The Currently Reading Podcast

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

• Bookish Moments: bookish pre-orders and picking the right books for ourselves

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

• Deep Dive: Bookish Friends' best and worst books of 2023, with interesting overlaps!

• 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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2:19 - Currently Reading Patreon (sign up for a 7 day free trial and check out all the goodness!)

7:42 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

10:57 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (pre-order, releases June 11, 2024)

11:01 - Long Bright River by Liz Moore

12:51 - Fabled Bookshop

14:29 - Our Current Reads

14:42 - The Elephants of Thula Thula by Francoise Malby-Anthony (Kaytee)

15:09 - The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence

18:04 - The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (Meredith)

20:32 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

20:35 - Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

24:12 - Erasure by Percival Everett (Kaytee)

29:48 - The Trees by Percival Everett

30:42 - What the Dead Know by Barbara Butcher (Meredith)

35:28 - The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein

36:51 - Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (Kaytee)

36:56 - The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

40:38 - The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (Meredith)

45:31 - This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

46:11 - Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger

46:20 - Ordinary Grace by Willam Kent Krueger

46:42 - Deep Dive: Bookish Friends' Best and Worst Reads of 2023

46:51 - Currently Reading Patreon

50:35 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (#1 best AND worst read)

51:25 - Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (#5 favorite)

51:28 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (#4 favorite)

51:32 - Hello Beautiful by Anne Napolitano (#3 favorite)

51:36 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (#2 favorite)

51:49 - The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (#5 least favorite)

51:54 - Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (tied #3 least favorite)

51:56 - Happy Place by Emily Henry (tied #3 least favorite)

51:59 - I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai (#2 least favorite)

52:23 - Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

52:46 - Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

53:46 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

53:47 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

54:39 - Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

54:46 - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

57:58 - The Whispers by Ashley Audrain

59:05 - The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

59:17 - Sarah's Bookshelves Interview with Lara Love Hardin

1:01:37 - Meet Us At The Fountain

1:01:45 - I wish for more duologies in the bookish universe. (Kaytee)

1:02:12 - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

1:02:45 - I want those who love mysteries, thriller and horror to follow @mother.horror on Instagram (Meredith)

1:03:34 - Mother Horror Patreon

1:03:51 - Near the Bone by Christina Henry

1:04:09 - The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

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!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee may have died and come back to life after recording this week. They are joined by none other than Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden of the Popcast! They are discussing:

• Bookish Moments: reading clickers and reading to our kiddos

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

• Deep Dive: Knox and Jamie's top 5 books of 2023, plus each guest brought their favorite reading experience

• 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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1:11 - The Popcast

3:21 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

3:39 - Tiktok scrolling ring

4:05 - Kindle remote clicker

7:53 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

9:32 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine

10:20 - Fabled Bookshop

10:26 - Cold People by Tom Rob Smith

11:56 - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

13:35 - Persuasion by Jane Austen

13:44 - Our Current Reads

14:07 - Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Jamie)

14:15 - Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

16:11 - Slow Horses by Mick Herron

16:47 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Knox)

19:19 - Warcross by Marie Lu (Kaytee)

19:31 - What Should I Read Next Podcast

20:13 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

20:15 - Slay by Brittney Morris

20:16 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

21:50 - Wildcard by Marie Lu

22:34 - The Future by Naomi Alderman (Meredith)

23:53 - The Power by Naomi Alderman

27:52 - The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier

28:11 - Deep Dive: Knox and Jamie's Top 5 Books of 2023

28:42 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

28:44 - Congratulations! The Best is Over by R. Eric Thomas

28:49 - The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

28:56 - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

29:38 - The Road of Bones by Demi Winters (Jamie #5)

32:23 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (Knox #5)

32:41- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

34:16 - All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore (Jamie #4)

37:39 - The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen (Knox #4)

39:48 - The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers

40:16 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare (Jamie #3)

42:14 - Archive of Our Own

42:16 - Fanfiction.net

43:29 - All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89

44:43 - Traffic by Ben Smith (Knox #3)

46:24 - Drowning by T.J. Newman (Jamie #2)

46:35 - Falling by T.J. Newman

49:04 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Knox #2)

52:07 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (Jamie #1)

56:14 - Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan (Knox #1)

59:16 - Knox and Jamie's Favorite Reading Experiences of 2023

1:00:43 - Hot and Bothered by Jancee Dunn (Jamie)

1:04:37 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi (Knox)

1:06:00 - The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

1:06:22 - Meet Us At The Fountain

1:07:08 - I wish more of us would print our book covers to keep in a book to reflect on. (Jamie)

1:07:10 - Canon Ivy 2 Mini Photo Printer

1:09:46 - Mother Horror on Instagram

1:10:32 - I want to press two books into the hands of listeners (Knox)

1:11:08 - We Are the Light by Matthew Quick (specifically for dudes, touches on masculinity without being bro-ish)

1:11:32 - Open Throat by Henry Hoke (specifically for writers)

1:13:35 - I would like to read the same book, but with a different take - with more humor and snark (Kaytee)

1:13:38 - Monsters by Claire Dederer

1:16:49 - I wish everyone would listen to the Popcast (Meredith)

1:16:56 - The Popcast

1:17:28 - The Popcast on Instagram

1:18:34 - The Popcast Patreon

1:20:46 - @KnoxMccoy on Instagram

1:20:48 - @Jamiebgolden 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. January's IPL is brought to you by our anchor store, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX.

• 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!

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

• Bookish Moments: reading aloud to our kiddos and bookish Legos

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

• Deep Dive: How Roxanna has evolved to read more sci-fi, fantasy and romance

• 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

1:35 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

1:59 - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo

4:16 - Lego Hotel (Lego Bookshop is sold out on their website)

6:39 - Our Current Reads

6:43 - No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (Roxanna)

6:51 - House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister

10:32 - Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

12:07 - The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella (Kaytee)

12:14 - The Poisoned Pen

12:42 - Alice's Adventure In Wonderland by Lewis Caroll

14:10 - The Looking Glass Illusion by Sara Ella

16:36 - Small Change by Roan Parrish (Roxanna, Amazon Link)

17:54 - Happy Place by Emily Henry

21:53 - The Vacation by John Marrs (Kaytee)

27:20 - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (Roxanna)

27:26 - CR Season 2, Episode 8

30:38 - One Sunny Afternoon by Rowan Jette Knox (Kaytee)

31:15 - Love Lives Here by Rowan Jette Knox

32:56 - Know My Name by Chanel Miller

33:09 - Libro.fm

34:06 - Deep Dive: Roxanna's Evolution As A Reader

34:15 - CR Season 3, Episode 5 (Roxanna's first episode introduction)

34:54 - Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

37:49 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

38:08 - Get Booked Podcast (no longer running but old episodes are available!)

39:02 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

41:11 - Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather

44:44 - A Djinn in Cairo by P. Djeli Clark

43:58 - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

44:04 - City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

48:26 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

52:26 - Meet Us At The Fountain

52:45 - I wish people would lean into whatever season they are in with their reading lives .(Roxanna)

52:59 - A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

53:07 - Burnout by Emily Nagoski

53:13 - Wintering by Katherine May

53:21 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

53:23 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi

53:53 - I wish to be read aloud to long after I age out of being read to. (Kaytee)

54:14 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

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. January's IPL is brought to you by our anchor store, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX.

• 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!

We know you'll be thrilled to hear from Mary and Roxanna again this weekend as you've been asking for their top 10 lists, and we've got them for you!

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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1:15 - 2023 Reading Review

3:02 - CR Season 6, Episode 22 (Meredith and Kaytee's top 10)

5:26 - Currently Reading Patreon

8:30 - Our Top Ten Reads of 2023

8:43 - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (Roxanna)

10:05 - It's Easier Than You Think by Sylvia Boorstein (Mary)

12:35 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (Roxanna) 14:45 - Happy Place by Emily Henry (Mary)

16:58 - Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather (Roxanna)

20:49 - All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Murderbot #1)

21:22 - The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson (Mary)

21:33 - @Maryreadsandsips on Instagram

23:32 - Small Change by Roan Parrish (Roxanna, Amazon link)

25:48 - Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder (Mary)

26:00 - Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder

27:17 - Malagash by Joey Comeau

28:27 - The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Roxanna)

30:42 - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (Mary)

31:51 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

32:34 - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Roxanna)

33:57 - The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson (Mary)

34:03 - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Junon Dawson

35:52 - CR Season 6, Episode 23

36:39 - Essentialism by Greg Mckeown (Roxanna)

39:03 - Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano (Mary)

40:50 - The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

42:13 - City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (Roxanna #3, Daevabad Trilogy #1)

42:15 - Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

42:17 - Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

44:30 - Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (Mary #3)

47:14 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Roxanna #2)

48:37 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Mary #2)

48:45 - CR Season 6, Episode 19 (Kaytee's Divine Rivals setup episode)

49:26 - Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

50:49 - Search by Michelle Huneven (Roxanna #1)

53:38 - After This by Claire Bidwell Smith (Mary #1, audiobook is the only way to purchase!)

53:55 - CR Season 5, Episode 36 (Mary's in depth discussion about After This)

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. January's IPL comes to us from our anchor store, Fabled Bookshop.

• 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!

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

• Bookish Moments: gifting books to little ones and accessing our TBR

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

• Deep Dive: how the endings of books could make or break our feelings about the book as a whole

• 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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1:22 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

2:26 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

4:27 - Photo Clip Lights

7:06 - Our Current Reads

7:24 - Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson (Mary)

7:29 - @maryreadsandsips on Instagram

8:33 - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

9:50 - Fabled Bookshop

10:25 - Shoot the Moon by Isa Arsen (Kaytee)

12:42 - Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

12:58 - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

14:43 - Malagash by Joey Comeau (Mary)

19:28 - In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (Kaytee)

19:47 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

19:51 - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

19:59 - The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

22:10 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

24:05 - Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (Mary)

24:12 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

25:13 - CR Season 6, Episode 19

27:44 - Fairyloot

29:34 - OwlCrate

30:01- PangoBooks

30:30 - Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan (Kaytee, Amazon Link, no longer on Bookshop)

34:44 - Fable app

35:49 - Deep Dive: Endings That Affect How We Feel About A Book

35:53 - Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

36:30 - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

36:42 - The Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

38:43 - The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

40:58 - Amor Towles The Lincoln Highway Q&A (very spoilery!!)

42:19 - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

43:48 - Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

43:52 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

46:25 - The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

46:26 - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Junon Dawson

52:05 - Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

52:27 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

53:57 - Meet Us At The Fountain

54:10 - I wish I was better at timing my days off for when I'm reading an amazing book. (Mary)

55:54 - I wish for a bookish book nook. (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. January's IPL is brought to you by our anchor store, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX.

• 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!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are sharing their favorite reads of 2023. This year, we have two lists: favorite reading experiences and favorite books. With so many great reading experiences of… not so great books, we had to differentiate. We also had a few overlaps, and some reads that really surprised the other!

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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1:46 - Our Yearly Reading Overview

5:41 - The Novel Neighbor

6:52 - Currently Reading Patreon

8:08 - Minotaur Books

8:09 - Tor.com

8:10 - Berkeley

8:25 - William Morrow

9:32 - Flatiron Books

16:04 - @megan.is.reading on Instagram (this link goes directly to the monthly goals post!)

17:02 - Our Favorite Reading Experiences of 2023

18:47 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (Meredith #5)

19:46 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine (Kaytee #4)

21:16 - The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf (Meredith #4)

22:08 - Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulson (Kaytee #4)

22:10 - Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulson

22:53 - Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann

23:33 - Cover Story by Susan Rigetti (Meredith #3)

24:45 - My Storied Year by Katie Proctor (Kaytee #3)

25:41 - The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (Meredith #2)

26:17 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi

27:06 - Waypoints by Sam Heughan (Kaytee #2)

28:10 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Meredith #1)

29:05 - The Introduction of Popcorn in the Pages (Kaytee #1)

29:45 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

29:46 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

29:47 - Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

29:48 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

31:00 - Our Top Ten Books of 2023

31:40 - Slewfoot by Brom (Meredith #10)

CR Season 6, Episode 16 for Slewfoot setup

32:56 - The Life Council by Laura Tremaine (Kaytee #10)

CR Season 5, Episode 47 for The Life Council setup

34:03 - The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Meredith #9)

CR Season 6, Episode 11 for The Covenant of Water setup

34:27 - Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

35:39 - To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (Kaytee #9)

CR Season 6, Episode 8 for To Shape a Dragon's Breath setup

36:21 - Elliot Bay Book Company

36:32 - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (Merdith #8)

CR Season 6, Episode 13 for Starling House setup

36:37 - The Novel Neighbor

36:45 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

37:47 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Kaytee #8)

CR Season 6, Episode 17 for Tom Lake setup

38:39 - In Light of All Darkness by Kim Cross (Meredith #7)

CR Season 6, Episode 8 for In Light of All Darkness setup

40:14 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Kaytee #7)

CR Season 6, Episode 19 for Divine Rivals setup

40:43 - Fairyloot

41:09 - Search by Michelle Huneven (Meredith #6)

CR Season 5, Episode 32 for Search setup

42:39 - The Swifts by Beth Lincoln (Kaytee #6)

CR Season 6, Episode 6 for The Swifts setup

42:46 - Capital Book on K

43:47 - North Woods by Daniel Mason (Meredith #5) (This has never been brought as a current read)

46:03 - Congratulations, The Best is Over! By R. Eric Thomas (Kaytee #5)

CR Season 6, Episode 12 for Congratulations, The Best is Over! Setup

47:08 - Strange Sally Diamond Liz Nugent (Meredith #4)

CR Season 6, Episode 5 for Strange Sally Diamond setup

48:22 - Happy Place by Emily Henry (Kaytee #4)

CR Season 5, Episode 44 for Happy Place setup

50:07 - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes (Meredith #3)

CR Season 5, Episode 31 for Stone Blind setup

51:49 - The Adventures of Almina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (Kaytee #3)

CR Season 6, Episode 1 for The Adventures of Almina Al-Sirafi setup

53:08 - Cold People by Tom Rob Smith (Meredith #2)

CR Season 6, Episode 20 for Cold People setup

54:50 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Kaytee #2)

CR Season 5: Episode 47 for Chain Gang All Stars setup

57:31 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (Meredith #1)

CR Season 5, Episode 45 for Clytemnestra setup

1:00:41 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (Kaytee #1)

CR Season 5, Episode 31 for Black Cake setup

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. January's IPL is brought to you by our anchor store, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX.

• 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!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are taking a look back at their favorite reads of 2019. These stood the test of time better than our 2018 reads, and most of these books should be available for you to grab if any interest you after hearing us rave about them four years ago!

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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4:30 - Our Top 10 Reads of 2019

5:07 - Sweep by Jonathan Auxier (Kaytee)

5:35 - Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

6:23 - Winterhouse by Ben Guterson (Meredith)

7:31 - Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski (Kaytee)

7:45 - Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

8:23 - A Better Man by Louise Penny (Meredith)

10:00 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (Kaytee)

11:00 - The Whisper Man by Alex North (Meredith)

11:03 - Book of the Month

11:56 - The Passengers by John Marrs (Kaytee)

12:08 - The One by John Marrs

12:58 - The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye (Meredith)

14:15 - Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts (Kaytee)

15:56 - The Current by Tim Johnston (Meredith)

16:05 - Descent by Tim Johnston

18:04 - White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (Kaytee)

19:47 - The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff (Meredith)

21:48 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live w/Garrett Graff

22:09 - We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (Kaytee)

23:26 - American Royals by Katharine McGee (Meredith)

25:15 - The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal (Kaytee)

27:04 - Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

27:36 - The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth (Meredith)

29:21 - The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (Kaytee's #2 book)

29:37 - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

30:32 - The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich (Meredith's #2 book)

32:10 - The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (Kaytee's #1 book)

33:53 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (Meredith's #1 book)

35:19 - Deep Dive: Discussion on our Top Books of 2019

35:49 - White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

36:03 - White Women by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao

36:13 - Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

36:14 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

37:10 - American Royals by Katharine McGee

37:31 - The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff

37:33 - The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

38:25 - The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

38:40 - The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye

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. January's IPL will be with our anchor store, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX.

• 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!

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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A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

1:24 - Here's the Setup

2:50 - Previews:

Book Name and release date. Sales info and awards.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

A Muppet Christmas Carol on Disney Plus

Spoken Word Grammy Nomination!

7:35 - The Cutting Room:

Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen.

Hustle Bustle of the city

Lines from the book

Each of the three ghosts

Final scene

Anything left out that shouldn't have been.

Marley's jaw

Scrooge's sister

Belle's life/missing song

Ignorance and Want

Dead man

Alibaba during Scrooge's childhood

Columbian coffee commercial

Scrooge's lines quoted back to him

Casting and mis-casting

"Played by Kermit"

Scrooge - Michael Caine

Ian McClellan?

Richard Harris?

Swapping Muppet roles

Two Marleys

Problematic elements.

Classism versus other isms

Body commentary

Topper's treatment of the girl he's crushing on

40:05 - Award Season:

Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

Bob Cratchit's family

Hillbilly horses

Ghost of Christmas Past

The giant raw turkey

Musical numbers

Fozziwig

Worst and best actors.

Tiny Tim

Ghost of Christmas Past

Michael Caine

Waldorf and Statler

Worst and best book characters.

The Cratchit family

Ebeneezer Scrooge

Ghost of Christmas Present

Fred

51:43 - Book/Flick Energy:

Book scored on a 5 star scale.

Book on Goodreads

George C. Scott version from 1984

The Man Who Invented Christmas on Amazon Prime

Movie scored on a 10 point scale.

Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

Jim Carrey - Christmas Carol on Netflix

George C. Scott version from 1984

56:51 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel:

What are your top 3 favorite Christmas carols?

O, Holy Night

Angels We Have Heard on High

Strange Way to Save the World

Carol of the Bells

Do You Hear What I Hear - Whitney Houston

Joy to the World - Mariah Carey

If you had to pick a classic to adapt with muppets, which would you choose?

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

If you could travel in time, but only one direction, which would you choose?

11/22/63 by Stephen King

1:04:02 - End Credits

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

1985 film version with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey (can stream on Max and rent most places)

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

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

• Bookish Moments: sweet acts of service and manifesting wintry feelings

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

• Deep Dive: themed reading months and how we incorporate them into our 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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3:00 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

3:18 - Krampus by Brom

3:39 - Slewfoot by Brom

7:09 - Cozy by Jan Brett

7:16 - The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

8:08 - Current Reads

8:42 - Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor (Meredith)

10:06 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

14:20 - The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern

14:45 - Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (Kaytee)

20:00 - Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Meredith)

21:07 - I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

24:45 - Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (Kaytee)

28:25 - Cold People by Tom Rob Smith (Meredith)

29:31 - From the Front Porch podcast

32:53 - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

34:10 - Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach (Kaytee)

37:05 - Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

37:21 - Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

37:49 - Deep Dive: Themed Reading Months

47:39 - Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

48:09 - Frindle by Andrew Clements

48:28 - The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz

48:51 - Our Zazzle storefront for all things CR merch

49:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:54 - I wish everybody would compile a list of their favorite books of the year. (Meredith)

52:08 - I wish to press Marley by Jon Clinch this holiday season. (Kaytee)

52:14 - Marley by Jon Clinch

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. December's IPL will be a yearly recap from us, so we can give our beloved Indies a break for the holidays!

• 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!

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.

2:40 - Putting the Book Into Context

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

Publication date (2009)

4.21 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Summer

Book Awards: Crimewriters of Canada Award for Excellence in 2009

Critic Reviews

Alternate Title: The Murder Stone

Meredith's and Roxanna's encounters with the book

9:25 - The Setup

8:46 - A Deeper Exploration

Setup and first paragraph

Perfect prologue - sets us up for Manoir Bellechasse, but then chapter 1 goes back to Three Pines shortly

An entire family of characters we as readers cannot really root for

Mic drop moments

Flimsy mystery, great building of suspense

The pacing of the novel

Quality of writing itself - last major action scene

Themes: Rest, oppressive heat, paradise lost, prisons, things being unnatural, bravery in vulnerability

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

Still Life by Louise Penny

Character Development - Gamache's misstep

57:08 - What Do We Need to Know?

History within the book as it pertains to reality

The Oddness Factor

1:07:11 - Superlatives

Biggest Flaw

Favorite Quote

Character MVP

Biggest loser

Best food description

1:22:37 - Within the Series

Is this book skippable?

Setting the foundation

1:23:34 - SPOILERS AHEAD HERE

Easter eggs to future books

Next episode's read: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

No Spoilers this episode!

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. December's IPL will be a yearly recap from us, so we can give our beloved Indies a break for the holidays!

• 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 Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Roxanna | Kaytee

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

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!