The Grim Reader: Recent Episodes
Rebecca Archer
"You should never judge a book by its cover." Well, that is exactly what we'll be doing. Each week we'll be swapping our favourite books with one another, coming up with our own story just by looking at the front cover. Join the Grim Readers, Nikki, Chloe and Rebecca each week to find out more.
Welcome back to another episode of The Grim Reader! We're back to work full time and we're pretty exhausted, maybe we should rename the podcast The Tired Readers? This week we chat all about Chris Pine and the drama surrounding the "Don't Worry Darling" movie. Our books this week are "The Girl on the 88 Bus" by Freya Sampson, and "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen.
Welcome back! The Grim Readers have returned from their summer holidays and have managed to record an episode (woo). Nikki tells us about her adventures in Amsterdam and teaches us all a very handy Dutch phrase. Rebecca on the other hand just roasts her. Our books this week are "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin, and "Looking For Jane" by Heather Marshall*.
*We received this book from Netgalley. Our review is honest and unbiased.
Welcome back to The Grim Reader Podcast! This week Rebecca and Nikki talk all about their holidays, with Nikki finally sharing the "top secret" holiday location and all the adventures she got up to. We chat all about the heatwave, and do our bit in spreading the word that GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL! Our books this week are "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" by Lori Gottlieb, and "Cleopatra and Frankenstein" by Coco Mellors.
Join the Grim Readers this week as we hear all about Nikki's holiday plans, Rebecca shares her dream of living in a bookshop (we all knew this one already), and we get some Matteo appreciation! We also have a Grim Reader Revisits with Rebecca telling us what she thought of "Sunset" by Jessie Cave. Our books this week are "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt and "Careering" by Daisy Buchanan.
Welcome back to The Grim Reader Podcast! This week Nikki chats about going to see Mitski (yes, as usual this was recorded in advance, while Rebecca talks all about her trip to Paris and her dream of living in Shakespeare and Co. Another popular topic comes up, old age and how we have decided that we shall stay young forever. Our books this week are "None of This is Serious" by Catherine Prasifka and "Other People's Clothes" by Calla Henkel.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as they talk absolute rubbish, as per usual! We launch into the Oscars (yes, it's June, we recorded this episode in April), Nikki's mic disaster, and we talk about non-fiction books that have made an impact on us. Our books this week are "New Animal" by Ella Baxter, and "The Library" by Bella Osborne.
Join the Grim Readers this week as they chat about being Irish and all things from having a fear of wooden spoons to drinking 7up when you're sick. Rebecca tells us all about her new podcast obsession "Murder Most Irish" which covers Irish true crime. Our books this week are "Young Mungo" by Douglas Stuart, and "Crossroads" by Jonathan Franzen. Listen to find out our thoughts on two big hitting books!
Welcome back to The Grim Reader Podcast! It's been a while (let's not work out how long). Join Rebecca and Nikki as they talk about their long break from podcasting and give life updates. They chat all about booktok and bookstagram and how both are encouraging people to read. Our books this week are "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and "Femlandia" by Christina Dalcher.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as they're joined by fellow podcaster Álanna. Her podcast "The Art of The Conversation" promotes the arts in Ireland from writing to music, to art, and even more. Every second episode she is joined by a guest where they can discuss their work and art. We would absolutely recommend listening! Álanna joined us for quite a chaotic episode, let's just say that Nikki had an agenda in this episode......Our books from this episode are "Threshold" by Rob Doyle, and "Olive" by Emma Gannon.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as they chat all about a book they've been looking forward to for months! Yes, it's "The Man Who Died Twice*" by Richard Osman. We adored "The Thursday Murder Club" and couldn't wait to get our hands on the sequel. If you're a fan of the series and want to hear all our ramblings about our favourite group of O.A.Ps you've come to the right place!
*Disclaimer: We received a copy of this book in advance from Netgalley and Penguin General UK. This episode is not sponsored and our review and opinions are completely honest and unbiased.
We all knew this episode was coming! Join The Grim Readers this week as they discuss the latest novel from Sally Rooney, "Beautiful World Where Are?" We chat about our thoughts on the book, characters, themes, and pretty much everything Sally Rooney. It goes without saying that there will be spoilers, you have been warned!
The Lost Episode of Atlantis is finally here! Catch up with the Grim Readers this week as we chat about recording woes, in particular any attempt to try and record in person together. There's a brief little rendition of a classic Lizzie Maguire tune before we get stuck into talking about the music industry. Such a wide variety of talking points! Our books this week are "Billy Summers" by Stephen King, and "Would I Lie To You?" by Aliya Ali-Afzal.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as Becca finally gets roasted! We of course have to talk about the new Sally Rooney book, and Nikki having to buy two copies. We also talk about tote bags, yes we know we get into random topics at times. Be prepared for a very informative speech from Nikki about tote bags. Our books this week are "Sunset" by Jessie Cave, and "Magpie" by Elizabeth Day.
This week The Grim Readers have finally released another book club episode (we know, it's been a while). We chat all about "The Flatshare" by Beth O'Leary. In this book, Tiffy and Leon share a flat and bed. The only thing is they've never met! A book with amazing heartfelt moments that will have you sobbing, loveable and cherished characters, and hilarious situations that will have you in tears. If you have read this far we would like to warn you: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!
On this week's episode, Nikki and Rebecca chat about recording this very last minute. They mention many times throughout the episode the soon to be infamous "Lost Episode of Atlantis," the episode they had recorded but audio problems mean that is now lost. Nikki tells us that she's finally watching "Lost" (at least it's something different than Housewives). Rebecca tells us about her upcoming abseil down Thomond Park for charity. Our books this week are "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman, and "The Island of Missing Trees" by Elif Shafak.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as we chat about Indiana Jones and cinema memories, be it movies we should not have watched at nine years of age or getting ID'd when you're nineteen. Nikki tells us about her horrific ferry journey, while Becca chats about the upcoming Marian Keyes book (yes, we know it won't be released till next year). Our books this week are "A Sincere Warning About the Entity in Your Home" by Jason Arnopp, "Ghosts"by Dolly Alderton, and "How To Kill Your Family" by Bella Mackie.
This week on The Grim Reader, Nikki makes us all jealous by telling us about her upcoming trip to Galway and about getting her second vaccine. Rebecca tells us about Merlyn, her lovely dog who just has a love of running away at the moment or trying to eat plants that aren't good for her. (Merlyn is also present for the entire recording and is very unimpressed with being called out). Our books this week are "The Miseducation of Evie Epworth" by Matson Taylor, "The Reading List" by Sara Nisha Adams, and "Malibu Rising" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Join The Grim Readers this week for the absolute chaos that was our first attempt to record in person! We chat about previous scores we've given books, there's a few in there we regret. Rebecca tells us about discovering Storygraph, a more personalised way to track your reading, while Nikki gives a public apology to the whole of Limerick. Fun times! Our books this week are "No Such Thing as Perfect*" by Emma Hughes, and "The Final Girl Support Group" by Grady Hendrix.
*Received this book very kindly from NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone. Reviews are unbiased and honest.
Catch up with all three of The Grim Readers this week! Yes, hooray! The prodigal host of podcasting has returned, a big welcome back to Chloe! Rebecca fills us in on listening to "Sentimental Garbage," how has it taken her this long to listen to it? Nikki chats about becoming a plant mom and catching up on Love Island through Marian Keyes' Twitter. Our books this week are "No One Is Talking About This" by Patricia Lockwood, "One Last Stop" by Casey McQuiston, and "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" by Abbi Waxman.
Join the Grim Readers this week as they chat all about melting in the heat. Ireland was not made for the heat, we have no air conditioning! Somebody save us! We talk about our vaccines and how important they are, while also reminiscing on the great Chopiano story from last week. Chopiano shall live on forever. Our books this week are "Grown Ups" by Marian Keyes, and "The Flatshare" by Beth O'Leary.
This week The Grim Readers are joined by a special guest! A big welcome to Brennan from "The Ghost Story Guys", a podcast where he covers true stories of paranormal activity and beyond. Definitely a big recommendation for any spooky guys or gals out there. Brennan tells us about his two Irish poet stories featuring Seamus Heaney and Paul Muldoon. And he updates us with a new podcast he's working on! Nikki and Rebecca are their usual selves, hot messes. Our books this week are "The Ghost of Frederic Chopin" by Eric Faye, "The Killer is Dying" by James Sallis, and "The End of the World is a Cul de Sac" by Lousie Kennedy.
This week on The Grim Reader, Nikki tells us all about her recent vaccine (lucky her), and we talk about our mutual tiredness and what our emoji lookalikes are. We chat about TikTok, the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of it. I mean no one should ever make lasagne in their dishwasher! And Rebecca tells us all about trying out a TikTok recipe, pesto eggs. Our books this week are "Holding Her Breath" by Eimear Ryan, and "Yours Cheerfully" by A.J. Pearce.
This week on The Grim Reader we actually introduce ourselves for a change, we do forget that we're recording a podcast sometimes. We give an amazing listener a shoutout for her lovely message that cheered us both up. Copy cat Becca chats about her new bookshelves and her love of sausage dogs. While Nikki updates us on her very, very, very overdue library book and her plot to return it. Our books this week are "Snowflake" by Lousie Nealon, and "Good Eggs" by Rebecca Hardiman.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as Nikki tells us all about her move, and that she now has bookshelves! Yes, this is a big deal. Rebecca talks about finally getting to visit Kennys bookshop in Galway, she might have gotten a little bit lost on her journey there but it's what Google maps told her to do. Our books this week are "One Ordinary Day at a Time" by Sarah J. Harris, and "When All Is Said" by Anne Griffin.
On this week's episode, The Grim Readers chat all about Independent Bookshop Week! We may have missed the actual designated week, but we choose to celebrate our local bookshops all the time. We talk about the need for publishers to put trigger warnings on books, readers should know if a book features sensitive material. We also chat about the good old chick-lit genre, who doesn't love a heartwarming and uplifting book? Our books this week are "Animal" by Lisa Taddeo, and "The Switch" by Beth O'Leary.
*A warning to listeners that "Animal" features sexual assault, rape, and graphic content. We have put in a timestamp in the episode for anyone who would like to skip this section.
Catch up with The Grim Readers as they prove just how Irish they are. Yes, that's right, we talk about the weather. It's just a conversation topic that will never go wrong. We chat about the desperate need of a public bathroom, wearing SPF, and even about breastfeeding. Such a wide range of topics that even we don't know how we stumbled on them. Our books this week are "The Push" by Ashley Audrain, and "Scenes of a Graphic Nature" by Caroline O'Donoghue.
This week on The Grim Readers, Rebecca and Nikki chat about their latest Netflix recommendations. Nikki chose "Bo Burnham: Inside," which she says will have you crying and laughing. While Rebecca chose one that will just have you laughing, the incredible "The Mitchells vs The Machines," who doesn't want to watch a movie about a robot apocalypse? Our books this week are "Misery" by Stephen King, and "Detransition, Baby" by Torrey Peters.
This week The Grim Readers chat all about aging, it's just hit us really hard that we're getting older. We are closer to thirty than twenty now! We reminisce about the past when we were young, from watching classic tv shows to not having to crack our aching bones. Our books this week are "Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro, and "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" by Alison Bechdel.
Catch up with all of The Grim Readers this week, yes you read that correctly, our prodigal cohost has returned! Chloe is back and she has sent in demands, enjoy our hilarious art, and we apologise in advance to our friend John for the man-bashing that happens in this episode. We chat about the hype around certain books, the Sally Rooney effect, and of course books. Our books this week are "Embroideries" by Marjane Satrapi, "Luster" by Raven Leilani, and "Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982" by Choo Jam-Noo.
This week on The Grim Reader we are joined by a very special guest, Emma! Our number one fan, Emma has been incredibly supportive since we started this podcast. She has a great book Instagram account called the "@notanaestheticbooksta" which we highly recommend! This week we chat about middle name, and of course our beloved recurring theme......cannibalism. Our books this week are "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown, "Leonard and Hungry Paul" by Rónán Hession, and "Constellations" by Sinéad Gleeson.
This week on The Grim Reader we chat about our favourite moments of the week. Rebecca chats about her dad and his love of Christy Moore, while Nikki chats about getting to see another Grim Reader! Life has been pretty boring, so you'll be happy to know that we get to the books pretty quickly. Our books this week are "Adults" by Emma Jane Unsworth, and "Small Pleasures" by Clare Chambers.
This week on The Grim Reader we chat about The Cúirt Festival and getting to see some amazing authors talk about their work and the craft of writing. Warning: there will be a lot of talk on Max Porter, Sara Baume, and of course Marian Keyes. We also talk about Hilary Fannin's incredibly funny article on Gwyneth Paltrow's company "Goop." Our books this week are "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides, and "The Weight of Love" by Hilary Fannin.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as they chat about President Michael D. Higgins, is Nikki his roommate? While Rebecca admits that she has finally started watching "Parks and Recreation," and she is definitely a Ben Wyatt. We might have gotten a little off-topic while chatting, you may wonder how exactly John Travolta came up in conversation, but you'll have to listen to find out. Our books this week are "Redder Days" by Sue Rainsford, and "Evening Class" by Maeve Binchy.
The Grim Readers chat all about sibling love this week. Rebecca talks about her little brother, and his love of movies and making fun of her. While Nikki chats about her little sister and her love of spilling popcorn everywhere! Gotta love that sibling bond! Our books this week are "My Dark Vanessa" by Kate Elizabeth Russell, and "People Like Her" by Ellery Lloyd.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as Nikki talks about going viral on Twitter, again! Yes, she is Twitter famous yet again.....it was Paddington content, who doesn't love Paddington? The good old cannibalism chat makes a comeback, and we talk about Irish and our cultural identity. What a wide variety of talking points? Our books this week are "Little Scratch" by Rebecca Watson, and "A Ghost In The Throat" by Doireann Ní Ghríofa.
Join The Grim Readers this week as they roast Nikki twice (you'll have to listen to find out why), while she updates us about her foot, is anyone looking for feet pics? This is a joke, please do not contact us looking for feet pics. We chat about book trends that we have noticed while reading, particularly books with characters that may not be the most likeable. Our books this week are "The Authenticity Project" by Clare Pooley, "The Last Thing To Burn" by Will Dean, and "Insatiable" by Daisy Buchanan.
This week The Grim Readers are changing it up, and bringing you our first ever book club episode! The book up for discussion is Patrick Freyne's "Ok, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea." Published in 2020, this is a collection of short essays detailing different moments in Freyne's life. It will have you crying from laughing (and we mean the ugly cry laughing), wanting to set up an illegal radio station, and moments filled with emotion that will make you bawl your eyes out.
Catch up with the Grim Readers this week as they chat about one of the true horrors of being an adult, extreme exhaustion. Nikki shares with us an embarrassing story, and we chat about the cringe-worthy moments that can happen while on a Zoom meeting. Our books this week are "Crudo" by Olivia Laing, "The Discomfort of Evening" by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, and "Grief Is The Thing With Feathers" by Max Porter.
Join the Grim Readers this week with their first ever guest! We are joined this week by The Gym Mama, aka. Marlene! We have an agony aunt message sent in from a listener/friend, the importance of a good book cover, and much more. Our books this week are "Finlay Donovan Is Killing It" by Elle Cosimano, "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout, and "An Execution in the Family: One Son's Journey" by Robert Meeropol.
Check out Marlene's podcast, "Fight Coach, Psychotherapist, Gym Mama," which discusses mental health, parenting, and martial arts. https://open.spotify.com/show/4NDk67RTnMkru4hASzSZQ8?si=5EVCSUIqQs68IFHqApbmUg
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as they chat about their love of Paul Rudd, in particular his character Dave Paris in "Romeo and Juliet." Did anyone else know that his name was Dave Paris? Not to judge, but Dave doesn't seem like a very Shakespearean name. We also talk about reading, the pressure we can put ourselves under to read, and the times when we get into a bit of a rut with reading. Our books this week are "Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of CSI" by Dana Kollmann, and "Cow Girl" by Kirsty Eyre.
Welcome back! This week we have become a UK drag race review podcast! Chloe and Nikki talk about their love of Bimini Bon Boulash, and how much more fun the UK drag race is. We have our first podcast update, as Rebecca chats about "The Thursday Murder Club" and we try to pick out who to cast for the upcoming Spielberg movie. Our books this week are "The Illustrated Child" by Polly Crosby, "Starling Days" by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, and "Girl A" BY Abigail Dean.
Join the Grim Readers this week as they actually talk about a podcast that isn't My Favorite Murder, we do listen to other podcasts! Chloe provides us with a special reading of a story from Radish, should she download this app to provide us with more entertainment over the next few weeks? Our books this week are "Rachel's Holiday" by Marian Keyes, "Every Note Played" by Lisa Genova, and "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King.
In this week's episode, join The Grim Readers as they decide which Mean Girls character they are. Is Nikki really Regina? Rebecca talks about buying new books, while Nikki gushes about her new air fryer. Of course, books are discussed too! This week, we decided to pick some light-hearted books......we know they are long overdue! Our books this week are "The Shelf" by Helly Acton, and "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman.
Join The Grim Readers this week as they talk all about a previous trip to Paris, long before Covid. Nikki and Chloe reveal their only character flaws, the mighty mission to get to a French vegan Patisserie, and everyone's enemy chub rub. Our books this week, when we finally get to them, are "Fever Dream" by Samanta Schweblin, "A Moth To A Flame" by Stig Dagerman, and "As You Were" by Elaine Feeney.
Join the Grim Readers this week as they talk all about more random topics before getting stuck into their books. We chat about Biden's inauguration, our lack of talent at introducing the podcast and ourselves, and of course Bernie Sanders. A small trigger warning as Rebecca gets a little heated about Josepha Madigan and her recent horrific comments. Our books this week are "Leave The World Behind" by Rumaan Alam, "Beach Read" by Emily Henry, and "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay.
On this week's episode, The Grim Readers chat all about podcast reviews we've gotten from our family members, the actor James Spader, and our love of Florence Pugh. All completely random topics, but we do get very sidetracked when we're chatting. Our books this week are "Promising Young Women" by Irish author, Caroline O'Donoghue, "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty, and "The Vegetarian" by Han Kang.
Catch with the Grim Readers this week as they delve into being millennials! Truly showing off their ages they discuss their childhood love of Westlife and Six, the discussion of grey hairs and wrinkles was edited out. Rebecca issues a public apology for her audio, and talks about the joys of editing. The books this week are "Revolutionary Ride" by Lois Pryce, and "Where The Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens.
Join the Grim Readers this week as they discuss what has been going on in the world this week. From providing you with a public service announcement to talking about entering another lockdown, the Grim Readers are here to provide weekly entertainment before getting started on their books. Our books this week are "The Long Walk" by Richard Bachman, a.k.a. Stephen King, "Rodham" by Curtis Sittenfeld, and "There's No Such Thing As An Easy Job" by Kikuko Tsumura.
Join the Grim Readers for this week's episode as they chat about award winning movies, "Joker" and "Little Women," horoscopes, and their love of true crime. Listen to find out how one of the three has broken the golden rule of their podcast and is then slagged mercilessly for the rest of the episode. The books covered this week are "Such a Fun Age" by Kiley Reid, "Someone to Love You in All Your Damaged Glory" by the creator of Bojack Horseman, Raphael Bob - Waksberg, and "Exciting Times" by Naoise Dolan.
We're back! After a very short break for Christmas, we're back for a New Year's Day episode! Join all three Grim Readers as they discuss their New Year's Resolutions, how their Christmas went, and terrible pronunciations. Their books this week include the winner of the Prix de Médicis Étranger, "The Mars Room" by Rachel Kushner. Jessie Burton's debut novel, "The Miniaturist", and the very unique "My Year Of Rest and Relaxtion" by Ottessa Moshfegh.
Join all three of the Grim Readers for the first when they are all actually together. Reunited and it feels so good! We've been teasing her arrival since episode one, but we finally have Chloe joining us for her first episode. Listen to hear all the chats about Dawson's Creek, our hatred of a certain billionaire, and all other random things before we actually get started on our books. This week we cover "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel, "The Secret Life of Cows" by Rosamund Young, and "Daisy Jones & The Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Catch up with The Grim Readers this week as they talk about coming out of level five, the annual classic Late Late Toy Show, and of course some Percy Pig content. Did you know that you can buy a Percy Pig plant pot? The wonder of modern commercialism. Their books this week are the bestselling "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig, and the highly acclaimed "Lanny" by Max Porter.
Catch up with the Grime Readers this week as they discuss Nikki's viral sensation, the correct order to watch The Hannibal Lecter trilogy, a famous Irish author, and other funny chats before they delve into their books. This week they talk about "I Love You Too Much" by debut author Alicia Drake, and a comedy by Maria Semple, "Where'd You Go, Bernadette."
Join the Grim Readers, Nikki and Rebecca, on episode three as they say thank you to three important people. Nikki updates us on a well-meaning birthday present gone wrong, while Rebecca shares her own embarrassment of leaking episode one. Not only that but they chat about graduating online, movie recommendations, and the loud bang heard across Cork. Their books this week are "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie and the highly recommended "The End Where We Start From" by Megan Hunter.
On episode two of the Grim Reader, Nikki and Rebecca discuss their chances of winning the lotto, the recent presidential election, and the apparent ruler of all, Percy Pigs. Join them to hear their takes on "Conversations with Friends" by Irish author Sally Rooney, and the award-winning "Queenie" by debut author Candice Carty - Williams.
Join The Grim Readers on their first episode of this exciting podcast. Nikki and Rebecca talk about starting a podcast in lockdown to keep them sane, their love of reading as well as Kate Bush's classic "Wuthering Heights." Join them to hear their imaginative stories for "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier and "Save Me From Dangerous Men" by S.A. Lelchuk before revealing what the books are actually about.