The Currently Reading Podcast

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

• Bookish Moments: overwhelming feelings when reading and finding book twins

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

• Deep Dive: how to organize all the book recommendation sources we come across

• 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

4:25 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

8:40 - @kaitlynmlilly on instagram

8:41 - @klill01 on TikTok

9:22 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore

10:43 - Our Current Reads

10:49 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Kaytee)

11:15 - The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

15:25 - Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo (Meredith)

16:35 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

20:06 - Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves (Kaytee)

20:13 - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

26:30 - Forensics by Val McDermid (Meredith)

27:46 - Foyles

32:53 - I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (Kaytee)

33:03 - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

35:04 - Beast of Prey by Ayana Gray

36:40 - The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper (Meredith)

38:11 - Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

38:17 - Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper

41:09 - Murdle by G.T. Karber

42:34 - Organizing Recommendation Sources

43:56 - Currently Reading Patreon

47:21 - @kaitlynmlilly on instagram

48:18 - Fabled Bookshop

51:44 - Literally, A Bookshop

52:37 - Goodreads

52:38 - The Storygraph

57:44 - Meet Us At The Fountain

57:49 - I wish we gave ourselves grace to start small in our reading lives. (Kaytee)

59:04 - I wish you all knew that you can sort podcasts from oldest to newest in Apple Podcasts. (Meredith)

1:01:27 - Crime Time FM podcast

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 is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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 thrilled 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.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger

2:01 - Setup

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger

4:10 - Previews

Release date. Sales info and awards.

Released in September 2003

One of the longest books on PitP at 536 pages

Won British Book Award for Popular Fiction in 2006

Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

Released September 2009

Did not get nominated or win any awards, but was a commercial success

Grossed 19.2M Budget of 39M, Earned a little over 100M

Adaptations include an HBO series that was canceled and a 14m run as a stage production in England

9:41 - The Cutting Room

Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen

His disappearing

When Claire first meets Henry

The wedding

Car crash that killed Henry's mother

The miscarriages (17:10 - 20:10 is this discussion. Skip to 20:10 if you don't want to listen to this section!)

Henry's final months

Changes from Book to Movie

Car accident with Henry's Mom

The miscarriages (17:10 - 20:10 is this discussion. Skip to 20:10 if you don't want to listen to this section!)

Henry's final months

Left out of the adaptation

Henry's first time traveling

Most of the interactions between Claire and Henry

The relationship with Dr. Kendrick

Claire's relationship with Gomez

Henry coming to see Claire when she's 83 (should have been added)

Lack of side characters from the book

Added to the movie

Henry's absence causing friction in their marriage

Song used as symbolism

Conversation about how Claire's parents don't get divorced

Casting and alternates

Claire: Rachel McAdams → Kristen Stewart, Emma Watson, Kiera Knightly, Katherine Heigl

Henry: Eric Bana → Robert Pattinson, Shia LeBouf, Sam Rockwell, James Marsden

Gomez: Ron Livingston → Edward Norton, Paul Walker, Cam Gigandet, Alex Pettyfer, Guy Pierce

Mary Elizabeth: Mae Whitman → Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie, Rose McIver

Problematic elements

Grooming

Claire's racist family

Comments against women

Icky scenes due to the age gap between Henry and Claire

32:41 - Award Season

Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

The storytelling

The "watered down" ness of the movie

Not as many scenes between young Claire and older Henry

Eric Bana's butt

Worst and best actors.

Ron Livingston as Gomez

Rachel McAdams as Claire

Worst and best book characters.

Henry

Claire

Cherise

Ben

1:10:22 - Book/Flick Energy

Book scored on a 5 star scale.

Book on Goodreads

Movie scored on a 10 point scale.

Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

Movie on IMDB

1:17:20 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel

If you meet a guy who says certifiably insane things like Henry, but then he shows you his power, would you date him? (Kaytee)

Do you believe in fate and a higher predestined life? (Shad)

56:30 - End Credits

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The movie is available to stream on Netflix

Connect With Us:

Currently Reading Podcast | 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 Megan are discussing:

• Bookish Moments: finally reading a big book and nerdy bookends

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

• Deep Dive: how the podcast has changed Megan P. Evan's life in all ways.

• 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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2:01 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

2:26 - From the Front Porch podcast

2:28 - Bookshelf Thomasville

2:33 - Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and John Rutherford (translator)

2:39 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

3:39 - The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

4:33 - Wicked Lego Bookends

6:36 - Our Current Reads

7:04 - The Book of I by David Greig (Megan)

10:07 - Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivy (Kaytee)

10:15 - Booktenders

10:31 - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy

15:46 - The Deep End by Julie Mulhern (Megan)

21:11 - House Love by Patric Richardson (Kaytee)

21:43 - Laundry Love by Patric Richardson

23:25 - Safe and Sound by Mercury Stardust

23:26 - Right at Home by Bobby Berk

25:19 - Above the Fire by Michael O'Donnell (Megan)

27:05 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy

27:44 - Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

27:51 - Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

27:52 - These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

29:20 - Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell (Kaytee)

35:03 - Megan's Reading Life

49:54 - Meet Us At The Fountain

50:12 - I wish you would consider reading more short books. (Megan)

51:05 - I wish for a book parade like the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. (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. December's IPL is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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 discussing:

• Bookish Moments: book advent and making wood bookends

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

• Deep Dive: how Meredith and Kaytee have both changed for good due to the podcast and each other

• 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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1:12 - Ad For Ourselves

1:41 - Currently Reading Patreon

8:13 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

8:27 - 25 Days by Per Jacobson

14:10 - Our Current Reads

14:33 - North Sun by Ethan Rutherford (Meredith)

16:14 - The Terror by Dan Simmons

21:29 - Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McCallister (Kaytee)

26:39 - And the World Spins Anyway by Georgie Jones (Meredith)

26:47 - georgie_jonez on instagram

32:56 - Awake by Jen Hatmaker (Kaytee)

33:23 - 7 by Jen Hatmaker

37:49 - Lady Tremaine by Rebecca Hochhauser (Meredith)

39:39 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

42:23 - Fabled Bookshop

42:37 - A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat (Kaytee)

42:52 - Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

45:58 - CR Season 4: Episode 45

46:46 - How We've Been Changed For Good

59:09 - Meet Us At The Fountain

59:38 - I wish that you would follow @mondaynextpodcast on instagram for a limited series for business minded individuals!

59:40 - @mondaynextpodcast on Instagram

1:01:17 - I wish for us to finish the year strong in our reading lives. (Kaytee)

1:02:39 - The Never King by Nikki St. Crow

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 is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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 Mary are discussing:

• Bookish Moments: new bookcases and making space for new TBR

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

• Deep Dive: bookish therapy with Mary

• 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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1:36 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

1:43 - @maryreadsandmakes on Instagram

2:21 - Ikea Billy Bookcase

6:00 - Half Price Books

8:14 - Our Current Reads

8:20 - The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard (Mary)

11:22 - 25 Days by Per Jacobson (Meredith)

17:37 - The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (Mary)

21:50 - Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher (Meredith)

24:24 - Daunt Books

26:54 - Blackwell's

28:06 - Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross (Mary)

28:52 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

32:38 - A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

33:07 - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

33:08 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

33:34 - The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage (Meredith)

35:39 - The Popcast

37:24 - Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland

37:43 - American Royals by Katharine McGee

39:08 - Reading Therapy

43:17 - Gemini Wrongs by Met Tietz on Substack

44:19 - The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte

44:22 - The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte

44:39 - Be Ready when the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

49:51 - Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

50:08 - Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

52:46 - Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore

56:31 - The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

57:05 - The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon

58:43 - Meet Us At The Fountain

58:46 - My wish is that you evaluate your reading life and if you're struggling, to reflect if you need extra support in your life. (Mary)

1:00:47 - I recommend watching the show All Her Fault on Peacock if you liked the book. (Meredith)

1:00:58 - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

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. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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 discussing:

• Bookish Moments: losing track of time reading and bookish vanity plates

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

• Deep Dive: books we think would make great book club picks

• 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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1:19 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

2:29 - Snap by Belinda Bauer

6:34 - Our Current Reads

6:48 - The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig (Meredith)

10:13 - Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

10:33 - It by Stephen King

11:59 - The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko (Kaytee)

12:03 - Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

14:24 - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

15:13 - Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

16:06 - How to Be A Saint by Kate Sidley (Meredith)

21:45 - Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery (Kaytee)

21:53 - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

26:46 - The Black Wolf by Louise Penny (Meredith)

27:01 - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

32:54 - State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton

34:20 - The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (Kaytee)

34:27 - The King's English Bookshop

36:49 - The Magicians by Lev Grossman

38:36 - Our Book Club Recs

39:22 - Currently Reading Patreon

40:34 - The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

44:27 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

44:38 - Curfew by Jayne Cowie

46:04 - Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge

48:11 - The Push by Ashley Audrain

49:19 - The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

50:15 - One of the Boys by Jayne Cowie

51:24 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

51:25 - Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

51:27 - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

51:45 - Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

52:06 - CR Season 6: Episode 2

52:42 - Check our our instagram @currentlyreadingpodcast for our book club post!

52:54 - Meet Us At The Fountain

53:02 - I wish that if you don't already follow us on Instagram, to do so now. (Meredith)

53:07 - @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram

53:35 - I wish to reformat my bookish hard drive (Kaytee)

51:34 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

51:37 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

51:38 - Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

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. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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 discussing:

• Bookish Moments: a poem a day + excitement over release days

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

• Deep Dive: we discuss your top books from 2019-2024 and draw the giveaway winner

• 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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1:59 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

2:07 - The Poetry Foundation's Poem of the Day

2:27 - A Rebellion of Care by David Gate

3:55 - The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

4:34 - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

6:02 - Our Current Reads

6:08 - The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong (Kaytee)

8:21- A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

9:03 - The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman (Meredith)

10:11 - Words Matter Bookshop

10:40 - The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

14:17 - The Bookshop by Evan Friss (Kaytee)

15:12 - Parnassus Books

17:29 - Exile in Bookville

17:58 - Books - A Manifesto: Or, How to Build A Library by Ian Patterson (Meredith, Goldsboro link)

20:16 - Goldsboro Books UK

24:16 - The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler

26:03 - I Leave It Up To You by Jinwoo Chong (Kaytee)

29:05 - Flux by Jinwoo Chong (amazon link)

29:34 - The Wasp Trap by Michael Edwards (Meredith)

32:45 - The Guest List by Lucy Foley

33:09 - Listeners' Top Ranked Books

35:11 - Giveaway Post to see other listeners' best books! (reminder - giveaway is CLOSED)

42:17 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

42:32 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

42:43 - The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

42:56 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

43:06 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

43:07 - Still Life by Louise Penny

43:59 - Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

44:03 - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

44:08 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

44:16 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

44:18 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Giveaway Winner Christie's Reads

47:25 - Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen

47:27 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

47:30 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

47:33 - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

47:35 - The Anxious Generation by Johnathan Haidt

47:39 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

48:17 - Meet Us At The Fountain

48:22 - I wish to tell you about the gold star item I found for reading and sleep. (Kaytee)

48:32 - Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

48:47 - Bloom

51:30 - I wish for you to try more specific ASMR rooms or listening to playlists for books. (Meredith)

51:34 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

51:37 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

51:38 - Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

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. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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.

3:15 - Putting the Book Into Context

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

Published Aug 26, 2014 by Minotaur Books

4.07 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Summer

Book Awards: Finalist for the Agatha Award for best novel, but did not win, nor win any other awards.

Critic Reviews

Meredith's and Roxanna's encounters with the book

13:17 - The Setup

11:21 - A Deeper Exploration

First paragraph

The pacing of the novel

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

Unlikeable main AND side characters

No actual murder mystery to solve

Prose and plot do not compliment one another. Prose is beautiful.

P.92 quote

Is there a villain?

P.138 quote

Portrayal of Ruth

P.362 quote

Themes: redemption, Clara's arc to confidence, the long way home

Canadian elements

1:03:18 - Superlatives

Favorite Scenes

Character MVP

Biggest loser

Best food description

Is this book skippable?

No spoilers this episode!

The next book will be The Nature of the Beast 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. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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 discussing:

• Bookish Moments: audiobook samples and author shoutouts

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

• Deep Dive: books we've recently set aside and why

• 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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1:26 - Ad For Ourselves

4:27 - Currently Reading Patreon

4:40 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

6:09 - The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

9:50 - Our Current Reads

10:22 - Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins (Meredith)

13:50 - Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

13:54 - 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare

14:36 - Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy (Kaytee)

14:45 - Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

14:51 - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

18:04 - What the Deep Water Knows by Miranda Cowley Heller (Meredith)

18:54 - The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

23:07 - Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle (Kaytee)

23:26 - Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

26:15 - Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle

26:54 - The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury (Meredith, amazon link)

30:37 - The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

31:52 - Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Kaytee)

32:13 - Waterstones

32:14 - Blackwell's

34:16 - The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell

38:20 - Books We Recently DNF'd

40:47 - Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (Meredith NRN)

43:30 - All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman (Kaytee DNF)

45:16 - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (Meredith DNF with prejudice)

47:47 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

48:11 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

49:50 - We Are the Light by Matthew Quick (Kaytee DNF with prejudice)

51:58 - The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

52:30 - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (Meredith - not sure!)

53:42 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

53:49 - A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

55:01 - Fire by John Boyne (Kaytee DNF)

55:14 - Water by John Boyne

55:15 - Earth by John Boyne

55:16 - Air by John Boyne

55:18 - The Elements by John Boyne (all 4 novellas combined)

55:27 - Blackwell's

56:45 - The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

57:46 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live - The Elements by John Boyne discussion (only for patreon subscribers)

58:34 - Meet Us At The Fountain

59:14 - I wish for author Cameos. (Meredith)

59:17 - Cameo

1:01:17 - I wish for a reading merit badge. (Kaytee)

Support Us:

Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

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Bookish Friends Receive:

• The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November's's IPL is brought to us from Content Bookstore in Northfield, Minnesota.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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 discussing:

• Bookish Moments: 3D bookish printing and reading too many books at once

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

• Deep Dive: taking our top reads from each year 2019-2024 and ranking them

• 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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1:58 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

3:09 - Book bone

4:33 - 3D Printer

7:49 - Our Current Reads

7:55 - How to Survive A Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans (Kaytee)

12:17 - Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh (Meredith)

13:41 - Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

15:34 - Fabled Bookshop

17:05 - A Rebellion of Care by David Gate (Kaytee)

17:24 - @davidgatepoet on Instagram

21:15 - Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie (Meredith)

24:51 - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

24:53 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

25:46 - The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Kaytee)

25:56 - The Novel Neighbor

27:25 - The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams

27:27 - The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

28:49 - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

29:39 - The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (Meredith)

34:39 - The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

35:16 - Ranking Our Favorites From Years Past

Meredith's Top Books 2019-2024

36:36 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (5)

36:41 - Greenwood by Michael Christie (6)

36:46 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2)

36:53 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow (3)

36:58 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (4)

37:05 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (1)

Kaytee's Top Books 2019-2024

37:50 - The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (3)

37:54 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi (4)

38:00 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle (1)

38:13 - Babel by RF Kuang (2)

38:16 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (6)

38:18 - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (5)

42:19 - The Count of Monte Cristo be Alexandre Dumas

50:57 - Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

51:57 - Meet Us At The Fountain

52:04 - I wish that I would better prepare for downtime or planned reading. (Kaytee)

54:32 - I wish you would make a top 10 reads every year from now on. (Meredith)

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. October's IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, Missouri.

• Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.

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

• From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

• 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

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

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!