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The Currently Reading Podcast

The Currently Reading Podcast

Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb · Meredith Schwartz

437 episodesEN

Show overview

The Currently Reading Podcast has been publishing since 2018, and across the 8 years since has built a catalogue of 437 episodes, alongside 51 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 400 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence, with the show now in its 8th season.

Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 49 min and 1h 1m — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language Arts show.

The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 4 days ago, with 19 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Meredith Schwartz.

Episodes
437
Running
2018–2026 · 8y
Median length
55 min
Cadence
Weekly

From the publisher

Currently Reading is a podcast dedicated to the love of books and reading. Meredith and Kaytee are two bookish friends who discuss their most recent reads - and please know, they are going to be honest about how they felt about them! All conversations are spoiler-free, pinkie promise. In addition, they'll talk about books they've loved forever, and a variety of other bookish topics - all to help you develop the reading life you've always wanted. Looking for your next great read? You'll find tons of book recommendations every week. Named one of the New York Times' "Best Podcasts for Book Lovers".

Latest Episodes

View all 437 episodes

Season 8, Episode 40: Airplane Reading + Books For Every Enneagram

May 11, 20261h 18m

Season 8, Episode 39: The Howl Train + Reading Therapy w/Mary

May 4, 20261h 4m

Season 8, Episode 38: A Revisit to Episode 8 - Getting Through A Reading Slump

Apr 27, 202649 min

Season 8, Episode 37: To The Moon And Back + Low Rated Books That Stuck With Us

Apr 20, 20261h 9m

Season 8, Episode 36: Spring Fever + The Oldest Books On Our TBR

Apr 13, 20261h 7m

Season 8, Episode 35: Bookish Bedrooms + Our Book Budgets

Apr 6, 20261h 1m

S8 Ep 34Season 8, Episode 34: Books That Grow + Our Reading Traditions

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: books that grow as we read and book festival serendipity Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: partaking in bookish traditions Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit brought by Meredith Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:31 - Bookish Moments of the Week 2:46 - Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan 5:40 - All Systems Red by Martha Wells 5:49 - Sandwich by Catherine Newman 5:50 - Wreck by Catherine Newman 7:02 - Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb 7:03 - Honey Bee Mine by Sarah T. Dubb 8:02 - Current Reads 8:34 - The Inn at Penglas Cove by Lauren Westwood (Meredith) 13:08 - The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa (Kaytee) 17:37 - The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton 18:04 - Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McCallister 18:34 - The Extra by Annie Neugebauer (Meredith) 19:05 - Book Talk, Etc 20:08 - Talking Scared Podcast w/ Annie Neugebauer 23:50 - Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara (Kaytee) 24:01 - CR Season 7: Episode 16 29:10 - @wguidara on Instagram 29:34 - The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery (Meredith) 31:35 - An Unlikely Story 33:24 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 34:27 - How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin 35:36 - The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow 36:18 - Waterstones 39:15 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 39:24 - The Ten Thousand Doors Of January by Alix E. Harrow 40:24 - Deep Dive: Our Reading Traditions 45:27 - The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 45:29 - Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh 45:32 - Beauty by Robin McKinley 48:47 - BookPage 49:23 - Before We Go Kaytee highlights a bookish friend post 49:37 - The Better Mother by Jennifer van der Kleut Meredith brings a sleeper hit 51:09 - The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Mar 30, 202655 min

S8 Ep 33Season 8, Episode 33: Reading Grooves + Our Reading Hermitages

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Elizabeth are discussing: Bookish Moments: Reading modes and finding books for every moment Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: Which authors' complete works we would take to our hermitage Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit brought by Elizabeth. Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . :10 - Bite Size Intro :51 - Fabled Bookshop :57 - Currently Reading Patreon 2:47 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 8:23 - Our Current Reads 8:52 - These Is My Words by Nancy Turner (Elizabeth) 10:37 - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder 10:40 - Centennial by James Michener 11:50 - This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum (Meredith) 16:34 - London Falling by Patrick Raddon Keefe (Elizabeth, pre-order releases April 7, 2026) 17:06 - Defending Jacob by William Landay 17:07 - Someone We Know by Shari Lapena 19:14 - The Plea by Steve Cavanagh (Meredith) 21:40 - Thirteen by Steve Kavanagh 21:41 - Fifty Fifty by Steve Kavanagh 22:40 - The Defense by Steve Kavanagh 24:20 - Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Elizabeth) 28:42 - Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Meredith) ***Each current read this week is 10% off if you order through Fabled Bookshop with the code "currently" 35:47 - Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser 35:58 - Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns 36:20 - To sign up for Book Lover Weekend head to their website! 37:07 - Deep Dive: The Works of Five Authors for the End of Time Min Jin Lee (Elizabeth) 39:12 - Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 39:16 - American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee Louise Penny - all of them (Meredith) Anthony Horowitz (Elizabeth) 40:22 - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 41:02 - Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz Charles Dickens (Meredith) 41:56 - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 42:02 - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 42:07 - Bleak House by Charles Dickens Patrick Radden Keefe (Elizabeth) 42:42 - Dead Wake by Erik Larson David Sedaris (Meredith) Kristen Hannah (Elizabeth) Stephen King (Meredith) 45:46 - Fairy Tale by Stephen King Liz Moore (Elizabeth) 46:31 - Long Bright River by Liz Moore 46:32 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore Debbie Macomber (Meredith) Rick Bragg (Elizabeth) 50:40 - Before We Go Meredith highlights a bookish friend post 51:33 - StoryGraph Elizabeth brings a sleeper hit 52:35 - No One's Coming by Kevin Hazzard 52:40 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Mar 23, 202656 min

S8 Ep 32Season 8, Episode 32: Exciting Adaptations + How To Audiobook

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: Book adaptations and giving out book recs IRL Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: How to audiobook Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and something Kaytee is curious about Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:21 - Bookish Moments of the Week 1:35 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 1:41 - PBS app 2:31 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 3:07 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 3:46 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 3:48 - Call Her Daddy podcast w/Sarah J. Maas 4:55 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas 6:55 - Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas 7:09 - @hollyslitmagic on Instagram 9:15 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle 9:31 - The Day the World Came To Town by Jim DeFede 9:48 - Search by Michele Huneven 10:16 - Current Reads 11:00 - The Night She Died by Dorothy Simpson (Meredith, ebook only) 16:52 - Courtroom Drama by Neely Tubati Alexander (Kaytee) 17:02 - Literally A Bookshop 21:30 - The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer (Meredith) 22:51 - We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer 26:23 - Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee) 29:04 - Partita by Barbara Kingsolver (pre-order releases Oct 6, 2026) 29:08 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 29:44 - A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James (Meredith) 29:59 - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James 34:02 - The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James 35:46 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion (vol. 1) by Beth Brower (Kaytee) 43:15 - How To Listen To Audiobooks 55:14 - Before We Go Kaytee highlights a bookish friend post 56:26 - Greenwood by Michael Christie 56:29 - The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah Meredith brings something she's curious about 57:20 - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel 57:35 - Footnotes and Tangents Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Mar 16, 20261h 3m

S8 Ep 31Season 8, Episode 31: Book Festivals + Revisiting The Currently Reading Press List

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: Book festivals and new book podcast episodes Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: Revisiting the Currently Reading Press List Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and something Kaytee is curious about Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . :10 Bite Size Intro 2:01 - Currently Reading Press List 3:00 - Bookish Moments of the Week 3:23 - Tucson Festival of Books 3:54 - If you will be at TFOB, email Kaytee at kaytee @ currentlyreadingpodcast . com 5:17 - The Diving In podcast 6:28 - Current Reads 6:36 - Wreck by Catherine Newman (Kaytee) 6:49 - Sandwich by Catherine Newman 9:50 - Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton (Meredith, Blackwell's link) 12:58 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips 15:06 - The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande (Kaytee) 15:14 - Kaytee's Instagram @notesonbookmarks 19:09 - Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic by C.M. Nascosta (Meredith) 19:18 - Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta 25:21 - Love and Fury by Samantha Silva (Kaytee) 25:26 - The Novel Neighbor 26:32 - Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva 26:35 - CR Season 1: Episode 18 27:36 - You're Dead To Me podcast 28:46 - The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty (Meredith) 30:16 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 32:39 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 32:40 - The Princess Bride by William Goldman 34:41 - Revisiting The Currently Reading Press List 34:58 - Currently Reading Press List 38:53 - The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt 39:00 - Pansuit Politics podcast 42:06 - Matilda by Roald Dahl 42:52 - Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige 43:21 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley 43:33 - The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse 43:48 - Disney War by James B. Stewart 43:52 - The Course of Love by Alain de Botton 44:08 - Shogun by James Clavell 44:28 - Dataclysm by Christian Rudder 44:39 - The Book of M by Peng Shepherd 44:51 - Life after Life by Kate Atkinson 45:11 - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 45:20 - The Vintage Teacup Club by Vanessa Greene 45:29 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 45:30 - Scythe by Neal Shusterman 45:36 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 46:03 - My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 46:04 - My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 46:09 - The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich 46:11 - The Paper Magician by Charlie Homberg 46:25 - The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber 47:15 - Expecting Better by Emily Oster 47:26 - Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman 50:14 - Before We Go Meredith highlights a bookish friend post 50:54 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion by Beth Brower Kaytee brings something she's curious about 53:00 - Laura Tremaine's Substack 53:15 - 10 Things To Tell You podcast 55:13 - Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser 55:29 - Kin by Tayari Jones 55:37 - Whistler by Ann Patchett 55:51 - Land by Maggie O'Farrell Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Mar 9, 202657 min

S8 Ep 30Season 8, Episode 30: Weekly Buddy Reading + Organizing Our Bookshelves

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: A new bookish metaphor and book moms in the wild Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: Organizing Our Bookshelves Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit you should read. Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:18 - Ad For Ourselves 2:03 - Currently Reading Patreon 2:55 - Bookish Moments of the Week 3:19 - A Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl 7:44 - @meg.al.reads on Instagram 9:19 - Current Reads 9:26 - Agnes Aubert's Magical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (Mary) 9:54 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 13:34 - Mate by Ali Hazelwood (Kaytee) 13:38 - Bride by Ali Hazelwood MARYS NEXT BOOK BEGINS AT 17:43 IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR MATE'S SETUP 16:31 - romance.io 17:48 - Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen (Mary) 19:50 - The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen 19:52 - CR Season 4: Episode 38 w/Mary's setup of The Arc 21:07 - One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Kaytee) 23:39 - American War by Omar El Akkad 26:02 - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Mary) 28:19 - This Is How You Win the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar 29:57 - Honey by Imani Thompson (pre-order, releases May 5, 2026) (Kaytee) 32:10 - They Never Learn by Layne Fargo 34:36 - Organizing Our Bookshelves 36:51 - Ikea Kallax Bookshelf 37:47 - Ikea Billy Bookcase 42:40 - Cinder by Marissa Meyer 48:50 - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali 49:47 - Currently Reading Substack 53:51 - Before We Go Kaytee highlights a bookish friend post 54:38 - Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead 54:40 - The Wife, The Mistress and the Maid by Ariel Lawhon 54:42 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 54:44 - The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich 54:47 - The Antidote by Karen Russell 54:52 - The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kawali Mary brings a sleeper hit, with a twist: 57:02 - Looking At Picture Books w/Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen 58:51 - Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Mar 2, 20261h 0m

S8 Ep 29Season 8, Episode 29: A Website Refresh + Curating A Bookstagram

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: A new bookish metaphor and book moms in the wild Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: Explaining a Currently Reading literary society Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit you should read. Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:44 - Bookish Moments of the Week 1:52 - Currently Reading Website 1:56 - Books We Want To Press Into Your Hands 3:03 - Best Books for Babies and Kids 3:42 - Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge 5:55 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO Max 7:12 - Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 7:16 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R. R. Martin (all 3 Dunk and Egg novellas) 7:55 - Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid 8:33 - Current Reads 8:41 - The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (Kaytee) 11:47 - The Book Wanderers by Anna James 11:50 - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 11:54 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 13:08 - Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (Meredith) 15:10 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 15:11 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 15:45 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 22:27 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 24:10 - Six Feet Over by Mary Roach (Kaytee) 27:20 - Gulp by Mary Roach 27:21 - Bonk by Mary Roach 27:22 - Stiff by Mary Roach 28:51 - Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (Meredith) 32:06 - Agatha Christie's Marple by Mark Aldridge 34:18 - The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden (Kaytee) 34:33 - Charter Books 39:00 - Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (Meredith) 42:28 - Dracula by Bram Stoker 45:21 - Turning Instagram into Bookstagram 47:25 - Sign up for the newsletter on our website 47:26 - Currently Reading Substack 50:48 - Currently Reading Instagram 50:54 - @HelloSunshine on Instagram 50:58 - @BookRiot on Instagram 51:00 - @NYTBooks on Instagram 51:40 - @Iamblackharry on Instagram 52:10 - Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 52:28 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 52:42 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower 53:42 - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides 53:48 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore 54:03 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 56:13 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live 58:44 - Before We Go Meredith highlights a bookish friend post 59:34 - The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver 59:54 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Kaytee's Book She DNF'd: 1:01:22 - The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor 1:01:28 - Bookshelf Thomasville 1:02:57 - From the Front Porch podcast Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's list is a special romance curated list from Open Door Romance, The Novel Neighbor's Romance adjacent bookstore in Webster Groves, MO. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Feb 23, 20261h 4m

S8 Ep 28Season 8, Episode 28: Reader Speed Dating + CR Style Book Clubs

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: A new bookish metaphor and book moms in the wild Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: Explaining a Currently Reading literary society Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit you should read. Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:28 - Bookish Moments of the Week 5:56 - Current Reads 6:23 - A Violent Age by Sarah Blake (Meredith, amazon link) 7:25 - Clean Air by Sarah Blake 13:08 - Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai (Kaytee) 15:28 - Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 16:41 - Currently Reading Website 17:59 - Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell (Meredith) 23:34 - A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (Kaytee) 23:52 - History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook 24:05 - The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid 26:27 - The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake 26:28 - Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust 26:32 - House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig 26:42 - Sing Me To Sleep by Gabi Burton 26:50 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 28:59 - The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan (Meredith) 33:18 - Booktenders 33:37 - Everyone Is Lying To You by Jo Piazza (Kaytee) 38:40 - Currently Reading Style Book Clubs 42:49 - A Violent Age by Sarah Blake 50:16 - Before We Go Kaytee highlights a bookish friend post 50:34 - Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 50:36 - The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa 50:37 - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata 50:40 - The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji 51:22 - The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai 51:39 - Confessions by Kanae Minato Meredith's Sleeper Hit: 52:34 - Sphere by Michel Crichton 52:39 - Timeline by Michael Crichton 54:06 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's list is a special romance curated list from Open Door Romance, The Novel Neighbor's Romance adjacent bookstore in Webster Groves, MO. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Feb 16, 202656 min

S8 Ep 27Season 8, Episode 27: We Control Our Reading + Boss My TBR

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: Kaytee's San Francisco bookstore adventure and Meredith's Wolf Hall slow read Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: Boss My TBR - helping two listeners prioritize their reading stacks Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and TBR triage Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . :10 Bite Size Intro 1:04 - Currently Reading on Youtube 2:39 - Bookish Moments of the Week 3:13 - City Lights Bookstore 5:00 - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel 5:35 - Footnotes and Tangents 07:53 - Current Reads 8:01 - History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Kaytee) 11:18 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live 11:52 - Sphere by Michael Crichton (Meredith) 14:21 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton 15:58 - The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton 16:02 - Timeline by Michael Crichton 16:15 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 16:34 - Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb (Kaytee) 22:12 - The Sleeper Lies by Andrea Mara (Meredith, Blackwell's link) 24:01 - All Her Fault by Andrea Mara 26:11 - Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara 26:12 - The Other Side of the Wall by Andrea Mara (Blackwell's link) 26:54 - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (Kaytee) 28:25 - CR Season 2: Episode 22 when Kayytee first brought The Dutch House 29:20 - Commonwealth by Ann Patchett 31:48 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 33:30 - Snap by Belinda Bauer (Meredith) 37:30 - Boss My TBR 38:11 - Gretchen's Stack For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain Bride by Ali Hazelwood A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers Gilded by Marissa Meyer 39:29 - Field Day Books and Bottles 39:35 - Cannon Beach Book Company 43:09 - Lauren's Stack I, Medusa by Ayana Gray Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven Fear and Fury by Heather Ann Thompson Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman 44:26 - Fabled Bookshop 44:49 - Blood in the Water by Heather Ann Thompson 48:32 - Before We Go Meredith highlights bookish friend posts from the Facebook group 50:08 - Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson 50:13 - On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder 51:39 - Nothing Much Happens podcast 52:57 - Currently Reading Patreon 53:14 - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots 53:39 - Timeline by Michael Crichton Kaytee's TBR Triage: Kaytee brings a book that has been on her TBR for a long time and decides whether to keep and read, or remove from her TBR. 54:28 - The Sinister Booksellers of Bath (Foyles link) 54:31 - Foyle's 54:56 - The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (Foyles link) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's list is a special romance curated list from Open Door Romance, The Novel Neighbor's Romance adjacent bookstore in Webster Groves, MO. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Feb 9, 202659 min

S8 Ep 26Season 8, Episode 26: The End Of An Era + Why We Re-Read

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Roxanna are discussing: Bookish Moments: stickers on books and book metaphors Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: if we re-read and why The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 3:06 - Ad For Ourselves 3:49 - NYT Article about book podcasts "Seven Podcasts for Bookworms" 6:16 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 6:22 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 7:32 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 14:14 - Our Current Reads 14:25 - The Q by Beth Brower (Roxanna) 14:30 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower 18:22 - For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn 20:18 - Lock In by John Scalzi (Meredith) 23:30 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi 26:41 - The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine (Roxanna) 29:53 - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 32:46 - The Governess and the Rogue by Mimi Matthews (Meredith) 35:26 - The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews 35:28 - Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews 38:25 - A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (Roxanna) 43:00 - The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Meredith) 47:44 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke 52:34 - Deep Dive: Why We Re-Read 56:59 - I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid 57:42 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower 1:00:02 - Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood 1:01:11 - Getting Things Done by David Allen 1:01:15 - Essentialism by Greg McKeown 1:01:21 - Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski 1:01:36 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 1:02:09 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 1:02:22 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 1:02:38 - Meet Us At The Fountain 1:04:18 - I wish to bring back the Currently Reading literary society. (Roxanna) 1:05:03 - @roxannathereader on Instagram 1:06:00 - I want to highlight the show Bookish on PBS. (Meredith) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's list is a special romance curated list from Open Door Romance, The Novel Neighbor's Romance adjacent bookstore in Webster Groves, MO. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Feb 2, 20261h 8m

S8 Ep 25Season 8, Episode 25: Get Your Eyes Checked + All Things Special Editions

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: reviving the book space and recs from bookish friends Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: all things special editions The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:39 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 2:35 - Currently Reading Patreon 4:16 - Currently Reading website to find your readerly type 5:03 - Sidedoor podcast 5:29 - Sidedoor Season 11 - Poison and Poisonability 6:50 - Our Current Reads 6:58 - Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle (Kaytee) 7:13 - @booksbybrady on instagram 11:02 - Voices in the Snow by Darcy Coates (Meredith) 14:51 - Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates 16:17 - Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson (Kaytee) 17:41 - These Truths by Jill Lapore 19:37 - Two Cures for Love by Wendy Cope (Meredith, amazon link) 23:58 - The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel (Kaytee) 26:23 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton 26:54 - Bear by Julia Phillips 28:02 - For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn (Meredith) 35:26 - Deep Dive: All About Special Editions 35:41 - Special Edition reel by Docofthedarkarts 36:16 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (special edition) 36:33 - OwlCrate 36:34 - Fairyloot 36:38 - Satisfiction 37:40 - Foyles 38:47 - Still Life by Louise Penny (special edition) 41:01 - Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (leatherbound edition, pre-order out Feb 26, 2026) 41:45 - Hunger Games special edition box set 42:20 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 42:24 - The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher 44:29 - The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (deluxe special edition) 46:42 - Meet Us At The Fountain 47:14 - I wish to press Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (Kaytee) 47:15 - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots 49:01 - For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn 49:25 - Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots (pre-order, releases May 19, 2026) 50:25 - If you are feeling slumpy in your reading, I wish for you to get your eyes checked! (Meredith) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is our annual visit to Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Jan 26, 202654 min

S8 Ep 24Season 8, Episode 24: Mary and Roxanna's Top Reads of 2025!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Mary and Roxanna take the reins and are deep diving into their top reads of 2025! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . **Please help us by filling out the LISTENER SURVEY before JANUARY 25th!! 1:21 - Mary and Roxanna's Reading Year 4:14 - Mary's Reading Stats: 100 books read this year and picked up some graphic novels that normally she wouldn't have read in the past 7:54 - Roxanna's Reading Stats: 68 books read this year. 26 five star reads 15% general fiction, 16% historical fiction, 15% lit fic, 13% middle grade, 20% POC authors, 96% fiction 12:03 - Join the Currently Reading Patreon to access the reading tracker 14:25 - Mary and Roxanna's Best Books of 2025 14:38 - The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das (Roxanna #10) 17:09 - Empty Cradle, Broken Heart by Deborah L. Davis 18:16 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Mary #10) 19:23 - Sandwich by Catherine Newman 19:40 - The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z Hossain (Roxanna #9) 21:48 - Heart the Lover by Lily King (Mary #9) 22:36 - Writers & Lovers by Lily King 24:37 - The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe (Roxanna #8) 27:16 - The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Mary #8) 30:46 - To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (Roxanna #7) 34:06 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Ladies of Mad Science: Secrets of the Purple Pearl by Kate McKinnon (Mary #7) 35:35 - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon 37:39 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore (Roxanna #6) 40:04 - The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (Mary #6) 42:27 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 43:09 - The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman (Roxanna #5) 45:00 - Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune 46:01 - The Bones Beneath by Skin by T.J. Klune (Mary #5) 46:35 - House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 50:11 - Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Roxanna #4) 50:24 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 54:14 - The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller (Mary #4) 54:33 - Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller 54:41 - The Change by Kirsten Miller 56:59 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Roxanna #3) 59:14 - Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross (Mary #3) 59:36 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross 1:00:05 - Circe by Madeline Miller 1:00:07 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati 1:01:02 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Roxanna #2) 1:05:08 - The Correspondent by Virgina Evans (Mary #2) 1:08:17 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (Roxanna #1 - the whole series!) 1:10:30 - Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery 1:10:36 - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 1:14:41 - Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert (Mary #1 - the whole series!) 1:15:31 - Lightfall: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert 1:15:31 - Lightfall: The Dark Times by Tim Probert 1:17:22 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is our annual visit to Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Jan 19, 20261h 24m

S8 Ep 23Season 8, Episode 23: Slow Reads + How And Why We Rate Our Books

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: experimenting with our reading and taking on choker books Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: answering the questions of how or why we rate our books The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 2:39 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 3:01- The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor 3:05 - Bookshelf Thomasville 3:07 - From the Front Porch podcast 3:31 - It by Stephen King 4:53 - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (#1 in the Cromwell series) 5:30 - Footnotes and Tangents on Instagram 6:45 - The Stand by Stephen King 6:47 - Laura Tremaine on Substack 8:52 - Our Current Reads 9:00 - Matched by Ally Condie (Kaytee) 9:32 - The Giver by Lois Lowry 11:26 - The Selection by Kiera Cass 11:30 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 13:04 - Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (Meredith) 14:45 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 18:15 - Cultish by Amanda Montell (Kaytee) 18:21 - Wordslut by Amanda Montell 21:52 - Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain (Meredith) 23:00 - The Secret by Rhonda Byrne 23:35 - The Painted Porch 23:40 - The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holliday 26:05 - The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron 27:37 - When the Tides Held the Moon by Vanessa Vida Kelley (Kaytee) 30:43 - CAWPILE 31:38 - The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (Meredith) 35:51 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 36:28 - The Last Flight by Julie Clark 36:50 - Deep Dive: How And Why We Rate Our Reads 37:53 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 37:59 - Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz 38:04 - Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes 38:14 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito 49:41 - CAWPILE system 51:53 - Meet Us At The Fountain 52:41 - I wish that we would all pick one small way to challenge our reading this year. (Kaytee) 54:23 - I wish you would sign up for our newsletter! (Meredith) 54:25 - Sign up for the newsletter on our website Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is our annual visit to Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Jan 12, 202657 min

S8 Ep 22Season 8, Episode 22: Our Top Reads of 2025!

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are deep diving into their top reads of 2025. This year, they alternate between reads and superlatives. From best Cheeto chapters to books that made them uncomfortable, the year had some amazing books and experiences. Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . 1:35 - Ad For Ourselves 1:54 - NYT Article about book podcasts "Seven Podcasts for Bookworms" 2:27 - Currently Reading Patreon 5:23 - Some Stats From Our Reading Lives 7:07 - 68% of reads were backlist (Kaytee) 7:38 - Kaytee read 230 books 7:59 - Meredith read 127 books 8:54 - 64% female/36%male authors (Meredith) 9:09 - Average rating of 4.1 (Meredith) 10:53 - 44% Kindle, 13% audiobook, poetry 4% of total reads, 17% nonfiction (Meredith) 12:28 - 22% romance, 20% fantasy, 14% as literary (Kaytee) 14:34 - 32% authors revisited, library serendipity #1 recommendation source followed by Elizabeth Barnhill, Roxanna and Betsie Ikenberry (Meredith) 16:13 - Katie Proctor #1 recommendation source, followed by the indie press list, libro. Fm, and Meredith (Kaytee) 17:55 - Berkeley and Random House biggest publishing houses, followed by Harper, William Morrow, Atria and Flatiron Books (Kaytee) 18:21 - Minotaur, Atria and Random House biggest publishing houses (Meredith) 19:57 - Our Top 10 Reads of 2025 20:27 - Superlative #1: Book or books you will recommend most from this year? 20:39 - A Rebellion of Care by David Gate (Kaytee) 21:20 - So Far Gone by Jess Walter (Meredith) 23:25 - The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (Meredith #10) 24:08 - You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (Kaytee #10) 24:28 - Awake by Jen Hatmaker 24:30 - I Thought It Would Be Better Than This by Jessica Turner 25:30 - Superlative #2: Which book would be hardest to shelve in the library? 25:51 - Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (Meredith) 26:02 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 27:01 - My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows (Kaytee) 27:55 - Royal Gambit by Daniel O'Malley (Meredith #9) 29:32 - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (Kaytee #9) 30:31 - Superlative #3: The book we wanted to throw across the room 30:38 - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (Meredith) 32:23 - Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (Kaytee) 33:11 - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 33:57 - A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos (Meredith #8) 35:53 - My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee #8) 37:16 - Superlative #4: The book that made you the most uncomfortable 37:29 - Eager by Ben Goldfarb (Kaytee) 38:57 - Sandy Hook by Eilzabeth Williamson (Meredith) 40:25 - Forensics by Val McDermid (Meredith #7) 41:52 - Forensics by Val McDermid (Blackwells edition) 42:24 - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee #7) 42:52 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 43:42 - Superlative #5: The best picture book that you read aloud this year 44:15 - No, David! By David Shannon (Meredith) 45:07 - The Creature of Habit by Jennifer E. Smith and Leo Espinosa (Kaytee) 46:35 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Meredith AND Kaytee #6) 47:33 - CR Season 7: Episode 46 49:09 - Superlative #6: The best audiobook experience 49:23 - Woodworking by Emily St. James (Kaytee) 50:19 - This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Meredith) 51:38 - North Sun by Ethan Rutherford (Meredith #5) 52:53 - This Changes Everything by Tyler Merritt (Kaytee #5) 53:01 - I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt 54:31 - Superlatives #7: Longest and shortest book read this year 54:46 - A Little Daylight Left by Sarah Kay (Meredith shortest) 55:03 - The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Meredith longest) 55:34 - The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee shortest, amazon link) 55:53 - These Truths by Jill Lepore (Kaytee longest) 56:20 - The Stand by Stephen King 57:16 - The Unseen World by Liz Moore (Meredith #4) 57:25 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 58:50 - This is Happiness by Niall Williams (Kaytee #4) 59:57 - Superlative #8: Best book outside your wheelhouse 1:00:09 - The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (Meredith) 1:01:07 - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (Kaytee) 1:01:30 - Erasure by Percival Everett 1:01:32 - A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat 1:03:34 - The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Meredith #3) 1:07:15 - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee #3) 1:07:31 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi 1:08:56 - Superlative #9: Your favorite new to you author 1:09:08 - Swordheart by T. Kingfisher (Meredith) 1:09:31 - Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Meredith) 1:09:48 - Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope (Kaytee) 1:10:12 - The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope 1:11:03 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito (Meredith #2) 1:12:37 - Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar (Kaytee #2) 1:14:07 - Superlative #10: The most milkshake book/cheeto chapter book you read this year 1:14:50 - The Other Side of the Wall by Andrea Mara (Meredith, Blackwell's link) 1:14:57 -

Jan 5, 20261h 25m

S8 Ep 21Season 8, Episode 21: A Look Back - Our Top 10 Reads of 2021

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are taking a look back at their favorite reads of 2021. This was one of the best reading years. This was also the year we added the superlatives which everybody loved! Most of these books should be available for you to grab if any interest you after hearing us rave about them! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . 2:38 - Our Top 10 Reads of 2021 12:35 - Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Kaytee #10) 12:39 - Season 3: episode 40 14:09 - Currently Reading Patreon 16:39 - Fablehaven by Brandon Mull 16:52 - A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (Meredith #10) 18:50 - The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (Kaytee #9) 21:25 - Furyborn by Claire Legrand 21:36 - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 21:56 - A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (Meredith #9) 22:21 - A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 23:01 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 23:46 - The Day The World Came to Town by Jim DeFede (Kaytee #8) 23:50 - Season 4: Episode 14 25:32 - Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (Meredith #8) 25:41 - Season 3: Episode 41 29:03 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Kaytee #7) 29:25 - Season 3: Episode 42 31:41 - State of Terror by Hilary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (Meredith #7) 34:22 - Intermission: Lowest Rated Books 34:58 - Roar by Cecilia Ahern (Kaytee) 35:41 - Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard (Kaytee) 36:48 - Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (Meredith) 37:30 - Survive the Night by Riley Sager (Meredith) 38:25 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd 38:36 - Love Lives Here by Rowan Jette Knox (Kaytee #6) K NOTE: while I do think it's clear that I love my sister dearly here, I want to be extra super clear that when I say "love covers all manner of sins" I am referring to the ways we as her family fail at times to do the best we can. I am not in any way referring to her gender identity as a sin. My sister knows this, but I want to be sure that anyone else who hears me, hears me correctly as well. 40:25 - Pony by R.J. Palacio (Meredith #6) 40:50 - Page & Palette Bookshop 42:05 - Wonder by R.J. Palacio 43:01 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Kaytee #5) 43:04 - Season 3: Episode 45 44:29 - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (Meredith #5) 47:46 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (Kaytee #4) 47:51 - Season 3: Episode 35 47:56 - Bookshelf Thomasville 48:47 - Blackwell's 49:05 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 49:06 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 49:28 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard 49:37 - The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard (Meredith #4) 53:14 - Intermission: The Books that Surprised Us Most in 2021 53:44 - Season 3: Episode 34 53:50 - The Black Count by Tom Reiss (Kaytee) 55:38 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Meredith) 59:25 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd 59:50 - How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Kaytee #3) 59:56 - Season 4: Episode 19 1:01:37 - Fabled Bookshop 1:01:39 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (Meredith #3) 1:04:52 - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (Kaytee #2) 1:04:56 - Season 4: Episode 2 1:07:18 - Matrix by Lauren Groff (Meredith #2) 1:07:59 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 1:11:14 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle (Kaytee #1) 1:11:22 - Season 4: Episode 12 1:11:38 - Minisode w/Mike Gayle 1:14:09 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Meredith #1) 1:15:42 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 1:22:48 - Reflections from the 2021 Reading Year 1:24:25 - Pony by R.J. Palacio 1:24:45 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. December's IPL is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Dec 29, 20251h 23m
© Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb