Kris and Mads

No Reading Slumps for Spring! | TOP TBR BOOKS for Q2

Kris and Mads

Show Notes

If you're looking for your next great read, and are determined to avoid a reading slump, this episode is packed with book recommendations across fantasy, romantasy, thrillers, classics, historical fiction, literary fiction, and contemporary fiction! The best strategy we've found to stay interested in our TBRs is to make sure there is a lot of variety!Today we’re sharing our Priority Q2 TBR—the books we absolutely HAVE to read this quarter. From epic fantasy like A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin, to new romantasy like Dire Bound, to classics like The Count of Monte Cristo, psychological thrillers like Yesteryear, and buzzy contemporary fiction like Margo’s Got Money Troubles, this list has something for every reader.We’re talking about the books we’re most excited for, the titles we think could become new favorites, and the reads we know everyone will be talking about this year.Whether you love fantasy romance, literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, or book club books, this episode is full of recommendations to add to your TBR.Books Mentioned:📖 A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin📖 Emma M. Lion Vol. 5–8 by Beth Brower📖 Direbound & Furybound by Sable Sorensen📖 A Court of Thorns and Roses / Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas📖 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas📖 Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe📖 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans📖 I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid📖 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho📖 Family Drama by Rebecca Fallon📖 Yesteryear by Caro Claire BurkeTell us in the comments: What’s the #1 book on your TBR right now?Timestamps0:00 - Intro0:56 - Ditching the TBR wheel!5:10 - Storm of Swords by George RR Martin10:29 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (5-8)15:09 - Dire Bound & Fury Bound by Sable Sorensen18:50 - ACOTAR & Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass20:06 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas22:56 - Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe26:35 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans28:49 - I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid30:51 - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho32:00 - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green33:08 - Family Drama by Rebecca Fallon35:20 - Yesteryear by Caro Claire BurkeLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club: / krisandmadssisterhood Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]: / kris.and.mads Instagram: / krisandmads All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here: / @seerayhardly

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Oct 9, 2026

Welcome back, friends! 📚✨ We have a VERY special video for you today! Maddie and I had the incredible opportunity to host a live author interview with Thomas R. Weaver in London to celebrate Infinite Wisdom, the second and final book in his series that began with Artificial Wisdom! The event took place at the Penguin Random House headquarters in London, and we were joined by fellow book influencer Michael Kist for an amazing panel discussion with Thomas. We talked about the series, his writing, and the highly anticipated conclusion to this story. But one of the BEST parts of the day was getting to meet so many members of our virtual book club in person! 🥹 Seeing so many of you show up to hear the interview, celebrate this series, and get your special edition copies signed made the whole experience even more meaningful. We are so grateful for this little bookish community we've built together! Whether you've read Artificial Wisdom, are excited to pick up Infinite Wisdom, or simply love hearing authors talk about their books and creative process, we hope you enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes look at this special London book event. A huge thank you to Thomas R. Weaver, Michael Kist, Penguin Random House, and everyone from our virtual book club who came out to join us. You made this such a memorable experience!

Oct 5, 2026

Spilling the tea on everything we read this month! Lots of thrillers, some romance, a chunky classic, and some duds. What was your best read of the month??Timestamps0:00 - Intro 4:11 - Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall9:31 - The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood13:31 - Verity by Colleen Hoover22:01 - The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante28:02 - Upgrade by Blake Crouch32:21 - A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins37:50 - Drinker of Ink by Shannon Castleton42:21 - Foe by Iain Reid46:03 - Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb50:50 - The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky56:56 - Wrap-upLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club: patreon.com/KrisandMadsSisterhoodHave a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]: / kris.and.mads Instagram: / krisandmads All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here: / @seerayhardly #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books

Sep 7, 2026

Join our Patreon read-and-watch club! In September, we're doing palate cleansers: Imperfect Women, The Love Hypothesis, and Verity! You can try out the Fellowship Tier for free for 7 days! / krisandmadssisterhood We had an awesome August, with a bunch of 5-star books and a variety of genres! What was your best read of August??Timestamps:0:00 - Intro 7:15 - The Good Parts by Evann Normandin12:35 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi18:23 - I’m thinking of ending things by Iain Reid22:02 - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen25:10 - Book Club updates!29:34 - Pachinko by Min Jin Lee33:41 - The Knight & The Moth by Rachel Gillig37:31 - Love Poems by Rupi Kaur42:59 - Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake48:17 - Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery51:13 - The Wolves of War by John Gwynne56:28 - Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb1:02:57 - Wrap-up!Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]: / kris.and.mads Instagram: / krisandmads All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here: / @seerayhardly #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books

Sep 1, 2026

Bestselling fantasy author Rachel Gillig joins us for a conversation we’ve been dreaming about ever since we read her Shepherd King Duology in 2023! In this episode, we sit down with the author of One Dark Window and the bestselling Shepherd King duology to talk about her new series, The Stonewater Kingdom and its conclusion, The Knave and the Moon, out September 1, 2026 from Orbit.If you love adult fantasy romance, but with a dark fairy tale spin, and lush worldbuilding, complicated characters, and unforgettable romance, this is an episode you absolutely won’t want to miss.Rachel takes us behind the scenes of The Knave and the Moon and her new series, while also revealing plenty about the person behind some of our favorite fantasy books. We talk about her secret nerdom, her love of classic literature, the hills she is willing to die on, and the hamlet where she would most want to live.We also get into BookTok, online book reviews, book influencers, and the ways the online book community can be our best. Rachel shares her thoughts on the rapidly evolving world of book culture, readers, reviewers, and the conversations surrounding books online.If you want to find more from Rachel Gillig, you can find her here:https://www.instagram.com/rmgillig/?h...https://rachelgillig.substack.com/Timestamps:0:00 - Intro 1:31 - Rachel’s 2 Truths & 1 Lie7:08 - On artists drawing inspiration from her work9:19 - Rachel’s literary hot takes15:40 - Rachel’s fandoms19:02 - The Five Hamlets as a Personality Quiz20:44 - Duologies!25:01 - What hill will you die on?27:46 - On the inspiration from old fairy tales35:33 - Was Rachel a scene kid?40:05 - On propaganda 43:58 - A novella?!47:08 - Future projects & other genres!50:12 - Rachel’s dream tea party52:53 - Rachel’s book recLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club for free for 7 days: / krisandmadssisterhood Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]: / kris.and.mads Instagram: / krisandmads All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here: / @seerayhardly This episode was edited by Daniel Pena: https://danielpena.carrd.co/

Aug 10, 2026

If you want to read some classics with us, join our Patreon read-and-watch club for free for 7 days: / krisandmadssisterhood If you want to read more classic books but don't know where to start, this episode is for you! Today we're talking about 10 classic books everyone should read at least once — from gothic romances and sweeping love stories to family sagas, historical adventures, and literary masterpieces.We’re sharing the classics we genuinely think are worth reading, including Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.Whether you're building a classic books TBR, looking for the best classic literature to read, trying to get into classic novels for beginners, or just wondering which classics are actually worth your time, we're breaking down why we love these books and why we think they still hold up today.📚 BOOKS MENTIONED0:00 — Intro1:11 — Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier6:21 — The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas13:21 — Little Women by Louisa May Alcott19:18 — Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen25:13 — A Room with a View by E.M. Forster29:55 — Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë37:15 — The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde42:10 — Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë46:23 — Frankenstein by Mary Shelley51:56 — Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy57:03 — Wrap-upLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club for free for 7 days: / krisandmadssisterhood Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]: / kris.and.mads Instagram: / krisandmads All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here: / @seerayhardly #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books

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