322 episodes

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.

Currently Reading Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb

    • Arts
    • 4.8 • 39 Ratings

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.

    Season 6, Episode 38: Talking to Authors + Boss My TBR

    Season 6, Episode 38: Talking to Authors + Boss My TBR

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: our children reading to the elderly and finally talking to authors
    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
    Deep Dive: Boss My TBR for two bookish friends
    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)





    1:42 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
    4:47 - All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
    5:30 - What the Dead Know by Barbara Butcher
    6:09 - An Unlikely Story
    8:34 - Currently Reading Patreon
    9:01 - Our Current Reads
    9:06 - Right at Home by Bobby Berk (Kaytee)
    12:10 - Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz (Meredith)
    16:54 - That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (Kaytee)
    20:13 - That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming 
    21:03 - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo (Meredith)
    26:01 - Game Changer by Neal Shusterman (Kaytee)
    26:05 - Scythe by Neal Shusterman
    28:45 - 11/22/63 by Stephen King
    28:49 - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’engle
    32:12 - Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce (Meredith)
    34:15 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
    37:12 - Deep Dive: Boss My TBR
    From Becca K.
    39:18 - Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman (Arc of a Scythe #2)
    39:24 - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (The Empyrean #2)
    39:30 - Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (Beartown #2)
    39:36 - Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi (Legacy of Orisha #2)
    39:43 - The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (The Royal We #2)
    39:57 - Scythe by Neal Shusterman
    39:58 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
    39:59 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman
    40:00 - The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
    40:37 - The Winners by Fredrick Backman
    From Rachel M.
    43:45 - Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
    43:49 - Look Closer by David Ellis
    43:52 - The7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
    43:57 - The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
    44:01 - The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
    48:23 - Meet Us At The Fountain
    48:30 - I wish to press The Guncle into your hands. (Kaytee)
    48:45 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley
    48:50 - The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
    51:12 - I wish when I am reading a book with a good “house” sense of place, I could go to that place and see, smell, touch, and hear all about it. (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. April’s IPL comes to us from A Room Of One’s Own in Madison Wisconsin!
    Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry
    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!

    • 53 min
    Popcorn in the Pages - Episode 6: The Dry

    Popcorn in the Pages - Episode 6: The Dry

    Welcome, readers. We are so excited to continue this new content from the creators of Currently Reading Podcast! 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.
    .
    .
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    The Dry by Jane Harper
    1:07 - Here’s the Setup
    3:41 - Previews
    Book Name and release date. Sales info and awards.
    The Dry by Jane Harper
    Force of Nature by Jane Harper
    The Exiles by Jane Harper
    The Lost Man by Jane Harper
     
    Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.
    The Dry (2021)
    Force of Nature (coming 2024)
     
    6:57 - The Cutting Room
    Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen
    Historical flashbacks
    The actual dryness
    Catching Scott Whitlam
    Aaron Falk’s ostracization
     
    Anything left out that shouldn’t have been
    There are pieces of the movie that don’t make sense without the book
    Clyde PD
    Grant’s role in Ellie’s death
    The note that implicates Aaron/his dad
    Defacing Falk’s car
    Love triangle/sexual tension
    Luke’s death details and the bike tire marks
     
    Added to the movie
    Suspense building elements
    Mushy middle
    Weird product placements
    Pub room versus big hotel
     
    Casting and mis-casting
    A few non-Australians were cast! But very few
    Falk - Simon Baker, Ryan Kwanten
    Gretchen - Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Margo Robbie, Toni Collette, Naomi Watts
    Raco - just a Hemsworth
    Whitlam - another Hemsworth, let’s go with Chris
    Gerry - Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, Mel Gibson
     
    Problematic elements
    Discussion of the “gay f-word”
     
    44:06 - Award Season
    Worst and best parts of the adaptation.
    The note that implicates Aaron
    Mushy middle
    Cinematography and score
    The dryness, and the climax scene
     
    Worst and best actors.
    Young Luke
    Raco, the actor
    Eric Bana as Falk
     
    Worst and best book characters.
    Mal Deacon and Grant Dow
    Luke Hadler
    Raco
    Karen Hadler
    Aaron Falk
     
    1:01:27 - Book/Flick Energy
    Book scored on a 5 star scale.
    Book on Goodreads
    Movie scored on a 10 point scale.
    Movie on Rotten Tomatoes
     
    1:05:07 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel
    If you were to commit a murder, do you think you could get away with it?
    And how would you do it?
    What’s the scariest thing in Australia: the snakes, the spiders, the wildfires or the drought?
     
    1:09:49 - End Credits
    The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way
    Available on Netflix - Season 1
     
    Connect With Us:
    Currently Reading Podcast | Kaytee | Meredith
    Shad is in the Bookish Friends FB Group (for our Patreon supporters)
    Our Website | Email Us
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Buy Some Merch

    • 1 hr 12 min
    Season 6, Episode 37: New Hobbies + Our Love For Memoirs

    Season 6, Episode 37: New Hobbies + Our Love For Memoirs

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: fun new hobbies and maybe not having a bookish moment
    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
    Deep Dive: our love for all things memoir
    The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives
    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)





    1:39 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
    8:06 - Our Current Reads
    8:14 - Bride by Ali Hazelwood (Mary)
    10:29 - Wolfsong by T.J. Klune
    11:58 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine
    12:29 - Renegades by Marissa Meyer (Kaytee)
    12:40 - Cinder by Marissa Meyer
    15:47 - The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune
    16:47 - Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Mary)
    19:55 - An Inconvenient Cop by Edwin Raymond (Kaytee)
    20:03 - Booktenders
    24:51 - A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall (Mary)
    28:26 - @ginnyreadsandwrites on Instagram
    28:44 - Fairyloot
    29:07 - Pango Books
    30:16 - Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
    30:34 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
    31:53 - A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (Kaytee)
    32:10 - Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
    35:29 - Deep Dive: Our Love For Memoirs
    36:10 - Sarah’s Bookshelves
    39:49 - The Black Count by Tom Reiss
    41:43 - My Life in France by Julia Child
    42:30 - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling
    42:32 - Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
    42:46 - Bossypants by Tina Fey
    42:51 - Spare by Prince Harry
    43:12 - Becoming by Michelle Obama
    43:42 - Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
    43:47 - I Have Something to Tell You by Chasten Buttigieg
    44:04 - I Have Something to Tell You by Chasten Buttigieg (young readers’ edition)
    44:59 - Waypoints by Sam Heughan
    45:31 - Finding Me by Viola Davis
    46:20 - As You Wish by Cary Elwes
    46:58 - Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
    47:50 - Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother by Beth Ann Fennelly
    47:55 - Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly
    48:06 - Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
    48:10 - These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
    49:04 - Soil by Camille T. Dungy
    49:15 - An Exact Replica of A Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
    50:29 - Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder
    50:37 - What Looks Like Bravery by Laurel Braitman
    50:43 - After This by Claire Bidwell Smith (amazon link)
    50:58 - Tragedy Plus Time by Adam Cayton-Holland
    51:15 - Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottleib
    51:30 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
    51:53 - A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter
    52:02 - At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider
    52:52 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
    53:05 - The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
    53:12 - A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
    53:43 - The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
    53:45 - Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
    53:48 - The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
    54:03 - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
    54:15 - I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt
    55:17 - Meet Us At The Fountain
    55:21 - I wish to press the Ember Quartet series, starting with Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. (Mary)
    55:30 - Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
    56:52 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
    56:53 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
    57:22 - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
    58:38 - My wish is for more bookish board games. (Kaytee)
    58:47 - By the Book game
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
    Bookish Friends Receive:
    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April’s IPL comes to us from A Room Of One’s Own in Madison Wisconsin!
    Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry
    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Season 6, Episode 36: New Kinds of Books + Managing Our Massive TBRs

    Season 6, Episode 36: New Kinds of Books + Managing Our Massive TBRs

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: learning of new kinds of books and creating outdoor reading spaces
    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
    Deep Dive: how we manage our massive TBRs and how we choose our next read
    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)





    **We are aware of a sound quality issue with Kaytee’s audio. We are in the works to hopefully get that fixed soon! Thanks for hanging with us through it!
    2:55 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
    5:56 - Breathless by Amy McCulloch
    7:54 - Our Current Reads
    8:18 - Confessions by Kanae Minato (Meredith)
    11:21 - @bookishbetsie on Instagram
    11:22 - @readlexyread on Instagram
    11:36 - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
    12:34 - Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (Kaytee)
    14:57 - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
    15:48 - There’s Something I Have To Tell You by Michelle McDonagh (Meredith)
    18:25 - The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth
    19:40 - Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin (Kaytee)
    20:08 - The Happier Podcast
    23:48 - Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (Meredith)
    27:55 - A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (Kaytee)
    28:10 - Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
    32:01 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
    32:29 - Deep Dive: Managing Our Massive TBRs
    33:09 - Hearts and Daggers Pod
    33:43 - Currently Reading Patreon
    44:00 - 3 tier rolling cart on Amazon
    47:16 - NetGalley
    47:51 - Middle of the Night by Riley Sager 
    50:53 - Half Price Books
    51:55 - Meet Us At The Fountain
    52:14 - I wish people would read The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. (Meredith)
    54:31 - My wish is to share a collaboration between Mychal Threets and PBS. (Kaytee)
    55:00 - Mychal Threets on Instagram
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
    Bookish Friends Receive:
    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April’s IPL comes to us from A Room Of One’s Own in Madison Wisconsin!
    Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry
    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!

    • 57 min
    Season 6, Episode 35: Book Subscriptions + Book Wishes To The Book Fairy

    Season 6, Episode 35: Book Subscriptions + Book Wishes To The Book Fairy

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: changing up book subscriptions and implementing new technology into our reading
    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
    Deep Dive: what would we ask the book fairy to change in our books
    The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives
    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site)





    **We are aware of a sound quality issue with Kaytee’s audio. We are in the works to hopefully get that fixed soon! Thanks for hanging with us through it!
    1:35 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
    1:51 - Satisfiction Book Subscription
    2:18 - Fairyloot
    2:19 - Illumicrate
    2:20 - OwlCrate
    3:00 - @Meredithmondayschwartz on Instagram
    7:33 - Our Current Reads
    7:42 - Betty by Tiffany McDaniel (Kaytee)
    7:48 - Booktenders
    10:57 - @authortiffanymcdaniel on Instagram
    12:02 - An Unlikely Story
    12:04 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Meredith)
    17:58 - Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones (Kaytee)
    20:14 - I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt
    20:49 - Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan
    21:49 - Born A Crime by Trevor Noah (young readers version)
    22:21 - Rabbit by Patricia Williams
    22:46 - The Gathering by C.J. Tudor (Meredith)
    24:18 - The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
    24:20 - The Drift by C.J. Tudor
    26:49 - Wolfsong by T.J. Klune (Kaytee)
    28:48 - The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune
    28:52 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
    28:54 - Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
    31:35 - The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland (Meredith)
    36:14 - Deep Dive: Book Wishes To The Book Fairy
    40:01 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
    56:38 - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
    49:09 - Meet Us At The Fountain
    49:21 - I wish everyone would follow @weeklyhomecheck on Instagram. (Kaytee)
    50:36 - I wish everyone would listen to the podcast The Canada Reads Podcast (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. April’s IPL comes to us from A Room Of One’s Own in Madison Wisconsin!
    Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry
    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!

    • 54 min
    Season 6, Episode 34: Comfort Listening + A No Prep Episode

    Season 6, Episode 34: Comfort Listening + A No Prep Episode

    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: more efficient book signings and reading when we need to recharge
    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately
    Deep Dive: an unofficial deep dive into no prep episodes
    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)





    :10 Bite Size Intro
    1:49 - Currently Reading Patreon
    5:10 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
    9:43 - Our Current Reads
    12:19 - Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor (Meredith)
    12:54 - From the Front Porch podcast
    18:12 - Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
    19:21 - Family Family by Laurie Frankel (Kaytee)
    19:56 - This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
    25:00 - One Two Three by Laurie Frankel
    25:42 - Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf (Meredith)
    27:15 - The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
    30:53 - CR Season 4: Episode 30 (about one-night stand books)
    31:29 - Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (Kaytee)
    31:54 - Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
    35:13 - libro.fm
    37:38 - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (Meredith)
    44:02 - Evil Eye by Etaf Rum (Kaytee)
    44:14 - A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
    51:58 - Deep Dive: Talking Through Our Off The Cuff Episode
    56:37 - Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf
    56:38 - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
    59:15 - Meet Us At The Fountain
    1:01:26 - I wish everyone would try doing summarizing thoughts immediately after reading a book in some way shape or form. (Meredith)
    1:01:58 - I wish for a book recommendation on call service. (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. April’s IPL comes to us from A Room Of One’s Own in Madison Wisconsin!
    Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry
    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!

    • 1 hr 6 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
39 Ratings

39 Ratings

Christine Grace ,

How delightful

Intelligent, interesting women talking about books and reading- what’s not to like? I’m in a season of transition with a lot of unexpected time on my hands so, I’m reading more! This podcast works both as a TBR supplier as well as perfect stand alone content to help me fold laundry or cook dinner. Great addition to my podcast deck.

Pippa (uk) ,

My favourite bookish podcast

Meredith, Kaytee and Mindy’s obvious delight in a life well read is infectious. Chatty, funny, thoughtful, this podcast is a joy. Subscribe! And be prepared to want to read a lot of books!

Krose2809 ,

Friendship and books worth a listen.

My life is completely different to Kaytee, Meredith and Mindy but they’re podcasts was like a peek into a friendship. Non judgemental book recs with strong opinions is rare to find on the internet. I highly recommend listening to make your tbr explode.

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