This week on the MashReads Podcast, we discuss our summer reading lists and what exactly qualifies as a beach read before taking a hiatus until the fall. Chloe recommends:  “China Rich Girlfriend” by Kevin Kwan “The Third Hotel” by Laura van den Berg “Meet Me in the Bathroom” by Lizzy Goodman    Martha recommends:  "The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory "The Female Persuasion" by Meg Wolitzer "Barracoon" by Zora Neal Hurston "Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi "To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before" by Jenny Han

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we discuss our summer reading lists and what exactly qualifies as a beach read before taking a hiatus until the fall. Chloe recommends: <ul> <li>“China Rich Girlfriend” by Kevin Kwan</li> <li>“The Third Hotel” by Laura van den Berg</li> <li>“Meet Me in the Bathroom” by Lizzy Goodman</li> </ul> Martha recommends: <ul> <li>"The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory</li> <li>"The Female Persuasion" by Meg Wolitzer</li> <li>"Barracoon" by Zora Neal Hurston</li> <li>"Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi</li> <li>"To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before" by Jenny Han</li></ul>

Our summer readings lists

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Melissa Broder's novel "The Pisces," a story about a woman who falls in love with a merman. Then, inspired by the book, we talk about other unexpected romances/ surprising couples in literature. And as always, we close the show with recommendations:  Chloe recommends Motherboard's internet-themed crossword puzzle "Solve The Internet." "It's really fun and they are a little bit easier than the New York Times crossword puzzles, so if you get stuck on the Wednesday puzzle like I do, turn to this one. It's so fun." Martha recommends the app Wordscapes, a word-based puzzle game. "I'm addicted to it!" MJ recommends "Queer Love In Color" a photo essay that ran in the New York Times for Pride Month that documents black queer couples. "It's just so beautiful. It has a beautiful message to it, the photos are gorgeous, and it's celebrating Pride and love, and you'll look at those photos and feel good."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Melissa Broder's novel "The Pisces," a story about a woman who falls in love with a merman. Then, inspired by the book, we talk about other unexpected romances/ surprising couples in literature. And as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Chloe recommends Motherboard's internet-themed crossword puzzle "<a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7xm7p4/solve-the-internet-crossword-puzzle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Solve The Internet</a>." "It's really fun and they are a little bit easier than the New York Times crossword puzzles, so if you get stuck on the Wednesday puzzle like I do, turn to this one. It's so fun."</li> <li>Martha recommends the app Wordscapes, a word-based puzzle game. "I'm addicted to it!"</li> <li>MJ recommends "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/us/queer-love-in-color.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Love In Color</a>" a photo essay that ran in the New York Times for Pride Month that documents black queer couples. "It's just so beautiful. It has a beautiful message to it, the photos are gorgeous, and it's celebrating Pride and love, and you'll look at those photos and feel good."</li></ul>

'The Pisces'

Lauren Groff

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Lauren Groff, author of 'Fates and Furies,' 'Delicate Edible Birds,' and more, about her new story collection, 'Florida.' "This book is about Florida. But it’s not just the state, it’s about the state of dread and premonition and the desire to push outside the realm of domesticity and how to raise little boys and make them into good people and it’s about snakes and it’s basically everything that you can come up with." Also mentioned in the show: Groff's 'New York Times' By The Book interivew: "My point is: when people in authority mention writers, they confer upon those writers a leg up into the cannon, and the same people get mentioned over and over again and become cannon. If we're not reading outside of the bounds of what we're told to read, if we're not reading outside of white male supremancy as it's been over the past millenia, then we're doing a profound disservice to the present and to the writers of the past who have been overlooked." Then, as always, we close the show with recommenations.  Lauren recommends Rachel Cusk's book 'Kudos.' "I just finished 'Kudos' by Rachel Cusk on the train and I am still cogitating over it because it ends with this incredible... wait, maybe I shouldn't what it ends with, I don't want to do a spoiler! Someday if you see me and you've read this book, let's talk about the ending because I don't know what to think about." MJ recommends 'Motherhood' by Sheila Heti. "It's astounding. Sheila Heti is such a phenomenal writer."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Lauren Groff, author of 'Fates and Furies,' 'Delicate Edible Birds,' and more, about her new story collection, 'Florida.' "This book is about Florida. But it’s not just the state, it’s about the state of dread and premonition and the desire to push outside the realm of domesticity and how to raise little boys and make them into good people and it’s about snakes and it’s basically everything that you can come up with." Also mentioned in the show: Groff's '<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/24/books/review/lauren-groff-by-the-book.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New York Times</a>' By The Book interivew: "My point is: when people in authority mention writers, they confer upon those writers a leg up into the cannon, and the same people get mentioned over and over again and become cannon. If we're not reading outside of the bounds of what we're told to read, if we're not reading outside of white male supremancy as it's been over the past millenia, then we're doing a profound disservice to the present and to the writers of the past who have been overlooked." Then, as always, we close the show with recommenations. <ul> <li>Lauren recommends Rachel Cusk's book 'Kudos.' "I just finished 'Kudos' by Rachel Cusk on the train and I am still cogitating over it because it ends with this incredible... wait, maybe I shouldn't what it ends with, I don't want to do a spoiler! Someday if you see me and you've read this book, let's talk about the ending because I don't know what to think about."</li> <li>MJ recommends 'Motherhood' by Sheila Heti. "It's astounding. Sheila Heti is such a phenomenal writer."</li></ul>

'Florida' (with guest and author Lauren Groff)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Celeste Ng's novel "Little Fires Everywhere." Then, inspired by the book, we talk about our favorite books about the suburbs/ the suburban experience.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Celeste Ng's novel "Little Fires Everywhere." Then, inspired by the book, we talk about our favorite books about the suburbs/ the suburban experience.

"Little Fires Everywhere" and our favorite books about the suburbs

This week, we are joined by Whitney Hu, Director of Public Programs at the Natinoal Book Foundation, to talk about "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones. The book tells the story of newly married couple Roy and Celeste, after Roy is falsely convicted of a crime he didn't commit and is incarcerated for 5 years. The story then explores what happens to Roy and Celeste's marriage when the time they thought they'd have together is stolen from them. Then, inspired by "An American Marriage" we talk about our favorite love stories including A Little Life, Tiny Beautiful Things, and They Both Die At The End. And, as always, we close the show with recommendations:  Martha recommneds "Bubblin" by Anderson Pack, which she nominates for song of the summer. "It's just such a vibe. I don't know how to explain it. You just have to listen to it, it'll make you feel happy." Whitney recommends 5 songs that she thinks would be on Celestial's music playlist in "An American Marriage": 'Love Me Right' by Amber Mark, 'Holy' by Jamila Woods, 'Distance' by Emily King, 'Focus' by Her, and 'Tender Love' Michelle Ndegeocello. "I think all of those songs, when you listen to them, have this women empowerment/ also 'love is really complicated and I have feelings for you, why do you have to treat me so wrong' vibe." MJ recommends two Twitter videos that'll make you laugh. The first is an interview where Mariah Carey apparently learns that people have to pay bills. The second is a video of the very polite rage expressed by a woman Kim when a customer Ginger won't say whether or not she wants to buy a cheesecake.

This week, we are joined by Whitney Hu, Director of Public Programs at the Natinoal Book Foundation, to talk about "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones. The book tells the story of newly married couple Roy and Celeste, after Roy is falsely convicted of a crime he didn't commit and is incarcerated for 5 years. The story then explores what happens to Roy and Celeste's marriage when the time they thought they'd have together is stolen from them. Then, inspired by "An American Marriage" we talk about our favorite love stories including A Little Life, Tiny Beautiful Things, and They Both Die At The End. And, as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Martha recommneds "Bubblin" by Anderson Pack, which she nominates for song of the summer. "It's just such a vibe. I don't know how to explain it. You just have to listen to it, it'll make you feel happy."</li> <li>Whitney recommends 5 songs that she thinks would be on Celestial's music playlist in "An American Marriage": 'Love Me Right' by Amber Mark, 'Holy' by Jamila Woods, 'Distance' by Emily King, 'Focus' by Her, and 'Tender Love' Michelle Ndegeocello. "I think all of those songs, when you listen to them, have this women empowerment/ also 'love is really complicated and I have feelings for you, why do you have to treat me so wrong' vibe."</li> <li>MJ recommends two Twitter videos that'll make you laugh. The first is an interview where <a href="https://twitter.com/chuzzuz/status/997586683045572608" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mariah Carey apparently learns that people have to pay bills</a>. The second is a video of the very polite rage expressed by a woman Kim when a customer <a href="https://twitter.com/adrienne_bc/status/1000488034582913025" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ginger won't say whether or not she wants to buy a cheesecake</a>.</li></ul>

'An American Marriage' and our favorite love stories

Aja Gabel

This week on the MashReads Podast, we're joined by Aja Gabel, author of "The Ensemble." "It's a book about music, classic music in particular, but put another way, it's really just a book about people who happen to play music." And, as always, we close the show with recommendations:  'The Third Hotel' by Laura van den Berg. "It's one of those books where you're like 'I've never read anything like this.'"

This week on the MashReads Podast, we're joined by Aja Gabel, author of "The Ensemble." "It's a book about music, classic music in particular, but put another way, it's really just a book about people who happen to play music." And, as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>'The Third Hotel' by Laura van den Berg. "It's one of those books where you're like 'I've never read anything like this.'"</li></ul>

'The Ensemble' (featuring guest and author Aja Gabel)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451. Then, inspired by the novel, we talk about other books about books. And finally, we end the show with recommendations:  Martha recommends Spotify music podcast 'Dissect.' Each season of the podcast focuses in on one music album, devoting each episode in the season to dissecting one song. The show just launched their third season which focuses on Frank Ocean's album 'Blonde.' "It's really, really fascinating. the host takes on each song and breaks down, track by track, the lyrics, the production. It's pretty fantastic." Peter also recommends a podcast: 'The Next Picture Show.' The show is a movie discussion podcast that takes a new movie and puts it in conversation with an older movie that it echoes. "The speak about movies with a level of depth and knowledge that I really hope to possess one day. I really love these voices and these people and I think they're some of the best film reviewers in the world and I am glad I get to listen to them every two weeks. MJ recommends two books. First he recommends 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman, a novel that envisions a world where women suddenly have the power to shoot electricity from their hands. The book then explores what happens when women are given this power that men do not have. "Once I started I could not put it down. What I love about the book is that premise is so simple, but I think the idea is so fully realized." He also recommends 'Tin Man' by Sarah Winman, which follows two characters and looks at love, grief, friendships, and more over the course of their lives. "The book is so emotionally rich. It's beautiful, the entire book feels like poetry."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451. Then, inspired by the novel, we talk about other books about books. And finally, we end the show with recommendations: <ul> <li> Martha recommends Spotify music podcast '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2b025hq3gJ17tQdxS3aV43?si=n4fYPqGAQJe2z_cQvd8a_w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dissect</a>.' Each season of the podcast focuses in on one music album, devoting each episode in the season to dissecting one song. The show <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2018-05-15/spotify-studios-launches-season-3-of-critically-acclaimed-dissect-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">just launched</a> their third season which focuses on Frank Ocean's album 'Blonde.' "It's really, really fascinating. the host takes on each song and breaks down, track by track, the lyrics, the production. It's pretty fantastic." </li> <li> Peter also recommends a podcast: '<a href="https://www.filmspotting.net/nextpictureshow/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Next Picture Show</a>.' The show is a movie discussion podcast that takes a new movie and puts it in conversation with an older movie that it echoes. "The speak about movies with a level of depth and knowledge that I really hope to possess one day. I really love these voices and these people and I think they're some of the best film reviewers in the world and I am glad I get to listen to them every two weeks. </li> <li> MJ recommends two books. First he recommends 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman, a novel that envisions a world where women suddenly have the power to shoot electricity from their hands. The book then explores what happens when women are given this power that men do not have. "Once I started I could not put it down. What I love about the book is that premise is so simple, but I think the idea is so fully realized." He also recommends 'Tin Man' by Sarah Winman, which follows two characters and looks at love, grief, friendships, and more over the course of their lives. "The book is so emotionally rich. It's beautiful, the entire book feels like poetry." </li></ul>

Fahrenheit 451 and our favorite books about books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Douglas Adam's classic sci-fi novel 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Then, inspired by the novel, we chat about our favorite sci-fi including 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson, 'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel, 'The Afterlives' by Thomas Pierce, 'Neuromancer' by William Gibson, Kindred' by Octavia Butler, and 'Annihilation' by Jeff Vandermeer. Then as always, we close the show with recommendations:  Martha recommends the movie Kodachrome with Elizabeth Olsen and Jason Sudeikis. Peter recommends Ta-Nehisi Coates' new essay 'I'm Not Black, I'm Kanye.' MJ recommends Slate's new podcast Decoder Ringer, and specifically their episode Laff Box, which is all about the history of the laugh track.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Douglas Adam's classic sci-fi novel 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Then, inspired by the novel, we chat about our favorite sci-fi including 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson, 'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel, 'The Afterlives' by Thomas Pierce, 'Neuromancer' by William Gibson, Kindred' by Octavia Butler, and 'Annihilation' by Jeff Vandermeer. Then as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Martha recommends the movie Kodachrome with Elizabeth Olsen and Jason Sudeikis.</li> <li>Peter recommends Ta-Nehisi Coates' new essay '<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/im-not-black-im-kanye/559763/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I'm Not Black, I'm Kanye</a>.'</li> <li>MJ recommends Slate's new podcast <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/decoder_ring.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Decoder Ringer</a>, and specifically their episode <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/decoder_ring/2018/04/decoder_ring_explores_the_history_and_meaning_of_the_laugh_track.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Laff Box</a>, which is all about the history of the laugh track.</li></ul>

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and our favorite sci-fi books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Daniel Mallory Ortberg's new short story collection "Merry Spinster." The book reimagines classic fairy tales but with very dark twists. Then, inspired by "Merry Spinster" we move on to discuss other books inspired by fairy tales that we love. And as always, we close with recommendations:  Peter recommends the video game "God of War." "It is just an incredibly well rought game in terms of basically everything. It feels great, it looks great, but I think what's captivated me most about it is how the story itself is such a mature standing for a character that had previously been an incarnation of greedy bloodbaths. I think it's symobolic of a lot of growth in the video game inudstry as a whole." (You can check out Mashable's review of the game here.) Martha recommends the 1997 version of Cinderalla featuring Brandy and Whitney Houston. "These are all legends and it's fantastic. It's the black Cinderella. It's perfect." She also recommends doing facemasks during your flights. "You put your facemask on and so that you wake up wherever you're landing, you feel fantastic and you look fantastic." MJ recommends the New York Times podcast Still Processing's episode about Beychella, Beyonce history-making Coachella performance. "They talk about Beychella in terms of pop culture, pop culture history, race. It's the smartest deconstruction and reading of what this performance is."  Next week we are reading "The Rosary," an essay by Alexander Chee from his new collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel. You can find it online here and we hope you'll join us in reading it.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Daniel Mallory Ortberg's new short story collection "Merry Spinster." The book reimagines classic fairy tales but with very dark twists. Then, inspired by "Merry Spinster" we move on to discuss other books inspired by fairy tales that we love. And as always, we close with recommendations: <ul> <li>Peter recommends the video game "God of War." "It is just an incredibly well rought game in terms of basically everything. It feels great, it looks great, but I think what's captivated me most about it is how the story itself is such a mature standing for a character that had previously been an incarnation of greedy bloodbaths. I think it's symobolic of a lot of growth in the video game inudstry as a whole." (You can check out Mashable's <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/04/12/god-of-war-2018-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">review of the game here</a>.)</li> <li>Martha recommends the 1997 version of Cinderalla featuring Brandy and Whitney Houston. "These are all legends and it's fantastic. It's the black Cinderella. It's perfect." She also recommends doing facemasks during your flights. "You put your facemask on and so that you wake up wherever you're landing, you feel fantastic and you look fantastic."</li> <li>MJ recommends the New York Times podcast Still Processing's <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-new-york-times/still-processing/e/a-journey-to-the-blacksonian-episode-5-46760865" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">episode about Beychella</a>, Beyonce history-making Coachella performance. "They talk about Beychella in terms of pop culture, pop culture history, race. It's the smartest deconstruction and reading of what this performance is."</li> </ul> Next week we are reading "<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/the-rosary" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Rosary</a>," an essay by Alexander Chee from his new collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel. You can find it online here and we hope you'll join us in reading it.

Merry Spinster and books inspired by fairy tales

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we pull together a panel of our past guests to chat about books we really love and think you should know about.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we pull together a panel of our past guests to chat about books we really love and think you should know about.

Books we really love and think you should love too

Mashable's weekly podcast where we talk about what we're reading and what's happening in the book world. Hosted by: MJ Franklin, Aliza Weinberger and Peter Allen Clark.

Book podcasts are so hit or miss and I stumbled on this one somewhat out of the blue.
Been listening to back episodes and really liking it, jumping around to different books I’ve liked. Good discussions, excellent host dynamic. I’m into it!

New fave books podcast

These guys are so much fun to listen to and so hard on my TBR list. They always make me smile.

Listen

MashReads Podcast

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, an investigation into the construction of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and the serial killer H.H. Holmes that plagued it. Then, inspired by Larson's deep dive, we chat about our favorite books that reveal little known or secret histories.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, an investigation into the construction of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and the serial killer H.H. Holmes that plagued it. Then, inspired by Larson's deep dive, we chat about our favorite books that reveal little known or secret histories.

"The Devil in the White City" and our favorite books about secret history

George Saunders

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss George Saunders's new postmodern novel 'Lincoln In The Bardo'And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Aliza recommends the audiobook version of Lincoln In The Bardo. "The audiobook for this book, Lincoln In The Bardo, is amazing. All of the 166 different perspectives have a different voice actor; they're all well known celebrities/ big name actors, and they all apparently knocked it out of the park." Peter recommends rewatching the first John Wick movie (before seeing John Wick: Chapter 2). "What I love so much about that movie is that it all takes place in its own kind of silly world, but it knows it's silly and it's fine being silly." MJ recommends Kathryn Schulz's 'When Things Go Missing,' a new essay in the New Yorker about grief and the phenomenon of losing things. "It's both a really heartbreaking and emotional essay, but also a masterful one. [Kathryn Schulz] is such a phenomenal writer. I highly recommend you go read this."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss George Saunders's new postmodern novel 'Lincoln In The Bardo' And as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li> Aliza recommends the audiobook version of Lincoln In The Bardo. "The audiobook for this book, Lincoln In The Bardo, is amazing. All of the 166 different perspectives have a different voice actor; they're all well known celebrities/ big name actors, and they all apparently knocked it out of the park." </li> <li> Peter recommends rewatching the first John Wick movie (before seeing John Wick: Chapter 2). "What I love so much about that movie is that it all takes place in its own kind of silly world, but it knows it's silly and it's fine being silly." </li> <li> MJ recommends Kathryn Schulz's '<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/13/when-things-go-missing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">When Things Go Missing</a>,' a new essay in the New Yorker about grief and the phenomenon of losing things. "It's both a really heartbreaking and emotional essay, but also a masterful one. [Kathryn Schulz] is such a phenomenal writer. I highly recommend you go read this." </li></ul>

'Lincoln In The Bardo' (with guest George Saunders)

"Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small quiet room." So writes Cheryl Strayed in her advice/ essay collection Tiny Beautiful Things. Tiny Beautiful Things started out as an advice column by Steve Almond in 2009, written on the literary website The Rumpus. Advice came from the anonymous "Sugar" persona, a figure who was both kind and wizened. Later, in 2010, Cheryl Strayed took over the anonymous persona of "Sugar," doling out advice but mixing in personal stories of her own to help her readers make sense of their own struggles. It's this mix of advice and memoir that took Dear Sugar too both internet acclaim and later literary acclaim. This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read Cheryl Strayed's collection of advice essays Tiny Beautiful Things.Then, inspired by Tiny Beautiful Things, we talk about the books that have taught us important lessons including The Golden Bough by James George Frazer, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner by Katrine Marçal and The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison.And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Aliza recommends rewatching the pilot of The West Wing. "Sorkin is far from perfect, but I do find the West Wing enjoyable. It's fast-paced, it's quippy. It's a breath of fresh air, in terms of politics." Peter recommends The Familiar: Vol. 3 by Mark Z. Danielewski. "We're definitely entering in the synthesis era of this. Things are coming together where you see how characters fit into each other. It's really coming together slowly but surely, and it's just marvelous." Alex recommends Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. She also recommends Disney's Zootopia. "It's just really delightful. You guys should watch it." MJ recommends Wild by Cheryl Strayed. He also recommends Roxane Gay's new short story collection Dangerous Women. "I'm only a few stories but every short story has stuck with me. [Her stories] are creative. They are these soaring indictments of how society treats women."

"Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small quiet room." So writes Cheryl Strayed in her advice/ essay collection Tiny Beautiful Things. Tiny Beautiful Things started out as an advice column by Steve Almond in 2009, written on the literary website The Rumpus. Advice came from the anonymous "Sugar" persona, a figure who was both kind and wizened. Later, in 2010, Cheryl Strayed took over the anonymous persona of "Sugar," doling out advice but mixing in personal stories of her own to help her readers make sense of their own struggles. It's this mix of advice and memoir that took Dear Sugar too both internet acclaim and later literary acclaim. This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read Cheryl Strayed's collection of advice essays Tiny Beautiful Things.Then, inspired by Tiny Beautiful Things, we talk about the books that have taught us important lessons including The Golden Bough by James George Frazer, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner by Katrine Marçal and The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. And as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li> Aliza recommends rewatching the pilot of The West Wing. "Sorkin is far from perfect, but I do find the West Wing enjoyable. It's fast-paced, it's quippy. It's a breath of fresh air, in terms of politics." </li> <li> Peter recommends The Familiar: Vol. 3 by Mark Z. Danielewski. "We're definitely entering in the synthesis era of this. Things are coming together where you see how characters fit into each other. It's really coming together slowly but surely, and it's just marvelous." </li> <li> Alex recommends Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. She also recommends Disney's Zootopia. "It's just really delightful. You guys should watch it." </li> <li> MJ recommends Wild by Cheryl Strayed. He also recommends Roxane Gay's new short story collection Dangerous Women. "I'm only a few stories but every short story has stuck with me. [Her stories] are creative. They are these soaring indictments of how society treats women." </li></ul>

'Tiny Beautiful Things' and books that taught us important lessons

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat about David Foster Wallace's novel 'Infinite Jest.' And as always we close the show with recommendations:  Peter recommends Lady Bird. "I don't think it's a perfect movie but I think it's an incredibly beautiful one."  Brett recommends This is Water, David Foster Wallace's speech about daily life. Chloe recommends the show Riverdale. I think it's a perfect is a perfect post-modern show and I think David Foster Wallace would love it." (Also check out David Foster Wallace's essay on TV E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction). She also recommends How to A Be A Person In The World by Heather Havrilesky.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat about David Foster Wallace's novel 'Infinite Jest.' And as always we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Peter recommends Lady Bird. "I don't think it's a perfect movie but I think it's an incredibly beautiful one." </li> <li>Brett recommends <a href="http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This is Water</a>, David Foster Wallace's speech about daily life.</li> <li>Chloe recommends the show Riverdale. I think it's a perfect is a perfect post-modern show and I think David Foster Wallace would love it." (Also check out David Foster Wallace's essay on TV <a href="https://jsomers.net/DFW_TV.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction</a>). She also recommends How to A Be A Person In The World by Heather Havrilesky.</li></ul>

Infinite Jest-isode

Alan Cumming

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk to Alan Cumming about, well, just about everything. Join us we hang out with Alan and talk about books, writing, the teletubbies, bars, dogs, and Alan's new book 'The Adventures of Honey and Leon.'  Peter recommends the new adaptation of It. "It is as good as it could be, which is saying a lot for a Stephen King movie." "There's an attention to detail about the scary parts and the atmosphere they're trying to create. It was very well thought out and very well choreographed and very well storyboarded, I feel." Alan recommends the Billie Jean King biopic Battle Of The Sexes, staring Emma Stone and, well, Alan Cumming himself. "I'm hardly in it so I think it's fair for me to like it ... It's so good!" Aliza recommends "The Sorrow and the Shame of the Accidental Killer," a New Yorker article by Alice Gregory about what happens when you accidentally cause someone else's death. "It's just really interesting and something that none of us wants to think about: how close we are, on any given day, to accidentally killing someone." MJ recommends "The Way We Live Now: 11-11-01; Lost and Found," an essay by Underground Railroad author (and past MashReads podcast guest) Colson Whitehead about New York, 9/11, the ways we remember cities after they change. "It's this moving tribute to the Twin Towers and also how we inhabit spaces."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk to Alan Cumming about, well, just about everything. Join us we hang out with Alan and talk about books, writing, the teletubbies, bars, dogs, and Alan's new book 'The Adventures of Honey and Leon.' <ul> <li> Peter recommends the new adaptation of It. "It is as good as it could be, which is saying a lot for a Stephen King movie." "There's an attention to detail about the scary parts and the atmosphere they're trying to create. It was very well thought out and very well choreographed and very well storyboarded, I feel." </li> <li> Alan recommends the Billie Jean King biopic Battle Of The Sexes, staring Emma Stone and, well, Alan Cumming himself. "I'm hardly in it so I think it's fair for me to like it ... It's so good!" </li> <li> Aliza recommends "<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/09/18/the-sorrow-and-the-shame-of-the-accidental-killer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sorrow and the Shame of the Accidental Killer</a>," a New Yorker article by Alice Gregory about what happens when you accidentally cause someone else's death. "It's just really interesting and something that none of us wants to think about: how close we are, on any given day, to accidentally killing someone." </li> <li> MJ recommends "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/11/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-11-11-01-lost-and-found.html?mcubz=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Way We Live Now: 11-11-01; Lost and Found</a>," an essay by Underground Railroad author (and past MashReads podcast guest) Colson Whitehead about New York, 9/11, the ways we remember cities after they change. "It's this moving tribute to the Twin Towers and also how we inhabit spaces." </li></ul>

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we are joined by Bustle's book editor Cristina Arreola to talk about all of the books you should be reading this spring. Join us as we talk about what books we absolutely loved and what upcoming books you should keep an eye out for, including The Recovering by Leslie Jamison, The Feamle Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations:  Martha recommends Kali Uchis’ new album Isolation. “I feel like it got lost in the Cardi B/ Drake wave that happened in music. Her music is just this beautiful fusion of a bunch of different genres like jazz, pop, rob, and her voice is wonderful, and the features that are on the album are fantastic. You have everyone from Georgia Smith to Tyler the Creator to Steve Lacey. It’s just a perfect album to anticipate spring and summer with.” Cristina recommends Radiolab’s "Border Trilogy," a three part series on the border U.S./ Mexico border. “If you’re interested at all in the immigration debate, this series a really good primer and delves deep into it.” She also recommends Francisco Cantú's The Line Becomes A River, a memoir about Cantú's experience growing up on the border and working as a border agent. “It’s just really heart breaking and it’s not polemic and it just humanizes the issue in a way that I think is really necessary.” MJ recommends the Twitter account Modern Glee (@Glee_2018), which imagines the television show Glee would look like if it still existed in 2018. “It reaches these ridiculous peeks the show actually did when it was airing.” Cristina also recommends a tweet of a hilarious photo from a maternity photoshoot with Ronnie from Jersey Shore “It’s one of the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” Also mentioned on the podcast: 'The Rosary,' an essay by Alexander Chee about becoming a rose gardener. And also, be sure to check out more of Cristina's work by checking out Bustle's books coverage.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we are joined by Bustle's book editor Cristina Arreola to talk about all of the books you should be reading this spring. Join us as we talk about what books we absolutely loved and what upcoming books you should keep an eye out for, including The Recovering by Leslie Jamison, The Feamle Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Martha recommends Kali Uchis’ new album Isolation. “I feel like it got lost in the Cardi B/ Drake wave that happened in music. Her music is just this beautiful fusion of a bunch of different genres like jazz, pop, rob, and her voice is wonderful, and the features that are on the album are fantastic. You have everyone from Georgia Smith to Tyler the Creator to Steve Lacey. It’s just a perfect album to anticipate spring and summer with.”</li> <li>Cristina recommends Radiolab’s "Border Trilogy," a three part series on the border U.S./ Mexico border. “If you’re interested at all in the immigration debate, this series a really good primer and delves deep into it.” She also recommends Francisco Cantú's The Line Becomes A River, a memoir about Cantú's experience growing up on the border and working as a border agent. “It’s just really heart breaking and it’s not polemic and it just humanizes the issue in a way that I think is really necessary.”</li> <li>MJ recommends the Twitter account Modern Glee (<a href="https://twitter.com/Glee2018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@Glee_2018</a>), which imagines the television show Glee would look like if it still existed in 2018. “It reaches these ridiculous peeks the show actually did when it was airing.”</li> <li>Cristina also recommends <a href="https://twitter.com/Ciara_Knight/status/983316924036763648" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a tweet of a hilarious photo</a> from a maternity photoshoot with Ronnie from Jersey Shore “It’s one of the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”</li> <li>Also mentioned on the podcast: '<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/the-rosary" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Rosary</a>,' an essay by Alexander Chee about becoming a rose gardener.</li> <li>And also, be sure to check out more of Cristina's work by checking out <a href="https://www.bustle.com/books" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bustle's books coverage</a>.</li></ul>

Books you should absolutely be reading this Spring

Gabriel Tallent

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'My Absolute Darling' by Gabriel Tallent with Gabriel himself. The book follows Turtle Alveston, a young girl living in northern Calfornia, as she fights to escape unthinkable abuse from her father. Then as always, we end the show with recommendations:  Gabriel recommends ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ by Celeste Ng and 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison. Aliza recommends Ronan Farrow’s piece in the New Yorker about the Harvey Weinstein allegations "For Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: "Harvey Weinstein's Accusers Tell Their Stories." "It didn’t break the news about the Weinstein abuses but it really delved into what was going on ... My recommendation is to listen to women, especially when they tell you about trauma. And read Ronan's New Yorker piece." Peter recommends Netflix's new show 'American Vandal.' “Even though I do have faults with the plot as it’s told, it is an extremely well done fictionalized mystery, with some fantastic acting from some very young actors.” Peter also recommends watching the french horror movie 'Raw' in October for Halloween. You can see Peter's full list of Netflix hidden-gem horror movie recommendations here. MJ recommends reading 'Call Me By Your Name' by André Aciman. “Boy is that a beautifully written novel.” He also recommends all of the Armie Hammer dance club mashups that riff of of the movie 'Call Me By Your Name', especially this one of Armie dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Cut To The Feeling.”  Next week we're reading John Green's new novel 'Turtles All The Way Down.' We hope you'll join us!

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'My Absolute Darling' by Gabriel Tallent with Gabriel himself. The book follows Turtle Alveston, a young girl living in northern Calfornia, as she fights to escape unthinkable abuse from her father. Then as always, we end the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Gabriel recommends ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ by Celeste Ng and 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison.</li> <li>Aliza recommends Ronan Farrow’s piece in the New Yorker about the Harvey Weinstein allegations "For Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: "<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harvey Weinstein's Accusers Tell Their Stories</a>." "It didn’t break the news about the Weinstein abuses but it really delved into what was going on ... My recommendation is to listen to women, especially when they tell you about trauma. And read Ronan's New Yorker piece."</li> <li>Peter recommends Netflix's new show 'American Vandal.' “Even though I do have faults with the plot as it’s told, it is an extremely well done fictionalized mystery, with some fantastic acting from some very young actors.” Peter also recommends watching the french horror movie 'Raw' in October for Halloween. You can see Peter's full list of Netflix hidden-gem horror movie recommendations <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/10/11/netflix-hidden-horror-movies-2017/#Ha6veaWX2mqA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</li> <li>MJ recommends reading 'Call Me By Your Name' by André Aciman. “Boy is that a beautifully written novel.” He also recommends all of the Armie Hammer dance club mashups that riff of of the movie 'Call Me By Your Name', especially <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstKnivesClub/status/918367676313034752" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a> of Armie dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Cut To The Feeling.”</li> </ul> Next week we're reading John Green's new novel 'Turtles All The Way Down.' We hope you'll join us!

'My Absolute Darling' (featuring guest and author Gabriel Tallent)

Chloe Benjamin

The Immortalists (with guest and author Chloe Benjamin)

This week we are joined by two guests  — Martha's roommate Zach and MJ's brother Marc — to chat about 'Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda,' A.K.A. the book that inspired the movie 'Love, Simon.'Then, inspired by Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, we talk about books we wish we had growing up, including The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman, and The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky.And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Zach, Martha's roommate, recommends the Netflix show The Words Most Extraordinary Homes. "The show is perfect because one: it is British. There are two British co-hosts and they are just lovely people, because they are absolutely the most genuine. They just go around and look at beautiful homes and talk about the architecture. It's so simple and so perfect." Marc recommends Bravo's reality TV show Vanderpump Rules. "It is pop culture junk food. It's an awful, awful show. But you see yourself in it, in a strange way." He also recommends Scaachi Cole's essay on Buzzfeed “'Vanderpump Rules' Is The Worst Show On TV That You Should Be Watching." "It's super, super funny read, and it's just a super well written essay." Martha recommends Vince Staple's Go Fund Me project "Get Off My D*ck or Fund My Lifestyle," which was a response to critics saying that Vince Staples raps over low quality robot beats. "I love the song first of all and I love him. But it made me think about the larger cultural conversation about people's critiques about black art, and how a lot of people who write online, or talk about hip hop, don't get it." MJ recommends "I wore Adidas tracksuits for week like Armie Hammer," a first person story where Elle writer Estelle Tang, well, wore Adidas tracksuits for a week like Armie Hammer. "The story she wrote is phenomenal, it's so funny. It's just this really great hilarious article about someone doing this ridiculous stunt." Also mentioned on this podcast: our interview with Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone and Alim Kheraj's article for GQ "The Bright Future of Queer Literature Is the Young-Adult Novel." And be sure to check out MJ's review of Love, Simon here.Next week, we're reading A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. We hope you'll join us. If you're looking for more books coverage, be sure to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter.

This week we are joined by two guests  — Martha's roommate Zach and MJ's brother Marc — to chat about 'Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda,' A.K.A. the book that inspired the movie 'Love, Simon.'Then, inspired by Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, we talk about books we wish we had growing up, including The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman, and The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky. And as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li> Zach, Martha's roommate, recommends the Netflix show The Words Most Extraordinary Homes. "The show is perfect because one: it is British. There are two British co-hosts and they are just lovely people, because they are absolutely the most genuine. They just go around and look at beautiful homes and talk about the architecture. It's so simple and so perfect." </li> <li> Marc recommends Bravo's reality TV show Vanderpump Rules. "It is pop culture junk food. It's an awful, awful show. But you see yourself in it, in a strange way." He also recommends Scaachi Cole's essay on Buzzfeed “<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/scaachikoul/what-did-we-do-to-deserve-vanderpump-rules?utm_term=.yyMxbLdOD#.sxLPJ5qwm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">'Vanderpump Rules' Is The Worst Show On TV That You Should Be Watching</a>." "It's super, super funny read, and it's just a super well written essay." </li> <li> Martha recommends Vince Staple's Go Fund Me project "Get Off My D*ck or Fund My Lifestyle," which was a response to critics saying that Vince Staples raps over low quality robot beats. "I love the song first of all and I love him. But it made me think about the larger cultural conversation about people's critiques about black art, and how a lot of people who write online, or talk about hip hop, don't get it." </li> <li> MJ recommends "<a href="https://www.elle.com/fashion/personal-style/a18931929/adidas-tracksuits-armie-hammer-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I wore Adidas tracksuits for week like Armie Hammer</a>," a first person story where Elle writer Estelle Tang, well, wore Adidas tracksuits for a week like Armie Hammer. "The story she wrote is phenomenal, it's so funny. It's just this really great hilarious article about someone doing this ridiculous stunt." </li> <li> Also mentioned on this podcast: <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/03/09/children-of-blood-and-bone-interview/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">our interview with Tomi Adeyemi</a>, author of Children of Blood and Bone and Alim Kheraj's article for GQ "<a href="https://www.gq.com/story/the-bright-future-of-queer-literature-is-the-young-adult-novel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Bright Future of Queer Literature Is the Young-Adult Novel.</a>" </li> <li> And be sure to check out <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/02/27/love-simon-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MJ's review of Love, Simon here</a>. </li></ul>Next week, we're reading A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. We hope you'll join us. If you're looking for more books coverage, be sure to follow MashReads on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MashableReads/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mashreads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and books we wish had growing up

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'Cat Person' by Kristen Roupenian. Then, we move on and discuss books and stories that we extremely related to.And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Chloe recommends 'Difficult Women' by Roxane Gay. "It's great. I assume that if you're listening to this podcast, you'd be into very interior female protagonists. It's full of them. It's great." Nicole recommends 'A Life Apart' by Neel Mukherjee. She also recommends 'Voyeur,' a documentary on Netflix about Gay Talese's 'New Yorker' article "The Voyeur's Motel." "It is fascinating. It made me think about who we are as people and what's okay and what's not okay, and it's very nuanced. And it was also great to see Gay Talese talking about being a writer, and to get a peek into his life as well." Peter recommends 'Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made' by Jason Schreier, a news editor at Kotaku. "It is fascinating to me because it's an industry with no parallel in the world." MJ recommends The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy. "What I love about the book is: she observes the world in such a specific, unique way, and she writes about it so well." He also recommends listening to Into Strangers, a mashup of Ariana Grande's "Into You" with the Stranger Things theme song.Also mentioned on this show: Kristen Roupenian's interview about writing 'Cat Person' with Deborah Treisman for the New Yorker. The Twitter account Men React to Cat Person.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss '<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cat Person</a>' by Kristen Roupenian. Then, we move on and discuss books and stories that we extremely related to. And as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li> Chloe recommends 'Difficult Women' by Roxane Gay. "It's great. I assume that if you're listening to this podcast, you'd be into very interior female protagonists. It's full of them. It's great." </li> <li> Nicole recommends 'A Life Apart' by Neel Mukherjee. She also recommends 'Voyeur,' a documentary on Netflix about Gay Talese's 'New Yorker' article "<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/11/gay-talese-the-voyeurs-motel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Voyeur's Motel</a>." "It is fascinating. It made me think about who we are as people and what's okay and what's not okay, and it's very nuanced. And it was also great to see Gay Talese talking about being a writer, and to get a peek into his life as well." </li> <li> Peter recommends 'Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made' by Jason Schreier, a news editor at Kotaku. "It is fascinating to me because it's an industry with no parallel in the world." </li> <li> MJ recommends The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy. "What I love about the book is: she observes the world in such a specific, unique way, and she writes about it so well." He also recommends listening to <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-137629024/into-strangers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Into Strangers</a>, a mashup of Ariana Grande's "Into You" with the Stranger Things theme song. </li></ul>Also mentioned on this show: <ul> <li> Kristen Roupenian's <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/this-week-in-fiction/fiction-this-week-kristen-roupenian-2017-12-11" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">interview about writing 'Cat Person'</a> with Deborah Treisman for the New Yorker. </li> <li> The Twitter account <a href="https://twitter.com/MenCatPerson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Men React to Cat Person</a>. </li></ul>

'Cat Person' and extremely relatable books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk about all things Black Panther. Join us as we talk about Marvel's new 'Black Panther' movie. Then we revisit 'Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet,'  the 2016 Ta-Nehisi Coates 'Black Panther' comic book run. And as always, we close the show with recommendations.   Brian de los Santos, Mashable's assistant editor who joined us this week, recommends hyphy music, especially because of the Black Panther soundtrack. "It was the soundtrack to my high school experience, t was the one moment in which the Bay Area, growing up, had reached the map. Hyphy music has influences on the [Black Panther] soundtrack — E-40, Mac Dre, go ahead and listen to every song they've done. It's very related to this [Black Panther] discussion, and Oakland, and it's just very good music overall." Martha recommends Queer Eye, Netflix's reboot of the early 2000's show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. "It's one of those TV shows where you can go home, and sit on the couch and escape in it, and feel good." Peter recommends The New York Times' podcast Still Processing. "We've talked about it on this podcast, but they've had back to back episodes that have really been wonderful to me. They did a fantastic one this week about Black Panther with Ta-Nehisi Coates. And the week before that they did a show on Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbing, Missouri and they were to succinctly describe my dissatisfaction with that film in a way that I was never able to put together in my head." MJ recommends all of the hilarious writing about Fergie's, um, colorful, national anthem performance, including "Fergie Apologizes for Giving America the National Anthem It Deserves" from The Root" and "A Brief, Fraught Timeline of My Attempt to Watch Fergie’s Whole Rendition of the National Anthem" from The Ringer. "The rendition was not the greatest. The writing about the rendition has been phenomenal." And be sure to check out Brian de los Santos' story "Someone hijacked my Spotify. Here's what happened when I fought back." And if you want to discover more Black Panther, be sure to check out Mashable's comprehensive coverage with 'Black Panther Week' here.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk about all things Black Panther. Join us as we talk about Marvel's new 'Black Panther' movie. Then we revisit 'Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet,'  the 2016 Ta-Nehisi Coates 'Black Panther' comic book run. And as always, we close the show with recommendations.  <ul> <li> Brian de los Santos, Mashable's assistant editor who joined us this week, recommends hyphy music, especially because of the Black Panther soundtrack. "It was the soundtrack to my high school experience, t was the one moment in which the Bay Area, growing up, had reached the map. Hyphy music has influences on the [Black Panther] soundtrack — E-40, Mac Dre, go ahead and listen to every song they've done. It's very related to this [Black Panther] discussion, and Oakland, and it's just very good music overall." </li> <li> Martha recommends Queer Eye, Netflix's reboot of the early 2000's show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. "It's one of those TV shows where you can go home, and sit on the couch and escape in it, and feel good." </li> <li> Peter recommends The New York Times' podcast Still Processing. "We've talked about it on this podcast, but they've had back to back episodes that have really been wonderful to me. They did a fantastic one this week about Black Panther with Ta-Nehisi Coates. And the week before that they did a show on Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbing, Missouri and they were to succinctly describe my dissatisfaction with that film in a way that I was never able to put together in my head." </li> <li> MJ recommends all of the hilarious writing about Fergie's, um, colorful, national anthem performance, including "<a href="https://thegrapevine.theroot.com/fergie-apologizes-for-giving-america-the-national-anthe-1823161024?utm_source=theroot_twitter&amp;utm_medium=socialflow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fergie Apologizes for Giving America the National Anthem It Deserves</a>" from The Root" and "<a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2018/2/19/17029908/fergie-national-anthem-all-star-game" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Brief, Fraught Timeline of My Attempt to Watch Fergie’s Whole Rendition of the National Anthem</a>" from The Ringer. "The rendition was not the greatest. The writing about the rendition has been phenomenal." </li> <li> And be sure to check out Brian de los Santos' story "<a href="https://mashable.com/2018/02/19/spotify-account-random-device-hijack/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Someone hijacked my Spotify. Here's what happened when I fought back</a>." </li> <li> And if you want to discover more Black Panther, be sure to check out Mashable's comprehensive coverage with <a href="https://mashable.com/category/black-panther-week/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">'Black Panther Week' here</a>. </li></ul>

Black Panther

R.J. Palacio

Wonder

This week on The MashReads Podcast, we talk to R.J. Palacio about her novel Wonder, which was just turned into a major motion picture staring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The book follows a year in the life of Auggie Pullman, a 10-year-old boy who is starting the 5th grade. Though Auggie is a normal 10-year-old boy, he was born with facial differences resulting in numerous surgeries which have kept him homeschooled and away from his peers until now. Now, entering school for the first time, Auggie and his community must find the courage, kindness, and empathy to accept each other, despite their differences. "The narrative we’ve come to expect and accept about middle schoolers being mean and middle schoolers being cruel and all of that is one that don’t subscribe to because, [while] kids can be mean, I’ve also experienced tremendous nobility. What I’ve seen in children is they reach out to support each other when they’re down. Kids have an innate nobility that needs to be urged on a little bit an inspired." Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations:  R.J. recommends City of Thieves by David Benioff. “It was such a great read, it was a perfect airplane read, it was really a lot of fun.” She also recommends the Wonder movie, of course. MJ recommends Caity Weaver’s GQ profile of Gal Gadot “The Gal Gadot Next Door.” “It’s phenomenal. Once again [Caity Weaver’s] just flexing her writing muscles and showing off.”

This week on The MashReads Podcast, we talk to R.J. Palacio about her novel Wonder, which was just turned into a major motion picture staring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The book follows a year in the life of Auggie Pullman, a 10-year-old boy who is starting the 5th grade. Though Auggie is a normal 10-year-old boy, he was born with facial differences resulting in numerous surgeries which have kept him homeschooled and away from his peers until now. Now, entering school for the first time, Auggie and his community must find the courage, kindness, and empathy to accept each other, despite their differences. "The narrative we’ve come to expect and accept about middle schoolers being mean and middle schoolers being cruel and all of that is one that don’t subscribe to because, [while] kids can be mean, I’ve also experienced tremendous nobility. What I’ve seen in children is they reach out to support each other when they’re down. Kids have an innate nobility that needs to be urged on a little bit an inspired." Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>R.J. recommends City of Thieves by David Benioff. “It was such a great read, it was a perfect airplane read, it was really a lot of fun.” She also recommends the Wonder movie, of course.</li> <li>MJ recommends Caity Weaver’s GQ profile of Gal Gadot “<a href="https://www.gq.com/story/the-gal-gadot-next-door-profile" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Gal Gadot Next Door.</a>” “It’s phenomenal. Once again [Caity Weaver’s] just flexing her writing muscles and showing off.”</li></ul>

Wonder (with guest and author R.J. Palacio)

John Green is back! This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'Turtles All the Way Down,' John Green's first book in 6 years after 'The Fault In Our Stars.' The book follows Aza, a 16-year-old would-be detective living in Indianapolis who is trying to track down a missing billionaire, Russell Pickett, with her friend Daisy, all the while grappingly with her own severe OCD and anxiety. Then, inspired by 'Turtles All The Way Down,' we chat about our favorite books that explore mental health, including 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger, 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell, 'Our Numbered Days' by Neil Hillborn, 'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest' by Ken Kesey, and 'Looking For Alaska' by John Green. And finally, we close the show with recommendations:  Aliza recommends Kesha's album 'Rainbow.' "Something that has gotten me through the heaviness of being a woman on the internet in the past few weeks has been the album 'Rainbow' by Kesha Rose. (Bonus reading: Check out Mashable's Deputy Managing Editor Alex Hazlett's review of a Kesha concert here.) Proma recommends watching 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.' "It's laugh out funny, but also extremely dark, and so stupidly well made." Peter recommends 'The Florida Project.' "It is just a marvelous movie. Really wonderful to watch." He also recommends reading Sarah Polley's New York Times op-ed "The Men You Meet When Making Movies." MJ recommends reading Mashable's Senior Space Reporter Miram Kramer's essay "The discovery that Earth's gold formed in the stars changes the way I see the world."  Other things we mentioned in the episode:  MJ's full review of Turtles All The Way Down. Proma's essay about why Looking For Alaska is John Green's best novel. John Green and Hank Green's YouTube channel Vlogbrothers.Next week we're reading Shirley Jackson's classic horror novel The Haunting of Hill House. We hope you'll join us. Also, if you're looking to sink your teeth into something longer, we have a new MashReads book club book for the month — 'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter' by Erika Sánchez. We'll be chatting with Sánchez about the book IRL on Monday, Nov. 13 at 6:30pm ET. RSVP here and join us!And if you're looking for even more book news, don't forget to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter.

John Green is back! This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'Turtles All the Way Down,' John Green's first book in 6 years after 'The Fault In Our Stars.' The book follows Aza, a 16-year-old would-be detective living in Indianapolis who is trying to track down a missing billionaire, Russell Pickett, with her friend Daisy, all the while grappingly with her own severe OCD and anxiety. Then, inspired by 'Turtles All The Way Down,' we chat about our favorite books that explore mental health, including 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger, 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell, 'Our Numbered Days' by Neil Hillborn, 'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest' by Ken Kesey, and 'Looking For Alaska' by John Green. And finally, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Aliza recommends Kesha's album 'Rainbow.' "Something that has gotten me through the heaviness of being a woman on the internet in the past few weeks has been the album 'Rainbow' by Kesha Rose. (Bonus reading: Check out Mashable's Deputy Managing Editor Alex Hazlett's review of a Kesha concert <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/07/13/kesha-woman-essay/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li> <li>Proma recommends watching 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.' "It's laugh out funny, but also extremely dark, and so stupidly well made."</li> <li>Peter recommends 'The Florida Project.' "It is just a marvelous movie. Really wonderful to watch." He also recommends reading Sarah Polley's New York Times op-ed "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/opinion/sunday/harvey-weinstein-sarah-polley.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Men You Meet When Making Movies</a>."</li> <li>MJ recommends reading Mashable's Senior Space Reporter Miram Kramer's essay "<a href="http://mashable.com/2017/10/16/gravitational-waves-neutron-stars-collision-discovery-gold-perspective/#yInAFISNDhqU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The discovery that Earth's gold formed in the stars changes the way I see the world</a>."</li> </ul> Other things we mentioned in the episode: <ul> <li>MJ's <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/10/13/john-green-turtles-all-the-way-down-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">full review of Turtles All The Way Down</a>.</li> <li>Proma's essay about <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/10/07/john-green-looking-for-alaska-turtles/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">why Looking For Alaska is John Green's best novel</a>.</li> <li> John Green and Hank Green's YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vlogbrothers</a>. </li></ul>Next week we're reading Shirley Jackson's classic horror novel The Haunting of Hill House. We hope you'll join us.   Also, if you're looking to sink your teeth into something longer, we have a new MashReads book club book for the month — 'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter' by Erika Sánchez. We'll be chatting with Sánchez about the book IRL on Monday, Nov. 13 at 6:30pm ET. <a href="https://imnotyourperfect.splashthat.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSVP here</a> and join us! And if you're looking for even more book news, don't forget to follow MashReads on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MashableReads/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mashreads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.

'Turtles All The Way Down' and books about mental health

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Annihilation, the first book in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy. Join us as we talk about the mysterious Area X, VanderMeer's unique approach to suspense, and what makes Annihilation so singular.Then, inspired by Annihilation, we talk about books that make us go "WTF?!" including: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Windup Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, and Wool by Hugh Howey.And as always we close the show with recommendations: Dustin, Mashable's art director who join us to talk about 'Annihilation,' recommends 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman. "It was a really cool book and also it was a really fast read." Martha recommends 'Black photographers and the civil rights struggle'. "If you get a chance, please look at those photographs. I want every one of them framed and printed in my future home." She also recommends rewatching Season 1 of 'Atlanta.' "It's a fantastic show and it's very trippy." Peter recommends the BBC comedy 'Derry Girls.' "I think it's pretty wonderful... It's this really goofy comedy that is in a really serious setting, and I just really enjoyed it a lot." MJ recommends Mashable's three-part series investigating climate change refugees and the nuclear legacy of the Marshall Islands. (Part I: The Poison and the Tomb: One family's journey to their contaminated home, Part II: On Standby: When you leave the Marshall Islands, you buy a one-way ticket, Part III: A new home, somewhere else.) He also got to go to a screening of 'Love, Simon.' "It makes my heart sing, it's so so charming. You can read his review of the movie here.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Annihilation, the first book in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy. Join us as we talk about the mysterious Area X, VanderMeer's unique approach to suspense, and what makes Annihilation so singular.Then, inspired by Annihilation, we talk about books that make us go "WTF?!" including: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Windup Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, and Wool by Hugh Howey. And as always we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li> Dustin, Mashable's art director who join us to talk about 'Annihilation,' recommends 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman. "It was a really cool book and also it was a really fast read." </li> <li> Martha recommends '<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/black-photographers-civil-rights-struggle-180131073443622.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Black photographers and the civil rights struggle</a>'. "If you get a chance, please look at those photographs. I want every one of them framed and printed in my future home." She also recommends rewatching Season 1 of 'Atlanta.' "It's a fantastic show and it's very trippy." </li> <li> Peter recommends the BBC comedy 'Derry Girls.' "I think it's pretty wonderful... It's this really goofy comedy that is in a really serious setting, and I just really enjoyed it a lot." </li> <li> MJ recommends Mashable's three-part series investigating climate change refugees and the nuclear legacy of the Marshall Islands. (Part I: <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/02/25/marshall-islands-nuclear-testing/?utm_cid=hp-h-1#xOf3nymwHhqy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Poison and the Tomb: One family's journey to their contaminated home</a>, Part II: <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/02/25/marshall-islands-climate-refugees/?utm_cid=hp-h-1#gnETOV4aVYqc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">On Standby: When you leave the Marshall Islands, you buy a one-way ticket</a>, Part III: <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/02/25/marshall-islands-arkansas/?utm_cid=hp-h-2#pKraDZBTVzqh" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A new home, somewhere else</a>.) He also got to go to a screening of 'Love, Simon.' "It makes my heart sing, it's so so charming. You can read his review of the movie <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/02/27/love-simon-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. </li></ul>

Annihilation and books that make us go WTF

James Dashner

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we catch up with James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner series to chat about the movie adaptation of his novel The Death Cure, dystopian novels vs. post-apocalyptic novels, and what's its like to write blockbuster books. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations:  James recommends Leonard da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. "It is fantastic. Leonardo da Vinci had a fascinating life, and I really enjoyed [this book]." Peter recommends Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli. MJ recommends "'Call Me By Your Name' is the rare case where you should watch the movie before reading the book," an essay by Mashable's entertainment editor (and frequent MashReads quest) Proma Khosla. He also recommends "The Self In Self-Help," a 2013 essay by Kathryn Schultz.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we catch up with James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner series to chat about the movie adaptation of his novel The Death Cure, dystopian novels vs. post-apocalyptic novels, and what's its like to write blockbuster books. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>James recommends Leonard da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. "It is fantastic. Leonardo da Vinci had a fascinating life, and I really enjoyed [this book]."</li> <li>Peter recommends Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli.</li> <li>MJ recommends "<a href="https://mashable.com/2018/01/07/call-me-by-your-name-book-movie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">'Call Me By Your Name' is the rare case where you should watch the movie before reading the book</a>," an essay by Mashable's entertainment editor (and frequent MashReads quest) Proma Khosla. He also recommends "<a href="http://nymag.com/health/self-help/2013/schulz-self-searching/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Self In Self-Help</a>," a 2013 essay by Kathryn Schultz.</li></ul>

'Maze Runner' series (with guest and author James Dashner)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Ursula Le Guin's short story "The One's Who Walk Away From Omelas." The story forces readers to imagine the utopia of Omelas, an idylic land filled with festivals, sun and happiness. But as a part of an undisclosed bargain, the joy of Omelas is only possible if one child experiences extreme pain. This child is imprisoned in a cellar or broom closet, covered in sores and can have no happy thing or kind word offered to him. Everyone in Omelas knows of this child -- citizens usually learn of the child when they are between 10-12 years old – and many accept this child’s pain as a fact of life. The ones who do not walk away from Omelas into the great unknown never to return. Though only 4 short pages, the story forces readers to grapple with a complex moral and ethical conundrum: should we accept the pain of one person if it makes the happiness of many possible. Then, inspired by Ursula Le Guin and Women’s History Month, we discuss female authors that shaped the book world, including S.E. Hinton who defined modern YA with The Outsiders, Joan Didion who helped shape creative non-fiction with her books Slouching Toward Bethlehem and The Year of Magical Thinking, M.K. Jemmeson [sp] who is brining more representation to the fantasy genre with The Fifth Element, and Shirley Jackson whose work captured the 1940s and ‘50s anxiety of womanhood.  And as always we close the show with recommendations:  Aliza recommends The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. “It is YA but it so amazing and powerful and wonderful and important. It’s amazing. Every single person on the planet should read it.” Peter recommends The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. “It is just so surprising and fun and full of joy yet challenging. As a person who has always loved Legend of Zelda games, the last several have fallen beneath my standard of excellence and this rises above any expectations I could have mustered.” MJ recommends 20th Century Women. “That movie is so good! Number 1 Annette Benning [sp] is flawless in this movie. The movie is so dynamic, it’s so feminist, it’s funny, it is smart, I cannot begin to describe how thought provoking [the movie is].”

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Ursula Le Guin's short story "The One's Who Walk Away From Omelas." The story forces readers to imagine the utopia of Omelas, an idylic land filled with festivals, sun and happiness. But as a part of an undisclosed bargain, the joy of Omelas is only possible if one child experiences extreme pain. This child is imprisoned in a cellar or broom closet, covered in sores and can have no happy thing or kind word offered to him. Everyone in Omelas knows of this child -- citizens usually learn of the child when they are between 10-12 years old – and many accept this child’s pain as a fact of life. The ones who do not walk away from Omelas into the great unknown never to return. Though only 4 short pages, the story forces readers to grapple with a complex moral and ethical conundrum: should we accept the pain of one person if it makes the happiness of many possible. Then, inspired by Ursula Le Guin and Women’s History Month, we discuss female authors that shaped the book world, including S.E. Hinton who defined modern YA with The Outsiders, Joan Didion who helped shape creative non-fiction with her books Slouching Toward Bethlehem and The Year of Magical Thinking, M.K. Jemmeson [sp] who is brining more representation to the fantasy genre with The Fifth Element, and Shirley Jackson whose work captured the 1940s and ‘50s anxiety of womanhood.  And as always we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>Aliza recommends The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. “It is YA but it so amazing and powerful and wonderful and important. It’s amazing. Every single person on the planet should read it.”</li> <li>Peter recommends The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. “It is just so surprising and fun and full of joy yet challenging. As a person who has always loved Legend of Zelda games, the last several have fallen beneath my standard of excellence and this rises above any expectations I could have mustered.”</li> <li>MJ recommends 20th Century Women. “That movie is so good! Number 1 Annette Benning [sp] is flawless in this movie. The movie is so dynamic, it’s so feminist, it’s funny, it is smart, I cannot begin to describe how thought provoking [the movie is].”</li></ul>

'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas' and women who shaped the book world

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Max Porter's Grief Is The Thing With Feathers. The book follows three characters after a family's mother dies: Dad, Boys (a combination of the families two children), and Crow (who is the maybe real, maybe imaginary incarnation of grief who resides with the family while they grieve). Through a series of vignettes told from the perspective of each character, Grief explores just what happens when we lose someone and what it means to heal. Join us as we talk about what makes Grief Is The Thing With Feathers different than other grief books and what makes it so perfectly, beautifully, unforgettably heartbreaking. Then, inspired by Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, we chat about our favorite books about grief including The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Enon by Paul Harding, and the poem 'The Gaffe' by C.K. Williams. And, as always we close the show with recommendations:  First and foremost, you should listen to Max Porter talk about Grief Is The Thing With Feathers here. Matt, Mashable's Social Good editor who joined us for the episode, recommends VS Podcast, a poetry podcast from the Poetry Foundation. "They talk about what its like to talk about what its like to be poets and humans, especially in 2017. And it's honestly just so enjoyable." MJ recommends listening to the Longform Podcast's interview with Maggie Haberman, who covers the White House for the New York Times. "It's just an amazing, thoughtful interview from someone who is at the top of her game is doing incredibly important reporting right now." He also recommends Joan Didion's essay collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Peter recommends the album A Crow Looked A Me by Mount Eerie. "[The album] is so immaculately beautiful. It is so caring and sweet and soft and sad. There could not have been a better pairing [with Grief Is The Thing With Feathers.]"

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Max Porter's Grief Is The Thing With Feathers. The book follows three characters after a family's mother dies: Dad, Boys (a combination of the families two children), and Crow (who is the maybe real, maybe imaginary incarnation of grief who resides with the family while they grieve). Through a series of vignettes told from the perspective of each character, Grief explores just what happens when we lose someone and what it means to heal. Join us as we talk about what makes Grief Is The Thing With Feathers different than other grief books and what makes it so perfectly, beautifully, unforgettably heartbreaking. Then, inspired by Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, we chat about our favorite books about grief including The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Enon by Paul Harding, and the poem '<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/43222/the-gaffe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Gaffe'</a> by C.K. Williams. And, as always we close the show with recommendations: <ul> <li>First and foremost, you should listen to Max Porter talk about Grief Is The Thing With Feathers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6jOh6-TyUs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</li> <li>Matt, Mashable's Social Good editor who joined us for the episode, recommends <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2017/07/introducing-vs-podcast-where-poets-confront-the-ideas-that-move-them" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VS Podcast</a>, a poetry podcast from the Poetry Foundation. "They talk about what its like to talk about what its like to be poets and humans, especially in 2017. And it's honestly just so enjoyable."</li> <li>MJ recommends listening to the <a href="https://longform.org/posts/longform-podcast-254-maggie-haberman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Longform Podcast's interview with Maggie Haberman</a>, who covers the White House for the New York Times. "It's just an amazing, thoughtful interview from someone who is at the top of her game is doing incredibly important reporting right now." He also recommends Joan Didion's essay collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem.</li> <li>Peter recommends the album A Crow Looked A Me by <a href="http://www.pwelverumandsun.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mount Eerie</a>. "[The album] is so immaculately beautiful. It is so caring and sweet and soft and sad. There could not have been a better pairing [with Grief Is The Thing With Feathers.]"</li></ul>

'Grief Is The Thing With Feathers' and our favorite books about grief

Dave Eggers

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Dave Eggers and Moktar Alkhanshali about Dave Eggers' new biography of Moktar Alkhanshali and the history of coffee, 'The Monk of Mokha."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Dave Eggers and Moktar Alkhanshali about Dave Eggers' new biography of Moktar Alkhanshali and the history of coffee, 'The Monk of Mokha."

The Monk of Mokha (featuring Dave Eggers and Moktar Alkhanshali )

This week, we read and discuss Madeline L'Engle's classic children's book 'A Wrinkle In Time.' Then, inspired by the book (and it's recent big screen adaptation), we talk about books we want to see turned into movies. Next week, we're reading and discussing Ken Lui's short story 'Paper Menagerie.' We hope you'll join us. You can read it online here.

This week, we read and discuss Madeline L'Engle's classic children's book 'A Wrinkle In Time.' Then, inspired by the book (and it's recent big screen adaptation), we talk about books we want to see turned into movies. Next week, we're reading and discussing Ken Lui's short story 'Paper Menagerie.' We hope you'll join us. You can read it online <a href="http://www.nlb.gov.sg/readsingapore/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The-Paper-Menagerie.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.

A Wrinkle In Time and books we want to see turned into movies

The best self improvement podcast episodes. From improving productivity, to finding purpose in your life to what constitutes freedom, this topic is on anything and everything that can help people to improve their lives. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Self Improvement, Growth & Development

The best podcast episodes on romantic relationships. Episodes talk about the 5 love languages, intimacy, and the taboo topics of sexual desires and infidelity. This topic is a deep dive into the science and complexities that face us in our relationships with others. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!