# The Eclectic Reader Book reviews, reading life reflections, and recommendations from an eclectic mood reader and former English teacher. chelsey.substack.com Page: Feed: --- ## [Our favorite books of 2026 (so far)](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/four-favorite-books-of-2026-so-far) _2026-07-17 · Chelsey Feder_ This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chelsey.substack.com Hey, Readers! Thanks to Curtis’ new work from home schedule, we were able to record a podcast episode all about our favorite books at the halfway point of 2026. He’s got a lot of fantasy heavy hitters to share, and I’ve got my usual mix of literary fiction, romance, and memoir. We used to record conversations about… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/204320301/068de2d24af19c601e0843477d693908.mp3) ## [An English cottage, a fantastic short story collection, and early chapter books for little readers](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/early-chapter-books-nostalgic-fantasy) _2026-07-02 · Chelsey Feder_ Hey, Readers! I decided to make my June Reading Reflections episode public, so everyone can preview what these reading wrap-ups sound like each month. If you enjoy hearing me chat about my recent reads, join the paid tier to get these monthly episodes directly in your podcast app. Paid subscribers also get Electic Recs and seasonal printables in their inbox. The Eclectic Reader is a… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203432660/2256d7ed6b9f76b9f72eea5aa7f1f556.mp3) ## [Build your analog summer reading list with BookPage](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/build-your-analog-summer-reading) _2026-05-12 · Chelsey Feder_ A few months ago, I published a newsletter all about how I find book recommendations without any attention-sucking apps. It was my most popular newsletter to date, mostly because of all the comments and questions readers sent in about BookPage, a physical publication I pick up every single month at my public library. I reached out to the editor-in-chief of BookPage to see if we could chat about… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/196029604/95b593e9e43cfe07534c07fcd681ff49.mp3) ## [A+ literary fiction, a buzzy marriage memoir, and the best romance novel I've read in a long time](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/a-literary-fiction-a-buzzy-marriage) _2026-03-06 · Chelsey Feder_ This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chelsey.substack.com I read some fantastic, memorable books in February, and I have a lot to say about them in this episode! In addition to ten book reviews, I share how I’m grappling with inconsistency in my reading life as a mom with potential neurodivergence. I hope you enjoy this reading wrap-up—it’s one of my favorite newsletters… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/189714607/fc38a181031266fdc1892b6673706f8d.mp3) ## [Anchor Texts: Introducing 'Country Place' by Ann Petry and Annotating Chapters 1-2](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/anchor-texts-introducing-country) _2026-01-30 · Chelsey Feder_ This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chelsey.substack.com Hey Readers! Welcome back to Anchor Texts, our quarterly book club and close reading series. I’m excited to continue our year of Ann Petry together with Country Place , a slim, small town novel packed with tension. In today’s introductory episode, I’m sharing my annotations from the first two chapters, including… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/186157569/be39fe9e2ced8e8dbbdf1dffa633e0c1.mp3) ## [The best books He Read and She Read in 2025](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/the-best-books-he-read-and-she-read) _2025-12-23 · Chelsey Feder_ 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… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/178719434/2fa4bf80df279f638ee70738f637ea14.mp3) ## [Romance novels I did NOT include in The Fall 2025 Romance Collection](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/romance-novels-i-did-not-include) _2025-10-10 · Chelsey Feder_ Hey, Eclectic Readers! I’m taking you on a behind the scenes tour of The Fall 2025 Romance Collection to share how I source books, sort books, and cement my final curated list. Along the way, you’ll find out which books did NOT make the final cut, and why. I hope you enjoy this chatty how-did-this-get-made episode, and I can’t wait to share more podcast chats with you soon. Books Mentioned \* Mate… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/175495940/5b8e6259b56fe629e681b60cacfc78d0.mp3) ## [Favorite Reads from Summer 2025](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/favorite-reads-from-summer-2025) _2025-09-05 · Chelsey Feder_ Hey readers! I’m excited to be back on the mic for a seasonal reading wrap-up. I have more podcast episodes coming your way, including monthly reading reflections for paid subscribers. Grab a 20% discount on annual subscriptions and get your TBR lists ready! Books Mentioned \* Reel by Kennedy Ryan \* Let’s Make a Scene by Laura Wood \* Under Your Spell by Laura Wood \* Alanna: The Graphic Novel… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/172704087/de6872dcd2f96d2b9dfdde20a39244da.mp3) ## [The best books He Read & She Read in 2023](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/the-best-books-of-2023) _2023-12-31 · Chelsey Feder_ Happy New Year’s Eve! I’m so excited to share this special 2023 wrap-up podcast episode with you all. If you’ve followed my creative journey online for the last several years, you know I used to host a podcast called He Read She Read with my husband and favorite bookstore browsing buddy, Curtis. We discussed books in a book club style format, shared recommendations based on audience requests, and… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/140125434/5813f679d0aad8beabeef7711204a667.mp3) ## [Zuverlässiges Hosting, Domains, Server (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/zQlFSl1VzMij) _2023-12-31 · **Sponsored**_ Zuverlässige Infrastruktur, niedrige Preise und skalierbare Server für deinen Webauftritt. ## [Summer Romance Themes & Trends 2023](https://chelsey.substack.com/p/summer-romance-themes-and-trends) _2023-08-30 · Chelsey Feder_ To wrap up my short summer podcast series on romance novels, I’m sharing broad musings on the genre’s trends, themes, and historical context. I’m getting pretty nerdy in this episode—if you like this conversational literary criticism, I highly recommend checking out my podcast with Sara Hildreth : Novel Pairings in which we hold educational chats like this one all the time. Today I’m discussing: \*… [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/136440402/648eeded3cd43f8f1f2f896a9f5c1088.mp3)