The Currently Reading Podcast

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

• Bookish Moments: piles of books and bookishness in non bookish places

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

• Deep Dive: how we purge our shelves

• 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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1:47 - Ad For Ourselves

2:08 - Currently Reading Patreon

3:24 - Fabled Bookshop

4:56 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

5:52 - Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (Finnish version)

5:53 - The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (Finnish version)

10:41 - Become a CR Patron to access the reading tracker!

12:20 - Our Current Reads

12:25 - There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Kaytee)

16:12 - This House is Haunted by John Boyne (Meredith)

20:56 - The Plan by Kendra Adachi (Kaytee)

21:55 - The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

21:57 - The Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi

25:52 - CR Season 4: Episode 42 w/Kendra Adachi

26:29 - Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth by Elizabeth Williamson (Meredith)

32:18 - Columbine by Dave Cullen

33:20 - The Trees by Percival Everett (Kaytee)

35:25 - Erasure by Percival Everett

36:42 - James by Percival Everett

38:07 - Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Meredith)

38:27 - Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

39:48 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

45:56 - How We Purge Our Shelves

51:43 - Half Price Books

57:00 - Meet Us At The Fountain

57:08 - I am wishing for a good laugh, so send me recs of books that made you laugh. (Kaytee)

58:47 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

58:48 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

59:09 - @hollyslitmagic on Instagram

59:29 - I wish to have the discussion about whether book publishing has gone the route of fast fashion. (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. April's IPL is brought to you by Warwick's in La Jolla, California!

• 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: reading what we want and bookish get togethers

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

• Deep Dive: we check in on 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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1:40 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

2:17 - The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

4:19 - Warwick's

5:29 - Our Current Reads

8:03 - The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda (Meredith)

13:37 - Confessions by Kanae Minato

14:25 - Mrs. Death Misses Death by Salenda Godden (Kaytee)

15:05 - Foyles Bookstore

19:52 - The Joy of Watercolor by Emma Block (Meredith)

21:43 - The Big Book of Watercolor by Mallery Jane

22:27 - Keeping a Creative Sketchbook by Emma Block

28:36 - House of Frank by Kay Synclaire (Kaytee)

28:48 - Ezeekat on Instagram

28:57 - Ezeekat Press

34:14 - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

34:18 - Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

34:49 - Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard (Meredith)

36:40 - Blackwell's UK

38:46 - The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

38:48 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

38:52 - Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard

40:21 - The Resurrectionist by A. Raye Dunlap (Kaytee)

40:38 - Fabled Bookshop

40:43 - Aardvark books

46:04 - James by Percival Everett

47:04 - Our Reading Life Temp Checks

58:54 - Meet Us At The Fountain

59:19 - I wish there was a "previously in" page for series books. (Meredith)

1:00:49 - I wish for a reading repair manual. (Kaytee)

1:02:13 - Safe and Sound by Mercury Stardust

1:02:25 - The Pool Care Handbook by Swim University

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 you from An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

• 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 Roxanna are discussing:

• Bookish Moments: the perfect reading experience and hearing others talk about books

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

• Deep Dive: how we find those hidden gem books

• 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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1:43 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

3:24 - The Talking Scared Podcast

3:44 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

3:57 - Talking Scared Podcast episode 226

5:38 - Our Current Reads

5:52 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Roxanna)

15:06 - Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette (Meredith)

20:02 - Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah

20:29 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

22:29 - Ruin Road by Lamar Giles (Roxanna)

25:49 - The Getaway by Lamar Giles

26:32 - When The Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi (Meredith)

26:37 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi

26:44 - The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

32:45 - The Baddest B*tch in the Room by Sophia Chang (Roxanna)

36:47 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore (Meredith)

37:45 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore

44:38 - Finding Hidden Gems

44:56 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore

46:56 - Get Booked Podcast

47:07 - Currently Reading website

47:27 - From the Front Porch podcast

48:08 - Canada Reads

48:12 - Australian Fiction Prize

48:14 - Nebula Awards

48:15 - Hugo Awards

48:34 - Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction

50:03 - Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

52:40 - KJ Charles on Goodreads

55:26 - The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

57:31 - Meet Us At The Fountain

57:40 - I wish there was a site that categorized books by places around the world. (Roxanna)

58:08 - Tripfiction.com

58:18 - Around the World in 80 books group on Goodreads

58:32 - Strong Sense of Place podcast

58:49 - Shepherd.com

59:40 - If you haven't yet, read God of the Woods by Liz Moore. (Meredith)

59:43 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore

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 you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

• 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: reading retreats, one finished and one scheduled

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

• Deep Dive: we boss some more 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)

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1:16 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

7:18 - Our Current Reads

7:32 - Finders Keepers by Stephen King (Meredith)

9:37 - Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

10:24 - Holly by Stephen King

12:17 - The Stand by Stephen King

12:18 - The Shining by Stephen King

12:55 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (Kaytee)

17:24 - Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World by Mark Aldridge (Meredith)

20:46 - Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton (Kaytee)

24:54 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito (Meredith)

28:58 - Mrs. March by Virginia Feito

29:30 - The Lost Library by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead (Kaytee)

31:08 - CR Season 5: Episode 25

31:10 - The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

31:12 - CR Season 3: Episode 41

31:14 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

31:27 - Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

33:08 - Boss My TBR

From Emily

33:45 - Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

33:48 - My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

33:52 - Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

33:54 - S by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst

33:58 - Vicious by V.E. Schwab

34:18 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

34:20 - A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

34:23 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

34:25 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

34:27 - The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

36:38 - Schuler Books

From Bethany

40:38 - Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd (releases April 8, 2025)

40:42 - The Last Party by Claire Mackintosh

40:45 - Out by Natsuo Kirino

40:47 - Baby X by Kira Peikoff

40:50 - The Stolen Child by Ann Hood

41:03 - Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray

41:09 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach

41:12- The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

44:55 - The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

45:17 - Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

45:47 - I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

46:17 - Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

47:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain

48:25 - I wish people would utilize our website for the plethora of things it offers. (Meredith)

49:46 - The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

49:49 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

50:17 - I wish for a "find all and replace" option for books. (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. March's IPL comes to you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

• 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: finishing physical books and new learning apps

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

• Deep Dive: how we balance our TBRs and new releases

• 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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1:27 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

3:41 - Vocabulary app

7:54 - @Literallybookshop on Instagram

7:20 - Our Current Reads

7:26 - House of Cotton by Monica Brashears (Kaytee)

8:54 - Exile in Bookville

11:50 - The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha (Meredith)

11:56 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

14:44 - Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

16:40 - The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Emily Wilson) (Kaytee)

21:33 - It's Easier Than You Think by Sylvia Boorstein (Meredith)

25:39 - The Best Way To Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale (Kaytee)

25:48 - Booktenders

27:38 - @alexia.casale on Instagram

28:52 - The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (Meredith)

30:19 - The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

30:21 - The Holdout by Graham Moore=

34:20 - Prioritizing Your Shelves

34:45 - Fabled Bookshop

45:29 - The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

48:20 - Fabled Storybound Subscription

49:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:35 - I wish to press (again) the book Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts. (Kaytee)

49:41 - Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

49:48 - Wicked by Gregory Maguire

51:09 - I wish if you have kids and they interrupt your reading, to try reading aloud to them until they get annoyed and leave. (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. March's IPL comes to you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

• 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: Kindle samples and getting new indie bookstores

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

• Deep Dive: six star books to which we will take no criticism from anyone

• 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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1:01 - Ad For Ourselves

1:18 - Currently Reading Patreon

1:34 - An Unlikely Story

2:35 - @anunlikelystory on Instagram

3:37 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

6:48 - Literally, A Bookshop

7:54 - @Literallybookshop on Instagram

8:52 - Our Current Reads

9:23 - The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Meredith)

16:32 - All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim (Kaytee)

16:40 - Tucson Festival of Books 2025

19:52 - Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala

20:13 - This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (Meredith)

21:47 - A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

23:20 - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

23:49 - They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh (Kaytee)

24:11 - Southlake Podcast

27:46 - Past Crimes by Jason Pinter (Meredith)

29:44 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

31:06 - Recursion by Blake Crouch

31:40 - The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln (Kaytee)

31:49 - The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln

35:11 - Our Six Star Reads

36:08 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

37:29 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

37:33 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

40:17 - Happy Place by Emily Henry

42:32 - The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

42:37 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

42:38 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

42:41 - The Stand by Stephen King

42:43 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

42:44 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

44:44 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

45:00 - This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

45:09 - Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge

45:13 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

45:14 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

45:17 - Babel by R.F. Kuang

45:38 - Lobizona by Romina Garber Russell

45:43 - Cazadora by Romina Garber Russell

49:14 - The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

49:49 - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

51:22 - Meet Us At The Fountain

51:43 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live

51:53 - I want everyone to listen to episode 188 of Sarah's Bookshelves Live if you enjoy fantasy reading. (Meredith)

51:54 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live episode 188

53:09 - I wish for a book aggregator that would house all book covers of all books so we could compare easily and find the ones we want to purchase quickly without having to browse multiple sites. (Kaytee)

54:09 - Greenwood by Michael Christie

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 you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

• 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: book sets and learning new things

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

• Deep Dive: things we find tragic in our reading lives that may not actually be tragedies

• 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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1:18 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

1:33 - Ember in the Ashes complete set (purchase at your own risk!)

5:38 - A Year of Living Curiously by Elizabeth Foley

7:39 - Mug Warmer

7:39 - Our Current Reads

8:28 - Earth by John Boyne (Kaytee, Blackwell's link)

8:35 - Water by John Boyne (Blackwell's link)

8:37 - CR Season 7: Episode 2

13:02 - Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli (Meredith)

15:16 - The Collective by Alison Gaylin

15:22 - The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

16:45 - Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage (Kaytee)

17:28 - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

21:19 - Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage (pre-order releases April 15)

22:13 - The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory by Tim Alberta (Meredith)

22:56 - The Popcast

26:08 - The Many Assassinations of Samir by Daniel Nayeri (Kaytee)

26:16 - Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

29:20 - A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos (Meredith)

31:11 - Book, Talk, Etc

35:32 - Non-Tragic Bookish Tragedies

37:10 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

37:47 - Still Life by Louise Penny (special edition w/sprayed edges, releases Sep. 30, 2025)

49:12 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:22 - I wish to always speak to indie bookstore owners. (Kaytee)

52:08 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live

52:14 - I wish to know if it seems like we are getting more reissued pretty versions of books from publishers today. (Meredith)

53:07 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

53:35 - The Hunger Games box set by Suzanne Collins (Special edition)

53:37 - 37:47 - Still Life by Louise Penny (special edition w/sprayed edges, releases Sep. 30, 2025)

53:50 - Wicked by Gregory Maguire (special edition)

54:03 - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (special annotated edition)

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 comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Marinsville, Indiana!

• 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.

Erasure by Percival Everett

1:44 - Setup

Erasure by Percival Everett 3:44 - Previews

Release date. Sales info and awards.

2025 Audie Awards

Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

American Fiction released Dec 2023

Won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2024

7:18 - The Cutting Room

Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen

The book within the book

Lisa's death

Changes from Book to Movie

Name changes

Moving the setting from DC to Boston

Timeline issues

Van Go in the book within a book is arrested but in the movie adaptation he dies

Left out of the adaptation

Gretchen storyline

Woodworking and fishing scenes

Game show section

My Pafology being explored

Added to the movie

Sintara added to a book panel at the end

The ending

Publisher

Make Stagg a fugitive so he cannot go on tv

Casting and alternates

Monk: Jeffrey Wright → Geoffrey Owens, Andre Braugher

Lisa: Tracee Ellis Ross → Regina King, Niecy Nash

Agnes: Leslie Uggams → Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad, Cecily Tyson

Clifford: Sterling K. Brown → Idris Elba

Coraline: Erika Alexander → Kim Fields, Kim Coles

Sintara: Issa Rae → Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson

Problematic elements

Because of all the satire, it may focus too much on the white experience and actually less on the Black

40:11 - Award Season

Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

Bill vs Cliff "airtime"

Less tension around mother going to the assisted living home

The moving of books from African American to Mythology

Was very funny - zippy dialogue, continuing to move story forward

Worst and best actors.

Leslie Uggams - Agnes (mother)

Erika Alexander - Coraline

Adam Brody - Wiley

Jeffrey Wright - Monk

Worst and best book characters.

Linda Mallory

Van Go Jenkins

Monk

Yul

48:35 - Book/Flick Energy

Book scored on a 5 star scale.

Book on Goodreads

Series scored on a 10 point scale.

Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

Movie on IMDB

53:23 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel

Do you have any irrational fears?

If you were on a Jerry Springer type show what is something weird that they may find out about you or your family?

59:30 - End Credits

59:55 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is available to stream for free on some sites, but is available with an Amazon Prime membership

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

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.

2:00 - Putting the Book Into Context

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

Published Aug 28, 2012 by Minotaur Books

4.2 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Autumn

Book Awards: Agatha Award for best novel 2012, The Anthony Award for best novel 2013, The Macavity Award for Best Novel 2013, The Audie Award for Best Mystery Novel 201

Critic Reviews

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Meredith's and Roxanna's encounters with the book

8:30 - The Setup

9:40 - A Deeper Exploration

Setup and first paragraph

The pacing of the novel

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

Jean-Guy and Annie

Themes: addiction, "descent" evil - through the lens of Francouer

The ending

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Canadian aspects

Abbey of Saint Benoit Du Lac

1:10:23 - Superlatives

Favorite Scene

Character MVP

Biggest loser

Best food description

Is this book skippable?

Favorite Quote

No spoilers this episode!

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

The next book will be How the Light Gets In 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 comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Martinsville, Indiana!

• 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: books as equalizers and kiddos who love books as much as we do

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

• Deep Dive: what we do to keep momentum in 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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1:33 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week

6:35 - Grassrootz Bookstore

8:08 - Our Current Reads

8:21 - Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh (Meredith)

10:26 - The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

11:44 - Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

11:55 - Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle (Kaytee)

12:21 - Pounded by the Pound by Chuck Tingle (amazon link)

12:31 - Taken by the Gay Unicorn by Chuck Tingle (amazon link)

12:41 - Aardvark Book Club

16:30 - The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (Meredith)

17:41 - The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

22:13 - Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Kaytee)

22:35 - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

26:16 - Come Closer by Sara Gran (Meredith)

27:42 - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

31:08 - It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell (Kaytee)

35:19 - Deep Dive: Losing Momentum In Our Reading

49:21 - Meet Us At The Fountain

49:27 - I wish to ask if you can find actual smutty books on the shelves in bookstores (like monster romance etc with the wild covers). (Meredith)

50:01 - The Dragon's Bride by Katee Robert

50:32 - Neon Gods by Katee Robert

51:07 - Open Door Romance via Novel Neighbor

51:08 - The Novel Neighbor

51:15 - The Ripped Bodice Bookstore

52:04 - Still Life by Louise Penny (special edition w/sprayed edges, releases Sep. 30, 2025)

52:27 - I wish it was easier to get pretty versions of our favorite books. (Kaytee)

52:35 - The Hunger Games box set by Suzanne Collins (special edition with sprayed edges)

53:23 - Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

53:53 - Quicksilver by Callie Hart (special edition, pre order, releases Aug 19, 2025)

55:11 - The Beautiful Mystery 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 comes to you from Fables and Fairy Tales in Marinsville, Indiana!

• 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!