In this episode, the hosts discuss the second part of Hanya Yanagihara's highly anticipated 2022 release, To Paradise. This episode is full of spoilers for the first part and second part of the book (Book One, "Washington Square" and Book Two, "Lipo-Wao-Nahele,"). They share some updates on their plan moving forward handling this book. (*Huge apologies for any disruptive background noise! We did our best to navigate recording around some major construction happening and didn't want to skip *another* week. We did our best to edit it out.)

In this episode, August and Kendra share a number of their favorite television adaptations of books, as well as some that they would like to watch and/or read. TV shows listed in this episode: Sharp objects Good Omens Game of Thrones Sherlock Station Eleven Alias Grace I’ll Be Gone in the Dark Handmaid’s Tale Honorable mentions: American Gods Hannibal North and South Haunting of Hill House Queen’s Gambit Mindhunter Shadow & Bone Little House on the Prairie To watch/read: Brideshead Revisited The Leftovers Normal People Little Fires Everywhere Lovecraft Country Watchmen The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Firekeeper’s Daughter Final Girls Support Group Ninth House People mentioned: jessdekkerreads on Instagram

In this episode, the hosts discuss the first part of Hanya Yanagihara's highly anticipated 2022 release, To Paradise. This episode is full of spoilers for just the first part ("Washington Square"). Stay tuned for further discussion in the coming weeks!

In this episode, the hosts discuss film adaptations of books--the good, the bad, and everything in-between. Films discussed in the episode: Pride & Prejudice (2005) Macbeth (2015) Sense & Sensibility (1995) Mystic River (2003) Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Anna Karenina (2012) Romeo + Juliet (1996) Gone Girl (2014) Practical Magic (1998) Howl’s Moving Castle (2005) Ella Enchanted (2004) The Girl on the Train (2016) The Devil All the Time (2020) New Moon (2009) North & South (2004) A Single Man (2009) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) The Great Gatsby (1974 & 2013) Carol (2015) Emma (2020) O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) No Country for Old Men (2007) Maurice (1987) Howard's End (1992) Little Women (2019)

In this episode, the hosts share the winners of their reading bracket. They do this by choosing a favorite book from each month of 2021 and pit each month against each other. The books knock each other out one by one, until there is a clear winner. August and Kendra have both fiction and nonfiction brackets. And, believe it or not, some of their picks are different from the top 5 of 2021 due to the nature of the bracket knockouts. This episode is completely spoiler-free.

Happy New Year, all! In this episode, the hosts share the books they loved the most this year. In total, they discuss 10 books in total and the episode is completely spoiler-free. Books mentioned in the episode: Comfort Me with Apples by Cathrynne M. Valente (2021) In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (2019) A Carnival of Snackery by David Sedaris (2021) Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (1995) The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (2021) Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder (2021) Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne Jones (1985) Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval 2018) In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (2019) The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1899) Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy (2021) Stoner by John Williams (1965) The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector (1977) Know My Name by Chanel Miller (2019) Little Weirds by Jenny Slate (2020) Maurice by E.M. Forster (1971) Passing by Nella Larson (1929) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (2015) Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (2021) American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)

In this episode, the hosts review the TBRs they created for 2021 and reflect on how well they did sticking to their goals. This episode is completely spoiler-free. Tune in to see which books they read, which ones they're looking forward to getting to in 2022, and which books have been dropped from their TBRs completely.

In this spoiler-free episode, the hosts talk about the 5 books that disappointed (or enraged) them the most this year. Remember, everyone likes different things! These are just the books that they didn't like this year :) Books mentioned in the episode: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins (2021) Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (2018) The Roanoke Girls Amy Engel (2018) Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (2017) The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn (2018) Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena Garcia (2020) The Collective by Alison Gaylin (2021) Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet (1983) Bossypants by Tina Fey (2011) The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992) The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. (2021)

In this episode, the hosts share some gift recommendations for the upcoming holiday season. They'll give brief synopses (spoiler-free) and context for why they chose each book for that category. Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season! Books mentioned in the episode: Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945) Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (2021) The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001) Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (2001) Little Weirds by Jenny Slate (2019) Educated by Tara Westover (2018) Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson (2019) Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (2019) Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (2021) Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe (2019) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1950) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon (2003) The Midnight Library by Mat Haig (2020) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (1990) These Wilds Beyond Our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home by Bayo Akomolafe (2019) Passing & Quicksand by Nella Larson (1929 & 1928) Stoner by John Williams (1965) Writers & Lovers by Lily King (2020) Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (2021) Circe by Madeline Miller (2019) To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara (2022) The Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (2021)

In this episode, the hosts discuss the classic children's horror story, "The Girl with the Green Ribbon" alongside Machado's retelling of it, "The Husband Stitch". This episode contains spoilers for both stories. Stories mentioned in the episode: "The Girl with the Green Ribbon" by Alvin Schwartz from In a Dark, Dark Room (1984) "The Husband Stitch" by Carmen Maria Machado from Her Body & Other Parties (2014) "My Body, Herself" by Carmen Maria Machado (2020)

The time is finally here!! Kendra has read one of August's favorite book and is ready to discuss it. In this episode, the hosts will share their thoughts on Donald Ray Pollock's The Devil All the Time. They will first share some spoiler-free impressions before moving into a spoiler-filled discussion. AND today is August's birthday. What better way to celebrate her than to spend some time thinking/talking about a book she finds perfect! TW: discussions include brief mentions of sexual assault/abuse, murder, substance abuse, pedophilia, body mutilation, and religious sacrifice. Please take care before listening!

Here is our September-October wrap up! This is completely spoiler-free and we'll offer short reviews for each. Check out our Goodreads profiles to keep track of our reading in real-time. August: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/122578796-august-braddock Kendra: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/93348303-kendra-l

In this episode, the hosts discuss Tartt's very popular 1992 book, The Secret History. This book often shows up everywhere when the weather turns colder and the leaves change. It is a giant in the dark academia genre, and we can see why. It subscribes to all of the major tropes. That being said, August and Kendra had very different experiences reading it. They will begin with having a spoiler-free discussion where they give brief impressions and a basic summary. Then, they will move into an in-depth spoiler-filled discussion. As always, the hosts will give you plenty of warning when the spoilers will come up.

We are so excited to share this spooky-themed episode! Halloween is our favorite holiday, so here are some texts that help use get into the holiday spirit.

In this episode, August and Kendra share their favorite short stories. It was difficult for them to choose, and as the episode progresses, they remember great ones they've left out. What are some of your favorite short stories? Books mentioned in the episode: “The Company of Wolves” by Angela Carter (197) "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1965) "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892) "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant (1888) "To Build a Fire" by Jack London (1902) "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" by Delmore Schwartz (1937) “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield (1921) "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (1894) "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin (1957) "No Flesh Over Our Bones" by Mariana Enríquez (2016) "The Witch of Duva" by Leigh Bardugo (2012) "Continuity of Parks" by Julio Cortazar (1964) “Childfinder” by Octavia Butler (1971/2014) The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (1948) “How to Talk to a Hunter” by Pam Houston (1990) "Don't Look Now" by Daphne Du Maurier (1973) "The Night Driver" by Italo Calvino (1967) "Ariadne" by Anton Chekhov (1895)

Happy Fall! We love this season and we are so excited to share our favorite autumnal reads with you all. Remember to check us out on Instagram @bookdumbpodcast to ask us any questions + send us your recommendations.

In this episode, the hosts share their favorite texts that can be read in a single sitting. This episode is completely spoiler-free! Books mentioned in the episode: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (1966) The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943) The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers (1951) Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West (1933) A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (1964) Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (1962) Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (2000) Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (2018) Blow Up & Other Short Stories by Julio Cortázar (1963) Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges (1944) Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval (2018) Samson Agonistes by John Milton (1671) Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (2016) Franny & Zooey by J. D. Salinger (1961) Crush by Richard Siken (2005) Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson (2019) I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid (2016) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon (2003) Written on the Body by Jeannette Winterson (1992) Slipping by Mohamed Kheir (2021)

In this episode, Kendra and August share their favorite dark academia reads ('tis the season!). This episode is completely spoiler-free. Books mentioned in the episode: Bunny by Mona Awad (2019) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1842). Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (2015) Maurice by EM Forester (1913/1971) Portrait of an Artist by James Joyce (1916) Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895) Dracula by Bram Stoker (1892) Howard's End by EM Forester (1910) Stoner by John Williams (1964) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890) The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (2021) Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (2019) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847) The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992) My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russel (2020) Vicious by V.E. Schwab (2013)

Here is a very special episode where the gals answer your questions--about books, about life, about anything!

In this very special episode, August and Kendra discuss Dennis Lehane's 2001 thriller Mystic River. They both have A LOT to say about this amazing book, so definitely listen even if you haven't read the book! The first 20 minutes or so will be spoiler-free. Warnings will always be given before the episode moves into spoiler territory. TW: discussions of violence, including murder, abduction of a child, and pedophilia.