Currently Reading

On this episode of Currently Reading, Mary and Roxanna take the reins and are deep diving into their top reads of 2025!
Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)
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**Please help us by filling out the LISTENER SURVEY before JANUARY 25th!!
1:21 - Mary and Roxanna's Reading Year
4:14 - Mary's Reading Stats:
100 books read this year and picked up some graphic novels that normally she wouldn't have read in the past
7:54 - Roxanna's Reading Stats:
68 books read this year. 
26 five star reads
15% general fiction, 16% historical fiction, 15% lit fic, 13% middle grade, 20% POC authors, 96% fiction
12:03 - Join the Currently Reading Patreon to access the reading tracker
14:25 - Mary and Roxanna's Best Books of 2025
14:38 - The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das (Roxanna #10)
17:09 - Empty Cradle, Broken Heart by Deborah L. Davis
18:16 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Mary #10)
19:23 - Sandwich by Catherine Newman
19:40 - The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z Hossain (Roxanna #9)
21:48 - Heart the Lover by Lily King (Mary #9)
22:36 - Writers & Lovers by Lily King
24:37 - The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe (Roxanna #8)
27:16 - The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Mary #8)
30:46 - To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (Roxanna #7)
34:06 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Ladies of Mad Science: Secrets of the Purple Pearl by Kate McKinnon (Mary #7)
35:35 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon
37:39 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore (Roxanna #6)
40:04 - The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (Mary #6)
42:27 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
43:09 - The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman (Roxanna #5)
45:00 - Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
46:01 - The Bones Beneath by Skin by T.J. Klune (Mary #5)
46:35 - House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
50:11 - Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Roxanna #4)
50:24 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
54:14 - The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller (Mary #4)
54:33 - Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
54:41 - The Change by Kirsten Miller
56:59 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Roxanna #3)
59:14 - Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross (Mary #3)
59:36 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
1:00:05 - Circe by Madeline Miller
1:00:07 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
1:01:02 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Roxanna #2)
1:05:08 - The Correspondent by Virgina Evans (Mary #2)
1:08:17 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (Roxanna #1 - the whole series!)
1:10:30 - Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
1:10:36 - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
1:14:41 - Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert (Mary #1 - the whole series!)
1:15:31 - Lightfall: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert
1:15:31 - Lightfall: The Dark Times by Tim Probert
1:17:22 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is our annual visit to Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:
Bookish Moments: experimenting with our reading and taking on choker books

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: answering the questions of how or why we rate our books

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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2:39 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
3:01- The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor
3:05 - Bookshelf Thomasville
3:07 - From the Front Porch podcast
3:31 - It by Stephen King
4:53 - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (#1 in the Cromwell series)
5:30 - Footnotes and Tangents on Instagram
6:45 - The Stand by Stephen King
6:47 - Laura Tremaine on Substack
8:52 - Our Current Reads
9:00 - Matched by Ally Condie (Kaytee)
9:32 - The Giver by Lois Lowry
11:26 - The Selection by Kiera Cass
11:30 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
13:04 - Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (Meredith)
14:45 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
18:15 - Cultish by Amanda Montell (Kaytee)
18:21 - Wordslut by Amanda Montell
21:52 - Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain (Meredith)
23:00 - The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
23:35 - The Painted Porch
23:40 - The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holliday
26:05 - The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
27:37 - When the Tides Held the Moon by Vanessa Vida Kelley (Kaytee)
30:43 - CAWPILE
31:38 - The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (Meredith)
35:51 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
36:28 - The Last Flight by Julie Clark
36:50 - Deep Dive: How And Why We Rate Our Reads
37:53 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
37:59 - Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
38:04 - Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes
38:14 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito 
49:41 - CAWPILE system
51:53 - Meet Us At The Fountain
52:41 - I wish that we would all pick one small way to challenge our reading this year. (Kaytee)
54:23 - I wish you would sign up for our newsletter! (Meredith)
54:25 - Sign up for the newsletter on our website 
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is our annual visit to Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are deep diving into their top reads of 2025. This year, they alternate between reads and superlatives. From best Cheeto chapters to books that made them uncomfortable, the year had some amazing books and experiences.
Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)
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1:35 - Ad For Ourselves
1:54 - NYT Article about book podcasts "Seven Podcasts for Bookworms"
2:27 - Currently Reading Patreon
5:23 - Some Stats From Our Reading Lives
7:07 - 68% of reads were backlist (Kaytee)
7:38 - Kaytee read 230 books
7:59 - Meredith read 127 books
8:54 - 64% female/36%male authors (Meredith)
9:09 - Average rating of 4.1 (Meredith)
10:53 - 44% Kindle, 13% audiobook, poetry 4% of total reads, 17% nonfiction (Meredith)
12:28 - 22% romance, 20% fantasy, 14% as literary (Kaytee)
14:34 - 32% authors revisited, library serendipity #1 recommendation source followed by Elizabeth Barnhill, Roxanna and Betsie Ikenberry (Meredith)
16:13 - Katie Proctor #1 recommendation source, followed by the indie press list, libro. Fm, and Meredith (Kaytee)
17:55 - Berkeley and Random House biggest publishing houses, followed by Harper, William Morrow, Atria and Flatiron Books (Kaytee)
18:21 - Minotaur, Atria and Random House biggest publishing houses (Meredith)
19:57 - Our Top 10 Reads of 2025
20:27 - Superlative #1: Book or books you will recommend most from this year?
20:39 - A Rebellion of Care by David Gate (Kaytee)
21:20 - So Far Gone by Jess Walter (Meredith)
23:25 - The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (Meredith #10)
24:08 - You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (Kaytee #10)
24:28 - Awake by Jen Hatmaker
24:30 - I Thought It Would Be Better Than This by Jessica Turner
25:30 - Superlative #2: Which book would be hardest to shelve in the library?
25:51 - Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (Meredith)
26:02 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
27:01 - My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows (Kaytee)
27:55 - Royal Gambit by Daniel O'Malley (Meredith #9)
29:32 - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (Kaytee #9)
30:31 - Superlative #3: The book we wanted to throw across the room
30:38 - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (Meredith)
32:23 - Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (Kaytee)
33:11 - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
33:57 - A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos (Meredith #8)
35:53 - My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee #8)
37:16 - Superlative #4: The book that made you the most uncomfortable
37:29 - Eager by Ben Goldfarb (Kaytee)
38:57 - Sandy Hook by Eilzabeth Williamson (Meredith)
40:25 - Forensics by Val McDermid (Meredith #7)
41:52 - Forensics by Val McDermid (Blackwells edition)
42:24 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee #7)
42:52 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
43:42 - Superlative #5: The best picture book that you read aloud this year
44:15 - No, David! By David Shannon (Meredith)
45:07 - The Creature of Habit by Jennifer E. Smith and Leo Espinosa (Kaytee)
46:35 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Meredith AND Kaytee #6)
47:33 - CR Season 7: Episode 46
49:09 - Superlative #6: The best audiobook experience
49:23 - Woodworking by Emily St. James (Kaytee)
50:19 - This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Meredith)
51:38 - North Sun by Ethan Rutherford (Meredith #5)
52:53 - This Changes Everything by Tyler Merritt (Kaytee #5)
53:01 - I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt
54:31 - Superlatives #7: Longest and shortest book read this year
54:46 - A Little Daylight Left by Sarah Kay (Meredith shortest)
55:03 - The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Meredith longest)
55:34 - The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee shortest, amazon link)
55:53 - These Truths by Jill Lepore (Kaytee longest)
56:20 - The Stand by Stephen King
57:16 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore (Meredith #4)
57:25 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
58:50 - This is Happiness by Niall Williams (Kaytee #4)
59:57 - Superlative #8: Best book outside your wheelhouse
1:00:09 - The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (Meredith)
1:01:07 - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (Kaytee)
1:01:30 - Erasure by Percival Everett
1:01:32 - A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
1:03:34 - The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Meredith #3)
1:07:15 - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee #3)
1:07:31 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi
1:08:56 - Superlative #9: Your favorite new to you author
1:09:08 - Swordheart by T. Kingfisher (Meredith)
1:09:31 - Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Meredith)
1:09:48 - Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope (Kaytee)
1:10:12 - The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope
1:11:03 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito (Meredith #2)
1:12:37 - Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar (Kaytee #2)
1:14:07 - Superlative #10: The most milkshake book/cheeto chapter book you read this year
1:14:50 - The Other Side of the Wall by Andrea Mara (Meredith, Blackwell's link)
1:14:57 - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara
1:15:53 - The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (Meredith)
1:16:35 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (Kaytee)
1:18:14 - Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hockhauer (Meredith #1)
1:20:57 - Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Kaytee #1)
1:23:13 - book print etsy shop
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is our annual visit to Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are taking a look back at their favorite reads of 2021. This was one of the best reading years. This was also the year we added the superlatives which everybody loved! Most of these books should be available for you to grab if any interest you after hearing us rave about them!
Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)
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2:38 - Our Top 10 Reads of 2021
12:35 - Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Kaytee #10)
12:39 - Season 3: episode 40
14:09 - Currently Reading Patreon
16:39 - Fablehaven by Brandon Mull 
16:52 - A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (Meredith #10)
18:50 - The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (Kaytee #9)
21:25 - Furyborn by Claire Legrand
21:36 - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 
21:56 - A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (Meredith #9)
22:21 - A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
23:01 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
23:46 - The Day The World Came to Town by Jim DeFede (Kaytee #8)
23:50 - Season 4: Episode 14
25:32 - Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (Meredith #8)
25:41 - Season 3: Episode 41
29:03 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Kaytee #7)
29:25 - Season 3: Episode 42
31:41 - State of Terror by Hilary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (Meredith #7)
34:22 - Intermission: Lowest Rated Books
34:58 - Roar by Cecilia Ahern (Kaytee)
35:41 - Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard (Kaytee)
36:48 - Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (Meredith)
37:30 - Survive the Night by Riley Sager (Meredith)
38:25 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd
38:36 - Love Lives Here by Rowan Jette Knox (Kaytee #6)
K NOTE: while I do think it's clear that I love my sister dearly here, I want to be extra super clear that when I say "love covers all manner of sins" I am referring to the ways we as her family fail at times to do the best we can. I am not in any way referring to her gender identity as a sin. My sister knows this, but I want to be sure that anyone else who hears me, hears me correctly as well.
40:25 - Pony by R.J. Palacio (Meredith #6)
40:50 - Page & Palette Bookshop
42:05 - Wonder by R.J. Palacio
43:01 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Kaytee #5)
43:04 - Season 3: Episode 45
44:29 - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (Meredith #5)
47:46 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (Kaytee #4)
47:51 - Season 3: Episode 35
47:56 - Bookshelf Thomasville
48:47 - Blackwell's
49:05 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
49:06 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
49:28 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard 
49:37 - The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard (Meredith #4)
53:14 - Intermission: The Books that Surprised Us Most in 2021
53:44 - Season 3: Episode 34
53:50 - The Black Count by Tom Reiss (Kaytee)
55:38 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Meredith)
59:25 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd
59:50 - How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Kaytee #3)
59:56 - Season 4: Episode 19
1:01:37 - Fabled Bookshop
1:01:39 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (Meredith #3)
1:04:52 - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (Kaytee #2)
1:04:56 - Season 4: Episode 2
1:07:18 - Matrix by Lauren Groff (Meredith #2)
1:07:59 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
1:11:14 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle (Kaytee #1)
1:11:22 - Season 4: Episode 12
1:11:38 - Minisode w/Mike Gayle
1:14:09 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Meredith #1)
1:15:42 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
1:22:48 - Reflections from the 2021 Reading Year
1:24:25 - Pony by R.J. Palacio
1:24:45 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
 
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. December's IPL is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:
Bookish Moments: overwhelming feelings when reading and finding book twins

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how to organize all the book recommendation sources we come across

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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2:09 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
4:25 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
8:40 - @kaitlynmlilly on instagram
8:41 - @klill01 on TikTok
9:22 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore
10:43 - Our Current Reads
10:49 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Kaytee) 
11:15 - The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
15:25 - Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo (Meredith)
16:35 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
20:06 - Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves (Kaytee)
20:13 - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
26:30 - Forensics by Val McDermid (Meredith)
27:46 - Foyles
32:53 - I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (Kaytee)
33:03 - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
35:04 - Beast of Prey by Ayana Gray
36:40 - The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper (Meredith)
38:11 - Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson 
38:17 - Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper
41:09 - Murdle by G.T. Karber 
42:34 - Organizing Recommendation Sources
43:56 - Currently Reading Patreon
47:21 - @kaitlynmlilly on instagram
48:18 - Fabled Bookshop
51:44 - Literally, A Bookshop
52:37 - Goodreads
52:38 - The Storygraph
57:44 - Meet Us At The Fountain
57:49 - I wish we gave ourselves grace to start small in our reading lives. (Kaytee)
59:04 - I wish you all knew that you can sort podcasts from oldest to newest in Apple Podcasts. (Meredith)
1:01:27 - Crime Time FM podcast
 
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. December's IPL is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!