I'll Read What She's Reading – "FALL TBR" Episode

Date: September 17, 2025
Hosts: Reggie, Mikayla, Kennedy (with Tressa)
Theme: Fall TBR Picks, Summer TBR Recaps, and Bookish Banter

Episode Overview

This cozy, chatty episode centers on the hosts’ eagerly awaited Fall TBR (To Be Read) lists, as they recap their summer reading successes and disappointments. The group navigates reading slumps, recommends both popular and more out-of-pocket bookish picks for autumn, and indulges in their typical unfiltered, funny, and relatable book club energy. Whether you're hunting for a new thriller, a literary slow burn, cozy romance, or dense fantasy, you'll come away with plenty of recommendations and insight into the hosts’ reading moods.

Key Topics & Discussions

1. New Podcast Setup & Catch-up

• The crew’s excited about their new studio setup: “I'm so excited about it. Hopefully you guys like it, and if you don't, sorry—we worked really hard.” – Kennedy [00:40]
• They confess to being a little out of podcast practice after a busy summer.

2. Summer TBR Recaps

Each host reviews their summer reading progress, including standout favorites and books that missed the mark.

Tressa’s Summer Wrap-up

• Finished nearly all her TBR: “I only have one more book on my summer tbr, and that is the Night in Moth.” [02:37]
• Faves:
  • One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune (4.5 stars)
  • Wild and Wrangled by Lila Sage (4 stars)
  • Notes western romances hit different in the summer.

Reggie’s Highlights

• Drown in the Name of Love: Enjoyed pirate vibes but felt the ending over-explained itself. “The ending was kind of like... it was epic. But then it told me too much.” [05:19]
• May Luna: Tons of listener recs; gave it 4.5 stars, slightly unsatisfied by ending but loved rock star romance vibes.
• Not Quite Dead Yet — became a book club pick.
• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren: “My first Christina Lauren, cute, great banter.” [07:29]
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Five-star experience, especially for the love confession and the beautiful author's note.

Kennedy’s Round-up

• Sounds like Love by Ashley Poston: “Good. Not super memorable, but unique and cool.” [09:58]
• When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi: “It was literally the moon turns to cheese. ...I finished and thought, why did I read that? But here I am.” [10:24]
• The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie: Finished the trilogy; mixed feelings, more character-driven, but appreciates the humor amid darkness.
• My Friends by Fredrik Backman: “Not my favorite by him, but still really touching.” [12:00]
• Night in Moth by Rachel Gillig: “The only five-star read on my summer TBR... very gothic, atmospheric.” [13:01]

Discussion: Reading Slumps & Fantasy Fatigue

• Hosts reflect on how fantasy slumps can make TBRs harder to tackle, with too many exciting titles creating overwhelm. “I want to love all of them, but I know I'm not gonna.” – Reggie [14:52]

3. Fall TBR Picks

Each host lays out 4–5 must-read books for Fall, focusing on a range from popular to intentionally “out of pocket.”

Tressa’s Picks

• Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller (Thriller): “This has been on my physical TBR forever…there’s not an audiobook, so I really have to sit down and read it.” [16:50]
• Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson: Excited for pirates/sea adventure, plans to physically read: “I love me some pirates.” [23:23]
• War by Laura Thalassa (Four Horsemen #2): “…post-apocalyptic, but has, like, magic...I’m genuinely so curious.” [29:50]
• The Devils by Joe Abercrombie: Heard he mixes dark themes and humor. “I feel like I’m a very out-of-pocket person, so it just kind of speaks to my soul.” [41:35]
• One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake: Witchy, Romeo & Juliet vibe; going in blind. [49:32]

Kennedy’s Picks

• Soul Searching by Lila Sage (Paranormal Western): “I want to say maybe the female main character is like a medium or something…sounds like the perfect fall romance novel.” [18:50]
• The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson: “Pray for me…It's just a commitment because they're like a thousand page books.” [24:03]
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King: “Time travel back to 1963 to prevent JFK's assassination. ...What better time to read Stephen King than the Fall?” [32:38]
• Famous by Blake Crouch: Soon-to-be movie with Zac Efron. “Regular old guy who looks just like a super famous film star…he overtakes the famous guy’s life.” [43:36]
• The Passengers by John Marrs (Thriller): “One single TikTok...8 self-drive cars set on a fatal collision course. Who lives, who dies? You decide.” [51:44]

Reggie’s Picks

• Soul Searching by Lila Sage: Piggybacks on Kennedy’s pick for a paranormal western.
• Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson: “I can't go to Dragonsteel and not have read at least the Mistborn trilogy.” [25:52]
• God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Thriller): About a missing child—she’s a little anxious about the premise, but feels drawn to it: “I don't know why I've been so gravitated towards it.” [36:36]
• Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry (Eden’s Series #1): “Loved the combination of a non-cringy cowboy romance and murder mystery.” [54:05]

4. Extra Bookish Chat & FOMO Moments

• Fantasy Reading and Series Order Debates:

  • On Sanderson: “The Cosmere intimidates me so much...people are very passionate about what order you should read them in.” – Kennedy [22:34]
  • “I think my goal is to have the three [Mistborn] read before we go to Dragonsteel.” – Reggie [26:39]

• Trendy & Underrated Reads:

  • Hosts purposely include both buzzy and lesser-known books to “diversify” their TBRs.
  • “You can always count on me to have an out-of-pocket pick on my TBR.” – Kennedy [53:29]

• Book Adaptation Gossip:

  • Excitement (and confusion) about Famous adaptation: “It's being adapted by A24...it’s gonna be good.” – Kennedy [46:10]
  • Zac Efron’s "Justin Bieber swoop" hair on set [48:26]

• Book Buying Bans:

  • “I am banning myself from buying books.” – Tressa [51:06]
  • “The longer we do the podcast, the less I’m inclined to buy books. It’s freaking expensive.” – Kennedy [51:14]

• FOMO and Peer Pressure:

  • Hosts admit to being easily swayed by each other’s picks. “Like May Luna FOMO...the FOMO is real.” – Tressa [57:43]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I started to see a lot of the big BookTokers, they started to read it...my interest was piqued.” – Kennedy on May Luna [06:54]
• "I don't know, something about the western romances, like cowboy romances, just hit so different in the summer." – Tressa [03:28]
• “The love confession in that [Atmosphere]...one of my favorite love confessions I've seen in a book in a long time.” – Reggie [08:18]
• “You're following a girl who meets this homeless guy in an alley and something happens and then her life gets turned upside down.” – Kennedy, describing My Friends by Fredrik Backman [12:00]
• “The thing is, because I've been gravitated towards it for so long—who knows, maybe it's the cover—I gotta give it a chance.” – Reggie on God of the Woods [37:48]
• “I love that I got to it [May Luna]. Thank you for the recommendation. I don't know how I would have found that book.” – Reggie [06:53]
• “There’s always one out of pocket book on my TBRs.” – Kennedy [53:29]
• “The people at Graphic Audio—can you please...somehow mark chapters? ...Can you include a PDF?” – Kennedy, speaking to audiobook frustrations [56:31]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• New Setup and Catch-up: [00:08–02:13]
• Summer TBR Recaps: [02:15–16:04]
• FALL TBR Kick-off: [16:36]
• Each Host’s Fall TBR List:
  • Tressa: [16:56, 22:01, 29:14, 41:01, 49:24]
  • Kennedy: [18:34, 24:03, 32:38, 43:36, 51:44]
  • Reggie: [18:56, 25:52, 36:15, 54:00]
• Book Adaptations & Movie Talk: [43:36–48:10]
• Book Buying Ban & TBR FOMO: [51:06–57:43]
• Closing Reflections & Sign-off: [58:15–end]

Overall Tone & Takeaway

The conversation is loose, often veering off on funny tangents or heartfelt admissions of FOMO and reading slumps, perfectly capturing the group chat-to-bookclub spirit that the podcast promises. The hosts blend thoughtfully chosen TBRs with plenty of spontaneous advocacy for character-driven plots, book adaptation excitement, and support for reading outside one’s comfort zone—plus relatable debates over fantasy series order and the perennial book-buying ban.

The perfect episode for:

• Adding new thriller, fantasy, and literary picks to your fall TBR
• Honest recaps with both hype and critique
• Book clubbers looking for a little chaos, humor, and heart
• Anyone deciding “which Sanderson should I read (and in what order)?”

Got a book rec or want to share your fall TBR? The hosts encourage DMs and comments—especially if you have a perfect pick for Mikayla’s or Kennedy’s next FOMO-fueled read!