The Currently Reading Podcast
Season 8, Episode 33: Reading Grooves + Our Reading Hermitages
Release Date: March 23, 2026
Hosted by: Meredith Monday Schwartz and Elizabeth Barnhill

Episode Overview

In this episode, Meredith and (guest co-host) Elizabeth have an energetic, bookish conversation all about “reading grooves”—those moments when your love of reading is re-ignited—and dive deep into a fascinating “reading hermitage” thought experiment: if you were sent to live alone in a cabin, with only five authors’ collected works, whom would you choose? Along the way, they recommend current and backlist reads, share very personal stories about their bookish lives, and highlight the heart of the Currently Reading community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Bookish Moments of the Week

Spring Fever Returns

• Elizabeth shares how the warmer Texas weather and a rejuvenating trip to Winter Institute have reinvigorated her reading (04:19).

  “I have book fever, darling.” – Elizabeth [04:13]
  She describes her cyclical reading groove and how “spring fever” often translates into renewed reading excitement.

• Meredith also describes how she recently emerged from a reading slump:

  “There’s always going to be ebbs and flows, and I just. I’m so comforted by the fact that our reading is always there. If you take a small break or a long break, your reading will always be there to come back to.” – Meredith [04:54]

• Meredith discusses how big life projects or habit changes (like Whole 30) send her to the library for a stack of cookbooks:

  "My instinct is always to go to the books whenever I'm doing anything in my life." – Meredith [06:31]

• Both hosts predict a “return to analog”—physical cookbooks, craft books, and other hands-on, inherently human reading experiences (07:10).

Current Reads

Elizabeth’s Selections

1. These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
   [08:49]

   • Historical fiction, written as the diary of a frontier woman in early Arizona.
   • A perennial staff favorite at her store, a book with “universal” appeal across genres.

   • "We all love Sarah. If you loved Little House on the Prairie or James Michener’s Centennial or even the show 1885, you won’t want to skip These Is My Words." – Elizabeth [10:27]

2. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
   [16:28]

   • New narrative nonfiction about a real case involving a London teen’s mysterious death and his web of lies.

   • "What really scares me though are fiction and nonfiction that delve into children in legal or social trouble…like Defending Jacob…and this little book here." – Elizabeth [16:32]

   • "Patrick Radden Keefe has my whole narrative nonfiction writing heart..." – Elizabeth [17:43]

3. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
   [24:12]

   • Memoir/nature-writing hybrid: a pandemic journal about rescuing a wild baby hare and rediscovering the pace of the natural world.
   • Described as “a tale of resilience and survival, both human and animal” [24:12].

   • "There is such an analog movement going on…and we are finding books that are coming back to our core existence in a quiet but hopeful way…Raising Hare belongs on this list." – Elizabeth [25:45]

Meredith’s Selections

1. This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crumb
   [11:32]

   • Thriller centered on two best friends who host a famous true-crime podcast, until one goes missing.

   • "Five star thrillers, like true thrillers, are really rare for me…I could not put this book down." – Meredith [12:50]

   • Meredith highly recommends reading the Author’s Note, which describes the author’s long journey to publication.

2. The Plea by Steve Cavanagh
   [18:59]

   • Part of the Eddie Flynn legal thriller series.
   • Focuses on a con artist-turned-lawyer facing immense pressure from the FBI.

   • "I’m a sucker. A sucker for a reformed criminal protagonist, con artist with a heart of gold is so right up my alley. Eddie Flynn’s the perfect example…" – Meredith [20:49]

3. Yesteryear by Carol Clare Burke
   [28:44]

   • Contemporary/literary fiction: a trad-wife influencer wakes up to find herself living in 1855.

   • "If you are looking for an excellent book club book, a really good one, the kind where you show up and nobody can shut up…this is your choice." – Meredith [29:11]

   • "Loaded with so many topics…influencer culture, womanhood, religion, politics, feminism, motherhood…Burke doesn’t tell you how to feel—she…lets you sit with it." – Meredith [30:46]

Deep Dive: The Reading Hermitage Thought Experiment

[37:05]

Prompt:
If you were sent to live the rest of your life in a cabin with no TV or internet, and could only take the collected works of five authors, whom would you pick and why?

Selection Strategy

• Both hosts aimed for “itch scratching” across their eclectic reading tastes and considered authors’ volume (“I need a lot to choose from” – Meredith [38:49]).

Selected Authors:

Elizabeth’s Five:

1. Min Jin Lee – For epic, multigenerational fiction
2. Anthony Horowitz – For British detective mysteries with clever twists
3. Patrick Radden Keefe – For top-shelf narrative nonfiction (edge over Eric Larson for “what have you done for me lately?” factor)
4. Kristin Hannah – For comfort, diversity and calming, “warm blanket” books
5. Liz Moore – For literary mysteries in her “sweetest of sweet spots”
   – Alternate ("if someone can’t perform their duties"): Rick Bragg

Meredith’s Five:

1. Louise Penny – For cozy, re-readable, comforting mystery series
2. Charles Dickens – For classic, lengthy, and re-readable literary fiction:

   “I would actually love an opportunity to reread all of Charles Dickens.” [41:55]

3. David Sedaris – For non-fiction and humor, and “getting me out of a blue funk”
4. Stephen King – For horror, crime, the Dark Tower series—“never boring except for Fairy Tale” [45:48]
5. Debbie Macomber – To balance out heavy choices with comfort “heart books”
   – Margaret Atwood was runner-up for the final spot.

Takeaways and Reflections

• The exercise shed light on each reader’s literary DNA (47:55), and the choices felt both revealing and slightly stressful (“your entire universe of inputs” – Meredith [49:02]).
• Both agreed their lists together would be “very powerful,” and imagined a crow surprise-delivering new books to cabins for living authors (43:10, 48:44).

Bookish Community Highlights

Bookish Friend of the Week

[52:12]

• Shoutout to Amanda for creating a “press list” challenge on StoryGraph, compiling every book Meredith and Katie have ever “pressed” on the show—a way for listeners to try and read their way through the entire recommendation archive.

Bookstore Promotion

[35:21]

• Currently Reading listeners get 10% off (code: currently) at Fabled Bookshop for the six books discussed in this episode. “If you would like Yesteryear personally signed to you, put it in the comments and we will get it signed.” – Elizabeth [35:21]
• Announcement of Book Lover’s Weekend at Fabled in Waco, April 10-12, with signed books, panel discussions, and live podcast tapings.

Hidden Gem Pick

[52:29]

• No One’s Coming by Kevin Hazard – Narrative nonfiction about rescuing a doctor from Ebola-stricken West Africa.

  “People, the 35 of us who have read it really loved it.” – Elizabeth [52:57]

Notable Quotes

• On finding reading grooves and the cycles of reading:

  "I started feeling a little...itchy, a little worried that I was starting to think maybe I’m not a reader anymore...That is not the case, thank goodness!" – Elizabeth [03:39]

• On cookbooks and analog reading:

  “I think there’s going to be a big return to analog...things that are inherently human are going to become valuable in a very specific way.” – Meredith [07:10]

• On author selection for the hermitage experiment:

  "This is like all we have to read. We're not getting newspapers. We're not getting anything else. So this is our entire universe." – Meredith [49:02]

• On the power of community-driven reading:

  “Bookish friends are the best friends. Thank you for helping us grow and get closer to our goals.” – Elizabeth [55:49]

Important Timestamps

• [01:08] – Welcoming Elizabeth as co-host and previewing the deep dive
• [04:19] – Bookish Moments of the Week (Spring/book slumps & grooves)
• [08:49] – Elizabeth’s current reads begin
• [11:32] – Meredith’s current reads begin
• [24:12] – Raising Hare discussion
• [28:44] – Yesteryear discussion (book club pick)
• [35:21] – Fabled Bookstore promo, signed books & Book Lover’s Weekend
• [37:05] – “Reading Hermitage” Deep Dive
• [52:12] – Bookish Friend of the Week segment (community challenge)
• [52:29] – Hidden gem/final grab bag pick: No One’s Coming by Kevin Hazard

Tone & Style

Friendly, candid, and bookishly enthusiastic—Meredith and Elizabeth riff off each other, combining deep readerly wisdom with practical, sometimes very funny, lived experience. The episode is loaded with honest takes, gentle humor (“Do they have to have water? Well, I’d build it a pool!” [27:11]), and a palpable sense of warmth for the reading life.

Summary

This episode is essential listening for fans of Currently Reading and anyone looking for inspiring, honest, and practical book recommendations—with a hearty dash of “what if” reading fantasy. The episode is especially engaging for those who love reading-themed thought experiments, community reading challenges, and finding their next bookish groove.

For more details, signed books, or community resources, visit Fabled Bookshop or the Currently Reading Instagram and Substack.