Today we’re talking about the books that built us, or books we read at a young age that helped shape us into who we are today.

Here’s that first kiss video Emily referenced. 

Thanks for listening! 

We're going back to elementary/middle school for today's episode and re-reading The Giver by Lois Lowry!

We loved this book as kids, but as we learned from Little House on the Prairie, not every book holds up to adult scrutiny. Listen to this episode to find out what we thought on the re-read. Plus find out what we've been reading lately (big updates ahead).

What we've read recently:

• The Count of Monte Cristo
• The Heart's Invisible Furies
• Project Hail Mary

Follow us on instagram at @readirectpodcast! 

For today's episode, we're joined by screenwriter, old-timey novel lover and Abigail's fiance, Zach Freshley! We're discussing all things book-to-screen adaptations, ones we've loved, ones we've hated, and ones we're dying to see come to fruition. 

Today we're just catching up on all the book-related topics we've been dying to discuss! First, we talk about our recent read, The Song of Achilles. Then, we're recapping a few recent favorites. Finally, we're asking ourselves, why do so many book synopses have the word, "penetrating" in them?

All of this and more is in today's Book Talk episode!

Here's all the books we discussed: 

• Bridgerton Series, Julia Quinn 
• Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller
• Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series, Rick Riordan 
• Dark Places, Gillian Flynn 
• One True Loves, Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Get a Life Chloe Brown, Talia Hibbert
• The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin
• Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson
• The Tourist Attraction, Sarah Morgenthaler
• Hello Stranger, Katherine Center
• Love Theoretically, Ali Hazelwood
• Zero Days, Ruth Ware 
• Yellowface, R. F. Kuang 
• The Ferryman, Justin Cronin

Love her or hate her, most people have an opinion on one of the most prolific authors of our time. (And fair warning, we lean more towards hating her on that spectrum on this podcast, so be warned!)

Today we're deep diving Colleen Hoover. Where did she come from? What has made her so popular? And why...? Just why.

Here's her addressing one of the scandals we'll talk about in this episode.

Books we've read recently:
Abigail: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert and Honey, Baby, Mine by Laura Dern and Diane Ladd
Emily: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Today we're drafting some books for you to read on the beach this summer. What makes a good beach read, and what would we never read on the beach? Listen to find out!

Beach Reads

• Chloe Cates is Missing, Mandy Mchugh
• Winter in Paradise series, Elin Hilderbrand 
• The Unhoneymooners, Christina lauren
• The Woman in the Window, AJ Finn
• Ice Planet Barbarians, Ruby Dixon
• Dial A For Aunties, Jessie Q Sutano 
• Malibu Rising, TJR
• Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir
• Reckless Girls, Rachel Hawkins

Books We've Read Recently 

• Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
• The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Today we're talking all things memoirs! 

First, hear our checklist of what gives you the right to write a memoir in the first place (looking at you Bachelor Nation). Then we're discussing who hasn't written a memoir yet that we absolutely need to spill all their dirty secrets in the pages of a best-seller. Somehow we get on a tangent about Bobby Flay that we promise is relevant.

Finally, we're sharing our favorite memoirs including the one that inspired this podcast.

Memoirs we love:

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed
• Educated by Tara Westover
• Maid by Stephanie Land 
• The Foundling by Paul Joseph Fronczak
• Spare by Prince Harry 
• Living Brave by Shannon Dingle

Books we've read recently: 

Abigail: The Wellness trap by Christy Harrison

Emily: 11/22/63 by Stephen King 

Today we're diving deep into the newest Emily Henry release, Happy Place! 

Tune in to hear us recap the book, read some of our favorite quotes, and fancast the movie we're already dreaming of (ahem, Miles Teller as Wyn). 

Books we've read recently: 
Emily: The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand 
Abigail: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

As always, be sure to follow us on Instagram @readirectpodcast for more fun. 

In honor of this beloved book hitting the big screen this week, we're dropping our first ever BONUS episode to discuss Judy Blume's classic novel, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. 

Neither of us actually read this book as children, so we're coming to it for the first time as seasoned adults. 

Books We've Read Recently:
Abigail - Carrie Soto is Back and Malibu Rising by TJR
Emily - Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke 

Today we're sharing our deepest, darkest unpopular book opinions! We've also solicited listener comments on Instagram and dived into the comments section on Reddit to gather even more unpopular opinions.

To watch a semi-cringey video of Rupi Kaur's poetry, click here.

Books We've Read Lately:
Abigail: A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Emily: The Circle and The Every by Dave Eggers

For our next episode, we'll be doing a full recap of Happy Place by Emily Henry, so be sure to pre-order if you want to read along with us!