Reading Materials

We’re back in historical fiction territory with A Death at Fountains Abbey by Antonia Hodgson. In this episode, we discuss whodunnits, visualising Victorian settings (badly), and whether a good murder mystery can survive murky descriptions.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 Intro

00:35 Life Updates

02:05 An introduction to the author

06:25 A Discussion of A Death at Fountains Abbey

53:40 The book we will be discussing next episode

56:40 Outro

Other Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith

Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown

Hour Game by David Baldacci

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

This week we dive into The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, a dark, folktale-laced coming-of-age story full of gruesome imagery and haunting twists. We unpack the horror, the heart, and ask: who exactly was this written for?

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 Intro

00:35 Quick Life Updates

03:05 A Discussion of The Book of Lost Things

19:50-21:20 TRIGGER WARNING (Pedophilia / Bestiality / Rape)

47:10 The Book We Will be Discussing Next Time

50:25 Outro

Other Books Mentioned in this Episode:

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Black Angel by John Connolly

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob Grimm

This week, we reflect on The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri—a moving story of displacement, loss, and resilience. We talk about the emotional weight of grief, the symbolism of bees, and what it means to find hope when everything familiar is gone.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 Intro

00:32 Life Updates

01:55 An Introduction to the Author

09:15 A Discussion of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

49:40 The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Episode

51:12 Outro

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Other Podcasts Mentioned in this episode:

Mostly Books Meets...

In this episode, we hop between Red, Grey, and White London with A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Expect talk of magic systems, iconic coats, snarky heroines, and the universal importance of a good pub. Spoiler: we have opinions.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 Intro

00:40 - Life Updates

03:15 - Revisiting Foundation

04:45 - Corrections

05:50 - A Discussion of A Darker Shade of Magic

16:55-19:10 - Trigger Warning: Self Harm

01:00:10 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Episode

01:02:15 - Outro

Other Works Mentioned in this Episode:

Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil by Christopher Brookmyre

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Links:

V. E. Schwab on Instagram

V. E. Schwab on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

We’re blasting off to the far future with Foundation by Isaac Asimov—but not without a few bumps in the time-space continuum. In this episode, we talk about the big ideas that made this sci-fi classic so influential, our confusion over the missing plot, and the severe shortage of female characters. Also… where exactly is the science?

Episode Time Points:

00:00 - Intro

00:31 - Life Updates

03:19 - A Discussion of Foundation

46:30 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Episode

50:23 - Outro

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

The Martian by Andy Weir

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

1984 by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Other works mentioned in this episode:

TV - Firefly, Stargate

Film - Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther

Other podcasts mentioned in this episode:

Hello Internet

Step through the magical doors with us in The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. We chat about villains who steal the show, friendships flirting with romance, and whether there’s such a thing as too much description (spoiler: maybe).

Episode Time Points:

00:00 Intro

00:25 Our Thoughts on the Normal People TV Adaptation

03:40 A Discussion of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

53:35 The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Episode

56:30 Outro

Other Works Mentioned:

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Normal People by Sally Rooney

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

In this episode, we ditch our usual fantasy escapes to dive into Sally Rooney’s Normal People and quickly get hung up on the missing quotation marks and Connell and Marianne’s epic communication fails. Plus, we compare their uni drama to our own awkward college days. Grab your coffee and join us for some real talk and bookish laughs.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 Intro

00:40 An Introduction to the Dwarves

02:40 Hopes for the Next Court of Thorns and Roses Books

09:25 A Discussion of Normal People

46:00 A Discussion of Adaptations

58:55 A Question for our Listeners

01:00:00 Outro

Other works mentioned in this episode:

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts by J. K. Rowling

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

We dive headfirst into the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, where fairytale retellings get a dark, steamy twist. From beastly beginnings to battles with inner demons, we unpack how Sarah J. Maas weaves in trauma, recovery, and romance with wingspan-level drama.

Warnings: mild swearing; discussion of misogyny / rape / female genital mutilation / difficult pregnancy and labour / depression / suicidal thoughts 

Episode Timepoints: 

00:00 - Intro 

02:42 - Our Hogwarts Houses 

04:26 - A Discussion of A Court of Thorns and Roses 

17:55 to 18:30 - TW: misogyny, difficult pregnancy and labour 

21:10 to 21:40 - TW: death of a family member 

24:00 to 25:20 - TW: difficult pregnancy and labour, gruesome detail 

31:07 to 32:12 - TW: depression, suicidal thoughts 

36:42 to 38:15 - TW: misogyny, rape 

38:15 to 40:20 - TW: female genital mutilation 

01:00:20 - A Question for our Listeners 

01:01:46 - Outro 

Other Books Mentioned:

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Normal People by Sally Rooney

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm

Hades and Persephone by the mists of time and Greek mythology

Tam Lin - Scottish traditional ballad

Other Podcasts mentioned:

The Bibliovert Podcast

Links:

ACOTAR fandom

Valheim

Sarah J. Maas on Instagram

Sarah J. Maas on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

We’re kicking off the podcast with a trip to Hogwarts—and down memory lane. In this episode, we revisit the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the magical books that sparked our university friendship. We share our favourite characters (spoiler: it’s not who you think), and chat about why Stephen Fry’s audiobook narration still feels like home.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

02:00 - Personal Introductions

10:00 - Our Reading Habits

21:20 - A Discussion of Harry Potter

52:40 - A Question for our Listeners

54:40 - Outro

Other works mentioned in this episode -

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Other podcasts mentioned -

The Legendarium Podcast

Normal Not Normal

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

You can also find us on Instagram as @readingmaterialspod.

We will be publishing the first episode of the Reading Materials podcast on the 3rd of May 2021. Here’s a little taster of what you can expect from the Harry Potter and the Pilot Episode.

Website: www.anchor.fm/reading-materialsInstagram: @readingmaterialspodFacebook: Reading MaterialsTwitter: @readingmat