Slow Burn: Books for Slow Readers: Recent Episodes

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Kiara Martinez of Solid State Books makes "Slow Burn" history as the first-ever two-time guest. This time around, she talks about the middle grade and young adult genres — and why adults should read them too.

On the list:

1. ⁠"Feed" by MT Anderson
2. "Keeper of the Lost Cities" by Shannon Messenger
3. "Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry" by Joya Goffney
4. "Vanquishers" by Kalynn Bayron
5. "Ride or Die" by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu

The music for this episode is "⁠⁠⁠⁠Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)⁠⁠⁠⁠" by Zight. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@slowburnpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠! Kiara is a writer and bookseller at ⁠Solid State Books⁠⁠. Follow her on Instagram ⁠@kiar.tiste⁠.

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Bestselling monster romance author C.M. Nascosta pops in to share some recommendations from her body of work — just in time for spooky season.

On the list:

1. "Morning Glory Milking Farm" by C.M. Nascosta
2. "Sweet Berries" by C.M. Nascosta
3. "Girls Weekend" by C.M. Nascosta
4. "Run, Run Rabbit" by C.M. Nascosta

More from the monster universe:

1. "Two for Tea" by C.M. Nascosta
2. ⁠"Hollow" by C.M. Nascosta
3. "To Ravish a Rogue" by C.M. Nascosta

The music for this episode is "⁠⁠⁠Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)⁠⁠⁠" by Zight. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@slowburnpodcast⁠⁠⁠! C.M. Nascosta is a writer of high-heat, small-town monster romance. Follow her on Instagram @cmnascosta⁠.

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Kiara Martinez of Solid State Books roasts all of the bad books she's read — and admits that she even liked some of them!

Kiara's official recommendations:

1. ⁠"Red, White & Royal Blue" by Casey McQuiston
2. "The Final Girl Support Group" by Grady Hendrix
3. "Instructions for Dancing" by Nicola Yoon
4. "If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English" by Noor Naga

Regular old books that we touch on:

1. ⁠"Trick Mirror" by Jia Tolentino
2. "I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying" by Bassey Ikpi
3. "My Heart is a Chainsaw" by Stephen Graham Jones

The music for this episode is "⁠⁠Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)⁠⁠" by Zight. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠@slowburnpodcast⁠⁠! Kiara is a writer, bad book connoisseur, and bookseller at Solid State Books⁠. Follow her on Instagram @kiar.tiste.

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Christine Bollow of Loyalty Bookstore makes the case for reading by listening.

Christine's official recommendations:

1. "Don’t Cry For Me" by Daniel Black
2. "How the Word is Passed" by Clint Smith
3. "How to Read Now" by Elaine Castillo
4. "How To Keep House While Drowning" by KC Davis
5. "How Far the Light Reaches" by Sabrina Imbler

Book cameos:

1. "One's Company" by Ashley Hutson
2. "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy
3. "Making a Scene" by Constance Wu

The music for this episode is "⁠Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)⁠" by Zight. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Instagram ⁠@slowburnpodcast⁠! Christine is a bookseller, audiobook champion, and the Director of Programming and a co-owner of ⁠Loyalty Bookstore⁠. Follow her bookstagram @readingismagical.

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Carly Biesiada of Chamblin Bookmine introduces me to the world of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

On the agenda:

1. The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
2. The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger
3. The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning

Other books that came up in our conversation:

1. "Educated" by Tara Westover
2. "Half a Soul" by Olivia Atwater
3. "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach

The music for this episode is "Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)" by Zight. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Instagram @slowburnpodcast! You can find Carly at Chamblin Bookmine, where she is the general manager or on TikTok at @my.eight.arms.

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Jacinta Allee of Lost City Books and I chat about the unfairly maligned romance genre and its many hidden gems.

On the agenda:

1. "One Last Stop" by Casey McQuiston
2. "Beach Read" by Emily Henry
3. "The Dead Romantics" by Ashley Poston
4. "The Love Hypothesis" by Ali Hazelwood

Honorable mentions (not necessarily romance, just #goodebooks):

1. "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski
2. "Alone With You in the Ether" by Olivie Blake
3. "How We Are Translated" by Jessica Gaitán Johannesson
4. "Trick Mirror" by Jia Tolentino
5. "Red, White & Royal Blue" by Casey McQuiston

The music for this episode is “Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)” by Zight. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Instagram @slowburnpodcast! You can find Jacinta at Lost City Books, where she works as a full-time bookseller and advocate for "women's lit" and organizes the store's Meet Cute Book Club.

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I had the pleasure of speaking with the lovely Chardai Powell of Loyalty Bookstores about essays on Black vulnerability. Char wows me time and again with the pearls of wisdom she’s gleaned from a lifetime of reading — she’s wise beyond her 24 years!

On the agenda:

1. “You Are Your Best Thing,” edited by Tarana Burke & Brené Brown
2. “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” by Inger Burnett-Zeigler
3. “Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be” by Nichole Perkins
4. “Carefree Black Girls” by Zeba Blay

Honorable mentions:

1. “Legendborn” & “Bloodmarked” by Tracy Deonn
2. “Honey and Spice” by Bolu Babalola
3. “Seven Days in June” by Tia Williams

The music for this episode is “Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)” by Zight. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Instagram @slowburnpodcast! For more from Char, follow her bookstagram on Black literature @pageswithcharr.

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Since beginning my career, I’ve struggled to find the bandwidth to enjoy reading like I used to — especially as a slow reader. In each episode of Slow Burn, I speak with a reading expert about easy reading recommendations for slow readers.

In this episode, I work my way through a list of books under 300 pages with my dear friend and fellow bookworm Shelby Ernest.

The music for this episode is “Daisy (EDM/Instrumental)” by Zight. This week’s recommendations:

1. Heartstopper by Alice Osman
2. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
3. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
4. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
5. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Subscribe to the show for more reading rex and advice!