Read the Book First

Amanda joins us to reread the heartbreaking children's classic,  Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Read and cry along as we discuss childhood lonely, friendship, and grief. Content Warnings: neglect, abuse, grief, death of a child Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.com Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ReadtheBookFirst Don'...

Neha returns to discuss the 1993 film adaptation,  Much Ado About Nothing . Neha and Jenessa also discuss Anyone But You (2023) and Jenessa briefly recaps Much Ado About Nothing (2012). Follow the Novel Tea on their Instagram , substack , and on your preferred podcast platform! content warning: death, infidelity, innuendo, betrayal Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at re...

This week we read our second Shakespeare play for the podcast, Much Ado About Nothing ! Neha, from The Novel Tea , joins us to dive into this messy friend group! Follow the Novel Tea on their Instagram , substack , and your preferred podcast platform! content warning: death, infidelity, innuendo, betrayal Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.c...

Marissa joins us to discuss Apple TV's Murderbot , Season 1, starring Alexander Skarsgård!  Join our Patreon to listen to the exclusive mini-episode where Marissa and I rank iconic characters played by the Skarsgårds! Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.com Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ReadtheBookFirst Don't forget to subscribe,...

Marissa joins us as we discuss the award winning novella, All Systems Red by Martha Wells.  We discuss space capitalism, why Jenessa doesn't typically enjoy sci-fi, and what determines sentience.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.com Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ReadtheBookFirst Don't forget to subscribe, rate us 5 stars, and...

Amanda helps us analyze Matilda (1996) and Matilda the Musical (2022).  We discuss the original stage production and how adapting a book into a movie then a stage production and then a movie musical changes a story.  time stamps:  00:00:37 - Matilda (1996) 00:51:51- Matilda the Musical (stage production 00:54:21 - Matilda the Musical (2022) Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be pla...

Amanda returns to revisit a childhood classic,  Matilda by Roald Dahl. We discuss Matilda's powers, our favorite Roald Dahl books, and whether or not Ms. Honey is a good teacher. Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.com Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ReadtheBookFirst Don't forget to subscribe, rate us 5 stars, and follow us on Insta...

Ashley of If It Was a Book joins Jenessa to discuss the teenage star-cross lovers movie,  Five Feet Apart . Follow Ashley and If it Was a Book ! Jenessa was a guest on Ashley's podcast, so definitely check that out as well! If It Was a Book - Instagram If It Was a Book - YouTube If It Was a Book - Spotify content warnings: cystic fibrosis, chronic illness, death of a loved one Send us Fan Mai...

Join Ashley, from If It Was a Book, and Jenessa as they discuss Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Iaconis. This book was written at the same time as the film's screenplay, so did the book actually come first? Listen to find out! Follow Ashley and If it Was a Book ! Jenessa was a guest on Ashley's podcast, so definitely check that out as well! If It Was a Bo...

Alyssa and Jenessa discuss the 90s classic starring Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs,  How Stella Got Her Groove Back . Follow Alyssa and her podcast, Stories and Spoilers!  @stories.and.spoilers.podcast on Instagram @Stories.and.spoilers.booktalks on YouTube Listen on Spotify content warning: age gap romance, steamy scenes, cursing Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at read...

Alyssa returns to help us dive into the tropical romance, How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan.  We discuss the age gap featured and what is the "groove" Stella was looking to get back. Follow Alyssa and her podcast, Stories and Spoilers  @stories.and.spoilers.podcast on Instagram @Stories.and.spoilers.booktalks on YouTube Listen on Spotify the video mentioned by Jenessa and...

Marissa joins us to discuss the 2025 sci-fi film,  Mickey 17 , directed by Bong Joon Ho and starring Robert Pattinson. We discuss how cute the creepers were, the accent work done by Pattinson, and the fact that there was too much bodily fluids used.  Check out the Vanity Fair interview Jenessa referenced. Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.c...

Marissa joins us to discuss  Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. We discuss the Ship of Theseus, the pros and cons of space travel, and how much we enjoyed the "creepers". Make sure to check out our Patreon ! We have exclusive minisodes with guests, reading vlogs from Jenessa, early access to episodes, and more! Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzz...

Delaney joins us to dive into the 2016 film directed by Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children .  This film is known to be controversial to the book fans. Listen to find out our opinions! Delaney and I filmed a minisode where I had Delaney decide if certain birds were "peculiar" or not". You can watch that video exclusively on our Patreon, patreon.com/ReadtheBo...

We started a Patreon! Patreon.com/ReadtheBookFirst "Why did you start a Patreon?" you may be asking. Well, it's a one woman show over here. Just me, myself, and I. In order to continue the podcast, dedicating time to read, record, edit, and market the podcast, I need some financial help. Instead of trying to chase the algorithm to monetize my podcast, I've decided to go straigh...

Welcome to Season 4 of Read the Book First ! We are so excited for this season's episodes! Delaney returns to help us dive into Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. We talked about birds, time travel, and the spooky pictures featured throughout the book. We now have a Patreon ! If you like the podcast and want to support us directly, please consider becoming a pat...

It's our Season 3 finale! Join Amanda and Jenessa as they discuss the Oscar nominated film,  The Wild Robot . Season 4 is in the works and will begin later this Spring. Thank you to every one who listened to Season 3. I love talking about books and the fact I have even one listener brings me such joy!  Join our Discord for more bookish banter and to have a say in future episodes! Send us Fan...

It's our last book episode of Season 3! Amanda joins us to discuss  The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. This chapter book was one of my favorite books I read in 2024. It's joyful, heartwarming, and challenging. Listen along to hear all our thoughts! Peter Brown's blogpost referenced in the episode - https://www.peterbrownstudio.com/the-wild-robot/ Send us Fan Mail Support the show All ep...

Kara joins us to watch and review the 2013 zomcom,  Warm Bodies .  Is this Hollywood's zombie answer to the end of the  Twilight craze? Is this a substantial  Romeo and Juliet retelling? Does the movie convince us to fall in love with zombie Nicholas Hoult? Listen and find out! content warnings: zombies, blood, cannibalism, vomit, weapons, war, death Send us Fan Mail Support the show All epis...

This week we dive into the zombified world of  Warm Bodies  by Isaac Marion. Is this a zombie love story? How similar to  Romeo and Juliet is it? Is this book really about zombies or hope? Listen to find out! content warnings: zombies, blood, cannibalism, vomit, weapons, war, death Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.com Join our Patreon at p...

Isaac returns to help us discuss the tv show adaptation, Redwall . We revisit a nostalgic favorite of ours and cross our fingers that it holds up! Listen to find out our thoughts. You can watch the Redwall show here . Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.com Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ReadtheBookFirst Don't forget to subscribe, rate...

Isaac joins us on the podcast to revisit a childhood favorite, Redwall by Brian Jacques.  Is this the perfect cozy fantasy? Maybe... Listen to hear our full thoughts! Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.buzzsprout.com Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ReadtheBookFirst Don't forget to subscribe, rate us 5 stars, and follow us on Instagram @readthebook...

Bonjour! Join us as we visit Paris through the beautiful illustrations of Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans and the 1998 film adaptation starring Frances McDormand. What about this children's book makes it a beloved favorite? Check out Delaney and the "Bird of the Week" at Out to Sea Expedition! the 1955 animated  Madeline   Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at...

Alyssa joins us again to discuss Nightbitch , the 2025 film staring Amy Adams. Make sure to check out Alyssa and her podcast, Stories and Spoilers! Click here for her Spotify Click here for her YouTube Click here for her Instagram episode content warnings: mentions blood, animal violence, drug use, and animal death Send us Fan Mail Support the show All episodes can be played at readthebookfirst.bu...

Alyssa from Stories and Spoilers Podcast joins Jenessa to discuss Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. Is this book an accurate depiction of motherhood? Is the mother ~actually~ a dog? Make sure to check out Alyssa and her podcast, Stories and Spoilers! Click here for her Spotify Click here for her YouTube Click here for her Instagram To read the interview with Rachel Yoder that Jenessa mentioned in the ep...