We continue our season of classics with Dodie Smith’s coming of age story ‘I Capture the Castle.’ Published in 1948, it is the most recently released book we will be covering this season. Join us to hear our thoughts on young love, marrying for money, writer’s block and romantic depictions of the British countryside.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:35 - Life Updates

02:20 - Spoiler Warning

02:45 - An Introduction to the Author

06:30 - The Blurb

07:00 - Our Discussion of I Capture the Castle

01:08:00 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:08:30 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Links:

Dodie Smith 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 reading.materials.podcast@gmail.com.

We kick off our season of classics with Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s stories ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ Join us to hear our thoughts on mad hatters, hookah-smoking caterpillars, beheadings and whether literary nonsense is anything more than just literally nonsense.

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

03:00 - Intro to Season 5

06:20 - Spoiler Warning

07:40 - An Introduction to the Author

13:00 - Blurb

13:35 - Discussion Of the Stories

01:22:45 - The Book We Will Be Discussing Next Time

01:24:40 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

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

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Emma by Jane Austen

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Links:

Lewis Carroll on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Happy New Year! 2022 went by in a blur of books - a combined 123 books, in fact. In this bonus episode we reflect on our reading journeys in 2022 and look ahead at what 2023 has in store. Join us to hear about our favourite books, characters, podcast moments and more!

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

03:10 - Our 2022 Podcast Stats

07:45 - Our 2022 Reading Goals

11:40 - Our Favourite Podcast Book of 2022

16:35 - Our top 3 Non-Podcast Books of 2022

31:10 - Our Least Favourite Podcast Book of 2022

34:00 - The Most Disappointing Podcast Books of 2022

37:45 - The Biggest Surprise (Podcast Books) of 2022

42:20 - Our Least Favourite Non-Podcast Books of 2022

52:40 - Our Favourite Podcast Moments of 2022

56:00 - Our Favourite Characters of 2022

59:25 - Our Least Favourite Book Scenes of 2022

01:01:20 - 01:02:05 - SPOILER WARNING for Ninth House / Trigger Warning for Sexual Assault of a Minor

01:03:20 - 01:03:50 - SPOILER WARNING for Book Lovers / Trigger Warning for Pregnancy Complication

01:04:10 - Our Favourite Season of 2022

01:08:25 - Our Most Anticipated New Releases in 2023

01:09:40 - Our Reading Goals for 2023

01:13:05 - Coming Up on Reading Materials in 2023

01:20:05 - Outro

01:20:30 - Blooper

Books Mentioned:

QualityLand by Mark Uwe Kling

The Night Ship by Jess Kidd

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

Emma by Jane Austen

Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Only A Monster by Vanessa Len

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

The Diamond Hunters by Wilbur Smith

Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon

Rachel's Holiday by Marianne Keyes

The Wind Singer by William Nicholson

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The Bone Orchard by Sara Mueller

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Luxuria by Colette Rhodes

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

The Half-Orc's Maiden Bride by Ruby Dixon

The Guilty Wife by Nina Manning

Sugar Daddies by Jade West

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

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

Kiss Her Once For Me by Allison Cochrun

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Happy Places by Emily Henry

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Links:

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

Published in November 2022, Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun is a queer Christmas romance full of family, snow and second chances. So pour yourself a mug of hot chocolate (or mulled wine), bite into a cookie and cosy up with us as we share our thoughts on fake dating, Christmas traditions, family dynamics and diversity in books.

Happy holidays, everyone, and as always - thank you for listening!

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:30 - Life Updates

03:40 - An Introduction to Alison Cochrun

05:35 - Spoiler Warning

06:10 - Blurb

09:15 - Our Discussion of Kiss Her Once For Me

01:36:10 - Outro

Other Books Mentioned:

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Links:

Alison Cochrun on Goodreads

Alison Cochrun on Instagram

Reading Materials on Goodreads

Lucia on Goodreads

Corrie on Goodreads

Reading Materials on Instagram

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 reading.materials.podcast@gmail.com.

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 reading.materials.podcast@gmail.com.