We take stock of our reading lives at the halfway point of the year, discussing our progress toward reading 100 books, favorite and least favorite reads, and what's on our TBR lists.

Recent Reads: 

• And They Were Roommates by Page Powers
• The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
• Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
• Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson

If you like our candid conversations and unedited thoughts, go on to Spotify or Apple Podcasts, leave us a five-star review, and let us know that you love the show. You can also follow us on Instagram and BlueSky at @readirectpodcast.

Today we're discussing the world of celebrity pap walks featuring the celebs and their books. From Sarah Jessica Parker (who always seems to be caught with a book) to Timmy C. on the subway reading Dune to a SPIRITED debate over the Bradley Cooper-Suki Waterhouse Lolita fiasco... We've got it all. 

We're also discussing the recent trailer for Project Hail Mary (hello!!!!!) and the teaser/release date for People We Meet on Vacation. 

PLUS Recent Reads: 

• Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Share our show with a friend to help us grow our community of book-loving nerds and follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @ReadirectPodcast.

Join us for our highly competitive Pride Month book draft! We each take turns selecting our team of favorite books about queer characters and/or authors who are LGBTQIA+. 

Team Abigail: 

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Team Emily: 

• The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
• A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
• The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
• Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

For even more of us gushing about The Pairing, check out our book club episode!

It's time for another jam-packed Book Talk episode! 

We catch up on our recent reads, from Abigail's recent Emily Henry reread journey to five-star favorites and recent DNFs, plus discuss the controversial marketing of fanfiction in traditional publishing.

Abigail's complete (revised) Emily Henry reread rankings: 

1. Funny Story
2. Happy Place 
3. Beach Read
4. People We Meet on Vacation 
5. Book Lovers 
6. Great Big Beautiful Life 

Plus, we're covering: 

• Recent DNFs including First Time Caller by BK Morrison and Silver Elite (please bully me, Emily, if you think I should give these a second chance)
• Five-star reads worth your time: East of Eden by John Steinbeck and Memorial by Bryan Washington 
• Abigail's recents: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams and How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
• Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood review & lengthy discussion
• Discussion of the ethics of marketing fanfiction-inspired books using original IP (we're PASSIONATE) 
• Upcoming anticipated releases 

Plus, share our podcast on your Instagram story or tag us on Bluesky for a chance to win a $50 Thriftbooks gift card! Be sure to follow and tag us @readirectpodcast for a chance to win! 

We're joined by dear Friend of the Show Colleen to discuss Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. This book details Sarah's account of her time working for Facebook, and it is definitely explosive. We're recapping the highlights and horrifying revelations including: shark attacks, private planes, Settlers of Catan, Zika virus, global politics, and more.  

Read the book & join along, or listen to our recap as a ;tldr version of events. Either way, we hope you'll enjoy this book club episode! 

Recent Reads: 

• Heated Rivalry and The Long Game by Rachel Reid
• The Wedding People by Alison Espach
• Cover Story by Celia Laskey

If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and following us on Instagram and Bluesky @ReadirectPodcast. 

Today's episode is all about our picks for your beach reads this year! 

As a reminder, the beach is a closed ecosystem and what you read there does not transcend into other realms. Like the airport, nothing matters here. Read your crazy books, be free, have fun. 

BEACH READS: 

• Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
• Funny Story by Emily Henry
• The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco by Talia Hibbert
• Gravity & The Other Side of the Story by Tal Bauer
• Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
• You With a View by Jessica Joyce
• The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen
• Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
• The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger

Recent Reads:

• This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
• Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

We'd love if you would support the show by leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can also follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast, and please share the show with your friends – it's the best way to help us grow our community of book-loving nerds!

Join us for a deep dive of Emily Henry's newest release, Great Big Beautiful Life! 

Plus a discussion of upcoming releases, movie adaptations, and casting for Sunrise on the Reaping. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast, and share our show with a friend.

Recent Reads: 

• Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha Tuli
• Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
• Plus a sh*t ton of hockey romances (DM Emily for details) 

We're here with a short and hilarious episode that had us CRYING laughing on multiple occasions. Today, we're sharing our unpopular bookish opinions, as well as the unpopular opinions of listeners & strangers on Reddit. 

Want to help us grow our community of book loving nerds? Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @redirectpodcast, and share the show with a friend! 

Recent Reads: 

• Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
• Famous Last Words by Gillian McCallister
• You Didn't Hear This From Me by Kelsey McKinney

SPOILER ALERT! We will be discussing this book in exhaustive details, proceed with caution!

Today, we're doing a deep dive on Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. The raw audio for this episode was over an hour and a half long, and it still somehow feels like we barely scratched the surface. There's so much to unpack with this new Hunger Games prequel. Tune in to hear our thoughts, reactions, and speculations. 

Recent Reads: 

• The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert
• The Cadence of Part-Time Poets by motswolo
• Famous Last Words by Gillian McCallister
• Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
• Real Americans by Rachel Khong

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Bluesky @readirectpodcast. We love ya! 

We're seven years late to reading Sally Rooney's Normal People, a time capsule that takes us back to the 2010s and explores the complex relationship between two Irish teenagers as they navigate high school, college, and early adulthood.

If you've been enjoying the podcast, we would humbly ask that you support us in a few very simple ways. Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast, and share our show with a friend. 

Tune in for our next episode which will cover Sunrise on the Reaping.

Recent Reads: 

• Team Players by Deanna Grey
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid