The Reading Lounge

We head to France in this episode of The Reading Lounge as we discuss The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Originally written in French in 2006, the novel has been translated into numerous languages and even made into a French movie. Come listen in as we discuss the the challenges and rewards of the novel.

Of course, our resident mixologist, Sarah, created a cocktail especially for our episode!

The Concierge's Secret

2 oz ...

Welcome to The Reading Lounge! In this episode, Sarah and Cynthia dive into The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, a novel that weaves family drama, grief, and healing together with warmth, humor, and an unforgettable catnamed Pancakes. Tune in as we share our reactions to the story and raise a glass to this month’s cocktail—a drink we enjoyed almost as much as the book.

Tender Hearts Tonic

1 ½ oz vodka (or gin)

1 oz...

We know it is already August, but it feels like we have a stretch of hot, summer days ahead of us.

In this bonus episode, we add a few new selections to our TBR list. We love that we each select books the other has not heard of! Listen in to find some of your late summer reads.

Here are the books we discuss.

Whistler by Ann Patchett

Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

Contrapposto by Dave Eggers

An Infinite Love S...

In this episode of The Reading Lounge, Sarah and Cynthiadiscuss Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett. Pond is a spare novel that weaves together vignettes of a woman’s isolated life in coastal Ireland. It is one of the most unique reads we’ve picked up this year.

We also read one of the most talked about new books thisyear: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We have thoughts on this page turner!

To go along with the longer days ...

We are talking about The Artist and The Feast by Lucy Steedsin The Reading Lounge. Set just after WWI, a famous artist, the artist’s niece, and an aspiring artist and journalist come together in a remote village in the south of France and discover what it means to both unseen and seen and the challenges people face to find their self-expression. Join us in The Reading Lounge to see if you may want to add this novel to your TB...

Welcome into The Reading Lounge. In this episode, Cynthiaand Sarah discuss The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn. This historical fiction novel tells the intertwined story of two young women, their families,and those they meet during their different paths in Nazi-occupied Europe. Set largely in Nazi-occupied Europe, the novel confronts the Nazi propaganda machine designed to dehumanize while giving voices to those bei...

It's still spring and we have selected six new books we are adding to our TBR lists. If you're looking for suggestions for your next spring read, listen in to this bonus episode of The Reading Lounge!

We are also going to give this refreshing cocktail a try during spring reading season:

Primavera Spritz

1.5 oz vodka or gin

1 oz fresh orange juice

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup or honey

2 - 3 oz sparking water or club soda

Mi...

Welcome into The Reading Lounge! We are discussing My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes. Three generations of Mexican American grapple with family history and the "curse" of their names. We discovered this novel and this author at the 2026 Women's Literary Festival in Long Beach, California.

This episode's libation is called: The Truth Tea.

2 oz gin

2 oz chilled mint tea

top with a splash of elderflower liqueur

Shake with ...

Pull up a chair in The Reading Lounge as we discuss The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez. The short, spare novel gave us a lot to discuss as we decided on our thoughts and ratings about the novel. The book takes place during the COVID pandemic as a woman navigates her new, adjusted life in New York City. She manages to create a couple of new relationships, including with a parrot named Eureka.

And we found a cocktail aptly named Eureka f...

It's February in The Reading Lounge and we stepping into the world of romance. Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams is a story of obsession and bad choices set in the world of book publishing. Listen in to find out if you should add this novel to your TBR list.

We've waved goodbye to dry January and are toasting this read with an appropriately named cocktail.

The Illicit Affair

1 1/4 oz. Vodka

1 1/3 oz. orange juice

1 1/3 oz. cranberry juic...

Join us as we discuss Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken. As we start a new year and new resolutions we decided to dive into this comprehensive read about what actually is in the food many of us eat every day. The science, marketing, and business models that surround what we consume is fascinating. We enjoyed learning about our food supply without being told what we should eat.

We had a great time discussing this non-ficti...

We look back at our reading through 2025 to pick our favorite podcast books, favorite books overall, and favorite cocktails! We take a look forward into 2026 - what will we do differently?? 2025 will be hard to top with each of us having more 5-star reads than in year's past.

We end the year with what might be our best "get cozy and read" cocktail of the year: A Warm and Fuzzy!

8 oz freshly brewed coffee

1 oz Irish Cream liqueur

1 oz n...

Sarah and Cynthia discuss The Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power. This is a multi-generational story of three Native American women and how their history, memories, and traumas make them who they are and impact the future generations. Their beloved dolls are part of their lives and part of their stories through the generations. Join us to see if you'd like to add this 2023 novel to your TBR list.

We have a lovely autumnal cocktail...

Welcome into The Reading Lounge for our October "spooky" read - Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. We are happy we added this to our reading list as adults so that we can fully appreciate the elegant and descriptive prose of Bradbury. If you read this in your younger years, perhaps it is worth a second go around with this suspenseful page turner.

We paired this month's read with a cocktail aptly named, Cursed Carnival...

In this episode of The Reading Lounge, Sarah and Cynthia discuss The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. An aptly titled mystery that takes place within the publishing world. Besides, don't we all love books about books? Listen in and hear out take and decide if you want to add it to your TBR list.

Don't forget to mix up this fitting cocktail while you settle in for some reading time.

The Imposter

1.5 oz Limoncello

1/2 oz Aperol

3/4 oz grapef...

Welcome into The Reading Lounge. Sarah and Cynthia discuss Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan. Big Girl is a coming of age story of an obese young woman growing up in Harlem and discovering who she is and through the complex relationships in her world. Did we like it? Hint: One of us gave it a coveted five star rating!

Enjoy the read along with this month's cocktail: Starving Artist.

Starving Artist

1 oz vodka

1/2 oz Campari

1/2 oz pin...

Cynthia and Sarah discuss Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite Clayton. With dual timelines set in 1950s and modern day Hollywood, themes of loss, found families, and inequality are explored.

Hear about the other books we've read including:

• Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky
• The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen
• Who is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nig...