The Dust Jacket

Our friend Caleb joins us to talk about the fantasy/mystery crossover, The Tainted Cup, which is basically Sherlock Holmes with kaiju. 

We talk about what kaiju are, why more fantasies (and mysteries…

This week we have a special guest, Bailey, on the show to talk about one of her favorite books, The Death of Vivek Oji. 

We talk about the incestuous sex scenes, the divisive ending, and a whole lot …

We discuss the 2025 runaway hit, Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall. It features both cheating and a wedding, so we have plenty to discuss. 

Light spoilers at 8 minutes, full spoilers at 24 minutes

This week we discuss the seminal sci-fi novel-in-stories The Martian Chronicles, with special guest Sam, who brought his father's original edition to the discussion. 

No spoilers since this book does…

We discuss Thao Thai's Banyan Moon and other multi-generational sagas 

Spoilers from 11 minutes in

We discuss whether this 2012 still holds up or if the controversies are too much for it. We also talk about the wide range of philosophical questions it asks. 

TW: assisted suicide

Spoilers at 5 minu…

We discuss the Fourth Wing-esque, possibly AI-written, new romantasy Silver Elite, with a special guest from our book group, Kate the librarian! 

We get into some of the rumors swirling around this b…

We discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. For some of us, it was an iconic formative book. For others, a dumb thing boys liked. 

Spoilers start at 19 mins

We have a special guest star--our niece and TJR superfan Kayla--on the pod to talk about TJR's previous book, Carrie Soto Is Back, and also Taylor Jenkins Reid in general. 

Spoilers start at 27 mins 

We discuss the high-profile 2023 vampire novel The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland. Should you read other vampire novels before you write your own? Would you like to be immortal or nah? Did thi…

Special guest Lauren helps us discuss the future cult classic, Victorian Psycho, by Virginia Feito. A bizarre, grotesque, and hilarious novel. 

No plot spoilers, but fair warning: we do talk about a …

We discuss The Book Censor's Library, by Bothayna Al-Essa, which was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for work in translation. 

Spoilers start at 14 minutes in

We discuss the 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist The Unicorn Woman, by Gayl Jones. This book is notable for its obscurity and also its low review scores.

Later, Dacey digs into the Pulitzer Prize process …

We discuss the shocking memoir of One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz, who was in a cult for over a decade. 

We also have a special guest, the person who recommended this book, Alayne!

We talk about the new novel by the acclaimed author of Black Cake. The love streak is over: neither of us liked this one. It's probably our fault. 

Spoilers from 7 minutes in

We discuss the first installment of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy, Dawn. This might be the first book we both really liked! 

Light spoilers start at 8 minutes

We discuss The Favorites, by Layne Fargo. Is it too soapy or just soapy enough? Does knowing it's "Wuthering Heights on ice" make it better or worse? 

Spoilers from about 15 mins in