<p>Hey, Eclectic Readers! I’m excited to share my favorite reads of 2025 with all of you—and even more excited to welcome a special guest to this yearly wrap-up episode. My husband and former podcast co-host Curtis joins me today to discuss how parenting small children has impacted our reading lives, what books we loved this year, and what we’re hoping to read in 2026. You’ll get to experience the complete breadth of our reading tastes in this episode, with recommendations from nearly every genre.</p><p>Special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for occupying the four-year-old, and to our one-year-old for napping long enough for us to record this episode. It took an entire month to make the time, and we both had terrible colds, but we got it done!</p><p>Books Mentioned</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780062867469">The Palace of Rogues series</a> by Julie Anne Long</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780525619499"><em>The Ferryman</em></a> by Justin Cronin</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780345504975"><em>The Passage</em></a> by Justin Cronin</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780345542373"><em>The Twelve</em></a> by Justin Cronin</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780593852323"><em>Audition</em></a> by Katie Kitamura</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://chelsey.substack.com/p/5-books-to-read-if-you-liked-audition">5 books to read if you liked </a><a target="_blank" href="https://chelsey.substack.com/p/5-books-to-read-if-you-liked-audition"><em>Audition</em></a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9781439195260"><em>Lonesome Dove</em></a> by Larry McMurtry</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780316575171"><em>The Devil Three Times</em></a> by Rickey Fayne</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9781636240534"><em>We Few</em></a> by Nick Brockhausen</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9781612007755"><em>Whispers in the Tall Grass</em></a> by Nick Brockhausen</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780316441421"><em>Surprise, Kill, Vanish</em></a> by Annie Jacobsen</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Assistance_Command,_Vietnam_%E2%80%93_Studies_and_Observations_Group">MACV-SOG</a> (Wikipedia)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9798998954702"><em>Sex of the Midwest</em></a> by Robin Ryle</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780358187547"><em>The Street</em></a> by Ann Petry</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780063260092"><em>Country Place</em></a> by Ann Petry</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://chelsey.substack.com/p/anchor-texts-a-quarterly-practice">The Anchor Texts Project</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780765365279">The Stormlight Archive series</a> Brandon Sanderson</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9781501143519">The Dark Tower series</a> by Stephen King</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/1154/9780143110637"><em>Grant</em></a> by Ron Chernow</p><p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://chelsey.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">chelsey.substack.com/subscribe</a>