We are so excited to preview our newest content for Patreon supporters of the show! Going forward, this episode series will live on Patreon, where you can join us for $5 a month to support the show and get ALL our awesome bonus content!

This is a special series just for the Bookish Friends of the Currently Reading Podcast who love swooning and sexy times. We are thrilled to have you join us for this new bonus content, focused entirely on the best-selling genre fiction in the book world: Romance!

*Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop links unless specified. These are affiliate links that kick a bit of money back to us while keeping your cost the same!

What We Are Currently Reading:

Out of the Blue by Kathryn Nolan (Rebekah)

Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb (Kaytee)

We’re Opening the Door On:

Why read Romance at all?

A Listener Press:

From Katie P. - Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner

Let Us Light Your Fire:

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren (Rebekah’s Pairing)

• Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur (Kaytee’s Pairing)

SEND IN YOUR LISTENER PRESSES to [email protected]. We want to hear from you! 

To Get in Touch:

Kaytee | Meredith | Rebekah

Currently Reading on Email | Instagram |Website

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

• Season Six 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)

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3:06 - Season Six In Review

The most downloaded episode of the season

4:05 - CR Season 6: Episode 25 w/Jamie Golden and Knox McCoy

5:42 - CR Season 6: Episode 22 - Our Favorite Books of 2023

5:58 - Minisode - Mary and Roxanna’s Top Books of 2023

Favorite individual episodes

7:03 - CR Season 6: Episode 12 - Recapping our European Travels (Kaytee)

7:38 - CR Season 6: Episode 35 - Wishes to the Book Fairy (Kaytee and Meredith)

9:34 - CR Season 6: Episode 2 - Boss Each Other’s TBR (Meredith)

9:50 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

9:53 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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

12:49 - James by Percival Everett (Kaytee)

13:01 - Erasure by Percival Everett

13:34 - The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes (Meredith)

14:30 - New Nigeria County by Clare Brown (Kaytee)

15:42 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine (Meredith and Kaytee)

16:30 - @ezeekat

17:27 - Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter (Meredith)

17:27 - Close to Home by Cara Hunter (Adam Foley #1, Meredith)

18:16 - The Exchange by John Grisham

18:44 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver (Kaytee)

20:04 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Meredith)

20:24 - Confessions by Kanae Minato (Meredith)

20:46 - Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (Meredith)

27:17 - The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (Meredith)

21:20 - Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Meredith)

Regrets from season six?

22:14 - That my podcast listening was impacted by life changes (Kaytee)

26:04 - That I allowed criticism to drown out the positive sometimes (Meredith)

Is there anything new coming to Currently Reading?

32:48 - We are debuting Love and Chili Peppers the day after this episode airs! You can listen to the first episode in the main feed, and then the rest will be on Patreon!

35:28 - We will reintroduce our videos on Patreon

35:46 - Quarterly From The Editor’s Desk with Bunmi Ishola

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 comes to us from Booktenders in West Virginia!

• All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special 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

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:

• An Ask Us Anything Episode!: You asked, and we answered!

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

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2:30 - Ask Us Anything

What was the first book that got you hooked into reading?

3:00 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Mary) 4:59 - Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (Roxanna)

7:07 - Do Not Open by Brinton Turkle (Kaytee)

7:39 - The Witches by Roald Dahl (Kyatee)

8:26 - The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Meredith)

If you could only recommend one book to read for the rest of your life, what book would that be?

10:09 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (Roxanna)

10:17 - Circe by Madeline Miller (Mary)

10:29 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle (Kaytee)

10:36 - Scythe by Neal Shusterman (Meredith)

What is the book you ACTUALLY recommend the most to people?

11:03 - This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel (Mary)

11:10 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (Kaytee)

11:19 - I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes (Meredith)

11:32 - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Roxanna)

11:44 - The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers (Roxanna)

If you were to do a podcast about something unrelated to books, what would it be?

12:26 - Homeschooling (Kaytee)

13:13 - The joy of being a novice (Mary)

15:11 - Style in the everyday (Roxanna)

17:52 - All things Enneagram (Meredith)

What is your favorite beverage to have while reading? 

19:55 - I’m a seltzer girlie (Mary)

20:27 - Very cold ice water with crunchy ice (Kaytee)

21:45 - Masala Chai (Roxanna)

22:18 - Coffee, preferably Texas Pecan (Meredith)

How many hours a week do you spend reading?

23:36 - I aim for an hour a day (Mary)

26:09 - Ideally an hour or two a day, but sometimes it’s 15 minutes at that’s ok (Roxanna)

28:38 - Around 10 hours a week (Kaytee)

29:23 - Between 90 minutes and 2 hours on the weekdays, and 4 hours total on the weekends (Meredith)

If you could only read one genre for the next year, which would it be?

30:33 - Romance (Kaytee)

30:51 - Women’s Fiction (Roxanna)

32:27 - Mystery - but not gory or true crime (Mary)

33:47 - Historical Fiction (Meredith)

34:50 - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

What turns you off of a book almost immediately?

36:22 - Second person narration (Meredith)

35:35 - The miscommunication trope. Go to therapy. (Mary)

36:43 - The lack of quotation marks (Kaytee)

36:55 - Characters that make bad decisions but everyone thinks its fine (Roxanna)

How do you feel about books people recommend to you?

38:29 - I feel like I always do. If you rec it, I won’t read it. It’s all in my head. (Kaytee)

40:08 - IRL I don’t have many bookish friends so I get a lot of “hot” book recs which I don’t read. So I just say “Oh yeah maybe I’ll pick that up!”... and never do. (Roxanna)

40:55 - If from bookish friends or CR listeners, I will take it under advisement and check Goodreads to see if I’d like it. (Mary)

42:44 - I love when people send recommendations. (Meredith)

44:03 - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Where are you when recording an episode of Currently Reading?

45:03 - In my small walkin closet because the audio is the best here. I’m located in Toronto. (Roxanna)

45:39 - At my basement therapy office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Mary)

46:05 - Normally i’m in my bedroom in Gilbert, Arizona but today I am in Colorado for a family reunion in a guest bedroom/office. (Kaytee)

44:46 - I always record on the floor of my closet. (Meredith)

What are the mechanics of us scheduling recordings?

48:09 - SPREADSHEETS! (Kaytee)

How do you come up with deep dive topics?

49:55 - A mixture of places. Some come off mic in conversation. Some get emailed or dm’d. Some get brought up in the bookish friends group. If we think of one ourselves, we just pop them into the spreadsheet. (Meredith)

What is your number one bookish recommendation source?

51:57 - A single person would be Katie Proctor but a broader source is the Indie Press List (Kaytee)

52:28 - Instagram (Mary)

53:20 - Backlist podcasts (Roxanna)

54:03 - Elizabeth Barnhill with 19% of my recs so far 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. July’s IPL comes to us from Booktenders in West Virginia!

• All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special 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

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)

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2:19 - Your Listener Presses

3:48 - The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown (pressed by Katie)

6:40 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 7:32 - Poison for Breakfast by Daniel Handler i.e. Lemony Snicket (pressed by Kimberly)

10:30- The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore (pressed by Jessie)

12:38 - @thewilltoread on Instagram

12:41 - Reproduction by Louisa Hall (pressed by Bill)

13:32 - Chouette by Claire Oshetsky

13:33 - Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky

14:53 - The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard (pressed by Emer)

18:29 - The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin (pressed by Heather)

18:51 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

21:30 - Go As A River by Shelley Read

22:11 - Zorrie by Laird Hunt

22:49 - The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (pressed by Mirabella)

24:54 - The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

26:18 - Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Azemien (pressed by Matt)

28:05 - Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro (pressed by Ana)

31:08 - Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer (pressed by Amy)

31:14 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

34:35 - In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lovato (pressed by Amanda)

35:48 - A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter

35:50 - Breathless by Amy McCulloch

36:45 - The Body in Question by Jill Ciment (pressed by Alana)

40:40 - The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (pressed by Avery)

44:26 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

44:27 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle

44:33 - The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher (pressed by Kristen)

45:36 - Roscoe Books

46:12 - Hearts and Daggers podcast

46:43 - @birdbrainbooks on Instagram

46:45 - Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka (pressed by Holly)

49:02 - Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine A. Sherbrooke (pressed by Aubrey)

50:33 - Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

51:46 - I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalize Sue (pressed by Hannah)

53:01 - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

53:02 - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

53:35 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

53:38 - The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel

55:08 - Country Dark by Chris Offutt (pressed by Cindy)

57:25 - Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (pressed by Jessica)

59:46 - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (pressed by Abi)

1:01:17 - The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe

1:02:03 - Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

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 comes to us from Booktenders in West Virginia!

• All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special 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

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 so excited 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.

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The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabrielle Ba

2:29 - Previews

Book Name and release date. Sales info and awards.

The Umbrella Academy - Vol 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way

 

Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

The Umbrella Academy on Netflix

 

10:16 - The Cutting Room

Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen

Pregnancy/birth scenes

Vanya turning into the White Violin

Transition into superheroism

Vanya getting upset enough to play with the orchestra

 

Changes from Book to Movie

Time of birth of the kids

Five’s disappearance and reappearance

Fleshing out of characters

Diversity of the cast

Hazel and Cha-Cha are moved up from later volumes

Saving of Earth at the end

Left out of the adaptation

Carnival Fire and Dr. Terminal

Why Ben is dead

Why Diego is called the Kraken

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Added to the movie

Hazel and Cha-Cha

Detective Patch

Leonard Peabody/Harold Jenkins

The Handler

The Day that Wasn’t/The Day that Was

Klaus’ journey into the past (Vietnam)

Suspicion around Hargreeves’ death

The sibling relationship

General Thoughts

Cinematography

Elliot Page being credited correctly

Dr. Terminal and Eiffel Tower being included

Bad guys can’t shoot good guys: Stormtrooper Effect

Bowling alleys are slippery

Actors can’t play violin

Problematic elements

Nothing of note

Casting and mis-casting

Visual representation of characters

Reginald Hargreeves: Colm Feore → Jeff Goldblum

Number 1/Luther: Tom Hopper → Alan Richson

Number 2/Diego: David Cataneda → Josh Cigara

Number 3/Allison: Emme Raver-Lampman → Zoe Kravitz

Number 4/Klaus: Robert Sheehan → Nicholas Holt

Number 5/Five: Aiden Gallagher → Mike from Stranger Things

Number 6/Ben: Justin H Min → Simu Liu

Number 7/Vanya: Elliot Page → Emme Rossum, but really no one

Pogo: Adam Godley

 

44:06 - Award Season

Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

The adaptation is so dark in the filming of it

All the things

Soundtrack

Sense of humor

 

Worst and best actors.

Leonard Peabody

Agnes, the Waitress

Klaus

 

Worst and best book characters.

Diego

Hargreeves

Vanya

 

53:33 - Book/Flick Energy

Book scored on a 5 star scale.

Book on Goodreads

The Review I read aloud

Series scored on a 10 point scale.

Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

Movie on IMDB

 

58:09 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel

Would you use your superpowers on your kids?

How do you think the world will end?

 

1:02:29 - End Credits

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Available on Paramount +

 

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

*Please note that Kaytee was out of her regular recording space this week and it affected her audio. It’s not you, it’s us. Back to normal next week!*

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

• Bookish Moments: binging a great series and re-introducing morning reading

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

• Deep Dive: you get to boss our summer 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)

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1:29 - Ad for Ourselves

3:42 - Join us for $5 a month! patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast

3:59 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

4:37 - Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir

5:20 - Morning Reads

6:55 - Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

7:50 - Our Current Reads

7:59 - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Kaytee) 9:32 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

12:18 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Meredith)

13:30 - Long Bright River by Liz Moore

16:19 - Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anapara (Kaytee)

20:01 - The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry (Meredith)

21:00 - Beacon Hill Books, Boston

25:31 - The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley (Kaytee)

26:02 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley

29:12 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

29:23 - The Stand by Stephen King (Meredith)

32:56 - 11/22/63 by Stephen King

39:01 - Boss Our Summer TBRs!

Vote on Meredith and Kaytee’s Boss My TBR!

42:45 - Faebound by Saara El-Arifi (Kaytee Option #1)

43:50 - Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins (Kaytee Option #2)

44:45 - The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory (Kaytee Option #3)

44:51 - Season 1 Listener Press Episode

46:18 - Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Meredith Option #1)

46:21 - Circe by Madeline Miller

46:37 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Meredith Option #2)

46:51 - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Meredith Option #3)

49:44 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:47 - I Wish You the Best Summer Reading Available to You (Kaytee)

49:49 - Pantsuit Politics Podcast

50:56 - I wish that People Would Stop Being Afraid of Reading Big Books (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. July’s IPL comes to us from Booktenders in West Virginia!

• All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special 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

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: meeting Currently Reading show regulars

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

• Deep Dive: what. we think goes into a good book review

• 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)

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1:21 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

1:26 - @MeredithMondaySchwartz on Instagram

1:31 - @Roxannathereader on Instagram

3:27 - @Maryreadsandmakes on Instagram

5:15 - Our Current Reads

5:30 - Middle of the Night by Riley Sager (Meredith)

10:04 - What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez (Kaytee)

13:02 - The Council of Animals by Nick McDonell (Meredith)

14:17 - Charter Books

16:34 - Animal Farm by George Orwell

17:28 - Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (Kaytee)

17:37 - Funny Story by Emily Henry

18:31 - Happy Place by Emily Henry

21:41 - All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Meredith)

22:48 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

25:13 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

25:15 - Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson

29:38 - Come Together by Emily Nagoski (Kaytee)

30:07 - Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

30:27 - Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

33:42 - Deep Dive: What Makes A Good Book Review

36:14 - A review that’s honest

36:41 - A review that’s thoughtful

38:39 - A review that includes title, author, short setup and honest thoughts

39:01 - Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

39:48 - A review that’s more than two sentences.

40:04 - A review that’s self aware

40:44 - A review that’s respectful

41:34 - A review that puts into context the reader’s life

43:54 - A review that accounts for what the author is TRYING to convey and were they successful

44:28 - A review that includes anything that makes the book unique

44:35 - West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman

46:04 - Meet Us At The Fountain

46:22 - If summer means slower paced for you, I wish for you to find some bookish community somewhere. (Meredith)

46:59 - Currently Reading Patreon

48:37 - I wish for a reader camp that includes all my favorite 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. June’s IPL comes to us from our anchor store Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

• All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special 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

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: book recs that land with non readers and Kaytee meeting an octopus!

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

• Deep Dive: how we recommend books to readers outside our own wheelhouses

• 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)

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Season 6, Episode 45

1:27 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

1:50 - Happy Place by Emily Henry

6:52 - Our Current Reads

6:59 -  Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (Mary)

10:41 - Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery (Kaytee)

10:50 - The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht (Fabled link, not available on Bookshop)

11:14 - Secrets of the Whales by Brian Skerry

11:16 - Secrets of the Elephants by Paula Kahumbu and Claudia Geib

11:33 - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

13:45 - Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (Mary)

15:51 - Boswell Books

16:55 - Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart (Kaytee)

17:01 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

17:13 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare

22:25 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Mary)

25:51 - Drowning by T.J. Newman (Kaytee)

25:57 - Falling by T.J. Newman

26:02 - CR Season 5: Episode 41

30:12 - Deep Dive: How To Recommend Books Outside Your Wheelhouse

32:21 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

32:23 - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gayle Honeycutt

36:24 - This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

36:30 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley

36:44 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi

36:46 - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

36:52 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

39:31 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

39:55 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle

41:19 - Breathless by Amy McCulloch

41:43 - The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

44:29 - Drowning by T.J. Newman

48:55 - Meet Us At The Fountain

48:59 - I wish people would give slow and steady reading a try. (Mary)

49:35 - Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

51:30 - I wish everyone would keep a readerly profile. (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 comes to us from our anchor store Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

• All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special 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

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: book recommendations and…. book recommendations!

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

• Deep Dive: books we wish we read sooner

• 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)

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:10 - Bite Size Intro

1:44 - Send us your listener presses! Here’s what we need: A voice memo with - Your name, location, book title and author, “Here’s the setup”, and why you love it. Three minutes or less please!! Email those to [email protected] 

4:36 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

8:10 - Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

8:53 - Our Current Reads

9:09 -  A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson (Meredith)

11:05 - Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

12:38 - The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy (Kaytee)

15:52 - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

16:30 - 2034 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis (Meredith)

20:54 - 2054 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis

21:50 - New Nigeria County by Clare Brown (Kaytee, audio only)

22:05 - @clarabelletoks on Instagram

22:37 - libro.fm

26:51 - A Better World by Sarah Langan (Meredith)

29:34 - Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

31:19 - High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee)

31:39 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

34:55 - Deep Dive: Books We Wish We Read Sooner

35:44 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

36:34 - A  Little Life by Hanya Yanagahira

37:33 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

37:50 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

38:55 - The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

39:32 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

40:27 - A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

40:29 - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

40:51 - East of Eden by John Steinbeck

40:52 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty

40:58 - The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

41:09 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

41:47 - Roots by Alex Haley

42:01 - 11/22/63 by Stephen King

42:05 - On Writing by Stephen King

43:20 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

43:50 - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

44:05 - Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

44:11 - Circe by Madeline Miller

46:21 - Meet Us At The Fountain

47:09 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

50:06 - I wish more people would read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. (Meredith)

50:47 - I wish books would tell us if they are right for us when we pick them up. (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 comes to us from our anchor store Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

• All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special 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

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: meeting bookish friends and “salt” books

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

• Deep Dive: difficulty in starting new 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)

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:10 - Bite Size Intro

2:14 - Currently Reading Patreon

5:50 - PLEASE send us your Ask Us Anything questions to [email protected]

6:43 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

11:13 - The Stand by Stephen King

12:17 - Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

14:50 - Our Current Reads

14:58 - Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah (Roxanna)

15:02 - Canada Reads

16:56 - How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

19:38 - Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (Meredith)

21:35 - @mother.horror on Instagram

24:10 - The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt (Roxanna)

29:21 - In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides (Meredith)

34:15 - Funny Story by Emily Henry (Roxanna)

38:02 - Small Change by Roan Parrish

43:43 - The Mars House by Natasha Pulley (Meredith - Meredith mistakenly said Mars Room initially. Sorry for the confusion!)

45:03 - Charter Books

45:42 - The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

49:51 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

49:56 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

52:16 - The Measure by Nikki Erlick

53:40 - The Difficulty Of Starting A New Book

57:54 - Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

1:01:19 - The Feast by Margaret Kennedy

1:02:07 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

1:02:12 - The One by John Marrs

1:02:21 - Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

1:04:07 - Meet Us At The Fountain

1:04:11 - I wish everyone would watch Butterfly in the Sky on Netflix. (Roxanna)

1:04:14 - Butterfly in the Sky on Netflix

1:06:37 - Hello Bookstore

1:07:11 - I wish everyone would reflect on how summer reading affects your reading life. (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 comes to us from Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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

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

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.

1:56 - Putting the Book Into Context

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

Published Sept. 28, 2010 by Minotaur Books

4.36 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Winter

Book Awards: Anthony Award for Best Novel in 2011, The Agatha Award, The New Blood Dagger Award, The Arthur Ellis Award, The Barry Award, and the Dilys Award

Critic Reviews

Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book

7:20 - The Setup

16:22 - A Deeper Exploration

Setup and first paragraph

The pacing of the novel

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

Quebec vs American History

Anglophone vs. Francophone history and culture

Themes: “bury your dead”, “with time”

P.345 - Not everything buried is actually dead.

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

One bit of lightness in the entire novel

Location, Location, Location

Relationship between Beauvoir and Ruth Zardo

Who leaked the video?

Enneagram Corner

The Ending

1:14:36 - Superlatives

Favorite Scene

Character MVP

Biggest loser

Best food description

Favorite Quote

No spoilers this episode! 

The next book will be A Trick of the Light 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. May’s IPL is brought to you by Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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

• 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 | Roxanna | Kaytee

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!