The Books We Loved

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

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

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