The Summer Reading Podcast

Welcome back, y'all! Jack and Marty are working on getting back on track recording and posting (please praise our efforts! :-D) The friends are discussing audiobook speeds, disappointing English teachers, genre fiction and literary quality, and the stunningly complex novel, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin. We hope you enjoy! But if you don't, it's okay - it's all about...

Things are heating up here at the Summer Reading Podcast --- better protect your books! *ba-dum-ching* (I'll be here all week). The friends are loving audiobooks, reading books about medicine, the woes of having a cold and having all your books in poetry. Jack shares interesting tidbits about Ray Bradbury, Marty actually read the book fast, and both friends have lots to say about the sci fi cl...

Marty and Jack are keeping things mellow this episode, and Jack accurately predicted that this episode (recorded in winter) would air in summer! Marty is recovering from hosting a kids' birthday party, Jack is recovering from shoveling, and both are enjoying an escape to the Hebrides with the Ramsays! Join the friends as they dive into discussing Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Like wh...

Bubble bubble toil and trouble... Summer Reading is back! The friends discuss Christmas stories, Victorian literature, witches, balloons, recording locations, and... Shakespeare! So practice your Scottish accent, pretend it's chilly midwinter, and enjoy as Marty and Jack discuss the tragedy of Macbeth. Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com. We'd love t...

Jack and Marty are experiencing the Sunday scaries (or is it the all-the-time scaries?), but they're excited to be together for series week! Marty is completely absorbed in a new book while Jack is missing his boxed-up books, and both are big fans of Portland (Maine). Plus, they get into the adventures of YA fairies with their discussion of Queen of Nothing by Holly Black! Like what you hear?...

Jack is recounting his Canadian adventures and lamenting the lack of Willie Wonka knowledge among the youth of today. Marty complains about shoe laces & is riding the wave of being on a long call with Jack, and both friends are excited to dive into Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Come for the tragedy, stay for the comedy, charm, and mega theatre nerd vibes! Like what you hear? Let us know! Emai...

More theatre kids talking Shakespeare! Jack and Marty talk kindergarten flashbacks, Twister, favorite roles, and video games. Oh yeah, and they talk about the play. If you're feeling ready for fairies, iambs, and an all-around rollicking good time, you are sure to enjoy the Summer Reading take on A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare! Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at...

We're back with the Bard! This week, Marty and Jack are discussing one of his most famous tragedies, Romeo and Juliet . The friends discuss film adaptations, Taylor Swift songs, adolescent angst, and bubble machines (not in that order). So sit back, relax, and enjoy! Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

We've got some lit/theatre nerds discussing Shakespeare! Jack successfully made his doctor laugh, Marty is enjoying pink wine, and the besties are loving the Bard - this is the first of 5 episodes tackling Shakespeare! Dive into one of his best comedies, Much Ado About Nothing! Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Series week is back! And Jack and Marty are traveling back to the fairy realm with The Wicked King by Holly Black. There's also some debate of Fruity Pebbles vs. Fruit Loops, Reading Rainbow, and Hannah Barbara cartoons. So even if you haven't read the book, give a listen - you may enjoy it! :) Like what you hear? Let us know! You can email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com. We'd lo...

Hey listeners! It's been a minute! Someone (::cough cough:: Marty ) has been hanging onto a few episodes for awhile because too much life has been happening. But we're here! Jack is romancing shelves, Marty is colliding with vehicles, and both are diving into the deep romance and interiority of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer prize-winning Age of Innocence . Like what you hear? Let us know! E...

Jack is thoroughly enjoying a re-read of a YA series, and Marty is shamefully behind in her book club reads. If only there were some way to turn back time... talk about segues! Because we are reading and discussing The Time Machine by H.G. Wells! Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Jack is watching Columbo, Marty is enjoying children's cuisine, and both are loving this summer evening discussion of Silas Marner by George Eliot. Jack is in his zone with this era or literature and Marty is loving this first toe dip into George Eliot's literature. All the feels! Like what you hear? Let us know! Send us an email at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear fr...

Jack is rocking a fancy new office chair, Marty is loving summer reading at the library, and both are feeling patriotic while discussing The Wild Robot by Peter Brown! Enjoy as we discuss building community, robots with hearts, and all the joy that comes from reading children's literature. Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from...

We're back to series week! In this episode, Jack and Marty are diving into The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Jack is in his fantasy era, Marty is divulging librarian secrets, and the friends are discussing twins, magic, pacing, and classroom drama. Also, there's maybe a tiny spoiler at the beginning (Marty!) Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com. We&#39...

Jack and Marty are recording ACTUALLY together, not in the zoom-osphere so be ready for some serious shenanigans and an excellent discussion around The Giver by Lois Lowry! From birthday shout-outs to discussions of library lending periods, the friends get into dystopian themes, middle grade literature, nostalgia, and how prescient this book was when it was published (and how it reads to a contemp...

When the day is rainy and you're feeling complainy, pick up a book that is zany! That includes a cat (and a total drag of a goldfish). That's right, Marty and Jack are diving deep with this one - The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Listen, enjoy, shout "Oh Boy!" and email us! (if you must) at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com

Jack is channeling PBS, and Marty is relieved to head on this journey while they record on a Sunday evening. The friends discuss the state of the world (sort of), dogs, and a recent Newbery Winner. So if you like talking animals, environmental morality tales, and friendship stories, you are in for a real treat as Marty and Jack talk about The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers! Like what you h...

Marty is in mega Mom mode, and Jack is approaching a landmark birthday. The friends talk graphic novels, Tumblr, and the dangers of Jack offering help on crossword puzzles. And they throw a lot of random one-liners in there for Rosa's benefit. They also talk about the super fun futuristic/medieval YA graphic novel Nimona by ND Stevenson. So cozy up however you like, listen, and enjoy! Like wha...

Christmas may have passed, but it is living on in the hearts of the Summer Reading team! And in this episode, we are diving right into a beloved classic - The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Marty and Jack talk Christmas villages, being sick over the holidays, and reading aloud to large groups the same story (over and over). So make yourself some cocoa, curl up, and get back into the Christma...

Okay friends, here we go. Choices were made (lookin' at you, Marty), and the Summer Reading team is talking Three Lives by Gertrude Stein. They dive into Stein's life & influence, the value of this book in the time it was written, and their own feelings on the text. Perhaps you'll be curious enough to pick it up yourself! Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpo...

Jack and Marty are talking movies, other peoples' podcasts, music, and staying up late. Oh yeah, and they dive into Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin! This is a first read for both, and they have a lot to discuss - Americans in Paris, mid-century queer literature, and the side characters you always want to hear more from in books. Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gm...

Happy New Year, friends! Marty and Jack dive into this season of the podcast with none other than the famous modernist classic, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. They also talk New Year's resolutions, gratitude and penance, and the lovely escapism that comes with reading. Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Jack and Marty discuss vacations, going to the grocery store, and BBC adaptations of... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Clive Staples - who was known to his friends as Jack!) We talk about the book, too, of course ;). Step through the wardrobe with us, and listen to a lively discussion on beavers, Father Christmas, and magic of all types. Like what you hear? Let us know! Email...

Marty and Jack are both exhausted in different ways, so whee! Jack gets into his feelings on prefaces, Marty talks about mom-ing, and both are feeling good about wrapping up the latest series. So dive in with us to The Toll by Neal Shusterman, the third in the Arc of a Scythe series. Like what you hear? Let us know! Email us at summerreadingpodcaset@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!