This one is dedicated to all the book stacks on all those book shelves just waiting to be read. In this episode, Marissa and Megan uncover their most shameful -- or most interesting -- books on their TBRs that they've been avoiding. From books they didn't even know they owned to books they've been waiting for the perfect moment to pick up, join these two readers as they dive into their TBRs.

As always, they start the podcast with their most recent reads and end it by drawing a new topic from the jar and discussing their upcoming reads.

Expect us to discuss:

• Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
• Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
• Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy
• The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers
• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarrows
• Clariel by Garth Nix
• The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman
• Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
• Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
• The Witchland Series by Susan Dennard (Truthwitch)
• The Dark Star Trilogy by Marlon James
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
• Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
• Glass Thorns Series by Melanie Rawn (Touchstone, Elsewhens & Thornlost)
• Zadie Smith
• Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
• Shimmer and Burn by Mary Taranta
• Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer
• The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
• Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
• The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
• The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan
• Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us an email or message our Instagram account with your question, and we'll add it to our book jar.

You can find our sister podcast, the Queens of Fantasy Podcast, on Instagram as well.

Like our podcast? Leave us a review so more people can find us!

Want to be in a community full of readers? Join our Discord server to discuss books and join our book club (if you want!). You can do that right here.

Timestamps:
00:00 Cold Open
0:47 Intro
5:10 Most-Recent Reads
5:36 Knife of Dreams
7:09 Secretly Yours
10:07 The City of Stardust
11:28 Today's Topic: TBR Books
13:03 Doctor Sleep
24:11 The Invisible Library Series
26:40 The Witchland Series
27:58 Before the Coffee Cold Series
28:24 Glass Thorns Series
33:26 Shimmer & Burn
34:36 Witches of Ash and Ruin
38:10 The Dark Star Trilogy
39:21 Crescent City
40:26 The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
41:25 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
43:22 Bookshops and Bonedust
44:04 Never Fade
44:37 Hell Bent
45:49 The Once and Future Witches
47:31 The Darkness Outside Us
48:46 Zadie Smith
50:06 Next Topic!
51:27 Upcoming Reads
52:29 Outro & Socials
53:26 After the Pod

All the things that make us cringe, gag, and recoil away from a book within an instant. From abhorrent stickers on book covers to the worst plot devices we've ever read, this week Megan and Marissa discuss their biggest book pet peeves. Marissa also shares an embarrassing reader faux pas she committed and Megan pretends she's very much over it.

As always, they start the podcast with their most recent reads and end it by drawing a new topic from the jar and discussing their upcoming reads.

Content Warning: We mention the following on this podcast:

• Rape
• Misogyny
• Sexism
• Violence Against Women
• Sexual Assault
• Sexual Actions

Expect us to discuss:

• Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
• New Spring by Robert Jordan
• The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
• The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim
• A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
• A Fragile Enchantment Allison Saft
• Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
• Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
• Funny Story by Emily Henry
• Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
• Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us an email or message our Instagram account with your question, and we'll add it to our book jar.

You can find our sister podcast, the Queens of Fantasy Podcast, on Instagram as well.

Like our podcast? Leave us a review so more people can find us!

Want to be in a community full of readers? Join our Discord server to discuss books and join our book club (if you want!). You can do that right here.

Timestamps:
00:00 Cold Open
0:44 Intro
1:18 The Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
2:30 The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
5:58 The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim
7:26 A Feather So Black
10:42 A Fragile Enchantment
12:05 Winter's Orbit
18:00 Yellowface
22:28 Start of Topic: Biggest Bookish Pet Peeves
22:53 Misogyny As Worldbuilding
26:14 Dialogue Hidden In Description
27:03 Groundhog Day Syndrome
29:47 Prologues That Aren't Prologues
32:24 Poor Choreography & Action Scenes
32:46 CW: Mild Sexual Content
33:32 End of CW: Mild Sexual Content
36:36 Casual Realism & Pop Culture
41:07 Physical Pet Peeves
47:27 Formatting
49:53 The Next Topic!
50:56 Upcoming Reads
54:26 Outro & Socials
55:42 After the Pod

Anybody up for a challenge? Reading challenges are popular across TikTok, StoryGraph, and pretty much anywhere you find readers. Megan and Marissa give their thoughts on reading challenges – which ones they love and which ones they can't quite get into. Megan compares reading challenges to playing the Sims and Marissa changes her opinion quickly as the podcast progresses. As always, they start the podcast with their most recent reads and end it by drawing a new topic from the jar and discussing their upcoming reads.

Expect us to discuss:

• Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
• Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
• That Time I Got Drunk & Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming
• The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn
• Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWitt
• Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater
• One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
• Funny Story by Emily Henry
• And Many Others

Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us an email or message our Instagram account with your question, and we'll add it to our book jar.

You can find our sister podcast, the Queens of Fantasy Podcast, on Instagram as well.

Like our podcast? Leave us a review so more people can find us!

Want to be in a community full of readers? Join our Discord server to discuss books and join our book club (if you want!). You can do that right here.

Timestamps
00:00 Cold Open
1:15 Most Recent Reads
1:42 The Bridgerton Series
5:06 One Dark Window
5:55 Half A Soul
7:42 Funny Feelings
8:55 That Time I Got Drunk & Saved A Demon
15:36 Topic: Reading Challenges
16:24 Just Like The Sims
22:00 StoryGraph Challenges
27:35 Setting New Reading Goal
35:12 Upcoming Reads
35:26 Yellowface
36:37 Funny Story
38:57 Crossroad of Twilight
41:11 Drawing Our Next Topic!
42:35 Socials & Outro
44:22 After the Pod

Alix Calfa joins us for a surprise guest episode! Marissa and Alix discuss BookTok – and, in fact, all things about books online. The readers tackle discussing good recommendations and poor ones, as well as some of the more popular BookTok books and whether they are worth the read. As always, we start the podcast with some of our more recent reads. And, this time, we end by reviewing Marissa's ever-growing TBR pile.

Expect us to discuss:

• Sarah J. Maas
• Colleen Hoover
• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us an email or message our Instagram account with your question, and we'll add it to our book jar.

You can find our sister podcast, the Queens of Fantasy Podcast, on Instagram as well.

Like our podcast? Leave us a review so more people can find us!

Want to be in a community full of readers? Join our Discord server to discuss books and join our book club (if you want!). You can do that right here.

Do you use bookmarks? Marissa and Megan discuss the most remarkable bookmarks they've had over the years. From American one-dollar bills to a leather marker with a flower that seems one petal short, both readers talk about whether or not they use them, what will count as a bookmark, and whether dog-earring is ever an option.

We start the podcast with our most recent reads and end it by drawing our next topic from our book jar!

Expect us to discuss:

• A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
• Radiance by Grace Draven
• Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle
• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us an email or message our Instagram account with your question, and we'll add it to our book jar.

You can find our sister podcast, the Queens of Fantasy Podcast, on Instagram as well.

Like our podcast? Leave us a review so more people can find us!

Want to be in a community full of readers? Join our Discord server to discuss books and join our book club (if you want!). You can do that right here.

Follow us on Storygraph!
Megan | Marissa

00:00 Cold Open
0:31 Intro
2:18 Marissa's Most Recent Reads
2:22 Red Rising by Pierce Brown
6:06 Megan's Most Recent Reads
8:01 Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle
9:33 Radiance by Grace Draven
12:31 A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
15:10 Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan
18:30 Today's Topic: Bookmarks
45:10 Next Topic
45:39 Upcoming Reads
47:41 Outro & Socials
48:43 After the Pod

Slumps suck. Reading slumps extra suck. Every avid reader has been through one reading slump or another and, while sometimes they are inevitable, there are some ways to get through them without losing your mind. Marissa and Megan discuss their experiences with their own reading slumps, and all the top tips they have to prevent them. From reading challenges and book clubs to DNF-ing and taking breaks, these two readers discuss everything related to reading slumps.

We start the podcast with our most-recent reads and end it by drawing our next topic from our book jar!

Expect us to discuss:

• His Viking Captive by C.A. Fray
• One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim
• When Fate Finds Us by Sanho, B, Bbab and Ddinut
• I've Become A True Villainess by Flowing HonEy
• Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
• Brimstone & Roses by Speremint
• The Mafia Nanny by Violet Matter, Art by sh00
• Down to Earth by Pookie Senpai
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown
• Riddle-Master by Patricia A. McKillip

Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us an email or message our Instagram account with your question, and we'll add it to our book jar.

You can find our sister podcast, the Queens of Fantasy Podcast, on Instagram as well.

Like our podcast? Leave us a review so more people can find us!

Want to be in a community full of readers? Join our Discord server to discuss books and join our book club (if you want!). You can do that right here.

Follow us on Storygraph!
Megan | Marissa

00:00 Sneak Peek
0:46 Intro
2:34 Most Recent Reads
7:06 Today's Topic: Top Tips to Getting Out of A Reading Slump
7:37 What Is A Reading Slump?
9:13 Just Take the Break
11:08 Re-Read Old Faves
12:47 Choose Books With Lighter Content
14:43 Change Reading Formats
17:56 Mangas & Graphic Novels
19:46 Try A Different Genre or Sub-Genre
20:51 Try Reading One Page A Day
22:42 Check Out A Book Or Reading Challenge
23:03 Join A Book Club
25:15 Don't Be Afraid to DNF – or Save For Later
28:56 Get Reccs From Reader Friends
31:11 A Shame-Free Zone
37:53 Reset Your Reading Challenge
39:20 Next Topic!

40:33 Our Upcoming Reads
46:23 Outro & Socials
47:34 After the Pod

Everybody loves a good villain. From the most sinister non-human entities to the humans we start to empathize with, we've got all the best baddies from books we've read. We start with a classic President Snow and end with an even more classic villain who will suck your blood, and we hit every bad guy in between.

We start the podcast with our most-recent reads and end it by drawing our next topic from our book jar!

Expect us to discuss:

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
• The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• The Four Horseman by Laura Thalassa
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
• City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan
• Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn
• Bride by Ali Hazelwood
• Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation by Jen Gunter
• Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti

Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us an email or message our Instagram account with your question, and we'll add it to our book jar.

You can find our sister podcast, the Queens of Fantasy Podcast, on Instagram as well.

Like our podcast? Leave us a review so more people can find us!

Want to be in a community full of readers? Join our Discord server to discuss books and join our book club (if you want!). You can do that right here.

Follow us on Storygraph!
Megan | Marissa

00:00 Sneak Peek
0:26 Intro
1:52 Megan's Most Recent Reads
7:17 Marissa's Most Recent Reads
10:13 Today's Topic: Our Fave Fictional Villains
11:05 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
19:29 Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
21:03 The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
21:41 The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
24:08 The Four Horseman by Laura Thalassa
26:49 An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
28:52 City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
33:43 Dracula by Bram Stoker

42:23 Next Topic!
43:17 Outro & Socials
44:23 After the Pod