In this episode we discuss a bajillion books so we rapid fire through some of them. Alex shares crappy news and Karla tries to perk her up. Karla wants you to know that there is a thread between work performance reviews and cilantro. It’s just that the thread is thin and exists only in her head. They go into deep space with two books, they agree on how they’d prefer to die should they encounter a vampire, and Alex supports Karla in mispronunciation. Isn’t that what friendship is all about? 

Books discussed:

The Faculty Lounge, by Jennifer Matheiu

I am Legend and Other Stories, by Richard Matheson

How to become the dark lord and die trying, by Django Wexler

The Southern Book Club's Guided to Slaying Vampires, by Gary Hendrix

My Friends, by Fredrik Backman

Quicksilver, by Callie Hart

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir

Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors

Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Golden Son, by Pierce Brown

Such Quiet Girls, by Noelle W Ihli

Ward D, by Frieda McFadden

Accomplice to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Editing Credit: Kelly Shook

Music Credit: Bratt by Everet Almond

This episode opens with Alex venting about chicken cooking instructions on recipes (very on-brand for our book podcast!), and then we deep-dive into books with character crossovers and why that happens. Disclaimer from Alex: I feel like I make it sound like it's easy for publishers to have a new book every year. I recognize how much works goes into publishing each of these books and want to point that out. I know this has been a hot topic recently, with several authors discussing the mental health effect of this expectation from readers, so I don't want to promote that. TED talk done.

Books discussed:

• Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall
• Weyward, by Emilia Hart
• One golden summer, by Carley Fortune
• Every Summer After, by Carley Fortune

• You Shouldn't Have Come Here, by Jeneva Rose
• Assistant and Apprentice to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
• The Lamb, by Lucy Rose

Books mentioned briefly: The Girl with the Louding Voice, The Underground Railroad

What we're reading next: Karla - last book of The Dark Tower, and Violet Thistlewait is not a Villain Anymore (no bestiality, Alex confused this one with The Spellshop); Alex - My Friends & Quicksilver

Editing Credit: Kelly Shook

Music Credit: Apollo, by Patrick Patrikios

We're back! We had lots of reading to catch up on so get ready to hear about all the books we (and you!) have been reading. Karla taps into some lighthearted romance reads to keep things breezy, Alex leans in to Karla's dislike of bestiality (kind of?) and talks about her tandem read adventure in the Throne of Glass series. We touch upon the moral responsibility of revolutions, and Alex imagines some strange stuff about Red Rising characters, but Karla is not ready to hop on her wagon. Among our top discussions: would you enjoy being an assassin, and do you like donut twists? Dive in for all the deets!

Books discussed:

• Listen for the Lie, by Amy Tintera
• Red Rising, by Pierce Brown (possibly some minor spoilers)
• Gold Son (started), by Pierce Brown (possibly some minor spoilers)

• Throne of Glass Series, by Sarah J. Maas (correction: Celeana is 18 by the time she gets with someone, so also legal)
• The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst
• 90-Day Contract, by Amy Daws
• Pumpkin Spice Cafe, by Laurie Gilmore
• Violet Thistlewait is not a Villain Anymore, by Emily Krempholtz

Editing credit: Kelly Shook

Music credit: Brisket Taco, Cumbia Deli

Karla & Alex circle back to cinnamon rolls and discuss whether raisins are a healthy snack. We make a MAJOR announcement regarding our upcoming ONE YEAR PODCAST ANNIVERSARY, and we talk about the following books:

My Kind of Trouble, by L.A. Schwartz

The Maid's Diary, by Loreth Anne White

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, by Lori Gilmore

They Never Learn, by Layne Fargo

Bad Publicity, by Bianca Gillam

What Will People Think, by Sara Hamdan

In this episode, we discuss the repetitive nature of certain stories, the glory of finding a good narrator in audio books, and the importance of making your partner feel super hot (and IDK, loved, or whatever).

Books Discussed:

*Red Rising by Pierce Brown

*The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

*Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

* Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

*Day Dreamer by Susie Tate

Books briefly brought up:

*The Will of the Many by James Islington

*Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

Editing Credit: The one and only Kelly Shook

Music Credit: Apollo by Patrick Patrikios

We catch up on what all our listeners have been reading (thank you so much for sharing!), and then we struggle to pick just a few books to discuss. We talk about some personal family stuff and whether we'd sacrifice our own child to save humanity (spoiler: nope).

Wolves of the Calla, by Stephen King

Maine Characters, by Hannah Orenstein

The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler

Discussed in passing: The Winners, by Frederik Backman, and the Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Editing credit: Kelly Shook

Music credit: Summer Somewhere in Cuba by Cumbia Deli

In this episode, WHYBR welcome's a special guest all the way from Nebraska! Becca Henry joins us to talk about smut: what is it, what levels are we comfortable with, book recommendations, and more!

Books discussed: ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, Done and Dusted, Axes and Oh's, The Women, Still Beating, Last Letter, The Things We Left Behind series, Haunting Adeline, Layla (incorrectly stated as Verity in the episode), Deep End.

Editing Credit: Kelly Shook

Music Credit: Sunset Dream by Cheel

Welcome to episode 22, where we nail the intro, but fail (again) at the audio quality! Alex is determined to plan a book retreat in 2025 for the Literate Lushes, Karla ruins Alex's fantasy of cabin lake life, Alex leads to confusion when she misinterprets Karla's (very clear) question about 101 Dalmatians, and Alex and Karla pick between generational wealth and having a great family (unless they're not mutually exclusive, then we'll take them both! ). Join us for the journey!

Books discussed:

Meet Me at the lake, by Carley Fortune (minor spoilers)

Barely Even Friends, by Mae Bennett

Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout

This Summer Will be Different, by Carley Fortune

Unlikely Story, by Ali Rosen

Gray After Dark, by Noelle W. Ihli

Editing Credit: Kelly Shook

Music Credit: Good Times by Patrick Patrikios

We celebrate 21 episodes by finally trying to land our intro...we fail miserably, but there's always the next episode! We discuss our current reads, and in what might become a new feature, we talk about what we plan on reading next. Make sure to follow us over on Instagram (@whathaveyoubeenreading) and let us know what you're reading!

Books discussed:

Within Arms Reach, by Ann Napolitano

Hello, Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano

Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros - SPOILER ALERT (but everyone's read it already, right?)

Wilder Boys, by Brandon Wallace

Barely Even Friends, by Mae Bennett

Red Rising, by Pierce BrownEditing Credit: Kelly ShookMusic Credit: Win The Battle Win The War by Everet Almond

Alex and Karla have a hard time getting started, Alex interrupts Karla with word definitions and too many clarifying questions, and then completely misses a softball joke from Karla. Amongst the mayhem, we also discuss the following books:

Happy Reading, dear listeners!

Editing Credit: Kelly Shook

Music Credit: Good Times by Patrick Patrikios