PodcastsArtsThe Currently Reading Podcast

The Currently Reading Podcast

Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb
The Currently Reading Podcast
Latest episode

430 episodes

  • The Currently Reading Podcast

    Season 8, Episode 33: Reading Grooves + Our Reading Hermitages

    2026-03-23 | 56 mins.
    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Elizabeth are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: Reading modes and finding books for every moment

    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    Deep Dive: Which authors' complete works we would take to our hermitage

    Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit brought by Elizabeth.

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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    :10 - Bite Size Intro 
    :51 - Fabled Bookshop
    :57 - Currently Reading Patreon
    2:47 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week
    8:23 - Our Current Reads
    8:52 - These Is My Words by Nancy Turner (Elizabeth)
    10:37 - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    10:40 - Centennial by James Michener
    11:50 - This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum (Meredith)
    16:34 - London Falling by Patrick Raddon Keefe (Elizabeth, pre-order releases April 7, 2026)
    17:06 - Defending Jacob by William Landay
    17:07 - Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
    19:14 - The Plea by Steve Cavanagh (Meredith)
    21:40 - Thirteen by Steve Kavanagh
    21:41 - Fifty Fifty by Steve Kavanagh
    22:40 - The Defense by Steve Kavanagh
    24:20 - Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Elizabeth)
    28:42 - Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Meredith)
    ***Each current read this week is 10% off if you order through Fabled Bookshop with the code "currently"
    35:47 - Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
    35:58 - Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns
    36:20 - To sign up for Book Lover Weekend head to their website!
    37:07 - Deep Dive: The Works of Five Authors for the End of Time
    Min Jin Lee (Elizabeth)
    39:12 - Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 
    39:16 - American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
    Louise Penny - all of them (Meredith)
    Anthony Horowitz (Elizabeth)
    40:22 - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
    41:02 - Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz
    Charles Dickens (Meredith)
    41:56 - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
    42:02 - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
    42:07 - Bleak House by Charles Dickens
    Patrick Radden Keefe (Elizabeth)
    42:42 - Dead Wake by Erik Larson
    David Sedaris (Meredith)
    Kristen Hannah (Elizabeth)
    Stephen King (Meredith)
    45:46 - Fairy Tale by Stephen King
    Liz Moore (Elizabeth)
    46:31 - Long Bright River by Liz Moore
    46:32 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore
    Debbie Macomber (Meredith)
    Rick Bragg (Elizabeth)
    50:40 - Before We Go
    Meredith highlights a bookish friend post
    51:33 - StoryGraph
    Elizabeth brings a sleeper hit
    52:35 - No One's Coming by Kevin Hazzard
    52:40 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live
     
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
    Bookish Friends Receive:
    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

    Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business

    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

    From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:
    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube
    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
    Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
  • The Currently Reading Podcast

    Season 8, Episode 32: Exciting Adaptations + How To Audiobook

    2026-03-16 | 1h 3 mins.
    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: Book adaptations and giving out book recs IRL

    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    Deep Dive: How to audiobook

    Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and something Kaytee is curious about

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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    1:21 - Bookish Moments of the Week
    1:35 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
    1:41 - PBS app
    2:31 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
    3:07 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
    3:46 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
    3:48 - Call Her Daddy podcast w/Sarah J. Maas
    4:55 - A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
    6:55 - Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
    7:09 - @hollyslitmagic on Instagram
    9:15 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle
    9:31 - The Day the World Came To Town by Jim DeFede
    9:48 - Search by Michele Huneven
    10:16 - Current Reads
    11:00 - The Night She Died by Dorothy Simpson (Meredith, ebook only)
    16:52 - Courtroom Drama by Neely Tubati Alexander (Kaytee)
    17:02 - Literally A Bookshop
    21:30 - The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer (Meredith)
    22:51 - We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
    26:23 - Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver (Kaytee)
    29:04 - Partita by Barbara Kingsolver (pre-order releases Oct 6, 2026)
    29:08 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
    29:44 - A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James (Meredith)
    29:59 - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
    34:02 - The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
    35:46 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion (vol. 1) by Beth Brower (Kaytee)
    43:15 - How To Listen To Audiobooks
    55:14 - Before We Go
    Kaytee highlights a bookish friend post
    56:26 - Greenwood by Michael Christie 
    56:29 - The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah
    Meredith brings something she's curious about
    57:20 - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
    57:35 - Footnotes and Tangents
     
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
    Bookish Friends Receive:
    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

    Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business

    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

    From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:
    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube
    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
    Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
  • The Currently Reading Podcast

    Season 8, Episode 31: Book Festivals + Revisiting The Currently Reading Press List

    2026-03-09 | 57 mins.
    On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: Book festivals and new book podcast episodes

    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    Deep Dive: Revisiting the Currently Reading Press List

    Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and something Kaytee is curious about

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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    :10 Bite Size Intro
    2:01 - Currently Reading Press List
    3:00 - Bookish Moments of the Week
    3:23 - Tucson Festival of Books
    3:54 - If you will be at TFOB, email Kaytee at kaytee @ currentlyreadingpodcast . com
    5:17 - The Diving In podcast
    6:28 - Current Reads
    6:36 - Wreck by Catherine Newman (Kaytee)
    6:49 - Sandwich by Catherine Newman
    9:50 - Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton (Meredith, Blackwell's link)
    12:58 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips
    15:06 - The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande (Kaytee)
    15:14 - Kaytee's Instagram @notesonbookmarks
    19:09 - Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic by C.M. Nascosta (Meredith)
    19:18 - Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta
    25:21 - Love and Fury by Samantha Silva (Kaytee)
    25:26 - The Novel Neighbor
    26:32 - Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
    26:35 - CR Season 1: Episode 18
    27:36 - You're Dead To Me podcast
    28:46 - The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty (Meredith)
    30:16 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
    32:39 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
    32:40 - The Princess Bride by William Goldman
    34:41 - Revisiting The Currently Reading Press List
    34:58 - Currently Reading Press List
    38:53 - The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
    39:00 - Pansuit Politics podcast
    42:06 - Matilda by Roald Dahl
    42:52 - Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige
    43:21 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley
    43:33 - The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse
    43:48 - Disney War by James B. Stewart
    43:52 - The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
    44:08 - Shogun by James Clavell
    44:28 - Dataclysm by Christian Rudder
    44:39 - The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
    44:51 - Life after Life by Kate Atkinson
    45:11 - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
    45:20 - The Vintage Teacup Club by Vanessa Greene
    45:29 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
    45:30 - Scythe by Neal Shusterman
    45:36 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
    46:03 - My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
    46:04 - My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
    46:09 - The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
    46:11 - The Paper Magician by Charlie Homberg
    46:25 - The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
    47:15 - Expecting Better by Emily Oster
    47:26 - Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman
    50:14 - Before We Go
    Meredith highlights a bookish friend post
    50:54 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion by Beth Brower
    Kaytee brings something she's curious about
    53:00 - Laura Tremaine's Substack
    53:15 - 10 Things To Tell You podcast 
    55:13 - Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
    55:29 - Kin by Tayari Jones
    55:37 - Whistler by Ann Patchett
    55:51 - Land by Maggie O'Farrell
     
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
    Bookish Friends Receive:
    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

    Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business

    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

    From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:
    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube
    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
    Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
  • The Currently Reading Podcast

    Season 8, Episode 30: Weekly Buddy Reading + Organizing Our Bookshelves

    2026-03-02 | 1h
    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: A new bookish metaphor and book moms in the wild

    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    Deep Dive: Organizing Our Bookshelves

    Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit you should read.

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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    1:18 - Ad For Ourselves
    2:03 - Currently Reading Patreon
    2:55 - Bookish Moments of the Week
    3:19 - A Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
    7:44 - @meg.al.reads on Instagram
    9:19 - Current Reads
    9:26 - Agnes Aubert's Magical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (Mary)
    9:54 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
    13:34 - Mate by Ali Hazelwood (Kaytee)
    13:38 - Bride by Ali Hazelwood
    MARYS NEXT BOOK BEGINS AT 17:43 IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR MATE'S SETUP
    16:31 - romance.io
    17:48 - Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen (Mary)
    19:50 - The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen
    19:52 - CR Season 4: Episode 38 w/Mary's setup of The Arc
    21:07 - One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Kaytee)
    23:39 - American War by Omar El Akkad
    26:02 - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Mary)
    28:19 - This Is How You Win the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar
    29:57 - Honey by Imani Thompson (pre-order, releases May 5, 2026) (Kaytee)
    32:10 - They Never Learn by Layne Fargo 
    34:36 - Organizing Our Bookshelves
    36:51 - Ikea Kallax Bookshelf
    37:47 - Ikea Billy Bookcase
    42:40 - Cinder by Marissa Meyer 
    48:50 - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
    49:47 - Currently Reading Substack
    53:51 - Before We Go
    Kaytee  highlights a bookish friend post
    54:38 - Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
    54:40 - The Wife, The Mistress and the Maid by Ariel Lawhon
    54:42 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
    54:44 - The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
    54:47 - The Antidote by Karen Russell
    54:52 - The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kawali
    Mary brings a sleeper hit, with a twist:
    57:02 - Looking At Picture Books w/Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
    58:51 - Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
    Bookish Friends Receive:
    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL is brought by our lovely friends at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

    Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business

    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

    From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:
    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube
    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
    Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
  • The Currently Reading Podcast

    Season 8, Episode 29: A Website Refresh + Curating A Bookstagram

    2026-02-23 | 1h 4 mins.
    On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:
    Bookish Moments: A new bookish metaphor and book moms in the wild

    Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately

    Deep Dive: Explaining a Currently Reading literary society

    Before We Go: our new segment featuring bookish friend posts and a sleeper hit you should read.

    Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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    1:44 - Bookish Moments of the Week
    1:52 - Currently Reading Website
    1:56 - Books We Want To Press Into Your Hands
    3:03 - Best Books for Babies and Kids
    3:42 - Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge
    5:55 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO Max
    7:12 - Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
    7:16 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R. R. Martin (all 3 Dunk and Egg novellas)
    7:55 - Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
    8:33 - Current Reads
    8:41 - The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (Kaytee)
    11:47 - The Book Wanderers by Anna James
    11:50 - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
    11:54 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
    13:08 - Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (Meredith)
    15:10 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
    15:11 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
    15:45 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
    22:27 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
    24:10 - Six Feet Over by Mary Roach (Kaytee)
    27:20 - Gulp by Mary Roach
    27:21 - Bonk by Mary Roach
    27:22 - Stiff by Mary Roach
    28:51 - Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (Meredith)
    32:06 - Agatha Christie's Marple by Mark Aldridge
    34:18 - The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden (Kaytee)
    34:33 - Charter Books
    39:00 - Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (Meredith)
    42:28 - Dracula by Bram Stoker
    45:21 - Turning Instagram into Bookstagram
    47:25 - Sign up for the newsletter on our website
    47:26 - Currently Reading Substack
    50:48 - Currently Reading Instagram
    50:54 - @HelloSunshine on Instagram
    50:58 - @BookRiot on Instagram 
    51:00 - @NYTBooks on Instagram
    51:40 - @Iamblackharry on Instagram
    52:10 - Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
    52:28 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
    52:42 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower
    53:42 - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
    53:48 - God of the Woods by Liz Moore
    54:03 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
    56:13 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live
    58:44 - Before We Go
    Meredith highlights a bookish friend post
    59:34 - The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
    59:54 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
    Kaytee's Book She DNF'd:
    1:01:22 - The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor
    1:01:28 - Bookshelf Thomasville
    1:02:57 - From the Front Porch podcast
    Support Us:
    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch
    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon
    Bookish Friends Receive:
    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. February's list is a special romance curated list from Open Door Romance, The Novel Neighbor's Romance adjacent bookstore in Webster Groves, MO.

    Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business

    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller

    From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:
    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads | Substack | Youtube
    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna
    Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans
    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

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About The Currently Reading Podcast

Currently Reading is a podcast dedicated to the love of books and reading. Meredith and Kaytee are two bookish friends who discuss their most recent reads - and please know, they are going to be honest about how they felt about them! All conversations are spoiler-free, pinkie promise. In addition, they'll talk about books they've loved forever, and a variety of other bookish topics - all to help you develop the reading life you've always wanted. Looking for your next great read? You'll find tons of book recommendations every week. Named one of the New York Times' "Best Podcasts for Book Lovers".
Podcast website

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