In this episode of the Fully-Booked literary podcast, we’re back in the room with Meaghan, Shirin, and Arthur, though Arthur gets plenty of playful shade right out of the gate. The energy is chaotic in the best way, and we all seem to embrace it.
This time around, we’re not doing a structured game or typical author discussion. Instead, we’ve decided to have a casual roundtable where we toss out book recommendations based on popular titles.
Think of it as a “if you liked this, try this” style chat, the kind of stuff you might scroll through on BookTok, but with more tangents, more laughs, and a whole lot more coffee shop banter.
So, yes, it’s a podcast version of one of those aesthetic recommendation reels, but longer and full of personality. We’re hoping it helps listeners find their next favorite read, whether they’re winding down for bed or commuting with earbuds in. Along the way, we make plenty of jokes, toss in personal stories, and keep things as relatable as ever.
Meaghan kicks things off with Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. It’s a standout in cozy fantasy, a genre that’s all about lower stakes and high charm. This one's about a retired assassin who just wants to run a coffee shop. We love it because it’s charming without the constant doom that high fantasy sometimes leans into. If you're tired of watching your favorite characters die dramatically, this is your safe space.
From there, we get three recommendations to follow that cozy vibe:
Next, Shirin brings up We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, a twisty, emotional YA mystery that clearly divides readers. Some of us saw the ending a mile away. Others (hi, Shirin) were shocked. Either way, it sparks strong reactions. From there, the recommended reads are:
Both offer those unreliable narrators and layers of secrets that make for great binge reads (and binge-worthy shows, too).
Arthur (yes, we’re letting him talk now) shifts us into sci-fi territory. He spotlights The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, which is being adapted into a TV show. The series centers around a sarcastic AI bot who’s pretending not to be sentient while dealing with messy human feelings. It’s funny, sharp, and dives into questions about identity and autonomy.
The companion picks for Murderbot are:
This whole section sparks a thoughtful conversation about how sci-fi is evolving to focus more on questions of self, ethics, and AI rights, especially as real-world conversations about artificial intelligence ramp up.
Meaghan circles back with another strong pick: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. This gothic classic inspires a group of haunting and eerie recommendations:
We also detour briefly into House of Leaves territory, a book so bizarre in structure it’s basically unreadable in audiobook form. Everyone agrees it’s an experience, not just a novel.
Then we dive into a big one: A Court of Thorns and Roses (or ACOTAR, because who has time for long titles) by Sarah J. Maas. This fantasy romance gets a lot of love and some side-eye, depending on who you ask. It starts like Beauty and the Beast but quickly turns into something much more plot-heavy and twisty.
Meaghan recommends:
We joke a lot about the term shadow daddy, which is hilarious and weirdly accurate for some of these characters. The group shares a good laugh about imagining their dads lurking in shadows. Totally normal podcast behavior...
Back in sci-fi land, Arthur brings us to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, which is getting a film adaptation with Ryan Gosling. The book features a lone scientist in space trying to save Earth, accompanied only by an alien rock creature named Rocky. The humor and heart between the human and the alien make it surprisingly emotional.
The suggested read-alikes:
We get into the emotional toll of reading too much sci-fi. Some of us find it uplifting and full of imagination. Others (Shirin) find it deeply depressing. Fair enough.
Shirin wraps things up with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. It’s part horror, part comedy, and all about strong women who take matters into their own hands. Think housewives turned vampire hunters. The book doesn’t shy away from gruesome details, especially involving rats and face tentacles. But it’s also heartfelt and hilarious.
Similar reads include:
We end with another surprise: Arthur picks something non-sci-fi for once. Catabasis by R.F. Kuang gets mentioned as a dark academia fantasy with two rival scholars traveling to hell. Yep. Hell. To save a professor. Talk about dedication.
Recommendations here include:
They all explore dark magic, academic rivalries, and blurred lines between performance and reality. By the end, our TBR piles are towering, and we’re all a little overwhelmed in the best way.
We went through a ton of books in this episode: cozy fantasies, murder mysteries, sci-fi sagas, dark academia, and good old-fashioned horror. Some are funny. Some are terrifying. Some make you question your life choices. And some just make you feel seen as a reader who wants something a little different.
We hope at least one of these picks piqued your interest or gave you something new to add to your list. And if your TBR just grew five feet taller, well… same. Until next time, keep on reading. We’ll be here, figuring out how to read all of these before next week.
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