The Ezra Klein Show Reading List: Books Recommended By Guests On The Podcast (part 1 Of 3)

After years of battling several illnesses, I died and woke up in a werewolf romance as a girl named Selene. It was uncertain what book I reincarnated into but as an avid reader of werewolf web novels, I knew the basic plot-line so I didn’t panic. From what I learned about my character, I was obsessed with the Alpha’s son and I bullied the women around him. I was ‘that’ woman; the one that stands between the Alpha and his abused omega mate and meets an unlucky end. All I had to do was sever ties with the Alpha and enjoy my new life so how did I end up in bed with him!? And why was the Alpha who was supposed to hate me following me around like a lost puppy? ** To Xander, Selene is nothing more than his best friend’s arrogant, stalker sister. He hates her but one day things change. After a night of shared passion, she begins to avoid him. At first, he believes it’s a new trick to get his attention and later, he thinks she used him for his body and he wants her attention back on him. Xander and Selene seem like a match made in heaven but they aren’t. When Xander meets his fated mate, Selene’s worst nightmare is confirmed. She’s grown attached. Xander is unwilling to let Selene go but how can he hold on when his destiny lies with another woman? Is the love between the two strong enough to resist destiny?

When Aria Collins’ father desperately needs an expensive experimental cancer treatment that she can’t afford, she becomes desperate and forms a contract with CEO Alexander Blackwood: She will be his wife for three years in exchange for him giving his medical care and his financial security. What it really is business -- separate bedrooms, public appearances and a marriage of convenience. As Aria moves from being a part of Alexander’s elite business venture to being part of him, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. When feelings neither of them bargained for to start to open up, they need to decide whether to live up to the contract’s terms or risk everything in search of something bigger than convenience. In this marriage of convenience, convenience was never meant to become love

“I, Alpha Jackson Caesar of the Black moon Pack, reject you as my mate!” Rose, a poor and humble slave, enters into a world of power, betrayal and forbidden love. Her life takes a drastic turn when she’s saved by the feared yet kind Lycan Prince Aiden, her second chance mate. As their love gets stronger, jealousy and lies threaten to destroy them. Poisoned, kidnapped, almost killed. She unveils shocking truths. She is the long lost daughter of an Alpha and the rightful heir to a very powerful Pack. With enemies exposed, and love prevailing, Rose rises from a servant to a Luna, uniting two great Packs and reclaiming her destiny. But there’s always a price to pay. Rose must fight to protect everything she loves.

Born under the silver glow of the moon, Liora was marked with a mysterious birthmark and a destiny she could neither understand nor escape. Raised in the Beta household, her life was one of cruelty...scorned by her stepmother Mariseth and tormented by her sister Ravena, whose envy grew sharper with every passing day. Liora’s only solace was Kaelen, the Alpha’s son, her childhood sweetheart and the secret keeper of her fragile hope. But everything shatters on the night of the shifting ceremony. While Ravena blooms into a powerful wolf, Liora collapses under the weight of the Moon’s power, left motionless and declared wolfless. Whispers spread like wildfire, unwanted, useless, broken. Yet, Kaelen’s lingering affection keeps her spirit alive… until the truth claws its way into the light. The Moon Goddess has chosen. Drawn by an irresistible bond, Kaelen and Ravena discover they are mates, bound by fate itself. To Ravena, it is triumph at last, the ultimate way to crush the sister she loathes. To Kaelen, it is torment; his heart burns for Liora, yet the pull of destiny ties him to another. And to Liora, it is the ultimate betrayal: abandoned by the one she loves, broken promises and hunted by the jealousy of her sister. But Liora’s birthmark holds secrets far greater than anyone realizes. A destiny tied not just to a pack, but to the balance of wolves and the Moon itself. As love turns to obsession, and envy turns to violence, the question lingers: Will Liora rise from the ashes of rejection to claim the power meant for her, or will the wolves who betrayed her destroy her first?

In a kingdom ruled by a brutal king, Thalia Blackwood, an infamous assassin, is given a choice: fight for her freedom or remain a prisoner in the deadly salt mines of Karnak. Selected to compete against ruthless criminals in a contest to become the King’s Champion, Thalia soon finds herself entangled in dark court politics, where enemies lurk in the shadows, and nothing is as it seems. But as she navigates this treacherous competition, sinister forces far beyond the throne emerge, and Thalia must confront a hidden magic, long thought lost, that could destroy everything. With her deadly skills and a mysterious past that threatens to surface, she must outwit her rivals and face dangers both human and magical. Freedom comes at a price—and Thalia will pay it in blood if she has to. Will she win her freedom, or will the darkness of her past consume her first?

He rejected her to chase power. She gave herself to a stranger... and woke up marked by fate. Ryker, the mate River Moonstorm thought she was destined for, tossed her aside — choosing his best friend instead, all to earn a spot in his dream biker club. Broken and drowning in betrayal, River finds herself in a bar, face-to-face with Orion — mysterious, magnetic, and oozing danger. One drink turns into a night she can’t forget. One touch unlocks a part of her wolf she’s never known. But Orion isn’t just a dark escape. He’s the star of the Sexy Groove Bikers Club — and he’s hiding secrets that could turn River’s world upside down. Can she handle the fire he ignites in her? Or will falling for Orion burn her all over again?

When Izzy finds out her fiance and long-time boyfriend is cheating on her. She dumped him and went to a nearby bar to get wasted. Crazy fate when she stumbles on Fabian -the dangerous billionaire who is having a hard time and a bad day like her. Izzy wasn't aware of who Fabian was! As they say, broken people meet together to help each other to mend what is broken. As the night passes by, they finally find each other talking comfortably and enjoying themselves. When fate decides to play with you, it's more dangerous than marrying a dangerous man. In order to live perfectly and fit in the society that hates her, Izzy agrees to the marriage contract he offers. The contract will just last for two years or depends if they still need to add another year. She needs someone who will stand by her side now that her heart is crippled. Before the contract was terminated, someone from his past came to take him back at all costs. Unfortunately, they were already entangled with the contract unknowingly. Will they tear up the contract to fight the inevitable together or will they take matters into their own hands to make it happen for real? What measure will his past and his family take to tear them apart? Can she become the billionaire woman she dreams of? What inevitable instance will Cupid do for them?

When Vynessa summons the demon Azaziel to exact revenge on those who wronged her, no one could have prepared her for the uproar that would become her life. She unknowingly unleashes a very powerful and very seductive force into her life that changes EVERYTHING. As Vynessa becomes more and more entwined with Azaziel, she must confront the darkness within herself and decide whether to wallow in her past and deep depression, or finally become what her name depicts; A glass of wine for a God.

Their love was a product of a mistake, in terms that Barbara De-Luca is the unknown mistress of the well-known MARRIED businessman, Keith Ramírez. But what has gotten into Keith? He said that he will keep Barbara as mistress if she abort the baby she was carrying. Barbara was pushed into a situation where she needs to make a choice, and she chooses, the baby. But what if the clueless Keith suddenly founds out about the existence of his own blood and flesh? Will he take his child away from Barbara? Or will he, choose to keep them alongside her?

There's only one word that can describe Emanuelle Dizon perfectly. Elegant. Her existence screams elegance. Namana niya 'yon sa sopistikada niyang ina. Siguro kung may perpekto lang na tao sa mundo ay maaaring isa roon si Emma. Pero hindi, dahil lahat ng tao, may kapintasan. Emma met Yael Carreon. The man who became the love of her life. She's willing to sacrifice everything just to make that man hers. Dignity, self-respect, and elegance. Just for this man to love her back.