You may not be interested in the horror genre, but you still might enjoy Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Carl Sederholm—the best apologist I've heard for why horror can be such an insightful and meaningful genre. For one, it trusts young protagonists with frightening "adult" problems. It also explores the fears we keep tucked in our subconscious, giving us a safe space to confront them. And sometimes, it even provides a strange kind of anxiety relief by letting us see that someone else's day is going much worse than our own.

In this book, nine-year-old Tricia becomes lost in the woods of Maine, tormented by mosquitoes, spooked by mangled deer heads, and ultimately confronted by the bear of her nightmares, the "God of the Lost." Facing what seem like impossible hurdles, Tricia survives in part because of her unwavering admiration for her baseball hero, Tom Gordon. His God becomes the one she believes can carry her through.

And even if the book isn't always enjoyable, the ending is the icing on an otherwise unsavory cake. But you have to make the survival trek to appreciate it. In my opinion, it's totally worth it.

Today we're diving into Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety, a novel that captures the rare, sustaining friendships between two couples, Sid and Charity Lang, and Larry and Sally Morgan. Though set in Wisconsin during the depression era, the story feels surprisingly relevant. Stegner shows how the right people at the right moments can steady us, shelter us, and make us grateful for the friendships that have become our own crossings to safety. It's beautifully written and tastes like comfort food in literary format.

We're joined by fellow book-clubber Amanda Frost, who recommended this novel and will help us explore why it remains essential reading, especially as we drift deeper into a world where genuine connection can feel increasingly scarce amid all the noise of AI and social media.

Would you like to escape into a companion story to Pride and Prejudice? Look no further than Janice Hadlow's wonderful novel The Other Bennet Sister. Hadlow masterfully gives new life and direction to Mary Bennet — the often-overlooked sister originally written as a figure of ridicule. We talk about how Mary develops as a character and eventually finds love.

We're joined by author and Austen expert Paula Byrne, whose insights into Austen's world help us explore how Hadlow skillfully weaves together threads from Pride and Prejudice and early 19th-century society to create a fresh, moving portrait of what it meant to be "plain" and without prospects, and how (like it or not) we are all a little like Mary.

To learn more about Paula Byrne and her work, visit paulabyrne.com.

This book club chat is truly monumental. We had the privilege of hearing from author and legend Orson Scott Card, whose contributions to the world of science fiction are nothing short of brilliant. I was moved to tears as he spoke about how many individuals from his own life are woven into his fiction. While he cannot heal them in real life, he finds a way to heal them and offer redemption through his literature.

Join us as we discuss the qualities of empathy and kindness, how humanity might respond to an alien invasion, the dramas that unfold within families and marriages, and the uncomfortable truths that sometimes go unspoken at funerals.

If you haven't yet read Speaker for the Dead, please do. This book still carries remarkable healing power and feels profoundly relevant today.

In this book club chat, we explore Greek Mythology through the story of the witch Circe. Madeline Miller has offered us a beautiful retelling of a character who may have been dismissed as terrible and without feeling. She revives her into a character who draws deep sympathy as she grapples with loneliness and isolation after being cast away to the island of Aiaia. We also discuss how this novel—much like Soldier Sailor—portrays the challenges that can accompany motherhood.

Circe unfolds with the energy of an adventure story. For those well-versed in Greek myths, it feels like a return to familiar ground; for others, it reads like an exciting new tale. Either way, the novel is beautifully woven together, much like the tapestries Circe creates at her loom—works of art that symbolize her resilience, her storytelling, and the power of work as a means to create and move through difficulty. Also if you've been waiting for us to choose a book that ends happily, this might be the book for you!

Come join us for a good laugh and a good cry as we explore the joys and pitfalls of mothering. This conversation centers on Soldier Sailor, a novel by Claire Kilroy. Whether you're a mother yourself or simply want to understand the world of mothering more intimately, this book offers a powerful window into that experience and makes you feel all the feels.

The story focuses on Sailor, the child around whom the mother's world revolves. Though the mother is never named, you may see yourself in her, because she is every mother. This novel is a beautiful way to revisit the immense love you felt for a newborn child and to therapeutically reflect on those sleepless nights, seeing yourself and your partner with perhaps a little more compassion, or a little more judgment — or maybe a bit of both.

Soldier Sailor is highly accessible and can be read in a single sitting. It's Irish, it's moving, and it's a story you're going to need to talk about once you've finished.

Let's just start off by saying we love Thomas Hardy with an ardent fervor. The man can write landscapes that are at once transportive and captivating. Join us for this book club chat as we talk about Return of the Native with Hardy expert, and former BYU professor John Bennion. We discuss the role the landscape plays, how it can entrap the characters, or assist them, depending on how you look at it. We will talk about Hardy's tendancy to write with a fatalistic tone. We discuss the question of love, its many varieties, and whether one has choice or if one is fated. We delve into the character traits and flaws of Eustacia Vye, and discuss the ways in which Hardy breaks tradition in writing female characters that are anything but stereotypical. We are also on site in England for a blip of this podcast as we capture in real time the beauties of the british moors and tors.

Have you ever been hounded to continue writing books? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has! In fact, were it not for his ardent fans, we wouldn't have as many Sherlock Holmes books as we do currently. In this book club chat, we'll talk about Doyle's use of landscape to add ambiance and mystery to this novel that is at once a detective story, a horror, and a gothic tale. We discuss how the book, though known as a Sherlock book, has more Watson than anyone else. We talk about why this duo is so likable, and why Sherlock has continued in such popularity in retellings and reimaginings today. This book is highly accessible, so if you've never read a Sherlock story, definitely start with The Hound of the Baskervilles. The pacing and mystery will suck you right in. Just try not to lose a shoe in a bog while you're at it.

In this episode, you'll discover why The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green resonates so deeply with readers. Through a series of insightful, nostalgic, and often hilarious essays, Green reviews everything from Halley's Comet and Diet Dr Pepper to scratch-and-sniff stickers and Liverpool soccer games. His reflections turn the ordinary into something extraordinary, offering moments of humor, heartbreak, and wonder. He wrote during the covid pandemic and makes you appreciate newly the challenges of connecting with others during times of separation.

We discuss the essays we might write to review our own lives—the fleeting experiences, vivid memories, and quiet moments that have shaped our world. Green's unique format invites you to do just that: to pause, reflect, and assign meaning to what might otherwise go unnoticed.

The Anthropocene Reviewed is a book that makes you laugh out loud and, at times, cry. It's a tender, funny, and profoundly human read—one that stays with you long after the last page. If you haven't picked it up yet, this episode might be just the push you need.

Have you ever met a female commercial pilot? It's a rare experience and one that we were able to have as we discussed Beryl Markham's memoir West With the Night, with special guest and pilot Lola Reid Allin.

In this episode of Reality Raincheck, we take to the skies with two extraordinary aviators—one from history and one from our own time. We dive into West with the Night, Beryl Markham's lyrical memoir of pioneering aviation and life in colonial Africa, and discuss its striking omissions—what she chose to include, and what she left out. Markham, the first person to fly solo east to west across the Atlantic, offers a poetic yet enigmatic account of her adventures, raising questions about authorship, past lovers, and the untold stories behind her words.

Joining us is our special guest, pilot and author Lola Reid Allin, whose memoir Highway to the Sky captures the exhilaration and solitude of flying, as well as the resilience required to carve out a space in a male-dominated industry. Through her firsthand experiences as a pilot, she offers insight into what Markham's airborne freedom might have truly felt like—the mix of precision, fear, and sheer wonder that comes with being alone in the cockpit. But beyond the thrill of flight, Lola's story is one of perseverance against incredible odds. She not only broke barriers in aviation but also overcame the personal struggles of an abusive first marriage, finding her own path to independence and strength in the skies.

Lola's journey underscores the importance of representation in aviation and her mission to serve as the role model she never had, inspiring young women to see themselves in the cockpit. Together, we explore the narrative gaps in Markham's memoir, and the timeless allure of flight as both a literal and literary journey. Strap in for a discussion where history, adventure, and personal experience converge at cruising altitude.