First Quarter Favorite Reads of 2026 with Gare and Steph

In this episode, I chat with Courtney Kocak about her debut memoir Girl Gone Wild!  She shares how it is both a personal reckoning and a cultural critique, tracing her journey from a “too much” small-town girl to a woman navigating ambition, sexuality, religion, and creative identity. She reflects on how early influences—strict religious messaging, shame around the body, and a lack of role models—shaped her relationship to power, pleasure, and self-worth, while her experiences in Hollywood and the entertainment industry reveal the harsh realities behind the myth of “making it.”  Listen to hear about: How the memoir evolved over 15+ years, requiring both craft development and personal growth to fully process her past experiences How early religious and cultural messaging created deep tension between bodily autonomy and imposed shame The empowerment vs. exploitation dynamic for young women, especially in entertainment The way Hollywood’s success narrative often hides the economic struggle, privilege, and sacrifices required to sustain creative work How Kocak shifted from chasing external validation and fame to prioritizing artistic fulfillment and an integrated, authentic identity Learn more about Courtney or purchase Girl Gone Wild here Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

In this episode, I talk with Jeremy Jernigan about his deeply personal and intellectual journey behind The Edge of the Inside, unpacking how Jeremy’s lifelong love of writing evolved into a healing-driven project that blends memoir and theology. We discuss how time and emotional distance were necessary to move from bitterness to clarity, allowing Jeremy to structure the book into reflection, belief, and application. We also discuss shared experiences as pastor’s kids, the disorienting process of deconstruction, and the realization that faith is far broader than what we were taught. Listen to hear about: Writing as healing, not just storytelling Jeremy describes the book as a form of therapy, something he had to live through and process before he could write honestly and help others.   The “edge of the inside” concept Inspired by Richard Rohr, this idea captures the experience of still belonging to a system while holding a perspective that challenges it.   Deconstruction and expanding belief systems We both reflect on realizing that what we were taught wasn’t the full picture, leading to curiosity, questioning, and broader exploration.   How language shapes belief (and confusion) The same words, faith, truth, provision, can mean completely different things depending on who’s using them, especially in religious and political contexts.   The “life quake” moment Jeremy shares the pivotal realization that doing the “right” things doesn’t guarantee success—and sometimes leads to losing everything, forcing a complete redefinition of faith and identity. Grab a copy of Jeremy's book here! Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

In this episode, MacKenzie Green and I talk with Ashley McGirt-Adair about her new book, The Cost of Healing in Silence, and the deep, often overlooked impact of racial trauma within healthcare systems. Ashley shares how her personal experiences, her grandmother’s legacy, and over a decade of work as a trauma therapist shaped her approach to culturally responsive care.  Listen to hear about: The concept of racial trauma as real trauma, and why naming it explicitly matters in both therapy and broader cultural conversations. How systemic bias in healthcare shows up in real, life-threatening ways (misread medical devices, dismissal of symptoms, lack of advocacy). The burden of self-advocacy in medical spaces, especially for Black patients and families navigating emergencies or chronic illness. Ashley’s idea of moving from “hope” to “commitment,” and how small, individual actions create meaningful systemic change. The idea of “homecoming to self” through culture, ancestry, music, food, and joy as a necessary counterbalance to generational trauma.   And grab a copy of The Cost of Healing in Silence here! Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

Gare, Steph and I share and discuss our favorite reads from the first quarter of 2026! Kate’s Books Queen of Faces by Petra Lord Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke She Drinks the Light by Yasmin Angoe Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson These Heathens by Mia McKenzie Gare’s Books The Secret Lives of Murderers Wives Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding Ours Is a Tale of Murder by Seraphina Nova Glass Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass Steph’s Books We Used to Live Here The Act of Disappearing by Nathan Gower Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

This week, I talk with Olesya Salnikova Gilmore about her historical-suspense The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru. We dive into: Her writing process as a "plantser" Why she's drawn to dark genres: historical fiction, gothic, fantasy, mystery How blending genres creates tension and unpredictability How she has experienced and writes about the “in-between” feeling of not fully belonging to one culture How she processed grief through this story Her research of Slavic folklore and Western spiritualism movements The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru Synopsis Spirited twenty-something Zina and her secretive grandmother, Baba Valya, own a tearoom on rue Daru in Paris, where they have lived quietly since Zina’s mother’s untimely death. By day, the women serve tea, mostly to members of the bustling Russian émigré community, but when dusk falls, they divine fortunes and perform séances for their loyal clientele. Then the charming Princess Olga and her brother arrive, searching for answers about the disappearance of their father, the Grand Duke and cousin to the murdered last Tsar of Russia. Zina, eager to learn more about the spirit world and her powers, performs the séance. She is able to summon the Grand Duke, but to her horror, he starts to haunt the shop, and he seems to know something sinister about her mother’s death. As Zina delves into her family’s hidden past, dark secrets are unearthed, threatening Zina and her grandmother’s found family, home, and tearoom, not to mention their very lives. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

This week, I talk with writing duo Katherine Greene, aka Claire C. Riley and A. Meredith Walkters, about their new small town thriller Where the Truth Lies! We dive into: Writing a thriller inspired by real-life events and the challenge of balancing fiction with truth How this story came from Abbi’s family history and a decades-old newspaper clipping The emotional difficulty of writing characters based on real people vs. fictionalizing them Crafting multiple POVs + dual timelines to build tension and a fuller picture of the crime Exploring toxic masculinity and how it develops, including how “nice” men can be influenced The concept of the “perfect victim” and how readers often unfairly judge women vs. men Where The Truth Lies Synopsis A picture-perfect couple's sordid past threatens to rock a sleepy southern town to its core. Told in alternating timelines and inspired by real events, this multi-POV thriller explores toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, and female rage in the tradition of Darby Kane. Childhood sweethearts Rhett and Lucinda seem to have the perfect marriage, the child they always wanted, and even the white picket fence. But fifteen years ago, the couple came very close to losing everything. When outsider Jennifer Moore arrived in their tight-knit Kentucky town, a brief but explosive affair between the newcomer and the soon-to-be-married Rhett stirred up a violent storm of betrayal that ended with a dead body and a mystery riddled in corruption and deception. Now, new evidence has surfaced-including an eyewitness who places Rhett at the scene of the brutal crime. Soon, the carefully constructed life Rhett and Lucinda built starts to crumble-and the truth waiting beneath the surface could destroy them both. In a town steeped in deadly southern charm, secrets don't fade-they fester. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

Halley broke the news to me that The Bachelorette was cancelled after the video of Taylor Frankie Paul was sold to TMZ, so we start off right in the mess of pop culture.  Listen for our thoughts on: Cancellation/pause of The Bachelorette starring Taylor Frankie Paul due to domestic violence allegations Ethics of airing real-life trauma and abuse on reality TV Trad wife culture vs. reality of women as breadwinners Religious conditioning and spiritual bypassing Purity culture and its connection to shame and abuse Grift culture (influencers, politics, capitalism) Age of Attraction's age gap dating approach The Manosphere - when men become obsessed with the male gaze Incel/red pill ideology as a bid for connection Some movies, TV shows and books we've loved recently Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

This week, I talk with Andrea M. Butler about her debut speculative fiction Mother. We dive into a wide range of topics, including: The origin of the novel’s idea Dreams and spiritual communication Energy work and spirituality Speculative fiction grounded in reality The “predictive” nature of fiction Capitalism, wealth inequality, and food insecurity Religion and evangelical culture Community as resistance Divine feminine energy Hope through storytelling   Mother by Andrea M. Butler Synopsis Having gained control of the world’s food supply, a single corporation, SunRay, holds the fate of humanity in its hands. When the government passed the HOME Act and sent millions of immigrants away, it threw the nation into an unprecedented economic crisis. Set in the near future amidst the backdrop of an increasingly volatile climate, Matt and Evie Fisher are struggling to survive. In order to find a way to save their two daughters, Matt and Evie must wrestle with their faith, their past, and a mysterious illness affecting much of the population. When a series of otherworldly dreams sets Evie on a path to find a mystical portal, and Matt finds himself in possession of information that could topple SunRay and the political network behind it, Evie realizes she is being offered a choice that could not only save her daughters, but could alter the fate of humanity forever.   Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

As promised, MacKenzie Green and I share our Oscars reactions, and thoughts on just about everything:  - Awards season and Oscar campaigning  - Timothée Chalamet discourse  - Misty Copeland’s performance  - Sinners on Broadway??  - Criticism of Sean Penn winning Best Supporting Actor  - The historical context of Black Oscar winners, and why Michael B. Jordan's win is so HUGE - Comparisons to past controversial Oscar wins (think Green Book vs Black Panther)  - Distinctions between authentic cultural storytelling (like Sinners) and films by those outside the culture for performative or superficial benefit  Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

Erin and I both adored Kin by Tayari Jones, and we decided to do a whole episode discussing it!  The first 15ish minutes are spoiler free, so if you haven't read it yet, you can listen and decide if the vibes sound right for you.  After that, we get into everything we loved about the characters, the prose, the plotting and the themes! Kin by Tayari Jones Synopsis Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Atlanta at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into an affluent family. Annie, abandoned by her dissolute mother as a child, and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, and culminate in a battle for her life.   Tayari Jones Oprah Interview Tayari Jones on The Stacks Erin's Interview with ReShanda Tate about With Love From Harlem Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba