Women are Reading: a book club podcast

In this episode, we are joined by a very special guest, author Lucy Ash, whose latest novel, The Model Patient, was just released in April. Ash's first two novels, The Dance of the Dolls and The Sleeping Beauties, were inspired by her years immersed in the world of classical dance, while The Model Patient draws on her personal experience as a therapy patient to explore the psychology of power,...

Amal El-Mohtar, co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War, knows exactly what it means to love a sister, and she explores that relationship beautifully in The River Has Roots, her solo debut novella. The River Has Roots is a magical, ethereal, fairy tale retelling of the traditional murder ballad, The Two Sisters. It's full of singing and music, a testament to the power of true love and siste...

On March 14th, 2026, Hachette Book Group pulled the forthcoming horror novel "Shy Girl" from its lineup after the New York Times approached the publisher with what it claimed was evidence that the book was written by AI. Author Mia Ballard, who self-published the novel in February of 2025, told the Times in an email that she did not use AI to write "Shy Girl," but rather someone she hired to edit...

It’s the late-1990s in the small town of Nevada, Iowa, when Jeremy, a worker at Video Hut, gets pulled into a strange and unnerving mystery after one of his customers tells him there’s something weird on one of the videotapes. Something that doesn’t belong. Two days later, another customer comes in with the same complaint. “There’s another movie on this tape,” she says. Jeremy soon finds, that yes...

In this episode, we welcome author and podcast host, Laura Buchwald, onto the show to talk about her latest novel, "The Book of Reservations." The novel, published this past November, is the second installment of the Ghost Table trilogy and follows Josie Gray as she balances her new role as restaurant co-owner in New York City, circa 2000, with her ability to communicate with the spirit...

In this episode, Margaret and Katie are joined by scientist and author Gigi Berardi, whose latest historical novel, Bianca's Cure, was just published. The book, set in 16th century Italy, fictionalizes a search for the cure for malaria in the country where the disease was named bad air in Italian, by dramatizing the life of Bianca Capello, a real-life Italian noblewoman who was the mistress to Fra...

Following the sudden and unexpected death of her father, Janeway Sharp, an undergrad at the University of Central Florida, retreats from the expectations of her real life and finds comfort and purpose in an unlikely gang of true crime internet sleuths. But when a horrific triple homicide happens in Delphine, Idaho, Jane and her ragtag group of armchair detectives emerge from behind their computers...

Take a trip back in time to 1844, to the wild and mysterious moors of Yorkshire, England, where Emily, Anne, and Charlotte Brontë begin writing Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall — classic works of literature we still love today. In this episode, author Stephanie Cowell tells us how she came up with the idea for her latest historical fiction novel and what her experience...

Step inside the elite and intoxicating world of Greek life in the Midwest with Heather Colley's debut novel, The Gilded Butterfly Effect. In this episode, Colley talks about her inspiration for the book, the meaning behind the title, how much she loves an unhinged woman in fiction, and much more. This interview is spoiler-free.

Welcome back, bookish friends! Today, author Alyson Richman joins us to talk about her latest historical novel, The Missing Pages. This interview is spoiler-free, so you can feel safe listening to it, even if you haven't had a chance to pick up the book yet. Per the novel's Goodreads profile: "Harry Widener boards the Titanic holding tight to a priceless book he just purchased in London. After may...

If you're a fan of family trauma, mommy AND daddy issues, sisterly love, demons in your attic, or cute neighbor boy who wear gold chains, join us as we discuss the ending of Rachel Harrison's new horror novel, Play Nice.

Join us as we discuss the first half of Play Nice by Rachel Harrison.

In this episode, we discuss our final thoughts on the horror novel, Experimental Film by Gemma Files.

If you're a fan of locked door mysteries, fairytales and folklore, the Spiritualist Movement of the 19th Century, or Canadian film history, you've come to the right place! Join us as we discuss the first half of the novel, Experimental Film (2015), by Gemma Files.

In this episode, join us while we finish up our thoughts on How to Survive Camping by Bonnie Quinn. The story is a favorite of Katie's, who first read it when it was originally published on the r/nosleep subreddit years ago. Plus, we break down that...interesting Wuthering Heights trailer.

Welcome bookish friends! After a much needed vacation, we are finally BACK with all-new episode to discuss our final thoughts on the trippy, heartfelt historical novel The Expert of Subtle Revisions by Kirsten Menger-Anderson. Plus, we reveal our incredibly long Fall reading list and give some first impressions on one of our picks for September: How to Survive Camping The Man with No Shadow by Bon...

Okay, we admit it. We have absolutely no idea what's going on in this genre-bending, time-traveling, historical debut novel from Kirsten Menger-Anderson, The Expert of Subtle Revisions. But you know what? We're so ready for the ride.

We were lucky enough to sit down and chat with author Anna Barrington recently about her debut novel, The Spectacle, which was published on July 8. In the novel, Anna brings us into the dizzying and intoxicating underbelly of the high-end art world. Inspired by her own experiences working in art galleries in NYC and London, The Spectacle is a scathing social commentary on the commodification of ar...

Listener discretion is advised: This episode contains major spoilers. In this episode, we discuss the ending of We Were Liars, both the book and the television adaptation. Was our theory about the ending right? And how did we feel about the changes made from page to screen? And most importantly...was the TV show actually better than the book?

Viewer discretion is advised: This episode contains major spoilers. Ten years after its initial publication, 'We Were Liars,' the divisive YA thriller by author E. Lockhart, has finally reached our screens with an 8-episode adaptation from Amazon Prime. In this episode, we'll dive into the first four episodes to see how the TV show compares to the novel.

Listener Discretion is advised: this episode contains major spoilers. Welcome back, bookish friends! In this episode, we discuss our thoughts on the last half of They Bloom at Night by Trang Thahn Tran. Plus, we reveal our next book club pick!

Listener discretion is advised: This episode contains spoilers. Oh, hey bookish friends! After taking an unexpected week off because of life stuff, we are back with another super-sized episode to talk all about our adventures so far this June, including our current read, They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran. This book is perfect to read during summer and Pride Month, as it features creepy, defo...

Listener discretion is advised: This episode contains major spoilers. Oh, man. This one is a doozy. In this episode, we discuss the last half of The Counselors by Jessica Goodman, and....we aren't happy about it. Unfortunately, his one missed the mark for us. P.S. We apologize for the absolutely horrible audio in the first few minutes of this episode. We didn't realize the microphone was not plugg...

Listener discretion is advised: This episode contains major spoilers as well as discussions of sexual assault. Hello, fellow book people! So, it's finally happened. Margaret and Katie have read a book this year they...aren't thrilled about. In this episode, find out what the sisters dislike so much about The Counselors, a young adult thriller by Jessica Goodman. Plus, Katie gives us an upd...

Listener discretion is advised: This episode contains major spoilers, along with mentions of murder and sexual assault. In this episode, Margaret and Katie discuss their thoughts on the ending of The Haunt of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James. Was the mystery worth it? Did the romance sizzle? And what was with all of those crows?? Also, the sisters choose their two book club picks for June!