The Dust Jacket

This is a truly weird and disgusting book. Don't listen to this ep with kids or if you are sensitive to graphic descriptions of sex and violence.  No spoiler tag this ep--there's not too much to spoil.  It's also a zoom ep, so excuse the sound in places. 

We discuss the popular 2025 cozy romance, First Time Caller, by BK Borison, including the pitfalls of formulaic books.  Spoilers from 34 mins

This week, we've got special guest Kate back to help us talk about the 2025 Booker Prize winner, Flesh. We'll talk about unemotional male main characters, the Booker Prize and its questionable history, and a sordid scandal about the novel itself.  Spoilers from 24 mins

We're returning to another favorite read on the occasion of its screen adaptation. This time the hilarious and very charming Margo's Got Money Troubles, by Rufi Thorpe.  This was one of Nico's top reads of 2024. Dacey is less enthusiastic but comes around after listening to the audiobook.  Spoilers from 20 mins in

Caleb joins Nico to talk about The Strength of the Few, the second book in James Islington's Hierarchy series. Some serious nerd shit.  No Dacey this week :( Spoilers from 14 mins

This week we discuss The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt, a 2011 darkly comic western, and one of the first book we read together when it first came out. It's also one of Nico's favorite books...  Spoilers from 12 mins

Bailey joins us to discuss My Husband, by Maud Ventura, including why she hated it while she was reading it, but loved it afterwards. This book was the most popular novel in France when it was published in 2021, and has since become a global sensation.  Spoilers from 32 mins

We revisit this modern classic on the day that the movie version comes out.  Spoilers for the book pretty much from the jump--if you haven't read this, go read it! (Preferably the audio version.) We both loved it.  After spoilers, we talk about what this book does well, what the author does poorly, and we theorize a bit about how they're going to adapt this into a movie. 

This week, on the verge of St. Paddy's Day, we're reading an Irish book--Duffy and Son follows a 69-year-old Monaghan man who  decides to help his 39-year-old son find love. It's heartwarming and extremely Irish, especially the audiobook. Spoilers from 28 mins

Our friend Alayne joins us this week to talk about Half His Age, the debut novel by Jennette McCurdy, the Nickolodeon child star and author of the popular memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died.  We all loved her memoir, so we had high hopes coming into this one. Can she deliver?  Trigger warning for mentions of sexual assault Spoilers from 25 mins

We discuss the latest book by one of the most famous literary authors in America, George Saunders. This latest, Vigil, discusses political and philosophical issues that are extremely relevant right now.... and it comes up with some pretty disappointing conclusions.  Spoilers from 10 mins

This week, in honor of Black History Month and Valentine's Day, we're talking about cultural critic and influential academic bell hooks, and one of her more famous books, All About Love.  We discuss what we liked in these essays and what we didn't, what we knew about bell hooks going in, and what we think of her now, and much more.  No spoilers this week

This week we're talking about the last book Jane Goodall wrote before her death, The Book of Hope. We discuss her inspiring presence as a human, where this book hits and where it misses, and the nature of hope in horrible times like these in early 2026.  Here is the video about the two men who planted 10,000 trees in Yeli village No real spoilers in this one

This week we talk about Lost Lambs, a multi-POV funny family book that's actually funny! We both loved the vibes and the characters, and we both had some quibbles with the plot and the ending.  Spoilers from 20 mins

This week we're talking about the North American continent's latest pop culture obsession, Heated Rivalry!  If you know you know, and if you don't know, then you should know that this book (and our discussion of it) has graphic mentions of sex.  Spoiler from 23 mins

We discuss The Future Saints, by thriller/romance writer Ashley Winstead, a Daisy Jones-esque novel that is primarily about grief. We talk about the parts we really liked and all the missed opportunities along the way.  Trigger warning for mention of self-harm Spoilers from 26 mins

This week, we discuss The Unworthy, the latest novel from the author of Tender Is the Flesh, Agustina Bazterrica. We talk about religion and cults, apocalypses, crazy people--you know, 2026 stuff.  This is a short book with a weird structure, so spoilers pretty much from the jump

This week we discuss the supernatural mystery Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker. We both liked a lot of this book, but not quite everything.  Spoilers from 22 mins

Special guest Sonya joins to discuss Kim Liggett's The Grace Year, a dystopian, possibly magical realism, horror novel about the strictures of the patriarchy. We all loved the themes and message, but got a little lost with some of the logistics.  You can find Dacey's hand-drawn map here

In our final episode of Grinch Month, special guest Alayne joins us to talk shit about A Ferry Merry Christmas, by Debbie Macomber, who writes 5 books per year including a Christmas book every single year. We discuss the basic physics of ferries, the uncanny valley, and much more.  Spoilers throughout this ep Special thanks to Karin and Dave for research help

Join us as we grinch all over the worst book we read this year, Beautiful Ugly. This is a domestic thriller so bad it feels like a parody of Gone Girl.  Spoilers from 17 mins

This was a tough one--early reviews of this book are glowing, but neither of us liked it. Find out which parts gave us the ick, why we think this book is autobiographical and why that's weird... and also why we thought the twist ending fell so flat.  Spoilers from 42 mins

This week we talk about what makes a man a curmudgeon, the differences between quirky books and silly books, and when a wedding isn't a wedding.  Spoilers from 27 mins, and they are significant spoilers, so be prepared to pause if you want to read this book unspoiled. 

We discuss Deadly Animals, by Marie Tierney, in which a young precocious girl helps solve the mystery of who's killing all her classmates. We both loved some parts of this book and were irritated by others.  Trigger warning for mentions of violence and sexual assault against children. Spoilers from 24 mins in

Special guest Jules returns to talk about Sky Daddy with us. This is a truly weird novel about a woman with a sexual fixation on planes, who wants to "marry" one by dying in a plane crash.  Warning: This episode has a LOT of talk about sex. If you're around children or just don't want to hear about sex, skip this one.  Spoilers not until 41 mins