Required Reading

Sam Walt Jones returns to discuss the 16th Goosebumps book ONE DAY AT HORRORLAND by RL Stine from 1994. Listen to Sam's first episode covering The Golden Compass ! Listen to more Goosebumps episodes! The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb Stay Out of the Basement Monster Blood Say Cheese and Die The Horror at Camp Jellyjam Welcome to Camp Nightmare Follow Sam! Follow Erin!

Writer and podcaster Phillip Iscove joins me to discuss the 1979 vampire classic, BUNNICULA by James and Deborah Howe, a rabbit tale of mystery about a dog who can eat chocolate, a well-intentioned well-read cat, and a Snoopy-like bunny that drains vegetables of color. Today vegetables, tomorrow the world! Listen to Phillip's podcast ! Follow Phillip ! Follow Erin !

Lizzie Logan returns to discuss Scott O'Dell's Newbery Award winning book THE ISLAND OF BLUE DOLPHINS. Based on a true story, when Karana's entire village leaves their island to escape raiders, she is left to fend for herself for over a decade. Listen to Lizzie's podcast Hoax! Listen to Lizzie's first episode of the podcast about Rachel Cohn's POP PRINCESS ! Follow Erin!

It's RL Stine's world and we're just living it. I'm back on another solo Goosebumps episode covering book 5 of the original series. Check out some of our previous Goosebumps episodes: The Horror of Camp JellyJam Stay Out of the Basement Welcome to the Dead House Monster Blood

Zannah Schorer returns to discuss one of the oldest stories ever told: THE ILIAD! And yes, there will be an episode about the Odyssey soon. Follow Zannah ! Listen to their episodes about The Tail of Emily Windsnap and Fablehaven ! Follow Erin!

Writer and podcaster Josh Corey ( Welcome to Flatch ) joins me to discuss literary legend Beverly Cleary and her novel THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE. The story? Well, it's really very simple: boy meets mouse, and they both love motorcycle. Check out Josh's new podcast FROM WRITER TO FIGHTER! ! Follow Josh on Instagram ! Follow Erin!

It's winter break at the Vampire Academy and Liz Wiest and I are sinking our TEETH into the sequel Frostbite. From Richelle Mead and the pivotal year of 2008, Frostbite follows the increasingly treacherous world of St Vladimir's Academy and the broader Pacific Northwest as royal vampire families are being eliminated by the bad guy vampires. Listen to our episode on book one ! Follow Liz ! Follow E...

Kate Hagen (SVP, The Black List) joins me to discuss Stephen King's classic novel of teen girl rage: CARRIE! High school outcast Carrie gets her period for the first time, and also telekineses. It ends poorly. Follow Kate ! Listen to Kate talk BABY BOOM on Ticklish Business ! Check out our previous Stephen King episode: Misery with Enor Bishop ! Follow Erin ! Support the show !

It's Slenderman...before Slenderman...This week writer Lev Francesca AKA Lisco2000 joins me to discuss a book no one has ever heard of (probably) Malice by Chris Wooding - a novel combining graphic novel and prose and miscellaneous documents to tell the story of a graphic novel that's really pulling kids in. Follow Lev ! Follow Erin! Support the show !

This week comedian Tocarra Elise joins me to discuss her favorite revenge classic: THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexandre Dumas! After 14 years of wrongful imprisonment, sailor Edmond Dantes transforms himself into the Count of Monte Cristo in order to exact revenge on those who imprisoned him. Follow Tocarra's Library and check out her work on the Getty kid's podcast If Objects Could Talk! Suppor...

What is a witch if not a woman by a pond? This week Courtney Young joins me to revisit everyone's favorite book from 4th grade: THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND! In colonial America, Kit Tyler leaves Barbados to come to her aunt's family in Connecticut but finds herself quickly under suspicion by the Puritanical community. A girl who's a little bit different? Must be a WITCH!! Check out Courtney's work...

Can you believe it took this long to get to Ray Bradbury? Better late than never as this week incredible video essayist and writer Mel Thomas joins me to discuss THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES - a science fiction novel-in-short-stories about human colonization of Mars. Follow Mel! Follow Erin ! Support the podcast !

We're back! Erin got laid off and then went on vacation, but now we're back! We as in the royal we. Madeline North also returns to discuss Charlotte Bronte's 1847 classic: JANE EYRE. And we also talk a lot about Wuthering Heights. It can't be helped! Jane Eyre follows orphan Jane from ages 10-20 as she escapes a cruel home to go to an even crueler boarding school, then becomes a governess, falls i...

Welcome to 2026 and welcome to the VAMPIRE ACADEMY where we are horny, confused, and Catholic. Writer Liz Wiest joins me to discuss Richelle Mead's 2007 novel. The plot is complex but it's girls at an academy for vampires. You get the gist. Follow Liz ! Follow Erin! Support the show!

Folks, it's episode 100. Professor Carly O'Brien returns for her fourth episode (first time a guest has made it to four episodes, a historic one indeed) to cover a play that fundamentally shaped who I am as an artist and as a lil freak. Measure for Measure is known as one of Shakespeare's three problem plays. It follows a Duke, a nun, and, well,.,, just listen. This is the last episode of 2025! Se...

Favorite person alert: Justina Engel returns to discuss Ali Sparkes' 2009 sci-fi novel FROZEN IN TIME. During summer vacation siblings Ben and Rachel dig up a bomb shelter in their backyard. Inside the bomb shelter are their great aunt and uncle, cryogenically frozen (and there's a puppy there too). Family mysteries, government conspiracies, and international intrigue come to light - and fingernai...

An ode to the magic and miseries of girlhood - but mostly the magic. Comedian and Emmy-winning producer Britt Migs joins me to discuss Louise Rennison's 1999 British classic: Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. Follow Britt! Follow Erin! Support the podcast !

Yes, it's the incest book. This week Lauren Badillo Milici joins me to discuss VC Andrew's salacious and iconic first novel Flowers in the Attic . Four siblings are trapped in an attic by their mother and grandmother in an attempt to hide their existence from their grandfather. Check out Lauren's book and her work at GamesRadar ! Follow Erin ! Support the podcast !

Miracle of miracles! Kevin T Porter of Good Christian Fun returns to discuss one of the best-selling book series of all time: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Artemis Fowl is a twelve year old criminal mastermind, on a quest to save his family's reputation and gold. But a little fairy named Holly Short just might get in his way. Check out Kevin's previous appearance on the show where we discussed the...

Comedian Enor Bishop joins me to discuss Stephen King's immortal classic from 1987: Misery. Author Paul Sheldon's life is saved after he is pulled from the wreckage of his car by his number one fan: Annie Wilkes. Trouble is, she won't let him leave. Get tickets to Enor's show on November 15th 2025 ! Follow Erin ! Support the show !

Another week, another Goosebump! Book 4 in the series is Say Cheese and Die, where a mysterious camera causes misfortune to whoever appears in a pic! Goosebumps episode one ! Two ! Three ! With Chelsea Pope ! With Keara Sullivan ! Support the podcas t! Follow me !

It's a mini episode and a solo episode so you know it's gonna be absolutely whack-a-doodle. I talk about my favorite Halloween movies! Here's my letterboxd list ! Follow me ! Support the podcast !

AAAAAH! Legendary director Paul Feig joins me to discuss Mary Shelley's immortal Frankenstein from 1818. Check out Paul's newest film The Housemaid only in theaters December 19th!

Original guest and girlhood expert Georgia Shenk returns to discuss a book I was not allowed to read and the touchstone for "mean girl"-hood of the 00s.....other than the one you're thinking of. It's THE CLIQUE by Lisi Harrison! When new girl Claire moves into mean girl Massie's guest house, worlds collide. Claire eats sugar and does not fit in with the Pretty Committee (Massie's group of friends)...

This week on the podcast it's an all-time classic of girlhood: Frances Hodgson Burnett's A LITTLE PRINCESS with podcaster Caroline Ely! Sarah Crewe enters Miss Minchin's boarding school as a wealthy heiress, but when her father dies finds herself shoved into servitude, poverty, and hunger. Check out Caroline's podcast Good Christin Fun ( Erin was on it! ) Follow Caroline ! Follow Erin ! Support th...