Published in July 2022, The Night Ship by Jess Kidd explores the true story of the Batavia, an ill-fated ship that attempted to make the voyage to the Dutch East Indies in 1629, through the eyes of two children. In this, our final episode of Season 4, we are joined by our friend Dominic to discuss the nature of the supernatural, disaster at sea, and human nature in the face of adversity.

Disclaimer: We had some technical issues during the recording of this episode and as such, some of the audio is of lower quality. We apologize for this and hope you enjoy the episode nonetheless.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Disclaimer

00:30 - Intro

00:45 - Meet Dominic!

07:45 - An Introduction to the Author

10:30 - Blurb

11:50 - Discussion of The Night Ship

01:25:20 - On the Next Season of the Reading Materials Podcast

01:26:15 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Emma by Jane Austen

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

How Not To Be A Boy by Robert Webb

The Epic of Gilgamesh - anonymous, the world's oldest epic found on 4,000 year old clay tablets

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Links:

Jess Kidd on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Dominic on Instagram

Reading Materials on Instagram

Published in June 2022, This Vicious Grace is the debut Y. A. Fantasy novel by Emily Thiede. Join us for our discussion of this story of good versus evil and hear our thoughts on the Chosen One, the resurrection trope and the inclusion of sex scenes in Y. A. novels.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Life Updates

01:45 - Spoiler Warning

02:20 - An Introduction to the Author

05:40 - Blurb

06:50 - Discussion of This Vicious Grace

48:40 - Spoiler Warning for A Court of Thorns and Roses

56:15 - On the Next Episode of the Reading Materials Podcast

58:35 - On the Next Season of the Reading Materials Podcast

01:00:30 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Links:

Emily Thiede on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Published in September 2020, Susanna Clarke's novel Piranesi was highly recommended to us by multiple people, so we have finally taken the jump! Join us as we explore a labyrinthine world where solitude, friendship and the nature of home and self are explored. 

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:19 - Life Updates

01:32 - Spoiler Alert

02:18 - Introduction to Susanna Clarke

07:56 - Blurb

09:00 - Discussion of Piranesi

01:16:40 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:18:35 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

Rachel's Holiday by Marianne Keyes

Links:

Matt's episode on the podcast - Convenience Store Woman

Susanna Clarke on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Published in May 2022, Holly Black's debut adult fantasy novel Book of Night introduces us to a world where shadows can become sentient. Join us for our discussion of this layered and dark story - released just in time for Halloween - as we try to untangle the complex magic-system and hear our thoughts on sisterly relationships, dodgy father figures and compelling male leads.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Life Updates

01:25 - Introduction to Holly Black

03:26 - Spoiler Alert

03:55 - Blurb

05:25 - Discussion of Book of Night

45:20 - Trigger Warning for mention of Self-Harm

01:19:40 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:20:35 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Shadowhunters series by Cassandra Clare

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Toni DiTerlizzi

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Links:

Holly Black on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Published in August 2022, Mohsin Hamid's "The Last White Man" tackles the topics of race, grief, challenging societal norms and managing major life-changing events. Join us as we wrap our head around the themes of the book, the way it is written, relationships between all the characters, and how we feel about this interesting recently published novel.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

01:18 - Spoiler Warning

02:27   - An Introduction to the Author

06:37 - Blurb

07:42 - Discussion of The Last White Man

56:11 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

57:27 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned in This Episode:

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Links:

Mohsin Hamid on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

Published in March 2022, The Bone Orchard is the debut gothic by Sara A. Mueller. Join us for our discussion of this dense novel, full of strong female characters, political intrigue, supernatural abilities, mind control and coming to terms with past traumas.

Other Books Mentioned:

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels by Philippa Gregory

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeki Emezi

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Life Updates

02:10 - Spoiler Alert

02:35 - Trigger Warnings

03:20 - An Introduction to Sara A. Mueller

04:50 - The Blurb

06:10 - A Discussion of The Bone Orchard

01:01:45 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:06:20 - Outro

Links:

Sara A. Mueller on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

Published in April 2022, 'Luxuria' by Colette Rhodes explores illicit fantasies, arranged marriage and a romance like no other in a world where the things that live in the shadows really are monsters - and they can be kinda hot. This episode is rated 18+ due to the mature nature of the content discussed.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

07:07 - An Introduction to the Author

08:00 - Spoiler Warning

08:32 - Blurb

09:33 - Discussion of Luxuria

01:01:28 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:11:45 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned in This Episode:

Passing by Nella Larsen

Luxuria by Colette Rhodes

Deceived by the Gargoyles by Lillian Lark

The Quarry Master by Amanda Milo

The Half-Orcs Maiden Bride by Ruby Dixon

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

The Bone Orchard by Sara A Mueller

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Links:

The Bibliovert Podcast

Colette Rhodes on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram (run by Lucia with minimal input from Corrie!!)

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

Published in April 2022, Emily St. John Mandel's speculative fiction novel 'Sea of Tranquility' tells a story across centuries and space. Join us as we wrap our heads around pandemics, time-travel and simulation theory.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

03:10 - Spoiler Warning

03:30 - An Introduction to the Author

08:20 - Blurb

10:00 - Discussion of Sea of Tranquility

01:11:10 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:11:45 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned in This Episode:

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

Links:

Emily St. John Mandel on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram (run by Lucia with minimal input from Corrie!!)

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

Continuing the theme of recent publications, Akwaeke Emezi's new book "You Made A Fool of Death With Your Beauty" gives us some real food for thought as we grapple with some interesting issues through the medium of a rather unexpected romance! Described on Emezi's Instagram account as "horny bisexual chaos", we certainly had some Thoughts and Feelings - join us to discover this rather unusual novel and see if you agree with our assessment!

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:18 - Life Updates

03:00 - Spoiler Warning

15:32 - The Blurb

17:02 - Discussion of You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty

48:30 - Expletive warning

01:31:05 - The Book We Will Be Reading Next Time

51:00 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Links:

Elle.com interview with the author

Akwaeke Emezi's website

Akwaeke Emezi on Goodreads

Akwaeke Emezi on Twitter

Akwaeke Emezi on Instagram

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram (run by Lucia with minimal input from Corrie!!)

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].

Emily Henry is back to open the new season with her newest hit, Book Lovers. Join us as we wax lyrical once again about her ability to write great characters, funny dialogue and to give her readers all the tropes they could ask for. In case you couldn't tell, we both loved this one.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

02:10 - Spoiler Warning

05:10 - The Blurb

05:55 - Discussion of Book Lovers

50:20 - The Book We Will Be Reading Next Time

51:00 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Beach Read by Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation / You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Links:

Emily Henry on Goodreads

Emily Henry on Instagram

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram (run by Lucia with minimal input from Corrie!!)

Thank you for listening! You can send your feedback, thoughts, questions and book recommendations to us at [email protected].