
– Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
– Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
– Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
Halle: Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris
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49 min
October 05, 2025Episode 161 - The Books that Made Us the Readers We Are
We’re looking back at the formative books that made us the readers we are today, and we’ll end with what we’re reading this week!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Andrew Lang books
Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Beauty by Robin McKinley
The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye
Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Ann Rinaldi books
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
Fear Street series by R.L. Stine
Christopher Pike books
Cam Jansen series by David A. Adler
Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol
Masterpiece Mystery! (TV)
The Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
Sleepover Friends series by Susan Saunders
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal
Sweet Valley Twins series by Francine Pascal
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Dollanganger series by V.C. Andrews
Goosebumps series by R.L. Stein
Richie Tankersley Cusick books
Nora Roberts books
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Jane Austen books
Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Mary Higgins Clark books
John Jakes books
North and South series by John Jakes
North and South (TV)
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux
Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Frances Burney books
Diane Mott Davidson books
Anne Perry books
The Eight by Katherine Neville
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
Sarah Dessen books
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Mary Kay Andrews books
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn
Halle: The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill
– Read with Jenna
– Thousand Voices Books
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1 hr 7 min
August 31, 2025Episode 160 - Fall 2025 Preview
Autumn is just around the corner, and it’s time to get our fall TBRs in order!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ann Patchett books
Taylor Jenkins Reid books
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall
Broadchurch (TV)
Jane Austen books
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold
Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh
Succession (TV)
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
Ann’s picks:
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat (releases September 16)
– Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
– Salt Fat Acid Heat (TV)
The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller (releases October 7)
– The Change by Kirsten Miller
– Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles (releases October 7)
– Death in the Spires by KJ Charles
Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer (releases October 7)
– Grady Hendrix books
– Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks (releases October 14)
– Only Murders in the Building (TV)
– Angela Carter books
The Unveiling by Quan Barry (releases October 14)
– We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (releases November 11)
– Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (releases November 25)
Halle’s picks:
Amity by Nathan Harris (releases September 2)
– The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
– Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
– Doc by Mary Doria Russell
– Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
– William W. Johnstone books
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (releases September 2)
– Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
– Our Town by Thornton Wilder
– Wallace Stegner books
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (releases September 16)
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover (releases September 23)
Heart the Lover by Lily King (releases September 30)
– Writers & Lovers by Lily King
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister (releases November 11)
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz (releases November 18)
I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (releases November 18)
– Circe by Madeline Miller
– Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
– Rick Riordan books
– Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian
Halle: When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén
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58 min
August 17, 2025 Reading the Oldest Books on our TBRs
46 min
July 19, 2025Episode 158 - 2025 Mid-Year Check-in
We’re halfway through the year, and it’s time to check in on our bookish goals and reading lives of 2025!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
2025 ALA Annual Conference
Jane Austen books
Book of the Month Club
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Libba Bray books
Agatha Christie books
Emily Henry books
Abby Jimenez books
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
Strange Houses by Uketsu
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Left of Forever by Tara DeWitt
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Women in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
The Names by Florence Knapp
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Heart the Lover by Lily King
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Alchemised by SenLinYu
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Manacled by SenLinYu
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer
Grady Hendrix books
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
Halle: The Will of the Many by James Islington
– Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
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1 hr 1 min

About Well-Read

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As librarians, books are kind of our thing. Listen in as we talk about what we're reading, make book recommendations, and all sorts of book-related fun.