The To Read List Podcast

THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS by Isabel Allende & THEN WE CAME TO THE END by Joshua Ferris. This week on the pod, Toby tackles Isabel Allende's smash hit, magical realism-heavy debut novel, and Bailey gets deep into the surprisingly long THEN WE CAME TO THE END. Along the way, the hosts establish their reading wheelhouses, Dillon gets a month-too-soon jump on Andrew's next book, and everyone gets to he...

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf & THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig. This week, Andrew heads on a meta-journey inside the anxiety of the early 20th century with Virginia Woolf's TO THE LIGHTHOUSE. Then, Bailey explores the multiverse in Matt Haig's THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY. Is this the timeline where she thinks the book lives up to the hype? We also contemplate our reader wheelhouses, change famou...

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh & DEAR CHILD by Romy Hausmann. On this week's episode, Toby digs into a classic in Evelyn Waugh's BRIDESHEAD REVISITED. But will he dig it? And Bailey checks out a thriller that has some similarities to some she's loved before in DEAR CHILD by Romy Hausmann. How will it stack up? Plus, we talk crayons we've seen, difficult to track down authors, and pies that w...

SING, UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward & PIZZA GIRL by Jean Kyoung Frazier. This week, Andrew takes a road trip with SING, UNBURIED, SING while Bailey gets a part-time job as a PIZZA GIRL. Dillon is there too. We learn the answers to huge questions like what makes a haunted pumpkin? What's an appletizer? And, most crucially, are pickles allowed on pizza?

SKELETON CREW by Stephen King & THE SHINING by Stephen King & CARRIE by Stephen King & SALEM'S LOT by Stephen King. This week on the pod, it's a real Bangor — a Stephen King Spooktacular, with Bailey and Toby diving into four books by Maine's most famous master of spine-chillers! Along the way we learn about Toby's Struggle on the RV trip, tag along with Andrew to a new bookstore, and get a peek a...

AMERICAN SALVAGE by Bonnie Jo Campbell & SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid. This week, Andrew reads AMERICAN SALVAGE, a short story collection he may have already read, while Bailey tackles SUCH A FUN AGE, a buzzy novel about race, class, and Insta-Fame. We also discuss attempted shame, sit-up contests, and Troad the Trojan. Plus, Bailey and Dillon get stuck in space jail!

SEÑOR VIVO AND THE COCA LORD by Louis de Bernières & CROSSING TO SAFETY by Wallace Stegner. Toby learns a valuable lesson about why some books should remain unread when he tackles Louis de Bernières' magical realist-ish novel, SEÑOR VIVO AND THE COCA LORD. Bailey, however, has more fun digging into all the happenings (and non-happenings) in Wallace Stegner's delicate and beautiful CROSSING TO SAFE...

WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte & CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS by Sally Rooney. After years of pretending he read the book, Andrew finally digs into the toxic love story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff No First Name in WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Then, Bailey debates whether the characters in CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS are cruel or just normal people. Plus, we discover the best Kate Bush songs to list...

THE BOOK OF ULTIMATE TRUTHS by Robert Rankin & BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy. This week on the pod, Toby gets over his terror of the cover of Robert Rankin's THE BOOK OF ULTIMATE TRUTHS to see if the comparisons to Terry Pratchett are justified, and Bailey finds out just how many scalpings are too many scalpings for her during her read of the highly lauded BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy. We...

PERSUASION by Jane Austen & I WANT TO BE WHERE THE NORMAL PEOPLE ARE by Rachel Bloom. In this, the first Toby-less episode, we get the chance to share our true thoughts about our cohost. Then, Andrew visits Jane Austen's shadiest family yet with his review of PERSUASION. Finally, Bailey celebrates Rachel Bloom's snark, sparkle, and Spanx in I WANT TO BE WHERE THE NORMAL PEOPLE ARE. Plus: a musical...

MONEY: A SUICIDE NOTE by Martin Amis & WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE by Samantha Irby. In this week's episode, Toby tackles an 80s classic – MONEY by Martin Amis – and Bailey reviews the popular WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE by Samantha Irby. We discuss everything from literary controversy to big bowls of cereal to Daddy issues to writing yourself into your own book. Plus, there's SHAME ga...

CONFEDERATES IN THE ATTIC by Tony Horwitz & NORTHANGER ABBEY by Jane Austen. Andrew and Dillon break down Tony Horwitz's non-fiction exploration of the Civil War obsessed, CONFEDERATES IN THE ATTIC. Then, Bailey reads her first Austen for the podcast! NORTHANGER ABBEY, a melange of social satire, gothic horror, and teenage crushes. Plus, we have an EXTRA SPECIAL GUEST who has strong opinions about...

BLACK HOLE by Charles Burns. On the pod this week, all four hosts discuss the disgusting, disquieting, damn-good graphic novel BLACK HOLE by Charles Burns. We'll get into whether or not there are any blonde people in Burns' woodcut world, engage in the eternal debate between paperback and hardback editions, and briefly mention the long-dead serialized comic Prince Valiant! Plus, a game by Bailey a...

OUT OF SIGHT by Elmore Leonard & A WIND IN THE DOOR by Madeline L'Engle. This week, Toby gets stuck in a trunk with Elmore Leonard for his review of the classic dad book OUT OF SIGHT. Then, Bailey questions whether it's worth it to read a sequel you've had on your shelf for more than 25 years with her review of A WIND IN THE DOOR. Plus, we talk about DC villains, RV road trips, and Beanie Babies n...

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern & NINTH HOUSE & SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo. In this week's episode, Bailey reviews a Leigh Bardugo double feature with her adult fantasy novel, NINTH HOUSE, and her YA tale, SHADOW AND BONE. Plus, Andrew takes a trip to THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern. Along the way, there's talk of secret societies, discussion of Maggie the child's favorite authors,...

RING SHOUT by P. Djèlí Clark & MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN by Jonathan Lethem. Which To Read List host is the most scared of racist werewolves? In what time period should you set a story about a detective with Tourette's Syndrome? What famous author used to live in Bailey's new apartment? How would Fishing Dad track down a serial killer? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this very specia...

THE JUNGLE by Upton Sinclair & BLACK SWAN GREEN by David Mitchell. In this episode, we journey deep into the muckraking novel beloved of AP History teachers, THE JUNGLE, and then spend some time in the very personal BLACK SWAN GREEN, which is also a place, did you know that? Along the way we examine the life choices of a man who has entered an unreasonable amount of reading challenges, make the 90...

THE METAMORPHOSIS AND OTHER STORIES by Franz Kafka & THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 by Ruth Ware. In this week's episode, Toby ponders whether Kafka is too Kafkaesque, and Bailey dives into lady thrillers with THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10. Plus, we take an ill-fated literary cruise, find books hidden under beds, and ask ourselves "Little Free Library or Bat House?" 

UNSHELTERED by Barbara Kingsolver & MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM by Grady Hendrix. In our 59th Episode, Bailey reads Grady Hendrix's MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM and Andrew tackles Barbara Kingsolver's UNSHELTERED. We have a frank discussion about the importance of inclusive language, come up with a lot of nicknames, and explore the virtues of surprising someone with your "shame." What else? Hard to say...

THE BURIED GIANT by Kazuo Ishiguro & THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS by Elizabeth Gilbert. Join us in Post-Arthurian England as we review Ishiguro's atmospheric fantasy THE BURIED GIANT. Then head to nineteenth century Philadelphia to study moss and spiritual longing with Gilbert's THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS. Plus, we debate the morals of second-hand puzzle buying, if Arthur counts as a knight of the...

FRANKLY IN LOVE by David Yoon & DREAMS OF MY FATHER by Barack Obama. This week on the pod, Andrew dives into the YA romance FRANKLY IN LOVE by David Yoon and Bailey tackles a book that languishes on many a to-read-list: DREAMS OF MY FATHER by cultural nobody Barack Obama. Additionally, Bailey reveals some troubling Instagram habits, Toby gives us an inside view of working at Trader Joe's, and we a...

THE FIRE NEXT TIME by James Baldwin & FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC by V.C. Andrews. In THE FIRE NEXT TIME, Baldwin expertly composes two essays about race and the American experience. In FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC, Andrews spins the illicit tale of teens imprisoned with their hot, hot siblings. Some say these books have nothing in common. This week, the hosts of The To Read List will prove that... those people...

PIMP: THE STORY OF MY LIFE by Iceberg Slim & THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY by Alexander McCall Smith. The crew discusses two very different books, Iceberg Slim's PIMP, an influential first-hand account of a lawless life and Alexander McCall Smith's THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY, a cozy mystery series that is a perennial favorite of book clubs. Plus we discuss what qualifies as a life-hac...

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi & THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco. This week, Toby tries out Y.A. fantasy with the African mythology-inspired bestseller CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE. After debating the feasibility of expandable bo staffs, Bailey hangs with murderous monks in THE NAME OF THE ROSE. Plus, the gang makes up patron saints, pretends to understand semiotics, and laments the...

GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER by Bernadine Evaristo & INTO THIN AIR by Jon Krakauer. Join us this week on the pod as Andrew reviews the recent Man Booker Prize winning GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER, by Bernadine Evaristo, and Bailey tackles the monumental bestseller of the late 90s INTO THIN AIR by Jon Krakauer. We also discuss the relative merits of marginalia, debate a less-effective title for Girl, Woman, Other, con...