What to Read Next Podcast l Book Recommendation Show

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What happens when a neuroscientist writes a romance set in academia? In this episode, I’m chatting with debut author Hannah Brohm about Love and Other Brain Experiments—a workplace romance inspired by the chaotic world of research labs, anonymous peer reviews, and the surprising ways love can show up when you least expect it.
We talk about Hannah’s journey from cognitive neuroscience to romance writing, how academia shaped the story, and why romance became a comforting escape during grad school and the pandemic. Plus, we dive into her reading life—from workplace romcoms to cozy mysteries—and she shares a few book recommendations that belong on your TBR.
If you love smart romcoms, STEM heroines, and enemies-to-lovers tension, this conversation is for you.
📚 Books Mentioned
Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm — Contemporary Romance | STEM Romance
All in Your Head by Sabina Norquist — Contemporary Romance | Fake Dating | Disability Rep
And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters — Cozy Mystery Rom-Com | Historical
The Friendship Fling by Georgia Stone — Romantic Comedy | Friends to Lovers | London
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon — Workplace Romance | Media
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas — Fake Dating Romance
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins — YA Romance
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne — Enemies to Lovers | Workplace Romance

⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Introduction to Hannah Brohm and her debut romance
[01:00] What cognitive neuroscience is and how it inspired the book
[03:00] The realities of working in academia and postdoc life
[05:00] The premise of Love and Other Brain Experiments
[06:00] Hannah’s romance reading journey and early influences
[07:00] Discovering adult romance during grad school and COVID
[09:00] How peer review inspired the book’s enemies-to-lovers setup
[10:00] Balancing academia, writing, and reading
[12:00] Why writing romance can be cathartic
[14:00] Hannah’s reading tastes and current reads
[15:00] Fake dating romance recommendation: All in Your Head
[16:00] Cozy mystery rom-com recommendation
[17:00] Romcom set in London recommendation
[20:00] Writing New York as a setting and personal connections to the city
[21:00] Where to find Hannah online

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If you love mystery-romance heroines who are juggling work, family, and the occasional international investigation, you’re going to love today’s episode. I’m joined by author Sam Tschida to talk about the latest installment in the Gabby Green series and the chaos that comes with writing spy-adjacent romantic mysteries.
In this conversation, Sam shares how she built the second Gabby Green adventure—from tropical settings and Hollywood wellness culture to espionage twists and unexpected romance. We also talk about writing messy but lovable heroines, the reality of balancing motherhood with high-stakes careers, and why cozy mystery fans love returning to the same sleuth again and again.
We also chat about writing inspiration, the real-life research behind spy stories, and the books we’ve been loving lately.
⏱️ Episode Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome & catching up with Sam Tschida
[00:01] Writing the second Gabby Green mystery
[00:03] The tropical investigation setting and spy elements
[00:05] Researching espionage and consulting real sources
[00:06] Why the book’s setting changed from Hawaii to the Azores
[00:07] Plot twists, mystery pacing, and balancing romance
[00:08] Delegation, chaos, and Gabby learning she can’t do everything
[00:09] Possible movie adaptation news for Errands and Espionage
[00:10] Why readers love returning to the same sleuth in mystery series
[00:11] Cozy mysteries, baking mysteries, and comfort reads
[00:12] Laura’s dream Puerto Rican cozy mystery series
[00:16] Book recommendations from Sam
[00:18] Where to find Sam online

📚 Books Mentioned
Gabby Green Who Knows Whodunit by Sam Tschida — Mystery Romance | Amateur Sleuth | Series
Errands and Espionage by Sam Tschida — Mystery Romance | Travel Mystery | Amateur Sleuth
Undead and Unwed by Sam Tschida — Paranormal Romance | Vampire Comedy | Audio ✅
Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell — Dark Comedy Thriller | Mystery | Audio ✅
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell — Thriller | Dark Romance | Audio ✅
The ReDo List by Denise Williams — Contemporary Romance | Cinnamon Roll Hero | Audio ✅
Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne — Romantic Comedy | Classic Retelling | Audio ✅
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What happens when a rom-com meets a slasher movie? In this episode, I’m joined by debut author Shaylee Thompson to talk about her wildly fun genre-bending novel How to Kill a Guy in 10 Dates — a slasher rom-com set during a speed-dating event gone horribly wrong.
We chat about how Shaylee blended two formula-driven genres, her journey from English teacher to full-time writer, and why sometimes the book that becomes your debut isn’t the first book you wrote. If you love horror movies, rom-coms, and stories that break the rules, this conversation is packed with behind-the-scenes insights.
Plus, Shaylee shares a few book recommendations for readers who love horror comedy, meta storytelling, and genre-bending fiction.
📚 Books Mentioned
How to Kill a Guy in 10 Dates by Shailee Thompson — Slasher Rom-Com | Horror Comedy
Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver — Dark Romantic Comedy | Serial Killer Romance | KU ✅ | Audio ✅
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix — Horror | Slasher Film Tribute | Thriller | Audio ✅
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan — Fantasy | Villain Story | Meta Fantasy | Audio ✅
Your Favorite Scary Movie by Ashley Cullins — Nonfiction | Horror Film Analysis | Pop Culture
Persuasion by Jane Austen — Classic Romance | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

⏱️ Time Stamps
[00:00] Introduction to Shaylee Thompson and her debut novel
[01:00] The premise of How to Kill a Guy in 10 Dates
[02:00] Combining rom-com and slasher genres
[04:00] Why the book released around Valentine’s Day
[05:00] Shaylee’s writing journey and early books
[07:00] Signing with an agent and finding the right debut
[08:00] Writing discipline and finishing a draft in four months
[09:00] Becoming a full-time writer
[11:00] Shaylee’s reading tastes and favorite genres
[12:00] Book recommendations for horror and rom-com fans
[14:00] Where to find Shaylee online

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If you’ve ever masked your anxiety while looking wildly “high-functioning,” this episode is going to hit.
Today I’m chatting with returning guest Cat Sebastian about her new contemporary romance Star Shipped — a slow-burn, forced-proximity love story between two actors on a long-running sci-fi show who “hate” each other in the most domestic way possible.
We talk about why Cat took a risk moving from historical to contemporary romance, how fandom and sci-fi shaped this book, and why she wanted to write a character with anxiety, OCD, and migraines who doesn’t magically “heal” by the final chapter. This is a conversation about radical acceptance, surviving in a noisy world, and finding love without fixing yourself first.
If you loved the emotional intensity of hockey romances but want celebrity PR chaos instead, this one’s for you.
⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Welcoming Cat back + what she’s been up to
[00:01] Inside Star Shipped — enemies-to-lovers on a sci-fi set
[00:02] The Gene Roddenberry letter that inspired the book
[00:04] Taking the risk from historical to contemporary
[00:06] Researching fandom vs. TV industry details
[00:08] Writing invisible disability & high-functioning anxiety
[00:12] No “pink cloud” healing — why incremental growth matters
[00:16] Radical acceptance in romance
[00:18] Romance recommendations with buttoned-up/chaos pairings
[00:23] Where to find Cat + newsletter over social media

📚 Books Mentioned
Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian — Contemporary Romance | Celebrity | Enemies-to-Lovers | Anxiety Rep | Audio ✅
Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly — LGBTQ+ Romance | Outdoors Setting | Neurodivergent Rep | Audio ✅
With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson — Workplace Romance | Opposites Attract | Slow Burn | Audio ✅
Chef’s Kiss by TJ Alexander — Workplace Romance | Queer Romance | Polyamory Rep | Audio ✅
A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander — Historical Romance | Queer Romance | Tender Slow Burn | Audio ✅

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What happens when book bans aren’t just headlines — but federal law?
In this episode, I’m chatting with historical fiction author Shelley Noble about The Sisters of Book Row, a novel set in 1915 New York during the height of the Comstock censorship laws. We talk about rare bookstores, banned poetry, Margaret Sanger, and why 100-year-old history feels… uncomfortably familiar today. If you care about protecting books, women’s voices, and literary legacy — this one will stay with you.
We also dive into Shelley’s unexpected path to publishing (spoiler: it started with a dare), why she left mysteries for historical women’s fiction, and her favorite historical mystery comfort reads.
⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Shelley’s journey from dancer to published mystery author
[03:00] Writing historical mysteries vs. women’s fiction
[06:30] Discovering the Tiffany Girls & shifting genres
[07:45] The Comstock Laws explained
[09:30] Margaret Sanger and censorship in 1915
[11:00] The Sisters of Book Row premise
[14:30] Book banning today vs. 1915
[18:30] Research process & using primary sources
[22:00] Historical mystery & romantic suspense recommendations
📚 Books Mentioned
The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble — Historical Women’s Fiction | Bookstore Drama | Women’s Rights
This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart — Romantic Suspense | Classic Mystery
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley — Time Slip Romance | Historical Fiction
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters — Historical Mystery | Victorian Egypt | Humor

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