Talk Booky To Me

We, Felicia and Aaron, set out this month to determine if water is actually wet. So far...we have no idea. Actually, we might be farther from an answer than before because we took a major detour to determine if we still love comic books. Join us in this very odd episode where we do not dedicate more than ten minutes to a traditional novel. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman demanded our attention, and we decided to heed the call. We start with some monumental sci-fi books and a banned Stephen King collection in news before moving to our conversations on the gritty and dark new take on classic DC heroes. The episode rounds off with a quick round of water recommendations to salvage our theme for the month, and we share some interesting literary facts. It may be a different take on the podcast, but it's the same amount of fun. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.

Upcoming Episode:

July 22nd - 100th Episode Quiz Two (Aaron Quizzes Felicia)

Books Discussed at Length:

Dungeons and Dragons: At the Spine of the World - A.J. Mendez Brooks; Aimee Garcia; Martin Coccolo

Absolute Wonder Woman (Volumes One and Two) - Kelly Thompson; Hayden Sherman; Mattia de Luis

Absolute Batman (Volumes One and Two) - Scott Snyder; Nick Dragotta; Gabriel Hernandez Walta

Absolute Superman (Volume One) - Jason Aaron; Rafa Sandoval; Carmine Di Giandomenico

DC/RWBY (Volume One) - Marguerite Bennett; Soo Lee; Meghan Hetrick

Dark Knights of Steel (Volume One) - Tom Taylor; Yasmine Putri; Bengal

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia (Volume One) - Gabriel Hardman

News:

Felicia - https://bookriot.com/best-science-fiction-books-of-the-century-so-far/ 

Aaron - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/15/utah-bans-stephen-king-book-public-schools#:~:text=A%20collection%20of%20Stephen%20King,banned%20from%20Utah%20public%20schools. 

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

Talk Booky is turning 100! Sort of. We, Felicia and Aaron, recently made our 100th regular episode of the podcast, and we felt the need to celebrate. This is the first of our two-part quiz where Felicia tests Aaron's knowledge on literature he loves, knows, and...sort of heard of. It's a fun game to play along with, and we appreciate you for joining us. You can reach us at the outlets below.

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

There are so many big questions to be solved in this universe. What is the meaning of life? If you are born on the extra day during a leap year, do you still age? Should breakfast be served for dinner? These are too much for this little podcast, so, this month, we decided to figure out if water is wet. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we introduce this new theme and exchange books that help build a TBR all about water, cover some news on AI literature and first editions, give some listener recommendations, and end with fun facts to ponder as you wait for our next episode. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below!

Upcoming Episodes:

July 8th - 100th Episode Quiz One (Felicia Quizzes Aaron)

July 22nd - 100th Episode Quiz Two (Aaron Quizzes Felicia)

Listener Recommends:

Secret Book of Flora Lea - Patti Callahan Henry

The Night We Lost Him - Laura Dave

James - Percival Everett

The Frozen River - Ariel Lawhon

News:

Felicia - https://apnews.com/article/wuthering-heights-rare-first-edition-auction-a33ee00f91bbe471dc0d8c5905bc8ad1 

Aaron - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/01/judges-claims-ai-use-commonwealth-short-story-prize-jamir-nazir#:~:text=A%20story%20widely%20accused%20on,obvious%20markers%E2%80%9D%20of%20AI%20use. 

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

Many movies, comics, and (obviously) books later, we are finally through adaptation month. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we hold final discussions on the books from June, including a weirdly similar narrative about ancient creatures being revived and a very straight-forward take on classic fantasy. We also share a few articles full of book recommendations, dish out superlatives for the month, and end with some quick literary facts that are sure to spark discussion. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.

Books Discussed at Length:

The Great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly

The Ultimates - Mark Millar

Once and Future - Kieron Gillen

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Graphic Novel) - Tevagah, Matt Dinniman, and Laurel Pursuit Studios

The Crystal Shard - R.A. Salvatore

Yesteryear - Cara Claire Burke

News and Links:

Felicia - https://collider.com/great-movies-bad-adaptations/ 

Aaron - https://bookriot.com/non-romantic-cozy-fantasy-books/ 

Key Collector Comics - https://www.keycollectorcomics.com/ 

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron 

Ages ago (about 165 million years ago), in a world much like our own (exactly like our own), dinosaurs (not dragons) roamed. Eventually, a great ball of hot rock (a meteor) fell from the heavens (the sky) and killed them all. Skip ahead to the 1990s, and they were resurrected in literature by Michael Crichton and on film by Steven Spielberg. Skip even further, to today, and they were resurrected again in this very podcast by Felicia! Join her and her cohost, Aaron, as we explore the fascinating world of Jurassic Park. Felicia goes beyond the novel and film that started the dino craze by examining some critical literature, a podcast, and a dragon (not dinosaurs - he insists) inspired novel. It's a fantastic discussion about the wonders of our giant, bird/lizard friends that is sure to spark your interest in diving into the expanded media of the classic blockbuster - Jurassic Park. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below. 

Works Discussed at Length:

Jurassic Park (Novel) - Michael Crichton

Jurassic Park (Film) - Steven Spielberg (Director)

What Went Wrong (Podcast) - "Jurassic Park" - https://shows.acast.com/what-went-wrong1/episodes/690bb0e3d4fac9e84b137ea4 

Clever Girl: Jurassic Park - Hannah McGregor

The Great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

The only feeling that comes close to the satisfaction of finishing a great book is walking out of a movie theatre, through the sticky floors with a stomach cramps brough on by artificial butter, after seeing a new Summer blockbuster. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, in this episode as we try to capture the feeling of both in audio format. We start with a few articles on Summer book recommendations and how to read more of them before moving to our purchases and TBR progress. So far, we have read about dinosaurs, dragons that are basically dinosaurs, murderous clowns, sad men in cars, and founding fathers. Seeing all of that together makes me realize this may be the strangest combination of literature I've seen in one hour-long podcast. Anyway, we wrap up with rapid recommendations for adapted reads and some random recommendations for when you inevitably need a break from the page. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below!

Upcoming Episode:

Talk Booky: Exploration - Jurassic Park (Releasing 6/22/26)

Books Discussed at Length:

Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton

The Great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly

Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow

Clown in a Cornfield - Adam Cesare

James - Percival Everett

Uncle Vanya - Anton Checkhov

Men Without Women - Haruki Murakami

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

The Crystal Shard - R.A. Salvatore

News:

Felicia - https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/books/features/books-what-to-read-summer-new-releases-b2994764.html 

Aaron - https://www.npr.org/2026/06/12/nx-s1-5856397/how-to-read-more-this-summer 

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

Time for a trip. This bonus episode of the Talk Booky to Me podcast is the first in our Exploration series in which we, Felicia and Aaron, will take extensive, exploratory looks at pieces of literature, stories, literary concepts, ideas, and so much more. This first episode is spearheaded by Aaron and covers Haruki Murakami's "Drive My Car," along with the adapted film of the same name from 2021. To get the full picture, we also discuss two more short stories from Murakami's collection and Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." It's a long, spoiler-filled discussion that will hopefully spark some interest and further explorations of this fascinating story about loss, grief, and what it takes to face a world full of pain and struggle. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.

Works Discussed at Length:

"Drive My Car" - Haruki Murakami

"Scheherazade" - Haruki Murakami

"Kino" - Haruki Murakami

"Uncle Vanya" - Anton Chekhov - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1756/1756-h/1756-h.htm 

Drive My Car - Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Director)

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

The June heatwaves send people flocking indoors for A/C and good movies, so we, Felicia and Aaron, decided to get ahead of Blockbuster season by focusing on literary adaptations. Join us on this episode as we cover some news on adaptations to stream this month, exchange books and build a TBR around the theme, introduce a new "deep dive" project, and end with a question about transitioning shows to movies and movies to shows. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.

News:

Aaron - https://lithub.com/the-literary-film-tv-you-need-to-stream-in-june-2/ 

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron  

This is a big one. Normally, Talk Booky uses this time to celebrate our reading goals for the month, but a spur-of-the-moment trip to the book fair changed everything. Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we recap our time meeting dozens of independent authors and spending far too much money on their books (they were very affordable; we just bought a lot) at the Front Paige Media Book Fair. Then, we recap some books we purchased and gifted before actually discussing what we read and give some superlatives. This month's reading is certainly varied. Felicia focused on a gory D&D campaign, one of the most heart-wrenching stories of family trauma, and a detective for...food? Meanwhile, Aaron was distracted by a twisted thriller of conmen and cheaters with a quick detour down the Mississippi river. The whole show wraps up with some predictions for future favorite reads, and we say goodbye to May and all of the hectic literary adventures it brought us. Thank you for listening, and you can reach us at the outlets below.

Independent Authors of Note:

Carter Pugh - https://www.carterpughwrites.com/ 

Madeline Butler - https://www.instagram.com/authormadelinebutler/ 

Jeanne Rietzke - https://www.instagram.com/painted_by_hand_ilm/ 

Kris Wood - https://www.instagram.com/kriswood_novels/ 

G.E. Strohl - https://gestrohl.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqSF4EYHZ4SYY0WdVUfdHrIgqfMIlA5IVg5ysXr6IWSIQdpSNAq 

Haley Davis - https://www.instagram.com/authorhaleydavis/ 

Lyndsay Marie - https://www.authorlyndsaymarie.com/ 

R.D. Moreno - https://www.rdmorenoauthor.com/ 

Emily Antoinette - https://emilyantoinette.com/ 

Ariella Monti - https://ariellamonti.com/ 

Christopher P. Beckman - https://www.instagram.com/christopher.p.beckman_author/ 

Jessica Sherry - https://www.jessicasherry.com/ 

Lesley Camphouse - https://www.instagram.com/authorlacamphouse/ 

Maxamillion Moon - https://www.instagram.com/maxamillionmoon/ 

Sloane Sabel - https://sloanesabel.com/ 

Cori Nevruz - https://www.instagram.com/coriwroteabook/ 

Brian Clopper - https://www.brianclopper.com/ 

Cassie Swindon - https://www.instagram.com/cassie_swindon_author/ 

L. Ballew - https://www.instagram.com/lballewwrites/ 

Ashley Adams - https://www.indieauthorcollective.com/authors/ashley-adams 

A.L. Sterling - https://www.alsterlingauthor.com/ 

Brian Hester and Barbara Beam - https://www.shetalkstofish.com/ 

Books Discussed at Length:

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop - Takuya Asakura

Black Girl Unlimited - Echo Brown

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year - Ally Carter

Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare

Roll for Initiative - Lesley Camphouse

Kamogawa Food Detectives - Hisashi Kashiwai

Confessions on the 7:45 - Lisa Unger

James - Percival Everett

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron 

Two weeks later, and we are no closer to solving the mystery of endless TBR, but we will not give up! Join us, Felicia and Aaron, as we open with some news on book (and comic) recommendations before moving to the real case-of-the-week. Felicia investigated a few classics to see if Robert Jordan or old Bill Shakespeare may have a lead while Aaron travelled from Japan to the deep South and back to Europe, but...it's inconclusive. The trail went cold. Luckily, we are no strangers to cold cases. We end the episode with a discussion about telling versus showing in modern stories to give us a break, but we will be back on the hunt soon! Contact us at the links below, and thank you for listening!

Books Discussed at Length:

Eye of the World - Robert Jordan

Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare

The Ten Loves of Nishino - Hiromi Kawakami and translated by Allison Powell

King of Ashes - S.A. Cosby

James - Percival Everett

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year - Ally Carter

News:

Felicia - https://bookriot.com/best-comic-books-of-the-century-so-far/ 

Aaron - https://booktrib.com/2026/05/15/8-summer-reads-about-friends-bonding-over-a-pact/ 

Contact:

Email - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/

Felicia's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10748838-felicia

Aaron's GoodRead's - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27722090-aaron