The Books We Loved

Heated Rivalry Readlikes!

Today the ladies discussed readalikes for the show (and book!) everyone is talking about: Heated Rivalry.
Titles discussed include:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Prospects of KT Hoffman
The Long Run by James Acker
Check, Please!: Book 1, Hockey (and it’s sequel, Check Please: Book 2, Sticks and Scones), Ngozi Ukazu 
Like Real People Do: a novel, E.L. Massey
Him (book 1), Us (book 2), Epic (book 2.5), Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy 
All's Fair in Love and Field Hockey, Kit Rosewater
Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1), Sarina Bowen

BONUS: K-Pop Demon Hunters inspired reads

Due to the recent success of the film, K-Pop Demon Hunters, the gals thought it was high time to offer our listeners some K-Pop inspired reading recs! Buckle up, buttercups, and be prepared to impress your friends (and, dare we say, kids) with this K-Pop inspired reading list! 
Titles discussed today:
K-pop Confidential, Stephan Lee
I’ll Be the One, Lyla Lee
XOXO, Axie Oh 
Somewhere Only We Know, Mauren Goo
I'll love you forever: notes from a K-pop fan, Giaae Kwon
Skylar and the K-Pop Principal, Luan Goldie 
Make a Move, Sunny Park!, Jessica Kim
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (trilogy), Grace Lin
Meesh the Bad Demon, Michelle Lam
When You Trap a Tiger, Tae Keller
BTS: K-pop's biggest headliners, Leslie Holleran

So long, 2025--these were our favs!

The girls round out the year by sharing their personal favorite reads of 2025. See below for the booklist. 
Olivia's recs:
Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Heart the Lover, Lily King 
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Kiran Desai
All the Way to the River, Elizabeth Gilbert
This American Woman, Zarna Garg
Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor 
Back After This, Linda Holmes
Swept Away, Beth O’Leary
Manda's recs:
No More Chairs, Gill
Everyday Bean (Tiny Bean's Big Adventures, Book #1), Graegin
Frank’s Red Hat, Avery
Max in the Land of Spies (book 1); Max in the Land of Lies (book 2), Gidwitz
We Were Liars (book 1), Family of Liars (book 2), We Fell Apart (book 3), E. Lockhart
The Only One Left, Sager
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: one woman’s obsessive search for the Golden State Killer, McNamara
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (book 1), The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse, and the Storm (book 2), Charlie Mackesy

BONUS: Rob Reiner remembered

Today Olivia and Manda reflect on the cinematic gifts left to the world by the genius, Rob Reiner. Along with each movie mentioned, the girls offer book recs for your reading delight (list below). Happy Holidays! 
When Harry Met Sally:
Heartburn, Nora Ephron
The People We Meet on Vacation, Henry (really any Emily Henry book)
Normal People, Rooney
Rachel Incident, O’Donoghue
Eleanor and Park, Rowell
One Day, Nicholls
 
Misery
Dolores Claiborne, Stephen King
Dream Girl, Laura Lippman
Notes on a Scandal, Heller
Tender, McKeon
 
Stand By Me
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Bradbury
The Night Circus, Morgenstern
The Outsiders, Hinton
Okay For Now, Gary D. Schmidt
Pop AND Schooled (both were mentioned, but really any Gordon Korman book)
 
This is Spinal Tap
A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap
Spinal Tap 2: the end continues (movie rec)
AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Story of the World’s Greatest Rock-and-Roll Band, Engelheart
I am Ozzy, Osbourne
Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga, Davis
The Life of Brian (movie rec)
Monty Python bios/memoirs:
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, Eric Idle
So, anyway…, John Cleese
The Pythons Autobiography, The Pythons
French Exit, deWitt
The Princess Bride
Tress of the Emerald Seas, Sanderson
Kill the Farm Boy, Dawson
As you wish: inconceivable tales from the making of the Princess Bride, Elwes
Magicians, Grossman

The Great(?) Gatsby

Today the gals are joined by fellow TPL staffer, Hannah, for a discussion of every high school's favorite assigned book, The Great Gatsby. O

Gift giving recs

Looking for some great gift ideas? You've come to the right place! The girls share ideas for all ages, babies to adults. In case you were walking/driving/jogging and couldn't write down the titles, the gals discussed: 
When Pigs Fly: a song for dreamers, Sandra Boynton
The Book of Candles: eight poems for Hanukkah Laurel Snyder, illus. by Leanne Hatch
The 13th Day of Christmas, Adam Rex
Once Upon a Kwanzaa, Nyasha Williams
The Amazing Generation, Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price
The Stolen Songbird Judith Eagle
Brownstone, Samuel Teer and Mar Julia
This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir, Zarna Garg
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, Emma Knight 
Turning to Birds: the power and beauty of noticing, Lili Taylor
Lifeform, Jenny Slate
The Third Gilmore Girl: a memoir, Kelly Bishop

Agatha Christie's The Body in the Library

Today the gals dig into Agatha Christie's novel, The Body in the Library--the second book to feature beloved sleuth extraordinaire, Ms. Marple! 

BONUS: reader recs just in time for turkey!

Today's quick episode is in response to a request from our listener, Eliza. Don't forget, if you would like us to give you recommendations, shoot us an email at: podcast@troypl.org
If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving, by Chris Newell, illustrated by Winona Nelson
Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story, written by indigenous authors: Danielle Greendeer (Mashpee Wampanoag), Anthony Perry (Chickasaw), Alexis Bunten (Unangan/Yup'ik), and illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr. (Anishinaabe)
Thank You, Sarah: the woman who saved Thanksgiving, by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner
Balloons over Broadway: the inspiring true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, written and illustrated by Melissa Stewart
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist, by Jess Keating, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate
Dancing Through Space: Dr. Mae Jemison soars to new heights, by Lydia Lukidis, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
Saving American Beach: the biography of African American environmentalist MaVynee Betsch, by Heidi Tyline King, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
A Line Can Go Anywhere: The Brilliant, Resilient Life of Artist Ruth Asawa, by Caroline McAllister illustrated by Jamie Green
Kahoʻolawe : the true story of an island and her people, by Kamalani Hurley, illustrated by Harinani Orme
Fairytales/Folktales native to a culture!

Fun Home

Fellow TPL staffer, Kit, will be joining the girls today to discuss Alison Bechdel's, Fun Home: a family tragicomic, a graphic memoir. 

BONUS: 1999's The Mummy

In honor of Halloween, the gals are joined by Director, Emily Dumas, to discuss 1999's The Mummy starring Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weiss. Enjoy this spoooooky episode!