The Currently Reading Podcast

The Currently Reading Podcast

By Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee CobbSociety & CultureArtsBooks
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    on Books

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    388

    Followers

  • Typical duration

    57 min

    per episode

  • If it hooks

    43%

    finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

The Currently Reading Podcast episodes

  • Season 6, Episode 34: Comfort Listening + A No Prep Episode

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: more efficient book signings and reading when we need to recharge

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: an unofficial deep dive into no prep episodes

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

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    :10 Bite Size Intro

    1:49 - Currently Reading Patreon

    5:10 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    9:43 - Our Current Reads

    12:19 - Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor (Meredith)

    12:54 - From the Front Porch podcast

    18:12 - Better the Blood by Michael Bennett

    19:21 - Family Family by Laurie Frankel (Kaytee)

    19:56 - This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

    25:00 - One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

    25:42 - Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf (Meredith)

    27:15 - The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

    30:53 - CR Season 4: Episode 30 (about one-night stand books)

    31:29 - Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (Kaytee)

    31:54 - Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

    35:13 - libro.fm

    37:38 - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (Meredith)

    44:02 - Evil Eye by Etaf Rum (Kaytee)

    44:14 - A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

    51:58 - Deep Dive: Talking Through Our Off The Cuff Episode

    56:37 - Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

    56:38 - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

    59:15 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    1:01:26 - I wish everyone would try doing summarizing thoughts immediately after reading a book in some way shape or form. (Meredith)

    1:01:58 - I wish for a book recommendation on call service. (Kaytee)

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April's IPL comes to us from A Room Of One's Own in Madison Wisconsin!

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    1 hr 7 min
  • Season 6, Episode 33: Crumble and Chronicles + Changes In Our Reading Lives Over Time

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Roxanna are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: pastries while reading and huge bookish hangovers

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: the ways our reading lives and changed and expanded over time

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

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    1:32 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    3:11 - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

    4:45 - All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Releases June 25, 2024)

    7:30 - Our Current Reads

    7:36 - The Night Raven by Johan Rundberg (Roxanna)

    14:09 - The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson (Meredith)

    18:09 - The Fact of a Body by Alexandra Marzano-Lesnevich

    21:54 - Burning Roses by S.L. Huang (Roxanna)

    22:51 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

    26:06 - Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (Meredith)

    27:14 - Caraval by Stephanie Garber

    31:22 - In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado (Roxanna)

    31:51 - Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

    31:54 - Finding Me by Viola Davis

    36:23 - Better the Blood by Michael Bennett (Meredith)

    41:24 - Deep Dive: Changes In Our Reading Lives Over Time

    47:27 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

    48:07 - City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

    49:55 - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

    50:39 - 10 Things To Tell You podcast w/ Sara Hildreth

    50:42 - @fictionmatters on Instagram

    53:36 - Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

    53:45 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

    55:48 - Burning Roses by S.L. Huang

    58:55 - A Dead Djinn In Cairo by P. Djeli Clark

    1:00:32 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    1:00:45- I wish everyone knows about shepherd.com (Roxanna)

    1:00:52 - Strong Sense of Place podcast

    1:01:17 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

    1:03:19 - Shogun by James Clavell

    1:03:28 - CR Season 1: Episode 14

    1:04:45 - I wish more people would read Shogun. (Meredith)

    1:05:18 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to us from our Anchor store An Unlikely Story!

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    1 hr 7 min
  • A Journey to Three Pines - Episode 5: A Brutal Telling

    We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book before listening to the episode.

    As you've come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.

    Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

    3:45 - Putting the Book Into Context

    The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

    Published Sept. 29, 2009 by Minotaur Books

    4.20 rating on Goodreads

    Seasonal setting - Autum

    Book Awards: Anthony Award for Best Novel in 2010

    Critic Reviews

    Meredith's and Roxanna's encounters with the book

    Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

    10:50 - The Setup

    16:22 - A Deeper Exploration

    Setup and first paragraph

    First paragraph hooks the reader so completely

    Reminds Meredith of the Vera series by Ann Cleeves

    The pacing of the novel

    The deliberate pulling away from the "quaint village mystery"

    Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

    Quality of writing itself - if it could be written as a whole series in today's publishing

    Themes: human behavior, conscience, Thoreau's Walden, contentment, fathers

    p.172 quote about conscience

    p. 298 quote about happiness

    p.175 quote about Walden

    P. 495 quote about fear and contentment

    The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

    Side plot with Jean-Guy and the notes left by Ruth Zardo

    The Oddness Factor (is usually in superlatives but gets talked about early in this episode!)

    The Ending

    1:15:31 - Superlatives

    Biggest Flaw

    Character MVP

    p. 403

    Favorite Character

    Biggest loser

    Best food description

    Fear Factor

    1:29:47 - Within the Series

    Is this book skippable?

    Favorite Quote (gets asked after the skippable portion so I added it here for time stamp sake)

    1:34:08 - SPOILERS AHEAD HERE

    Next episode's read: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought to you by our anchor store, An Unlikely Story.

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Roxanna | Kaytee

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    1 hr 39 min
  • Season 6, Episode 32: Book Signings + Revisiting What Is Working and Not Working In Our Reading Lives

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: book signings and reading retreats

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: revisiting what is working and what isn't working in our current reading lives

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

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    1:23 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    2:45 - CR Season 5: Episode 37

    4:17 - An Unlikely Story bookshop

    4:45 - Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

    6:20 - Our Current Reads

    6:51 - One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall (Meredith)

    12:21 - My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson (Kaytee)

    12:26 - The Friend by Dorothy Koomson (amazon link)

    15:23 - Blackwell's

    16:33 - The Golden Gate by Amy Chua (Meredith)

    18:15 - The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (Penguin Random House link)

    21:42 - @pieladybooks on Instagram

    22:43 - A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (Kaytee)

    25:48 - The Deep by River Solomon

    25:51 - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

    25:53 - Sing Me To Sleep by Gabi Burton

    27:17 - Near the Bone by Christina Henry (Meredith)

    28:54 - @mother.horror on Instagram

    32:10 - No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (Kaytee)

    35:50 - Deep Dive: Revisiting What Is Working and Not Working In Our Reading Lives

    44:06 - Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan

    44:18 - @thewilltoread on Instagram

    57:14 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    57:27 - I wish if you buddy read, find a reader who reads in different genres than you do. (Meredith)

    59:32 - I wish to implement SSR in my home. (Kaytee)

    1:00:05 - @books.are.word.tacos on Instagram

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to us from our Anchor store An Unlikely Story!

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    1 hr 4 min
  • Season 6, Episode 31: Puzzle Competitions + Kaytee and Meredith's Bookish Retreat

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: puzzle competitions and a new to Meredith podcast

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: a recap of Kaytee and Meredith's annual CR get together

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

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    :10 Bite Size Intro

    2:33 - Currently Reading Patreon

    4:09 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    5:02 - Puzzle Board (Amazon link for something similar, the Aldi one does not have an online link)

    6:19 - Talking Scared podcast

    7:23 - Talking Scared Ep. 176

    8:43 - Our Current Reads

    8:53 - Love in Color by Bolu Babalola (Kaytee)

    10:35 - Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola

    12:19 - No Way Out by Cara Hunter (Meredith, DI Adam Foley #3)

    13:50 - Close to Home by Cara Hunter (Blackwell's link)

    16:59 - Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (Kaytee)

    19:51 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

    22:00 - A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke (Meredith)

    23:51 - The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

    23:56 - The Nesting by C.J. Cooke

    24:06 - I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

    24:08 - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

    27:16 - I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong (Kaytee)

    27:26 - An Immense World by Ed Yong

    27:55 - Let Kaytee know if you have a copy of It's Not Exactly Rocket Science by Ed Yong!

    33:28 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (Meredith)

    35:08 - The Appeal by Janice Hallett

    41:17 - Deep Dive: Kaytee and Meredith's Bookish Retreat

    46:12 - The King's English Bookshop

    48:12 - Brady @booksbybrady on Instagram

    49:00 - Currently Reading Patreon

    53:08 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    53:14 - I wish that we could visit every Indie Press List bookstore in person, or even every potential IPL bookstore. (Kaytee)

    54:53 - I co-sign a bookish friend's wish for a movie theater, but make it silent reading with snacks. (Meredith, thanks Julie Myers for the wish!)

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to us from our Anchor store An Unlikely Story!

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    1 hr
  • Season 6, Episode 30: Roxanna and Mary Take Over + Tropes They Want To See More Of

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Roxanna and Mary are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: teaching littles to read and a book press

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: tropes Roxanna and Mary want to see MORE of in their reading

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

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    2:09 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    2:25 - Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann

    4:02 - The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kyriacou (Blackwell's hardcover link, releases in paperback in the US October 8, 2024. If you want to wait for the paperback you can pre-order HERE)

    5:51 - Our Current Reads

    5:56 - Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Mary)

    6:08 - Waterstone's

    10:14 - The Undertaking of Heart and Mercy by Megan Bannen (Roxanna)

    11:02 - Under The Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

    14:12 - A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter (Mary)

    17:46 - Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (Roxanna)

    17:54 - Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

    21:20 - Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

    21:30 - How To Walk Away by Katherine Center

    23:16 - The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

    24:30 - @katherinecenter on Instagram

    24:36 - The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow (Mary, Amazon link)

    27:46 - It's Easier Than You Think by Sylvia Boorstein (Roxanna)

    27:57 - Mary and Roxanna's Top Ten Reads of 2023 episode

    33:52 - Deep Dive: Bookish Tropes We Want More Of

    36:30 - Small Change by Roan Parrish

    36:41 - Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes

    38:03 - Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

    38:16 - Mary's Instagram (Holiday Romance is under her "Books Vol. 6" highlight)

    39:54 - The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

    40:25 - Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

    42:58 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

    43:05 - Hench by Natalize Zina Walschots

    43:13 - Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

    44:17 - The Change by Kirsten Miller

    46:01 - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

    47:01 - The Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White (Sinister Summer #1)

    47:07 - The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

    49:31 - Happily Ever Ninja by Penny Reid

    50:54 - Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather

    51:35 - Search by Michelle Huneven

    51:43 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

    52:36 - Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

    52:38 - Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

    54:54 - The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

    55:30 - Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

    57:07 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    57:12 - I wish to motivate listeners to spend time with their physical TBR and plan reads or cull books. (Mary)

    59:35 - I wish to press Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski. (Roxanna)

    59:46 - Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

    1:02:18 - Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to us from our Anchor store An Unlikely Story!

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    1 hr 4 min
  • Season 6, Episode 29: Potty Adventures + All Things Bookish Villains

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: bookish festival meetups and poop books for potty training

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: answering questions about our thoughts on bookish villains

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

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    2:56 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    3:13 - The Tucson Festival of Books

    Please RSVP to [email protected] if you're going to come Saturday, March 9!

    5:52 - Everybody Poops by Justine Avery

    5:58 - Potty by Leslie Patricelli

    6:17 - Poopasaurus by Plum Coconut (Amazon link)

    6:18 - Dino Potty by Sara Conway

    6:33 - P is for Potty by Naomi Kleinberg

    6:35 - The New Potty by Mercer Mayer (Amazon link)

    6:58 - It Hurts When I Poop! by Howard J. Bennett

    7:05 - Bunny's Big Problem by Simone Majetich (Amazon link)

    7:37 - Poop There It Is by Little Hippo Books (Amazon link)

    10:08 - Our Current Reads

    10:22 - Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills (Kaytee)

    10:29 - The Novel Neighbor

    10:42 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

    13:18 - The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (Meredith)

    15:25 - The Nowhere Bookshop

    17:34 - The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

    16:36 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi

    19:05 - Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz

    20:25 - My Friend the Octopus by Lindsay Galvin (Kaytee, Blackwell's UK link)

    23:23 - The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman (Meredith)

    29:24 - Libro.fm

    30:17 - Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina (Kaytee)

    30:24 - Capital Books on K

    32:02 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson

    32:32 - Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina

    33:19 - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara (Meredith)

    34:43 - Currently Reading Patreon

    34:50 - Fabled Bookshop

    36:55 - I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

    36:57 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips

    37:23 - All Things Bookish Villains

    40:25 - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

    42:02 - East of Eden by John Steinbeck

    42:56 - The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

    43:42 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

    44:31 - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

    45:06 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

    45:08 - The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein

    45:24 - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

    48:12 - A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

    48:58 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

    50:21 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

    51:00 - Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

    51:38 - Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

    53:11 - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

    54:12 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    54:20 - I wish to press How the Word Is Passed by Cint Smith into listeners' hands. (Kaytee)

    54:21 - How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith

    56:03 - I wish listeners would stop using the Patreon app to listen to our content and add patreon to wherever they listen to other podcasts. (Meredith)

    57:02 - Check our Instagram @currentlyreadingpodcast for the video instructions to add Patreon to your podcast feed.

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL is brought to you by Booktenders in Huntington, West Virginia.

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    1 hr
  • Popcorn in the Pages - Episode 5: The Color Purple

    Welcome, readers. We are so excited to continue this new content from the creators of Currently Reading Podcast! This spin-off podcast series will tackle book to screen adaptations in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book and watched the film version before listening to the episode, because we don't shy away from strong opinions OR from all the spoilers, unlike our regular episodes.

    Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will still include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading.

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    The Color Purple by Alice Walker

    Content warning for listeners and young listeners for this episode!

    1:28 - Here's the Setup

    3:41 - Previews

    Book Name and release date. Sales info and awards.

    The Color Purple by Alice Walker

    Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

    The Color Purple (1985)

    The Color Purple (2023)

    7:34 - The Cutting Room

    Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen.

    Sisters being separated

    Celie first showing up at Mister's house

    Setting up the story

    Anything left out that shouldn't have been.

    African continent

    Celie and Shug's relationship

    Shug's life events

    Voiceover narration

    Setting on the coast of Georgia

    Celie's discovery of herself

    Mister's redemption arc

    Casting and mis-casting

    Directors

    Harpo

    Shug

    Mister

    Problematic elements.

    Continuity issues: dock and boat access to juke joint

    Sophia having a potential traumatic brain injury?

    Mailbox focus

    42:52 - Award Season

    Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

    Mister's redemption arc

    Shug's redemption arc

    Shug singing down the choir

    Title line incorporation

    Shug singing at the juke joint

    The Fancy Pants song ("I'm so Pretty" from West Side Story)

    Worst and best actors.

    The Mailbox

    Squeak/H.E.R.

    Adult Nettie/Ciara

    Celie/Whoopie

    Sophia/Oprah

    Mister/Danny Glover

    Celie/Fantasia Barrino

    Sophia/Danielle Brooks

    Young Celie & Young Nettie

    Worst and best book characters.

    Ol' Mister

    Mister

    Shug

    The Three Musketeers: Shug/Sophia/Nettie

    56:40 - Book/Flick Energy

    Book scored on a 5 star scale.

    Book on Goodreads

    Movie scored on a 10 point scale.

    Movie on Rotten Tomatoes - 1985

    Movie on Rotten Tomatoes - 2023

    1:02:25 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel

    Which of the movies that we've already reviewed would you most like to see as a musical?

    Jurassic Park by Michael Chricton - Popcorn Episode

    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Popcorn Episode

    Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - Popcorn Episode

    The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

    If you were to cast yourself as one of these characters, which would you be?

    If you were sentenced to 12 years in prison, what would it be for?

    Murder

    Drinking and driving

    1:05:46 - End Credits

    The Dry by Jane Harper

    Available for rent (we're using the library!)

    Connect With Us

    Currently Reading | Kaytee | Meredith

    Shad is in the Bookish Friends FB Group (for our Patreon supporters)

    Our Website | Email Us

    Support Us

    Become a Bookish Friend | Buy Some Merch

    1 hr 8 min
  • Season 6, Episode 28: Book to Film Excitement + Boss My TBR

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: bossing our friends' TBRs an exciting look at a book to film preview

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: bossing two listeners' TBRs

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    1:35 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    2:07 - The Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

    5:42 - Our Current Reads

    6:01 - The Broken Girls by Simone St. James (Meredith)

    10:53 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver (Kaytee)

    SKIP TO 16:30 IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS SETUP

    13:52 - Storygraph

    13:54 - Reel by Ezeekat about trigger warnings of Butcher & Blackbird

    16:48 - Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death by M.C. Beaton (Meredith)

    21:26 - The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

    22:25 - Landlines by Raynor Winn (Kaytee, Blackwell's UK link)

    22:30 - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

    23:42 - The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

    27:00 - Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford (Meredith)

    28:18 - Fabled Bookshop

    28:20 - @wacoreads on Instagram

    29:04 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

    31:19 - All About Love by Bell Hooks (Kaytee)

    33:48 - Deep Dive: Boss My TBR

    From Wendy T.

    34:25 - The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

    34:28 - The City We Became by N.K. Jemison

    34:31 - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

    34:34 - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

    34:37 - House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

    37:10 - @birdbrainbooks on Instagram

    37:18 - The Hearts and Daggers Pod on Instagram

    From Sarah O.

    41:03 - Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro

    41:06 - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

    41:08 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

    41:11 - Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert

    41:14 - Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

    43:31 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

    46:47 - Scythe by Neal Shusterman (a follow up from a previous Boss My TBR they loved!)

    47:09 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    47:26 - Cabin in the Woods by Sarah Alderson

    48:26 - I wish to see more blurbs from Netgalley readers on books instead of author blurbs. (Meredith)

    50:18 - I wish it were easier to find fandom recommended reading order for authors with series that are within the same universe. (Kaytee)

    52:44 - @birdbrainbooks on Instagram

    53:08 - The Hearts and Daggers Pod on Instagram

    53:27 - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL is brought to you by Booktenders in Huntington, West Virginia.

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    56 min
  • Season 6, Episode 27: Meredith Meeting Authors + Tropes We Are Tired Of Reading

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:

    • Bookish Moments: even more bookshelves and Meredith potentially meeting authors

    • Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    • Deep Dive: tropes we are tired of reading

    • The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    1:32 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

    3:46 - Laundry Love by Patrick Richardson

    4:11 - Ikea Ivar System (Kaytee mixed and matched as needed/wanted)

    5:09 - Hamptons Whodunit

    8:25 - Our Current Reads

    8:36 - The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi (Kaytee)

    8:42 - Foyles UK

    10:02 - The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty

    10:05 - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

    10:07 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

    11:15 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

    11:46 - The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews (Meredith)

    15:59 - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

    16:37 - The Morning Show Murders by Al Roker (Kaytee)

    16:49 - Libro.fm

    20:01 - While Idaho Slept by J. Reuben Appelman (Meredith)

    26:14 - Soil by Camille T. Dungy (Kaytee)

    29:35 - The Cabin in the Woods by Sarah Alderson (Meredith)

    33:29 - Deep Dive: Tropes We Are Tired Of Reading

    34:23 - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

    49:14 - Meet Us At The Fountain

    49:20 - I wish to give all our listeners a heads up about Booktenders, the indie bookstore. (Kaytee)

    49:20 - @Booktenderswv on Instagram

    51:26 - I wish we would get more content around books besides JUST a blurb and a tour - for example, a book trailer. (Meredith)

    52:31 - @birdbrainbooks on Instagram

    52:38 - @heartsanddaggerspod on Instagram

    54:04 - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    • The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's IPL is brought to you by Booktenders in Huntington, West Virginia.

    • Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    • All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    • The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

    58 min

About The Currently Reading Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Currently Reading is a weekly book podcast for people who want honest book recommendations and a smarter way to choose their next read. Every Monday, hosts Meredith and Kaytee talk through the books they are currently reading and share spoiler-free book reviews across every genre.

Best of The Currently Reading Podcast

Ranked by our users in the last 21 days

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