The Dust Jacket

Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes

We discuss whether this 2012 still holds up or if the controversies are too much for it. We also talk about the wide range of philosophical questions it asks. 
TW: assisted suicide
Spoilers at 5 minutes in

Silver Elite, by Dani Francis

We discuss the Fourth Wing-esque, possibly AI-written, new romantasy Silver Elite, with a special guest from our book group, Kate the librarian! 
We get into some of the rumors swirling around this book, why it was only disappointingly bad, not amusingly bad, and more. 
Spoilers start at 27 minutes

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

We discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. For some of us, it was an iconic formative book. For others, a dumb thing boys liked. 
Spoilers start at 19 mins

Carrie Soto Is Back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

We have a special guest star--our niece and TJR superfan Kayla--on the pod to talk about TJR's previous book, Carrie Soto Is Back, and also Taylor Jenkins Reid in general. 
Spoilers start at 27 mins 

The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland

We discuss the high-profile 2023 vampire novel The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland. Should you read other vampire novels before you write your own? Would you like to be immortal or nah? Did this even need to be a vampire book? All that and more...
Spoilers start around 20 minutes in

Victorian Psycho, by Virginia Feito

Special guest Lauren helps us discuss the future cult classic, Victorian Psycho, by Virginia Feito. A bizarre, grotesque, and hilarious novel. 
No plot spoilers, but fair warning: we do talk about a lot of the surprising and outlandish moments in this book. If you want to go in completely fresh, read it first

The Book Censor's Library, by Bothanya Al-Essa

We discuss The Book Censor's Library, by Bothayna Al-Essa, which was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for work in translation. 
Spoilers start at 14 minutes in

Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors

We discuss the standout 2024 lit-fic novel, Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors

The Unicorn Woman, by Gayl Jones

We discuss the 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist The Unicorn Woman, by Gayl Jones. This book is notable for its obscurity and also its low review scores.
Later, Dacey digs into the Pulitzer Prize process and we float some totally unfounded theories about what goes on in those jury meetings.

Dinner for Vampires, by Bethany Joy Lenz

We discuss the shocking memoir of One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz, who was in a cult for over a decade. 
We also have a special guest, the person who recommended this book, Alayne!