pleasure reading: curated book lists + tbrs with friends
a podcast about the pleasure of reading, featuring curated book lists, author rankings, tiny book chats and more. hosted by amelia hruby, phd.
Episodes
Summer is for sports romance! And let’s make it sapphic, shall we?
This season, I’m reading queer romances about softball, volleyball, basketball, hockey, tennis, F1, and more.
Tune in as I recommend:
It’s “swimsuit season,” and I’m popping in as your resident fat-girl-in-a-bikini to share 5 books to help you break up with diet culture.
Tune in as I recommend:
You may not know this about me… but I love tarot. I’ve been working with the cards for a decade, and I have another podcast all about it, called my tiny tarot practice.
I’ve read a ton of tarot books (and bought even more tarot decks), and in this episode I’m sharing my four favorites — the books I return to over and over again as I connect with myself and the cards.
Tune in as I recommend:
This spring on my podcast Off the Grid we did a whole series on AI. Part of that series included a reading list... which felt perfect to bring over to Pleasure Reading!
So today I'm sharing the 7 books that shaped my perspective on AI and helped me reclaim my creative attention in the process:
Wanna go down a sunken book rabbit hole with me? 🤿
In this episode, I tell you the story of why I spent the past four months reading underwater books... including my fave shipwreck, cave-diving, and sea creature reads that I now highly recommend.
For the first time in pleasure reading history, I also include movie, tv, and podcast recommendations! Because this underwater theme truly took over my entire media landscape. 🪸
Today I welcome a dear friend and fellow podcaster to the show — Caro Griffin!
Caro is the host of Between Drinks podcast and newsletter — where she shares her international travels and recounts the history of different beverages. You should definitely subscribe to her newsletter and tune in on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen.
In this conversation, Caro shares her five favorite books about alcoholic & non...
Spring has sprung, and I'm getting ready to plant my garden!
I love growing food in my backyard, but it can be expensive to invest in seeds, beds, dirt and more. So over the past few months, I've been researching low-cost gardening methods.
Here are my four fave books I've found so far (affiliate links):
Happy Galentine's Day, pleasure readers!
Today I'm sharing 10 brand new romance releases just in time for your weekend reading.
We've got sports romance, sapphic romance, celebrity romance, enemies-to-lovers, chronic pain cuties, and more — set across the US, Europe and Latin America.
Find all the books here, and have a romantic weekend! xoxo
More from Amelia:
📖 Follow what I'm reading on Storygraph
📝 Send ...
It's almost Valentine's Day! And my sweetheart reading is in full swing to celebrate.
In this episode, I'm sharing my five fave romance writers — who I think are woefully underrated.
Tune in to hear me rave about Lizzy Dent, TJ Alexander, Talia Hibbert, Naina Kumar, and Falon Ballard. I'll talk about my fave books, upcoming releases, and more.
Find all the books here, and have a romantic week! xoxo
More from Amelia...
Happy 2026, readers!
Last year, I made some biggggg reading plans and proceeded to accomplish... none of them.
(I'm looking at you 2025 5-star TBR. 👀)
So this year, I'm lowering the bar, embracing my inner mood reader, and thinking about books differently.
Tune in to this quick episode, where I share my 2026 reading plans and the process I'm using to build themed TBRs for the year ahead.
I also build a few TBRs for us! On the themes...
Happy New Years Eve, readers! In this comeback episode, I'm sharing quick-hit reviews of all the books I've read since September.
Tune in for Parisian magicians, murderous influencers, werewolf romantics, gay hockey players (yes, I got into Heated Rivalry...), and more!
I also talk a bit about my TBR failures, how many books I read this year (123!), and my reading goals for 2026.
Find all the books right here: https://bookshop.org/lis...
Fall is my favorite season for reading, because I love cozy blankets, warm lattes, and books that make me feel some kind of way.
In this episode, I’m sharing books for my 3 fave fall feelings: cozy, sexy, and spooky. 🧶💄👹
It’s a Libra & Scorpio season adventure, full of amazing reads that just came out this year!
ALSO! I just published a new book of my own. It’s called Your Attention is Sacred Except on Social ...
OK it's been a minute since I made an episode... but I promise I've been reading!
In fact, I've read 47 books since the end of March, and I have plenty to say about them.
So get cozy, press play, and tune in to let these 60-second reviews wash over you. There's everything from age-gap romance to cerebral mysteries to weirdo body horror. Plus I found three 5-star reads this summer!
Find all the books here: https://bookshop.org/lists/pl...
Let’s get spicy this summer! This month on the pod, I’m sharing my current TBR that’s full of sweet and sexy queer romance novels.
Tune in to hear me rave about Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and then to share how these 10 other romances landed on my bedside book stack.
Recommended Books (with affiliate links):
Pull out your mood rings, because this week we're reading by vibes!
Today I'm returning to the pod with an extra special guest, Rachel Ropeik.
Rachel is a cultural catalyst and pirate who works with equal parts wisdom and whimsy. From navigating the halls of the Guggenheim, the Brooklyn Museum, and MoMA to setting sail as a consultant changemaker, she blends thoughtful disruption and playful innovation in work with both cultural org...
Today we've got our second ever nonfiction list, and it's all about TIME!
Tune in to hear how I've been reimagining the clock with the help of these four books. Then find the (affiliate) links below to purchase them for yourself.
🕰️ Recommended Books
I read 13 books in February and 15 books in March. So we're gonna do another monthly reading recap!
In this episode, I'm sharing 60 second reviews of everything I read in late winter — from dark academia to light romance to my first non-fiction reads of 2025.
You can expect podcasters falling in love, goddesses rising from the dead, and sexy sacrilegious smut. I hope you enjoy!
Books mentioned in this episode:
Their Vicious ...
This one goes out to all my cooler-than-thou millennials tuning in — because this week I’m sharing books set in the indie sleaze scene!
If you’re not familiar with indie sleaze, think skinny jeans, sweaty clubs, early aughts attitude and bands like The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The scene was dominate by boys-in-bands, but in my personal (admittedly nostalgic) experience the music venues were...
OMG we've got our first guest — Bailey Lang of The Writing Desk!
Bailey is a late-diagnosed neurodivergent writer, editor, and coach. Through her company, The Writing Desk, she helps businesses and authors tell stories that matter. Bailey has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember, and her favorite thing to do is talk about books and writing.
Bailey reached out to me at the end of last year, asking if we could ...
Poetry is perfect for liminal seasons. And I find myself craving poetic wisdom as winter drags on and slowly turns to spring.
So in this episode, I’m recommending seven recent poetry collections (released in 2023, 2024 or 2025) that are helping me feel alive right now!
These books take on a wide range of themes, tones, and poetic forms, so there’s something here for everyone. Enjoy!
📜 Recommended Books
3:00 Two Open Doors ...
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