Readers Digress

Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft begins by telling the story of his passion for writing. The core of the book, however, is a high-level how-to guide on what makes good fiction. He touches on writers’ tools—vocabulary, grammar, and the elements of style—and offers guidance on the writing process, from story ideation to character development to the rewriting process.

Summary of the book (4:28)

Our key takeaways (7:45)

Our favorite quotes (20:20)

What questions do we still have? (51:58)

What to check out next: Kate suggests Brand New Cherry Flavor (Netflix) and Mollie suggests The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr.

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In What Doesn’t Kill You: A Life With Chronic Illness—Lessons from a Body in Revolt, Tessa Miller recounts her journey with Chron’s Disease, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the bowels that affects the lining of the digestive tract. This book is part memoir, part self-help, and covers the connections between mental health and physical health, the structural systems that make having a chronic illness so difficult, and what it means to accept the reality of never getting better.

Summary of the book (3:10)

Our key takeaways (7:40)

Our favorite quotes (21:30)

What questions do we still have? (47:40)

What to check out next: Kate suggests The Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime) and Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix). Mollie suggests SpoonieHacker (blog) and Introducing Selma Blair.

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This week we’re talking about Little Weirds, Jenny Slate’s memoir. Jenny Slate is a comedian most well-known for her creation of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; her acting in Parks and Recreation and Obvious Child; and her recent standup special Stage Fright. Slate shares vignettes of her life about heartache, loneliness, and misogyny in this book of magical realism personal essays.

Summary of the book (2:30)

Our key takeaways (4:30)

Our favorite quotes (15:18)

What questions do we still have? (43:40)

What to check out next: Kate suggests Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado and this clip from the Kroll show. Mollie suggests "The Crane Wife" by CJ Hauser and this clip from an interview with Jenny Slate and Seth Meyers.

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Today we’re talking about Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider’s Guide to Jeopardy! by Claire McNear. McNear writes about the wildly popular game show Jeopardy!, including how the contestants prepare, depictions of Jeopardy! in pop culture, and the various strategies contestants swear by to win.

Summary of the book (2:00)

Our key takeaways (3:00)

Our favorite quotes (19:35)

What questions do we still have? (39:40)

What to check out next: Kate suggests The Speed Cubers (Netflix) and Mollie suggests SNL's Jeopardy! skits and Antique Roadshow.

Today we’re talking about Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, the hosts of the popular podcast Call Your Girlfriend. This book is equal parts the story of their relationship and a manifesto on what it takes to navigate a Big Friendship—a robust and significant bond that transcends life phases, geographic locations, and emotional shifts.

Summary of the book (4:02)

Our key takeaways (5:25)

Our favorite quotes (20:30)

What questions do we still have? (42:49)

What to check out next: Kate suggests Frances Ha (Netlfix) and Insecure (HBO). Mollie suggests Pen15 (Netflix).

From the top of the episode: Thoughts from a Page

This is a Bo Burnham superfan podcast now. We hope that's okay. Join us for a gushing conversation about his newest comedy special, Inside, all about the internet, social media, and the pandemic year.

Today we’re talking about How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell. In this complex and wide-ranging book, Odell argues that attention is our most precious resource. The first half of the book is about disengaging from the 'attention economy,' and the second half is about re-engaging with something else: time and space. Odell argues for a recognition of and engagement with ecology and of the history of the places we inhabit.

Summary of the book (2:20)

Our key takeaways (11:25)

Our favorite quotes (38:00)

What questions do we still have? (46:47)

What to check out next: Bo Burnham's Inside

Today we’re talking about Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown. This book covers the relationship between fear, shame, vulnerability, and worthiness through extensive sociological research. Brown unpacks how we shield ourselves from exposure and how to change our behaviors to embrace vulnerability rather than disengage from it—in our families, communities, and workplaces.

Summary of the book (4:40)

Our key takeaways (7:01)

Our favorite quotes (20:43)

What questions do we still have? (53:17)

What to check out next: Kate suggests Big Mouth (TV show, Netflix) and Mollie suggests Philomena (movie, Netflix)

Music by Waterboi via Pixabay

This week we finish up our discussion of Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, John Carreyrou’s journalistic investigation of the rise and fall of the multi-billion dollar biotech startup, Theranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes.

Our Favorite Quotes (4:40)

Mollie's question (43:00)

References: 30 Rock episode with Liz meeting Oprah

What to check out next: Kate suggests The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (fiction book) and Mollie suggests The Dropout (podcast)

Music by Waterboi via Pixabay

Note: Please read this week’s show notes in a fake voice one octave lower than usual as an ode to Elizabeth Holmes. If you don’t get that joke, watch this video and then come back.

This week we’re diving into Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, John Carreyrou’s journalistic investigation of the rise and fall of the multi-billion dollar biotech startup, Theranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes. Once lauded as a female Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford with a patent for a compact blood-testing system she claimed could perform blood tests cheaper and faster than current technology, and all with just a few drops of blood. Theranos attracted billions in venture capital investments. The only problem was that the technology didn’t work—and it never had. Now, she and her longtime romantic and business partner, Sunny Balwani, are facing criminal charges.

Summary of the book (3:00)

Our key takeaways (6:34)

Kate's question (39:44)

Mollie's quote (58:00)

References: It's an Illusion, Michael

Music by Waterboi via Pixabay