Jeff and Rebecca gather around the hearth to discuss Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel about girlhood, family, ambition, and what it means to live a good life. They talk about why Alcott was reluctant to write a “girls’ book,” Little Women's unique combination of moral instruction and domestic realism, and how the March sisters each model a different way of being a woman in a world with narrow choices. Along the way, they explore why Little Women was long dismissed as minor literature, how it became one of the foundational texts of American womanhood, the book’s complicated relationship to marriage, class, and gender, and why Jo March remains a lodestar for readers more than 150 years later.

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Rebecca and Jeff talk through their methods for reading more and getting more out of reading, from defining what “better” looks like for you to making room for reading by letting go of other habits. They dig into when to push through, when to quit a book, how to choose books outside the algorithm, and how small shifts in attention can enrich your reading life.

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Rebecca and Jeff reflect on what they've learned during the whirlwind first season of the show, answer listener questions, and discuss ideas for the future.

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Jeff and Rebecca revisit Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, a story so familiar it’s often mistaken for simple. They consider its moral stakes, its enduring influence on readers and society, and why Scrooge's redemption still resonates.

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Jeff and Rebecca get into Maggie O'Farrell's best-selling, critically-acclaimed, and now feature film, Hamnet. How does a book loosely based on the life of William Shakespeare not even use the name once? It's a deft, moving, and complicated novel--and makes for terrific discussion.

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Jeff and Rebecca discuss the award-winning books, pop culture phenomena, book club picks, and crossover hits of 2025 and attempt to identify the ones that might someday join the canon.

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Hello Zero to Well-Read listeners! We've got a recommendation for you today: Origin Stories is a fantastic new podcast for anyone curious about the workings of the creative mind. It's hosted by veteran journalist Matthew Shaer, and explores the behind-the-scenes of your favorite book, magazine article, TV show, podcast, or movie — from the initial spark of curiosity to the long sessions in front of a white board.

We thought you'd enjoy this episode where Matthew Shaer interviews Stephanie Foo, a veteran radio producer and longtime staffer at shows like Snap Judgment and This American Life. She talks about the creation of her NYT best-selling memoir, WHAT MY BONES KNOW, which explores her early childhood trauma and her more recent diagnosis of complex PTSD.

Take a listen by searching for Origin Stories wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Jeff and Rebecca tackle a titan of modern fiction, discussing the breakout book that made a literary icon, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. They talk about what made Rushdie famous and what keeps him relevant, how to approach this challenging read, and why it's worth the effort.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

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Jeff and Rebecca explore Octavia Butler's eerily prescient 1993 novel, The Parable of the Sower, and discuss Butler's legacy and enduring impact on science fiction.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

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Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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Jeff and Rebecca revisit Donna Tartt's cult classic, the OG of dark academia, The Secret History.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

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