Meet Me At The Bookstore: Recent Episodes
Julia Yee and Ayesha Mukherjee
We're two friends talking about the books that raised us, the authors that changed us, the characters that made us, and everything in between!
For our final book club read of 2023, we read “Days At the Morisaki Bookshop” by Satoshi Yagisawa, and it was the perfect book to end on. It’s sweet, comforting, and a testament to the power of reading. We loved the book’s setting in the Jimbocho district of Tokyo, a cozy neighborhood known for its multitude of second hand bookshops, the oddball but loveable characters, and the simple yet effective writing that managed to convey so much emotion!
Whilst this book turned out to be different than we both expected, it was still such a heartwarming read as it evaded cliches and remained enjoyably realistic.
Wishing you all a happy New Year!
In November, we read the shortest book in our podcast history: “Assembly” by Natasha Brown.
This was a controversial read for us, and our lowest rated book club read to date. That said, it definitely made for an interesting conversation to discuss a book that both confused and underwhelmed us. Talking through our own questions about the book led us down a rabbit hole of more questions concerning certain plot points, messages, and characters.
While it’s an odd feeling to disagree with the reviews of such a highly acclaimed book, it felt good to apply our own unique perspectives to form a critique of why it didn’t hit home for us.
Look no further for our favorite cozy read of the year - Sangu Mandanna’s “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.” This book was an absolute joy for us to read, and it was equally fun for us to talk about!
After sharing our initial ratings, we discussed what made the characters so likable (authentically quirky and kind) and the book itself so enjoyable (diverse cast, and the coziest atmosphere). Talking together about the book made us realize just how much we loved reading it, especially compared to similar books out there, prompting us to change our ratings by the end – so stay tuned to find out!
It’s time for our ‘flaming’ hot takes on the most hyped up fantasy book this year! It seems like everyone has been talking about “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros since the start of summer and with the release of the sequel earlier this week, it’s the perfect time for us to share our thoughts.
As usual, we did not hold back, and voiced our many thoughts and criticisms concerning the school (was the Gauntlet an original idea or was Yarros watching too much American Ninja Warrior?), the writing (can we please talk about those name pronunciations?), the characters (how was Violet’s body managing the bedroom activities but not combat?), and much more.
Recorded back in August, we consider this a cheeky episode from the vault!
For our second book of the book club series, we read “Beach Party” by Amy Sheppard.
This was a particularly fun buddy read, as we read it whilst on our girls trip in Portugal! The Algarve was a world away from the blustery Cornish coast where the book takes place, which made it all the more fun as a breezy, beachy, murder mystery to dive into. The many red herrings and double twist in the book were no match for Ayesha’s detective skills, but still kept Julia on her toes.
After a quick synopsis, we talk about the characters, the writing, and the big reveal – covering all the things that we liked and the many that annoyed us (as usual).
The best part about reading this one was getting to yell out our thoughts to each other from the next sunbed over, and we highly recommend doing a buddy read with friends the next time you are on a group trip!
We’re starting a new monthly book club series, and each month the two of us will buddy-read a book and share all of our thoughts. For our first book of the series, we read “Attached” by Amir Levine and Rachel S.F. Heller.
We open the episode by sharing our ratings and then delve into the three attachment styles: anxious, avoidant, and secure. We discuss in detail the various examples shared by the authors, and even get into our own experiences with the workbook activities.
Overall, “Attached” gave us much to talk about and to consider – we learned more about dating, relationships, and ourselves, and we hope to share that knowledge in this episode.
E14: The One Where We Re-read ‘Twilight’
For our last episode of the season, we continue our ‘re-read’ series with a special guest, our long-time friend Danielle! We all read ‘Twilight’ back when we were in middle school together in Saudi, so this was the perfect book for us to come back together and chat about. ‘Twilight’ is infamous for its cult following back in the day, but has it aged well? As always with our re-reads, our goal is to see how we react to the same stories we once read as kids, and whether our opinions have stayed the same or differed from our first read. Needless to say, our thoughts have changed A LOT, and we had so much fun talking and laughing about it!
Books Mentioned:
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Path to Love by Deepak Chopra
Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss
Aphrodite by Isabelle Allende
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
S3E13: In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, we are discussing romance reads from a pan-Asian perspective. As two Asian women ourselves, we wanted to take time to focus on Asian written romance and how we view the representation we read about. We go into the facets of representation that we love, but also the stereotypes that we don’t, and end with a segment on how the romance we have read throughout the years has influenced our dating lives!
Books Mentioned:
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
We’ve Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Unlocking by Ritu Bhasin
The Path to Love By Deepak Chopra
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel
The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandya Menon
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
S3E12: We are back again for another deep dive, and this time we delve into a YA contemporary fiction read by one of our favorite authors - ‘All My Rage’ by Sabaa Tahir. We have both talked a lot about our love for Sabaa Tahir’s ‘An Ember in the Ashes’ series, and we were equally enthralled by ‘All My Rage.’ As usual, there was much to discuss, including the various characters, plot nuances, and of course, our love for Tahir’s writing and ability to make us feel ALL THE FEELS.
Disclaimer: this episode is full of spoilers!
Books Mentioned:
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
One Foot in Front of the Other by Ann Webb
The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma
The two of us often talk about growing up in the Middle East, and it’s time we dedicated an episode to the region we have called home for so long. We start by trying to define the Middle East, but realise that it’s not so simple – which is exactly what makes it such a captivating region to read about! We then share our favourite books that are either written by Middle Eastern authors, set in the region, or concern Middle Eastern characters. Between the two of us, we cover an array of books set in different countries, offering diverse perspectives.
Books/Writers Mentioned:
The Path to Love by Deepak Chopra
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
Call Me American by Abdi Nor Iftin
The Corpse Exhibition and Other Stories of Iraq by Hassan Blasim
Our Women On The Ground by Zahra Hankir
Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea
Does My Head Look Big in This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah
Princess by Jean Sasson
We Free the Stars Duology by Hufsah Faizal
In the Kingdom of Men by Kim Barnes
8 Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel
The 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
The Sleuth of Baghdad by Charles B Child
Writers in general: Rumi, Ghibran, Darwish, Quabbani, Khaled Hosseni
In this episode, we are talking poetry! We start the conversation by discussing our relationship to poetry – not only what we enjoy, but what we sometimes struggle with as well. We go on to talk about our first introductions to poetry as kids, to what we read at school, and are now exploring on our own – including writing our own poetry (feel free to follow Julia’s poetry @day.dream.diaries on Instagram). We also share a list of our top poets and poems, including a few of our favourite lines of verse for good measure, and finish off the episode with the poets whose works we are looking forward to reading in the near future.
Books Mentioned:
To Fall in Love, Drink This by Alice Feiring
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D
8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
We hear a lot about them, but what exactly are book tropes, and what purpose do they serve? In this episode we are diving into the infamous book trope! After first defining what a book trope is, we discuss whether we believe they are being overused, and perhaps even used incorrectly. We then spend the rest of the episode sharing our favourite and least favourite tropes to read about.
Stay tuned for our Patreon as we dive deeper into the ‘enemies to lovers’ book trope!
Books Mentioned:
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
To Fall in Love, Drink This by Alice Feiring
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D
8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty
In this episode, we are not talking about books but magazines!
You may have heard us talk about magazines we’ve been reading during our previous currently reading segments, and these were inspired by this episode. We start the episode talking about the magazines that we’re most familiar with, and those we would consider as current favourites. We then jump into the magazines we used to enjoy as kids which opened up many memories! We also discuss the values of digital versus print magazines, and end the episode comparing magazines to books.
Books Mentioned:
The 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D
Magazines Mentioned:
Philosophie
Tatler
Oh, Reader
The Paris Review
Mizz
Cosmo Girl
Cosmopolitan
Bon Appetit
National Geographic
We are back again with another genre master list, and this time we’re going through our top historical fiction reads that have left their mark on us! Historical fiction is probably one of our favourite genres, and we start our list off with ancient civilizations and travel through time and across the world as we trade titles.
As always, these lists are ever evolving, and we end the episode acknowledging the many gaps we have in our historical fiction repertoire, and how we plan to fill them!
Head to our Instagram for our current comprehensive list, and please share your thoughts and recommendations as we are always excited to learn about new must-reads!
In what is probably one of our most wholesome episodes yet, we talk about the very heart of books themselves: friendship!
We analyse the in and outs of the friendships within some of our favourite fantasy series, namely Harry Potter, Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. We talk about what makes them great, why they work, why we love them – and of course, we can’t help but fantasize about which fictional characters and friend groups we would be friends with too!
Books Mentioned:
Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas
ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas
Crescent City Series by Sarah J. Maas
This episode has been a long time coming – we are diving headfirst into our juiciest topic yet: spicy reads!
The episode is split into two halves. During the first half, we discuss our experience with a variety of spicy fantasy, and in the latter half, we dig into the two spicy fiction books that we read in preparation for this episode, ‘Dark Russian Angel’, and ‘Praise’.
Our spiciest content is NSFS (Not Safe For Spotify) so we will be putting it up on Patreon if you would like to hear the full, uncut version! More details on Patreon to follow soon.
Books Mentioned:
The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas
River of Shadows by Karina Halle
Crown of Crimson by Karina Halle
Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St Clair
Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Gild series by Raven Kennedy
From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon
Vicious by L.J. Shen
Fifty Shades series by E. L. James
Praise by Sara Cate
Dark Russian Angel: A Vancouver Mafia Romance by Odette Stone
S3E4: Are fairytales a bad influence?
We are back again with our Taboo Topics series, and this time, we are talking about the controversy over fairytales. Once the golden standard of children’s literature, fairytales – whether in book form or on screen – are now being heralded as a bad influence on children. But are these worries warranted? To get to the bottom of this issue, we dive into a brief history of fairytales, their evolution, and the criticism they face today. We of course dish out our own thoughts on fairytales and the concerns surrounding them, no holds barred!
Books Mentioned:
In Defense of Witches: Why Women Are Still On Trial by Mona Chollet
A Week Abroad Magazine
8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty
Circe by Madeline Miller
Glass Hearts and Broken Promises by Kayla McCullough
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Every booklover knows that reading and wellness go hand in hand. We often joke that the act of reading is our therapy, and in this episode, we dive into the myriad of ways that it really can be!
We broach the subject by ruminating on the ways reading itself has supported us in times of need, and how important reading can be for your mental health. We then get into our history of reading wellness focused books specifically, and our thoughts around the ‘self-help’ moniker. We discuss the different categories of wellness reads that interest us, as well as the less-talked-about toxic side of the wellness reading space. We round out the episode talking about some of our favorite wellness reads that have made a lasting impact on us, and those we look forward to reading soon!
Books Mentioned:
Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King
The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra
Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul by Deepak Chopra
Anam Cara by John O’Donnahue
The Body Says No by Gabor Mate
‘Daughter Drink This Water’ by Jaiya John
Book to screen adaptations are a touchy subject for the booklover. In this episode, we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the book to screen adaptations we’ve come across, including Pride and Prejudice, Twilight, and Eragon, to name a few. We also discuss popular adaptations that we liked where we didn’t read the book, those that might even be better than the book, and of course, those we could hardly bear to watch.
With more and more adaptations hitting the screens, we can only sit back and hope that our book-borne fantasies will be listened to, and met!
Books Mentioned:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
S3E1: Welcome back to Season 3 of our podcast! We are so excited to be back for another season of ‘Meet Me At The Bookstore’, and we hope you are looking forward to more of our bookish babble too!
To start off our new season, we give a recap of who we are and what we are all about, sharing the humble beginnings of our 16 year friendship up until now. Jumping off of our year end bonus episode, we also give an update on how our bookish goals have been going so far.
Books Mentioned:
September Love by Lang Leave
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
4:00 - Currently Reading
5:14 - Recap
13:27 - 2023 Goals
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The season isn’t over yet – we are ending the year with a cheeky little bonus episode! We begin by sharing our thoughts on the past year, and talk about the many changes that have taken place for the both of us. We then move on to our aspirations and goals for 2023 regarding our personal lives, our bookish ambitions, and this podcast. We hope to encourage all those listening to acknowledge their own journeys over the past year, and look forward to what is yet to come – even if it’s just the next book on your TBR!
Stressed out by fast approaching year end deadlines, holiday socials, and upcoming travels? We invite you to sit back and unwind with us as we wrap up our second season of Meet Me at the Bookstore on a light and joyful note to usher in the holiday season! We start off by running through our gift guide for fellow book lovers, and end with sharing some of our favorite seasonal reads, from winter romances to snow-blanketed murder mysteries!
We wish all of you a happy holiday and a wonderful year end. We will be back for season 3 in the new year!
Books Mentioned
What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Jade City by Fonda Lee
Seasonal Reads:
Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler
The Mistletoe Murder and other short stories by P.D. James
Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
The Gift by Cecilia Ahern
Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In what is probably our nerdiest episode yet, we talk about the different methods and platforms that we use to organize our reading habits. From our own personal techniques to widely used apps, we share what we find helpful, what we like, and what we struggle with when it comes to keeping track of what we read. Whether you’re a data-lover looking for another way to compile your reading stats, wondering how to bring your reading addiction to a new level, or simply wanting to compare notes, this episode has got you covered!
Books Mentioned:
Jade City by Fonda Lee
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In our latest episode, we continue our deep dive series by delving into the mystery and thrill of ’The Paris Apartment’ by Lucey Foley. We discuss the in and outs of each character, reconstructing the story bit by bit, until we get to the big reveal. We also go into the writing itself, what we found confusing, and what we liked (and didn’t like)! We finish off the episode with our first ever book rating!
Warning: This episode contains spoilers.
Books Mentioned:
The Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir
A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
Anam Cara by John O’Donohue
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
As a little Thanksgiving gift from us to you, this week we have also included a short bonus clip of us taking a quiz to find out which SJM man is our soulmate. See the link below to play along with us: https://www.quotev.com/quiz/15331091/Which-Maasverse-Man-is-your-Soulmate
We love reading fantasy for many reasons: the thrill, the magic, the adventure, but most of all, the men!
Join us as we dish about all our favorite male characters within the fantasy genre - from high lords and batboys, to archangels and warriors! We spend a significant portion of the episode discussing the men… ahem males (iykyk) in the Sarah J. Mass universe (she knows how to write ‘em!), and conclude our thoughts with a game of kiss, marry, kill. From there, we mention a few more notable rogues and ruffians and finish off the episode by philosophizing on the art of fantasizing.
As a little Thanksgiving gift from us to you, this week we have also included a short bonus clip of us taking a quiz to find out which SJM man is our soulmate. See the link below to play along with us: https://www.quotev.com/quiz/15331091/Which-Maasverse-Man-is-your-Soulmate
Books Mentioned:
The Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas
Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir
Caraval series by Stephanie Garber
King of Scars duology by Leigh Bardugo
Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
During this episode, we take a trip down memory lane and revisit a favorite from our youth: Sophie Kinsella’s ‘Remember Me?’ This re-read was an experiment for us to see if we would have the same experience reading a book now in our 20s compared to when we were pre-teens. Needless to say, there were some major and unexpected differences that cropped up! After breaking it all down, we realise that certain aspects of the story seem to have lost their magic. Is it the price we must pay as we grow up and realise that reality doesn’t always live up to our fictional ideals? Are early-2000s chick-lits simply outdated in this day and age? Are the characters really at fault, or were things just different back then? As it turns out, reading an old favorite with a newly turned critical eye unleashes a plethora of questions, comments, and judgement – and we leave no stone unturned in our discussion! Books Mentioned: Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Every town, city, and country has its own unique relationship to books. Following our latest trips and moves, we discuss the bookish cultural quirks we’ve noticed between New York, Virginia/DC, London, and Paris. Pertaining to independent bookstores, book deserts, libraries, and more - we chat about the differences we’ve found and come to some intriguing conclusions about book culture in this day and age, and across the world.
Disclaimer: All thoughts are our own and are derived from our own observations.
Books Mentioned:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
The world of fan fiction is a world unto itself - another universe of literary imaginings for book-lovers and day-dreamers to explore. While we’re not well versed in fan fiction, with the increase of authors entering mainstream book publishing with a fan-fiction background, we decided it was time to educate ourselves!
To begin, we discuss a few popular books and series that were once mere fan-fics. We then share our thoughts on some Harry Potter fan fiction that we recently read. To wrap it up, we dissect the allure of reading and writing fan fiction - and of course, we leave this episode with many more reads added to our ever growing TBR!
Books Mentioned:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A Holiday for Murder by Agatha Christie
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Macguire
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
After by Anne Todd
Manacled by SenLinYu
The Howling Nights by C.H. Darling
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Continuing our series on Taboo Topics, the contentious issue of this episode revolves around book banning and censorship! Books have been banned throughout time and nations - but is there ever actually a justifiable reason for banning a book?
We begin the conversation by briefly discussing classic books that have been historically banned in the US. We then move onto books that have been banned more recently, featuring some popular books we grew up reading. From there, we attempt to unpack why both institutions and parents try to ban certain books from young readers, if it is warranted, and what the consequences of censorship, or a lack thereof, would be.
Books Mentioned:
The Secret History by Donna Tart
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In this eclectic episode, we share our bookish adventures from our trip together to London. Staying in an area known for its abundance of bookstores, we had so much fun visiting old and new favorites, and couldn’t help buying a few treats for ourselves! We end our episode talking about current and upcoming reads with a bit of a fixation on Sarah J. Maas’ well known series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City.
Books bought from Marchpane:
Matilda by Roald Dahl (1st edition)
Fairies of the Trees by Cicely Mary Barker
Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School by Elinor Brent-Dyer
Books Mentioned:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In today’s episode, we continue the momentum of sharing our most memorable books in a particular genre, starring Non-Fiction. However, before jumping into the meat of our episode, we start out with a little more booktok drama that just had to be aired out.
That aside, while Non-Fiction may not seem to make as many appearances on our podcast as Fantasy or Fiction, it is not a genre to be slept on! Indeed, we had so many books to talk about, we were only able to share our absolute top recommendations without going on for too long. We wrap up with a little discussion about our relationship to the genre itself, the iconic ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ books (IYKYK), and some Non-Fiction books we have in the pipeline.
The entirety of our considerable list of great Non-Fiction reads can be found on our Instagram page - be sure to check it out so you can add to your never ending TBR! We definitely had a lot to add after this one!
Books Mentioned:
The Body Keep the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
This episode is all about the Classics. Starting with our middle school days and then going into our high school curriculums and beyond, we share our memorable experiences with some of the most widely read books in western literature. Not only do we talk about the books we loved, liked, and really didn’t like, but we also take the time to call out the overwhelming presence of white male authors among the required reading lists of US high schools. To end on a modern note, we share our takes on the books that we feel have the potential to turn into classics in the years to come.
Head to Instagram to see our full Master List of the Classics that we have enjoyed and recommend.
Books Mentioned:
House of Blood and Earth (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas
Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
It’s TEA time! From cancel culture and questionable TikTok creators to racist authors and a certain book subscription company, we are here to address some of the controversies circulating on BookTok in our latest two-part episode. Although we ourselves are not very involved in BookTok, our aim for this episode is to try and understand the discussions at hand in order to promote a more open minded bookish community.
Books Mentioned:
The Body Keep the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
House of Blood and Earth (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsa Faizal
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
It’s TEA time! From cancel culture and questionable TikTok creators to racist authors and a certain book subscription company, we are here to address some of the controversies circulating on BookTok in our latest two-part episode. Although we ourselves are not very involved in BookTok, our aim for this episode is to try and understand the discussions at hand in order to promote a more open minded bookish community.
Books Mentioned:
The Body Keep the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
House of Blood and Earth (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsa Faizal
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In today’s episode, we are diving deep into our favorite genre - fantasy! Have you ever had a multitude of questions pop up when reading a fantasy novel? Like, HOW do you pronounce that name?? Or, they did WHAT now? And how old are they again?? We have both certainly come across our share of burning questions and are excited to finally have the chance to air them in an effort to make sense of the imaginary, as found in the fascinating world of fantasy. Books Mentioned: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett House of Badawi by C.J. Khemi We Hunt the Flame by Hafsa Faizal The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Our latest episode is all about Mystery! Spanning the classics to more modern takes, we share the details of our favorite heart-stoppers and whodunnits. From there, our conversation then turns philosophical. As interested as we are in the genre, we couldn’t help but wonder: why are humans so obsessed with murder and mystery? Listen along as we debate and deliberate in hopes of getting to the bottom of it all.
Books Mentioned:
From Fury Reborn by Frances Ellen
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Sleuth of Baghdad by Charles B. Child
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Appeal by Janice Hallet
How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliott
Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
The Firm by John Grisham
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
The Vanishing Staircase by Maureen Johnson
The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
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We’re back for season two! After a summer hiatus, we are excited to delve into everything bookish once more. To kick off this new season we run through our summer reading lists, covering some of our favourite reads from the past few months and other fun bookish things we filled our summers with.
To welcome our new listeners, we have also included a bit of background on who we are and why we are doing what we do!
So, cheers to everyone who has stuck with us and to those of you who joined! This is just the start of many more laughs and bookish chats. Whenever you want a break from reality or a bit of cozy chatter, we hope you continue to join us in our little corner ‘at the bookstore’.
Books Mentioned:
From Fury Reborn by Frances Ellen
I was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
The Girl and the Goddess: Stories and Poems of Divine Wisdom by Nikita Gill
Carry on Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Devil’s Table by Kate Rhodes
An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliott
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Our final episode of the season is an ode to our childhood, and the books and characters that have made us who we are today in many ways. Similar to an awards show, we share nominations on a variety of categories across three genres: Fiction, Fantasy, and Dystopian.
Join us as we reminisce about our favorite childhood books and our shared memories around them.
Books Mentioned:
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
Book of Night by Holly Black
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Jacky Faber series by Louis A. Meyer
Midnight by Jaqueline Wilson
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
Hush Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick
Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage
Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Alanna the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce
The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare
The Deltora series by Emily Rodda
Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter
Redwall series by Brian Jaques
FableHaven series by Brandon Mull
The Sight by David Clement-Davies
The IceMark Chronicles by Stuart Hill
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
The Maze Runner series by James Dashner
Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In our latest episode, we discuss controversial authors and share our take on the book world’s reaction to them and the books they’ve written. The authors we focus on are J.K. Rowling, Delia Owens, Sarah J. Maas, Roald Dahl, and George R. R. Martin.
We find that in certain cases, the issues instigated surround the authors themselves, and in others, it’s what they write about and how they choose to do it. While we debate these aspects, we also emphasize the importance of separating the art from the artist and taking away the great lessons and fantastic stories that these books offer despite any controversy. This is hopefully the first of many in a series to cover bookish taboo topics.
Books Mentioned:
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna West
Only A Monster by Vanessa Len
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Where the Crawdads Sings by Delia Owens
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
Matilda by Roald Dahl
The Witches by Roald Dahl
A Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
For our first deep dive, we cover The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Seen all over bookstagram and booktok, it’s time to dive into our thoughts on the characters, the writing, and the hype for this chick-lit. Join us as we chat about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the spicy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In this episode we discuss bookish habits! We delve into the nitty gritty of all our bookish quirks, from where and when we like reading most, to bookshelf organisation, toxic traits, and many more. We also coin the term “microreading” and encourage everyone to join us in incorporating #microreading into their literary lifestyle.
Books Mentioned:
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter - and How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay
Court of Dragons by Frost Kay
The Girl and the Goddesses by Nikita Gill
Metropolis by Ben WIlson
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
This episode is dedicated to our favorite literary female characters, past and present. We talk about why they inspire us, and also discuss what it means to be a badass heroine in general - both in fiction and fantasy reads. Finally, we analyze the portrayal of strong women and how it has changed in fantasy books specifically. That said, we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done regarding diversity of female characters (i.e., body shapes and sizes, skin color, etc.).
TW: body image
Books Mentioned:
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir
Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Autumn’s Tithe by Hannah Parker
King of Blood and Battle by Scarlett St. Clair
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Beka Cooper Series by Tamora Pierce
Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In this two part episode, we talk about POC representation in Western literature.
This is merely the start of an important conversation, and our discussion revolves around the trends we have seen around POC characters, the questions we have for POC and non-POC authors alike, and our hopes for the future of POC representation.
In Part 2, we discuss the limits of POC representation by POC authors that we currently see. We talk about the power of books and characters to perpetuate negative stereotypes about minority cultures, writing for the white gaze versus the POC gaze, and end by talking about our all time favourite POC characters.
Books Mentioned:
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jawal
The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
White Ivy by Susie Yang
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In this two part episode, we talk about POC representation in Western literature.
This is merely the start of an important conversation, and our discussion revolves around the trends we have seen around POC characters, the questions we have for POC and non-POC authors alike, and our hopes for the future of POC representation.
In Part 1, we kick off by talking about our favourite POC authors and reads. We then focus on the lack of POC exposure we see in Western literature and how that affects us as readers, and society.
Books Mentioned:
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jawal
The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
White Ivy by Susie Yang
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Time to talk about romance! As hopeless romantics, romance fiction is a guilty pleasure of ours, and in this episode we discuss some of our all-time favorite romance authors and reads (i.e. Nicholas Sparks, Sophie Kinsella, etc.).
We spend the bulk of our conversation analyzing two common romance book tropes: miscommunication and enemies to lovers. One we can’t stand, and the other we can’t get enough of.
Books Mentioned:
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
The Body Says No by Gabor Maté
All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue
Belle by Lesley Pearse
The Promise by Lesley Pearse
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
Where Rainbows End/Love Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Beach Read by Emily Henry
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho
These Violents Delights by Chloe Gong
Our Violet Ends by Chloe Gong
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In this episode we share our love for bookstores, and divulge some of our past and present favorites from across the world.
We also confess to our book buying addiction and discuss the evolution of our literary spending habits. In the end, we realize that when it comes to books, we will always share the sentiments of Arianna Grande: “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
This episode is all about book worlds! Focusing on Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Throne of Glass, and Caraval, we talk about the power of books to transport us into imagined worlds that provide intrigue, comfort, and endless adventure. We also play a mini game to decide which worlds we would want to live in, and which ones we could or couldn’t survive in.
As our conversation reveals, immersing ourselves into book worlds is escapism at its finest. While we briefly wrestle with this idea, we realize that at the end of the day, we lose ourselves in other worlds to better find ourselves again.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app