Kris and Mads

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My sponsor BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started:https://betterhelp.com/krisandmadsWe finally spilled the tea… ☕📚 These are 10 books we’ve been gatekeeping—all rated 5 stars, but ones we rarely talk about on the pod! From epic fantasy with dragons to dark academia, from sci-fi thrillers to swoony romance, this list is packed with hidden gems across genres.If you’re hunting for your next great read (that isn’t already everywhere on BookTok or BookTube), this episode is for you. We’re covering fantasy, sci-fi, romance, memoirs, thrillers, and more—so no matter your vibe, you’ll find a book you’ll fall in love with.Spoiler-free, honest reviews only. Let’s go find you a new favorite!If you want to check out the friends we mentioned in this episode for more recommendations, you can find Will and Ed here: ‪@thebrothersgwynne‬ 📚 Timestamps so you can jump to your genre:Timestamps00:00 Intro02:32 Recursion by Blake Crouch - a techno thriller05:05 The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon- an epic fantasy with dragons11:21 Educated by Tara Westover - a memoir15:08 Wellness by Nathan Hill - a contemporary literary fiction19:35 Strange the Dreamer Duology by Laini Taylor - a young adult fantasy22:58 Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson - a romantic fantasy26:20 Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren - a contemporary romance29:41 The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper - an ancient historical fiction33:47 Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb - a memoir 36:37 If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio - a dark academia fictionLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club: patreon.com/KrisandMadsSisterhoodHave a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books #BooksWeLove #HiddenGemBooks #FiveStarReads #BookRecommendations #BookPodcast #BookTube #BookTok #FantasyBooks #SciFiBooks #RomanceBooks #DarkAcademiaBooks #MemoirRecommendations #ThrillerBooks #UnderratedBooks #BookishCommunity

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My sponsor BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/krisandmadsThe professor I referenced who is making amazing gothic reading lists on tiktok can be found here:https://www.tiktok.com/@theculturedum...Looking for the perfect fall read? 🍂 In this episode, we’re sharing 15 of our top book recommendations for fall—with something for everyone! Whether you’re in the mood for dark academia, gothic fiction, vampire vibes, spooky-season romance, or edge-of-your-seat thrillers, we’ve got you covered. All of our reviews are spoiler-free and include a quick premise plus why we loved each book.At the end, we’re also chatting about the books still on our fall TBR 👀—so stick around for even more cozy-spooky inspiration.If you’re a book lover searching for your next autumn read, this episode is basically your fall book guide.📚 Timestamps below so you can jump to your favorite genres!Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:15 Dark Academia Recommendations02:46 The Will of the Many by James Islington04:35 The Secret History by Donna Tartt07:13 If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio11:54 Gothic Fiction Recommendations12:59 Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier15:47 One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig19:14 Belladonna by Adalyn Grace22:39 Vampire Fiction Recommendations24:49 Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canes26:17 A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson29:32 Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab32:53 Romance Recommendations for Spooky Season33:15 The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston37:01 Masters of Death by Olivie Blake41:23 Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid45:06 Thriller Recommendations46:44 Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy48:39 Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young50:04 Vicious by V.E. Schwab52:25 What’s on OUR fall TBR?Let’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club: patreon.com/KrisandMadsSisterhoodHave a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books #FallBookRecommendations #DarkAcademiaBooks #GothicBooks #VampireBooks #RomanceBooks #ThrillerBooks #SpookySeasonReads #BookTok #BookTube #BookPodcast #CozyFallReads #FallTBR #AutumnReading #BestBooksForFall

Join our Patreon read-and-watch club! In September, we're doing palate cleansers: Imperfect Women, The Love Hypothesis, and Verity! You can try out the Fellowship Tier for free for 7 days!   / krisandmadssisterhood  We had an awesome August, with a bunch of 5-star books and a variety of genres! What was your best read of August??Timestamps:0:00 - Intro 7:15 - The Good Parts by Evann Normandin12:35 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi18:23 - I’m thinking of ending things by Iain Reid22:02 - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen25:10 - Book Club updates!29:34 - Pachinko by Min Jin Lee33:41 - The Knight & The Moth by Rachel Gillig37:31 - Love Poems by Rupi Kaur42:59 - Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake48:17 - Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery51:13 - The Wolves of War by John Gwynne56:28 - Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb1:02:57 - Wrap-up!Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books

Bestselling fantasy author Rachel Gillig joins us for a conversation we’ve been dreaming about ever since we read her Shepherd King Duology in 2023! In this episode, we sit down with the author of One Dark Window and the bestselling Shepherd King duology to talk about her new series, The Stonewater Kingdom and its conclusion, The Knave and the Moon, out September 1, 2026 from Orbit.If you love adult fantasy romance, but with a dark fairy tale spin, and lush worldbuilding, complicated characters, and unforgettable romance, this is an episode you absolutely won’t want to miss.Rachel takes us behind the scenes of The Knave and the Moon and her new series, while also revealing plenty about the person behind some of our favorite fantasy books. We talk about her secret nerdom, her love of classic literature, the hills she is willing to die on, and the hamlet where she would most want to live.We also get into BookTok, online book reviews, book influencers, and the ways the online book community can be our best. Rachel shares her thoughts on the rapidly evolving world of book culture, readers, reviewers, and the conversations surrounding books online.If you want to find more from Rachel Gillig, you can find her here:https://www.instagram.com/rmgillig/?h...https://rachelgillig.substack.com/Timestamps:0:00 - Intro 1:31 - Rachel’s 2 Truths & 1 Lie7:08 - On artists drawing inspiration from her work9:19 - Rachel’s literary hot takes15:40 - Rachel’s fandoms19:02 - The Five Hamlets as a Personality Quiz20:44 - Duologies!25:01 - What hill will you die on?27:46 - On the inspiration from old fairy tales35:33 - Was Rachel a scene kid?40:05 - On propaganda 43:58 - A novella?!47:08 - Future projects & other genres!50:12 - Rachel’s dream tea party52:53 - Rachel’s book recLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club for free for 7 days:   / krisandmadssisterhood  Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  This episode was edited by Daniel Pena: https://danielpena.carrd.co/#BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books #RachelGillig #TheShepherdKingDuology #OneDarkWindow #TwoTwistedCrowns #TheKnaveandtheMoon #TheKnightandtheMoth #romantasybooks #adultfantasyromance #gothicromance #gothicfantasy #darkfantasy #fairytalefantasy #BookTok #fantasy

If you want to read some classics with us, join our Patreon read-and-watch club for free for 7 days:   / krisandmadssisterhood  If you want to read more classic books but don't know where to start, this episode is for you! Today we're talking about 10 classic books everyone should read at least once — from gothic romances and sweeping love stories to family sagas, historical adventures, and literary masterpieces.We’re sharing the classics we genuinely think are worth reading, including Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.Whether you're building a classic books TBR, looking for the best classic literature to read, trying to get into classic novels for beginners, or just wondering which classics are actually worth your time, we're breaking down why we love these books and why we think they still hold up today.📚 BOOKS MENTIONED0:00 — Intro1:11 — Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier6:21 — The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas13:21 — Little Women by Louisa May Alcott19:18 — Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen25:13 — A Room with a View by E.M. Forster29:55 — Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë37:15 — The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde42:10 — Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë46:23 — Frankenstein by Mary Shelley51:56 — Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy57:03 — Wrap-upLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club for free for 7 days:   / krisandmadssisterhood  Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books