Podcast Summary: The Nightly – “Wuthering Heights & To DNF or Not DNF”

Host: Hatch Podcasts
Date: February 7, 2026

Episode Overview

This cozy, book-focused edition of The Nightly is all about winding down with pop culture talk centered on recent reads, literary tastes, and the age-old debate: should you finish a book you aren’t enjoying (“to DNF or not DNF”)? Hosts KP and Kristen chat book club woes, reading habits, and the lure (or dread) of classics like Wuthering Heights. If you crave gentle, warm literary banter with a dash of sleepover nostalgia, this episode is your perfect bedtime companion.

Key Discussion Points

1. Productivity, To-Do Lists & Procrastination (00:30–03:43)

• Hosts bond over productive days and the satisfaction of manageable to-do lists (“Some of the items on the list were, like, things that took four minutes to do, but who cares? I crossed it off the list, right?” – KP, 02:00).
• Talk about procrastination hacks, referencing viral videos of tackling long-avoided tasks (02:06).
• KP’s favorite approach: breaking big chores down (“I’m trying to do like five [items] a week” – KP, 02:58).

2. Book Club Highlights: Recent Reads & the “DNF” Struggle (03:43–13:07)

• KP’s Current Read: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (05:10)

  • Picked for book club because it’s a highly-awarded new sci-fi novel (05:10–05:41).
  • Reality: KP finds it slow and hard to follow—confused by the narrative structure, limited pronouns, and lack of emotional depth (07:00–08:14).
  • Still feels compelled to finish: “I really have a rule that if I start it, we’re gonna get to the finish line” (06:09).
  • Book club friends dislike it too, making KP feel responsible for a drudgery pick (09:23–10:07).

• Kristen’s “DNF” Philosophy:
  “I’ve forced myself before… and I just finally said, you know what? Not one more minute of my life is being wasted on this.” (08:44)

  • Advice: Quit books that bring no joy, even far in, though she gets the pressure to “just finish” (08:44–10:09).

• Book Awards & Peer Pressure:
  KP’s reluctance to DNF is partly “it has a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award—this has to be for reasons” (09:23). Kristen and KP joke that maybe the awards’ judges just have different “vibes.”

3. Reading Habits and Audio vs. Eyes (11:16–13:43)

• Kristen’s Super-Reader Stats: 245 books last year, most via audiobooks played at 1.5x speed (04:35–05:10).
• Prefers memoirs and first-person novels as audio, feels like “a long podcast” (13:10–13:40).
• KP’s Process: Physical reading for wind-down, carefully organizes “to be read” shelf as a motivator (11:22).

4. Notable Book Recommendations

• Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie, discussed above)

  • Not a hit for KP/book club; tricky structure and flat emotional engagement
  • “Sometimes it’s just not a match. It’s like online dating.” – Kristen (12:41)

• My Mama Cass by Owen Elliot Kugel (13:43–18:23)

  • Kristen recommends this memoir written by Cass Elliott’s daughter, which explores her mother’s legacy, fatphobia she overcame, and the history of the ’60s–’70s (13:43–15:55).
  • Even for non-fans of The Mamas & the Papas, the vividness and love in the account shine.
  • Drawn to it after reading Riley Keough’s double memoir with her late mother Lisa Marie Presley (17:10–18:23).

• Best Offer Wins by Marissa Cascino (18:29–19:54)

  • Kristen’s next read: novel about a woman scrambling for real estate in New York, full of questionable choices—a fit for Zillow and HGTV obsessives.

• Wuthering Heights (Brontë) (19:54–22:28)

  • KP’s up next, aiming to finish before the film adaptation releases.
  • Kristen teases the “unnecessary” frame narrative that slows the start (21:12–21:43).
  • Both admit classic lit can be a slog, but come with the pleasure of “insider” cultural knowledge.

• Other classics on KP’s horizon: Dante’s Inferno, “because then you’re a part of a bunch of inside jokes” (12:00).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Audiobook Speed
  • “I listen to books and because I listen to them always at at least 1.5 speed… every day when I’m cleaning the house or taking my daily walk or if I’m in transit.” – Kristen (04:40)
• On Finishing Books That Don’t Resonate
  • “It is just—sci-fi is such a genre where it is like, clarity can be so important… so when there’s a lack of clarity, I’m just frustrated. I’m not having the best time.” – KP (06:09)
• Kristen’s DNF Permission Slip
  • “Not another minute of my life. No, I know.” (08:44)
• Book Club Guilt
  • “Now I have six of my friends slogging through the same book and none of them like it either… Everyone’s having a bad time this month.” – KP (09:34)
• On Reading Classics
  • “I feel like I like the classics because then you’re like a part of a bunch of inside jokes that you didn’t know you were missing out on.” – KP (12:00)
• Literary Joke
  • “Why say something in four words when you can say it in forty?” – Kristen (20:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:30–03:43: Cozy productivity chat, relatable procrastination talk
• 03:43–13:07: Book club segment, the “to DNF or not DNF?” debate, Ancillary Justice review
• 13:07–18:23: Kristen’s listening habits, My Mama Cass recommendation, thoughts on memoirs
• 18:29–19:54: Real estate fiction (Best Offer Wins)
• 19:54–22:28: The pleasures and pitfalls of classic lit, Wuthering Heights anticipation
• 22:28–22:54: Farewell & bookish sweet dreams

Tone & Style

Friendly, warm, and confessional, with plenty of mutual encouragement, gentle self-mockery, and palpable affection for books—even the sloggy ones. The conversation is playful (“buckle my knuckles”) and never takes itself too seriously.

For Listeners Who Missed It

You’ll come away with:

• Empathetic takes on why we force ourselves to finish (or abandon) books
• Fresh book recs from sci-fi to memoir to literary classics
• The reassurance that not loving “important” books is normal
• Permission to read for joy—and skip the drudgery

Cozy up, add a couple titles to your TBR, and drift off with a bookish grin.