Well-Read

By Ann Cox and Halle CarlsonArts Books Leisure Hobbies

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Well-Read episodes

June 29, 2025 Vacations Gone Wrong
48 min
June 05, 2025Episode 156 - Summer 2025 Preview
It’s already summer – how!? But we’re very ready for summer reading with our lists of the books we’re most excited about. As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week!

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Sleepless in Seattle (film)
When Harry Met Sally… (film)
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Passion Project by London Sperry
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Ali Hazelwood
Annabel Monaghan
Ann’s picks:
The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King (releases June 3)
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (releases June 3)
– The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater
– The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall (releases June 10)
– Broadchurch (TV)
Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (releases July 8)
How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold (releases July 8)
– And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
– The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (releases August 19)
– Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
– Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
– A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill (releases August 19)
– Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
– The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
– With a Vengeance by Riley Sager
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (releases August 26)
– Babel by R.F. Kuang
Halle’s picks:
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (releases June 3)
– The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– Top Gun (film)
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (releases June 3)
Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh (releases June 3)
– Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
– Succession (TV)
– Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn
– Gossip Girl (TV)
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (releases June 10)
When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa (releases June 24)
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto (releases July 3)
– The Thrashers by Julie Soto
– The Auction by LovesBitca8 (fanfiction)
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley (releases June 24)
– Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
– The Mothers by Brit Bennett
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (releases July 8)
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Kate & Frida by Kim Fay
– Love & Saffron by Kim Fay
Halle: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
– Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
– A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
– The Guncle by Steven Rowley
– Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
– Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
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1 hr 8 min
May 18, 2025 Big Authors We Haven't Read Yet
1 hr 7 min
May 04, 2025 Let's talk about series
58 min
April 13, 2025 Deep Dive into Golden Age Mysteries
1 hr 5 min
March 30, 2025Episode 152 - Books that Make us Laugh out Loud
Do you need something to help you smile right now? We sure do, so here are some of the books that have made us laugh out loud.
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Love and Hot Chicken by Mary Liza Hartong
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Ann’s picks:
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
– Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes
– Dead Tired by Kat Ailes
Halle’s picks:
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano
– Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
– Rachel Harrison books
Halle: Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
– Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
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44 min
March 16, 2025Episode 151 - Reading from our TBRs
It’s time for our yearly Reading From Our TBRs episode! Listen in as we make a tiny bit of room on our shelves.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
Ann’s picks:
Final Girls by Riley Sager
– The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
– Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
– National Book Awards
The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser
– “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser (essay)
Halle’s picks:
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
– Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Sense and Sensibility: An Annotated Edition by Jane Austen, ed. Patricia Meyer Spacks
– The Favorites by Layne Fargo
– Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett
Halle: Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer
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1 hr 2 min
February 17, 2025Episode 150 - Books about Female Friendship
It’s our 150th episode (!!!!!!!) and there’s no better way to celebrate that and our friendship than to discuss female friendships in books.

Books and other media mentioned in this episode:
The Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Wood
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Ann’s picks:
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
American Ghoul by Michelle McGill-Vargas
– Dracula by Bram Stoker
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
– Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Halle’s picks:
The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
– The Great British Bake Off (TV)
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
– Fredrik Backman books
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter
– Inspector Morse series by Colin Dexter
– Inspector Morse (TV)
Halle: Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
– Bride by Ali Hazelwood
– Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
– Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
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56 min
February 07, 2025 Winter & Spring 2025 Book Preview
1 hr 5 min
January 20, 2025Episode 148 - 2024 Superlatives & Reading Resolutions
We’re making reading resolutions for 2025 and giving out our 2024 book superlatives!
Books and other media mentioned in this episode:

Women’s Prize for Fiction
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
From the Front Porch (podcast)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Book of the Month Club
The Bookshop
Parnassus Books
Brandon Sanderson books
Jane Austen books
Libba Bray books
Colin Dexter books
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Emily Henry books
Ann Patchett books
Most Timely
Ann: Hum by Helen Phillips
– Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Halle: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kristen Miller
– The Change by Kristen Miller
Most Disappointing
Ann: The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson; The Women by Kristin Hannah
– Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
Halle: Bride by Ali Hazelwood; Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood; The Postcard by Anne Berest
– Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
– In Memoriam by Alice Winn
Favorite Reread
Ann: None!
Halle: The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater; Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
Biggest Surprise
Ann: The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August; The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff
Halle: The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore
– Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore
– Gilmore Girls (TV)
Least Favorite
Ann: The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons; In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati Alexander
– The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Halle: Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
Book That Lived Up to the Hype:
Ann: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley; The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez
Halle: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney; James by Percival Everett
– Normal People (TV)
– Normal People by Sally Rooney

Best Distraction
Ann: What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
Halle: Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal; Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
The Book That Ended a Mini Reading Slump
Ann: Ghost Mother by Kelly Dwyer
Halle: The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
Most Unputdownable
Ann: What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan; We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Halle: When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff; The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Better Late Than Never
Ann: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
– Good Omens (TV)
– Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer
– The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
– Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Halle: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Book That Has Stayed With Me
Ann: The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
Halle: All Fours by Miranda July
Book That We Didn’t Think We’d Like, But Then We Did!
Ann: The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan
Halle: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Author(s) we discovered in 2024 that we’re most excited to read more from in 2025
Ann: Kaliane Bradley; Kristen Perrin; Carmella Lowkis; Monika Kim; Cara Bastone
– Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Halle: Cara Bastone; Kirsty Greenwood; Alice Wyn; Yulin Kuang; Holly Brickley; Olivia Muenter
– Abby Jimenez books
Hidden Gem:
Ann: Love and Hot Chicken by Mary Liza Hartong; Ready or Not by Cara Bastone; The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd
Halle: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood; Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
– The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Best Audiobook Experience of the Year:
Ann: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
– Meryl Streep filmography
Halle: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Our Favorite Non-Book Media Property of the Year
Ann: The Bear (TV); The Traitors (TV); Kyle Maclaughlin ads for Arby’s; Moo Deng; The Eras Tour
Halle: One Day (TV); Wicked (film); Nobody Wants This (TV); The Tortured Poets Department (album by Taylor Swift); BookTube; five-year journal
The Book We Recommended the Most This Year
Ann: Love and Hot Chicken by Mary Liza Hartong; The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Halle: The Wedding People by Alison Espach; Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
What We’re Reading This Week:
Ann: After Annie by Anna Quindlen
Halle: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
– Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
– The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
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1 hr 29 min

About Well-Read

From the publisher's feed

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.