Our 2025 favourites

We were lucky enough to record this episode together in a studio at Vanishing Point Records in Chesterfield. We kick off with a wrap-up of our reading stats for the year: how many books and pages, the moods and re-reads. *Accessed through our work/from the publisher 2024 debut book: Caitlin: The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage* Michelle: Confessions by Catherine Airey* Non-fiction: Michelle: John and Paul: A Love story in Songs by Ian Leslie Caitlin: The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop Australian book: Michelle: Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley Caitlin: Until the Red Leaves Fall by Alli Parker* Romance: Michelle: Swept Away by Beth O’Leary Caitlin: An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister Fiction: Michelle: The Offing by Benjamin Myers Caitlin: Ever Blessed by Olivia O’Flynn* Young Adult: Michelle: Red Flags by Sophie Jo* Caitlin: Grumpy Darling by Alexandra Moody* Most surprising: Caitlin: Fake by Stephanie Wood Michelle: The Lamb by Lucy Rose Favourite cover: Caitlin: A Smart Girls Guide to Second Chances by Steph Vizard* Michelle: Sad Girl Hours by Anna Zoe Quirke* Recommendation for each other: Michelle: The Wedding People by Alison Espach Caitlin: *Until the Red Leaves Fall by Alli Parker Worth the hype: Michelle: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Caitlin: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins Books on our radar for 2026: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Motherfaker by Anna Brook-Mitchell The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke* Esther is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeny* Heartstopper volume 6 by Alice Oseman The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone by Louise O’Neill Fruit Fly by Josh Silver This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page Survival Show by Juno Dawson Hopeless Romantics by Mhairi McFarlane Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune Favourite TV: Michelle: The Americans Outrageous Supernatural Daddy Issues Caitlin: Fresh Off the Boat Severence Heated Rivalry Favourite films: Michelle: Civil War The Thursday Murder Club Lily & Stitch (live action) Downton Abbey: The Finale Caitlin: September 5 Wicked: For Good Thelma Favourite podcasts: Michelle: Just The Gist Big Small Talk ‘Big Talk’ episodes Last Podcast on the Left episodes on Heinrich Himmler and The Great Molasses Flood Caitlin: Pulp Kitchen Good Hang Hamish & Andy But for your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline The Beatles by Hunter Davies Katabasis by RF Kuang The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Wings: The Story of a Band Rivals by Jilly Cooper The Dry Heart by Natalia Ginzburg Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsey The Job Share by Sophie Jo Heartbreak Era by Sophie Jo All Fours by Miranda July Literary Legends Reading Challenge The Goldmans The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo (film) Zootopia 2 Celebrity Traitors Spotlight The Rest is Entertainment Inside Out 2 Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠ now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠ Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod