Four Friends and a Book

After an extended break due to life things, the Four Friends reunite and take on the topic of banned books. From classics to the latest book releases, the group dives into why books are challenged and banned and the dangerous impact of taking books out of circulation.

Four Friends hits the 25th episode milestone! And what would the 'cast be without technical problems? Teresa loses her hearing for a spell, but the group recovers strongly to talk about Teresa's chosen genre, non-political non-fiction! Chaos ensues when Teresa's audio fails but she powers through to share how she never realized a book about Tuberculosis was missing from her life. Diane...

David leads Diane, Teresa, and Joe into a genre none of the three had ever explored: Graphic Novels. The Friends explore how well traditional books translate to the graphic novel form, whether the graphic novel medium scratches the same reading itch that traditional books do, and the value and power of any format that encourages children to read. David : Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons (Illus...

This episode's topic: Strong women characters Diane's pick kicked of a dynamite discussion of books featuring strong, memorable women characters. Conversation included discussion of the Bechdel test as applied to books, what makes a memorable woman character, unforgettable villainous women characters, and whether or not men can write strong, independent, and memorable women characters well...

The four friends -- still without a proper podcast name -- take on Political Satire. For the first time in recorded human history, Teresa agrees with Joe, both declaring that non-fiction cannot be satire. Then Joe started waffling and chaos returned. As the discussion unfolded, the breadth of Political Satire was surprising, bringing in discussions of everything from The Bonfire of the Vanities ,...

Teresa shares her favorite selections from her favorite genre: Magical Realism. The Four Bookish Friends discuss the distinction between fantasy and magical realism, different ways authors slip magical realism elements into other genres, and their overall love for the genre. Teresa : Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck Diane : The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia The World That We Knew by Ali...

David brings the twistiest of genres to the Four Friends, with Henry VIII: Wolfman , and genre-bending retelling of the story of Henry VIII...if he were a werewolf. The conversation was interesting and insightful, tracing the thematic elements -- the "connective tissue" -- of the original with the retelling. Austen Affair by Madeline Bell 11/22/63 by Stephen King Pride and Prejudice and...

The Four Friends discuss the new name for the 'cast Joe's taste in movies, and six incredible books from four momentous black voices. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler James by Percival Everett Erasure by Percival Everett Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Joe shares his love for military/espionage/political thrillers and his favorite authors from that genre -- John le Carré, W.E.B. Griffin, Tom Clancy, and Dan Brown. Surprisingly, it's not the action that he finds so fascinating; it's the ethical challenges faced by the protagonists. From the Cold War to the Drug Wars and beyond, the Four Friends talk about their favorites in the genre...an...

Teresa's excitement about the 2026 Winter Olympics cannot be quashed by the lack of participation in this discussion of books that the other three friends didn't read. Join this spirited discussion about pretty much everything except books about the Winter Olympics or that were Olympic adjacent or had at least something to do with winter sports.

The Four Friends welcome in Patchouli Stephanie, Diane's and Joe's daughter...and, unbeknownst to anyone, former college classmate of Teresa's and David's daughter! Diane's "Who Was Your First" idea spawned a discussion of the first book everyone read that made them feel connected to books, followed by a discussion of what we're reading now. The technical wheels c...

David, Diane, Teresa, and Joe reassemble after a down week and David brings his A game, talking about Adam Schiff's ⁠ Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could ⁠ . The group discusses political nonfiction books, dystopian fiction, and everything in between. The discourse gets a little salty so listener/viewer discretion is advised.

The Hepcats --- Teresa, Diane, David, and Joe --- return from the Holiday break to talk about their favorite "looking forward" books Diane: The Joy Diet by Martha Beck Teresa: Strong Ground by Brené Brown Joe: ⁠ The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz And, as it turns out, there's already another podcast called 4 Friends & a Book so the crew is in...

Teresa, Diane, David, and Joe share their favorite Holiday (and Holiday-adjacent) reads and traditions. Diane: The Briar Club by Kate Quinn Teresa: Maria by Michelle Moran Joe: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham David: The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore The Friends take on the big Holiday question: Is fruit cake -- and, by extension, fruit cake cookies -- a sin? David shares a beloved fam...

Teresa, David, Diane, and Joe discuss which books were made into movies they loved, which ones were made into movies they didn't love as much, and which books were so good they couldn't bring themselves to watch the movie at all, lest it ruin the book for them. Joe expresses his disdain for Mark Wahlberg ("Matt Damon is to Mark Wahlberg as Alec Baldwin is to Stephen Baldwin"), Da...

David regrets having chose Westerns for this week's genre. That is, until Teresa, Diane, and Joe started questioning what exactly makes a Western a Western. The usual suspects led to discussions of Larry McMurtry, Charles Portis, Louis L'Amour, Cormac McCarthy...but then came Elmore Leonard, John Steinbeck, and even Stephen King. What makes a Western a Western? Join us to find out! Frozen...

Diane, Teresa, David, and Joe get caught up after a week off and discuss their favorite books of 2025 (so far). Here are their favorites: Diane : The Wedding People by Alison Espach The Briar Club by Kate Quinn The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett Teresa : The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero The Book Club for Troubl...

Diane and Joe join the 'cast from the road, in Las Vegas, as Teresa leads the discussion of legal thrillers, like Phillip Margolin's latest, FALSE WITNESS, and John Grisham's latest, THE WIDOW. The friends discuss the unforgivable sins of legal thrillers and the things that make great thrillers great. Listen to hear what's coming next, as bibliophilia moves into the holiday season!

David rises from his sick bed as Diane honors Native American Heritage Month by recognizing the contributions of Tommy Orange, author of THERE THERE and WANDERING STARS. The four friends discuss the importance of seeing the world through the eyes of others and Diane introduces our followers to poet Joaquin Zihuatanejo. The four discuss banned books, hidden histories, and fry bread.

The Friends discuss book lists - celebrity lists, publisher lists, crowdsourced lists, and more. They also welcome in a new friend: Joe's son, Jon. He may not be renowned but he's definitely nowned.

The Friends confess their deepest, darkest secrets: which books they just couldn't get through. Milquetoast characters, overwrought writing, and just plain "I didn't like it" were among the reasons for noping out of a book somewhere between the first and last page.

The Friends celebrate the season as Teresa turns the podcast spooky. The group breaks down what makes a good spooky read, the difference between spooky and creepy (spoiler alert: Teresa believes the distinction is clowns), and some of their favorite mind-bending favorites. A celebration of fright from the heart of Halloween, Texas!

David shares his comfort genre -- cozy mysteries -- with the crew. "Cozies" cover everything from series involving vampire knitting club to Ellory ("baked in the North and buttered in the South" Adams' "Secret, Book, & Scone Society" series. Plus lots of talk about Denton being officially designated "Halloween, Texas."

Diane shares her love of historical fiction, and this enthralling historical novel from Kate Quinn, THE BRIAR CLUB. The friends discuss what makes historical fiction, the importance of women's voices in literature, particularly in this genre, and Teresa and Joe discover their book Venn diagrams overlap after all, thanks to Kristin Hannah's THE WOMEN.

Joe opens with a discussion of George Orwell's satirical, allegorical dystopian novella, ANIMAL FARM. The group discusses Orwell as the nom de plume of English author Eric Blair, the symbolism of the animals, and the historical context of the book. The group discovers that David is not a fan of anthropomorphic animals (but loves robots), Teresa doesn't like Satire, and Diane isn't a fa...