The To Read List Podcast

The To Read List crew reflects back on 2020, a year that was certainly... a year. We go through our reading stats, award best book and cutest protagonist, and test our retention skills. Piranesi!

I, ROBOT by Isaac Asimov & DIFFICULT WOMEN by Roxane Gay. On this week's episode, Toby gets acquainted with one of the seminal works of one of his favorite genres with Isaac Asimov's I, ROBOT – while Bailey checks out a different style of book by an author she admires in Roxane Gay's DIFFICULT WOMEN. Plus Bailey decks the halls with bookish spirit, Toby fawns over a fantasy novel, and Andrew start...

THUNDERSTRUCK by Erik Larson & LAKEWOOD by Megan Giddings. To celebrate our 50th episode (!), Andrew and the guys go full dad-mode and fanboy over Erik Larson. Then, Bailey takes a creepy trip into the problematic world of human experimentation with Megan Giddings' LAKEWOOD. Finally, we all take the highway to Ypsilanti for a very special AC/DC-themed game.

THE CITY WE BECAME by N.K. Jemisin & JULIE AND JULIA by Julie Powell. On the pod this week we break down fantasy heavyweight N.K. Jemisin's THE CITY WE BECAME and reach back into the blogosphere for Julie Powell's JULIE AND JULIA. We also discuss the current puzzle scarcity crisis, reveal a series of troubling Staten Island impressions, and end up at a day at the ballpark. Plus, stick around throu...

GHOST by Jason Reynolds & LUSTER by Raven Leilani. This week, Andrew reviews Raven Leilani's fresh and visceral LUSTER while Bailey dives into middle-grade favorite GHOST by Jason Reynolds. We share tales of track team failures, haunted RVs, and, of course, plenty of shame!

PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke. Susanna Clarke is back with a brand-new world for us to explore! After wowing Bailey and Toby with her debut novel (followed by a 16 year gap), will this live up to one of our hosts' all time favorites? Also, we try to escape a trivia maze, discuss which books Maggie the baby likes, and lament the return of Toby's greatest temptation - free street books. WARNING: This e...

THE ADRIAN MOLE DIARIES by Sue Townsend & TALES by Amiri Baraka. In this week's episode, the crew takes on two firebrands from different sides of the Atlantic--Sue Townsend and Amiri Baraka--who wrote two wildly different books--THE ADRIAN MOLES DIARIES and TALES. They discuss their roller coaster lives all without spoiling anything. On top of that Bailey and Toby take a trip down the embarrassing...

MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite & WITCHES ABROAD by Terry Pratchett. This week Toby fantasysplains the Discworld series to a skeptical Bailey, Bailey gushes about 2018's #1 subway read (according to Andrew), and we all ponder the significance of the number of famous authors who worked in the energy engineering industry prior to publishing fame. Plus, Bailey cements her new catc...

WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel & WHITE IS FOR WITCHING by Helen Oyeyemi. Bailey and Dillon are back and ready to dig deep into English history! First, Andrew contemplates how many Thomases is too many in Hilary Mantel's WOLF HALL. Then, Bailey visits a racist haunted house in WHITE IS FOR WITCHING, a gothic coming of age story. If that's not enough, the hosts come up with drag names for Tudor monarchs...

THE BARON IN THE TREES by Italo Calvino & A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS by Marlon James. This week we dive into THE BARON IN THE TREES by Italo Calvino and A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS by Marlon James. We ask important questions like - Will Andrew like a book that Toby has abandoned? Will Toby like this novel as much as the other Calvino he's read? And, What stops does the surrealism trai...

THE PROPOSAL by Jasmine Guillory & THE GIRLS by Emma Cline. This week we're joined by Gillian Durkee (our theme composer and Andrew's fiancée) as we discuss the Jasmine Guillory's romance novel THE PROPOSAL and the bookstagram smash hit THE GIRLS by Emma Cline. We also ponder genres we should read more of, flesh out the details of a possible Weddingverse, and hatch plans for some proposals of our...

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead & THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin. The week we have special guest host Camille Knox on to discuss the award-winning novel THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead and THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin. Which of these contemporary novels is more to our liking? We also discuss revisiting ratings on Goodreads, our levels of olive enthusiasm, and Ho...

TRUST EXERCISE by Susan Choi & MIND OF MY MIND by Octavia E. Butler. This week Talia Bolnick of The Hatchery Press joins us as we review TRUST EXERCISE by SUSAN CHOI, a form-bending novel about teens in an exclusive drama school and MIND OF MY MIND by OCTAVIA E. BUTLER, the story of a young telepath in 1970s Los Angeles struggling against the man who created her. We also debate the value of engagi...

WILD SEED by Octavia E. Butler & WHAT IS THE WHAT by Dave Eggers. In the first podcast of Bailey and Dillon's parental leave, Toby and Andrew discuss Octavia E. Butler's WILD SEED, a complex modern fantasy, and Dave Eggers' WHAT IS THE WHAT, a fictional autobiography of a very real man - Valentino Achak Deng. Also, they try to decide which book would make the best video game and examine how we sho...

This week, in honor of Pride Month, the crew recommends some favorite LGBTQIA+ authors, characters, and books. From classics like GIOVANNI'S ROOM to new works like ONCE & FUTURE, the possibilities are endless! Also we bid goodbye (for now) to Bailey and Dillon and wish them well on their parental leave. We will miss you!

SHARP TEETH by Toby Barlow & LEARNING TO SING by Clay Aiken and Allison Glock. This week we discuss our two most obscure books yet - American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken's LEARNING TO SING, and the free verse werewolf action story SHARP TEETH by Toby Barlow. We debate whether or not Sharp Teeth is like Underworld, try to decide if Clay's tie is a clip-on, and discover that some of us know an uncomfo...

In this week's minisode, we talk about our experiences with summer reading, from elementary school to now. You'll never guess who participated in a library reading challenge! (Yes, you will.)

CIRCE by Madeline Miller & EDUCATED by Tara Westover. This week, all three of us read CIRCE and EDUCATED so that we're ready to discuss why the books and book club favorites. Plus, we reminisce about songs from the early 2000s and pitch ideas for modern gods. 

Inspired by Bailey and Dillon's virtual baby shower, we send gifts to some of our favorite literary parents to celebrate the births of their soon-to-be-troublesome children. 

THE CRYING OF LOT 49 by Thomas Pynchon & I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE by Wally Lamb. This week, Toby does his best to dissect the fever dream that is THE CRYING OF LOT 49, while Bailey digs deep into family saga I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE. Then, we play "Thomas Pynchon Character or Wrestler Stage Name," and it's harder than you might think. 

The pandemic has caused us to reconsider our place in the world. For example, Bailey, Toby, and Andrew have been wondering if they could really be characters in a book. To confirm, we took SparkNotes' "Are You A Plot Device?" quiz . Turns out only one of us is the protagonist of our story. Tune in to find out who! 

EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng & REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier. This week, Andrew tackles Amazon's Best Book of 2014, EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng. Will the haunting family drama be too intense or just right? Then, the gang returns to Manderley with the paragon of romantic suspense, REBECCA! We discuss shady male love interests, anxious protagonists, and wacky plotting theor...

In response to this poll from Literary Hub, the gang debates which authors they'd want in their quarantine crew. There's a dud in every house, but at least there's drama!

CAT'S EYE by Margaret Atwood & DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid. In this episode, Toby breaks down the unexpectedly realistic plot of Margaret Atwood's CAT'S EYE. Then, we dive into the 1970s' rock scene with our second book club pick, DAISY JONES & THE SIX! Expect plenty of Fleetwood Mac comparisons and a few spoilers (Thanks, Mom!).

In this minisode, the gang goes through their top three villains, in order of least to most vile. You'll never guess who's Toby's number one pick....