Season 8, Episode 16: Losing Track of Time + Our Book Club Recs

Summary

Currently Reading
Season 8, Episode 16: "Losing Track of Time + Our Book Club Recs"
Released: November 17, 2025
Hosts: Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb

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Overview

In this lively episode, Meredith and Kaytee dive into the kinds of reading moments that make book lovers lose track of time, share what’s on their nightstands (with engaging, eclectic recommendations), and perform a deep dive on the perennial book club dilemma: what makes a great group read? From laugh-out-loud nonfiction to emotionally driven fantasy, the hosts offer their strongest reviews yet, culminating in a practical and generous list of book club picks. If you’re looking for your next great read—or hoping to liven up your book club—this episode is packed with inspiration, bookish revelations, and a few laughs.

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Highlights and Key Discussion Points

Bookish Moments of the Week ([01:03]-[06:36])

• Meredith describes how she unexpectedly lost track of time while reading Snap by Belinda Bauer.

  • “I looked up and 35 minutes had gone. I was 15 minutes late to the thing that I was supposed to be going to. … The weirdness for me that is losing track of time in a book.” ([01:21])
  • Meredith and Kaytee reflect on how rare and delightful it is for busy moms to get so immersed in a book they forget the clock.

• Kaytee gushes about her new “READ1NG” Arizona license plate, which makes her feel connected to fellow book lovers everywhere.

  • “There are, like, millions of people in Arizona. But now ... every time I walk out to my car, … it says ‘reading’ on the license plate now. And it makes me so happy.” ([04:51])
  • The personalized plate even leads to dreams of “bookish friend” encounters in parking lots.

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Current Reads

1. The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig (Meredith) ([06:36]-[11:52])

• Five friends discover a mysterious staircase in the woods; when one disappears, their lives are changed forever—and two decades later, the past resurfaces.
• Meredith extols Wendig’s blend of horror and deep character work:
  • “If you are someone who thinks horror is just slasher stuff for gore's sake, or maybe who isn't quite sure that horror has that much meaningful to say, you need to pick up this book … The horror is there to serve the story. And that story is about friendship, trauma, and the ways that our teenage selves continue to haunt us into adulthood.” ([07:38])
• Emphasizes how the book is “Gen X trauma brought to life” and masterfully toggles between timelines.
• Trigger and content warnings recommended.
• Endorsed as a dark, propulsive pick that worked great for Meredith’s new book club.

2. The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko (Kaytee) ([11:52]-[15:35])

• Set in a magical, West Africa-inspired city, a young woman with a clubfoot and the ability to eat curses finds herself bound to a crocodile god.
• Kaytee highlights the emotional depth and world-building:
  • “Small Sade is a complex character. She's fully drawn, but with this heart of gold, and she's easy to root for … The crocodile is complex and dark and a little villainous.” ([12:29])
  • Praises the found family theme and “emotionally charged fantasy with a consistently interesting plot.”
• Accessible even if you haven’t read Raybearer.
• Appeals to fans of Beauty and the Beast and Howl’s Moving Castle.

3. How to Be a Saint by Kate Sidley (Meredith, nonfiction) ([15:47]-[21:07])

• Investigates the Catholic sainthood process—with irreverence and humor.
• Meredith compares Sidley’s approach to “the sharp wit of Stephen Colbert” and Mary Roach:
  • “This book pulls back the curtain on the weirdest, most fascinating quirks of canonization … The delivery is comedy gold.” ([17:44])
  • “It’s laugh out loud funny from start to finish … I got sucked in and couldn’t stop. I found that flow state we were talking about, Katie.” ([19:38])
• Highly recommends the print edition for visuals; for readers who like to learn and laugh simultaneously.
• Lighthearted but well-researched; cautions for those sensitive to religious satire.

4. Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery & Matt Patterson (Kaytee, nonfiction) ([21:07]-[26:27])

• Nature writing focused on turtle rescue, resilience, and the meaning of devotion.
• Kaytee discusses her personal attachment to animal nonfiction and how this book “changed her life”:
  • “I do not have any turtle tattoos. I will affectionately smile at turtles when I see them, but they have not become my new personality trait.” ([25:30])
• Explores time, loss, and connection through animal rescue.
• Recommended in print for color plates and photography.

5. The Black Wolf by Louise Penny (Meredith) ([26:38]-[34:02])

• 20th book in the Armand Gamache/Three Pines series, a direct sequel to The Gray Wolf.
• Meredith is candid about her conflicted feelings:
  • “The previous book … was a gut punch … It lacked all the things that make the Three Pines series my favorite book series ever.”
  • “By the time I was done, I felt the same way that I felt at the end of the Gray Wolf—I just wanted the book to be finished, and I was so tired that I needed a nap.” ([31:39])
  • Wishes the series would return to its roots: “What I want is for the series to go back to what it really is. A series about this detective, Armand Gamache and his team solving murders.” ([32:07])
• Even with criticisms, she’ll “read every word in the series all the way up until the end of time.”

6. The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (Kaytee) ([34:06]-[38:23])

• Arthurian fantasy epic exploring the aftermath of King Arthur’s death, told from the perspective of a lesser-known knight.
• Kaytee calls this big book “perfect fall reading,” blending “levity and seriousness,” with a modern, inclusive touch.
• Audio version highly recommended.
  • “It’s not a satire like Monty Python, but it does start with a quote from the movies, and it brings a humor and levity and goofiness to certain scenes that I loved … A tale as old as time.” ([36:47])

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Deep Dive: Best Books for Book Clubs ([38:48]-[52:31])

• Meredith and Kaytee reflect on their evolving relationship with book clubs, with Meredith recently launching her own “666 Book Club” for readers who love dark books.
  • “It's just been ... fun. I don't hate book clubs. I don't.” ([41:13])
  • Kaytee notes: “Of all the books in all the world, that's the one I'm not reading”—underscoring their past resistance to assigned reading. ([41:13])
  • Both highlight that there are “a million different ways to book club or to read in community.” ([42:32])

Listener Question: Book club organizer seeks a variety of genres (preferably backlist) with lots to discuss.

Book Club Picks & Recommendations

• Curfew by Jane Cowie (Meredith)
  • Premise: In a near-future UK, all men are tagged and given a strict curfew. What happens when a woman is murdered after midnight?
  • “This one gives you this really interesting premise to discuss. Is this what would you think about a world where men had to be at home between 7pm and 7am? Even if that's all we talk about, there's going to be a lot of discussion.” ([44:32])
• Castle of Water by Dane Hucklebridge (Kaytee)
  • Desert island survival and human connection. “Could you survive? What do you think about the ending? That type of discussion ... gets people into their feels over a book.” ([46:37])
• The Currently Reading Press List
  • Kaytee’s sister uses their list of “Pressed” books as a starting point for her work book club.
  • Possibility of a “KM” (Kaytee/Meredith) badge for notable book club picks. ([47:55])
• The Push by Ashley Audrain (Meredith)
  • Motherhood, postpartum experience, and ambiguous threat.
  • “This is the one where the mom … has a baby. ... She thinks that there's something wrong ... and then there's a tragedy. And there's so much to talk about here.” ([48:27])
• The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Kaytee)
  • True story of a Paris art thief; highly topical and great for discussion: “It will make for great discussion in a book club situation.” ([49:56])
• One of the Boys by Jane Cowie (Meredith)
  • Near future, genetic testing for violent tendencies in boys; two sisters make opposite choices.
  • “No matter what ... you might be surprised where people stand on what they would do in their own life.” ([51:00])
• Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Kaytee)
  • Dystopian novel about the prison industrial complex made into a televised gladiator sport.
  • “Even if you don't love it ... we had so much to discuss.” ([52:01])
• Historical Fiction Picks:
  • Homegoing, Washington Black, The Lion Women of Tehran, The Red Tent—all get nods as reliably rich discussion starters ([51:31]-[51:36]).
• Near-Future Sci-Fi:
  • John Marrs’ titles suggested for genre variety.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Meredith on being immersed in a book:

  • “I want to get sucked in. I want to get into a flow state. I don't want to be late to things. That is very unsettling to me.” ([03:27])

• Kaytee on her “reading” license plate:

  • “It's a mommobile. Yeah. It says reading on the license plate now. And it makes me so happy.” ([05:07])

• Meredith on How to Be a Saint:

  • “If you love books that make learning entertaining, or if you want something that'll make you laugh while teaching you things that you never even knew you needed to know, this book delivers on every level.” ([20:21])

• Kaytee on Of Time and Turtles:

  • “Our dear friend Elizabeth Barnhill sent me an arc of this book ... We dove into the worlds of turtle and turtle rescue ... They can be fully dead, no heartbeat and come back. They are miraculous in a lot of ways.” ([22:09])

• Meredith, on The Black Wolf and series evolution:

  • “That's the place where it just didn't. It was like square peg, round hole.” ([33:19])

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Important Timestamps

• [01:03] Bookish Moments start
• [06:36] Current Reads: The Staircase in the Woods
• [11:52] The Maid and the Crocodile
• [15:47] How to Be a Saint
• [21:07] Of Time and Turtles
• [26:38] The Black Wolf
• [34:06] The Bright Sword
• [38:48] Deep Dive: Book Clubs & Best Picks
• [52:31] Fountain Wishes

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Tone & Closing Thoughts

The episode is candid, playful, and deeply passionate about books, with spirited riffs on the pleasures and paradoxes of book clubs. Both hosts celebrate—and slightly roast—the rituals of group reading while providing actionable, thoughtful recommendations for all kinds of club dynamics. Their book talk is (as promised) spoiler-free but opinion-filled, helping listeners discover not only what to read next, but why those books will prompt conversation and connection.

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Episode Takeaway

If you’ve ever struggled to choose a great book club selection or lost yourself completely in a compelling read, Meredith and Kaytee have your back—with wise, witty commentary and a bounty of new titles to try.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Hey readers, welcome to the Currently Reading podcast. We are bookish best friends who spend time every week talking about the books that we've read recently. And as you know, we won't shy away from having strong opinions. So get ready.

[B]

We are light on the chit chat, heavy on the book talk, and our conversations will always be spoiler free. Today we'll discuss our current reads, bookish deep dive, and then we'll visit the fountain.

[A]

I'm Meredith Monday Schwartz. I'm a mom and a Mimi and a full time CEO living in Austin, Texas. And reading can make me totally lose track of time.

[B]

And I'm Katie Cobb, a homeschooling mom of four living in Arizona. And I have a new way to show off my reader status. This is episode number 16 of season eight and we are so glad you're here.

[A]

Katie. I've been thinking about reader badges and that kind of thing like we talked about a couple weeks ago, since we talked about it. So I'm going to be interested to hear about your status.

[B]

Oh yes, I'm excited to share it with you. But first, let's let everybody know that we are going to be deep diving on the best books for book clubs this week. And of course we have lots of things to say about that. Let's get started the way we always do though, Meredith, with our bookish moments, what is yours?

[A]

All right, so there is no question that the bookish moment of the week for me was momentous for me. But this is not going to seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but I don't think I can even begin to explain to you how run by the clock my life is same. From the moment that I wake up in the morning to the moment that I go to bed at night. I am on the clock in 2 minute, 4 minute increments. Right? So, and lots of us are like this. This is not unique to me, but it's very much how I run my life and the necessity of my life is that it's run this way. The other day it was a, I will say it was a, a weekend day. So I wasn't quite in the same headspace as I am during. But even my weekend days are, are like that same. But I sat down because I said to myself, oh, I have like this little pocket. And this is what got me. It was a pocket of time that was unexpected. And I was like, I have like 20 minutes. I could use it a million different ways. Usually I would do chores, I would do whatever. Like, no, I'M so into the book that I'm reading, which is a book called Snap by Belinda Bauer, which I'm not going to talk about today, but you're going to hear about soon. I was about halfway through it, and I'm like, I so am. And it's got real short chapters. It was just going to be perfect. I sat down and started reading, and I looked up and 35 minutes had gone. I was 15 minutes late to the thing that I was supposed to be going to. Now, it wasn't like a super big deal thing, but I can't even describe to you the. The weirdness for me that is losing track of time in a book. And it was solely because this book was so. I was so in it that I was just turning the pages as fast as I could. So, again, I know this isn't that interesting, a bookish moment of the week, but it was, by definition my bookish moment of the week.

[B]

Yeah. That is very unusual for me as well, because even, like. And I want it to happen. Right. We all want it to happen, where you would just get sucked in.

[A]

I want to get in. I want to get sucked in. I want to get into a flow state. I don't want to be late to things. That is very unsettling to me.

[B]

Yeah. I have, like, alarms on my Fitbit and calendar, reminders on my blah, blah, blah. So even if I've put my phone aside so that nobody can bother me, it's like, ma', am, you're supposed to be doing whatever. Like, it reminds me right there. Right. That's so hard to pull off.

[A]

I know, I know.

[B]

So I could love it for you. Right?

[A]

That book ended up being a very. I really, really, really enjoyed it.

[B]

So fun. Okay. My bookish moment. I'm so excited about this. I've been waiting and waiting to bring it to the show, and it's finally happening. So my newest happy little joy every time I go out to my car is that I got a personalized license plate for my car. Oh, yeah. And I'm getting a merit badge for it because I was shocked, because beyond shocked to find out that I could get the license plate reading with just a one for the eye. That's the only weirdness I had to make.

[A]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

[B]

It wasn't taken.

[A]

Wait, you're not talking about a personalized, like, license plate frame.

[B]

You're talking about a vanity license plate. Yes.

[A]

That is very cool.

[B]

I couldn't believe that it still existed. There are, like, millions of people In Arizona. But now, I saw an atlas driving the other day, and hers said, read books like R E, A D, B K S. And I was like, we're friends.

[A]

Hey.

[B]

Hey, guys. We're friends. Like, we both are reading on our license plate. Isn't that so fun? It makes me so happy. So now every time I walk out to my car and it's like, it's not like a fancy car. My car is 8 years old, has 114,000 miles on it that I have driven every single one of them all over the freaking place. It's not clean. It's like. It's a mommobile. Yeah. It says reading on the license plate now. And it makes me so happy.

[A]

It is so awesome. And I think now that you have it, can't you transfer it to your vehicle?

[B]

From vehicle to vehicle? Yes. So I can keep it for as long as I want, which is, like, the best. The best news. I'm thrilled. So I love it. Yes. I can't wait to drive all over town and for other people to be like, hey, that's got to be my friend. Because I. Obviously, I also love reading. Like, it's going to be that little point of connection. Right. It's probably also going to be saying exactly what I'm doing is reading while I'm driving. Right in the front seat.

[A]

Exactly. You do need to meet this woman with the reader.

[B]

Atlas.

[A]

Atlas.

[B]

I know she was at Gammage, which is where we see Broadway plays yesterday. So I'm hoping that I can find her at another one. Like, maybe she's a season ticket holder also, and we can. We can make a connection.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

Okay. Excellent.

[A]

I love that. That is very cool, Katie.

[B]

So fun. I'm so excited. And it's an Arizona Highways 1, which means it's, like, pink and purple and orange. Like an Arizona sunset with saguaro cactus silhouettes on it. Like, it's a very pretty license plate also, which just makes me happy. It's just delightful. Okay. But not only am I excited about reading, I want to hear about what we're reading. So, Meredith, what are you currently reading? What's your first book? All right.

[A]

My first book is a book that came to me, and my experience of reading it was in a very specific way, which I'm going to talk about later. But first, I'm just going to tell you about the book. And the book is the Staircase in the woods by Chuck Wendig. Here's the setup. Five high school friends make an oath to protect each other no matter what, and then they go on a camping trip and they discover something impossible. You will not be surprised to find it is a mysterious staircase in the middle of the forest. And that staircase leads to nowhere. When one of them climbs to the top and steps off, this guy, this kid named Maddie, he vanishes and then the staircase itself disappears. Twenty years later, that staircase reappears and the remaining four friends, now adults who are kind of honestly screwed up because of what happened that night, are pulled back together to find their lost friend and discover really happened that night. It's got a great premise.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

All right, if you are someone who thinks horror is just slasher stuff for, for gore's sake, or maybe who isn't quite sure that horror has that much meaningful to say, you need to pick up this book because Chuck Wendig is about to prove anyone who thinks that way totally wrong. I read the Staircase in the woods as part of my new book club. I am in a book club. I started this book club and in our deep dive I'm going to tell you all about it. But this was our first book and it was a great way to kick things off. This book is dark and it is gory. It is dark and gory, you guys. It will take you to some genuinely disturbing places. But in Windig's hands, none of that darkness is there just to shock you. The horror is there to serve the story. And that story is about friendship, trauma, and the ways that our teenage selves continue to haunt us into adulthood. So here we have those fantastic, super short chapters which is a blessing because you don't want to linger. Any of the places that Mr. Wendig takes you, you're kind of happy to be. Move, move, move, move. Moving on. But what he does in these chapters is really masterful. He's weaving between then when they were in high school and now showing us who these kids were, who they have become, and how being a part of this tight knit group shaped them in really great ways, but also in really damaging ways. This is, and I said this as I, as we were talking about it in the group. This is a book that is very Gen X coded. It's Gen X trauma brought to life and it brought so much stuff up for me. The way he captures what it felt like to be a teenager in the 90s, the intensity of those friendships, the secrets we kept, and the ways that we've protected each other or sometimes failed to all are here in this story. And this is exactly why I love horror and why I think so many people miss out when they don't read it because he's using this metaphor really, really well. This darkness is not empty. It's all really giving us this amazing view into these important core things about these characters. And the ending, which I do have to say because of the premise of the book, because of the things that happen in the book. I was nervous the entire time that he wouldn't be able to land the plane, but he does so really, really well. I kept thinking here how skilled he is as a storyteller. If you haven't read Wanderers yet, which was, you know, his really, really, really big breakout several years ago, that was a four and a half star book for me. You definitely should. He's nailing the experience that so many Gen Xers carry with us, both in that book and here. And it's strangely cathartic, I think too. If you really liked it, there's going to be a lot for you to like here. There's a lot of weaving in again of that past self with current self and how the horrors of our childhood burrow themselves in and stay with you. Windig has created something that sits beautifully at the intersection of supernatural horror and deep character work. And I was so glad to dig into this with my new book club. This is the Staircase in the woods by Chuck Wendick.

[B]

For some reason, I am picturing the COVID of the Seanan McGuire Wayward Children Series. I don't know if there's any commonality there, but that's, that's what I'm picturing for like the woods. And then I would just pivot and there would be this weird staircase. This sounds a little creepy. It's very creepy. The Wanderers was so good. Is this one a chunk?

[A]

No, no.

[B]

This is a very normal standard size book. Huh?

[A]

Yeah, I read it on my E reader, but I want to say it was like 350. Yeah, it's a very normal sized book. Moves really quickly. The pacing is great. It is really, really dark. And there are lots and lots of triggers here. You really need to look up triggers on this book as you should with any horror book that we talk about, really. But this one is very dark and gets into a lot of that stuff. But that's also why it was so good. There was a lot of stuff to talk about.

[B]

All right. Staircase in the Woods. I like it. Okay. My first book this week is the Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueco. This is a new book by the author of the Raybearer series, which I heard about. This one, this newer one from our friend and the voice behind from the editor's desk, Bhumi Ishola. When she described it on a recent episode as part of her like little Bumi's best segment, I knew it was going to be a fit for me. As soon as she finished, here's the setup. We're going to travel to West Africa, or a fantasy version of it. As we enter the city of Oluwan, it is filled with magic and creatures that we don't see in our world. Our unlikely heroine is Small Sade, who is unique in a number of ways and newly in need of a job as she's aged out of the orphanage where she was raised. Meredith Alert. This is an orphan. She was born with a club foot, so she doesn't look or walk like all the other maids, and she's also a curse eater. But that part she has to keep under wraps because it causes her pain to consume the curses of others like she physically consumes others curses in order to lift them. While she's exploring the city looking for work, she accidentally binds herself to a crocodile. Or the crocodile. He's a God, and if the rumors are true, he devours pretty girls. Sade thinks she's going to be safe because of the clubfoot, but she attempts to escape him anyway and make her own way in the city, even though they are bound. Before she runs, he does find out her secret that when she cleans the houses of others, she helps clear the curses from the corners of the rooms as well, or from the occupants inside. She finds work at an inn or a hotel, like a kind of fancy place where the richest members of the city gather. Small Sade is determined to impress not only her new employer, but all those wealthy visitors to the inn. She sparingly uses her gift to leave the people and spaces she meets feeling less burdened than when she first encountered them. But rumors start to swirl and smile. Sade continues to feel the pull to the ambitious crocodile God in her past. I love this book. I have goosebumps talking about it. I love the setting and the sparkling way that we get to interact with this fictional city of Oluwan. Small Shade is a complex character. She's fully drawn, but with this heart of gold, and she's easy to root for the whole way through. The crocodile is complex and dark and a little villainous. He's harder to get a grasp on, and that's intentional. He's a God, so he's as open and revealing as he chooses to be, and his appearance shifts and changes as the story progresses. The nature of their connection feels a little bit to me like Beauty and the Beast, although I've read that this book is actually supposed to have more connections to Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and I hope I don't get my reader cred taken away when I admit I've never read Howl's Moving Castle.

[A]

I haven't either.

[B]

Oh my gosh, they're going to abandon both of us, Meredith. But I know it has really devoted fans out there who will tell me I have to pick it up immediately. I also really loved the magic system in this book, the fact that it exacts a cost to its users. It's so well done. This story is set within the world of Raybearer, if Fueco's breakout hit, but it doesn't connect to it. It's not a sequel or a prequel to that duology. I read the first in that series a few years back when it came out, but I haven't picked up the second. Not because I didn't love it, but because that's what I do. I start things and don't finish them. Being back within her writing and world building, though, makes me want to reach for it sooner rather than later. That one is called Redemptor, the second one in that series. For me, this was emotionally charged fantasy with a consistently interesting plot and really excellent writing. It has elements of found family that, you know, I love, and the fantastically high reviews across story graph and Goodreads confirm that most readers who pick it up are going to love it like I did and like Bumi did. This is the Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko.

[A]

Oh I'm so glad.

[B]

That was good.

[A]

I know you've loved her other ones.

[B]

Yes, yes, Raybearer was so gorgeous. But yeah, I need to get into the sequel of that one and I was just so happy to put this one on my radar.

[A]

All right, well, my second one today is going to be nonfiction, but the kind of nonfiction that makes you laugh out loud. This is a book that I loved with every fiber of my being, and it might end up being my favorite work of nonfiction of the entire year. It's called how to Be a Saint and it's by Kate Sidley. I do not even remember how this book came across my radar, but I had obviously put a hold on it through the library because my fabulous Lake Travis Community Library was like, hey Meredith, we have this book for you. I sat down and read it and I absolutely loved it. Okay, so have you, Katie? I had ever wondered how they actually decide to make people saints. Because they still do that even now.

[B]

Yeah. Which is so crazy to me. Like what? How does that happen?

[A]

Exactly. Exactly. So it turns out this is an entire book about that. And it turns out that there's this whole bureaucratic process involving posthumous miracles, virtues, way more severed heads than you would expect. This is, it's so interesting. This woman, Kate Sidley, writes for the Late show with Stephen Colbert, which explains a lot. And in how to Be a Saint, she takes us on a wildly entertaining deep dive into Catholic sainthood that is equal parts history lesson and irreverent comedy. Special from There is just so much to love here. We've got Nepo, baby saints whose entire families are saints. We've got, we've got flying Friars. You just, you can't even believe it. This book pulls back the curtain on the weirdest, most fascinating quirks of canonization. Whether you're a lifelong Catholic who is ready to laugh at the absurdities, or just a weird history enthusiast, you are going to find a lot to love here. All right, Katie, you love Mary Roach's approach to weirdness?

[B]

Absolutely. Getting Mary Roach vibes while you talk about this.

[A]

Yes, exactly. And I love the sharp wit of Stephen Colbert. He's one of my favorites. And so this book, when I opened it up, I knew immediately, because it was a joining of those two vibes, that I was going to absolutely love it. If you didn't grow up Catholic. I did not. You're actually in a great position to find absolutely everything here hilarious. But if you did grow up in the church and you've got a solid sense of humor about it, you still could love this because you'll catch so many inside jokes. Fair warning, this book does poke a lot of fun at the church and religion in general in a light hearted spirit. So if that's going to bother you, I do want to say proceed with caution or maybe just skip this one entirely. But if you're like me, a reformed evangelical who finds all of this fascinating and funny, you are in for a treat. It's incredibly smart and ridiculously well researched, but it's also, as I said, laugh out loud funny from start to finish. Sidley structures the book as a guide to canonization, walking you through all the bureaucratic steps that you'd need to take if you were going to become a saint, starting with dying and ending with performing posthumous miracles. Along the way, she weaves in stories about actual saints and you guys, some of these people's lives are absolutely wild. There are sections of the book with headers like saints who could absolutely kick your ass and saints who probably joined religious orders just to avoid marriages. The research is solid, but the delivery is comedy gold. What made this book work so well for me is that Kate Sidley clearly knows and loves her subject. She digs into the weird quirks of Catholic doctrine, like the different kinds of halos that you can earn, or why, again, there are way more beheadings involved in sainthood than you would ever think. But she does it with a sharp observational humor that only comes from someone who both understands the material and can see the absurdity in it. The book is packed with historical artwork of saints, and honestly, some of the funniest parts are the captions that Sidley writes to explain these paintings. The formatting of the print book is gorgeous. It's got these glossy pages, it's all four color printed. It's really well designed throughout, and I highly recommend getting it in print rather than as an ebook or an audiobook because these visual elements add so much to the experience. I ended up reading the entire book in a single evening on a night when I didn't even sit down planning to read. I got sucked in and couldn't stop. I found that flow state we were talking about, Katie. It's the kind of book where you keep thinking, wait, that can't possibly be true, but it actually is. So if you love books that make learning entertaining, or if you want something that'll make you laugh while teaching you things that you never even knew you needed to know, this book delivers on every level. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. This is how to Be a Saint by Kate Sidley.

[B]

I am literally texting Katie right now to say that this needs to be a buddy read for us.

[A]

It's so funny.

[B]

It sounds so perfect for us that, that Mary Roach humor where it's like, this is a serious topic and also there is weird shit to learn. That is like my favorite place to be in my nonfiction reading. Yeah.

[A]

And I'm talking a lot about how funny this book is, but I really do want to underscore it's also really, really well researched and I learned a ton.

[B]

Yes, exactly. Yes. I talk about Mary Roach's stuff all the time where I'm like, okay, listen, you have to like, journey through the intestinal tract, but then you get to learn about this cool thing. Yeah. It's like, this is gross. It's fine. I love it. Okay. I also have nonfiction for My second one, it's. It's not funny. It's regular. It's regular nonfiction, but it's nature based. So if anybody is like, Katie should be talking more about animals because that's obviously what she's good at. This is one of those I'm going to talk about Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery. Excellent. This is excellent. I have read a few titles by Symruy since she changed my life with the soul of an octopus, but none have captured me in the same way as the first book I read by her. That's a good thing because it's not an exaggeration to say that she did change my life with that one. And who would I even be now if I weren't obsessed with octopuses? We wouldn't even know who Katie Cobb is, Right?

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

It's part of my brand spreadsheets. Octopus. That's it. That means approaching a new book by Sy Montgomery about a different type of creature makes me nervous because I'm like, listen, I have a brand. I don't need a new one. I don't need another animal obsession. I've already inked an octopus onto my body, but our dear friend Elizabeth Barnhill sent me an arc of this book when it was pre released and I finally got Katie, my reading partner, to pick up a copy as well. So we dove into the worlds of turtle and turtle rescue. Turtles and turtle rescue. In this book, Sy Montgomery partners up with Matt Patterson. He is a wildlife artist and they travel to nearby Turtle Rescue League to learn about this enigmatic species that is so long lived and well loved. There are people that really love turtles the way that I love octopuses. It is a beloved type of creature, right? However, turtles are not only the caricature of slowness in cartoons and fairy tales that we know and love. They've also been around for eons and have been slow to adapt to our rapidly changing world. At the Turtle Rescue League, the two founders and owners, Natasha and Alexia, as well as a small team of dedicated volunteers, are regularly called out to help or heal turtles who have been injured by cars and highways or endangered by human poachers of eggs and animals or the even the pollution that we leave in our wake. Oftentimes, in the battle of car versus turtle, the turtle loses, right? The injuries are so bad that most veterinarians dismiss them as fatal. But after more than 10 years of this work, Natasha and Alexia have learned that turtles are some of the most resilient creatures on the planet. They can be fully dead, no heartbeat and come back. They are miraculous in a lot of ways. It's really incredible. Sai and Matt, her illustrator and co author, join in the rescue efforts, especially during breeding season, in an effort to lend a hand and also learn what makes turtles inspire devotion. Why do people love them so much, not only in these two women that run the Turtle Rescue League and their scrappy team, but throughout the world? Laced through this nature based nonfiction is an exploration of time which seems to move at a different clip for these creatures. Their heartbeats can be very slow, four beats a minute sometimes, right from the smallest painted baby turtles to century old snappers. Since they're working at a rescue center, some of this book was hard to read. There are injuries and deaths of animals described on the page that do not shy away from the emotion of being attached to an animal and then having to say goodbye to it. But it remains hopeful and it celebrates the victories as well. From the frigid shores of the Atlantic Ocean rescuing sea turtles to parking lots surrounded by nests, to the rescue and injuries and then rehabilitation of fire chief a huge century old snapper and local legend in his community, we are on a journey in this book with Psy and her intrepid partners. Now, I know you're wondering and I can thankfully tell you that while I did absolutely love this book and give it five stars, I do not have any turtle tattoos. I will affectionately smile at turtles when I see them, but they have not become my new personality trait. However, if your heart is looking for an animal to love in that way, this book does leave that possibility open for you. These creatures are fascinating and the personal connections that Sai and Matt build with them over the course of this narrative might leave you wondering if turtle rescue needs to be part of your own story as well. For me, that's what sold this book. In the end, Psy and Matt find that they cannot just learn about and help turtles and then move on with their lives. It becomes a part of them as well. This species is a part of them in a way that only true animal lovers will understand. I really enjoyed this. I'm glad Elizabeth sent it to me, but just like Meredith was just talking about with how to Be a Saint, picking it up on paper is the way to go. There are full color photo inserts throughout that show you some of the different turtles they meet along the way and the different habitats they're exploring. And because I had an ark, I didn't have those, so Katie had to take a picture of every single color plate and send them to me throughout the book. It was good that I had a reading partner to hold my hand. This was excellent. Recommended on paper. It's of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery and Matt Patterson.

[A]

That's a really nice book. Bookish friend, reading partner.

[B]

Mm. Well, Ann, Elizabeth. For sending me the book in the first place, she's like, listen, I know you love Simon Gummery. You probably need this.

[A]

I love it.

[B]

That's.

[A]

That's excellent. All right, Katie. Well, a book that I have waited a year to talk about, that I'm gonna talk about today, and that is the Black Wolf by Louise Penny. Here's the setup, which is a weird thing to set up, because, again, this is the 20th book in a series, so we're gonna do the best that.

[B]

We can and like a real sequel, right. To 19.

[A]

And it's the 20th book in the series, and it is a sibling to its sequel, which was the Gray Wolf. So.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So we're going to kind of start. We're going to do the best we can. Okay. So Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, at the end of the previous book, had had what he considered to be a success. But in a gut punch of realization, Gamache figures out that what they thought was done is not done. It was a misdirection, and he fell for it. So now he's recovering from injuries, and he's back in the village of Three Pines, and he has to conduct a covert investigation with his most trusted agents, working from a church basement with almost nothing to go on. They've got a couple of notebooks, some cryptic numbers on a tattered map, and a chilling warning phrase. The real villain is out there. They've got powerful allies embedded everywhere. No one knows who you can trust, but the stakes are high, and these gathering forces are preparing to strike at the heart of everything that Gamache holds dear. Look, I need to be honest. As always, writing up my thoughts about the latest Louise Penny book is one of the most fraught things I do as a book podcaster. But really, it goes beyond that. It's one of the most fraught things I do as a book reader. Because the fact is, as you know, I care a lot about how I feel about each new book in the Three Pines series. The stakes were incredibly high going into this one. The previous book, the Gray Wolf, was a gut punch for me as a reader. I found it convoluted and dull and found that it lacked all the things that make the Three Pines series my favorite book series ever, which it absolutely is and will remain when that 19th book ended. I was upset because I thought we would just get this one, the Black Wolf, and then the series would be done. But luckily I found out in the last few months that this 20th book, the Black Wolf, is not going to be the end of the series and that Louise is currently working on the next installment. So that made the stakes while reading it a little bit lower, which is great. It also helped that Louise herself had made it really clear that this book was a continuation of the Gray Wolf. She's called these books sibling books, as I said, one to the other. So they are a part of the series, but these two books have to be read together. So I actually went back and reread the Gray Wolf a couple of days before this one came out, and that was a really good thing to do. The plot line about global terrorism is so complicated, involving so many different departments and government entities and various characters, that I needed a refresher, even just having read it a year ago. The Black Wolf is in some ways more of the same of what we got with the Gray Wolf. It's also about this very big, complex continuation of this big plot. This one didn't feel quite as much of a slogan. The first 20% especially, had a little more of that three pines kind of heart to it. Once we got to the 30% mark, we were back in that go, go race to try to put puzzle pieces together and clues. Who can we trust and who can we not trust? We can trust them now. Oh, but now we can't. No, we have to hide from this person and that person. But in all honesty, by the time I was done, I felt the exact same way that I felt at the end of the Gray Wolf. I just wanted the book to be finished, and I was so tired that I needed a nap. Here's what I think my main problem, really. The entire time, the previous book and this one, I kept thinking, this just doesn't make sense. It stretches credibility that Gamache would be involved in any part of this global terrorism plot. Gamache is the director of the Siretei. He's the lead agent of the Siretei. This is not a CIA situation. So it doesn't make sense that Gamache is the person literally saving the world in these last two books. And I appreciate that Louise addressed this in the author's note at the end of the book. She says really clearly, look, I know you guys want me to kind of go back to the old kind of books that I was writing and keep everything in Three Pines, but In order to keep the series fresh and my own creativity alive and kicking. I can't do that. I get it. But for me, it's not that I need these books to be set in the village of Three Pines with us sitting in the middle of the bistro having a cafe au lait all the time. That's not what I want or need or expect. What I want is for the series to go back to what it really is. A series about this detective, Armand Gamache and his team solving murders. That's what Louise Penny writes better than anyone, in my opinion. I will say that it is amazing that Louise wrote this book in the early part of 2024, because some of the things that happen in the book are very much reflected in the news and these days. So that piece of it is really jaw dropping that she came up with all of it when she did. But overall, you all know I will read absolutely every word in the series all the way up until the end of time, But I would be completely lying to myself and to you if I didn't say that. I really am hoping that after these two books, we can go back to the style of mystery that Louise Penny does best. This is the Black Wolf by Louise Penny. Okay.

[B]

I. You know, I think that was really fair and balanced. I think it's okay to say there were complicated feelings about the book before, and now here's where I stand now. And it's okay to say I've loved her for 20 years and these are the things that really work for me in her writing. So I think our audience will appreciate that fair and balanced review. Right.

[A]

Because I still will say every single time that even when I am not crazy about a particular book in the series, it's still a better book than 90% of books that I read.

[B]

Exactly. You know what I mean?

[A]

So it's like the expectations are really, really high. And I do feel like, hey, if you're gonna write 20 plus books in a series, we gotta let you do your thing. Chicken wings sometimes. You know what I mean? And that's what she's been doing. But the thing is that State of Terror, which she. Which is not a part of the Three Pines series that she wrote with Hillary Clinton was so good. And it was political thriller, global terrorist plot. State of Terror is very, very good. These two books, these two sibling books, the Gray Wolf and the Black Wolf, I feel like she was kind of trying to get some of that same stuff going, but shoehorn it into Three Pines.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And Gamache and That's the place where it just didn't. It was like square peg, round hole.

[B]

Right. Yeah. It almost feels like if she had done something else with Hillary, that they go and make another something, and she just delayed it for a year, the Three Pines series, and said, okay, this is the thing. This is where my creativity is flowing right now. Like, yes, it would be sad. And also, maybe that would lead to something different for Three Pines. Keeping those as separate pots. Right. So interesting.

[A]

But if you love Louise Penny, you do know that we do a journey to Three Pines. We just released the 10th episode in that series. So Roxanna and I have deep dived into the first 10 books of the series, and we will continue to do that.

[B]

Yes. And everybody was waiting, so they're thrilled. Yeah.

[A]

I'm gonna have to reread these two books again at some point in the future.

[B]

Well, like three to four years, probably. It's gonna be a while. It's okay, right? All right. I have a chunky book for my third book this week. I'm gonna talk about the Bright Sword by Lev Grossman. All right, so In August of 2024, our friends at the King's English in Salt Lake City, Utah, put this on the indie press list for the month. And I got cramps in my little T. Rex forearms doing my pre reading of this nearly 700 page title. But I also knew just a few chapters in that it was going to be perfect fall reading. So I set it faithfully on my shelf, and it took up a lot of space. And then I waited until this October to pick it up. I'm so glad I did because it was the perfect time for me to read it. We set our scene in the era of King Arthur, the fifth and sixth century in England, more than 1500 years ago. A young knight named Colm has arrived at King Arthur's court. All he's ever wanted was to join the Round table, so he's here to compete for a spot amongst his heroes. But he's too late. The king has died two weeks ago in an epic battle that left his knights devastated in number as well. Only a few survive, and he has left no heir to the throne. But the survivors are not the ones you expect to take on the mantle of leadership. They're the knights who were ancillary to the big stories. Not Lancelot and Gawain, but Palamedes and Dragonet. With Merlin gone, too, and only Nimue the apprentice who turned on him and left him buried under a hill, left to imperfectly wield his powers. We follow Colm on a journey through this world knocked off balance. If Camelot has no king and so few knights, who is there to fight for and who is there to fight with? Arthur's death has left this kingdom and this country reeling. Morgan le Fay, his half sister, has brought back the fairies and the monsters of legend, the ones banished by the king when he invited the Christian God into the throne room with him. The kingdoms of this small island have turned on each other, trying to determine who will come out on top in the power vacuum left behind by the king's death. Perhaps there will be another sword like Excalibur, one that will reveal the true leader of Britain and reunify the kingdom under its bright blade. Colm and his unlikely companions set off in a quest to find it. I adored this book. Colm is kind of like small Sade in the first book I brought to the show an unlikely hero. The way that Grossman weaves in the backstories of each of the knights in the original tale makes it feel like he's really giving us a modern retelling of a legend that is really a tale as old as time. He weaves in diversity of character and motive in ways that we don't see in the original legends and ones that I didn't expect, especially because I didn't particularly enjoy the Magicians when I read that book, so I didn't really have high hopes for this one. But I love Arthurian legend and I love a retelling like this. This story is large and intimidating, but told with a lightness of touch that I appreciated. It's not a satire like Monty Python, but it does start with a quote from the movies, and it brings a humor and levity and goofiness to certain scenes that I loved and kept it from feeling like a weighty historical tome. It's like Lev Grossman really loves the Arthurian legends and he decided to breathe new life into them with this story. While there are a few pieces of this tale that don't make sense with the historical timeline we're placed in, Grossman details the hows and whys of his anachronisms in his author's note, which you cannot miss, I did listen to this one on audio to save the T. Rex arms, and I thought the narrator, Nicholas Guy Smith, was fantastic. Every moment listening left me feeling Transported and the 23 hours of audio absolutely flew by. I loved this. I think it's perfect fall reading. It's perfect in front of the fire with your best blankie and a delicious drink next to you reading. I cannot recommend it highly enough. This is the Bright Sword by Lev Grossman.

[A]

I love this one. I got about 35% into it, and then for some reason I can't even remember, I got pulled another direction. But not because this one went like. This is one that I very much want to go back to.

[B]

Yeah. Well. And at 35%, you already read 150, 200 pages.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, yeah. It's like half of a normal book.

[A]

I think audio would be very good for this one.

[B]

Yeah. The narrator does a really good job. It was excellent. And then Lev Grossman reads his own author's notes, so that adds a lot to the whys and the hows he wrote this story. I love it. Yeah. All right, let's get into our deep dive, which we now know is very personal to Meredith, because we're going to talk about the best books for book clubs, even though, until recently, we don't do book clubs currently.

[A]

Well, okay.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I mean, I. I made one post that solidified my reputation, which was like.

[B]

Like a hater.

[A]

A hater post which I wasn't even. I was just experimenting. Experimenting with Instagram. And it definitely worked because now people think I hate book clubs. But historically, I have not been involved in a. In a book club. Right. Because I don't like the idea of just having to read any one particular book.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I did decide on a whim because of the bookish friends group. So another reason, you guys, to join the currently reading Patreon group. Even I make friends. Make friends there. In fact, I decided on a whim one day because one of the members of the group, I'm going to keep their privacy just because I feel like I should. But one of the members of the group is someone who I chat with, and we read really similarly. And she made a comment in the bookish friends group about we should only read books like this particular thing apropos of the conversation we were having. And all of a sudden I was like, we should have a book club that, like, for people who read exactly like this person. And I read. And so I was, like, playing with this idea in my mind, and I was like, what if we called it the 666 book club? And so we read really dark books. Right. But we. There'd be six of us. We're going to read six books, and we talk about one of those books every six weeks. So instead of once a month, it's every six weeks. So we got a little Bit more time. We chose the books in advance. So before everyone agreed to be in the book club that I asked, which luckily everybody said yes, they knew what books we were going to read. So that was all decided in advance. And they're all very dark and scary. And it's a bunch of real readers who read like me, who are like children hanging from trees. Sign me up. So Staircase in the woods was our first one that. That we're reading. And so it's just been. We had our first meeting. I was nervous about it because I was like, it's like virtual. We just did on Google Meet. We talked for an hour. We're in a group chat together. So we kind of talk about our experience of reading the book over the course of the six weeks, but we chat about other books that we're reading and we share recommendations for each other. It's been a lot of fun. It's like kind of like buddy reading because there's only six of us. But then there's like one time every six weeks that we know we're going to see each other's faces and talk about the book kind of specifically. It's fun. I don't hate book clubs. I don't.

[B]

Okay, let's just clarify. Meredith does not hate book clubs. But okay, I have felt and said some of the things, same things on the podcast, that somebody else choosing my reading is the fastest way for me to dig in my heels and say, well, of all the books in all the world, that's the one I'm not reading. Because there is this weird aversion to it for me as well. And that doesn't mean that book clubs don't work for a lot of people. So many comments on that post about people saying we've been meeting for 25 years with some iteration of the same group of people, and we have read hundreds of books together, and my life is better and richer for it. Yeah.

[A]

Because we've become friends, right?

[B]

Yeah. Right.

[A]

It's bookish community. And it really. And again, I never hated book club. I just didn't want to. You know what I don't like is I don't like, like, book clubs that really aren't at all about the book. Like, you know, kind of that joke.

[B]

That it's become the wine club that's. We talk about it, but it's not a real book club. Yeah, Right.

[A]

Which, by the way, I'm all for getting together and drinking wine and talking about whatever you want to talk about, but, like, that's just the kind of book club. I didn't, because, like, I take books seriously. So that was why, you know, I said that. But this is where. And I think, if anything, this is a testament to. To. There are a million different ways to book club or to read in community.

[B]

Right?

[A]

From buddy reads to a big book club with people, you know, in person. This was one, you know, again, that's completely virtual. I think I've only met one of the people in real life that's involved. And so. But it's. We're having a good time. We're making it our own. So figuring out how to do a book club in a way that works for you, I think is the key.

[B]

Really? Yes, definitely. Okay. So with all that in mind, we did get an email request for a deep dive who said, hey, currently reading team, I'm in charge of a book club, and every year I compile the list of books for our group to read, a la what Meredith is doing with her 666 book club. Right. This is what we're all agreeing to read. I try to provide a list of a variety of topics and genres and try to stick to mostly backlist. Due to a few of our members prioritizing the library to get their books for the month. Could you do a deep dive on books you'd recommend to a book club? And we want backlist. We want things that people are discussing. We want a variety of topics. It's not a historical fiction book club. It's not a horror book club. It's a broad array of topics. So with that in mind, what came up first for you, Meredith?

[A]

Well, right, this in mind. And also, Katie, this probably happens to you, but I feel like the number one thing that people reach out to me for in my real life and virtually is this exact question. It's my turn to pick for my book club. I would love to bring something that we all want to read, but also gives us something to discuss. So I put together a little list and we put it up on the Currently Reading podcast. We'll link to it. It's an Instagram post in the Currently Reading feed, and we'll link to it in the show notes. But you know, again, this combination of a readable book. So I wanted the reading to be a good experience and it to be something that everyone had some stuff to talk about, not just like 4th Wing, where it's like, oh, my gosh, that was such a good book. Didn't everyone love it? Now what are we going to talk about?

[B]

More wine.

[A]

Exactly. So my first one that I always recommend here is a book called Curfew by Jane Cowie. This is a book that is set in a near future Britain. All men are electronically tagged with and and have a strict curfew. They can't leave home between the hours of 7pm and 7am so violence against women, of course, as we would expect, absolutely plummets. But then a woman is murdered after midnight. Who did it? So this one gives you this really interesting premise to discuss. Is this what would you think about a world where men had to be at home between 7pm and 7am? Even if that's all we talk about, there's going to be a lot of discussion.

[B]

There's a tweet that perfectly dovetails with this topic, which is a man posting, if there were no men, who would protect women. And then a woman responds, protect us from who? And it's like that's the premise of this entire book. Right. I love that.

[A]

Exactly, exactly. So we're, you know, we're talking about how do we prioritize safety versus freedom. There's issues of collective punishment versus individual rights. I think that's really, really interesting. Why should my husband, who's never done anything wrong to any woman in his entire life, be punished for some other jackhole? Right. Like that? Kind of. There's just a lot to talk about. Plus there's also a murder and this. And I dare you not to race to the end of Curfew by Jane Cowie.

[B]

Yes. Love that. One of the other ones that was included on that post was Castle of Water by Dane Hucklebridge. This is a really moving, sweeping story. It's a desert island book in that it takes place on a desert island, but it's also super rereadable, like a real desert island book should be. I love that book. It was one of my very first presses way back in the day on Currently reading, maybe episode two.

[A]

It so reminds me of the beginning of currently reading. And this is a book that I feel like I've recommended it countless times to people. This is a book where there's a plane crash at the beginning and then two people are on a desert island together.

[B]

Yeah. And what else do you need to know? They got to figure it out. Also though, with the discussion aspect of it, there's a lot that happens. Could you survive? What do you think about the ending? That type of discussion where an ending is either unsure or divisive really gets people into their feels over a book. Right. That makes for great book club discussion. Yeah. Speaking of the Press list, though. One of my most recent conversations about choosing books for book club was my sister who recently moved across the country and is starting a book club at her work. And she said she is using the currently reading press list, the books that we pressed into people's hands for four full seasons of the show to guide their choices for book clubs. And that's because those are books that we have read, that we have co signed. We said these are great books. Not everyone is tagged as this would be a great book club book, but there's so many great books on that list that she felt like it was a good way to narrow down choices and make it easier for her book club to decide on new picks, which I loved.

[A]

That made me think should we go through and. And like graphically tag some of the best badge.

[B]

A merit badge?

[A]

Yeah, that Acadian Meredith badge.

[B]

Yeah, it's like a tm but it's a km. Yeah, I like it. I like it.

[A]

That is, yes, using that list would be a great place to start for sure. I think if you have a group of a lot, you know, a lot of my friends or people who ask me this, they're in a group with a lot of moms. That's the season of life that they're in. I always am going to recommend the Push by Ashley Audrain. I know a lot of people in our group have read this already. This is one that is familiar to us, people who are listening, but people who are not. Capital R readers probably missed this book when it came out a few years ago. It's just 350 pages. Again, incredibly readable. But this is the one where the mom wanted to be a mom, has a baby. There's a she thinks the the mom is really having trouble bonding with her daughter and she thinks that there's something wrong. Maybe the daughter is dangerous, but her husband, you know, just dismisses her and then there's a tragedy. And there's so much to talk about here and I guarantee conversations about especially postpartum and early motherhood and juggling it all and burnout. Burnout and mental load, all of those things are going to come up with reading the Push by Ashley Audrain. I think it's a great book club pick.

[B]

Yes, definitely. Along with that, when you're talking about things that are just applicable to your life right now and trying to bring them into book club. One of the comments on that post included a book that we've both read. It was on the indie press list, the Art Thief by Michael Finkel. Yeah. Especially based on the fact that there was a recent art heist at the Louvre. So it's very in the zeitgeist right now. This story is not long. It's nonfiction. It's unput downable. And the idea that this person just existed in the world and was walking in and stealing priceless treasures to keep in his Paris loft.

[A]

Didn't he? Right. He didn't want to sell them.

[B]

He didn't do anything. It's mind boggling. And it's so very much a part of what we're all talking about in the cultural conversation right now. It will make for great discussion in a book club situation.

[A]

Yes. I think that's a really, really good one to read for sure. The last one that I want to talk about here that could be great for your book club and most people when I've read Believe it or not is another Jane Cowie. She's just this kind of author that just makes you want to discuss everything. This is her newest one which is called One of the Boys. This one in. In this kind of near future world scientists have discovered what they call the M gene which is a genetic marker for violent behavior in males. Basically you can test your boy child to find out if he is going to end up being violent. Two sisters make opposite choices about testing their sons. And the story follows these two boys over 18 years. This is a hot one. This is a hot one. There might be some raised voices with this one. This is gonna give you a lot to talk about because no matter what, like no matter what political affiliation or religious affiliation you have, you might be surprised where people stand on what they would do in their own life. Would they test their son? Would they want to know this one? And it's also just a really, really good book. So One of the Boys by Jane Cowie is a great book club pick.

[B]

Yes, definitely. And I love near future Sci Fi for book club. A. It's not necessarily the. I feel like a lot of book clubs do historical fiction which I love also. That's usually a time period that you're learning about a new place that you're learning about. Lots to peel back layers on. So stuff like Homegoing or Washington Black or the Lion Women of Tehran was heartily recommended in those comments. All great picks.

[A]

Or the Red tint. That's always the red tint. Always going to be what I recommend. Yeah.

[B]

Yes. But for near future sci fi A John Marrs is a forever stan for me as far as near future sci fi goes. But I Want to go and pivot a little bit and recommend Chain Gang All Stars by Nanakwami Ajabray A very applicable to the time we're living in right now. It's about the prison industrial complex, but gamifying it and turning it into this gladiator style match. Hunger Games esque, very propulsive and also so much to discuss. And even if you don't love it, which is totally possible and you can go back and listen to Meredith and I discuss it at the beginning of season six, I think Megan will tag it for us in the show notes where Meredith was assigned to read it over the summer. I had already read and loved it, but we had so much to discuss discuss after she read that book even though we didn't feel the same way about it. And I think that's another great marker of an excellent book club pick.

[A]

Yes, that would be a very, very good one for book club for sure.

[B]

Right? Okay. Honestly, there's so much more where this came from because there's a lot of ways that you could choose for your book club. But we are going to wrap this section up and we're going to let you guys know that a that post is still available to you. You can always go add more of your own book club recommendations to those comments and through the comments of this post in our show notes as well on the website. So let's go make some wishes at the fountain. Meredith, what is your wish this week?

[A]

Well, my wish this week is just confession wise. It is very, very selfish. But my wish is that if you don't already follow us on Instagram, would you please go follow urentlyreading podcast on Instagram? We are putting a lot of emphasis on our Instagram. Betsy Ikenberry handles our social media now. She's doing a great job there. We would love it if you would join us on our currentlyreading podcast. That's my wish.

[B]

Well, and interact with what you see there. The more times you share it and comment, the more you are helping us grow this little baby of ours that.

[A]

We love for sure. Very, very helpful.

[B]

Excellent. My wish is metaphysical. I'm going to wish to reformat my hard drive. And when I say hard drive, I mean brain. So this week, once again, this wish springs from something my kids were doing that made me think about my reading life. My big middle, my middle son was mad that his relatively new computer was running low on disk space and that was making it laggy. So we did some cleaning up of his hard drive. We uninstalled apps we cleared caches, we made it sleeker and more streamlined, like a sports car. And that got me thinking about how I would love to do the same thing with regard to my reading life a little more often. This could look like a reboot of my TBR when I know I've changed as a reader, I've entered a different season. It could be an empty recycle bin of a book that I didn't enjoy and I want to get rid of in my mental database. It could be a clear cache when I've got too many current reads going on at the same time. But my wish is that each of those options would be a relatively easy button click to execute in my brain at any given time, freeing up mental energy and mental storage space for the things I really love and making it easier to access that data in my own hard drive in the future.

[A]

That would be really great if we could do that. That's right up there with being able to stop time to just be like, let me just clear out some, clear my cash. Oh my gosh. That would be fantastic.

[B]

So good.

[A]

All right, that's a good wish, Katie.

[B]

Thanks.

[A]

All right, that is it for this week. As a reminder, here's where you can connect with us. You can find me I'm Meredith Meredith Monday Schwartz on Instagram and you can.

[B]

Find me Katie at Notes on Bookmarks on Instagram. Our show is produced and edited every week by Megan Putamong Evans. You can find her on Instagram at most of Megans reads full show notes.

[A]

With the title of every book we mentioned in the episode and timestamps so you can zoom right to where we talked about. It can be found in our show Notes which you should definitely check out or on our website@currentlyreading podcast.com youm can.

[B]

Also follow the show @currentlyreading podcast on Instagram. Please do or email us@currentlyreading podcastmail.com and.

[A]

If you want more of this kind of content and if you want fantastic bookish community and if you love that the show is commercial free, join us as a bookish friend on patreon. It's only $5 a month and it brings all of those wonderful things to you. You can also help us by rating and reviewing us on Apple podcasts and shouting us out on social media and following us on our Instagram. Every one of those things helps us to find our perfect audience.

[B]

Yes, Bookish friends are the best friends. Thank you for helping us grow and get closer to our goals.

[A]

All right, until next week, may your coffee be hot.

[B]

And your book make you forget about time. That's right.

[A]

Happy reading, Katie.

[B]

Happy reading, Meredith.