The Books We Loved

Join the gals today as they do an author spotlight on kids author and illustrator, Grace Lin. Books mentioned in the show today include:

Story Telling Math series including, The Last Marshmallow (board books)

The Ugly Vegetables (picture book)

Dim Sum for Everyone! (picture book)

A Big Mooncake for Little Star (*Manda misspoke and said "little sister"; picture book)

Once Upon a Book (picture book)

Ling & Ting (early reader series)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (book 1 of series; tween/middle grade)

Chinese Menu: the history, myths, and legends behind your favorite foods (nonfiction)

Today the gal pals share their recent and current reads (and a couple of streaming shows). Below are all titles discussed:

Books discussed:

The God of the Woods, Moore

Bog Queen, North (Manda mentioned, The Windeby Puzzle, Lowry, as a kids readalike to this title)

Four Eyes (sequel is, Pizza Face), Ogle

The Secret Astronomers, Walker

We Fell Apart (We Were Liars series, #3), e. lockhart

Fly On the Wall, e. lockhart (title from Olivia’s story about her Teen Librarian days)

The People We Hate at the Wedding, Ginder

Replaceable You: adventures in human anatomy, Roach

Dolores Claiborne, Stephen King

TV shows discussed:

Arrested Development

Pluribus

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

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

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