Episode notes
Brea and Mallory pick their most anticipated books for June and July. Plus, they discuss books they love that aren’t in their wheelhouses. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!
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Books Mentioned –
June
The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Coming back for one last job, art heist in space
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty
Literary, Maine, family, small town secrets
One Star Romance by Laura Hankin
Romance, enemies to lovers, publishing, academia
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood –
Romance, women in STEM, business, secret affair
Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope
Historical fantasy, gods and myths, woman on a journey, ancient magic
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Literary, romance, astronomy, friendship, mystery, science
Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow
Queer sci fi romance, be gay do space crimes
Dancers of the Dawn by Zulekha A. Afzal
YA fantasy, dance magic, desert setting, dancer assassins, adventure
Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire
Sequel to Middlegame
The Pecan Children by Quinn Connor
Small town horror, Southern US setting, sisters, folklore
We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed
Sequel to The Annual Migration of Clouds
The Unrelenting Earth by Kritika H. Rao
Book 2 of The Rages Trilogy
The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan
Literary, elderly widow reviving a community and her heart
Moonbound by Robin Sloan
Sci fi and fantasy, AI narrator, magic, journey
The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin
Middle grade fantasy, dragons, magic castles, cat character, magic competition
Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera
Sci fi, reincarnation, friendship, time stuff
The Cautious Traveler’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks
Historical fantasy, train trip, magic, monsters, friends
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima
Short stories, speculative fiction, strange
Darkness and Demon Song by M.R. Founet
Middle grade horror, monsters, forbidden spells, moms, Southern US setting
Please Stop Trying to Leave by Alana Saab
Literary, surreal, lesbian, mental illness, healing
Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez
Literary, queer, coming of age, immigrant story, mother relationship
Hot Summer by Elle Everheart
Lesbian romance, reality show, comedy
The Lion’s Den by Iris Mwanza
Historical queer legal thriller
Six of Sorrow by Amanda Lismeir
Queer YA horror, small town, friendships, Yellowjackets comp
Unexploded Remnants by Elaine Gallagher
Queer sci fi, space, AI, woman on a journey
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell
Trans historical romance on the British seaside
Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris
Queer literary fiction, ghosts, resurrection, friendship, California
All Friends are Necessary by Tomas Moniz
Queer literary fiction, queer community, found family, Washington
Director’s Cut by Carlyn Greenwald
Lesbian romance, Hollywood, academia, rivals to lovers
The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza
Gay luchadores!!!!!, family, Mexico City, Los Angeles, 1980s, literary
Make It Count by Cece Telfer
Trans sports memoir, running, Olympics
Cicada Summer by Erica McKeen
Literary, queerd (queer + weird) fiction, book about a book, grief
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron
Historical fiction, queer lady pirate
But How Are You Really by Ella Dawson
Romance, disaster bisexuals, found family
Triple Sec by TJ Alexander
Queer poly romance, cocktail bars, NYC
We Could Be Heroes by Philip Ellis
Gay romance, Hollywood, drag, acting
The Future Was Color by Patrick Nathan
Gay historical fiction, 1950s Hollywood, LA, NYC, Las Vegas
Blessings by Chukwebuka Ibeh
Literary fiction, gay, new adult, coming of age, Nigeria
youthjuice by E.K. Sathue
Horror, satire, NYC, beauty industry
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monica Kim
Horror, female serial killer
I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNichol
Memoir, female pursuit of pleasure
Traveling by Ann Powers
Joni Mitchell biography
Swimming Pretty by Vicki Valosik
History of women and swimming
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Abike Iyimide and Adiba Jaigirdar
Romance, ex-best friends to lover, holiday celebration
Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb
Romance, bird book
Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen
Romance, fat protagonist, funny
How to Age Disgracefully by Claire Pooley
Senior romance, funny, community
The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night by Lauren Farnsworth
Romance, London, friendship, trivia
A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd
Historical romance, Romeo and Juliet reimagining
Swift River by Essie Chambers
Literary, new adult, 1980s, New England, family saga, mother and daughter, family secrets
Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Peason
Literary, murder, college campus, urban legends, debut
Bear by Julia Philips
Literary, sisters, family, mysterious creature in the woods
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
Literary, family drama
Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay
Horror, multiple timelines, surreal, filmmaking
Once Upon a Fever by Angharad Walker
YA sci fi thriller, world where emotions are thought to cause disease
Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
YA thriller, murder, debut
Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Thriller, debut, sister’s disappearance, social media, dark corners of the internet
The Unwedding by Ally Condie
Thriller, White Lotus meets Agatha Christie
One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon
Thriller, Get Out meets The Stepford Wives
What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall
Thriller, writer searching for missing friend, Los Angeles
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Thriller, locked room murder mystery, luxury resort
Death in the Air by Ram Murali
Mystery, debut, locked room, Knives Out meets Crazy Rich Asians
That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk
Locked room mystery in a library, college, dark academia
Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu
YA mystery romance, secret agents
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
Horror, family, motherhood
Moral Injuries by Christie Watson
Psychological thriller, friendships, medicine, revenge
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell
Debut thriller, serial killer
July
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
Horror, slasher, 1980s, Texas
The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani
Queer thriller, Kill Bill meets Thelma and Louise
The Ghost Keeper by Johanna Taylor
Queer YA graphic novel, gothic horror romance, ghosts
Exes and Foes by Amanda Woody
YA queer romance, competition
So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky
Queer YA horror, witches, female rage
No Road Home by John Fram
Queer thriller, Texas, family secrets
Queen B by Juno Dawson
Next in Her Majesty’s Royal Coven
You Had Me At Happy Hour by Timothy Janovsky
Gay romance, mixology, Pennsylvania
Nicked by M.T. Anderson
Debut, queer historical fantasy, medieval heist
Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass
YA gay romance, vineyard summer job, rose festival
Evenings and Weekends by Oisin McKenna
Queer literary fiction, London, new adult, sexy, funny
A Rose by Any Other Name by Mary McMyne
Queer fantasy, Shakespeare retelling, occult romance
Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
Queer sci fi, bio tech, nano-tech, meaning of life
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
Queer horror, Hollywood
Misrecognition by Madison Newbound
Queer new adult literary fiction, funny, debut, sexuality
Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui
YA horror romance, mystery, family secrets
Our Wicked Histories by Amy Goldsmith
YA horror, Ireland, estranged friends, creepy house
The Road to the Salt Sea by Samuel Kolawole
Literary, hotel, man on a journey, class, immigration
House of Shades by Lianne Dillsworth
Historical fiction, Victorian London, female doctor, secrets
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton
Historical fantasy, romance, magic, birds, rom com, competition, England
The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia by Juliet Grames
Historical thriller, Italy, 1960s, village full of secrets, romance
The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston
Historical fantasy, Victorian England, ghosts, library
A Lethal Lady by Nekesa Afria
Historical mystery, Paria, perfume, murder
The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux by M.J. Robotham
Historical fiction, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo readalike
My Lady’s Secrets by Katy Moran
Historical fiction, regency England, spies, romance
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
Historical fantasy, Persephone retelling, court intrigue
Teddy by Emily Dunlay
Debut historical fiction, Mad Men meets Lessons in Chemistry
They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar
Literary fiction, epic family saga, family and identity
Liars by Sarah Manguso
Literary fiction, motherhood, marriage, art
Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal
Literary fiction, heart warming, island in the South Atlantic, funny, quirky, community
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
Literary fiction, NYC, teacher, a woman unraveling
Let Me Liberate You by Andie Davis
Literary fiction, satire about activism and privilege
Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez
Literary fiction, Cuban American family drama, debut, secrets, twisty
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering
Literary, 1980s, Appalachia, sisters, monsters, weird fiction
Mysterious Setting by Kazushige Abe, translated by Michael Emmerich
Japanese novella, funny and dark, sibling competition
The Losts Souls of Benzaiten by Kelly Murashige
YA sci fi, Japanese mythology, mental health, robot vacuum cleaner
In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran
Epic fantasy novella, visions, priestesses, cosmic war
A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber
Fantasy, magic, small town, friendship
The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill
Epic contemporary fantasy, Texas, magic, monsters, friendship
The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken
Sequel to Silver in the Bone
My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes
Magical realism, generational trauma, grief, family saga
One Year Ago in Spain by Evelyn Skye
Magical realism romance, second chance romance, ghosts and souls
Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard
Found family space opera romance
Daughters of Chaos by Jen Fawkes
Queer historical fantasy, Civil War era Nashville, female rage, powers, cult
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
Romantasy, magical world, disappearances
The Melancholy of Untold History by Minsoo Kang
East-Asian inspired fantasy saga, gods and myths
The Second Son by Adrienne Tooley
Sequel
Grief in the Fourth Dimension by Jennifer Yu
Spec fic YA, death and afterlife
The Book of Elsewhere by China Mieville and Keanu Reeves
Genre bendy spec fic
Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh
Romantasy, family secrets, telepaths
All This and More by Peng Shepard
Choose your own adventure fantasy
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
High fantasy, heist with dragons
Quickly, While They Still Have Horses by Jan Carson
Spec fic short stories
The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miya Lee, translated by Sandy Joosun Lee
Cozy Korean fantasy
The Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour
Sci fi, invisible protagonist
Illustrated Girl by Josephine Angelin
YA cozy fantasy
Women in the Valley of the Kings by Kathleen Shepard
Feminist Egyptology history
Meet the Neighbors by Brandon Keim
Science of animal intelligence
Jewel Me Twice by Charish Reid
Steamy heist romance, second chances, Europe trip
The Widow on Dwyer Court by Lisa Kusel
Sexy psychological thriller, writer protagonist
Body Check by Elle Kennedy
Spicy hockey rom-com
Just Playing House by Farah Heron
Romance, forced proximity, second chances, celebrity romance
Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman
Thriller, inheritance with a cost, mansion in the British Virgin Islands
The Woman in the Garden by Jill Johnson
Botanical poison murder mystery, plants, London
Bright Objects by Ruby Todd
Thriller, debut, astronomy, romance, murder, a comet
The Astrology House by Carinn Jade
Thriller, astrology, debut, wealthy retreat, secrets
The Bang Bang Sisters by Rio Youers
Thriller, all girl vigilante rock band
The Wilds by Sarah Pearse
Chilling thriller, vanish twin, Portuguese national park, mysterious map
It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant
Mystery romance, missing principal, elementary school politics
The Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb
Thriller, Hollywood, murder, famous family and their secrets
Summer’s End by Juneau Black
Next Shady Hollow book
Docile by Hyesseung Song
Memoir about being a daughter of Korean immigrants, mental illness, subverting model minority myth
Dateable by Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp
Guide to dating for disabled people
In this episode...
About the show
Do you love books? Want to learn how to make the most of your reading life? Join hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara every week as they discuss tips and tricks for reading better on Reading Glasses, a podcast designed to help you get more out of your literary experiences.
As professional creatives and mega-readers, Mallory and Brea are experts on integrating a love of reading into a busy lifestyle. Listeners will get help for bookish problems, like how to vanquish that To-Be-Read pile and organize those bookshelves. Brea and Mallory also offer advice on reader dilemmas. How do you climb out of a reading slump? How do you support authors while still getting books on the cheap? Where do you hide the bodies of the people who won’t stop talking while you’re trying to read? No matter what you read or how you read it, Reading Glasses will help you do it better.
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