We Read That

This week Dani allows Jenny to monologue on the fiction literature about trad wife culture. Instead of working, Jenny read not only Sarah Langan's Trad Wife (2026), but also Saratoga Schaefer's book (2026) and Elizabeth Richardson's TRAD Substack. The ladies ponder why horror seems to be the go-to genre for this kind of niche, and what sort of questions these works throw out and possibly answer. Dani wants to know whether the patriarchy allows for genuine feminist choice, or whether our choices are based on societal expectations. Come along as two people who know little about trad wives, but have read books about them, discuss the societal phenomenon in detail, including references to Ballerina Farm and Nara Smith's Interview on Call Her Daddy (our main competitor in the market).

Our weekly book question deals with the "perfect bookstore" and whether bookstores are tourist attractions.

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Shownotes:

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Elizabeth Richardson's Substack: https://elizabethrichardsonbooks.substack.com/p/trad-index?r=3tkuh

A day late, but not a buck short. This week Dani and Jenny tackle Jenny's pick Happiness and Love by Zoe Dubno (2025). The story is about a woman's internal monologue while attending a dinner party with an artsy elite group of people in New York City. The protagonist churns through issues of nepotism, wealth, elitism, artistry and grief.

Although Jenny and Dani appreciate the ideas and the conversation it evokes between them, they can't help but be annoyed in certain instances. Nonetheless, they have a solid conversation about grief and appropriate ways of grieving (spoiler alert: there are none), why Jenny needs to get a grip when it comes to Paul Walker, and what levels of nepotism and money can do to the artistic process. Jenny also becomes a motivational speaker and just advises everyone to focus on their own work.

The Book Question of the Week tries to define the parameters of Weird Girl Lit. You be the judge of whether you agree with the definition or not.

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HAPPY READING!

Today, Jenny and Dani are tackling Lisa Jewell's It Could Have Been Her (2026). This new book is a homecoming for the two, as they share a love for Jewell's work and actually made in their very first episode ever one of the author's work their main topic (hint hint - go check it out). Jewell's latest book prompts the question: can you have a cozy murder mystery in a house of horrors?

The ladies talk all things tropes and what they like in them, agreeing that isolation is just great for all plots and characters to go off the deep end. Yay for forced proximity.

Towards the end of the episode, all Swifties should feel deeply offended, for that Jenny and Dani (mostly Jenny) are deeply sorry.

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This is one is a short one. Jenny suggests the first book of The Murderbot Diaries series (2017), and the ladies just do not click with it. They click more with Alexander Skarsgard on the Murderbot show on AppleTV.

What ensues is an in-depth conversation about what makes good science fiction (according to Dani and with plenty of great examples), and Jenny relates to Murderbot and his affinity for Reality TV.

The ladies tackle bookmaxxing after Jenny read a blurb about it on The Guardian: Dani fights all elitism, Jenny embraces some of it. So - the usual.

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New week, new book! This week Jenny and Dani discuss Han Kang's The Vegetarian (2015), as Dani is trying to get Jenny to read more horror-ish books. This shorter book invites us into complex and violent family dynamics that unravel as one person decides - in act of control and protection - to become a vegetarian. This small act pushes at the boundaries of what is appropriate in a highly rigid society and structure. Fascinating read! Lots to talk about. Horrible husbands again make an appearance.

TWs for this episode: Sexual assault, violence against women, violence against animals

The ladies talk about what genres they do not like or what tropes they reject in their reading: Horror, Sci-Fi, and Romance are picked apart and brought back together. Jenny and Dani agree that Ryan Gosling is handsome.

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Bruce Holsinger's novel Culpability (2025) brings us into the world of AI and what it means in our lives. After a fateful crash with an autonomous car, Noah, Lorelei and their three kids Izzy, Alice, and Charlie grapple with the idea of who responsibility, accountability and guilt when AI has taken the wheel - so to speak. This powerful family drama reveals complex family dynamics, which are intersected with wealth, class, race, and this new technology. Culpability is definitely a provocative and timely book.

Also ...

Do book reviews matter? Why yes/why no? Dani has no time for them. Jenny defers to the elite. The hive mind is scary out there on the internet. Find out how Jenny got scolded on Reddit after trying to great a civil discourse about books. Elsewhere, Dani is still reading Dungeon Crawler Carl and is equating it to War and Peace.

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Dani finally did it! She got Jenny to read a V.E. Schwab book: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (2025). And Jenny has a lot to say about: toxic relationships, men, female rage, the vampire lifestyle, and whether vampires should travel more.

If you like fantasy and a detailed play-by-play of a fascinating novel that brings female vampires from the 16th, 19th, and 21st century together, then this is the book and podcast for you. If you ever wanted to know what makes humans human, then buckle up. We cover it all and even give away the ending. Dani also honors V.E. Schwab and her genius over and over again, because all hail the queen, am I right?

The ladies also have some introspection as they are called out by a listener for always (!) reading about horrible husbands. Dani and Jenny set the record straight and promise to change nothing.

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We appreciate and love every single listener! Thank you for tuning in!

WE ARE BACK! Welcome to Season 2 of "We Read That". Dani and Jenny have a fresh batch of books ready for you! This first new episode has it all: boy bands (Team Backstreet Boys), Jenny knows too much about Harry Styles, nostalgia, fame discussions (even though they are not famous), and obviously cruises (Dani is Miss Cruise). Another fun romp about the latest novel by Emma Straub, "American Fantasy" (2026), who happens to be one of Jenny's favorite authors. If you need a great summer read, this one is for you!

To our old and new listeners (and there are bunch of you who showed up during our brief hiatus): THANK YOU! We are having the best time recording these!

Check us out on all our socials: linktr.ee/wereadthat

IT'S SEASON FINALE TIME, BABYYYY! (Don't worry we will be back June 15, 2026).

In our last episode of Season 1, we are tackling the new bestseller YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke. Is it historical fiction? Is it sci-fi? Is it fantasy? Jenny says it's just all about female rage!

After a few misses, both Jenny and Dani are on board with this debut novel that encompasses so many different issues regarding womanhood, parenthood, the patriarchy, religion, politics, and the tradwife movement. Are the "good old days" really better? For whom? And why do entertain this type of escapism?

Lastly, if you have BookCon 2026 Fomo, listen as Jenny and Dani dissect an event they only know things about based on TikTok videos and news articles. As ever, their professionalism is what others aspire to!

Shout out to our new listeners and old. This first season was a blast, and we are excited to produce/host/edit many more episodes for you!

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Show notes:

Find all our information on linktr.ee/wereadthat! Follow us on the socials (literally all of them), and check out our bookshop.org front if you want to read along!

NEW ACHIEVEMENT! Dani finally did it. She managed to get Jenny to read Dungeon Crawler Carl. Listen how much Jenny internalized the apocalypse, and how Dani makes DCC her almost entire personality. We also talk all things BookTok, Hilary Duff, and Pop Culture Around.

Follow us on the socials: @WeReadThatPod