Show overview
Reading the Room has been publishing since 2022, and across the 2 years since has built a catalogue of 66 episodes. That works out to roughly 45 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 33 min and 48 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. The publisher flags most episodes as explicit, so expect adult themes or strong language throughout. It is catalogued as a EN-language Arts show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 2.3 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2023, with 36 episodes published. Published by Jaylen Lopez (@thebarandthebookcase).
From the publisher
A literary podcast featuring author interviews and discussions with bookish content creators, hosted by Jaylen (aka @thebarandthebookcase on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok).
Latest Episodes
View all 66 episodes
Ep 66Sheila Heti, "Alphabetical Diaries"
EWatch/Listen to Reading the Room on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 65Alice McDermott, "Absolution"
EWatch/Listen to Reading the Room on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 64Beauty, Drag, & Halloween w/ Mona Awad ("Rouge")
EWatch/Listen to Reading the Room on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 63Bryan Washington, "Family Meal"
EWatch/Listen to Reading the Room on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 62Justin Torres, "Blackouts"
EWatch/Listen to Reading the Room on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 61Body Horror, Religion, & Working Class Narratives w/ Elle Nash ("Deliver Me")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 60Body-Swapping, Marriage, & Art w/ Isle McElroy ("People Collide")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 59Monstrous Women w/ Deesha Philyaw, Chana Porter, Chantal V. Johnson & Kristel Buckley ("Peach Pit")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 58Survival, Solitude, & Middlemarch w/ Lauren Groff ("The Vaster Wilds")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 57Sacred Queer Books & Merch Collab w/ CJ Reads
ESAVED T-SHIRT (10% of all proceeds are donated to Lambda Literary): https://www.sunnysbooktruck.com/merch/p/saved-short-sleeve Follow Sunny's Book Truck: https://www.instagram.com/sunnysbooktruck/Watch Episodes Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 56Superpowers and Extinction w/ Hilary Leichter ("Terrace Story")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 55Mating by Norman Rush with Lauren Oyler
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 54Trauma Plots & Lana Del Rey w/ Kyle Dillon Hertz ("The Lookback Window")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 53Memory & Child Narrators w/ Khashayar J. Khabushani ("I Will Greet the Sun Again")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 52Family Dramas, Autofiction, & Humor w/ Andrew Ridker ("Hope")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 51Vampires & Silicon Valley w/ Daniel Hornsby ("Sucker")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 50Workplace Horror & Black Holes w/ Sarah Rose Etter ("Ripe")
EWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 49Absurdity in Fiction w/ Matthew Binder ("Pure Cosmos Club")
EBonus Content & Book Club Access: https://www.patreon.com/readingtheroomWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 48The Brandon Taylor Interview | Reading the Room Podcast
EBonus Content & Book Club Access: https://www.patreon.com/readingtheroomWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase
Ep 47Heavy Metal & Coming of Age Tales w/ John Wray ("Gone to the Wolves")
EBonus Content & Book Club Access: https://www.patreon.com/readingtheroomWatch the Interview Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebarandthebookcaseEmail: [email protected]'s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarandthebookcase/Reading the Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingtheroom.podcast/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64819771-jaylenTikTok: tiktok.com/@thebarandthebookcase