Things We Read Instead

By Victoria Cargill-James & Chris Simpson

A monthly podcast where two distractable nerds spend their time chatting bubbles about the enjoyment of something unintended but fabulous, while also trying to get their to be read piles under control... more

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FAQs about Things We Read Instead:

How many episodes does Things We Read Instead have?

The podcast currently has 54 episodes available.

Things We Read Instead episodes:

June 29, 2026 War Bore Holiday Reads
Merry Summer Break Readers!

The War Bore has been on his travels and has been devouring books poolside in a leisurely manner. This time out its James Hollland's Fortress Malta, because when in Malta what else does a War Bore read?

Enjoy Chris' swift poolside review, and keep your eyes and ears peel for more of our summer shorts over the next few weeks.

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram and get in touch via email at [email protected],

We will see you all after our summer break for our next episode where Vic will be challenging Chris to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and in the meantime we will be keeping you in content over on our instagram and substack.

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...more
12min
June 15, 2026 What Vic Read Instead of World War Z - Part 2
Hello Readers!

Welcome back to the second half of the Girly Swot reading World War Z by Max Brooks. Let's see what the Chris has found for Vic to read and watch instead :) along with a bit of a debate to wrap up the show.

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

To Read Instead
The Classic Horror Stories by H P Lovecraft
The Rats by James Herbert
Handling The Undead by John Ajvide Linqvist
The Enemy by Charlie Higson

To Watch Instead
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Dawn of The Dead (1978)
28 Days Later (2002)
28 Years Later (2025)
Attack on Titan (2013)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Other Honourable Mentions

We will see you after our summer break for our next episode where Vic will be challenging Chris to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and in the meantime we will be keeping you in content over on our instagram and substack while we take a small beer garden based break :)

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...more
56min
May 25, 2026 What Vic Read Instead of World War Z - Part 1
Hello Readers.

Here we are again with a brand new episode, and this month the Girly Swot has been challenged to read World War Z by Max Brooks sit down with a brew and listen to how she got on and what she read instead. Feel free to read along and prepare for the second half in a couple of weeks. Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. Like, subscribe, email at [email protected], and follow us on Instagram.

Here’s a list of the books, movies and shows mentioned in the podcast.

That Time I Got Drunk And Yeeted a Love Potion at Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
The Reading Cure by Laura Freeman
Box Office Poison by Tim Robey

Other Honourable Mentions

Other Honourable Mentions
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come - 2026
Ready or Not - 2019
Wuthering Heights - 2026
The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 1975
30 Days of Night - 2007
Castlevania (Netflix Animated Series)
Castlevania: Nocturne (Netflix Animated Series)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Dracula by Bram Stoker

Make sure you are subscribed for part two when the War Bore will give you his recommendations for what you could read and watch instead :)

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...more
43min
April 22, 2026 What Chris Read Instead of Erotic Vagrancy - Part 2
Hello Readers!

Welcome back to the second half of the War Bore's challenge to read Erotic Vagrancy by Roger Lewis. Let's see what the Girly Swot has found for Chris and you lovely lot to read and watch instead :) along with the traditional trivial argument (patent pending)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

To Read Instead
Furious Love by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger
Hellraisers by Robert Sellers
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

To Watch Instead
Cleopatra (1963)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)
1984 (1984)

Other Honourable Mentions
Love Actually (2003)
Wuthering Heights (2026)
Carry On Cleo (1964)

We will see you in a couple of weeks for our next episode about the War Bore's pick of World War Z by Max Brooks and you can find out what the Girly Swot made of the zombies and what she decided to read instead :)

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
35min
April 06, 2026 What Chris Read Instead of Erotic Vagrancy - Part 1
Hello Lovely Readers!

Welcome to the latest episode of our Third season of Things We Read Instead! This month the Girly Swot challenged the War Bore to read Erotic Vagrancy - Everything about Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor by Roger Lewis. Let's see what our Bore of War thinks and in a couple of weeks Vic will be back with what you could have read instead :)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

What Chris Read Instead
Fortress Malta by James Holland
Assyria by Eckhart Frahm
The Lost and The Damned by Guy Haley

Other Honourable Mentions
The Lost and the Damned by Guy Haley
Dominion by Tom Holland
A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
Becket (1964)
The Simpsons
Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
British Museum - Samurai Exhibit

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...more
47min
March 23, 2026 What Vic Read Instead of Brothers In Arms - Part 2
Merry Monday Readers!
We're back with the War Bore's alternative reads and what you could watch instead of Brothers in Arms by James Holland. All finished up with something a little different instead of the usual trivial argument :)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected]

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

To Read Instead
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
Flame Thrower by Andrew Wilson
Rifles by Mark Urban

To Watch Instead
Band of Brothers (2001)
Fury (2014)
Our World War (2014)

An Honourable Tanky Mention
The Tank Museum YouTube

We will see you in a couple of weeks for our next episode about the Girly Swot's pick of Erotic Vagrancy by Roger Lewis and you can find out what the War Bore thought about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's knock down drag out relationship and the fallout and what he decided to read instead :)

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...more
58min
March 09, 2026 What Vic Read Instead of Brothers In Arms - Part 1

Hello Readers.

Here is what Vic made of Brothers In Arms by James Holland and what she read instead. Feel free to read along and prepare for the second half in a couple of weeks. Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. Like, subscribe, email at [email protected], and follow us on Instagram.

Here’s a list of the books, movies and shows mentioned in the podcast.

You’re on an Airplane by Parker Posey
Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today by Naomi Alderman
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Other Honourable Mentions
The Crucible of Hell by Saul David
Mary Poppins 1964
Mary Poppins Returns 2018
Inside No. 9 BBC TV Series
Sunshine 2007

Make sure you are subscribed for part two when the War Bore will give you his recommendations for what you could read and watch instead :)

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
46min
February 23, 2026 What Chris Read Instead of 'Salem's Lot - Part 2
Merry Monday Readers!

Welcome to the second part of our episode about 'Salem's Lot! Here are Vic's deep dive recommendations for what other Stephen King alternatives you could read or watch instead along with a few glowing recommendations to work by the fabulous late Rob Reiner.

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected]

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

Rob Reiner Tributes
Misery 1990
Stand By Me 1986

To Read Instead
Needful Things by Stephen King
It by Stephen King
From by Buick 8 by Stephen King

To Watch Instead
The Monkey (2025)
The Long Walk (2025)
The Running Man (2025)

We will see you in a couple of weeks for our next episode about the War Bore's pick of Brothers in Arms by James Holland and you can find out what the Girly Swot thought about the WW2 Tanks and Yeomanry and what she decided to read instead :)

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...more
53min
February 13, 2026 What Chris Read Instead of 'Salem's Lot - Part 1
Hello Lovely Readers!

Welcome to the second episode of our Third season of Things We Read Instead! We're carrying on our run of big hitters kicking things off this season with one of Vic's top books of all time, Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot! Lots of pressure riding on this one readers! Let's see what our Bore of War thinks and in a couple of weeks Vic will be back with what other awesomeness written by Stephen King that you could read instead :)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

'Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
'Salem’s Lot 2004

Other Honourable Mentions
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Passenger of the U-977 by Rodolfo Santullo & Carlos Baricelli
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Emma by Jane Austen
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
Carrie by Stephen King
The Shining by Stephen King

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...more
52min
February 02, 2026 What Vic Read Instead of The War Of The Worlds - Part 2
Back again Readers? Good to see you!

Here are Chris' recommendations for what you could read and watch instead of H G Well's The War of the Worlds. Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. or get in touch via email at [email protected].

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

To Read Instead
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells

To Watch Instead
The Invisible Man 1933
First Men in the Moon 2010
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau 1996

Other Honourable Mentions

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
Fatherland by Robert Harris
The Hollow Man 2000
Threads1985
The War Game 1966

We will see you in a couple of weeks for our next episode all about Vic's favourite book - Stephen King's Salem's Lot!

Also apologies for the delay in getting this out to you all, we have had a sad loss at TWRI HQ. We lost our beloved best boy, Jimmy Malone James - the Mini Schnauzer, who we dedicate this episode to - Rest well young pup x

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
1h 3min

FAQs about Things We Read Instead:

How many episodes does Things We Read Instead have?

The podcast currently has 54 episodes available.