We discuss the 2025 runaway hit, Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall. It features both cheating and a wedding, so we have plenty to discuss. 

Light spoilers at 8 minutes, full spoilers at 24 minutes

This week we discuss the seminal sci-fi novel-in-stories The Martian Chronicles, with special guest Sam, who brought his father's original edition to the discussion. 

No spoilers since this book doesn't really have a plot, but we do spoil individual stories. 

We discuss Thao Thai's Banyan Moon and other multi-generational sagas 

Spoilers from 11 minutes in

We discuss whether this 2012 still holds up or if the controversies are too much for it. We also talk about the wide range of philosophical questions it asks. 

TW: assisted suicide

Spoilers at 5 minutes in

We discuss the Fourth Wing-esque, possibly AI-written, new romantasy Silver Elite, with a special guest from our book group, Kate the librarian! 

We get into some of the rumors swirling around this book, why it was only disappointingly bad, not amusingly bad, and more. 

Spoilers start at 27 minutes

We discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. For some of us, it was an iconic formative book. For others, a dumb thing boys liked. 

Spoilers start at 19 mins

We have a special guest star--our niece and TJR superfan Kayla--on the pod to talk about TJR's previous book, Carrie Soto Is Back, and also Taylor Jenkins Reid in general. 

Spoilers start at 27 mins 

We discuss the high-profile 2023 vampire novel The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland. Should you read other vampire novels before you write your own? Would you like to be immortal or nah? Did this even need to be a vampire book? All that and more...

Spoilers start around 20 minutes in

Special guest Lauren helps us discuss the future cult classic, Victorian Psycho, by Virginia Feito. A bizarre, grotesque, and hilarious novel. 

No plot spoilers, but fair warning: we do talk about a lot of the surprising and outlandish moments in this book. If you want to go in completely fresh, read it first

We discuss The Book Censor's Library, by Bothayna Al-Essa, which was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for work in translation. 

Spoilers start at 14 minutes in