Book Explained

A famous painter shoots her husband five times and never speaks again. Is The Silent Patient worth the hype? Hailey gives her spoiler-free verdict and six thrillers to read next, then, after a clear spoiler warning, explains the twist, the timeline trick and the eight clues hiding in plain sight.

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Books mentioned in this episode
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Verity by Colleen Hoover

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:24 Welcome
0:57 The Review
4:03 What To Read Next
6:31 Spoiler Warning
6:55 The Ending Explained
10:53 The Clues
14:01 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Quicksilver went from self-published to BookTok sensation to Netflix deal. Hailey gives her spoiler-free review of Callie Hart's enemies-to-lovers romantasy and six books to read next, then, after a spoiler warning, explains the ending and walks through the Fae and Alchemy series: reading order, the sequel, the finale and the Netflix movie.

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Books mentioned in this episode
Brimstone by Callie Hart
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Lightlark by Alex Aster

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:20 Welcome
0:52 The Review
4:30 What To Read Next
7:11 Spoiler Warning
7:36 The Ending Explained
12:10 The Series
15:11 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

A grad student kisses a stranger in a hallway to win an argument, and he turns out to be the scariest professor on campus. Hailey reviews The Love Hypothesis spoiler-free, checks how real its science and grad school life are, covers the Prime Video movie and the sequel, then, after a spoiler warning, explains the ending.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Beach Read by Emily Henry
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:23 Welcome
0:56 The Review
9:48 The Science
16:53 The Series
21:29 Spoiler Warning
21:50 The Ending Explained
30:22 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Fish in a Tree is the classroom favorite about Ally, a sixth grader hiding the fact that she can't read. Hailey gives her spoiler-free review and six books to read next, then, after a spoiler warning, explains the ending, and finishes with a book club and classroom guide: themes, ten discussion questions and hands-on activities.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Niagara Falls, Or Does It? by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:20 Welcome
0:54 The Review
5:04 What To Read Next
7:42 Spoiler Warning
8:05 The Ending Explained
12:46 Book Club Guide
16:51 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Squirrel is sure someone is stealing the leaves from his tree. Hailey reviews The Leaf Thief, the funny fall picture book by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater, explains the real science of why leaves fall, shares a read-aloud and classroom guide with questions and activities, and recommends six more fall picture books.

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Books mentioned in this episode
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer and Adam Schaefer
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:21 Welcome
0:54 The Review
4:18 The Science
8:09 Book Club Guide
11:16 What To Read Next
13:36 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

A robot washes up on a wild island and ends up raising a gosling. Hailey reviews Peter Brown's The Wild Robot, walks through all three books in the series, then, after a spoiler warning, explains the book's ending and compares it with the DreamWorks movie that made a lot of grown-ups cry.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:20 Welcome
0:54 The Review
6:11 The Series
10:11 Spoiler Warning
10:33 The Ending Explained
16:26 Book Versus Screen
21:21 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

With HBO's Harry Potter series arriving at Christmas, is the first book still worth reading? Hailey gives her spoiler-free review and rounds up what we know about the new series, then, after a spoiler warning, explains the ending, from Quirrell to the Mirror of Erised, and compares the book with the 2001 movie.

Get the book
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:24 Welcome
0:56 The Review
6:41 The Series
10:39 Spoiler Warning
11:06 The Ending Explained
17:43 Book Versus Screen
22:19 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

The Song of Achilles won the Orange Prize and, a decade later, took over BookTok. Hailey gives her spoiler-free review and six books to read next, then, after a spoiler warning, explains the heartbreaking ending and sorts out what comes from Homer's Iliad and what Madeline Miller invented. Bring tissues.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
The Iliad (translated by Emily Wilson) by Homer
Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:19 Welcome
0:52 The Review
3:53 What To Read Next
6:16 Spoiler Warning
6:39 The Ending Explained
11:13 Myth Versus Miller
15:36 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

East of Eden is the book Steinbeck said he'd been practicing for his whole life, and the Netflix series has everyone reading it again. Hailey gives her spoiler-free review and six books to read next, then, after a spoiler warning, explains the ending and timshel, and compares the novel with the new series and the 1955 James Dean film.

Get the book
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:21 Welcome
0:56 The Review
4:26 What To Read Next
7:04 Spoiler Warning
7:30 The Ending Explained
11:53 Book Versus Screen
15:47 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

On September 11, 2001, thirty-eight planes landed in Gander, Newfoundland, and a town of ten thousand took in nearly seven thousand strangers. Hailey reviews Jim DeFede's book, checks the true story and the numbers, compares it with the Broadway musical Come From Away, and recommends six books to read next.

Get the book
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Hiroshima by John Hersey
The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn
A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit
Humankind by Rutger Bregman
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:27 Welcome
1:00 The Review
6:01 The Real Story
10:39 Book Versus Musical
15:22 What To Read Next
18:35 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0