Currently Reading

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".

Season 8, Episode 23: Slow Reads + How And Why We Rate Our Books 01/12/2026

Season 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 2:39 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 3:01- by Flannery O’Connor 3:05 - Bookshelf Thomasville 3:07 - From the Front Porch podcast 3:31 - by Stephen King 4:53 - by Hilary Mantel (#1 in the Cromwell series) 5:30 - on Instagram 6:45 - by Stephen King 6:47 - 8:52 - Our Current Reads 9:00 - by Ally Condie (Kaytee) 9:32 - by Lois Lowry 11:26 - by Kiera Cass 11:30 - by Suzanne Collins 13:04 - by Anne Bishop (Meredith) 14:45 - by Robert Jackson Bennett 18:15 - by Amanda Montell (Kaytee) 18:21 - by Amanda Montell 21:52 - by Shakti Gawain (Meredith) 23:00 - by Rhonda Byrne 23:35 - The Painted Porch 23:40 - by Ryan Holliday 26:05 - by Julia Cameron 27:37 - by Vanessa Vida Kelley (Kaytee) 30:43 - 31:38 - by Julie Clark (Meredith) 35:51 - by Liz Moore 36:28 - by Julie Clark 36:50 - Deep Dive: How And Why We Rate Our Reads 37:53 - by Holly Jackson 37:59 - by Benjamin Alire Saenz 38:04 - by Plum Sykes 38:14 - by Virginia Feito 49:41 - 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 Support Us: | | 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39680515

Season 8, Episode 22: Our Top Reads of 2025! 01/05/2026

Season 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . 1:35 - Ad For Ourselves 1:54 - NYT Article about book podcasts 2:27 - 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 - by David Gate (Kaytee) 21:20 - by Jess Walter (Meredith) 23:25 - by Julie Clark (Meredith #10) 24:08 - by Maggie Smith (Kaytee #10) 24:28 - by Jen Hatmaker 24:30 - by Jessica Turner 25:30 - Superlative #2: Which book would be hardest to shelve in the library? 25:51 - by Anne Bishop (Meredith) 26:02 - by Robert Jackson Bennett 27:01 - by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows (Kaytee) 27:55 - by Daniel O’Malley (Meredith #9) 29:32 - by Nnedi Okorafor (Kaytee #9) 30:31 - Superlative #3: The book we wanted to throw across the room 30:38 - by Nnedi Okorafor (Meredith) 32:23 - by Dan Brown (Kaytee) 33:11 - by Audrey Niffenegger 33:57 - by Christelle Dabos (Meredith #8) 35:53 - by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee #8) 37:16 - Superlative #4: The book that made you the most uncomfortable 37:29 - by Ben Goldfarb (Kaytee) 38:57 - by Eilzabeth Williamson (Meredith) 40:25 - by Val McDermid (Meredith #7) 41:52 - by Val McDermid (Blackwells edition) 42:24 - by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee #7) 42:52 - by Barbara Kingsolver 43:42 - Superlative #5: The best picture book that you read aloud this year 44:15 - By David Shannon (Meredith) 45:07 - by Jennifer E. Smith and Leo Espinosa (Kaytee) 46:35 - by Virginia Evans (Meredith AND Kaytee #6) 47:33 - 49:09 - Superlative #6: The best audiobook experience 49:23 - by Emily St. James (Kaytee) 50:19 - by Ashley Winstead (Meredith) 51:38 - by Ethan Rutherford (Meredith #5) 52:53 - by Tyler Merritt (Kaytee #5) 53:01 - by Tyler Merritt 54:31 - Superlatives #7: Longest and shortest book read this year 54:46 - by Sarah Kay (Meredith shortest) 55:03 - by Robert Jordan (Meredith longest) 55:34 - by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee shortest, amazon link) 55:53 - by Jill Lepore (Kaytee longest) 56:20 - by Stephen King 57:16 - by Liz Moore (Meredith #4) 57:25 - by Liz Moore 58:50 - by Niall Williams (Kaytee #4) 59:57 - Superlative #8: Best book outside your wheelhouse 1:00:09 - by Robert Jordan (Meredith) 1:01:07 - by Ann Patchett (Kaytee) 1:01:30 - by Percival Everett 1:01:32 - by Christina Soontornvat 1:03:34 - by Katherine Addison (Meredith #3) 1:07:15 - by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee #3) 1:07:31 - by Ibi Zoboi 1:08:56 - Superlative #9: Your favorite new to you author 1:09:08 - by T. Kingfisher (Meredith) 1:09:31 - by Charlotte Wood (Meredith) 1:09:48 - by L. Penelope (Kaytee) 1:10:12 - by Leslye Penelope 1:11:03 - by Virginia Feito (Meredith #2) 1:12:37 - by Gian Sardar (Kaytee #2) 1:14:07 - Superlative #10: The most milkshake book/cheeto chapter book you read this year 1:14:50 - by Andrea Mara (Meredith, Blackwell’s link) 1:14:57 - by Andrea Mara 1:15:53 - by Holly Jackson (Meredith) 1:16:35 - by Janice Hallett (Kaytee) 1:18:14 - by Rachel Hockhauer (Meredith #1) 1:20:57 - by Katherine Rundell (Kaytee #1) 1:23:13 - Support Us: | | 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39599635

Season 8, Episode 21: A Look Back - Our Top 10 Reads of 2021 12/29/2025

Season 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . 2:38 - Our Top 10 Reads of 2021 12:35 - by Tracy Deonn (Kaytee #10) 12:39 - 14:09 - 16:39 - by Brandon Mull 16:52 - by Kate Albus (Meredith #10) 18:50 - by Ali Hazelwood (Kaytee #9) 21:25 - by Claire Legrand 21:36 - by Leigh Bardugo 21:56 - by Sarah J. Maas (Meredith #9) 22:21 - by Sarah J. Maas 23:01 - by Sarah J. Maas 23:46 - by Jim DeFede (Kaytee #8) 23:50 - 25:32 - by Katherine May (Meredith #8) 25:41 - 29:03 - by Andy Weir (Kaytee #7) 29:25 - 31:41 - by Hilary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (Meredith #7) 34:22 - Intermission: Lowest Rated Books 34:58 - by Cecilia Ahern (Kaytee) 35:41 - by Janet Beard (Kaytee) 36:48 - by Paul Tremblay (Meredith) 37:30 - by Riley Sager (Meredith) 38:25 - Meredith and Kaytee’s Top 10 Books of the Year cont’d 38:36 - 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 - by R.J. Palacio (Meredith #6) 40:50 - Bookshop 42:05 - by R.J. Palacio 43:01 - by Steven Rowley (Kaytee #5) 43:04 - 44:29 - by Keigo Higashino (Meredith #5) 47:46 - by B.B. Alston (Kaytee #4) 47:51 - 47:56 - 48:47 - 49:05 - by Jessica Townsend 49:06 - by J.K. Rowling 49:28 - by Catherine Ryan Howard 49:37 - by Catherine Ryan Howard (Meredith #4) 53:14 - Intermission: The Books that Surprised Us Most in 2021 53:44 - 53:50 - by Tom Reiss (Kaytee) 55:38 - by Susanna Clarke (Meredith) 59:25 - Meredith and Kaytee’s Top 10 Books of the Year cont’d 59:50 - by Clint Smith (Kaytee #3) 59:56 - 1:01:37 - 1:01:39 - by Chris Whitaker (Meredith #3) 1:04:52 - by S.A. Cosby (Kaytee #2) 1:04:56 - 1:07:18 - by Lauren Groff (Meredith #2) 1:07:59 - by Lauren Groff 1:11:14 - by Mike Gayle (Kaytee #1) 1:11:22 - 1:11:38 - 1:14:09 - by Amor Towles (Meredith #1) 1:15:42 - by Alexandre Dumas 1:22:48 - Reflections from the 2021 Reading Year 1:24:25 - by R.J. Palacio 1:24:45 - by B.B. Alston Support Us: | | 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39410920

Season 8, Episode 20: Finding Bookish Twins + Organizing Our Recommendation Sources 12/15/2025

Season 8, Episode 20: Finding Bookish Twins + Organizing Our Recommendation Sources On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: overwhelming feelings when reading and finding book twins Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: how to organize all the book recommendation sources we come across 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 2:09 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 4:25 - by Alix E. Harrow 8:40 - on instagram 8:41 - on TikTok 9:22 - by Liz Moore 10:43 - Our Current Reads 10:49 - by Ursula K. Le Guin (Kaytee) 11:15 - by Ursula K. Le Guin 15:25 - by Ron Rindo (Meredith) 16:35 - by R.F. Kuang 20:06 - by Richard Reeves (Kaytee) 20:13 - by Jonathan Haidt 26:30 - by Val McDermid (Meredith) 27:46 - 32:53 - by Ayana Gray (Kaytee) 33:03 - by Natalie Haynes 35:04 - by Ayana Gray 36:40 - by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper (Meredith) 38:11 - by Maureen Johnson 38:17 - by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper 41:09 - by G.T. Karber 42:34 - Organizing Recommendation Sources 43:56 - 47:21 - on instagram 48:18 - 51:44 - 52:37 - 52:38 - 57:44 - Meet Us At The Fountain 57:49 - I wish we gave ourselves grace to start small in our reading lives. (Kaytee) 59:04 - I wish you all knew that you can sort podcasts from oldest to newest in Apple Podcasts. (Meredith) 1:01:27 - podcast Support Us: | | 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39394795

Popcorn in the Pages - Episode 12: The Time Traveler’s Wife 12/12/2025

Popcorn in the Pages - Episode 12: The Time Traveler’s Wife Welcome, readers. We are thrilled to continue this new content from the creators of ! This spin-off podcast series will tackle book to screen adaptations in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book and watched the film version before listening to the episode, because we don’t shy away from strong opinions OR from all the spoilers, unlike our regular episodes. Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will still include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading. by Audrey Niffeneger 2:01 - Setup by Audrey Niffeneger 4:10 - Previews Release date. Sales info and awards. Released in September 2003 One of the longest books on PitP at 536 pages Won British Book Award for Popular Fiction in 2006 Movie name and release date. Box office and awards. Released September 2009 Did not get nominated or win any awards, but was a commercial success Grossed 19.2M Budget of 39M, Earned a little over 100M Adaptations include an HBO series that was canceled and a 14m run as a stage production in England 9:41 - The Cutting Room Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen His disappearing When Claire first meets Henry The wedding Car crash that killed Henry’s mother The miscarriages (17:10 - 20:10 is this discussion. Skip to 20:10 if you don’t want to listen to this section!) Henry’s final months Changes from Book to Movie Car accident with Henry’s Mom The miscarriages (17:10 - 20:10 is this discussion. Skip to 20:10 if you don’t want to listen to this section!) Henry’s final months Left out of the adaptation Henry’s first time traveling Most of the interactions between Claire and Henry The relationship with Dr. Kendrick Claire’s relationship with Gomez Henry coming to see Claire when she’s 83 (should have been added) Lack of side characters from the book Added to the movie Henry’s absence causing friction in their marriage Song used as symbolism Conversation about how Claire’s parents don’t get divorced Casting and alternates Claire: Rachel McAdams → Kristen Stewart, Emma Watson, Kiera Knightly, Katherine Heigl Henry: Eric Bana → Robert Pattinson, Shia LeBouf, Sam Rockwell, James Marsden Gomez: Ron Livingston → Edward Norton, Paul Walker, Cam Gigandet, Alex Pettyfer, Guy Pierce Mary Elizabeth: Mae Whitman → Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie, Rose McIver Problematic elements Grooming Claire’s racist family Comments against women Icky scenes due to the age gap between Henry and Claire 32:41 - Award Season Worst and best parts of the adaptation. The storytelling The “watered down” ness of the movie Not as many scenes between young Claire and older Henry Eric Bana’s butt Worst and best actors. Ron Livingston as Gomez Rachel McAdams as Claire Worst and best book characters. Henry Claire Cherise Ben 1:10:22 - Book/Flick Energy Book scored on a 5 star scale. Movie scored on a 10 point scale. 1:17:20 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel If you meet a guy who says certifiably insane things like Henry, but then he shows you his power, would you date him? (Kaytee) Do you believe in fate and a higher predestined life? (Shad) 56:30 - End Credits by Richard Osman The movie is available to stream on Netflix Connect With Us: | | Shad is in the Bookish Friends FB Group (for our Patreon supporters) | Support Us: | /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39371355

Season 8, Episode 19: Reading Short Books + Deep Dive w/ Megan P. Evans 12/08/2025

Season 8, Episode 19: Reading Short Books + Deep Dive w/ Megan P. Evans On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Megan are discussing: Bookish Moments: finally reading a big book and nerdy bookends Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: how the podcast has changed Megan P. Evan’s life in all ways. 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 2:01 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 2:26 - podcast 2:28 - 2:33 - by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and John Rutherford (translator) 2:39 - by Larry McMurtry 3:39 - by Flannery O’Connor 4:33 - 6:36 - Our Current Reads 7:04 - by David Greig (Megan) 10:07 - by Eowyn Ivy (Kaytee) 10:15 - 10:31 - by Eowyn Ivy 15:46 - by Julie Mulhern (Megan) 21:11 - by Patric Richardson (Kaytee) 21:43 - by Patric Richardson 23:25 - by Mercury Stardust 23:26 - by Bobby Berk 25:19 - by Michael O’Donnell (Megan) 27:05 - by Cormac McCarthy 27:44 - by Waubgeshig Rice 27:51 - by Waubgeshig Rice 27:52 - by Kimi Cunningham Grant 29:20 - by Cebo Campbell (Kaytee) 35:03 - Megan’s Reading Life 49:54 - Meet Us At The Fountain 50:12 - I wish you would consider reading more short books. (Megan) 51:05 - I wish for a book parade like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. (Kaytee) Support Us: | | 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39291405

Season 8, Episode 18: Re-Reading + How We've Changed For Good 12/01/2025

Season 8, Episode 18: Re-Reading + How We've Changed For Good On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: book advent and making wood bookends Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: how Meredith and Kaytee have both changed for good due to the podcast and each other 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:12 - Ad For Ourselves 1:41 - 8:13 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 8:27 - by Per Jacobson 14:10 - Our Current Reads 14:33 - by Ethan Rutherford (Meredith) 16:14 - by Dan Simmons 21:29 - by Gillian McCallister (Kaytee) 26:39 - by Georgie Jones (Meredith) 26:47 - on instagram 32:56 - by Jen Hatmaker (Kaytee) 33:23 - by Jen Hatmaker 37:49 - by Rebecca Hochhauser (Meredith) 39:39 - by Costanza Casati 42:23 - 42:37 - by Christina Soontornvat (Kaytee) 42:52 - by Victor Hugo 45:58 - 46:46 - How We’ve Been Changed For Good 59:09 - Meet Us At The Fountain 59:38 - I wish that you would follow @mondaynextpodcast on instagram for a limited series for business minded individuals! 59:40 - on Instagram 1:01:17 - I wish for us to finish the year strong in our reading lives. (Kaytee) 1:02:39 - by Nikki St. Crow Support Us: | | 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39213140

Season 8, Episode 17: New Bookcases + Reading Therapy w/Mary Heim 11/24/2025

Season 8, Episode 17: New Bookcases + Reading Therapy w/Mary Heim On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: new bookcases and making space for new TBR Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: bookish therapy with Mary 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:36 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 1:43 - on Instagram 2:21 - 6:00 - 8:14 - Our Current Reads 8:20 - by Susan Dennard (Mary) 11:22 - by Per Jacobson (Meredith) 17:37 - by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (Mary) 21:50 - by Rupert Kingfisher (Meredith) 24:24 - 26:54 - 28:06 - by Rebecca Ross (Mary) 28:52 - by Rebecca Ross 32:38 - by Rebecca Ross 33:07 - by Sarah J. Maas 33:08 - by Sarah J. Maas 33:34 - by Rebecca Armitage (Meredith) 35:39 - 37:24 - by Barbara Bourland 37:43 - by Katharine McGee 39:08 - Reading Therapy 43:17 - by Met Tietz on Substack 44:19 - by Danielle LaPorte 44:22 - by Danielle LaPorte 44:39 - by Ina Garten 49:51 - by Cheryl Strayed 50:08 - by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans 52:46 - by Michael Poore 56:31 - by Robin Wall Kimmerer 57:05 - by Sharon McMahon 58:43 - Meet Us At The Fountain 58:46 - My wish is that you evaluate your reading life and if you’re struggling, to reflect if you need extra support in your life. (Mary) 1:00:47 - I recommend watching the show All Her Fault on Peacock if you liked the book. (Meredith) 1:00:58 - by Andrea Mara Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November’s’s IPL is brought to us from in Northfield, Minnesota. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39133675

Season 8, Episode 16: Losing Track of Time + Our Book Club Recs 11/17/2025

Season 8, Episode 16: Losing Track of Time + Our Book Club Recs On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: losing track of time reading and bookish vanity plates Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: books we think would make great book club picks 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:19 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 2:29 - Snap by Belinda Bauer 6:34 - Our Current Reads 6:48 - by Chuck Wendig (Meredith) 10:13 - by Chuck Wendig 10:33 - by Stephen King 11:59 - by Jordan Ifueko (Kaytee) 12:03 - by Jordan Ifueko 14:24 - by Diana Wynne Jones 15:13 - by Jordan Ifueko 16:06 - by Kate Sidley (Meredith) 21:45 - by Sy Montgomery (Kaytee) 21:53 - by Sy Montgomery 26:46 - by Louise Penny (Meredith) 27:01 - by Louise Penny 32:54 - by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton 34:20 - by Lev Grossman (Kaytee) 34:27 - 36:49 - by Lev Grossman 38:36 - Our Book Club Recs 39:22 - 40:34 - by Chuck Wendig 44:27 - by Rebecca Yarros 44:38 - by Jayne Cowie 46:04 - by Dane Huckelbridge 48:11 - by Ashley Audrain 49:19 - by Michael Finkel 50:15 - by Jayne Cowie 51:24 - by Yaa Gyasi 51:25 - by Esi Edugyan 51:27 - by Marjan Kamali 51:45 - by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 52:06 - 52:42 - Check our our instagram for our book club post! 52:54 - Meet Us At The Fountain 53:02 - I wish that if you don’t already follow us on Instagram, to do so now. (Meredith) 53:07 - on Instagram 53:35 - I wish to reformat my bookish hard drive (Kaytee) 51:34 - by R.F. Kuang 51:37 - by Deborah Harkness 51:38 - by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November’s’s IPL is brought to us from in Northfield, Minnesota. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/39046770

Season 8, Episode 15: A Poem A Day + YOUR Top Reads 2019-2024 11/10/2025

Season 8, Episode 15: A Poem A Day + YOUR Top Reads 2019-2024 On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: a poem a day + excitement over release days Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: we discuss your top books from 2019-2024 and draw the giveaway winner 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:59 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 2:07 - The Poetry Foundation’s 2:27 - by David Gate 3:55 - by Louise Penny 4:34 - by Louise Penny 6:02 - Our Current Reads 6:08 - by Julie Leong (Kaytee) 8:21- by Becky Chambers 9:03 - by Jennifer Moorman (Meredith) 10:11 - 10:40 - by Jennifer Moorman 14:17 - by Evan Friss (Kaytee) 15:12 - 17:29 - 17:58 - by Ian Patterson (Meredith, Goldsboro link) 20:16 - 24:16 - by Katherine Morgan Schafler 26:03 - by Jinwoo Chong (Kaytee) 29:05 - by Jinwoo Chong (amazon link) 29:34 - by Michael Edwards (Meredith) 32:45 - by Lucy Foley 33:09 - Listeners’ Top Ranked Books 35:11 - to see other listeners’ best books! (reminder - giveaway is CLOSED) 42:17 - by Shelby Van Pelt 42:32 - by Bonnie Garmus 42:43 - by John Green 42:56 - by Larry McMurtry 43:06 - by Yaa Gyasi 43:07 - by Louise Penny 43:59 - by Ariel Lawhon 44:03 - by Maggie O’Farrell 44:08 - by Barbara Kingsolver 44:16 - by Andy Weir 44:18 - by Matt Haig Giveaway Winner Christie’s Reads 47:25 - by Jon Cohen 47:27 - by Bonnie Garmus 47:30 - by Richard Osman 47:33 - by Elizabeth Strout 47:35 - by Johnathan Haidt 47:39 - by Barbara Kingsolver 48:17 - Meet Us At The Fountain 48:22 - I wish to tell you about the gold star item I found for reading and sleep. (Kaytee) 48:32 - by Johann Hari 48:47 - 51:30 - I wish for you to try more specific ASMR rooms or listening to playlists for books. (Meredith) 51:34 - by R.F. Kuang 51:37 - by Deborah Harkness 51:38 - by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November’s’s IPL is brought to us from in Northfield, Minnesota. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38962530

A Journey to Three Pines - Episode 10: The Long Way Home 11/07/2025

A Journey to Three Pines - Episode 10: The Long Way Home 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. 3:15 - Putting the Book Into Context by Louise Penny Published Aug 26, 2014 by Minotaur Books 4.07 rating on Goodreads Seasonal setting - Summer Book Awards: Finalist for the Agatha Award for best novel, but did not win, nor win any other awards. Critic Reviews Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book 13:17 - The Setup 11:21 - A Deeper Exploration First paragraph The pacing of the novel by Louise Penny Unlikeable main AND side characters No actual murder mystery to solve Prose and plot do not compliment one another. Prose is beautiful. P.92 quote Is there a villain? P.138 quote Portrayal of Ruth P.362 quote Themes: redemption, Clara’s arc to confidence, the long way home Canadian elements 1:03:18 - Superlatives Favorite Scenes Character MVP Biggest loser Best food description Is this book skippable? No spoilers this episode! The next book will be by Louise Penny Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November’s’s IPL is brought to us from in Northfield, Minnesota. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38937230

Season 8, Episode 14: Reading Merit Badges + Books We Recently Set Aside 11/03/2025

Season 8, Episode 14: Reading Merit Badges + Books We Recently Set Aside On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: audiobook samples and author shoutouts Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: books we’ve recently set aside 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:26 - Ad For Ourselves 4:27 - 4:40 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 6:09 - by Maggie O’Farrell 9:50 - Our Current Reads 10:22 - by Lucy Atkins (Meredith) 13:50 - by Liz Nugent 13:54 - by J.P. Pomare 14:36 - by Charlotte McConaghy (Kaytee) 14:45 - by Charlotte McConaghy 14:51 - by Charlotte McConaghy 18:04 - by Miranda Cowley Heller (Meredith) 18:54 - by Miranda Cowley Heller 23:07 - by Chuck Tingle (Kaytee) 23:26 - by Chuck Tingle 26:15 - by Chuck Tingle 26:54 - by Christine Feret-Fleury (Meredith, amazon link) 30:37 - by Nina George 31:52 - by Katherine Rundell (Kaytee) 32:13 - 32:14 - 34:16 - by Katherine Rundell 38:20 - Books We Recently DNF’d 40:47 - by Patrick Ryan (Meredith NRN) 43:30 - by Sarah Harman (Kaytee DNF) 45:16 - by R.F. Kuang (Meredith DNF with prejudice) 47:47 - by R.F. Kuang 48:11 - by R.F. Kuang 49:50 - by Matthew Quick (Kaytee DNF with prejudice) 51:58 - by Matthew Quick 52:30 - by Alix E. Harrow (Meredith - not sure!) 53:42 - by Alix E. Harrow 53:49 - by Alix E. Harrow 55:01 - by John Boyne (Kaytee DNF) 55:14 - by John Boyne 55:15 - by John Boyne 55:16 - by John Boyne 55:18 - by John Boyne (all 4 novellas combined) 55:27 - 56:45 - by John Boyne 57:46 - (only for patreon subscribers) 58:34 - Meet Us At The Fountain 59:14 - I wish for author Cameos. (Meredith) 59:17 - 1:01:17 - I wish for a reading merit badge. (Kaytee) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. November’s’s IPL is brought to us from in Northfield, Minnesota. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38861170

Season 8, Episode 13: Reading Too Much + Ranking Our #1 Reads In Years Past 10/27/2025

Season 8, Episode 13: Reading Too Much + Ranking Our #1 Reads In Years Past On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: 3D bookish printing and reading too many books at once Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: taking our top reads from each year 2019-2024 and ranking them 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . 1:58 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 3:09 - 4:33 - 7:49 - Our Current Reads 7:55 - by Justine Pucella Winans (Kaytee) 12:17 - by Steve Cavanagh (Meredith) 13:41 - by Steve Cavanagh 15:34 - 17:05 - by David Gate (Kaytee) 17:24 - on Instagram 21:15 - by Agatha Christie (Meredith) 24:51 - by Agatha Christie 24:53 - by Agatha Christie 25:46 - by Pip Williams (Kaytee) 25:56 - 27:25 - by Eley Williams 27:27 - by Simon Winchester 28:49 - by Alix E. Harrow 29:39 - by Elly Griffiths (Meredith) 34:39 - by Diane Chamberlain 35:16 - Ranking Our Favorites From Years Past Meredith’s Top Books 2019-2024 36:36 - by Brigid Kemmerer (5) 36:41 - by Michael Christie (6) 36:46 - by Amor Towles (2) 36:53 - by Alix E Harrow (3) 36:58 - by Costanza Casati (4) 37:05 - by Robert Jackson Bennett (1) Kaytee’s Top Books 2019-2024 37:50 - by Cara Wall (3) 37:54 - by Ibi Zoboi (4) 38:00 - by Mike Gayle (1) 38:13 - by RF Kuang (2) 38:16 - by Charmaine Wilkerson (6) 38:18 - by Chris Whitaker (5) 42:19 - be Alexandre Dumas 50:57 - by T. Kingfisher 51:57 - Meet Us At The Fountain 52:04 - I wish that I would better prepare for downtime or planned reading. (Kaytee) 54:32 - I wish you would make a top 10 reads every year from now on. (Meredith) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October’s IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, in St. Louis, Missouri. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38770415

Season 8, Episode 12: Reading Mishaps + Travels and Book Buying 10/20/2025

Season 8, Episode 12: Reading Mishaps + Travels and Book Buying On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: accidental reads and jumbled audiobooks Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: the way we buy books while traveling 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . . 1:29 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 2:56 - by Natasha Bowen 2:58 - by Gabi Burton 4:16 - by Victoria Schwab 7:44 - Our Current Reads 7:54 - by Elizabeth Everett (Kaytee) 8:04 - 10:47 - by Elizabeth Everett 11:29 - by Lisa Scottoline (Meredith) 13:33 - by Lisa Scottoline 17:07 - by Georgina Lawton (Kaytee) 19:58 - by Pema Chodron (Meredith) 29:03 - by Edward Underhill (Kaytee) 31:56 - by Daniel O’Malley (Meredith) 34:07 - by Daniel O’Malley 34:11 - by Daniel O’Malley 34:41 - by Robert Jackson Bennett 37:33 - (Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch 38:37 - Travel and Book Buying 41:33 - 49:26 - 51:33 - by Daniel Mason (UK version) 51:39 - by Daniel O’Malley (UK version) 53:33 - 55:56 - 57:50 - 59:23 - Meet Us At The Fountain 59:27 - I wish for a real life excuse note due to reading weather. (Kaytee) 1:00:31 - I wish you would prioritize visiting that local bookstore you’ve been meaning to visit. (Meredith) 1:01:11 - Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October’s IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, in St. Louis, Missouri. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38629170

Season 8, Episode 11: Book Bundles + Books That Zigged When You Thought They’d Zag 10/13/2025

Season 8, Episode 11: Book Bundles + Books That Zigged When You Thought They’d Zag On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Roxanna are discussing: Bookish Moments: back to buddy reading and book bundles Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: books that surprised you all the way through 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . . 1:46 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 1:55 - by R.F. Kuang 2:19 - by R.F. Kuang 2:41 - by Virginia Evans 6:38 - Our Current Reads 9:54 - by Beth Brower (Roxanna) 9:04 - 9:29 - by Helene Hanff 14:15 - by LM Montgomery 14:41 - by MJ Wassmer (Kaytee) 17:19 - by William Golding 19:37 - by Jessica Townsend (Roxanna) 25:00 - by Jessica Townsend 27:41 - by Cathy Park Hong (Kaytee) 31:09 - by Aubrey Hartman (Roxanna) 33:05 - 34:45 - by TJ Klune 33:47 - by Becky Chambers 36:19 - by Tia Williams (Kaytee) 36:30 - 36:38 - by Tia Williams 39:24 - by Helen Hoang 40:52 - Books that Zigged When You Thought They’d Zag 41:45 - by Aubrey Hartman 45:03 - by Susanna Clark 45:19 - by Ryka Aoki 46:02 - by Liz Moore 46:43 - by Jessica Berger Gross 46:47 - 48:05 - by Rufi Thorpe 49:15 - by Anna Cox 49:23 - 50:51 - by Antoine Wilson 50:53 - 50:55 - by C.E. McGill 50:58 - 51:00 - by Natalie Zina Walschots 51:03 - 51:07 - by Hannah Nicole Maehrer 51:33 - by Saad Z. Hossain 52:10 - by Lena Coakley 53:38 - Meet Us At The Fountain 53:45 - I wish to press The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt. (Roxanna) 53:54 - by Jake Burt 56:06 - I wish Libby would bring back “Deliver Later”. (Kaytee) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October’s IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, in St. Louis, Missouri. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38548535

Season 8, Episode 10: Squeeze Your Tenders + When Reading Gets Dangerous 10/06/2025

Season 8, Episode 10: Squeeze Your Tenders + When Reading Gets Dangerous On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: bookish wishes coming true and picture books we love Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: Kaytee gets silly about how reading can be dangerous 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . . 1:34 - Ad For Ourselves 4:33 - 5:02 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 5:50 - by Louise Penny 7:08 - 8:09 - by Neil Sharpson 8:17 - 9:34 - Our Current Reads 9:54 - by Beth Brower (Meredith) 10:00 - by Beth Brower 16:03 - by Clare Mackintosh (Kaytee) 16:11 - 20:09 - by Padraig O Tuama (Meredith) 20:18 - 24:24 - by Padraig O Tuama 24:40 - by George Saunders 25:37 - by Dan Brown (Kaytee) 26:27 - by Dan Brown 32:45 - by Elizabeth Hand (Meredith) 34:18 - by Sadie Hartmann 37:41 - by Taylor Jenkins Reid 38:11 - by Sadie Hartmann 38:40 - by Nadia El-Fassi (Kaytee) 42:16 - Deep Dive: When Reading Gets Dangerous 46:08 - by Sarah J. Maas 51:05 - Meet Us At The Fountain 51:07 - I wish that more books came in volumes. (Meredith) 51:18 - by Beth Brower 53:10 - I wish to press an Immense World by Ed Yong. (Kaytee) 53:11 - by Ed Yong 53:15 - by Dan Brown 54:15 - by Ed Yong (young reader’s edition) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. October’s IPL takes us back to one of our anchor stores, in St. Louis, Missouri. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38462470

Season 8, Episode 9: Car-cuteries + Narrative POVs 09/29/2025

Season 8, Episode 9: Car-cuteries + Narrative POVs On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: car picnics and even more bookshelves! Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: all about narrative POVs - do they matter? do we like one more than the other? 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . . 1:29 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 4:04 - by Jen Hatmaker 4:44 - 9:45 - Our Current Reads 9:53 - by Katharine McGee (Kaytee) 13:22 - by Casey McQuiston 13:26 - to access Popcorn in the Pages 14:03 - by Katharine McGee 14:53 - by Sangu Mandanna (Meredith) 18:05 - by Travis Baldree 18:06 - by Sara Beth Durst 18:16 - by Sangu Mandanna 19:24 - by Kay Synclaire 19:41 - by T.J. Klune 20:08 - by Jill Lepore (Kaytee) 20:32 - 22:04 - by Sharon McMahon 25:07 - by Xenobe Purvis (Meredith) 26:03 - 29:39 - by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee) 32:04 - by Charles Dickens 34:15 - by Chuck Hogan (Meredith) 40:05 - Deep Dive: Narrative POVs 45:38 - by Rebecca Yarros 45:43 - by Sarah J. Maas 45:59 - by Therese Ann Fowler 46:32 - by Natalie Haynes 48:28 - 49:55 - by Susanna Clarke 52:39 - by Barbara Kingsolver 52:42 - by Bonnie Garmus 52:47 - by Alice Walker 53:05 - by Emily Austin 53:09 - by Emily Austin 53:30 - by R.F. Kuang 53:32 - by Benjamin Stevenson 53:52 - Meet Us At The Fountain 53:55 - I wish to press Starling House into everybody’s hands. (Kaytee) 54:00 - by Alix E. Harrow 54:08 - 56:10 - by Alix E. Harrow 56:29 - I wish everyone would try a book flight. (Meredith) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September’s IPL is brought to us from in Pitman, NJ. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38376425

Season 8, Episode 8: Wordy Card Games + All Things Pre-Order 09/22/2025

Season 8, Episode 8: Wordy Card Games + All Things Pre-Order On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: movie adaptations and wordy card games Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: answering a listener question about all things pre-orders 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . . 1:16 - Our Current Reads 1:35 - by Richard Osman 6:43 - card game 7:34 - game 9:06 - Our Current Reads 9:24 - by Janice Hallett (Meredith) 10:37 - by Janice Hallett 10:38 - by Janice Hallett 10:42 - by Janice Hallett 16:45 - by Stacy Sivinski (Kaytee) 20:34 - by Don Miguel Ruiz (Meredith) 22:23 - by Brene Brown 26:00 - by Suleika Jaouad (Kaytee) 27:14 - by Paul Kalanithi 29:39 - by Nora Roberts (Meredith) 33:52 - by Nora Roberts 36:43 - by Emma Pattee (Kaytee) 40:58 - Deep Dive: All Things Pre-Orders 41:47 - on Instagram 43:55 - 47:07 - by Alix E. Harrow (pre-order, releases Oct 28, 2025) 47:12 - by Alix E. Harrow (UK edition, pre-order releases Oct 30, 2025) 48:32 - Bergman Brothers full box set is no longer available through Illumicrate 50:21 - by Jessica Townsend 51:22 - Meet Us At The Fountain 52:10 - 52:21 - on Instagram 52:26 - Meg’s 53:59 - My wish is that you know yourself as a reader but also your whole self. (Meredith) 55:00 - I wish to encourage the nostalgia reading experience. (Kaytee) 55:09 - by Dan Brown 55:59 - by Dan Brown 56:54 - by R.F. Kuang 58:33 - by Dan Brown 58:34 - by Dan Brown 58:36 - by Dan Brown Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September’s IPL is brought to us from in Pitman, NJ. 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38304430

Season 8, Episode 7: Small-Town Escapes + Reading - Why So Serious? 09/15/2025

Season 8, Episode 7: Small-Town Escapes + Reading - Why So Serious? On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: a budding book collector + a favorite book wins the Hugo Award Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: reading — why so serious? 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). . . . . 1:12 - by Louise Penny (20th Anniversary Edition) [releases September 30] 2:13 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 2:25 - by R. F. Kuang 3:34 - by Shannon Chakraborty 4:19 - by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper [releases September 16] 4:53 - by S. A. MacLean 5:04 - by Amy Tan 6:19 - by Robert Jackson Bennett 7:54 - Our Current Reads 8:03 - by Jen DeLuca (Kaytee) 11:35 - by Jen DeLuca 13:30 - by Matt Serafini (Meredith) 18:39 - by Quan Berry [releases October 14] 19:17 - by Helen Phillips 20:02 - by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy (Kaytee) 22:19 - by Julie Murphy 23:59 - by Stephen Wunker, Jessica Wattman, and David Farber (Meredith) 28:36 - by Kirsten Miller (Kaytee) 28:45 - by Kirsten Miller 28:50 - in Michigan 31:45 - by Charlie Donlea (Meredith) 35:01 - by Charlie Donlea 36:36 - Reading — Why So Serious? 43:40 - by Charlotte Wood 51:03 - Meet Us At The Fountain 51:24 - I wish there was a show about readers, in the spirit of The Great British Bake Off. (Kaytee) 54:46 - An update on last week’s wish: I wish my iPhone would make automated actions easier for handling my screenshots. (Meredith) 56:40 - Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September’s IPL comes to us from: . 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38219050

Season 8, Episode 6: Octogenarians in the Spotlight + Diving into Reading Deeply 09/08/2025

Season 8, Episode 6: Octogenarians in the Spotlight + Diving into Reading Deeply On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: being told what to read by our past selves + insomnia reading on my kindle Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: how to read deeply 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). . . . . 1:30 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 2:01 - by Carissa Orlando 5:26 - Our Current Reads 5:33 - by Philip Fracassi (Meredith) [releases September 30] 8:16 - by Richard Osman 10:49 - by Alison Cochrun (Kaytee) 14:23 - by Annie Hartnett 14:28 - by Kevin Wilson 14:50 - by Iain Reid (Meredith) 16:39 - by Iain Reid 16:42 - by Iain Reid 20:41 - by Yume Kitasei (Kaytee) 23:07 - by Mur Lafferty 23:18 - by Shannon Chakraborty 24:21 - by Charlotte Wood (Meredith) 28:47 - by E. B. White 29:58 - by Marilynne Robinson 31:32 - by Niall Williams (Kaytee) 36:24 - by Niall Williams 36:54 - by Gian Sardar 37:11 - How and When to Read Deeply 37:45 - Currently Reading: 40:33 - by Brigid Kemmerer 43:31 - by R. F. Kuang 50:33 - by Alix E. Harrow 55:31 - by Louise Penny 58:06 - Meet Us At The Fountain 58:12 - I wish my iPhone would make automated actions easier for handling my screenshots. (Meredith) 1:02:28 - I wish that we would all come up with our list of Slam Dunks. (Kaytee) 1:05:42 - by Gretchen Rubin 1:06:47 - on Instagram and at Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September’s IPL comes to us from: . 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38124660

Season 8, Episode 5: The 4th C: Relaxing Your Chestal Region + Boss My TBR 09/01/2025

Season 8, Episode 5: The 4th C: Relaxing Your Chestal Region + Boss My TBR On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: overflowing bookshelves + a fun way to count your finished reads 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site). . . . . 2:29 - Ad For Ourselves 6:45 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 9:55 - 10:46 - 13:06 - Our Current Reads 13:32 - by Suzanne Enoch (Kaytee) 16:18 - by William Shakespeare 17:16 - by Alex North (Meredith) 18:32 - by Alex North 22:05 - by Annie B. Jones (Kaytee) 24:48 - on Instagram 25:25 - (Vicious Lost Boys, 2) by St. Crow (Meredith) 26:13 - by J.M. Barrie 26:36 - (Vicious Lost Boys, 1) by Nikki St. Crow 30:07 - by Ramona Emerson (Kaytee) 34:19 - by David Barnett (Meredith) 37:28 - by Brom 38:28 - by Jonathan Auxier 38:34 - Boss My TBR From Catherine Bridgewater 40:19 - by Vanessa Lillie 40:21 - by Daniel Mason 40:24 - by Michel Bussi 40:27 - by Liane Moriarty 40:29 - by Rosamund Pilcher 40:42 - by Emily Henry 40:43 - by David Grann From Lisa Stone 44:05 - by Claire Leslie Hall 44:08 - by Fredrik Backman 44:10 - by Kevin Wilson 44:13 - by Charlotte McConaughy 44:17 - by Liz Moore 44:25 - by Madeline Kay Sneed 44:37 - by Emily Henry 49:36 - Meet Us At The Fountain 49:40 - I wish to become (or really, have already been) a correspondent. (Kaytee) 49:52 - by Virginia Evans 51:56 - I wish that for every book it had a perfume-type scent to transport you back to that particular experience of reading it. (Meredith) 52:06 - 53:40 - by Erica Bauermeister 56:35 - on Instagram and at Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. September’s IPL comes to us from: . 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/38039035

Season 8, Episode 4: Bookish Bling + Using AI to Improve Your Reading Life 08/25/2025

Season 8, Episode 4: Bookish Bling + Using AI to Improve Your Reading Life On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Roxanna are discussing: Bookish Moments: introducing book club friends to niche romance + romance-related jewelry Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: using AI as your bookish sidekick to improve your reading life 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . 01:31 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 2:11 - by Rufi Thorpe 3:20 - by Vera Valentine [Amazon link] 3:30 - by Ruth Cardello [Amazon link] 3:37 - by Ruth Cardello [Amazon link] 5:11 - Book earrings from 07:33 - Our Current Reads 07:53 - by Sarah MacLean (Roxanna) 13:09 - by Amanda Peters (Kaytee) 18:37 - by Uzma Jalaluddin (Roxanna) 19:11 - by Uzma Jalaluddin 19:42 - [Wikipedia link] 26:31 - by Mia P. Manansala 26:32 - by Richard Osman 26:54 - by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley 28:04 - by An Yu (Kaytee) 32:45 - by Michelle Hoffman 32:42 - by Diana Biller (Roxanna) 39:56 - (Veronica Speedwell, 1) by Deanna Raybourn 40:15 - 42:23 - by Gian Sardar (Kaytee) 50:55 - Deep Dive: Three tips from Roxanna on using AI to be your bookish sidekick and improve your reading life 51:15 - 56:23 - by Bonnie Garmus 58:14 - by Mira Jacob 1:07:40 - Meet Us At The Fountain 1:07:47 - I wish listeners would think about some friction that you’re facing in your reading life and see what tips and tricks you can find to smooth it out a bit. (Roxanna) 1:10:51 - I wish Kindle settings would have the option to toggle on the option to begin our Kindle books at the cover. (Kaytee) 1:12:02 - by Grady Hendrix Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August’s IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: in Waco, TX! 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37930470

Season 8, Episode 3: Let There Be Light + Avoiding Book Amnesia 08/18/2025

Season 8, Episode 3: Let There Be Light + Avoiding Book Amnesia On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: bookstore romance day + let there be a reading light Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: advice on avoiding bookish amnesia 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) . . . . 01:55 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 04:56 - (CR Merch) 05:42 - (CR Merch) 09:14 - Our Current Reads 09:27 - by John Schu (Kaytee) 13:24 - by Judy Blume 15:31 - by Judy Blume 15:34 - by Judy Blume 17:20 - by Bruce Holsinger (Meredith) 18:57 - by Bruce Holsinger 19:07 - by Bruce Holsinger 21:56 - by Suzanne Redfearn 22:22 - by Jasmine Guillory (Kaytee) 25:44 - by Patrick Lencioni (Meredith) 31:30 - by Emilia Hart (Kaytee) 34:31 - by Rachel Gillig (Meredith) 36:36 - by Rachel Gillig 38:26 - by Alix E. Harrow 39:15 - by Callie Hart 40:22 - Deep Dive: Answering a listener question and giving advice on avoiding bookish amnesia 49:15 - Meet Us At The Fountain 49:22 - I wish more readers would pick up by Shelley Read (Kaytee) 50:00 - by Delia Owens 51:21 - I wish you would consider experimenting with a new pen: like this “cheater” fountain pen, (Meredith) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August’s IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: in Waco, TX! 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37859000

Season 8, Episode 2: Reader Roulette + Our Assigned Summer Reading 08/11/2025

Season 8, Episode 2: Reader Roulette + Our Assigned Summer Reading On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: devoting unexpected extra time on morning reading + journaling and embracing chaotic reading with reader roulette Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: we circle back to the summer reads we assigned to each other 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) . . . . 01:28 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 10:18 - Our Current Reads 10:34 - by Andrea Mara [Amazon link] (Meredith) 15:57 - by Samuel Bjørk 16:05 - by Maggie Smith (Kaytee) 20:09 - by Sarah Kay (Meredith) 24:30 - by Isa Arsén (Kaytee) 24:38 - by Isa Arsén 27:01 - by Ann Patchett 27:03 - by William Shakespeare 29:18 - by S. A. Cosby (Meredith) 31:35 - by S. A. Cosby 34:46 - by Rebecca Yarros (Kaytee) 39:12 - by Sarah J. Maas 39:15 - by Sarah J. Maas 44:22 - Deep Dive: Our Assigned Summer Reading Experiences 45:16 - by Madeline Miller 45:27 - by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 55:07 - Meet Us At The Fountain 55:11 - I wish we would all consider having a little bookish pet project (Meredith) 57:18 - I wish I could create a bookish focus chamber (Kaytee) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August’s IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: in Waco, TX! 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37755140

Season 8, Episode 1: Deciding Once + What We Did On Our Summer Break 08/04/2025

Season 8, Episode 1: Deciding Once + What We Did On Our Summer Break On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: reading with a partner and making lazy genius decisions about your reading life Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: we are reviewing our summer break 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . 1:53 - Ad For Ourselves 3:11 - by G.M. Fairy 3:14 - by Celia Kyle [Amazon link] 5:45 - 6:02 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 6:39 - by Evan Friss 7:24 - by Nnedi Okorafor 10:05 - Our Current Reads 10:15 - by Richard Powers (Kaytee) 13:04 - Bill from An Unlikely Story on Instagram () 13:55 - Bill Largent on Instagram () 14:26 - by Gabriel García Márquez (Meredith) 16:43 - by Gabriel García Márquez 16:47 - by Gabriel García Márquez 17:40 - by Nick McDonell 19:06 - by Jacqueline Harpman (Kaytee) 19:12 - (The Listener Press) 24:33 - by Hazell Ward (Meredith) 27:34 - by Stuart Turton 27:43 - by Anthony Horowitz 28:55 - by Janice Hallett (Kaytee) 29:21 - 32:18 - by Janice Hallett 32:19 - by Janice Hallett 33:16 - by Jess Walter 38:30 - Deep Dive: What We Did On Our Summer Break 46:51 - Meet Us At The Fountain 47:15 - Travel to the bookstores a little outside your norm and make time for a bookish journey and bookstore extroversion (Kaytee) 49:24 - Listen to of 10 Things to Tell You with Laura Tremaine 50:34 - Laura Tremaine’s on Substack 50:40 - by Stephen King 51:21 - Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August’s IPL comes to us from our founding Indie Press List store: in Waco, TX! 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37654380

Season 7, Episode 50: Best of Season 7 07/21/2025

Season 7, Episode 50: Best of Season 7 On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are finishing up season seven with a look back and a look forward! Season Seven In Review: interesting stats, regrets, and exciting upcoming content! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . . 1:24 - Season Seven, In Review The most downloaded episodes of the season 1:58 - - Our Top Reads of 2024 2:09 - - Mary and Roxanna's Top Reads of 2024 3:24 - - Reading Routines + The Journey Of Currently Reading (Our 300th Episode) 4:07 - by Annie B. Jones Favorite individual episodes 7:44 - - Reading What We Want + Our Reading Life Temp Checks (Meredith) 8:34 - by Catherine Ryan Howard (Blackwell’s link) 11:26 - - Series Completist + Non Tragic Bookish Tragedies (Kaytee) 11:40 - - Brain Farts + Reading Canadian (Kaytee) 11:51 - - New Indie Bookstores + Our Six Star Reads (Meredith) 12:41 - Boss My TBR Segments (Meredith) - Library Love + Boss Our Summer TBR Update - Talking to Fictional Characters + Boss My TBR - Bookish Lego + Boss My TBR - Bookish Geese + Boss My TBR - Reading Retreats + Boss My TBR - Bookish Friends Step Up + Boss My TBR Books we brought that added to the experience by talking about them 15:50 - by Iain Reid (Meredith) 15:54 - by Deborah Harkness (Meredith) 15:59 - by J.P. Pomare (Meredith) 16:05 - by Sarah Beth Durst (Meredith and Kaytee) 16:09 - by Travis Baldree 17:51 - by Liane Moriarty (Kaytee) 19:04 - by Homer (Kaytee) 19:24 - by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (Kaytee) 19:49 - by Rebecca Yarros 20:21 - by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (Meredith) 20:29 - by Don Miguel Ruiz (Meredith) 21:14 - by Sadie Hartmann 21:30 - by Scott Smith (Meredith) 21:32 - by Jack Jemc (Meredith) 21:33 - by Samantha Kolesnik (Meredith) 22:26 - by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee) 22:30 - by Jane Austen Regrets from season seven? 23:08 - I’ve been very distracted by work and work projects, and that has impacted my reading. (Meredith) 24:29 - That I closed a part myself off for many months of the past year. (Kaytee) Is there anything new coming to Currently Reading? 23:58 - Nothing being subtracted, but we’re thinking about what we can add to the big show. 26:43 - Freshening up the big show and with a little “summer cleaning” brainstorming. 27:31 - Be sure you are following us on as Betsy continues to try new things, so you can let us know what you’d like to see more of! Be sure to email us any ideas for our Deep Dive — at Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July’s IPL is brought to us by of Barboursville, West Virginia (). 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37464940

Season 7, Episode 49: The Listener Press! 07/14/2025

Season 7, Episode 49: The Listener Press! On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Listener Presses: This year we have 20 fantastic titles from our listeners. Our TBRs exploded, and we hope yours do too! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . . 1:54 - Your Listener Presses 2:02 - by Lisa McInerney (pressed by Katie) 3:42 - by Inga Simpson (pressed by Carlye) 5:24 - by Jacqueline Harpman 6:07 - by Michelle von Eschen and Jonathan Butcher (pressed by Kat) 9:10 - by M. J. Wassmer (pressed by ) 11:42 - by Daniel Mason (pressed by Samantha) 14:43 - by Paul Tremblay [releases July 22, 2025] (pressed by Johanna) 17:06 - by Jo Walton (pressed by Melinda) 19:22 - by Marc J. Gregson (pressed by Lindsay) 21:19 - by Anya Seton (pressed by Maudeen) 23:02 - by Melina Marchetta [Amazon link] (pressed by Kelsey) 25:28 - y by Brigid Kemmerer 25:30 - by Patrick Rothfuss 26:01 - by Roisín O'Donnell (pressed by Stephanie) 28:30 - by Sister Monica Clare (pressed by Erin) 29:57 - by Rumer Godden 30:19 - by Jakob Wegelius (pressed by Lilja) 33:05 - by Robin Strong (pressed by Hannah) 34:27 - by Amanda Eyre Ward 35:34 - by Alia Trabucco Zerán (pressed by Ana) 36:31 - by Barbara Kingsolver 37:11 - by Claudia Piñeiro 37:30 - by Petrea Burchard (pressed by Sherri) 40:50 - by Diana Gabaldon 41:16 - by Kate Folk (pressed by Tiernan) 43:08 - by Rachel Ingalls 44:03 - by C.L. Beaumont [Amazon link] (pressed by Gretchen) 45:22 - by David Barnett (pressed by Claire) 46:39 - by Brom 48:08 - by Jane Urquhart (pressed by Matt) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July’s IPL is brought to us by of Barboursville, West Virginia (). 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37306790

Season 7, Episode 48: Our 2025 Group Show! 07/07/2025

Season 7, Episode 48: Our 2025 Group Show! On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are joined by show regulars Roxanna and Mary and they are discussing: Unique or Shared!: We give you a statement that may make us either unique or shared, and discuss! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . 2:52 - Unique Or Shared 3:22 - I am the worst library user ever. (Roxanna) 5:21 - by Jessica Townsend 12:37 - I love a buzzy book moment. (Mary) 14:23 - by Taylor Jenkins Reid 14:46 - by Rebecca Yarros 14:47 - by Suzanne Collins 15:27 - by Annie Hartnett 17:49 - I LOVE finding backlist hidden gems over buzzy moments. (Meredith) 18:22 - by Rosamunde Pilcher 18:45 - by Max Barry 20:15 - by Barbara Kingsolver 20:30 - by Homer 23:27 - I am the only one that purposefully seeks out five chili pepper books. (Kaytee) 25:22 - by Sarah J. Mass 28:44 - I will never read a book without checking Goodreads first. (Roxanna) 37:24 - My book slump reset is a complete genre change. (Mary) 47:09 - I will “experience” a book I know won’t be for me. (Meredith) 47:43 - by Eric Puchner 48:02 - by Miranda Cowley Heller 52:15 - by Stacey Abrams 53:15 - 53:36 - I keep my TBR in rainbow order. (Kaytee) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. July’s IPL is brought to us by in West Virginia! 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37283935

Season 7, Episode 47: Reading Life Temp Check + Pressing Books Into Each Other's Hands 06/30/2025

Season 7, Episode 47: Reading Life Temp Check + Pressing Books Into Each Other's Hands On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: readerly badges and DNFing books Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: we check in on our reading lives and press book into the other’s hands 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . 2:19 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 8:02 - Our Current Reads 8:30 - by Adriana Herrera (Kaytee) 8:46 - by Adriana Herrera 8:49 - 8:53 - 8:55 - by Adriana Herrera 8:57 - 12:29 - by Riley Sager 14:09 - by Riley Sager 14:10 - by Riley Sager 14:14 - by Riley Sager 14:20 - by Riley Sager 14:52 - by Agatha Christie 14:54 - by Agatha Christie 15:11 - by Peter Swanson 18:29 - by Natalie Hodges (Kaytee) 22:29 - by Kati Wilde (Meredith) 25:43 - by Brigid Kemmerer 28:02 - by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee) 31:19 - by Rosamunde Pilcher 32:05 - by Barbara Kingsolver 33:42 - by Amal El-Mohtar (Meredith) 37:17 - by Amal El-Mohtar (Meredith mistakenly titled this book. This is the correct one!) 39:21 - Reading Life Temp Check + Pressing Books Into Each Other’s Hands 40:19 - by Natalie Hodges 51:38 - by S.A. Cosby 52:01 - by S.A. Cosby 54:49 - by Rebecca Yarros 56:13 - by Lauren Groff 57:32 - by Rebecca Yarros 57:54 - by Rebecca Yarros Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June’s IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, in Michigan 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37182105

Season 7, Episode 46: Witchy Names + All About Morning Reading 06/23/2025

Season 7, Episode 46: Witchy Names + All About Morning Reading On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: reading at the beach and sisterly bookish tattoos Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: all the ins and outs of morning reading 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 of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . 4:12 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 4:35 - by Liz Moore 5:23 - by Barbara Kingsolver 6:31 - 1:37 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 7:02 - by Brene Brown 9:45 - Our Current Reads 10:03 - by Nicholas Binge (Meredith) 13:55 - by Blake Crouch 13:56 - by Blake Crouch 14:06 - by Herve Le Tellier 15:20 - by Kim Fay 15:38 - by Emily Henry (Kaytee) 17:44 - by Taylor Jenkins Reid 17:48 - by Diane Setterfield 19:49 - by Tim McGregor (Meredith) 20:59 - by Sadie Hartmann 26:11 - by Johann Hari (Kaytee) 26:14 - by Jonathan Haidt 26:17 - 31:40 - by Virginia Evans (Meredith) 37:20 - by B.B. Alston (Kaytee) 41:58 - All About Morning Reading 43:25 - by Julia Cameron 50:48 - by David Farber 50:59 - by Patrick Lencioni 55:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain 57:38 - If you are interested in adding to your bookish life, do it in the form of a book club. (Meredith) 59:34 - I co-sign Meredith’s wish this week! (Kaytee) Support Us: | | Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June’s IPL is brought to us by one of our anchor stores, in Michigan 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: | | | The Hosts and Regulars: | | | Production and Editing: 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! /episode/index/show/currentlyreadingpodcast/id/37099550

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