Shelf Obsessed

Carleigh and Hannah are back for a looooooong reading update. But 2025 has started off strong for book-reading!

Another year in the BOOKS! Carleigh and Hannah review their reading year and reminisce about the many amazing (and sometimes not) books they read this past year. Happy New Year and happy reading in 2025!

Carleigh and Hannah discuss the cozy romance novel The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, by Laurie Gilmore. Perfect for wintery days! What are your cozy recommendations?And side note, they call a certain movie Scrooged (a whole different movie than Spirited, which is what they're trying to say).

Carleigh and Hannah talk about some of the books they've read lately that they can't get off their minds.

Do you prefer the book, the movie, or the show? Carleigh and Hannah discuss and compare the book The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson, to its media adaptations. 

Carleigh and Hannah update their All-time Favorites list and there may be some surprising choices ahead.

Carleigh and Hannah react to more hot takes (courtesy of Lexi, aka Newly Nova and her wonderful fans). Which one was the hottest?

Carleigh and Hannah have strong feelings about Adrienne Young's newest (relative use of newest) novel, The Unmaking of June Farrow. Spoilers begin around minute 28.  

Carleigh and Hannah revisit an old episode with new recommendations!

Carleigh and Hannah review Riley Sager's newest thriller, Middle of the Night. Sager's books are a little hit-and-miss for them, so we'll see where this one lands among the rest. Spoilers begin around minute 30.

Carleigh and Hannah read more One Star Reviews of books they liked (or sort of liked, or sort of disliked). Brother eughhh

Hannah has read three Jeneva Rose books and only liked one of them... will Carleigh and Hannah agree on Home is Where the Bodies Are? And Jeneva sure is charming on social media!

Carleigh and Hannah give a mid-year update on their book reading. That includes statistics (courtesy of The Story Graph), their biggest fictional crush currently, and the best book of 2024 so far!

First off, most sincere apologies for the audio and the background sounds (especially to headphone listeners)! It's not a rocket taking off, it's a new A/C unit. But more importantly: Hannah and Carleigh are talking about Funny Story, the newest romance novel from Queen Emily Henry!Spoilers begin in minute 32.

Carleigh and Hannah discuss books they've read because of Booktok and other social media. For better or for worse.....

Carleigh and Hannah have differing opinions on Katherine Center's book Hello, Stranger. If you've read it, they may need a tie-breaker.

Carleigh and Hannah talk about books they've recently read that deserve more discussion and try to convince each other to read their picks. You might recognize some of the titles, but there might be a few that are new to you.

Carleigh and Hannah discuss Ali Hazelwood's first published Paranormal Romance novel. They're back to their roots... VAMPIRES! (Or Vampyres, in this book)Spoilers begin around minute 38.

Carleigh and Hannah discuss bookish hot takes. Cartoon romance covers, mass market paperbacks, hyped books... nothing is safe.

Bunny, by Mona Awad, is a nightmare fairy tale of Samantha Mackey as she navigates an exclusive MFA program in the company of a clique of girls who call each other "Bunny." She gets an invitation to join the Bunnies' Smut Salon and the book gets very hard for Carleigh and Hannah to describe after that. But they give it the ol' college try (wink wink). Spoilers begin in minute 31. 

Carleigh and Hannah talk about upcoming books releasing in 2024 that they're excited about. Of course, they mention Emily Henry and Riley Sager, but tons of other exciting books are on the list too!

A Short Stay in Hell is about a religious man who dies and discovers that the afterlife he believed in during his life on Earth is not exactly what he expected. He gets cast into a version of hell based on Borges's Library of Babel where he (and others in his same situation) are tasked with finding the story of their life in order to go onto a version of heaven. It is a task none of them understand at first, but they (and us as the readers) get a little taste of what 'infinite' actually means. Existential, haunting, beautiful, thought-provoking - this novella packs quite a punch. Spoilers begin in minute 33.

Happy New Year! Carleigh and Hannah celebrated by making their new reading goals for 2024. Do you have reading goals for this year?

Carleigh and Hannah answer 15 questions about their 2023 reads, including what book was their absolute FAVORITE of the year. Can you guess?

Carleigh and Hannah review Lovelight Farms, by B.K. Borison. It's a lighthearted, somewhat spicy, cute Christmas romance novel. They also give an update on the Goodreads Choice Awards and which of their favorites may or may not have won. Spoilers for Lovelight Farms begin in minute 34. 

If you need a non-fiction book to reach your reading goal by the end of the year, Carleigh and Hannah HIGHLY recommend this one. John Green wrote this collection of essays that will inspire you, tear your heart out, and make you nostalgic for experiences you haven't had yet. And then at the end of each chapter, he gives the topic of the essay a rating on a 5-star scale.Sort-of-spoilers all the way down.

Carleigh and Hannah discuss the Goodreads Choice Awards (including the Romantasy category - new this year). They predict which ones will win and talk about all the books they still need to read.

How is it almost the end of the year?! Carleigh and Hannah discuss the goals they made at the beginning of the year. And how they may or may not be meeting those goals by the end of 2023. 

Yes, Carleigh and Hannah did indeed read the infamous Ice Planet Barbarians, by Ruby Dixon. And in this episode, they don't hold back on their feelings about the book.Spoilers begin around minute 29. 

Carleigh and Hannah talk spooky book recommendations in honor of the last dregs of spooky season. They recommend books they've already read and some they haven't yet. But remember to keep the spooky in your hearts, even when October ends. 

Carleigh and Hannah discuss My Best Friend's Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix, and they disagree (gasp). Spoilers begin at time 24:45. (Also some trigger warnings for content discussed during this section. They preface before delving into the graphic stuff.)

Spoooooooooky edition! Carleigh and Hannah read one-star reviews of some recent spooky reads. Spoiler-free! 

Vampires of El Norte is a gothic horror book by Isabel Cañas. It's set in 1840s Mexico and follows Néstor and Nena in a bit of a star-crossed lovers meets scary creatures story. Carleigh and Hannah loved the spooky vibes and loved discussing it even more (maybe). Spoilers begin around minute 33.

Carleigh and Hannah are getting cozy now that it's officially Autumn! This week, they're talking about the Fall Book Tag, started by Zezee with Books, and recommending books that make it feel like Fall. 

Carleigh and Hannah talk about a series that they both FLEW THROUGH this year! The first is Finlay Donovan is Killing It, then Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, and lastly (so far) Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun. And Elle Cosimano just announced Book Four: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, coming Spring 2024.Spoilers begin around 29:45

Carleigh and Hannah talk about some books they've read recently and (spoiler) they were all 5 stars! They may or may not be "underrated" but they definitely need to be talked about more. See if they convince you to pick these books up. No spoilers :)

Have you read The Turn of the Key or Woman in Cabin 10 or The It Girl? Well Hannah and Carleigh are here to talk about Ruth Ware's newest book, Zero Days, about a woman who experiences a personal tragedy and must solve it herself while the police chase her every step. Spoilers start at 26:40

Carleigh and Hannah read one-star reviews of some of their favorite books. Spoiler-free!

Sign Here is the debut novel of Claudia Lux. It's a book about a literal corporate hellscape and one deal-making devil named Peyote Trip whose goal is to get the fourth generation of the Harrison family to make a deal. And Carleigh and Hannah really enjoyed talking about it.Spoilers begin at 21:30

Carleigh and Hannah talk about recent book purchases and the ones they are most excited to read! Biography, Sci-fi, Magical Realism, they're all across the board!

Carleigh and Hannah have talked about this author before and now they tackle his newest book, In the Lives of Puppets, which is a retelling of Pinnochio with a twist (or many twists). They discussed before how his books can feel like such a hug. This one... may not exactly be a hug, but Carleigh and Hannah definitely can talk about their favorite characters for a while.Spoilers begin in minute 26.

Carleigh and Hannah fancast (or dreamcast) their favorite books. They have ideas for Emily Henry and would definitely be willing to collaborate. So Emily, DM anytime. As well as for V.E. Schwab, Riley Sager, T.J. Klune, and more. Tune in to hear their casting calls and go tell them your fancast on Instagram. 

If you're on social media, you've most likely seen this book. Everyone is talking about Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. And now, Hannah and Carleigh are talking about it. They talk about favorite characters, least favorite characters, critiques, and what they love about being part of the book community. 

Carleigh and Hannah play round 3 of literary 20 questions! This time instead of doing book titles, they're asking questions to figure out a character from literature. What kind of literature? You'll just have to listen...

If you listened to Riley Sager Smackdown Part One, you know Carleigh and Hannah love to talk about him, the good and the bad, the whole package. In this episode, they discuss Lock Every Door, Survive the Night, and his newest book, The Only One Left. Where do you think these books fall in their rankings?

Hannah and Carleigh admit to the books that have been on their TBR (to-be-read) shelves for the longest time. Lots of gems found deep on the goodreads/storygraph accounts. 

Beartown is the first in a trilogy of novels by Fredrik Backman that center around a small Canadian town that pins a lot of its hopes on the youth hockey teams and the kids that are the stars. Carleigh and Hannah have a lot to say about this book and can't wait to discuss Us Against You (Beartown #2) and The Winners (Beartown #3) in an episode soon!Spoilers begin about 36 minutes in.

Carleigh and Hannah talk about books that will be released in the second half of 2023 that they are excited about (or not exactly excited about... looking at you, Robert Galbraith). 

Carleigh and Hannah attempt to give you some of their personal recommendations for books that have LGBTQIA+ representation for June! There are probably a few that you haven't read, so check it out.

Carleigh and Hannah give an update on their reading goals for the year and a rundown of some of their favorite (and least favorite) characters, books, and authors in 2023 so far. Can you guess where they place Riley Sager,  Emily Henry, and Fredrik Backman?

 If you like a twisty, convoluted, psychological thriller, then Carleigh and Hannah have a recommendation for you. The Kind Worth Killing and its sequel, The Kind Worth Saving, are both thrillers by Peter Swanson that will have you on the edge of your seat. Listen to a spoiler-free recommendation until they get into the spoiler section.