On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: book advent and making wood bookends

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how Meredith and Kaytee have both changed for good due to the podcast and each other

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

1:12 - Ad For Ourselves

1:41 - Currently Reading Patreon

8:13 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

8:27 - 25 Days by Per Jacobson

14:10 - Our Current Reads

14:33 - North Sun by Ethan Rutherford (Meredith)

16:14 - The Terror by Dan Simmons

21:29 - Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McCallister (Kaytee)

26:39 - And the World Spins Anyway by Georgie Jones (Meredith)

26:47 - georgie_jonez on instagram

32:56 - Awake by Jen Hatmaker (Kaytee)

33:23 - 7 by Jen Hatmaker

37:49 - Lady Tremaine by Rebecca Hochhauser (Meredith)

39:39 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

42:23 - Fabled Bookshop

42:37 - A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat (Kaytee)

42:52 - Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

45:58 - CR Season 4: Episode 45

46:46 - How We've Been Changed For Good 

59:09 - Meet Us At The Fountain

59:38 - I wish that you would follow @mondaynextpodcast on instagram for a limited series for business minded individuals!

59:40 - @mondaynextpodcast on Instagram

1:01:17 - I wish for us to finish the year strong in our reading lives. (Kaytee)

1:02:39 - The Never King by Nikki St. Crow

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. December's IPL is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Mary are discussing:

Bookish Moments: new bookcases and making space for new TBR

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: bookish therapy with Mary

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

1:36 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

1:43 - @maryreadsandmakes on Instagram

2:21 - Ikea Billy Bookcase

6:00 - Half Price Books

8:14 - Our Current Reads

8:20 - The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard (Mary)

11:22 - 25 Days by Per Jacobson (Meredith)

17:37 - The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (Mary)

21:50 - Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher (Meredith)

24:24 - Daunt Books

26:54 - Blackwell's

28:06 - Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross (Mary)

28:52 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

32:38 - A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

33:07 - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

33:08 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

33:34 - The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage (Meredith)

35:39 - The Popcast

37:24 - Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland

37:43 - American Royals by Katharine McGee

39:08 - Reading Therapy 

43:17 - Gemini Wrongs by Met Tietz on Substack

44:19 - The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte

44:22 - The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte

44:39 - Be Ready when the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

49:51 - Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

50:08 - Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

52:46 - Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore

56:31 - The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

57:05 - The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon

58:43 - Meet Us At The Fountain

58:46 - My wish is that you evaluate your reading life and if you're struggling, to reflect if you need extra support in your life. (Mary)

1:00:47 - I recommend watching the show All Her Fault on Peacock if you liked the book. (Meredith)

1:00:58 - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: losing track of time reading and bookish vanity plates

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: books we think would make great book club picks

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

1:19 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

2:29 - Snap by Belinda Bauer

6:34 - Our Current Reads

6:48 - The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig (Meredith)

10:13 - Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

10:33 - It by Stephen King

11:59 - The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko (Kaytee)

12:03 - Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

14:24 - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

15:13 - Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

16:06 - How to Be A Saint by Kate Sidley (Meredith)

21:45 - Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery (Kaytee)

21:53 - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

26:46 - The Black Wolf by Louise Penny (Meredith)

27:01 - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

32:54 - State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton

34:20 - The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (Kaytee)

34:27 - The King's English Bookshop

36:49 - The Magicians by Lev Grossman

38:36 - Our Book Club Recs

39:22 - Currently Reading Patreon

40:34 - The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

44:27 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

44:38 - Curfew by Jayne Cowie

46:04 - Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge

48:11 - The Push by Ashley Audrain

49:19 - The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

50:15 - One of the Boys by Jayne Cowie

51:24 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

51:25 - Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

51:27 - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

51:45 - Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

52:06 - CR Season 6: Episode 2

52:42 - Check our our instagram @currentlyreadingpodcast for our book club post!

52:54 - Meet Us At The Fountain

53:02 - I wish that if you don't already follow us on Instagram, to do so now. (Meredith)

53:07 - @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram

53:35 - I wish to reformat my bookish hard drive (Kaytee)

51:34 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

51:37 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

51:38 - Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: a poem a day + excitement over release days

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we discuss your top books from 2019-2024 and draw the giveaway winner

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

1:59 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

2:07 - The Poetry Foundation's Poem of the Day

2:27 - A Rebellion of Care by David Gate

3:55 - The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

4:34 - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

6:02 - Our Current Reads

6:08 - The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong (Kaytee)

8:21- A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

9:03 - The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman (Meredith)

10:11 - Words Matter Bookshop

10:40 - The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

14:17 - The Bookshop by Evan Friss (Kaytee)

15:12 - Parnassus Books

17:29 - Exile in Bookville

17:58 - Books - A Manifesto: Or, How to Build A Library by Ian Patterson (Meredith, Goldsboro link) 

20:16 - Goldsboro Books UK

24:16 - The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler 

26:03 - I Leave It Up To You by Jinwoo Chong (Kaytee)

29:05 - Flux by Jinwoo Chong (amazon link)

29:34 - The Wasp Trap by Michael Edwards (Meredith)

32:45 - The Guest List by Lucy Foley

33:09 - Listeners' Top Ranked Books

35:11 - Giveaway Post to see other listeners' best books! (reminder - giveaway is CLOSED)

42:17 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

42:32 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

42:43 - The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

42:56 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

43:06 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

43:07 - Still Life by Louise Penny

43:59 - Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

44:03 - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

44:08 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

44:16 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

44:18 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Giveaway Winner Christie's Reads

47:25 - Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen

47:27 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

47:30 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

47:33 - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

47:35 - The Anxious Generation by Johnathan Haidt

47:39 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

48:17 - Meet Us At The Fountain

48:22 - I wish to tell you about the gold star item I found for reading and sleep. (Kaytee)

48:32 - Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

48:47 - Bloom

51:30 - I wish for you to try more specific ASMR rooms or listening to playlists for books. (Meredith)

51:34 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

51:37 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

51:38 - Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book before listening to the episode.

As you've come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes. 

Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

3:15 - Putting the Book Into Context

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

Published Aug 26, 2014 by Minotaur Books

4.07 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Summer

Book Awards: Finalist for the Agatha Award for best novel, but did not win, nor win any other awards.

Critic Reviews

Meredith's and Roxanna's encounters with the book

13:17 - The Setup

11:21 - A Deeper Exploration

First paragraph

The pacing of the novel

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

Unlikeable main AND side characters

No actual murder mystery to solve

Prose and plot do not compliment one another. Prose is beautiful.

P.92 quote

Is there a villain?

P.138 quote

Portrayal of Ruth

P.362 quote

Themes: redemption, Clara's arc to confidence, the long way home

Canadian elements

1:03:18 - Superlatives

Favorite Scenes

Character MVP

Biggest loser

Best food description

Is this book skippable?

No spoilers this episode! 

The next book will be The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: audiobook samples and author shoutouts

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: books we've recently set aside and why

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

1:26 - Ad For Ourselves

4:27 - Currently Reading Patreon

4:40 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

6:09 - The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

9:50 - Our Current Reads

10:22 - Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins (Meredith)

13:50 - Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

13:54 - 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare

14:36 - Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy (Kaytee)

14:45 - Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

14:51 - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

18:04 - What the Deep Water Knows by Miranda Cowley Heller  (Meredith)

18:54 - The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

23:07 - Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle (Kaytee)

23:26 - Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

26:15 - Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle

26:54 - The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury (Meredith, amazon link)

30:37 - The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

31:52 - Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Kaytee)

32:13 - Waterstones

32:14 - Blackwell's

34:16 - The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell

38:20 - Books We Recently DNF'd

40:47 - Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (Meredith NRN)

43:30 - All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman (Kaytee DNF)

45:16 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (Meredith DNF with prejudice)

47:47 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

48:11 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

49:50 - We Are the Light by Matthew Quick (Kaytee DNF with prejudice)

51:58 - The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

52:30 - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (Meredith - not sure!)

53:42 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

53:49 - A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

55:01 - Fire by John Boyne (Kaytee DNF)

55:14 - Water by John Boyne

55:15 - Earth by John Boyne

55:16 - Air by John Boyne

55:18 - The Elements by John Boyne (all 4 novellas combined)

55:27 - Blackwell's

56:45 - The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

57:46 -  Sarah's Bookshelves Live - The Elements by John Boyne discussion (only for patreon subscribers)

58:34 - Meet Us At The Fountain

59:14 - I wish for author Cameos. (Meredith)

59:17 - Cameo

1:01:17 - I wish for a reading merit badge. (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: 3D bookish printing and reading too many books at once

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: taking our top reads from each year 2019-2024 and ranking them

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

1:58 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

3:09 - Book bone

4:33 - 3D Printer

7:49 - Our Current Reads

7:55 - How to Survive A Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans (Kaytee)

12:17 - Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh (Meredith)

13:41 - Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

15:34 - Fabled Bookshop

17:05 - A Rebellion of Care by David Gate (Kaytee)

17:24 - @davidgatepoet on Instagram

21:15 - Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie (Meredith)

24:51 - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

24:53 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

25:46 - The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Kaytee)

25:56 - The Novel Neighbor

27:25 - The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams

27:27 - The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

28:49 - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

29:39 - The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (Meredith)

34:39 - The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

35:16 - Ranking Our Favorites From Years Past

Meredith's Top Books 2019-2024

36:36 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (5)

36:41 - Greenwood by Michael Christie (6)

36:46 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2)

36:53 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow (3)

36:58 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (4) 

37:05 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (1)

Kaytee's Top Books 2019-2024

37:50 - The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (3)

37:54 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi (4)

38:00 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle (1)

38:13 - Babel by RF Kuang (2)

38:16 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (6)

38:18 - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (5)

42:19 - The Count of Monte Cristo be Alexandre Dumas

50:57 - Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

51:57 - Meet Us At The Fountain

52:04 - I wish that I would better prepare for downtime or planned reading. (Kaytee)

54:32 - I wish you would make a top 10 reads every year from now on. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October's IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, Missouri.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: accidental reads and jumbled audiobooks

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: the way we buy books while traveling

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 1:29 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

2:56 - Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen

2:58 - Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

4:16 - City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

7:44 - Our Current Reads

7:54 - A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett (Kaytee)

8:04 - The Novel Neighbor 

10:47 - Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett

11:29 - The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline (Meredith)

13:33 - What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline 

17:07 - Raceless by Georgina Lawton (Kaytee)

19:58 - The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron (Meredith)

29:03 - The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill (Kaytee)

31:56 - Royal Gambit by Daniel O'Malley (Meredith)

34:07 - The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

34:11 - Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley

34:41 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

37:33 - Rivers of London (Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch

38:37 - Travel and Book Buying

41:33 - Waterstones

49:26 - The Foldie

51:33 - North Woods by Daniel Mason (UK version)

51:39 - The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (UK version)

53:33 - Bookshop

55:56 - Topping & Company

57:50 - Fabled Bookshop

59:23 - Meet Us At The Fountain

59:27 - I wish for a real life excuse note due to reading weather. (Kaytee)

1:00:31 - I wish you would prioritize visiting that local bookstore you've been meaning to visit. (Meredith)

1:01:11 - The Painted Porch Bookshop

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October's IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, Missouri.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Roxanna are discussing:

Bookish Moments: back to buddy reading and book bundles

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: books that surprised you all the way through

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:46 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

1:55 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

2:19 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

2:41 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

6:38 - Our Current Reads

9:54 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol.1 by Beth Brower (Roxanna)

9:04 - Libby

9:29 - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

14:15 - The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

14:41 - Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer (Kaytee)

17:19 - Lord of the Flies by William Golding

19:37 - Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Roxanna)

25:00 - Hollowpox by Jessica Townsend

27:41 - Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong (Kaytee)

31:09 - The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman (Roxanna)

33:05 - Type Books Canada

34:45 - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

33:47 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

36:19 - Audre & Bash are Just Friends by Tia Williams (Kaytee)

36:30 - Libro.fm 

36:38 - Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

39:24 - The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

40:52 - Books that Zigged When You Thought They'd Zag

41:45 - The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

45:03 - Piranesi by Susanna Clark

45:19 - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

46:02 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore

46:43 - Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross

46:47 - Fabled Bookshop

48:05 - Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

49:15 - I Keep My Worries In My Teeth by Anna Cox

49:23 - Commonplace Books

50:51 - Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson

50:53 - Parnassus Books

50:55 - Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

50:58 - The Novel Neighbor

51:00 - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

51:03 - An Unlikely Story

51:07 - Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

51:33 - The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain

52:10 - Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley

53:38 - Meet Us At The Fountain

53:45 - I wish to press The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt. (Roxanna)

53:54 - The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt

56:06 - I wish Libby would bring back "Deliver Later". (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October's IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, Missouri.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: bookish wishes coming true and picture books we love

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: Kaytee gets silly about how reading can be dangerous

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:34 - Ad For Ourselves

4:33 - Currently Reading Patreon

5:02 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

5:50 - The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

7:08 - Novel Neighbor

8:09 - Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson

8:17 - Dog Eared Books

9:34 - Our Current Reads

9:54 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol.1 by Beth Brower (Meredith)

10:00 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 2 by Beth Brower

16:03 - A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh (Kaytee)

16:11 - An Unlikely Story

20:09 - 44 Poems on Being with Each Other by Padraig O Tuama (Meredith)

20:18 - Poetry Unbound podcast

24:24 - In the Shelter by Padraig O Tuama

24:40 - A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

25:37 - The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (Kaytee)

26:27 - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

32:45 - Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand (Meredith)

34:18 - Feral and Hysterical by Sadie Hartmann

37:41 - Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

38:11 - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

38:40 - Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi (Kaytee)

42:16 - Deep Dive: When Reading Gets Dangerous

46:08 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

51:05 - Meet Us At The Fountain

51:07 - I wish that more books came in volumes. (Meredith)

51:18 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol.1 by Beth Brower

53:10 - I wish to press an Immense World by Ed Yong. (Kaytee)

53:11 - An Immense World by Ed Yong

53:15 - The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

54:15 - An Immense World by Ed Yong (young reader's edition)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October's IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, Missouri.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: car picnics and even more bookshelves!

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: all about narrative POVs - do they matter? do we like one more than the other?

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:29 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

4:04 - Awake by Jen Hatmaker

4:44 - BookPeople

9:45 - Our Current Reads

9:53 - American Royals by Katharine McGee (Kaytee)

13:22 - Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

13:26 - Currently Reading Patreon to access Popcorn in the Pages

14:03 - Majesty by Katharine McGee

14:53 - A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (Meredith)

18:05 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 

18:06 - The Spellshop by Sara Beth Durst

18:16 - A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

19:24 - House of Frank by Kay Synclaire

19:41 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

20:08 - These Truths by Jill Lepore (Kaytee)

20:32 - libro.fm

22:04 - The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon

25:07 - The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis (Meredith)

26:03 - Fabled Bookshop

29:39 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee)

32:04 - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

34:15 - The Carpool Detectives by Chuck Hogan (Meredith)

40:05 - Deep Dive: Narrative POVs

45:38 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

45:43 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

45:59 - A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler

46:32 - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

48:28 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live

49:55 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

52:39 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

52:42 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

52:47 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker

53:05 - We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

53:09 - Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

53:30 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

53:32 - Everyone In My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

53:52 - Meet Us At The Fountain

53:55 - I wish to press Starling House into everybody's hands. (Kaytee)

54:00 - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

54:08 - The Novel Neighbor

56:10 - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

56:29 - I wish everyone would try a book flight. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September's IPL is brought to us from Words Matter in Pitman, NJ.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: movie adaptations and wordy card games

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: answering a listener question about all things pre-orders

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:16 - Our Current Reads

1:35 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

6:43 - You Can't Say Umm card game

7:34 - Quiddler game

9:06 - Our Current Reads

9:24 - The Killer Question by Janice Hallett (Meredith)

10:37 - The Appeal by Janice Hallett

10:38 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

10:42 - The Examiner by Janice Hallett

16:45 - The Crescent Monon Tea Room by Stacy Sivinski (Kaytee)

20:34 - The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Meredith)

22:23 - The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

26:00 - Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad (Kaytee)

27:14 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

29:39 - Inheritance by Nora Roberts (Meredith)

33:52 - The Search by Nora Roberts

36:43 - Tilt by Emma Pattee (Kaytee)

40:58 - Deep Dive: All Things Pre-Orders

41:47 - @hollyslitmagic on Instagram

43:55 - Fabled Bookshop

47:07 - The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (pre-order, releases Oct 28, 2025)

47:12 - The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (UK edition, pre-order releases Oct 30, 2025)

48:32 - Bergman Brothers full box set is no longer available through Illumicrate

50:21 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

51:22 - Meet Us At The Fountain

52:10 - Sorta Awesome

52:21 - @metaphysicalmeg on Instagram

52:26 - Meg's offerings for readings

53:59 - My wish is that you know yourself as a reader but also your whole self. (Meredith)

55:00 - I wish to encourage the nostalgia reading experience. (Kaytee)

55:09 - The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

55:59 - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

56:54 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

58:33 - Origin by Dan Brown

58:34 - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

58:36 - Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September's IPL is brought to us from Words Matter in Pitman, NJ.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: a budding book collector + a favorite book wins the Hugo Award

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: reading ? why so serious?

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:12 - Still Life by Louise Penny (20th Anniversary Edition) [releases September 30]

2:13 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

2:25 - Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

3:34 - The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi by Shannon Chakraborty

4:19 - The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper [releases September 16]

4:53 - The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean

5:04 - The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

6:19 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

7:54 - Our Current Reads

8:03 - Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca (Kaytee)

11:35 - Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca

13:30 - Rites of Extinction by Matt Serafini (Meredith)

18:39 - The Unveiling by Quan Berry [releases October 14]

19:17 - The Need by Helen Phillips

20:02 - Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy (Kaytee)

22:19 - Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

23:59 - Jobs to Be Done by Stephen Wunker, Jessica Wattman, and David Farber (Meredith)

28:36 - Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (Kaytee)

28:45 - The Change by Kirsten Miller

28:50 -  Schuler Books in Michigan

31:45 - Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea (Meredith)

35:01 - Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

36:36 - Reading ? Why So Serious?

43:40 - Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

51:03 - Meet Us At The Fountain

51:24 - I wish there was a show about readers, in the spirit of The Great British Bake Off. (Kaytee)

54:46 - An update on last week's wish: I wish my iPhone would make automated actions easier for handling my screenshots. (Meredith)

56:40 - Step-by-Step: Build a "Send Screenshot" Shortcut on iPhone PDF

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September's IPL comes to us from: Words Matter in Pitman, NJ.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: being told what to read by our past selves + insomnia reading on my kindle

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how to read deeply

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:30 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

2:01 - The September House by Carissa Orlando

5:26 - Our Current Reads

5:33 - The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi (Meredith) [releases September 30]

8:16 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 

10:49 - Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (Kaytee)

14:23 - The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

14:28 - Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson

14:50 - We Spread by Iain Reid (Meredith) 

16:39 - I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

16:42 - Foe by Iain Reid

20:41 - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei (Kaytee) 

23:07 - Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

23:18 - The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi by Shannon Chakraborty

24:21 - Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Meredith)

28:47 - Stuart Little by E. B. White 

29:58 - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

31:32 - This Is Happiness by Niall Williams (Kaytee)

36:24 - Time of the Child by Niall Williams

36:54 - Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar

37:11 - How and When to Read Deeply

37:45 - Currently Reading: A Journey to Three Pines series

40:33 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

43:31 - Babel by R. F. Kuang

50:33 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 

55:31 - Still Life by Louise Penny

58:06 - Meet Us At The Fountain

58:12 - I wish my iPhone would make automated actions easier for handling my screenshots. (Meredith)

1:02:28 - I wish that we would all come up with our list of Slam Dunks. (Kaytee)

1:05:42 - Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin

1:06:47 - Chrissie on Instagram and at Sarah's Bookshelves

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September's IPL comes to us from: Words Matter in Pitman, NJ.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: overflowing bookshelves + a fun way to count your finished reads

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we are bossing some more TBRs

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).

. 

. 

. 

. 

2:29 - Ad For Ourselves

6:45 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

9:55 - Meredith's Floor Lamp

10:46 - "The Number of Books I've Read This Year" desktop counter from Etsy

13:06 - Our Current Reads

13:32 - A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch (Kaytee)

16:18 - Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

17:16 - The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North (Meredith) 

18:32 - The Whisper Man by Alex North

22:05 - Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones (Kaytee)

24:48 - Annie B. Jones on Instagram

25:25 - The Dark One (Vicious Lost Boys, 2) by St. Crow (Meredith) 

26:13 - Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

26:36 - The Never King (Vicious Lost Boys, 1) by Nikki St. Crow

30:07 - Shutter by Ramona Emerson (Kaytee)

34:19 - Withered Hill by David Barnett (Meredith)

37:28 - Slewfoot by Brom

38:28 - The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

38:34 - Boss My TBR

From Catherine Bridgewater

40:19 - Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie

40:21 - North Woods by Daniel Mason

40:24 - After the Crash by Michel Bussi

40:27 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

40:29 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher

40:42 - Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

40:43 - Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

From Lisa Stone

44:05 - Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall

44:08 - My Friends by Fredrik Backman 

44:10 - Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson

44:13 - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaughy

44:17 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore

44:25 - Today Tonight Forever by Madeline Kay Sneed

44:37 - Happy Place by Emily Henry

49:36 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:40 - I wish to become (or really, have already been) a correspondent. (Kaytee)

49:52 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

51:56 - I wish that for every book it had a perfume-type scent to transport you back to that particular experience of reading it. (Meredith)

52:06 - Ffern | Organic Eau de Parfum

53:40 - The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister

56:35 - Chrissie on Instagram and at Sarah's Bookshelves

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September's IPL comes to us from: Words Matter in Pitman, NJ.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Roxanna are discussing:

Bookish Moments: introducing book club friends to niche romance + romance-related jewelry

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: using AI as your bookish sidekick to improve your reading life

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

01:31 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

2:11 - Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

3:20 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine [Amazon link] 

3:30 - Spooned by Ruth Cardello [Amazon link]

3:37 - Forked by Ruth Cardello [Amazon link]

5:11 - Book earrings from Etsy

07:33 - Our Current Reads

07:53 - These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (Roxanna)

13:09 - The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (Kaytee)

18:37 - Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin (Roxanna)

19:11 - Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin 

19:42 - Peek Freans [Wikipedia link]

26:31 - Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala 

26:32 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 

26:54 - Three Holidays and A Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

28:04 - Ghost Music by An Yu (Kaytee)

32:45 - The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman

32:42 - The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller (Roxanna)

39:56 - A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, 1) by Deanna Raybourn

40:15 - Currently Reading: Season 3, Episode 12

42:23 - Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar (Kaytee)

50:55 - Deep Dive: Three tips from Roxanna on using AI to be your bookish sidekick and improve your reading life

51:15 - Currently Reading: Season 7, Episode 37

56:23 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

58:14 - Good Talk by Mira Jacob

1:07:40 - Meet Us At The Fountain

1:07:47 - I wish listeners would think about some friction that you're facing in your reading life and see what tips and tricks you can find to smooth it out a bit. (Roxanna)

1:10:51 - I wish Kindle settings would have the option to toggle on the option to begin our Kindle books at the cover. (Kaytee)

1:12:02 - Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August's IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: bookstore romance day +  let there be a reading light

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: advice on avoiding bookish amnesia

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

01:55 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

04:56 - The Currently Reading Library Tote (CR Merch)

05:42 - May Your Coffee Be Hot Mug (CR Merch)

09:14 - Our Current Reads

09:27 - Louder Than Hunger by John Schu (Kaytee)

13:24 - Deenie by Judy Blume

15:31 - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume

15:34 - Forever by Judy Blume

17:20 - Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (Meredith)

18:57 - The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger

19:07 - The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

21:56 - In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn

22:22 - Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory (Kaytee)

25:44 - The Six Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni (Meredith)

31:30 - Weyward by Emilia Hart (Kaytee)

34:31 - The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (Meredith)

36:36 - One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

38:26 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

39:15 - Quicksilver by Callie Hart

40:22 - Deep Dive: Answering a listener question and giving advice on avoiding bookish amnesia

49:15 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:22 - I wish more readers would pick up Go As a River by Shelley Read (Kaytee)

50:00 - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

51:21 - I wish you would consider experimenting with a new pen: like this "cheater" fountain pen, Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August's IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: devoting unexpected extra time on morning reading + journaling and embracing chaotic reading with reader roulette

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we circle back to the summer reads we assigned to each other 

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

01:28 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

10:18 - Our Current Reads

10:34 - Hide and Seek by Andrea Mara [Amazon link] (Meredith)

15:57 - I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjørk

16:05 - You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (Kaytee)

20:09 - A Little Daylight Left by Sarah Kay (Meredith)

24:30 - The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf by Isa Arsén (Kaytee)

24:38 - Shoot the Moon by Isa Arsén

27:01 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

27:03 - Macbeth by William Shakespeare

29:18 - Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby (Meredith)

31:35 - All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby 

34:46 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Kaytee)

39:12 - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

39:15 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

44:22 - Deep Dive: Our Assigned Summer Reading Experiences

45:16 - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

45:27 - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

55:07 - Meet Us At The Fountain

55:11 - I wish we would all consider having a little bookish pet project (Meredith)

57:18 - I wish I could create a bookish focus chamber (Kaytee) 

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August's IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: reading with a partner and making lazy genius decisions about your reading life

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we are reviewing our summer break

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:53 - Ad For Ourselves

3:11 - Pounded by Produce by G.M. Fairy

3:14 - Hedging His Bets by Celia Kyle [Amazon link]

5:45 - Currently Reading Patreon

6:02 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

6:39 - The Bookshop by Evan Friss

7:24 - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

10:05 - Our Current Reads

10:15 - Playground by Richard Powers (Kaytee)

13:04 - Bill from An Unlikely Story on Instagram (@AnUnlikelyStory)

13:55 - Bill Largent on Instagram (@TheWillToRead)

14:26 - Until August by Gabriel García Márquez (Meredith)

16:43 - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

16:47 - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

17:40 - The Council of Animals by Nick McDonell

19:06 - I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (Kaytee)

19:12 - CR Season 5: Episode 48 (The Listener Press)

24:33 - The Game Is Murder by Hazell Ward (Meredith)

27:34 - The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

27:43 - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

28:55 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (Kaytee)

29:21 - CR Season 6: Episode 31

32:18 - The Examiner by Janice Hallett

32:19 - The Appeal by Janice Hallett

33:16 - So Far Gone by Jess Walter

38:30 - Deep Dive: What We Did On Our Summer Break

46:51 - Meet Us At The Fountain

47:15 - Travel to the bookstores a little outside your norm and make time for a bookish journey and bookstore extroversion (Kaytee) 

49:24 - Listen to Ep. 272: Best Books of the Year (So Far) of 10 Things to Tell You with Laura Tremaine

50:34 - Laura Tremaine's Secret Stuff on Substack

50:40 - The Shining by Stephen King

51:21 - A Journey to Three Pines 

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August's IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are finishing up season seven with a look back and a look forward!

Season Seven In Review: interesting stats, regrets, and exciting upcoming content!

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:24 - Season Seven, In Review

The most downloaded episodes of the season

1:58 - CR Season 7: Episode 22 - Our Top Reads of 2024

2:09 - CR Season 7: Episode 24 - Mary and Roxanna's Top Reads of 2024

3:24 - CR Season 7: Episode 4 - Reading Routines + The Journey Of Currently Reading (Our 300th Episode)

4:07 - Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones

Favorite individual episodes

7:44 - CR Season 7: Episode 34 - Reading What We Want + Our Reading Life Temp Checks (Meredith)

8:34 - Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard (Blackwell's link)

11:26 - CR Season 7: Episode 29 - Series Completist + Non Tragic Bookish Tragedies (Kaytee)

11:40 - CR Season 7: Episode 39 - Brain Farts + Reading Canadian (Kaytee)

11:51 - CR Season 7: Episode 30 - New Indie Bookstores + Our Six Star Reads (Meredith)

12:41 - Boss My TBR Segments (Meredith)

CR Season 7: Episode 2 - Library Love + Boss Our Summer TBR Update

CR Season 7: Episode 5 - Talking to Fictional Characters + Boss My TBR

CR Season 7: Episode 14 - Bookish Lego + Boss My TBR

CR Season 7: Episode 26 - Bookish Geese + Boss My TBR

CR Season 7: Episode 32 - Reading Retreats + Boss My TBR

CR Season 7: Episode 40 - Bookish Friends Step Up + Boss My TBR

Books we brought that added to the experience by talking about them

15:50 - I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (Meredith)

15:54 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Meredith)

15:59 - 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare (Meredith)

16:05 - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (Meredith and Kaytee)

16:09 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

17:51 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (Kaytee)

19:04 - The Odyssey by Homer (Kaytee)

19:24 - My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (Kaytee)

19:49 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

20:21 - The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (Meredith)

20:29 - The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Meredith)

21:14 - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

21:30 - The Ruins by Scott Smith (Meredith)

21:32 - The Grip of It by Jack Jemc (Meredith)

21:33 - True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik (Meredith)

22:26 - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee)

22:30 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Regrets from season seven?

23:08 - I've been very distracted by work and work projects, and that has impacted my reading. (Meredith)

24:29 - That I closed a part myself off for many months of the past year. (Kaytee)

Is there anything new coming to Currently Reading?

23:58 - Nothing being subtracted, but we're thinking about what we can add to the big show.

26:43 - Freshening up the big show and Patreon with a little "summer cleaning" brainstorming.

27:31 - Be sure you are following us on Instagram as Betsy continues to try new things, so you can let us know what you'd like to see more of!

Be sure to email us any ideas for our Deep Dive ? at [email protected] 

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July's IPL is brought to us by Booktenders of Barboursville, West Virginia (@booktenderswv).

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Listener Presses: This year we have 20 fantastic titles from our listeners. Our TBRs exploded, and we hope yours do too!

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:54 - Your Listener Presses

2:02 - The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney (pressed by Katie)

3:42 - The Last Woman in the World by Inga Simpson (pressed by Carlye)

5:24 - I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

6:07 - Motel Styx by Michelle von Eschen and Jonathan Butcher (pressed by Kat)

9:10 - Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by M. J. Wassmer (pressed by @Reading.With.Kristen)

11:42 - North Woods by Daniel Mason (pressed by Samantha)

14:43 - Another by Paul Tremblay [releases July 22, 2025] (pressed by Johanna)

17:06 - Farthing by Jo Walton (pressed by Melinda)

19:22 - Sky's End by Marc J. Gregson (pressed by Lindsay)

21:19 - Katherine by Anya Seton (pressed by Maudeen)

23:02 - Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta [Amazon link] (pressed by Kelsey)

25:28 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

25:30 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

26:01 - Nesting by Roisín O'Donnell (pressed by Stephanie)

28:30 - A Change of Habit by Sister Monica Clare (pressed by Erin)

29:57 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

30:19 - The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius (pressed by Lilja)

33:05 - Splendid Little Schemes by Robin Strong (pressed by Hannah)

34:27 - The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward

35:34 - Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán (pressed by Ana)

36:31 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

37:11 - Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro

37:30 - Camelot & Vine by Petrea Burchard (pressed by Sherri)

40:50 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

41:16 - Sky Daddy by Kate Folk (pressed by Tiernan)

43:08 - Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls 

44:03 - Names for the Dawn by C.L. Beaumont [Amazon link] (pressed by Gretchen)

45:22 - Withered Hill by David Barnett (pressed by Claire)

46:39 - Slewfoot by Brom

48:08 - The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart (pressed by Matt)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July's IPL is brought to us by Booktenders of Barboursville, West Virginia (@booktenderswv).

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are joined by show regulars Roxanna and Mary and they are discussing:

Unique or Shared!: We give you a statement that may make us either unique or shared, and discuss!

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

2:52 - Unique Or Shared

3:22 - I am the worst library user ever. (Roxanna)

5:21 - Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend

12:37 - I love a buzzy book moment. (Mary)

14:23 - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

14:46 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

14:47 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

15:27 - The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

17:49 - I LOVE finding backlist hidden gems over buzzy moments. (Meredith)

18:22 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

18:45 - Lexicon by Max Barry

20:15 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

20:30 - The Odyssey by Homer

23:27 - I am the only one that purposefully seeks out five chili pepper books. (Kaytee)

25:22 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass

28:44 - I will never read a book without checking Goodreads first. (Roxanna)

37:24 - My book slump reset is a complete genre change. (Mary)

47:09 - I will "experience" a book I know won't be for me. (Meredith)

47:43 - Dream State by Eric Puchner

48:02 - The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

52:15 - While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

53:15 - Schuler Books

53:36 - I keep my TBR in rainbow order. (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July's IPL is brought to us by Booktenders in West Virginia!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: readerly badges and DNFing books

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we check in on our reading lives and press book into the other's hands

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

2:19 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

8:02 - Our Current Reads

8:30 - A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera (Kaytee)

8:46 - A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera

8:49 - CR Season 5: Episode 1

8:53 - Cafe Con Libros

8:55 - An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera

8:57 - CR Season 6: Episode 6

12:29 - With A Vengeance by Riley Sager

14:09 - Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

14:10 - Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

14:14 - The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

14:20 - Survive the Night by Riley Sager

14:52 - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

14:54 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

15:11 - Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

18:29 - Uncommon Measure by Natalie Hodges (Kaytee)

22:29 - The Midsummer Bride by Kati Wilde (Meredith)

25:43 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

28:02 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee)

31:19 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

32:05 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

33:42 - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Meredith)

37:17 - This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar (Meredith mistakenly titled this book. This is the correct one!)

39:21 - Reading Life Temp Check + Pressing Books Into Each Other's Hands

40:19 - Uncommon Measure by Natalie Hodges

51:38 - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

52:01 - All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

54:49 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

56:13 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

57:32 - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

57:54 - Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, Schuler Books in Michigan

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: reading at the beach and sisterly bookish tattoos

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: all the ins and outs of morning reading

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

4:12 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

4:35 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore

5:23 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

6:31 - Literally A Bookshop

1:37 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

7:02 - Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

9:45 - Our Current Reads

10:03 - Ascension by Nicholas Binge (Meredith)

13:55 - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

13:56 - Recursion by Blake Crouch

14:06 - The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier

15:20 - Love and Saffron by Kim Fay

15:38 - Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Kaytee)

17:44 - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

17:48 - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 

19:49 - Hearts Strange and Dreadful by Tim McGregor (Meredith)

20:59 - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

26:11 - Stolen Focus by Johann Hari (Kaytee)

26:14 - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

26:17 - CR Season 7: Episode 40

31:40 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Meredith)

37:20 - Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston (Kaytee)

41:58 - All About Morning Reading

43:25 - The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

50:48 - Jobs to be Done by David Farber

50:59 - The Six Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni

55:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain

57:38 - If you are interested in adding to your bookish life, do it in the form of a book club. (Meredith)

59:34 - I co-sign Meredith's wish this week! (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, Schuler Books in Michigan

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing:

Bookish Moments: local bookish get togethers and summer reading

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: why middle grade and YA are perfect reads for summer

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:54 - SEND IN YOUR LISTENER PRESSES!!

*Send us a voice memo with your name, where you're from, the title and author of the book you are pressing, a little about it and why you love it! Send your press to our email address currentlyreadingpodcast @ gmail . com by June 20th

4:12 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

4:35 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore

5:23 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

6:31 - Literally A Bookshop

7:58 - Our Current Reads

8:03 - Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill (Mary)

10:36 - Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Imiyide (Kaytee)

11:41 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 

12:10 - Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Abike-Imiyide

14:17 - Roland Rogers Isn't Dead Yet by Samantha Allen (Mary)

16:16 - Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen

16:36 - Real Queer America by Samantha Allen

17:06 - Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco (Kaytee) 

22:34 - The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by HG Parry (Mary)

25:03 - The Magician's Daughter by HG Parry 

25:13 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

25:43 - Twenty-Four Seconds From Now? by Jason Reynolds (Kaytee)

29:55 - Summer Is For The Youths

34:58 - The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

39:07 - The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding

39:12 - Fat Chance Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

41:03 - A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

41:30 - Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

41:46 - Starfish by Lisa Fipps

43:12 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill 

43:13 - The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

44:56 - Scythe by Neal Shusterman

44:58 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

47:24 - The Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White (Sinister Summer #1)

47:28 - The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury

49:28 - The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton (young readers version)

49:39 - Stamped by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

49:44 - Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi

50:15 - Punching the Air by Ibi Zaboi and Yusef Salaam

50:28 - The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

51:04 - Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

51:45 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

53:02 - Meet Us At The Fountain

53:12 - I wish that everyone would add a middle grade or YA read to their TBR this summer. (Mary)

54:21 - I wish for a bookish road map. (Kaytee)

55:05 - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

55:19 - After This by Claire Bidwell Smith (amazon link)

55:41 - Infused by Henrietta Lovell

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, Schuler Books in Michigan

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: reading while sick and reading on birthday trips

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: when it's okay to skim and when it's not

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:40 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

8:09 - Our Current Reads

8:29 - The Compound by Aisling Rawle (Meredith, pre-order releases June 24, 2025)

9:32 - Lord of the Flies by William Golding

13:54 - The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave (Kaytee)

18:07 - The Power by Naomi Alderman

18:19 - Curfew by Jayne Cowie

18:22 - Vox by Christina Dalcher

19:07 - How to Order the Universe by Maria Jose Ferrada (Meredith)

20:36 - I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjork 

24:06 - Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green  (Kaytee)

27:46 - The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

28:26 - Blood over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang (Meredith)

33:10 - King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (Kaytee)

37:57 - To Skim Or Not To Skim

47:10 - Lord of the Flies by William Golding

49:52 - Meet Us At The Fountain

50:17 - I wish instagram always included what you said in addition to someone's response when interacting in DMs. (Meredith)

51:34 - I wish to press The House in the Cerulean Sea into readers' hands. (Kaytee)

51:35 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

51:41 -  King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby 

51:47 - Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, Schuler Books in Michigan

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Mary are discussing:

Bookish Moments: bookish get togethers and bookish connection events

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: the ins and outs of a virtual reading retreat

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:32 - Ad For Ourselves

1:45 - Currently Reading Patreon

3:41 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

4:33 - Mystery to Me bookstore

9:56 - Our Current Reads

10:10 - Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert (Mary)

16:38 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon (Meredith)

21:22 - Set Piece by Lana Schwartz (Mary)

25:15 - Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (Meredith)

26:20 - The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

27:57 - Poirot by Mark Aldridge

29:08 - Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan (Mary)

33:16 - The Farm by Tom Rob Smith (Meredith)

34:48 - Cold People by Tom Rob Smith

37:38 - Virtual Reading Retreats

51:26 - Meet Us At The Fountain

51:38 - I wish everyone would try a buddy read with an unexpected buddy reader. (Mary)

51:50 - The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys

54:33 - I wish everyone would consider putting a virtual reading retreat on their calendar. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, Schuler Books in Michigan

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

Welcome, readers. We are thrilled to continue this new content from the creators of Currently Reading Podcast! This spin-off podcast series will tackle book to screen adaptations in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book and watched the film version before listening to the episode, because we don't shy away from strong opinions OR from all the spoilers, unlike our regular episodes.

Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will still include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

1:24 - Setup

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

3:42 - Previews

Release date. Sales info and awards.

Released in 1999

NYT #1 Bestseller

ALA's Best Book for Reluctant Readers in 2000

"Cult classic"

Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

Released September 2012

20 Wins, 51 Nominations

Budget of 13M, Earned 33M

"Cult classic"

6:59 - The Cutting Room

Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen

The tunnel

Charlie being high

Charlie's revelation at the end

Changes from Book to Movie

Change from love story as secondary plot to main plot 

Friendships with Charlie seemed disingenuous in the movie

Song in the tunnel is changed from Fleetwood Mac to David Bowie

Mary Elizabeth's college acceptance

Bill's girlfriend is now his wife in the movie

Bill and Charlie's relationship in the movie

Left out of the adaptation

Charlie doesn't cry in the movie

Masturbation scene 

Developed relationship between Charlie and his sister

Abortion

Lack of importance of Rocky Horror

The scene where Sam tells Charlie not to think of her that way

Added to the movie

Charlie's siblings have names

Charlie is a "normie"

Casting and alternates

Charlie: LoganLerman ? Freddie Highmore, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Nicholas Hoult, Asa Butterfield

Sam: Emma Watson ? Jennifer Lawrence, Sarah Hyland, Emma Roberts, Brie Larson

Patrick: Ezra Miller ? Timothee Chalamet, 

Mary Elizabeth: Mae Whitman ?  Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie, Rose McIver

Problematic elements

Lack of POC

Queer representation

Excessive drug and alcohol usage 

32:41 - Award Season

Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

Film quality

Unbelievable characters due to casting/age

Casting - outside main characters

20 years later letter was omitted from the movie (a best part)

Paul Rudd

Derek's ponytail

Charlie's hot brother

Worst and best actors.

Emma Watson - Sam

Paul Rudd - Bill

Ezra Miller - Patrick

Worst and best book characters.

Mary Elizabeth

Sam

Patrick

44:26 - Book/Flick Energy

Book scored on a 5 star scale.

Book on Goodreads

Movie scored on a 10 point scale.

Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

Movie on IMDB

50:20 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel

If they made an after school special about our time in high school, what do you think would be the most after school special plot point? (Kaytee)

If you could do high school all over again, would you? (Shad)

What's your most significant or best memory from high school? (Shad)

56:30 - End Credits

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The movie is available to stream on HBO Max for a limited time but is available to rent on other streaming services

Connect With Us:

Currently Reading Podcast | Kaytee | Meredith

Shad is in the Bookish Friends FB Group (for our Patreon supporters)

Our Website | Email Us

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Buy Some Merch

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: reading slumps and how to replant your reading life

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how to talk about books "in the wild"

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:21 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

7:18 - Our Current Reads

7:37 - Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story by Rich Cohen (Meredith)

14:11 - My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (Kaytee)

14:22 - CR Season 3: Episode 1

18:34 - My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

19:49 - The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (Meredith)

24:49 - She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson (Kaytee)

28:02 - Lexicon by Max Barry (Meredith)

31:26 - The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

31:35 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

33:52 - The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl (Kaytee)

35:01 - The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

35:03 - World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

35:08 - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

35:09 - The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

35:12 - An Immense World by Ed Yong

37:14 - How To Talk About Books In The Wild

39:27 - Shawnathemom on Instagram

43:56 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

45:56 - Lexicon by Max Barry

47:24 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

52:10 - Meet Us At The Fountain

52:19 - I wish the next book I talked about was a book I liked, rather than a book that I did not. (Meredith)

52:36 - A Small Porch by Wendell Berry

54:47 - I wish to always have the right book for the person in front of me. (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May's IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: poolside reading and friends who know your reading tastes

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: it's finally time to let you know the bookish friends' best books of 2024!

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

2:30 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

6:42 - Our Current Reads

6:47 - Tempest by Beverly Jenkins (Kaytee)

10:31 - Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Meredith)

19:41 - The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb (Kaytee)

19:56 - The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

21:40 - Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

24:19 - Campfires & Corpses by Nikki Weber (Meredith)

28:10 - Woodworking by Emily St. James (Kaytee)

28:45 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

31:59 - This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Meredith)

37:33 - Bookish Friends' Best Books of 2024

40:11 - The Women by Kristen Hannah (#4)

40:13 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (#4)

40:17 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare (#4)

40:40 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (#3)

40:45 - Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (#1)

40:47 - All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (#1)

43:36 - James by Percival Everett

43:37 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

43:38 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach 

44:35 - In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn

44:57 - The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

45:13 - All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby 

45:30 - You Are Here by David Nicholls

45:31 - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

45:47 - Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner

46:23 - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (#1 disliked)

46:26 - The Fury by Alex Michalides (#2 disliked)

46:30 - Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (#3 disliked)

46:33 - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (#3 disliked)

46:47 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

46:48 - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

46:56 - I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

47:05 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

47:13 - The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

47:15 - All This and More by Peng Shepherd

47:30 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

49:18 - What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan

50:13 - Meet Us At The Fountain

50:17 - I wish to press This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan. (Kaytee)

50:19 - This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan

52:38 - Shawnathemom on Instagram

54:31 - I wish book slumps weren't a thing. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May's IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: shifting our perspectives and bookish friends stepping up

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we are bossing some more TBRs

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:23 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

5:36 - Our Current Reads

5:47 - My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee)

8:16 - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

8:21 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman

10:16 - Night Film by Marisha Pessl (Meredith)

15:23 - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (Kaytee)

20:29 - The Big Four by Agatha Christie (Meredith)

22:38 - Poirot by Mark Aldridge

24:28 - The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

26:00 - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee)

26:38 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi 

31:05 - The Beast and the Bookseller by Eva Devon (Meredith)

35:15 - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

36:42 - Boss My TBR

From DactylJD

38:19 - Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall

39:42 - The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

39:45 - Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

39:48 - Real Americans by Rachel Khong

39:51 - Belle Green by Alexandra Lapierre

39:55 - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

From Terri Melton

44:42 - Hyde by Craig Russell

44:43 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

44:49 - Falling by T.J. Newman 

45:02 - Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London

45:04 - Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie

45:07 - To Shape A Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

45:11 - A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

49:05 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:12 - I wish for us to try new things. (Kaytee)

51:32 - I wish to press Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore. (Meredith)

51:38 - Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May's IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Roxanna are discussing:

Bookish Moments: shifts in our reading and brain farts

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: reading Canadian elbows up style

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:55 - Ad For Ourselves

2:01 - Currently Reading Patreon

7:03 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

7:25 - CR Season 7: Episode 24

12:21 - CR Season 7: Episode 36

12:26 - Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

12:51 - Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

14:18 - Our Current Reads

14:24 - Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Roxanna)

18:57 - Coven by Soman Chainani (Kaytee)

19:10 - The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

23:32 - The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe (Roxanna)

28:55 - The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight (Kaytee)

29:17 - Fabled Bookshop

33:28 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

34:03 - The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain (Roxanna)

38:26 - Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell (Kayee)

38:40 - Schuler Books

44:56 - Reading Canadian

48:48 - Canada Reads

48:51 - The Giller Prize

49:21 - The Push by Ashley Audrain

50:06 - Room by Emma Donoghue

50:18 - The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

50:29 - The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue

52:01 - The Fabulous Zed Watson! by Basil Sylvester

53:18 - Women Talking by Miriam Toews 

55:00 - Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley

55:08 - Finding Me by Viola Davis

55:57 - Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

56:49 - Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

56:53 - Three Holidays and A Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

57:02 - Much Ado About Nada Uzma Jalaluddin

57:32 - Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

1:02:20 - The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan

1:03:40 - Lucky by Marissa Stapley

1:06:24 - Meet Us At The Fountain

1:07:05 - I wish there was an easier way to export and download kindle notes and highlights. (Roxanna)

1:08:57 - I wish to press Happy Place by Emily Henry. (Kaytee)

1:09:00 - Happy Place by Emily Henry

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May's IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: silencing notifications and crying over books

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: a book that surprised us and how we can replicate that experience

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:27 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

6:01 - Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B. B. Alston

8:21 - Our Current Reads

8:49 - Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother (Meredith)

13:12 - Death at the Mansion: Rebecca Zahau on Apple TV

14:38 - Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (Kaytee)

14:43 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

18:04 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

18:05 - A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

18:32 - From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks (Meredith)

24:14 - She Came to Slay by Erica Armstrong Dunbar (Kaytee)

24:32 - Libro.fm

27:39 - Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes (Meredith)

34:38 - A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales (Kaytee)

34:53 - CR Season 6: Episode 7

35:00 - Schuler Books

35:07 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

38:09 - A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales (pre-order, releases June 24, 2025)

39:08 - A Book That Surprised Us

39:39 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden (Meredith's book)

41:55 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

43:49 - Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin (Kaytee's book)

45:55 - A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales 

51:12 - Meet Us At The Fountain

52:33 - I wish for you to let us know what you want us to deep dive about. Send us an email to [email protected] (Meredith)

54:00 - I wish to circle back to my wish about reading repair manuals and let you know about some books that fulfill that wish. (Kaytee)

54:21 - The Novel Cure by Ella Berthoud

55:49 - Bibliotherapy by Molly Masters

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April's IPL is brought to you by Warwick's in La Jolla, California!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book before listening to the episode.

As you've come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes. 

Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

1:43 - Putting the Book Into Context

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

Published Aug 27, 2013 by Minotaur Books

4.48 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Winter

Book Awards: Edgar Award nomination for best novel, Publisher's Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller book of 2013, one of Washington Post's top 10 books of the year, one of NPR's best books of 2013.

Critic Reviews

Meredith's and Roxanna's encounters with the book

9:24 - The Setup

11:21 - A Deeper Exploration

First paragraph

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

The pacing of the novel

Dual plots that compliment each other perfectly

Themes: how the light gets in, community and resistance, 

Subtle light vs dark - Surete vs Three Pines

Dogs

Ruth's addiction not a problem to solve in the series

Canadian aspects

Article about corruption in Quebec

Dionne quintuplets wiki

The ending

1:21:52 - Superlatives

Character MVP

Biggest loser

Best food description

Is this book skippable?

No spoilers this episode! 

The next book will be The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April's IPL is brought to you by Warwick's in La Jolla, California!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: dumb phones and live shows

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how you can use AI to know yourself better as a reader

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:59 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

2:10 - @fictionmatters on Instagram

3:34 - Brick LLC

4:04 - Block It App

7:31 - Airpod Max Headphones

8:51 - Fabled Bookshop

9:12 - Currently Reading Patreon

13:34 - Our Current Reads

13:53 - Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera (Kaytee)

14:03 - The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

18:27 - The Other Side of the Wall by Andrea Mara (Meredith, Blackwell's link)

19:45 - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

19:46 - Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara

21:58 - Kindred by Octavia Butler (Kaytee)

25:01 - CR Season 2: Episode 7

25:05 - CR Season 2: Episode 46

26:01 - Song of Spider-Man by Glen Berger (Meredith)

31:27 - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor(Katee)

37:45 - One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Meredith)

41:57 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 

42:06 - Using AI To Enhance Our Reading

42:35 - ChatGPT

42:36 - Claude.ai

44:30 - Currently Reading Patreon to access the reading tracker

45:46 - Question 1: What patterns do you see in my reading across formats and what might that reveal about my reading habits or preferences?

46:25 - The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht

46:32 - The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

49:45 - Question 2: What does my star rating distribution reveal about me as a reader and reviewer?

53:04 - Question 3: What types of books appear to be expanding my reading horizons versus providing comfort and what might that suggest about my reading values?

58:15 - Meet Us At The Fountain

58:26 - I wish for an app that would get rid of other apps. (Kaytee)

1:01:24 - One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

1:02:12 - readyourcolor.com

1:03:55 - I wish for you to take your reading color quiz if that sounds like fun to you and let us know what color you are. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April's IPL is brought to you by Warwick's in La Jolla, California!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: heart pounding reads and bookish goodies

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: the stuff we don't love about book podcasting

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:27 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

1:45 - How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

5:41 - The Bookish Shop

5:50 - The Bookish Box subscription

7:15 - Our Current Reads

7:28 - Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (Meredith)

10:18 - @hollyslitmagic on Instagram

10:49 - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

14:24 - Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

15:47 - Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (Kaytee) - RETRACTION: This is not the title and author of the book that Kaytee was describing. It is, in fact, Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope. The plot and setup are completely that book, even though the title and character names come from the book I said. So, please excuse the error!

17:41 - Changing Hands Bookstore

18:04 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

20:16 - The Situation Room by George Stephanopoulos (Meredith)

21:50 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live

24:47 - Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux (Katee)

27:31 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

27:45 - Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

27:59 - Glory Daze by Danielle Arceneaux 

29:39 - Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Meredith, pre-order releases May 13, 2025)

29:55 - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

29:56 - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

34:27 - A Dead and Stormy Night by Steffnie Holmes

35:25 - This Changes Everything by Tyler Merritt (Kaytee)

35:44 - I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt

36:59 - The Trees by Percival Everett

39:36 - The Downsides of Book Podcasting

53:42 - Meet Us At The Fountain

54:00 - I wish Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito was turned into a graphic novel. (Meredith)

54:02 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

54:48 - I wish for an easy way to find niche book things. (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April's IPL is brought to you by Warwick's in La Jolla, California!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

Today's spoiler-free minisode (the first one in years!) includes a conversation between Kaytee and author Jessica N Turner. Jessica is the author of multiple books. Her newest is I Thought it Would Be Better Than This, a memoir wrapped into self-help about dealing with disappointment in our lives. Tune in to hear about:

The process of writing a book that intricately details someone else's story.

What it was like to pivot from more traditional productivity and self-help into memoir.

Finding love again.

The "soft" places we land when we are hurting.

Ways to be a witness and be with someone in their grief and disappointment.

Jessica's own Current Reads.

Minisode show notes are not timestamped, but linked titles are below for you to peruse. These are affiliate links, which kick back a small percentage of your purchase to the podcast, which helps support the show!

Season 1, Episode 7: First time Jessica was on the show.

I Thought it Would Be Better Than This by Jessica N. Turner

Jessica's website

The Fringe Hours by Jessica N. Turner

Stretched Too Thin by Jessica N. Turner

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

(Just want to point out here that just like our no-prep episodes, Jessica does this Current Reads section all off the cuff and I am suitably impressed!)

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brenert

Connect With Us:

Jessica can be found on Instagram at @jessicanturner or at her website

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop dot org unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: piles of books and bookishness in non bookish places

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how we purge our shelves

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:47 - Ad For Ourselves

2:08 - Currently Reading Patreon

3:24 - Fabled Bookshop

4:56 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

5:52 - Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (Finnish version)

5:53 - The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (Finnish version)

10:41 - Become a CR Patron to access the reading tracker!

12:20 - Our Current Reads

12:25 - There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Kaytee)

16:12 - This House is Haunted by John Boyne (Meredith)

20:56 - The Plan by Kendra Adachi (Kaytee)

21:55 - The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

21:57 - The Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi

25:52 - CR Season 4: Episode 42 w/Kendra Adachi

26:29 - Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth by Elizabeth Williamson (Meredith)

32:18 - Columbine by Dave Cullen

33:20 - The Trees by Percival Everett (Kaytee)

35:25 - Erasure by Percival Everett

36:42 - James by Percival Everett

38:07 - Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Meredith)

38:27 - Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

39:48 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

45:56 - How We Purge Our Shelves

51:43 - Half Price Books

57:00 - Meet Us At The Fountain

57:08 - I am wishing for a good laugh, so send me recs of books that made you laugh. (Kaytee)

58:47 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

58:48 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

59:09 - @hollyslitmagic on Instagram

59:29 - I wish to have the discussion about whether book publishing has gone the route of fast fashion. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April's IPL is brought to you by Warwick's in La Jolla, California!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: reading what we want and bookish get togethers

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we check in on our reading lives

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:40 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

2:17 - The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

4:19 - Warwick's

5:29 - Our Current Reads

8:03 - The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda (Meredith)

13:37 - Confessions by Kanae Minato

14:25 - Mrs. Death Misses Death by Salenda Godden (Kaytee)

15:05 - Foyles Bookstore

19:52 - The Joy of Watercolor by Emma Block (Meredith)

21:43 - The Big Book of Watercolor by Mallery Jane

22:27 - Keeping a Creative Sketchbook by Emma Block

28:36 - House of Frank by Kay Synclaire (Kaytee)

28:48 - Ezeekat on Instagram

28:57 - Ezeekat Press

34:14 - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

34:18 - Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

34:49 - Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard (Meredith)

36:40 - Blackwell's UK

38:46 - The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

38:48 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

38:52 - Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard

40:21 - The Resurrectionist by A. Raye Dunlap (Kaytee)

40:38 - Fabled Bookshop

40:43 - Aardvark books

46:04 - James by Percival Everett

47:04 - Our Reading Life Temp Checks

58:54 - Meet Us At The Fountain

59:19 - I wish there was a "previously in" page for series books. (Meredith)

1:00:49 - I wish for a reading repair manual. (Kaytee)

1:02:13 - Safe and Sound by Mercury Stardust

1:02:25 - The Pool Care Handbook by Swim University

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to you from An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Roxanna are discussing:

Bookish Moments: the perfect reading experience and hearing others talk about books

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how we find those hidden gem books

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:43 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

3:24 - The Talking Scared Podcast

3:44 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

3:57 - Talking Scared Podcast episode 226

5:38 - Our Current Reads

5:52 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Roxanna)

15:06 - Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette (Meredith)

20:02 - Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah

20:29 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

22:29 - Ruin Road by Lamar Giles (Roxanna)

25:49 - The Getaway by Lamar Giles

26:32 - When The Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi (Meredith)

26:37 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi

26:44 - The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

32:45 - The Baddest B*tch in the Room by Sophia Chang (Roxanna)

36:47 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore (Meredith)

37:45 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore

44:38 - Finding Hidden Gems

44:56 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore

46:56 - Get Booked Podcast

47:07 - Currently Reading website

47:27 - From the Front Porch podcast

48:08 - Canada Reads

48:12 - Australian Fiction Prize

48:14 - Nebula Awards

48:15 - Hugo Awards

48:34 - Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction

50:03 - Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

52:40 - KJ Charles on Goodreads

55:26 - The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

57:31 - Meet Us At The Fountain

57:40 - I wish there was a site that categorized books by places around the world. (Roxanna)

58:08 - Tripfiction.com

58:18 - Around the World in 80 books group on Goodreads

58:32 - Strong Sense of Place podcast

58:49 - Shepherd.com

59:40 - If you haven't yet, read God of the Woods by Liz Moore. (Meredith)

59:43 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: reading retreats, one finished and one scheduled

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we boss some more TBRs

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:16 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

7:18 - Our Current Reads

7:32 - Finders Keepers by Stephen King (Meredith)

9:37 - Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

10:24 - Holly by Stephen King

12:17 - The Stand by Stephen King

12:18 - The Shining by Stephen King

12:55 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (Kaytee)

17:24 - Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World by Mark Aldridge (Meredith)

20:46 - Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton (Kaytee)

24:54 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito (Meredith)

28:58 - Mrs. March by Virginia Feito

29:30 - The Lost Library by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead (Kaytee)

31:08 - CR Season 5: Episode 25

31:10 - The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

31:12 - CR Season 3: Episode 41

31:14 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

31:27 - Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

33:08 - Boss My TBR

From Emily

33:45 - Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

33:48 - My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

33:52 - Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

33:54 - S by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst

33:58 - Vicious by V.E. Schwab

34:18 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

34:20 - A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

34:23 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

34:25 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

34:27 - The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

36:38 - Schuler Books

From Bethany

40:38 - Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd (releases April 8, 2025)

40:42 - The Last Party by Claire Mackintosh

40:45 - Out by Natsuo Kirino

40:47 - Baby X by Kira Peikoff

40:50 - The Stolen Child by Ann Hood

41:03 - Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray

41:09 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach

41:12- The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

44:55 - The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

45:17 - Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

45:47 - I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

46:17 - Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

47:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain

48:25 - I wish people would utilize our website for the plethora of things it offers. (Meredith)

49:46 - The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

49:49 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

50:17 - I wish for a "find all and replace" option for books. (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: finishing physical books and new learning apps

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how we balance our TBRs and new releases

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:27 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

3:41 - Vocabulary app

7:54 - @Literallybookshop on Instagram

7:20 - Our Current Reads

7:26 - House of Cotton by Monica Brashears (Kaytee)

8:54 - Exile in Bookville

11:50 - The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha (Meredith)

11:56 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

14:44 - Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

16:40 - The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Emily Wilson) (Kaytee)

21:33 - It's Easier Than You Think by Sylvia Boorstein (Meredith)

25:39 - The Best Way To Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale (Kaytee)

25:48 - Booktenders

27:38 - @alexia.casale on Instagram

28:52 - The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (Meredith)

30:19 - The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

30:21 - The Holdout by Graham Moore=

34:20 - Prioritizing Your Shelves

34:45 - Fabled Bookshop

45:29 - The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

48:20 - Fabled Storybound Subscription

49:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:35 - I wish to press (again) the book Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts. (Kaytee)

49:41 - Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

49:48 - Wicked by Gregory Maguire

51:09 - I wish if you have kids and they interrupt your reading, to try reading aloud to them until they get annoyed and leave. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: Kindle samples and getting new indie bookstores

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: six star books to which we will take no criticism from anyone

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:01 - Ad For Ourselves

1:18 - Currently Reading Patreon

1:34 - An Unlikely Story

2:35 - @anunlikelystory on Instagram

3:37 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

6:48 - Literally, A Bookshop

7:54 - @Literallybookshop on Instagram

8:52 - Our Current Reads

9:23 - The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Meredith)

16:32 - All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim (Kaytee)

16:40 - Tucson Festival of Books 2025

19:52 - Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala

20:13 - This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (Meredith)

21:47 - A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

23:20 - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

23:49 - They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh (Kaytee)

24:11 - Southlake Podcast

27:46 - Past Crimes by Jason Pinter (Meredith)

29:44 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

31:06 - Recursion by Blake Crouch

31:40 - The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln (Kaytee)

31:49 - The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln

35:11 - Our Six Star Reads

36:08 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

37:29 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

37:33 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

40:17 - Happy Place by Emily Henry

42:32 - The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

42:37 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

42:38 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

42:41 - The Stand by Stephen King

42:43 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

42:44 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

44:44 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

45:00 - This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

45:09 - Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge

45:13 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

45:14 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

45:17 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

45:38 - Lobizona by Romina Garber Russell

45:43 - Cazadora by Romina Garber Russell

49:14 - The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

49:49 - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

51:22 - Meet Us At The Fountain

51:43 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live

51:53 - I want everyone to listen to episode 188 of Sarah's Bookshelves Live if you enjoy fantasy reading. (Meredith)

51:54 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live episode 188

53:09 - I wish for a book aggregator that would house all book covers of all books so we could compare easily and find the ones we want to purchase quickly without having to browse multiple sites. (Kaytee)

54:09 - Greenwood by Michael Christie

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: book sets and learning new things

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: things we find tragic in our reading lives that may not actually be tragedies

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:18 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

1:33 - Ember in the Ashes complete set (purchase at your own risk!) 

5:38 - A Year of Living Curiously by Elizabeth Foley

7:39 - Mug Warmer

7:39 - Our Current Reads

8:28 - Earth by John Boyne (Kaytee, Blackwell's link)

8:35 - Water by John Boyne (Blackwell's link)

8:37 - CR Season 7: Episode 2

13:02 - Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli (Meredith)

15:16 - The Collective by Alison Gaylin

15:22 - The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

16:45 - Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage (Kaytee)

17:28 - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

21:19 - Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage (pre-order releases April 15)

22:13 - The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory by Tim Alberta (Meredith)

22:56 - The Popcast

26:08 - The Many Assassinations of Samir by Daniel Nayeri (Kaytee)

26:16 - Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

29:20 - A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos (Meredith)

31:11 - Book, Talk, Etc

35:32 - Non-Tragic Bookish Tragedies

37:10 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

37:47 - Still Life by Louise Penny (special edition w/sprayed edges, releases Sep. 30, 2025)

49:12 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:22 - I wish to always speak to indie bookstore owners. (Kaytee)

52:08 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live

52:14 - I wish to know if it seems like we are getting more reissued pretty versions of books from publishers today. (Meredith)

53:07 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

53:35 - The Hunger Games box set by Suzanne Collins (Special edition)

53:37 - 37:47 - Still Life by Louise Penny (special edition w/sprayed edges, releases Sep. 30, 2025)

53:50 - Wicked by Gregory Maguire (special edition)

54:03 - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (special annotated edition)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Marinsville, Indiana!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

Welcome, readers. We are thrilled to continue this new content from the creators of Currently Reading Podcast! This spin-off podcast series will tackle book to screen adaptations in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book and watched the film version before listening to the episode, because we don't shy away from strong opinions OR from all the spoilers, unlike our regular episodes.

Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will still include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading.

Erasure by Percival Everett

1:44 - Setup

Erasure by Percival Everett
3:44 - Previews

Release date. Sales info and awards.

2025 Audie Awards

Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

American Fiction released Dec 2023

Won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2024

7:18 - The Cutting Room

Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen

The book within the book

Lisa's death

Changes from Book to Movie

Name changes

Moving the setting from DC to Boston

Timeline issues

Van Go in the book within a book is arrested but in the movie adaptation he dies

Left out of the adaptation

Gretchen storyline

Woodworking and fishing scenes

Game show section

My Pafology being explored

Added to the movie

Sintara added to a book panel at the end

The ending

Publisher

Make Stagg a fugitive so he cannot go on tv

Casting and alternates

Monk: Jeffrey Wright ? Geoffrey Owens, Andre Braugher

Lisa: Tracee Ellis Ross ? Regina King, Niecy Nash

Agnes: Leslie Uggams ? Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad, Cecily Tyson

Clifford: Sterling K. Brown ?  Idris Elba

Coraline: Erika Alexander ? Kim Fields, Kim Coles

Sintara: Issa Rae ? Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson

Problematic elements

Because of all the satire, it may focus too much on the white experience and actually less on the Black

40:11 - Award Season

Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

Bill vs Cliff "airtime"

Less tension around mother going to the assisted living home

The moving of books from African American to Mythology

Was very funny - zippy dialogue, continuing to move story forward

Worst and best actors.

Leslie Uggams - Agnes (mother)

Erika Alexander - Coraline

Adam Brody - Wiley

Jeffrey Wright - Monk

Worst and best book characters.

Linda Mallory

Van Go Jenkins

Monk

Yul

48:35 - Book/Flick Energy

Book scored on a 5 star scale.

Book on Goodreads

Series scored on a 10 point scale.

Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

Movie on IMDB

53:23 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel

Do you have any irrational fears?

If you were on a Jerry Springer type show what is something weird that they may find out about you or your family?

59:30 - End Credits

59:55 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is available to stream for free on some sites, but is available with an Amazon Prime membership

Connect With Us:

Currently Reading Podcast | Kaytee | Meredith

Shad is in the Bookish Friends FB Group (for our Patreon supporters)

Our Website | Email Us

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Buy Some Merch

We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book before listening to the episode.

As you've come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes. 

Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

2:00 - Putting the Book Into Context

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

Published Aug 28, 2012 by Minotaur Books

4.2 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Autumn

Book Awards: Agatha Award for best novel 2012, The Anthony Award for best novel 2013, The Macavity Award for Best Novel 2013, The Audie Award for Best Mystery Novel 201

Critic Reviews

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Meredith's and Roxanna's encounters with the book

8:30 - The Setup

9:40 - A Deeper Exploration

Setup and first paragraph

The pacing of the novel

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

Jean-Guy and Annie

Themes: addiction, "descent" evil - through the lens of Francouer

The ending

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Canadian aspects

Abbey of Saint Benoit Du Lac

1:10:23 - Superlatives

Favorite Scene

Character MVP

Biggest loser

Best food description

Is this book skippable?

Favorite Quote

No spoilers this episode! 

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

The next book will be How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Martinsville, Indiana!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: books as equalizers and kiddos who love books as much as we do

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: what we do to keep momentum in our reading lives

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:33 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

6:35 - Grassrootz Bookstore 

8:08 - Our Current Reads

8:21 - Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh (Meredith)

10:26 - The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

11:44 - Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

11:55 - Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle (Kaytee)

12:21 - Pounded by the Pound by Chuck Tingle (amazon link)

12:31 - Taken by the Gay Unicorn by Chuck Tingle (amazon link)

12:41 - Aardvark Book Club

16:30 - The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (Meredith)

17:41 - The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

22:13 - Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Kaytee)

22:35 - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

26:16 - Come Closer by Sara Gran (Meredith)

27:42 - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

31:08 - It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell (Kaytee)

35:19 - Deep Dive: Losing Momentum In Our Reading

49:21 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:27 - I wish to ask if you can find actual smutty books on the shelves in bookstores (like monster romance etc with the wild covers). (Meredith)

50:01 - The Dragon's Bride by Katee Robert

50:32 - Neon Gods by Katee Robert

51:07 - Open Door Romance via Novel Neighbor

51:08 - The Novel Neighbor

51:15 - The Ripped Bodice Bookstore

52:04 - Still Life by Louise Penny (special edition w/sprayed edges, releases Sep. 30, 2025)

52:27 - I wish it was easier to get pretty versions of our favorite books. (Kaytee)

52:35 - The Hunger Games box set by Suzanne Collins (special edition with sprayed edges)

53:23 - Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

53:53 - Quicksilver by Callie Hart (special edition, pre order, releases Aug 19, 2025)

55:11 - The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Marinsville, Indiana!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: booktube and libraries enabling our hobbies

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: how to finish a book well

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:35 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

4:08 - Megwithbooks on Youtube

6:29 - Blackwell's UK

6:35 - Our Current Reads

6:43 - All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols (Kaytee)

9:04 - Oscar Wars by Michael Schulman (Meredith)

13:13 - Whalefall by Daniel Kraus (Kaytee)

15:25 - Orbital by Samantha Harvey

16:00 -  Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

17:08 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

17:27 - A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (Meredith, releases April 1, 2025)

21:57 - Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang (Kaytee)

24:28 - American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

25:23 - The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (Meredith)

26:26 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

28:37 - Deep Dive: How To Finish A Book Well

38:12 - StoryGraph

39:45 - Currently Reading Patreon (to get the tracker Kaytee mentions)

46:52 - Meet Us At The Fountain

46:56 - I wish it was more socially acceptable to be nosy in people's reading lives. (Kaytee)

48:49 - I wish everyone would schedule a reading retreat this year. (Meredith)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Marinsville, Indiana!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

Bookish Moments: audiobook listening and keeping track of book recs

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: we boss some TBRs

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

:10 - Ad For Ourselves

1:16 - Currently Reading Patreon

5:11 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

12:48 - Our Current Reads

13:25 - True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik (Meredith)

14:38 - 100 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

18:48 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy (Kaytee)

19:05 - CR Season 6: Episode 40

22:08 - Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni (Meredith)

22:50 - The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

26:54 - The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song (Kaytee)

26:58 - Bright Side Bookshop

29:18 - The Dragon Wakes with Thunder by K.X. Song (pre-order, releases Aug 29, 2025)

29:44 - The Hike by Drew Magary (Meredith)

32:21 - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

32:57 - Fairy Tale by Stephen King

34:42 - The White Girl by Tony Birch (Kaytee)

34:53 - Garcia Street Books

36:29 - The Dry by Jane Harper

37:47 - Deep Dive: Boss My TBF

From Mari M.

38:38 - Life after Life by Kate Atkinson (pick #1)

38:41 - Life of Pi by Yann Martel (pick #2)

38:44 - Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab (pick #3)

38:48 - The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld (pick #4)

38:51 - The Wildest Sun by Asha Lemmie (pick #5)

38:57 - Cold People by Tom Rob Smith

39:00 - Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

From Judith

44:44 - Still Life by Sarah Winman

44:46 - Eve Green by Susan Fletcher

45:14 - The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah (pick #1)

45:17 - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawking (pick #2)

45:21 - A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (pick #3)

45:26 - The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown (pick #4)

45:29 - Forever Home by Graham Norton (pick #5)

46:03 - Orbital by Samantha Harvey

48:07 - A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

48:40 - All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

48:55 - Zorrie by Laird Hunt

49:08 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:21 - I wish to let everyone know that A Journey To Three Pines will be coming in February and Wicked will be discussed on February 22nd.

49:49 - The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

50:08 - Wicked by Gregory MaGuire

50:12 - Currently Reading Patreon

54:22 - I wish that somehow Louise Penny would see Inspector Goosemache. (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Marinsville, Indiana!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

Bookish Moments: reading resolutions and reading while being tattooed

Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

Deep Dive: all things DNF: how we define it, how we do it, etc.

The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

. 

. 

. 

. 

1:59 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

2:43 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

2:59 - Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

11:17 - Our Current Reads

11:23 - Letters From Cuba by Ruth Behar (Kaytee)

17:33 - Murder Road by Simone St. James (Meredith)

22:41 - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

22:44 - The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

22:47 - The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

23:12 - The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley (Kaytee)

27:32 - A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush (Meredith)

27:58 - @maryoliversdrunkcousin on Instagram

36:37 - Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Kaytee)

37:14 - @lizisreading_  on Instagram

38:01 - Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

39:41 - The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden

40:21 - Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (Meredith)

45:04 - His & Hers by Alice Feeney

45:06 - Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney 

45:34 - Deep Dive: The Art Of The DNF

59:59 - Meet Us At The Fountain

1:00:10 - I wish to hang out with you all at the Tucson Festival of Books in March. (Kaytee)

1:00:13 - Tucson Festival of Books

*Send Kaytee and email at currentlyreadingpodcast @ gmail.com or directly message her person instagram @notesonbookmarks

1:01:39 - I wish to let you know about an app I found to track my Agatha Christie reading journey. (Meredith)

1:01:47 - Agatha Christie Reading List app

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

Bookish Friends Receive:

The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is a special episode in partnership with All Things Murderful and a total mystery and thriller stack from Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas!

Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. 

All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

Connect With Us:

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your?support!