Read the Room: A Culture Club

readtheroomacultureclub

Follow along with our podcast week after week as we ensure you can read any room you're in, by dissecting literature, media, and pop culture until we're blue in the face.  Episodes include - Deep Dives: In-depth looks at books, movies, and culturally relevant research topics READs: Our bi-monthly reports on what we read, endured, ate, and did Minis: Informal chats about hyper-fixations and latest in pop culture Series: Ongoing conversations about reoccurring themes in our analysis Hosted by: Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen

  1. 4d ago

    40: Reads - Blondes, Blowouts & Books for Bisexuals

    What does nine books, plus 6 movies, multiplied by 100 world-class athletes equal? Just kidding Roomies, we’d never ask you to do math like that! Hosts Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen are back this week with one of their classic READ episodes, where they tell you what they’ve read, endured, ate, and done recently. Between Larsen catching up on her StoryGraph reading challenges with a whopping nine books read this past month, Kaylin helping usher in a new movie renaissance, and Alexys supplying some on-brand niche media picks, let’s just say the entertainment options are infinite. Reading highlights include Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana and The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennett by Lindz McLeod, which sparked digressions into the symbolism of the body and physical form in literature and the patriarchal imbalance of gays versus lesbians popular romance, respectively. We share our delectable dinings, like a fall feast of stuffed pumpkins, and late-summer snacks like chocolate covered raspberries, as well as what we figuratively ate up, like Netflix's Physical 100 competition show and Primetime starring RPatz. Our hyjinks this episode include all manner of ~just girly things~ like getting your hair freshly colored, hunting for the perfect blow dryer, and dabbling in some light witchcraft. We can sum it up for you divas, whether you need some new recs or just want to commiserate over the plight of womanhood - you're going to want to listen!

  2. Oct 12

    39: Deep Dive - Summer Rewind: The Girls Are Back in Town!

    Alexys, Kaylin, Larsen- where the hell have you been locas??? Welcome back Roomies! In this special edition deep dive, hosts Alexys, Kaylin and Larsen end their summer hiatus by rewinding back and recounting what they've been up to these past few months. From girlbossing hard (re: Larsen has been commercial fishing and pulling 20 hour days up off the coast of Alaska), to jet setting away from real life (like Alexys' random but fulfilling journey to China), two things are certain: books have been read and hijinks have been had. Highlights include wholesomely reading Sense & Sensibility aloud for all on the fishing boat (boys included), potentially saving a man's life on the way to go camping and the subsequently deliriously delicious camp food, and Kaylin's journey to collect every library card in California. Digressions range from exploring the powerful layers of analysis that language creates in translated works, like Arid Dreams or The Odyssey, and the pitfalls of multi-perspective novels, like Cloud Cuckoo Land. Plus, we preview some exciting upcoming episodes, including our October book club pick: East of Eden. Regular club meetings have returned, so keep checking back every Monday for fresh episodes. We're so excited to be back the in the room with you!

  3. Aug 3

    Read the Room will be back in the Fall!

    Your hosts are taking a little Summer Break! Our twice weekly episodes with return in the fall, and rest assured we will have many stories to tell and media to review then. In the meantime please catch up or re-listen to our 38 available episodes and let us know which are your favorites and what we should cover next! Please follow us on instagram and tiktok to see our current reads, pop culture opinions, podcast clips, and your hosts being a little silly. Thank you for reading the room with us, the club will meet again soon!!

  4. Jul 30

    38: Mini - Back to School Shopping

    Do you have your new lunch box picked out? How about a fresh pair of tennis shoes? They'll need to last you all year! Get in Roomies, we're going Back-to-School shopping for this nostaglic mini episode, where hosts Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen look back fondly on the, unfortunately, capitalistic trend of late-summer wishlists and early-fall mall visits. We explore the history of the Back-to-School shopping phenomenon, from the early days of department stores, to the neon flecked walls of 1980's malls, and even the modern influence of social media on students' school preparation. The Back-to-School shopping season has grown exponentially in America and is more prevalent today then ever, brining in billions of dollars for businesses each year, second-only in consumer spending to the winter holidays. More interesting perhaps than the raw numbers, however, is our digressions into our own Back-to-School shopping experiences, mishaps, and triumphs. So come on Roomies, it's time for a drive down memory lane. Don't forget to remind me to grab my Kohl's Cash!    Sources:  "Back-To-School: 5 Key Lessons for Businesses Based on Shopping Trends", US Chamber of Commerce

  5. Jul 28

    37: Deep Dive - July Book Club Edition: Yesteryear

    Why are we all so obsessed with watching trad wives? In this special Book Club deep dive hosts Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen dig into our July pick, Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Whether you read along with us this month, or have just picked up on all of the online buzz surrounding Burke's first literary release, this episode will be sure to fill you in on all the biggest talking points and thematic discussions at the heart of the novel. And with a movie deal signed by Anne Hathaway before its release, a popular podcast (Diabolical Lies) hosted by its author, and immediate comparisons between its main character and the real life trad wife behind the uber-viral Ballerina Farms, Yesteryear is a text ripe for analysis from the first page. This episode will contain spoilers, as we overview the general plot of the novel (a succesful trad wife influencer is sent back in time to the era she's been emulating) in order to investigate Burke's cast of characters, like Caleb (the man-child husband), Clementine (the parentified eldest daughter), Doug (the conservative politician), and Amelia (the mom in constant drug-induced haze). Yesteryear's relevancy packs a punch, touching on so many hotbed talking points of our current cultural zietgiest it's hard to count. Manosphere? Check. Family vlogging? Check. Religious zealoutry? Check. But the book's emotional core stays with its narrator, and perhaps anti-hero, Natalie, whose experience is inexorably tied to her womanhood. Listen along dear Roomies and ask yourself, as we did, who really are the angry women?

  6. Jul 23

    36: Mini - Off Campus, Outlander & Octavia Butler

    What does Ali Hazelwood have to do with concerts in the park? Welcome back Roomies for another Weekly READ mini episode, where hosts Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen let you in on all they've recently read, ate, endured, and did. You're in for another ecletic media roundup, as we talk about our latest literary fixations, from Donna Tart's The Goldfinch to Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, as well as our current TV temptations, like Maxton Hall, Off Campus, and Outlander. There are some lowlights, of course, such Larsen's IUD implementation, Kaylin's disappointment in The Man in the High Castle TV series, and Alexys' self induced Sysphiean task of laundry. It all balances out in the end though, as summer brings some pleasantly offline indulgences, like lying in hammocks and listening to local music with friends. So whether you want to laugh with us or cry with us, you won't want to miss this one!

  7. Jul 20

    35: Deep Dive - A Midsummer Transformation: Summer Vacation in the Media

    What holds more transformative, coming-of-age power to a teen than the promise of summer vacation? Perhaps maybe a pair of traveling and universally flattering pants? In this deep dive, hosts Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen research the modern day media trends and patterns associated with the setting of summer vacation. We investigate the origins of summer vacation itself, examining the social, academic, and economic roots of the now near universal public school calendar, and how ulitmately, America's growing travel culture helped to facilitate a demand for easy-to-consume literature. From trips, to tropes, and every beach in between, we explore the ways that books, movies, television, and even songs have absorbed the youthful and sometimes transcendental themes of summer. Notable mentions include everything from Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury to The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, and movies like American Graffiti and Dirty Dancing. Schools out but class is still in session Roomies, so take a listen as we give a lesson on this universally nostaglic and relatable sun-soaked trend.    Sources: "100 Summer, Vacation, and Beach Movies", IMDb "Agrarian Roots? Think Again. Debunking the Myth of Summer Vacation's Origins", PBS "A Brief History Of: Summer Vacation", TIME "Summer Vacations Are a 19th-Century Invention of the Rich", Literary Hub "The Invention of Summer Reading and the Birth of the Beach Read", Los Angeles Public Library

  8. Jul 17

    34: Mini - Movie Theater Etiquette

    What's worse Roomies, a person who never orders popcorn at the movie theater or a person who always leaves their phone ringer on? In this mini episode hosts (and admitted movie theater lovers) Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen talk movie theater etiquette, including everything from movie snack culture to seating needs, or even the overall importance of getting out and seeing films in person in the first place. We begin with why we, as a society, frequent movies and why we, personally, feel it's so often worth it to watch films in theaters, while also acknowledging the astronomical and ever-growing cost of what should be a much more accessible pastime. We break down our do's- reclining seats, nutritional yeast, smuggling candy and drinks in- and don'ts- poor snack counter service, loud food packaging, heckling and live reacting like you're in your own living room. Additionally, we provide a few movie going horror stories of our own from the last year, begging the question, where has everyone's movie manners gone? Grab your popcorn (buttered please!) and crack a contraband soda can (as quiet as you can) for this chatty ep! You can feel free to laugh along with us, because while distracting others may be out, shared emotion and entertainment is definetly still in.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Follow along with our podcast week after week as we ensure you can read any room you're in, by dissecting literature, media, and pop culture until we're blue in the face.  Episodes include - Deep Dives: In-depth looks at books, movies, and culturally relevant research topics READs: Our bi-monthly reports on what we read, endured, ate, and did Minis: Informal chats about hyper-fixations and latest in pop culture Series: Ongoing conversations about reoccurring themes in our analysis Hosted by: Alexys, Kaylin, and Larsen

Information

  • Creator
    readtheroomacultureclub
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Read the Room: A Culture Club