Currently Reading Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb
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- Arts
Currently Reading is a podcast dedicated to the love of books and reading. Two bookish friends discuss what’s on their nightstands, in their earbuds, and on their Kindles right now, in addition to books they’ve loved forever, and a variety of other readerly topics. Looking for your next great book? You'll find tons of book recommendations every week.
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Season 6, Episode 44: Book Recommendations + Books We Wish We Read Sooner
On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:
Bookish Moments: book recommendations and…. book recommendations!
Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
Deep Dive: books we wish we read sooner
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)
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:10 - Bite Size Intro
1:44 - Send us your listener presses! Here’s what we need: A voice memo with - Your name, location, book title and author, “Here’s the setup”, and why you love it. Three minutes or less please!! Email those to currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com
4:36 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
8:10 - Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
8:53 - Our Current Reads
9:09 - A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson (Meredith)
11:05 - Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
12:38 - The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy (Kaytee)
15:52 - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
16:30 - 2034 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis (Meredith)
20:54 - 2054 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis
21:50 - New Nigeria County by Clare Brown (Kaytee, audio only)
22:05 - @clarabelletoks on Instagram
22:37 - libro.fm
26:51 - A Better World by Sarah Langan (Meredith)
29:34 - Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan
31:19 - High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee)
31:39 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
34:55 - Deep Dive: Books We Wish We Read Sooner
35:44 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
36:34 - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagahira
37:33 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
37:50 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
38:55 - The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
39:32 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
40:27 - A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
40:29 - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
40:51 - East of Eden by John Steinbeck
40:52 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
40:58 - The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
41:09 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
41:47 - Roots by Alex Haley
42:01 - 11/22/63 by Stephen King
42:05 - On Writing by Stephen King
43:20 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
43:50 - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
44:05 - Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
44:11 - Circe by Madeline Miller
46:21 - Meet Us At The Fountain
47:09 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
50:06 - I wish more people would read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. (Meredith)
50:47 - I wish books would tell us if they are right for us when we pick them up. (Kaytee)
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June’s IPL comes to us from our anchor store Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller
From the Editor’s Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry
The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts
Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
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! -
Season 6, Episode 43: Meeting Bookish Friends + Starting New Books
On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Roxanna are discussing:
Bookish Moments: meeting bookish friends and “salt” books
Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
Deep Dive: difficulty in starting new books
The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives
Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)
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:10 - Bite Size Intro
2:14 - Currently Reading Patreon
5:50 - PLEASE send us your Ask Us Anything questions to currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com
6:43 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
11:13 - The Stand by Stephen King
12:17 - Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
14:50 - Our Current Reads
14:58 - Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah (Roxanna)
15:02 - Canada Reads
16:56 - How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
19:38 - Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (Meredith)
21:35 - @mother.horror on Instagram
24:10 - The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt (Roxanna)
29:21 - In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides (Meredith)
34:15 - Funny Story by Emily Henry (Roxanna)
38:02 - Small Change by Roan Parrish
43:43 - The Mars House by Natasha Pulley (Meredith - Meredith mistakenly said Mars Room initially. Sorry for the confusion!)
45:03 - Charter Books
45:42 - The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
49:51 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
49:56 - Babel by R.F. Kuang
52:16 - The Measure by Nikki Erlick
53:40 - The Difficulty Of Starting A New Book
57:54 - Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
1:01:19 - The Feast by Margaret Kennedy
1:02:07 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
1:02:12 - The One by John Marrs
1:02:21 - Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
1:04:07 - Meet Us At The Fountain
1:04:11 - I wish everyone would watch Butterfly in the Sky on Netflix. (Roxanna)
1:04:14 - Butterfly in the Sky on Netflix
1:06:37 - Hello Bookstore
1:07:11 - I wish everyone would reflect on how summer reading affects your reading life. (Meredith)
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May’s IPL comes to us from Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller
The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts
Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
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! -
A Journey to Three Pines - Episode 6: Bury Your Dead
We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode.
As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.
Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.
1:56 - Putting the Book Into Context
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
Published Sept. 28, 2010 by Minotaur Books
4.36 rating on Goodreads
Seasonal setting - Winter
Book Awards: Anthony Award for Best Novel in 2011, The Agatha Award, The New Blood Dagger Award, The Arthur Ellis Award, The Barry Award, and the Dilys Award
Critic Reviews
Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book
7:20 - The Setup
16:22 - A Deeper Exploration
Setup and first paragraph
The pacing of the novel
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Quebec vs American History
Anglophone vs. Francophone history and culture
Themes: “bury your dead”, “with time”
P.345 - Not everything buried is actually dead.
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
One bit of lightness in the entire novel
Location, Location, Location
Relationship between Beauvoir and Ruth Zardo
Who leaked the video?
Enneagram Corner
The Ending
1:14:36 - Superlatives
Favorite Scene
Character MVP
Biggest loser
Best food description
Favorite Quote
No spoilers this episode!
The next book will be A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May’s IPL is brought to you by Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller
The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts
Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Roxanna | Kaytee
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! -
Season 6, Episode 42: New Used Books + Our Recent DNFs and NRNs
On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:
Bookish Moments: more bookish podcasts and new to us books
Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
Deep Dive: books we have recently DNFd or NRNd
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)
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:10 - Bite Size Intro
:57 - Half Priced Books
1:26 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
1:41 - Talking Scared Podcast
1:48 - Tea & Murder Podcast
4:01 - PangoBooks
4:28 - Bookmans
5:34 - Our Current Reads
6:03 - Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis (Meredith)
7:33 - An Unlikely Story
9:11 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
9:26 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
9:57 - Fabled Bookshop
9:58 - Bear Necessity by James Gold-Bourn (Kaytee)
13:38 - The Field Guide To Dumb Birds of the Whole World by Matt Kracht (Meredith)
14:34 - Merlin App
14:55 - The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
13:48 - Charter Books
17:48 - The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by Matt Kracht
19:52 - The Rhythm of Time by Questlove and S.A. Cosby (Kaytee)
23:47 - The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson (Meredith)
24:59 - The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker
27:14 - @bookishbetsie on Instagram
27:44 - Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (Kaytee)
28:06 - Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
32:14 - Our Recent DNFs and NRNs
33:08 - The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff (Meredith)
34:12 - Jade City by Fonda Lee (Kaytee)
36:37 - The Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp (Meredith)
38:29 - Sunshine, Sangria and Scandal by Wendy Day (Kaytee)
40:19 - Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
40:44 - The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (Meredith, Wheel of Time series #2)
41:27 - Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Meredith)
43:16 - Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew by Davaun Sanders (Kaytee)
44:45 - Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
46:25 - Meet Us At The Fountain
47:16 - I wish there was an easier way to find trusted sources’ reviews on Goodreads. (Meredith)
48:42 - Meredith’s Goodreads
49:02 - I wish to reject the notion that more books equals a better reading life. (Kaytee)
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May’s IPL comes to us from Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller
The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts
Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
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! -
Season 6, Episode 41: Bookish Mail + Unputdownable Books
On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:
Bookish Moments: bookish mail and more tech to help our reading lives
Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
Deep Dive: what makes an unputdownable book and some examples
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)
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1:26 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
1:48 - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
1:50 - The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
3:15 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
6:35 - The Outsiders by S.E Hinton
8:44 - Our Current Reads
8:54 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare (Kaytee)
9:11 - Season 6, Episode 25 w/Knox and Jamie
14:07 - Here Goes Nothing by Steve Toltz (Meredith)
15:16 - Foyles UK
16:08 - The Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
19:05 - Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Kaytee)
19:18 - Libro.fm
21:57 - Article About AI Friends
25:10 - The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Meredith)
26:32 - I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
29:53 - Breathless by Amy McCulloch (Kaytee)
34:10 - Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews (Meredith)
35:55 - The Princess Bride by William Goldman
36:25 - The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews
38:49 - The Most Unputdownable Books
42:03 - Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson
42:15 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
43:39 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
43:51 - The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
44:17 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
45:35 - Confessions by Kenae Minato
45:48 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
45:50 - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
45:56 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
46:17 - Cover Story by Susan Rigetti
47:18 - No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
47:37 - Kaytee mentions Adenrele Ojo being a Recorded Books copyright narrator but it is actually Simon and Schuster!
48:06 - The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
48:34 - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
48:51 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
49:27 - Drowning by T.J. Newman
49:28 - Falling by T.J. Newman
49:41 - Bird Box by Josh Malerman
49:44 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips
49:52 - Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
50:31 - Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
51:49 - Check Please! by Ngozi Ukazu
51:51 - Heartsopper by Alice Oseman
51:58 - March: Book One by John Lewis
53:00 - El Deafo by Cece Bell
54:16 - Meet Us At The Fountain
54:24 - I wish more people would give graphic novels a chance. (Kaytee)
55:35 - Currently Reading Patreon
56:28 - I wish I could collect Precious Moments dolls committing all kinds of murder. (Meredith)
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May’s IPL comes to us from Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller
The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts
Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
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! -
Season 6, Episode 40: Accepting Feedback + Our Top 5 Reads of 2024 (So Far!)
On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:
Bookish Moments: accepting bookish feedback and purging our bookshelves
Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
Deep Dive: our current top 5 reads of 2024
The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives
Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)
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1:29 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
9:18 - Our Current Reads
9:53 - The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (Meredith)
17:02 - Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher (Kaytee)
20:29 - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered by Sadie Hartman (Meredith)
20:36 - @mother.horror on Instagram
25:57 - The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (Kaytee)
28:18 - A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
28:20 - One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
29:07 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy (Meredith)
30:05 - An Unlikely Story
30:30 - Commonplace Books
32:26 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
33:43 - Sociopath by Patric Gagne (Kaytee)
39:23 - Our Top 5 Reads of 2024 (So Far)
42:36 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker
43:24 - Shoot the Moon by Isa Arsen (Kaytee)
43:56 - The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (Meredith)
44:43 - A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (Kaytee)
44:57 - Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
45:12 - Confessions by Kanae Minato (Meredith)
46:11 - Wolfsong by T.J. Klune (Kaytee)
47:30 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Meredith)
48:36 - James by Percival Everett (Kaytee)
49:32 - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Meredith)
50:06 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
51:17 - Family Family by Laurie Frankel (Kaytee)
52:19 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Meredith)
54:40 - Meet Us At The Fountain
54:51 - I wish you could bottle up the feeling of reading a book for the first time. (Meredith)
54:56 - Family Family by Laurie Frankel
54:57 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
55:45 - I wish I could press All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle. (Kaytee)
56:17 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle
57:11 - Minisode w/Mike Gayle
Support Us:
Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
Bookish Friends Receive:
The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May’s IPL comes to us from Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller
The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts
Connect With Us:
The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads
The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
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!