AllBooked

Rachelle and Katie chat about Grim Tidings by B. K. Borison, a new book in her Ghosted series of holiday rom-coms. 

Katie talks about a spooky new horror novel, There is No Antimemetics Division, inspired by internet horror and the fictional SCP Foundation.

Sabrina and Mary join the podcast to talk about a series of epistolary novellas that have taken the internet by storm! These novellas follow a young woman named Emma in the 1880s as she builds a life for herself in the magical London neighborhood of St. Crispian's.

Lesley brings another mystery, this time set in 1940s Mexico and featuring a con-man, a heist, and a secret fortune. 

Katie and Lesley tackle another Goodreads challenge category: Lasting Reads. Lesley reviews The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and Katie reviews The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. 

Katie reviews a new summery rom-com by Katherine Center called The Shippers.

Donald and Diana join us to talk about a murder mystery novel with a twist -- these teens are trying to solve a murder while competing on an escape room competition show. 

Valde joins us to talk about A Parade of Horribles, book 8 in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and we talk about how Matt Dinniman has taken the world by storm! 

Lesley reviews a darkly comedic thriller about the two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies. 

Lesley dives into this psychological horror/thriller about a tradwife influencer who is sent back in time in Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. 

Katie reviews a gothic Bulgarian horror where the only vampires are the cycles of violence we perpetuate against those we love: She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva. 

Cherie and Lisa discuss (after)life, love, and running a customer service desk in For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn.

Katie and Lesley talk about two books that qualify for the Goodreads "Star Selections" challenge, a mythical retelling called A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang and an award-winning Polish mystery called Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk.

Katie reviews Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman, a new standalone science fiction novel by the writer of Dungeon Crawler Carl.

Lesley reviews Catriona Ward's newest novel, Nowhere Burning. Set to come out on February 24, 2026, Nowhere Burning is a dark and twisty psychological horror loosely inspired by Peter Pan. 

Katie and Lesley share a list of favorite books of 2025, with features from Dani and Donald. Find out what stood out to us this year, and what we're looking forward to in 2026. 

Erline joins us to discuss Octavia Butler -- not her works of fiction, but her life as told in the new biography written by Susana M. Morris, Positive Obsession. 

Our resident manga experts Dani and Percy come to discuss their favorite manga, from the first manga they every picked up to the ones they're keeping tabs on right now.  Titles recommended:  One-Punch Man One Piece Skip Beat! Kitchen Princess Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun Soul Eater Tinker Bell's Secret Miss Not-So-Sidekick The Boy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Boy At All Sakamoto Days A Man and His Cat Library Wars Absolute Boyfriend Full Metal Alchemist

Jake joins us to discuss family dysfunction and Italian ghosts in Jennifer Thorne's gothic horror novel, Diavola.

We're back after a short break with Cherie to review Lynn Painter's new rom-com, Maid for Each Other. 

Sara joins us to talk about a book that got her out of her Romantasy reading slump, Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry. 

Lisa and Katie review the road trip rom-com Anywhere With You by debut author Margo Glynn, featuring Roswell, a variety of Southeastern wildlife, and a viral social media account created to make your ex(es) jealous. 

Rachelle joins us for her debut episode to talk about Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. She and Lesley touch on strained family dynamics, how cool astronauts are, and an epic ending that kept a whole book club on the edge of their seats.

Jake and Katie talk about the top ten reasons you should reconsider a descent into hell to rescue your thesis professor (eg. a lot of math, chthonic dogs, an eventual rivals to lovers romance). Their only cited source is R. F. Kuang's dark academia book, Katabasis. 

Katie and Sara both read a cozy, funny fantasy romance by M. Stevenson called Behooved. It's a LadyHawke situation.

Cherie reviews an action-packed dark sci-fi novel called Not That Kind of Good Guy by John Ringo.

Kathy discusses power, identity, and the cost of change in Red Rising, a 2014 action-packed dystopian sci-fi novel by Pierce Brown that is the start of a seven book saga.

Jake, Dani, Lesley, and Katie talk about some of their favorite vampire reads from this year. We cover Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab, Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, and Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove. There's something on this list for everyone! 

Dani brings Shadow of the Leviathan by Robert Jackson Bennett, a science fiction series and a retelling of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that features a locked room mystery, murder by tree, and a surprising amount of algae. 

Erline reviews one of her must-read authors, Stephen King, and has some things to say about Never Flinch, the latest in the Holly Gibney series.

Avid Discworld fan Cherie joins us to provide three possible entries into the beloved universe of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. 

Local author Dr. Regina Sims joins us to talk about the history of Juneteenth, her connection to the holiday, and how all of that culminated in her writing a children's book called Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom. 

Dani dives into another retelling with Greenteeth, a brand new debut fantasy novel by Molly O'Neill. 

Our resident Suzanne Collins expert Erline is back to review the latest installment in The Hunger Games universe, Sunrise on the Reaping.

Warning: While these reads feature beaches, they are not all "beach reads".  Lesley reviews three sea-riously good books: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S. A. Chakraborty, The Wager by David Grann, and Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward. 

Jake and Katie review two recent releases entrenched in the tech world: Sky Daddy by Kate Folk and Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. 

Sara, Katie, and Lesley review some delightful romance reads with one theme in mind: the premise must be as ridiculous as possible. Featuring: I'm in Love With Mothman by Paige Lavoie, How to Get a Girlfriend (When You're a Terrifying Monster) by Marie Cardno, and I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming. 

Lesly brings us three books about mothers across genres: All the Other Mothers Hate Me, a mystery novel by Sarah Harman; The Motherload, a memoir by Sarah Hoover; and Mothers and Sons, a literary fiction novel by Adam Haslett. 

Another one bites the dust for Katie and Lesley's TBR as they respectively review Dating and Dismemberment by A. L. Brody and The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.

Jake talks about a work of historical horror from Grady Hendrix that breaks from the author's usual comedic tone: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. 

Dani serves up three piping hot titles from the Horror genre: Private Rites by Julia Armfield, Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, and Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina. 

Donald and Sara review An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson, a dark academia read that didn't hit the way they were hoping.

Lesley and Katie each take another book off of their TBR: Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff and The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence respectively. 

Jake reviews a brand new novella, Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito. This dark comedy follows Victorian governess Winifred Notty as she delves into the messy details of her post at Ensor House.

Cherie talks about pies, murder, and a secret royal from the first book in the Crown of Shards fantasy series by Jennifer Estep, Kill the Queen.

Katie and Lesley each knock another book off of their TBR, The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks and You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi.

Cherie, Kathy, and Erline share fan theories, favorite moments, and more with Lesley and Katie in a lively podcast about the 3rd installment of the Empyrean series, Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. 

Sabrina, Kathy, and Mary join Katie to review Whims of the Wicked by Rebecca Grey, a fantasy romance they co-read as a chapter-a-day book club! 

Sara and Dani joined Lesley in a buddy read and a buddy review of T. Kingfisher's new fairy tale retelling A Sorceress Comes to Call.

Sara and Dani review a fantasy duology inspired by modern Egyptian history: The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai.