Summer Reading Challenge: Quantum queerness, Pompeii and plant horror

Summary

Science Quickly Podcast Summary

Episode: Summer Reading Challenge: Quantum Queerness, Pompeii and Plant Horror
Date: July 29, 2026
Host: Rachel Feltman
Guest: Bree Kane, Books and Culture Lead at Scientific American
Theme: Scientific American’s first Summer Reading Challenge—book recommendations, reading community, and book bingo.

---

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Rachel Feltman and Bree Kane dive into the launch of Scientific American’s inaugural Summer Reading Challenge. They share diverse book recommendations for science lovers, discuss what makes a great summer (or beach) read, and highlight creative ways to join in through “book bingo.” Expect thoughtful discussion on queer quantum memoirs, Pompeii’s lost voices, eco-horror, light-hearted sci-fi, and more. Bree and Rachel’s conversational tone makes this an energetic and inviting listen for anyone hoping to broaden their summer reading list, especially within the scientific and nerdy realms.

---

Key Discussion Points

1. The Summer Reading Challenge: Book Bingo & Prizes

• Timestamps: [01:09]–[02:25], [12:28]–[13:24]
• Description:
  • Launch of Scientific American’s first ever Summer Reading Challenge—a book bingo with a downloadable bingo card from the website or social media.
  • Participants complete “bookish activities” for chances to win exclusive prizes like tote bags, stickers, and a book hand-selected by the SIAM staff.
  • Bree emphasizes inclusivity and community—“I want all of the readers to participate... I highly suggest finding a few books that check a few boxes off so that you can get bingo just for one vacation.” [12:39]

---

2. Recommended Reads: From Queer Quantum Memoirs to Plant Horror

a. Entangled States by Carmela Padovic Halaghan

• Timestamps: [02:34]–[03:36]
• Highlights:
  • Described as “memoir-ish physics essays” by a queer physicist-turned-journalist.
  • "They connect the concepts of, like, quantum physics and ultra-cold particles to learning about yourself as a queer person and coming to America to get a better education..." (Bree, [02:34])
  • Fast, heartfelt, and very “relatable,” making it perfect for those wanting depth in a quick read.

b. The Lost Voices of Pompeii by Dr. Jess Venner

• Timestamps: [04:39]–[05:44]
• Highlights:
  • A “big, dense nonfiction” exploring gaps in historical records around Pompeii’s destruction.
  • For those who want a book they can “sink their teeth into” and “get lost in the sauce.”
  • “This one is going to have you putting it down and telling everyone around you, ‘Did you know this about Pompeii?’ for days on end.” (Bree, [04:39])

c. Book Bingo Categories and Diverse Activities

• Timestamps: [05:44]–[06:42]
• Highlights:
  • Challenges include reading underrepresented authors, “stimulus romance,” eco-horror, audiobooks, keeping a reading journal, and more.
  • “If you listen in and read any of these books along with me this summer, that counts as a buddy read.” (Bree, [05:49])
  • Rachel recommends Libro FM for audiobooks—“You can support local bookstores by using them.” ([06:22])

d. Make Me Better and Spread Me by Sarah Gailey

• Timestamps: [06:57]–[07:39]
• Highlights:
  • Discussion of eco-horror, queer romance, and offbeat horror: “Spread Me is often described as if John Carpenter’s The Thing was very queer and sexy, but still unsettling.” (Rachel, [06:57])
  • Rachel, a self-professed “audiobook girly,” loves discovering reads that fit the “eco-horror” category.

e. Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin

• Timestamps: [07:39]–[08:33]
• Highlights:
  • A staff favorite that Bree still recommends.
  • “It’s basically a plant who turns out to be a plant monster is living in this decrepit mall... trying to take over the world but first take over their love life.” (Bree, [07:50])
  • Unapologetically wild, with an ending that “does not pull any punches.”

---

3. Embracing “Buzzy” Sci-Fi and Community Reads

a. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinnaman

• Timestamps: [09:11]–[11:37]
• Highlights:
  • A hit “RPG lit” sci-fi series, known for humor, creative monsters, and “game inventory” world-building.
  • “It’s poking jokes at our current reality, our current reality TV, as well as our reality TV audience.” (Bree, [09:11])
  • Bree enjoys the sense of clandestine community: “It’s like the biggest book club ever.” (Bree, [11:37])
  • The audiobook gets rave reviews as well as the paperback experience of community—“There’s at least one person who goes, ‘oh, my God, I read that too. I’m on the fifth book. It’s so good.’” (Bree, [10:36])

b. Murderbot Diaries (& TV adaptation)

• Timestamps: [11:48]–[12:04]
• Highlights:
  • Another popular sci-fi series, with an Apple TV adaptation.
  • “Even though there’s an incredible Apple TV adaptation starring Alexander Skarsgård, people have not tuned in, so you gotta.” (Rachel, [11:48])

c. Kimberly Lemming’s Upcoming Sci-Fi Release

• Timestamps: [12:04]–[12:28]
• Highlights:
  • Bree shares her excitement for another book releasing this year, saving it specifically for her summer vacation.
  • “I have no doubt that I’m gonna love this book so I can save it for a special day.” (Bree, [12:04])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Summer Reading and Community

• “Summer is the best time of year to read, to find all of the books you’ve been saving up and to take them on vacation with you.”
  —Bree Kane, [01:55]

• “A beach read is something that I don’t want to put down, that I can read really quickly at the beach... As soon as I pick it back up, I want to be enthralled and like, oh my God, I can’t believe that I was even able to put this down for a moment.”
  —Bree Kane, [03:49]

On Book Bingo

• “We’re trying to read from authors that are underrepresented in science. We’re trying to read some stimulus romance, some eco horror, trying out audio books, trying out annotating your books or keeping a books journal.”
  —Bree Kane, [05:49]

• “I do this. I’ve been doing it religiously for a few years, and I think it’s really helped my reading life.”
  —Bree Kane, [05:53] (on book journaling)

On Reading Community & Hype

• “It’s one of those books that every time I read it on the train or, like, in the park, there’s at least one person who goes, ‘oh my God, I read that too...’ which is just really fun to be part of, like, the reading community, especially during the summer when we’re all trying to get outside a little bit more.”
  —Bree Kane, [10:36]

• “It’s a nerd book. Let’s be real. It’s a nerd book. It absolutely is. And I think that is the sweet spot for a book that will make people come up to you and be like, I also love that book.”
  —Rachel Feltman, [11:12]

---

Key Timestamps for Segments

• [01:09]: Introduction to the Summer Reading Challenge and prizes
• [02:34]: Entangled States recommendation (queer quantum memoir/essays)
• [04:39]: The Lost Voices of Pompeii recommendation (history/science nonfiction)
• [05:44]: Overview of book bingo categories
• [06:57]: Make Me Better/Spread Me and eco-horror discussion
• [07:39]: Eat the Ones You Love recommendation (plant horror)
• [09:11]: Dungeon Crawler Carl and RPG lit discussion
• [11:48]: Murderbot Diaries/TV adaptation mention
• [12:04]: Kimberly Lemming’s upcoming book
• [12:39]: Final plug for the challenge and prizes

---

How to Join & Where to Find More

• Download the book bingo card and follow the reading challenge at scientificamerican.com/readingchallenge or on social media.
• Prizes include tote bags, stickers, and even a book picked just for you by SIAM staff.
• Multiple ways to participate: buddy reads, audiobooks, reading outside, journaling, library visits, and more.

---

Closing Note:
This episode is a joyful invitation to engage with summer reading in creative, diverse, and community-centered ways. Bree and Rachel’s passion for books and science comes through in every recommendation, making it easy to find something for every reader—even “nerd books” that connect you to a secret, not-so-secret club.

Transcript

[Accenture/Spotify Sponsor]

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales using automation, analytics and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn [e-mail] Spotify so good, so good, so good.

[Nordstrom Rack Advertiser]

New markdowns up to 70% off are at Nordstrom Rack stores.

[Rachel Feltman]

Now.

[Nordstrom Rack Advertiser]

Stock up and save big on shoes, tops, dresses, accessories and more must haves for summer. Join the nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you wreck.

[Rachel Feltman]

For scientific american science quickly. I'm rachel feltman. You're listening to part two of our summer reading series. Today I'm chatting with Siam's books and culture lead, Bree Kane. She's going to tell us more about the magazine's summer reading challenge, plus some of her own favorite summer reads. Bree, thanks so much for coming on to chat with us today.

[Bree Kane]

Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Rachel. I'm so excited to talk to you.

[Rachel Feltman]

I think we did this last summer talking about some summer reads to recommend for our listeners, but this summer is extra special because of our summer Reading challenge. So why don't we start by you telling us a little bit about that?

[Bree Kane]

Yeah, I mean, summer is the best time of year to read, to find all of the books you've been saving up and to take them on vacation with you. So we're doing Scientific American's first ever summer reading challenge this year where it's basically book bingo. You get the bingo card on our website or our social media and you read along and do some bookish activities with us this summer and you can win some really cool prizes. I got some some special reading challenge tote bags and stickers as well as all of our classic Scientific American stickers and fun stuff.

[Rachel Feltman]

Amazing. Well, let's start with your first recommendation. Why don't you tell me about a nonfiction book you're excited about.

[Bree Kane]

Yeah. Entangled States by Carmela Padovic Halaghan came out this year and I'm still thinking about it even though I finished it a few weeks ago. It's a cool queer physicist turned science journalist who writes this memoir, ish physics essays. It's incredible. I mean, they connect the concepts of like quantum physics and ultra cold particles to learning about yourself as a queer person and coming to America to get a better education and what living this life really means in our modern world, but again, somehow connects it to quantum physics. Which is not something I've thought about much recently, But I've been thinking about it a lot more since reading this book.

[Rachel Feltman]

Yeah, it's also not even our first recommended book involving queer physics this year.

[Bree Kane]

Exactly. There's something happening in physics, and I'm really excited about it. I mean, it's really heartfelt, it's really relatable, but it's also a really fast read. Like, it's really not that long. And I flew through it. I thought it was incredible.

[Rachel Feltman]

Well, and that leads me to an important question, which is what makes something a good beach read to you? Obviously, these are summer reads, maybe not specifically beach reads, but I feel like that's the quintessential summer reading situation.

[Bree Kane]

For me. A beach read is something that I don't want to put down, that I can read really quickly at the beach. That's really exciting. As soon as I open it up, even if I put it down to run into the waves or to build a little sandcastle, as soon as I pick it back up, I want to be enthralled and like, oh my God, I can't believe that I was even able to put this down for a moment. And this one is definitely like that. The short essays really grab you, but because they're short, you have lots of nice little checkpoints to finish your reading and go do something else in between chapters.

[Rachel Feltman]

Oh, wow. That is a perfect summer read feature. But as much as having bite sized reads on the beach, you know, can satisfy some folks, others that would have sinked their teeth into something and really get lost in the sauce of a book wherever they are, including on the beach. So what recommendations do you have for them?

[Bree Kane]

I mean, if you're looking for a big, dense nonfiction for this summer, I think the Lost Voices of Pompeii by Dr. Jess Venner is an absolute must read. I mean, we all remember learning about Pompeii and the excitement of the volcanoes and all of the destruction that happened so quickly. It's really exciting to think about, but there's these huge gaps in the historical record, and there's only so much we can understand about those final moments. This book really tries to tackle that and address the difficulty in tackling that in a really interesting way. If you're trying to slowly read a nonfiction over a long trip or a long vacation, this is definitely One that's worth it to make room in your luggage. Like this one is going to have you putting down and telling everyone around you. Did you know this about Pompeii for days on end?

[Rachel Feltman]

Yeah, that sounds great. Not my cup of tea personally, but that's what's so awesome about Scientific American's book coverage. There's something for everyone.

[Bree Kane]

Even if you weren't a volcano kid, this one is still a really cool science history book and it will get you a bingo box.

[Rachel Feltman]

Ooh, yeah. Remind us what some of the bingo boxes are. There's some really fun ones in there.

[Bree Kane]

Yeah. We're trying to read from authors that are underrepresented in science. We're trying to read some stimulus romance, some eco horror, trying out audio books, trying out annotating your books or keeping a books journal. I do this. I've been doing it religiously for a few years and I think it's really helped my reading life. We're also buddy reading with SIAM staff, so if you listen in and read any of these books along with me this summer, that counts as a buddy read. But we're doing all sorts of really fun stuff. Going to the library, reading your book, outside reading science history books. I mean, there's a ton.

[Rachel Feltman]

I know there's an audiobook square, which I'm an audiobook girly. So I'm excited that people will be checking out audiobooks if they don't already. Libro FM is my my favorite audiobook platform, so I definitely recommend readers check them out. You can support local bookstores by using them. So what's better than that?

[Bree Kane]

Yeah, we have a playlist on Libro FM and we have a story graph that's up. And like I said on our website and any of our social medias, you can find the bingo card and tune in to see what we're reading to accomplish the challenge. Just as SIAM staff, I'm behind on

[Rachel Feltman]

my summer challenge reading, but I'm really excited about the Ego Horror square. I love horror and eco horror is a wonderful genre. A recent book that I read that really fits the bill if folks are looking for one to fit the square, is Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey. And I would say Sarah's very offbeat book Spread Me, which is often described as if John Carpenter's the Thing was very queer and sexy, but still unsettling, I would say one could argue it's a stubbornist romance. That's my hot take on that book. Sarah, thank you so much for writing it.

[Bree Kane]

I mean, yeah, I brought you an eco horror today? Because I know that you love a horror book, but mine is more Little Shop of Horrors. But what if it was really horrible?

[Rachel Feltman]

I can't wait.

[Bree Kane]

Yeah. Eat the Ones yous Love by Sarah Maria Griffin. It was on our staff favorites last year, but I'm still recommending it to anyone looking for something a little horrifying. In the science world, it's basically a plant who turns out to be a plant monster is living in this like decrepit mall and a girl gets a job there. She may or may not fall in love with the florist who works at the mall as well and is parenting this plant that is trying to take over the world but first take over their love life. It's so wild. It was so much fun and I have to say for really far out premise, it really lands the ending like it really does not pull any punches all the way to the last page.

[Rachel Feltman]

Wow. I'm definitely looking forward to checking that one out. And I know it was one of our favorites last year, but I didn't get around to it so there's no wrong time to dive in.

[Bree Kane]

There's a lot of books that come out every year. I don't know if you've ever thought about it Rachel, but I can't keep up with them. So I'm always reading back list. I'm always catching up on what's fun and like seeing what people are talking about reading online and adding to my ever growing tbr. So I mean yeah, it came out last year but it still fantastic to read this year.

[Rachel Feltman]

Yeah, absolutely. Well okay. So speaking of very buzzy books, tell me about your last recommendation for today.

[Bree Kane]

I'm finally catching up with everyone else who's been telling me that this series is amazing. It's hysterical. Once you start it, you can't stop it. It is Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinnaman. I'm reading the first one for our summer reading challenge. Read the first book in a sci fi series and I have to agree, all of the hype is real. It's really good. It's fun, funny. It's called RPG lit which as far as I can understand just means the protagonist is inside a game. But the monsters are really creative. I like the game inventory system within the world. It's pretty funny and it's very self aware. It's poking jokes at our current reality, our current reality TV as well as our reality TV audience. But it has a lot of really fun aliens in there and I'm really enjoying donut the cat.

[Rachel Feltman]

Yeah. I've been hearing that I need to read those books for ages. And I am also planning on using it for the reading challenge. As, you know, being the first in a sci Fi series. If people haven't gotten into Murderbot yet, that is a favorite among the Siam staff. And another one you can check off that first in a series with also great audiobooks that are largely available via library apps like Hoopla and Libby. So you can check off so many boxes and not spend any of your money.

[Bree Kane]

So I've heard the audiobook for Dungeon Crawler Carl is, like, amazing.

[Rachel Feltman]

But I have to say I've heard that too.

[Bree Kane]

I've been reading the paperback, though, and this is one of those books that every time I read it on the train or, like, in the park, there's at least one person who goes, oh, my God, I read that too. I'm on the fifth book. It's so good. Or, oh, my gosh, I just started that. Isn't it amazing? Like, which is just really fun to be part of, like, the reading community, especially during the summer when we're all trying to get outside a little bit more. It's like, yeah, what I'm reading isn't a secret. I have really good taste in books.

[Rachel Feltman]

Yeah, totally. No, I do think Dungeon crawler Carl. That is surprisingly hard to say.

[Bree Kane]

It's so hard. It's part of the fun of reading. It is just the tongue twister of telling people what you're reading.

[Rachel Feltman]

But it is one of those books that it's like, it's just wildly popular enough while still feeling slightly off of the beaten path. It's a nerd book. Let's be real. It's a nerd book. It absolutely is. And I think that is the sweet spot for a book that will make people come up to you and be like, I also love that book. In reality, many people are reading this book, many people are typing, but it still feels, like, special that you're reading it. I love books like that.

[Bree Kane]

I feel like I'm in, like, a secret club reading it. I'm in this private club that everyone is reading it, but no one knows that we're all in the secret club together reading it. It's like the biggest book club ever.

[Rachel Feltman]

Totally. I feel the same way about Murderbot, honestly. Even though there's an incredible Apple TV adaptation starring Alexander Skarsgrd. So I'm like, okay, everyone should actually know about this book now. Let's be real. But people have not tuned in, so you gotta.

[Bree Kane]

Yeah, another author that I love that has a book coming out I've been waiting for as soon as I heard it was coming out this year is Kimberly Lemming has another in her Sci Fi series which I'm so excited about. I already saw the COVID in an advance copy that I got in the mail and I'm saving that one for my summer vacation because she's amazing. I have no doubt that I'm gonna love this book so I can save it for a special day.

[Rachel Feltman]

Well, Bree, thank you so much for coming on. It's always a delight. And would you remind our listeners again because we can't remind them too many times why they should join the summer reading challenge.

[Bree Kane]

Yes. Go on our website or our Instagram or any social media to find our bingo card. Read along all summer with us and the Scientific American staff to win some really exclusive prizes, including a book hand selected for you as a reader by SIAM staff. So, so this is really special. We have a whole prize box that you can win and we have 40 people that can win. I wanted to get as many prizes as I can cause I want all of the readers to participate. And like we said earlier, there's a lot of different options to participate and I highly suggest finding a few books that check a few boxes off so that you can get bingo just for one vacation. Download our bingo card at siam.com readingchallenge

[Rachel Feltman]

that's all for today's episode. We'll be back with one more summer reading reading segment on Friday. Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Faltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff d'. Alvisio. This episode was edited by Alex Seguiera, Marielle Issa and Erin Shattuck. Fact check. Our show, Earthsea Music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up to date and in depth science news. For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. See you next time, Sam.