The Dust Jacket

Happy Halloween! For the end of Spooktober, we're talking about the cult hit Slewfoot, by Brom. We discuss why Puritans make great horror villains, why this book is actually two books, and the power and pitfalls of witch hunts in fiction. Spoilers from 15 minutes.

We talk about a haunted house book that just got published, Play Nice, by Rachel Harrison. It features an interesting premise, but we didn't care much for the execution...  Spoilers from 17 minutes in

We discuss the very popular horror novel The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward. Controversially, we didn't like it much... Spoilers from 15 minutes in, and these are very real, will-spoil-the-book-for-you type spoilers. 

This week we're talking about The Frequency of Living Things, and for the first time ever, we have the author on to discuss his book with us! Nick Fuller Googins shares stories about the ins and outs of publishing, the real-life activist inmate who inspired one of the characters in this book, and how his writing process takes him on unexpected journeys. This episode is spoiler-free

To kick off Halloween month, we're reading the disgusting horror novel Tender Is the Flesh, by Argentinian author Agustina Bazterrica.  Warning: this book is about cannibalism, and our discussion of it mentions a lot of stomach-turning violence, including to pregnant women and animals. Skip this one if you have any reservations about that subject matter.  Spoilers from 19 mins

We discuss the Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, which depicts Haymitch's Hunger Games. How does it hold up next to other Hunger Games books and next to other dystopian YA books?  Spoilers from 14 minutes in, but honestly, if you read the Hunger Games, you already know them

We bring in our Irish friends, Róisín and Claire, to help us discuss Aisling Rawle's The Compound. Billed as "Love Island meets Lord of the Flies," The Compound deals with a vacuous main character on a vapid TV show... but can it meet its goal to rise above vacuousness and vapidity?  Spoilers from 30 mins in

We discuss the first in a series of historical mysteries set in 1920s India. Somehow no spoilers? 

Our friend Caleb joins us to talk about the fantasy/mystery crossover, The Tainted Cup, which is basically Sherlock Holmes with kaiju.  We talk about what kaiju are, why more fantasies (and mysteries) should be funnier, and how the second book in this series let us down.  Spoilers, including for the sequel, starting from 29 minutes

This week we're arguing about Lady Tan's Circle of Women, by Lisa See. We disagree about everything from the controversies surrounding the author to the objective of historical fiction. And especially whether Lady Tan herself is a good character or not.

This week we have a special guest, Bailey, on the show to talk about one of her favorite books, The Death of Vivek Oji.  We talk about the incestuous sex scenes, the divisive ending, and a whole lot more.  Spoilers from 20 mins

We discuss the 2025 runaway hit, Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall. It features both cheating and a wedding, so we have plenty to discuss.  Light spoilers at 8 minutes, full spoilers at 24 minutes

This week we discuss the seminal sci-fi novel-in-stories The Martian Chronicles, with special guest Sam, who brought his father's original edition to the discussion.  No spoilers since this book doesn't really have a plot, but we do spoil individual stories. 

We discuss Thao Thai's Banyan Moon and other multi-generational sagas    Spoilers from 11 minutes in

We discuss whether this 2012 still holds up or if the controversies are too much for it. We also talk about the wide range of philosophical questions it asks.  TW: assisted suicide Spoilers at 5 minutes in

We discuss the Fourth Wing-esque, possibly AI-written, new romantasy Silver Elite, with a special guest from our book group, Kate the librarian!  We get into some of the rumors swirling around this book, why it was only disappointingly bad, not amusingly bad, and more.  Spoilers start at 27 minutes

We discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. For some of us, it was an iconic formative book. For others, a dumb thing boys liked.  Spoilers start at 19 mins

We have a special guest star--our niece and TJR superfan Kayla--on the pod to talk about TJR's previous book, Carrie Soto Is Back, and also Taylor Jenkins Reid in general.  Spoilers start at 27 mins 

We discuss the high-profile 2023 vampire novel The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland. Should you read other vampire novels before you write your own? Would you like to be immortal or nah? Did this even need to be a vampire book? All that and more... Spoilers start around 20 minutes in

Special guest Lauren helps us discuss the future cult classic, Victorian Psycho, by Virginia Feito. A bizarre, grotesque, and hilarious novel.  No plot spoilers, but fair warning: we do talk about a lot of the surprising and outlandish moments in this book. If you want to go in completely fresh, read it first

We discuss The Book Censor's Library, by Bothayna Al-Essa, which was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for work in translation.  Spoilers start at 14 minutes in

We discuss the standout 2024 lit-fic novel, Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors

We discuss the 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist The Unicorn Woman, by Gayl Jones. This book is notable for its obscurity and also its low review scores. Later, Dacey digs into the Pulitzer Prize process and we float some totally unfounded theories about what goes on in those jury meetings.

We discuss the shocking memoir of One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz, who was in a cult for over a decade.  We also have a special guest, the person who recommended this book, Alayne!

We talk about the new novel by the acclaimed author of Black Cake. The love streak is over: neither of us liked this one. It's probably our fault.  Spoilers from 7 minutes in