Bookish University

By Dr. Amanda

Dr. Amanda, professor of communication, discusses the books we read for fun and the things they can help us learn. Books discussed range from fiction to non, romance to horror, memoir to lit fic.</

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FAQs about Bookish University:

How many episodes does Bookish University have?

The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.

Bookish University episodes:

March 17, 2026 The Haunted House
Dr. Amanda discusses the value of the haunted house, or maybe just selfishly discusses her favorite haunted house books. Discussion includes Manor of Dreams (Christina Li), Harvest House (Cynthia Leitich Smith), The Reformatory (Tananarive Due), The Sentence (Louise Erdrich), and Hazelthorn (CG Drews).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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44min
March 10, 2026 Those 70s Vibes
Dr. Amanda talks with Dr. Adam of the Sister Wives Professor about 1970s nostalgia, 1970s rock memoirs and aesthetics. Books discussed include Paul Stanley of Kiss's memoir (Face the Music: A Life Exposed), Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough's memoir of Lisa Marie's life (From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir), Daisy Jones and the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid), and Mary Jane (Jessica Anya Blau).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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50min
March 03, 2026 On Conflict and the Third-Act Breakup
Dr. Amanda discusses conflict communication as exemplified through the third-act, highlighting examples from books with conflict resolution including a third-act breakup as well as a couple who post third-act conflict differently.

Books discussed are: Boyfriend Material (Alexis Hall), How to End a Love Story (Yulin Kuang), Stars in Your Eyes (Kacen Callender), You and Me (Tal Bauer), and Vampires of El Norte (Isabel Cañas).

Also, Vampires of El Norte takes place in the 1840s. I think I accidentally said 1940s.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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43min
February 24, 2026 The Wonderful World of Satire
Dr. Amanda discusses how satire opens up a space to critique social norms without some of the depressing tendencies that accompany emotional or rational appeals. She uses these books to discuss the misrepresentation of influencer realities, the evolution of branding and how it manifests in content creation, and cults as high control organizations. Books featured are Rouge (Mona Awad), Julie Chan is Dead (Liann Zhang), and Girl Dinner (Olivie Blake).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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38min
February 17, 2026 Food and Books
Dr. Amanda spends this episode talking about her two primary hobbies - food and books. Beginning with the role of food in culture and identity, Dr. Amanda moves into a discussion of food systems, covering nonfiction and fiction offerings on the subject.

Books appearing in this episode include The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern (Lynda Cohen Loigman), The Guncle 2 (Steven Rowley), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver), In Defense of Food (Michae Pollan), The Mighty Red (Louise Erdrich), and The Seed Keeper (Diane Wilson). And, of course, a few other books - and cookbooks - scattered throughout.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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49min
February 10, 2026 The Academy
Dr. Amanda discusses the academy broadly, then talks about several academia-based books including The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister, Cut to the Feeling by M. A. Wardell and A. J. Truman, Vladamir by Julia May Jonas, Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon, and Remembered Rapture: The Writer at Work by bell hooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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47min
February 04, 2026 Reading Russia, sort of
Dr. Amanda hosts guest Dr. Natalia, an expert in Eastern European political and crisis communication and native of the region, to discuss books and histories coming out of the Soviet Union - with a bonus review of Ilya's Russian monologue in Heated Rivalry!

Primary discussion features Pioneer Summer by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, translated to English by Anne O. Fisher, and Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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57min
January 26, 2026 Reading through the Game Changers Series
Dr. Amanda discusses the six published Game Changers books by Rachel Reid and offers insights about identity, organizational culture, and the agency to move within these structures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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47min
January 23, 2026 The Heated Rivalry Adaptation and All That Buzz
Dr. Amanda discusses the success of the TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry and why it matters.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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46min

FAQs about Bookish University:

How many episodes does Bookish University have?

The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.