Shoulda Books

Jonathan Faircloth Kirk
  • 5.0 (45)
  • Books

The podcast about all the books you shoulda read by now.

  1. 3d ago

    37. I read my former boss's spicy book (STRANGE BEDFELLOWS)

    author and screenwriter (and my former boss on many a set) Amanda Mortlock joins the show to talk about her steamy new novel Strange Bedfellows, the tropes she can't stand, His Dark Materials, and possibly the most whimsical heist of the century.   in the ad-free, extended version, Amanda and I discuss our shared lore in the halcyon days of Verizon's Go90 streaming service. check it out on the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks pre-order "Strange Bedfellows", available everywhere September 22 via Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Strange-Bedfellows/Amanda-Mortlock/9781668205778   follow Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandydemoo/   follow Strange Bellows on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@strangebedfellowsbook books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780440418320   The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780385490818   The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101981634 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

  2. Sep 3

    36. trust me, BELOVED is worth the effort

    today I'm talking about the most challenging book I've read so far in 2026, Toni Morrison's Beloved.   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416   join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141439662 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

  3. Aug 27

    35. no country for old podcasters

    filmmaker Jason Nguyen talks mythology, Cormac McCarthy, and the…interesting place where he loves to read most.   follow Jason on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonnguyentv/?hl=en   check out Room 105: https://room105media.com/ for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

  4. Aug 20

    34. reacting to your hot book takes w/ Will Witwer

    Will Witwer returns to answer listener questions, respond to hot book takes, and rant/rave in general about our "twist-based" society.   follow Will on Instagram because he's going to learn how to dunk: https://www.instagram.com/wwitwer/?hl=en for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

  5. Aug 6

    33. The Odyssey and the End of Reading

    Today, I'm examining Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey, comparing it to the film, and taking a look at the relevance of oral storytelling in a world where no one reads anymore.   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   "Democracy, Neo-Orality, and the Unraveling of Political Norms: What Can We Social and Political Scholars Do?" by Jacqueline Fendt https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=143088   "The End of Reading is Here" by Rose Horowitch https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/ books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. "The Odyssey" by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson: https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780393356250 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

  6. Jul 30

    32. turns out nature's pretty great (Mary Oliver, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and MORE)

    Author (and former literary agent for the Try Guys) Jessica M. Felleman stops by the Boston Bureau to discuss Mary Oliver, solarpunk, local poetry, staying ON (not in) Cape Cod, and her debut novel "Last Kiss of Summer".   In the Patreon bonus segment, Jessica talks about working with the Guys to sell their NYT bestseller The Hidden Power of F*cking Up, and about working with Eugene to sell his upcoming fantasy duology The Unders. Follow Jessica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmfelleman/   Buy "Last Kiss of Summer" https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9798217001910   Help stop the destruction of wild habitat in Southern California: https://nocanyonhills.org/   Poetry reading in LA: https://www.sundayjump.com/ for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. "New and Selected Poems Vol 2" by Mary Oliver https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780807068878   "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781250236210   "Once There Were Wolves" by Charlotte McConaghy https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781250244154   "Envelope Poems" by Emily Dickinson https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780811225823 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400033416 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

  7. Jul 23

    31. going underground w/ author Luke Goebel (Kill D*ck)

    Luke Goebel (Kill Dick, the films Causeway and Eileen) shares 3 books that influenced his writing, and he almost shares his phone number, too.   Kill Dick is available everywhere via Red Hen Press   Check out Tyrant Books: https://nytyrant.com/   Find out more about the Alano Club of Portland: https://www.portlandalano.org/ Find out more about Bridgeway Community Health: https://bridgewayrecovery.com/   for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. "Kill Dick" by Luke Goebel https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781636284651   "The Golden Hour" by Matthew Specktor https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780063008342   "The Shards" by Bret Easton Ellis https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780593469163   "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780679732761   "The Mars Room" by Rachel Kushner https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781476756585 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading  "The Odyssey" by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson: https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780393356250 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

  8. Jul 16

    30. what I've read so far this year (YESTERYEAR, LOST LAMBS, more)

    Today, I'm going over the 16 books I've read so far in 2026, and I'm sharing some of the ways I've found more time for reading.   To learn how you can help fight tuberculosis, visit: https://www.pih.org/ and https://tbfighters.org/about Science agrees that audiobooks count as reading: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/03/audiobooks-dont-really-count-as-reading-think-again/ for early, ad-free, extended episodes, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781501117015   Everything Is Tuberculosis https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780525556572   The Disappointment by Scott Broker https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781646222858   Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780374619237   Speak Now by Ash Perez https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Speak-Now/Ash-Perez/9781668117927   Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780141441146   The Outsiders by SE Hinton https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780142407332   Down Time by Andrew Martin https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780374617066   The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780060913076   A Good Person by Kirsten King https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9798217048045   Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780345806567   Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400078776   Kill Dick by Luke Goebel https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781636284651   The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931   Pachinko by Min Jin Lee https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781455563920   Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9798217287857 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading  "The Odyssey" by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson: https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780393356250 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

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5
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About

The podcast about all the books you shoulda read by now.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Faircloth Kirk
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Shoulda Books