We’re back (2 days late, Daryn really needs to set alarm reminders to press "publish") with some book recommendations and as per usual, Daryn is a total glutton for every book Paige recommends! There are no spoilers but here are the books we recommended to each other this time around. Join us in a few weeks to chat about the books we end up choosing!

• What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez (no spoilers)
• Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers (no spoilers)
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik (no spoilers)
• The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (no spoilers)
• The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez (no spoilers)
• Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez (no spoilers)
• Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (no spoilers)
• Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen (no spoilers)
• We Were Beautiful by Imbolo Mbue (no spoilers)
• Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly (no spoilers)
• Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly (no spoilers)
• Alanna by Tamora Pierce (no spoilers)
• Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (no spoilers)
• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (no spoilers)
• The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (no spoilers)

No book recommendations or reviews this time around - Daryn and Paige chat about the gamification of reading. When is it good? When is it bad? We answer these questions (I mean kind of…we’re just out here talking about books). Tune in then join the gamification conversation over on our Instagram @wejustwantyoutoread.

Articles Referenced:

1. Gamification of Reading: Is It a Page-Turner or a Problem?
2. The Gamification of Reading is Changing How We Approach Books

PS - Between when we recorded this and when it’s airing, The Storygraph has officially added the Pause feature!

Remember when we recommended a bunch of books to each other like a month ago? Well we finally have our review episode! Proceed with caution - spoilers abound here and we’re discussing a book that has a bit of ✨spice✨! Before you listen, if one of these books are on your TBR or you’re in the middle of them…don’t…listen. Because we’re talking spoilers!

• Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (big spoilers)
• Black Movie by Danez Smith (kind of spoilers?)
• Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (mid-book spoilers)
• Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (no spoilers)
• Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (no spoilers)
• Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (no spoilers)
• Fractured Fables by Alix E. Harrow (no spoilers)
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik (no spoilers)
• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (no spoilers)

It’s our first episode of the year and here we are to chat about the books we’re most looking forward to reading this year! Daryn and Paige each list off some of the books on their TBR that they just can’t wait to dive into! Check out the (very long list) of books talked about below:

• Ying Yang Love Story by Lauren Kung Jessen (no spoilers)
• Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen (no spoilers)
• Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen (no spoilers)
• For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (no spoilers)
• The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten (light thematic spoilers)
• The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten (no spoilers)
• The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten (no spoilers)
• Babel by R.F. Kuang (no spoilers)
• The Poppy Wars by R.F. Kuang (no spoilers)
• Yelllowface by R.F. Kuang (no spoilers)
• Atlas Six by Olivie Blake (no spoilers)
• Masters of Death by Olivie Blake (no spoilers)
• Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake (no spoilers)
• Jade City by Fonda Lee (no spoilers)
• Jade War by Fonda Lee (no spoilers)
• Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee (no spoilers)
• The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee (no spoilers)
• Jade Shards by Fonda Lee (no spoilers)
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (no spoilers)
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (light spoilers)
• The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (no spoilers)
• Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (no spoilers)
• Want by Gillian Anderson (no spoilers)
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (no spoilers)
• Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (no spoilers)
• Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (no spoilers)
• A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (no spoilers)
• A Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark (no spoilers)
• A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark (no spoilers)
• Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark (no spoilers)
• The Nine Tail Cat Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark (no spoilers)

We're talking book trackers - I know...riveting stuff. But for bookish folk, it really is important! Whether you're tracking or not, whether you're a GoodReads or Storygraph tracker...this episode is for you! Take a listen and let us know how you track your books! No spoilers in this episode - everyone is good to listen!

P.S. The book Daryn forgot was Three Holidays and a Wedding by Marissa Stapley and Uzma Jalaluddin's

Welp - we missed a week. Daryn was moving and literally forgot to post this episode…whoops! But we’re back now with another author-specific episode. Tune in and listen to Daryn’s deep obsession with Garth Nix, the Australian author who captured her attention 20 years ago and never let go! There are some spoilers for story details but there aren’t spoilers for the overall plot. Check out the titles below:

• Old Kingdom Series by Garth Nix (Light Spoilers)
• The Ragwitch by Garth Nix (Light Spoilers)
• Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix (Light Spoilers)
• The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (No spoilers, drive-by-mention)
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman (No spoilers, drive-by-mention)
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis & Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (no spoilers but the books are 75 years old so...)

This episode has it all - poetry, feminist smut, several Bridgerton rants, and more! Instead of pitching one book each, Daryn and Paige recommend several books with no spoilers in the hopes of convincing each other to read something new. They also talk about My Sister the Serial Killer because Daryn finally finished it! Tune in for the books, stay for the strong opinions!

Books Mentioned:

• My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Spoilers)
  • If you stop listening at 2:55 to avoid spoilers, tune back in at 8:55
• Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (No Spoilers)
• Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio (No Spoilers)
• The Wicker King by K. Ancrum (No Spoilers)
• Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (No Spoilers)
• Black Movie by Danez Smith (No Spoilers)
• Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill (No Spoilers)
• Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (Vague Spoilers)
• Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings (No Spoilers)

We hope you’re ready for some light exercise, because this week we’ll be running the gambit of book genres! Join Paige and Daryn as they share some of the titles & storylines that unexpectedly became instant favorites in their library (or in Daryn’s case, even influenced a decade and beyond of fashion choices)! In the spirit of surprises, they’ll share some opinions, experiences, and stories that will have you saying “huh, I never thought of that before”. Some light spoilers ahead but nothing too egregious!

Books Mentioned:

• Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
• The Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix
• Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
• Black Movie by Danez Smith
• Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
• The Dragon's Bride by Katee Robert
• Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly
• Alanna by Tamora Pierce
• Peeps by Scott Westerfield
• Uglies by Scott Westerfield
• Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
• The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
• Love Interest by Clare Gilmore
• Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore