Currently Reading

• Season 7, Episode 41: Poolside Reading + Bookish Friends' Best Books Of 2024

  On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: poolside reading and friends who know your reading tastes Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: it’s finally time to let you know the bookish friends’ best books of 2024! 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) .  .  .  .  2:30 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 6:42 - Our Current Reads 6:47 - Tempest by Beverly Jenkins (Kaytee) 10:31 - Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Meredith) 19:41 - The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb (Kaytee) 19:56 - The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb 21:40 - Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb 24:19 - Campfires & Corpses by Nikki Weber (Meredith) 28:10 - Woodworking by Emily St. James (Kaytee) 28:45 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 31:59 - This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Meredith) 37:33 - Bookish Friends’ Best Books of 2024 40:11 - The Women by Kristen Hannah (#4) 40:13 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (#4) 40:17 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare (#4) 40:40 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (#3) 40:45 - Margot’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (#1) 40:47 - All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (#1) 43:36 - James by Percival Everett 43:37 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy 43:38 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach  44:35 - In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn 44:57 - The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin 45:13 - All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby  45:30 - You Are Here by David Nicholls 45:31 - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali 45:47 - Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner 46:23 - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (#1 disliked) 46:26 - The Fury by Alex Michalides (#2 disliked) 46:30 - Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (#3 disliked) 46:33 - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (#3 disliked) 46:47 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang 46:48 - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow 46:56 - I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid 47:05 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver 47:13 - The Husbands by Holly Gramazio 47:15 - All This and More by Peng Shepherd 47:30 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett 49:18 - What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan 50:13 - Meet Us At The Fountain 50:17 - I wish to press This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan. (Kaytee) 50:19 - This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan 52:38 - Shawnathemom on Instagram 54:31 - I wish book slumps weren’t a thing. (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. May’s IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa. 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!

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• Season 7, Episode 40: Bookish Friends Step Up + Boss My TBR

  On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: shifting our perspectives and bookish friends stepping up Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: we are bossing some more TBRs 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) .  .  .  .  1:23 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 5:36 - Our Current Reads 5:47 - My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee) 8:16 - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 8:21 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman 10:16 - Night Film by Marisha Pessl (Meredith) 15:23 - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (Kaytee) 20:29 - The Big Four by Agatha Christie (Meredith) 22:38 - Poirot by Mark Aldridge 24:28 - The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie 26:00 - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee) 26:38 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi  31:05 - The Beast and the Bookseller by Eva Devon (Meredith) 35:15 - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare 36:42 - Boss My TBR From DactylJD 38:19 - Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall 39:42 - The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz 39:45 - Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan 39:48 - Real Americans by Rachel Khong 39:51 - Belle Green by Alexandra Lapierre 39:55 - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton From Terri Melton 44:42 - Hyde by Craig Russell 44:43 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 44:49 - Falling by T.J. Newman  45:02 - Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London 45:04 - Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie 45:07 - To Shape A Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose 45:11 - A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher 49:05 - Meet Us At The Fountain 49:12 - I wish for us to try new things. (Kaytee) 51:32 - I wish to press Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore. (Meredith) 51:38 - Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore   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. May’s IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa. 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!

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• Season 7, Episode 39: Brain Farts + Reading Canadian

  On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Roxanna are discussing: Bookish Moments: shifts in our reading and brain farts Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: reading Canadian elbows up style 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) .  .  .  .  1:55 - Ad For Ourselves 2:01 - Currently Reading Patreon 7:03 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 7:25 - CR Season 7: Episode 24 12:21 - CR Season 7: Episode 36 12:26 - Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri 12:51 - Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope 14:18 - Our Current Reads 14:24 - Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Roxanna) 18:57 - Coven by Soman Chainani (Kaytee) 19:10 - The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani 23:32 - The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe (Roxanna) 28:55 - The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight (Kaytee) 29:17 - Fabled Bookshop 33:28 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 34:03 - The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain (Roxanna) 38:26 - Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell (Kayee) 38:40 - Schuler Books 44:56 - Reading Canadian 48:48 - Canada Reads 48:51 - The Giller Prize 49:21 - The Push by Ashley Audrain 50:06 - Room by Emma Donoghue 50:18 - The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue 50:29 - The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue 52:01 - The Fabulous Zed Watson! by Basil Sylvester 53:18 - Women Talking by Miriam Toews  55:00 - Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley 55:08 - Finding Me by Viola Davis 55:57 - Washington Black by Esi Edugyan 56:49 - Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin 56:53 - Three Holidays and A Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley 57:02 - Much Ado About Nada Uzma Jalaluddin 57:32 - Five Little Indians by Michelle Good 1:02:20 - The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan 1:03:40 - Lucky by Marissa Stapley 1:06:24 - Meet Us At The Fountain 1:07:05 - I wish there was an easier way to export and download kindle notes and highlights. (Roxanna) 1:08:57 - I wish to press Happy Place by Emily Henry. (Kaytee) 1:09:00 - Happy Place by Emily Henry   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. May’s IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa. 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!

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• Season 7, Episode 38: Crying Over Books + A Book That Surprised Us

  On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: silencing notifications and crying over books Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: a book that surprised us and how we can replicate that experience 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) .  .  .  .  1:27 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 6:01 - Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B. B. Alston 8:21 - Our Current Reads 8:49 - Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother (Meredith) 13:12 - Death at the Mansion: Rebecca Zahau on Apple TV 14:38 - Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (Kaytee) 14:43 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson 18:04 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 18:05 - A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett 18:32 - From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks (Meredith) 24:14 - She Came to Slay by Erica Armstrong Dunbar (Kaytee) 24:32 - Libro.fm 27:39 - Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes (Meredith) 34:38 - A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales (Kaytee) 34:53 - CR Season 6: Episode 7 35:00 - Schuler Books 35:07 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 38:09 - A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales (pre-order, releases June 24, 2025) 39:08 - A Book That Surprised Us 39:39 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden (Meredith’s book) 41:55 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 43:49 - Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin (Kaytee’s book) 45:55 - A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales  51:12 - Meet Us At The Fountain 52:33 - I wish for you to let us know what you want us to deep dive about. Send us an email to [email protected] (Meredith) 54:00 - I wish to circle back to my wish about reading repair manuals and let you know about some books that fulfill that wish. (Kaytee) 54:21 - The Novel Cure by Ella Berthoud 55:49 - Bibliotherapy by Molly Masters   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. April’s IPL is brought to you by Warwick’s in La Jolla, California! 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!

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• A Journey to Three Pines - Episode 9: How the Light Gets In

  We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode. As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.  Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. 1:43 - Putting the Book Into Context How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny Published Aug 27, 2013 by Minotaur Books 4.48 rating on Goodreads Seasonal setting - Winter Book Awards: Edgar Award nomination for best novel, Publisher’s Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller book of 2013, one of Washington Post’s top 10 books of the year, one of NPR’s best books of 2013. Critic Reviews Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book 9:24 - The Setup 11:21 - A Deeper Exploration First paragraph The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny The pacing of the novel Dual plots that compliment each other perfectly Themes: how the light gets in, community and resistance,  Subtle light vs dark - Surete vs Three Pines Dogs Ruth’s addiction not a problem to solve in the series Canadian aspects Article about corruption in Quebec Dionne quintuplets wiki The ending 1:21:52 - Superlatives Character MVP Biggest loser Best food description Is this book skippable? No spoilers this episode!  The next book will be The Long Way Home by Louise Penny   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. April’s IPL is brought to you by Warwick’s in La Jolla, California! 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!

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