Well-Read

Ann Cox and Halle Carlson
  • 4.7 (233)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

As librarians, books are kind of our thing. Listen in as we talk about what we're reading, make book recommendations, and all sorts of book-related fun.

  1. 12/20/2025

    Episode 164 - Our Favorite Books of 2025

    The year is almost over, and it’s time to reveal our favorite books of 2025! Happy Holidays from your friends at Well-Read!   Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz Jane Austen books Agatha Christie books The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim What You’re Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone Ready or Not by Cara Bastone Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia Deep End by Ali Hazelwood Rose in Chains by Julie Soto Alchemised by SenLinYu Ann’s picks: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling Long Bright River by Liz Moore – Long Bright River (TV) The Bad Seed by William March The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali – My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto – Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano Umma: A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes by Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn – @ahnestkitchen on Instagram – America’s Test Kitchen – Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser – “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser (essay) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher – “The Goose Girl” Halle’s picks: Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – And How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari The Will of the Many by James Islington – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins – Divergent series by Veronica Roth Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna The Correspondent by Virginia Evans The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett – Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe – The Wedding People by Alison Espach Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune The Names by Florence Knapp Heart the Lover by Lily King – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Writers & Lovers by Lily King What We’re Reading This Week: Ann: The Lack of Light by Nino Haratischwili – Persuasion by Jane Austen – The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili – The International Booker Prize Halle: The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage Well-Read on Facebook Well-Read on Instagram Well-Read on Bookshop

    1h 23m

  2. 12/06/2025

    Episode 163 - Cozy Reads

    As temperatures drop, we like nothing more than getting cozy with a book. Find out our suggestions for cozy reads this week!   Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Ann’s picks: Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz – Susan Ryland series by Anthony Horowitz – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama – The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai – Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa Cackle by Rachel Harrison Halle’s picks: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna – The Very Secret Society for Irregular Witches by Sanga Mandanna With Love from London by Sarah Jio Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman – While You Were Sleeping (film) What We’re Reading This Week: Ann: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Halle: Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young Well-Read on Facebook Well-Read on Instagram Well-Read on Bookshop

    47 min

  3. 11/23/2025

    Episode 162 - What We Read On Our Fall Vacations

    We’ve been away for a bit, thanks to our travels this fall, but that just means we have a lot of books to talk about! Books and other media mentioned in this episode: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker The Wedding People by Alison Espach Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone Ann’s picks: Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – Matt Bomer filmography – The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – Outlander (TV) Halle’s picks: Wreck by Catherine Newman – We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman – Sandwich by Catherine Newman Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard What We’re Reading This Week: Ann: Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley – Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley – Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley Halle: Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris Well-Read on Facebook Well-Read on Twitter Well-Read on Instagram Well-Read on Bookshop

    49 min

  4. 10/05/2025

    Episode 161 - The Books that Made Us the Readers We Are

    We’re looking back at the formative books that made us the readers we are today, and we’ll end with what we’re reading this week! Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Andrew Lang books Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder Beauty by Robin McKinley The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare Ann Rinaldi books A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz Fear Street series by R.L. Stine Christopher Pike books Cam Jansen series by David A. Adler Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol Masterpiece Mystery! (TV) The Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin Sleepover Friends series by Susan Saunders The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal Sweet Valley Twins series by Francine Pascal Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews Dollanganger series by V.C. Andrews Goosebumps series by R.L. Stein Richie Tankersley Cusick books Nora Roberts books Walden by Henry David Thoreau The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Jane Austen books Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Mary Higgins Clark books John Jakes books North and South series by John Jakes North and South (TV) A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Frances Burney books Diane Mott Davidson books Anne Perry books The Eight by Katherine Neville Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher Sarah Dessen books Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells Bird Box by Josh Malerman The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix The Martian by Andy Weir The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley Mary Kay Andrews books What We’re Reading This Week: Ann: Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn Halle: The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill – Read with Jenna – Thousand Voices Books Well-Read on Facebook Well-Read on Twitter Well-Read on Instagram Well-Read on Bookshop

    1h 7m

  5. 08/31/2025

    Episode 160 - Fall 2025 Preview

    Autumn is just around the corner, and it’s time to get our fall TBRs in order!   Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Ann Patchett books Taylor Jenkins Reid books Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall Broadchurch (TV) Jane Austen books The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill Katabasis by R.F. Kuang Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh Succession (TV) Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan Rose in Chains by Julie Soto Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean Ann’s picks:  Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat (releases September 16) – Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat – Salt Fat Acid Heat (TV)  The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller (releases October 7) – The Change by Kirsten Miller – Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller  All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles (releases October 7) – Death in the Spires by KJ Charles Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer (releases October 7) – Grady Hendrix books – Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks (releases October 14) – Only Murders in the Building (TV) – Angela Carter books The Unveiling by Quan Barry (releases October 14) – We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (releases November 11) – Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree  Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (releases November 25) Halle’s picks: Amity by Nathan Harris (releases September 2) – The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris – Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – Doc by Mary Doria Russell – Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee – William W. Johnstone books  Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (releases September 2) – Commonwealth by Ann Patchett – Our Town by Thornton Wilder – Wallace Stegner books  The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (releases September 16)  The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover (releases September 23)  Heart the Lover by Lily King (releases September 30) – Writers & Lovers by Lily King An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister (releases November 11) Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz (releases November 18) I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (releases November 18) – Circe by Madeline Miller – Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – Rick Riordan books – Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan What We’re Reading This Week: Ann: Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian Halle: When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén Well-Read on Facebook Well-Read on Twitter Well-Read on Instagram Well-Read on Bookshop

    58 min

  6. 08/17/2025

    Reading the Oldest Books on our TBRs

    Well-Read

    46 min

  7. 07/19/2025

    Episode 158 - 2025 Mid-Year Check-in

    We’re halfway through the year, and it’s time to check in on our bookish goals and reading lives of 2025!   Books and other media mentioned in this episode: 2025 ALA Annual Conference Jane Austen books Book of the Month Club Women’s Prize for Fiction Libba Bray books Agatha Christie books Emily Henry books Abby Jimenez books Strange Pictures by Uketsu Strange Houses by Uketsu Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sangu Mandanna The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins Left of Forever by Tara DeWitt Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Women in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware The Favorites by Layne Fargo The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown The Names by Florence Knapp One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune Heart the Lover by Lily King A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher Ready or Not by Cara Bastone The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Katabasis by R.F. Kuang Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley Alchemised by SenLinYu Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Manacled by SenLinYu Rose in Chains by Julie Soto Mate by Ali Hazelwood Bride by Ali Hazelwood Good Spirits by B.K. Borison Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer Grady Hendrix books What We’re Reading This Week: Ann: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker Halle: The Will of the Many by James Islington – Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas Well-Read on Facebook Well-Read on Twitter Well-Read on Instagram Well-Read on Bookshop

    1 hr

  8. 06/29/2025

    Vacations Gone Wrong

    Well-Read

    47 min
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4.7
out of 5
233 Ratings

About

As librarians, books are kind of our thing. Listen in as we talk about what we're reading, make book recommendations, and all sorts of book-related fun.

Information

  • Creator
    Ann Cox and Halle Carlson
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2015 . All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Well-Read

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