What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads

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What happens when a literary agent decides to become the author she's spent her career championing for other people? Jennifer Herrera joins us to talk genre-hopping, feminine rage, and why her new witchy fantasy almost didn't happen.
Jennifer Herrera — literary agent at the David Black Agency and author of the thriller The Hunter — is back with something completely different: Siren Says, a Celtic-Welsh botanical fantasy about power, curses, and reclaiming your humanity. If you've ever wondered what agents actually do for writers (beyond "sell the book"), or you're hunting for your next romantasy pick with real teeth, this one's for you.
📚 Books Mentioned
Siren Says by Jennifer Herrera — Buy on Amazon | Fantasy / Romantasy (Celtic-Welsh mythology, botanical magic) |
The Hunter by Jennifer Herrera — Buy on Amazon | Thriller |
If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie — Buy on Amazon | Nonfiction / Mythology & Feminism |
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross — Buy on Amazon | Fantasy Romance (Letters of Enchantment prequel) |
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle — Buy on Amazon | Classic Fantasy |
⏱️ Time Stamps
[00:00] Welcome & intro
[01:00] From philosophy grad school to literary agent
[02:00] Moving to NYC to break into publishing
[03:00]–[05:00] Why writing rarely pays the bills — and why that's okay
[06:00]–[08:00] The myth of the "debut author"
[09:00]–[10:00] Why thrillers feel easy and fantasy feels hard to write
[10:00] Elevator pitch for Siren Says
[11:00]–[13:00] The myth of Mis, power, and reclaiming humanity
[13:00]–[16:00] Romance, healthy relationships, and feminist themes in fantasy
[16:00]–[20:00] What writers should expect from a literary agent
[20:00]–[23:00] Networking, community, and building your author platform
[23:00]–[25:00] Marketing, selling vs. giving, and how author podcasts changed
[26:00]–[29:00] Book recs: If Women Rose Rooted, Wild Reverence, The Last Unicorn
[29:00]–[32:00] On aging, identity, and living an interesting life
[32:00] Where to find Jennifer online

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Ever wanted to try horror but didn't know where to start? This episode is your gentle on-ramp.
Bri from the Book Goose Substack joins the show to talk about building a book community from scratch — and brings three monster hunter reads perfect for horror-curious readers. If you love found-family adventure stories, a dash of romance, or eerie underground worlds but want something that won't keep you up at night, this episode is for you.
📚 Books Mentioned
A Fable for Hollow Creatures by R.R. Schaeffer — Buy on Amazon | Dark Fantasy/Horror | Releases Oct 27, 2026
(Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Horror/Fantasy, light Romance |
What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne — Buy on Amazon | Horror/Fantasy | Releases Oct 6, 2026
⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome & intro
[00:01] Bri's blogging journey: from Blogger to horror blog to Substack
[00:07] Substack community & the ARC conversation
[00:09] Book Goose publication & upcoming virtual book club
[00:12] How Bri finds hidden-gem books to recommend
[00:16] Bookseller mindset & intro to today's trope
[00:17] Trope reveal: Monster Hunters
[00:17] Book 1: A Fable for Hollow Creatures
[00:19] Book 2: (Mostly) Human Resources
[00:21] Book 3: What Feeds Below
[00:24] Where to find Bri online & outro

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Pirates, mermaids, sea witches, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance — this episode has everything.
Leslie Vedder joins us to talk about The Siren's Kiss, a sapphic fantasy romance she describes as Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Little Mermaid, following a cursed pirate and a fierce mermaid who team up to take down ancient sea gods. We dig into her love of anime and manga, her upcoming graphic novel, and get five (okay, six) can't-miss pirate and fantasy-romance recommendations for your TBR.
📚 Books Mentioned
The Siren's Kiss by Leslie Vedder — Buy on Amazon | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy Romance / Sapphic / Pirates
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Romantasy / Pirates
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Sapphic / Pirates
The Devourer by Alison Ames — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Sapphic / Pirates
In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy Romance / Mermaids
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Historical Piracy / Trans MC
A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames (bonus) — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | Fantasy Romance

⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome back Leslie Vedder
[00:30] What she's been up to since her debut trilogy
[01:00] Elevator pitch for The Siren's Kiss
[01:30] Sapphic pirates and badass female pirate captains
[02:00] Pirate history research and the reality behind the myth
[03:30] Anime and manga influence on her writing
[05:00] Upcoming sapphic Robin Hood graphic novel ⚠️ genre departure
[07:00] Book recommendations: pirates and mermaids
[10:30] Where to find Leslie online

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Six books, one vote, and a whole community weighing in — Deedi's back to break down this year's Hugo Awards Best Novel nominees.
Our resident awards correspondent Deedi (@DeediReads) returns to walk us through the 2026 Hugo Awards — sci-fi and fantasy's biggest fan-voted prize. We cover how Hugo voting actually works, break down all six Best Novel nominees, and Deedi tells us which one she's rooting for (and which one she thinks will actually win). Perfect for anyone who loves a good genre awards deep-dive or is just looking for their next fantasy or sci-fi read.
📚 Books Mentioned
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Fantasy
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Fantasy/Mystery
A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Fantasy Mystery
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Fantasy Mystery | 2025 Hugo winner, prequel
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Fantasy
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Science Fiction
Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Science Fiction
Cinderhouse by Freya Marske — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Fantasy Novella
The River Has Roots by Amar El-Mohtar— Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Fantasy Novella

⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome back, Deedi — our official awards correspondent
[00:01] Why the Hugos are different from literary prizes
[00:02] How Hugo voting actually works (Worldcon membership, nominating)
[00:03] All the Hugo categories beyond Best Novel
[00:05] Popular vote pros and cons — vs. the Goodreads Choice Awards
[00:07] This year's six Best Novel nominees, announced
[00:08] Novella category as an easier entry point (Cinderhouse, The River Has Roots)
[00:09] How Deedi fits 6 award books into a realistic reading pace
[00:13] Deedi's "three words" method for choosing what to read next
[00:17] Letting go of reading identity and genre guilt
[00:19] Revisiting YA dystopia — Hunger Games, Divergent, and a brewing essay
[00:22] Breaking up with Amazon and the Kindle ecosystem
[00:26] Why indie bookstores give you more than just books
[00:27] Supporting indie authors outside Amazon
[00:32] Deedi's personal favorite — and her prediction for the win
[00:35] Where to find Deedi online

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Laura's back with a solo update on slowing down, making reading friends in a new city, and two mysteries that actually caught her off guard.
In this episode, Laura shares how she's navigating a season of burnout, the low-key monthly reading date she's started with a friend (dubbed "Silent Book Club for Two"), and gives full reviews of two standout reads — a cozy small-town mystery obsessed with designer dogs, and a millennial mystery starring a very unlucky crossing guard. If you're looking for your next cozy or millennial-mystery pick, or just want a simple way to build more reading time into your life, this one's for you.
📚 Books Mentioned
Murder Bites by Mimi Montgomery | Cozy Mystery | Audio ✅
Don't Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne | Mystery | Audio ✅

⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Intro + August update
[01:00] Birthday PTO and navigating a season of burnout
[02:00] Making local reading friends through her yoga studio
[03:00] How the "Silent Book Club for Two" reading date started
[04:00] Why a one-on-one reading date beats a full book club
[05:00] Murder Bites by Mimi Montgomery — setup and premise
[06:00] Murder Bites — the reveal that actually surprised her
[07:00] Don't Cross Mo Ellery — setup and premise
[09:00] Currently reading Dungeon Crawl Carl + KU cancellation + sign-off

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