Send us a text Today we FINISH our coverage of the original Wicked Years 4-book series by Gregory Maguire with the finale: Out of Oz, told from the perspective of Elphaba’s granddaughter Rain as she navigates the world as a stowaway during a politically tumultuous turnover of power. Was the grand finale everything we hoped it would be after the blood, sweat, and tears we put in analyzing this extremely political fantasy journey? Stick around to find out! Check out our kickoff “Are...

Send us a text Today we’re bringing you our reviews and unhinged deeeep dives on two of the most “cringy” sounding Thanksgiving themed romance novellas we could find on Kindle Unlimited. As we continue this time honored tradition of bringing you the holiday smut, we want you to know that even if we don’t love it (but hey, we might though…) we’re happy if you do. Because there truly is something for everyone, even if that something is three turkey basters with the capability to impregnat...

Send us a text Today we continue our coverage of the Wicked 5-book universe by Gregory Maguire with book three: A Lion Among Men, the only book in the series primarily told through the point of view and perspective of an Animal. The “Wicked Years” move forward with spinoff stories covering all the major players in the political upheaval of Oz, and we’re diving into the “real” story of “the cowardly lion.” Check out our kickoff “Are Books Political" episode all about why books and readin...

Send us a text Just in case you haven’t noticed… we are completely OBSESSED with the Split or Swallow universe, created by the amazingly talented and hilarious Lindsay Straube. Last year we did a deep dive and our very first author interview with Lindsay covering all things Kiss of the Basilisk, and now we’re back to yap about the highly anticipated sequel Between Two Kings! Out today! Last week we had Lindsay on for a spoiler free interview picking her brain on what it’s like to ...

Send us a text First EXCLUSIVE Author Interview with Lindsay Straube for Between to Kings is here! Just a short year ago Kiss of the Basilisk (or Split or Swallow for those of you who’ve been here since the beginning 🙌) took the romance literature world by storm! Lindsay Straube, known to many as @oxfordlemon on Instagram went from a hilarious meme account to self published bestselling author of one of the most unique monster romances to date, to a bestselling traditionally published author w...

Send us a text Today we continue our coverage of the Wicked 5-book universe by Gregory Maguire with book two: Son of a Witch! We’re diving into political fantasy like we never have before, just in time to watch Wicked for Good with all of you! Check out our kickoff “Are Books Political" episode all about why books and reading are inherently political and why it’s not only important to acknowledge this, but to read our favorite books through this lens. We concluded during our subse...

Send us a text It’s that time of year again! Time to react to AITA Halloween Stories, time to put on our special surprise wigs, try not to laugh at literally everything we say, and give you guys the spoiler free Halloween rundown! We’ve got a spooky season fave and fail including a holiday meet cute, and the official Scream House, a smash or pass (fictional) serial killer / monster edition, and a whole lot of hilarious Am I the A Hole scenarios with one thing in common: Halloween. ...

Send us a text Today we begin our coverage of the Wicked 5-book universe by Gregory Maguire. We’re diving into political fantasy like we never have before, just in time to watch Wicked for Good with all of you! Check out our latest Tuesday full length episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Z1NeJej2k all about why books and reading are inherently political, why it’s not only important to acknowledge this, but to read our favorite books through this lens, and how Maguire uses the fanta...

Send us a text “Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” Today we will be exploring the highly debated topics of whether or not books are inherently political, if politics can even be separated from literature (and fantasy) in general, and if the very acts of reading and publishing have been politicized. We will be exploring all of these questions through an intersectional feminist lens, specifically focusing on Gregory Maguire’s popular book Wicked: The Life and ...

Send us a text Today we’re bringing you a deep dive follow up to a very exciting and mostly spoiler free author interview episode with Hazel Mack all about the monster romcom series that stole our hearts: Haven Ever After! We’ll be discussing all NINE books that complete this lighthearted happily ever after series including eight full length books, and one short novella. This series has every type of monster - gargoyles to vampires, witches to werewolves, and everyone in between… and t...

Send us a text We blinked and it’s suddenly spooky season again… and don’t you know we are not complaining about it! The leaves are turning, Home Depot skeletons are gracing the front lawns of every neighborhood in suburban America, and pumpkin cold foam is the highlight of our crisp mornings. It. Has. Begun. And for us fall girlies, that’s all we want in this life. Well, that and some good old Halloween peens. 🤷‍♀️🤭🎃 We’re making it an annual tradition over here to pick two holiday “cringey”...

Send us a text Today we have a very exciting and mostly spoiler free author interview episode for you! We’re chatting with independently published monster romcom, paranormal romance author Hazel Mack to celebrate the spooky season and to get us all in the Halloween mood! We’ll be discussing all things Haven Ever After, the monster romance series that unexpectedly got us into the genre with book 1: Getting it on With Gargoyles, and it’s the series we describe as “Halloweentown for adults” that...

Send us a text It’s officially time to celebrate the release of the insanely entertaining contemporary treasure hunter romance that took Ashley and Liz by storm! Among the Cursed Gods by T.J. Lundin is out now and available to order on paperback and Kindle. Today we’re following up on our author interview with T.J. with a deep dive into the plot, tropes, characters, and as usual, our spoiler free star and spice ratings! T.J. is a friend of the podcast and the self published author of Th...

Send us a text Today we’re officially wrapping up and ranking everything in our latest coming of age miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery, and the classic movie adaptations! And… announcing the POP-u-lar book series we’ll be covering for the fall. 😉 We’re here to give you the “411” on everything from the most popular to the lesser-read books in the series, and answer the question of whether or not they’re ALL worth the read. Then we discuss the pop...

Send us a text Do you have any bookish confessions that you've been holding inside, waiting for the opportunity to share with a nonjudgemental group of silly girls just here for a good time? Skeletons in your closet… bookish habits that keep you up at night…things you could never tell to your own inner circle? Well, we’re here for you. You are not alone! Not only do we share our own biggest bookish confessions, we also make some up about iconic book characters for you (and each other) t...

Send us a text Today we’re wrapping up our deep dive videos for our newest miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery. Anne is now a mother of six, navigating a reality in which herself, her husband, and all of her children exist in World War One Canada. What does this mean for the country, the world, and more specifically, the Blythe family and the small community they live in? We’re here to give you the “411” on these lesser-read books in this series, ...

Send us a text SHOP OUR NEW BESTIES and the BOOKS X CROW Merch! | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com Use code “CROWSPEED5” for $5 off one order of $50+ (ends 09/15/2025 11:59pm PST) Holy mother of crow, what just happened?! Honestly, we’re not even sure ourselves. We blinked and it was Crowtember! Also known as “September,” we’ve deemed Crowtember the month of the crow, the gateway to fall, spooky season, and all things wonderful! So what did we do to honor this lovely ...

Send us a text Today we continue on with our newest miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery. We’re officially into Anne’s adult years, and we’re here to bring you the answer to the question we’ve all been wondering since we started this journey… is it worth reading past book 3? In this episode we dive into books five and six: Anne’s House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside - we’ve moved past the well-known initial trilogy into Anne’s life as an adu...

Send us a text Today we’re doing the impossible task of ranking every book in the entire Sarah J. MAAS averse, including Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crescent City, and the lesser known standalone book and DC collaboration, Catwoman. That’s SEVENTEEN books that are all 4+ stars that we pick apart with a fine-toothed comb to come up with one winner, and unfortunately, one at the bottom of the barrel. What’s fun about this episode is that it’s full of SJM spoilers and possibl...

Send us a text Today we continue on with our newest miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery. We’re diving into classic literature like we’ve never done before to give you the 411 on beloved “children’s” books that we KNOW are actually for everyone! In this episode we dive into books three and four: Anne of The Island, and Anne of Windy Poplars - we’re officially moving past the well-known initial trilogy into Anne’s life as an adult, and the ton...