MashReads Podcast

Our summer readings lists

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we discuss our summer reading lists and what exactly qualifies as a beach read before taking a hiatus until the fall. Chloe recommends: “China Rich Girlfriend” by Kevin Kwan “The Third Hotel” by Laura van den Berg “Meet Me in the Bathroom” by Lizzy Goodman   Martha recommends: "The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory "The Female Persuasion" by Meg Wolitzer "Barracoon" by Zora Neal Hurston "Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi "To All The Boys I’ve L...

'The Pisces'

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Melissa Broder's novel "The Pisces," a story about a woman who falls in love with a merman. Then, inspired by the book, we talk about other unexpected romances/ surprising couples in literature. And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Chloe recommends Motherboard's internet-themed crossword puzzle "Solve The Internet." "It's really fun and they are a little bit easier than the New York Times crossword puzzles, so if you g...

'Florida' (with guest and author Lauren Groff)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Lauren Groff, author of 'Fates and Furies,' 'Delicate Edible Birds,' and more, about her new story collection, 'Florida.' "This book is about Florida. But it’s not just the state, it’s about the state of dread and premonition and the desire to push outside the realm of domesticity and how to raise little boys and make them into good people and it’s about snakes and it’s basically everything that you can come up with." Also mentioned in the sh...

"Little Fires Everywhere" and our favorite books about the suburbs

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Celeste Ng's novel "Little Fires Everywhere." Then, inspired by the book, we talk about our favorite books about the suburbs/ the suburban experience.

'An American Marriage' and our favorite love stories

This week, we are joined by Whitney Hu, Director of Public Programs at the Natinoal Book Foundation, to talk about "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones. The book tells the story of newly married couple Roy and Celeste, after Roy is falsely convicted of a crime he didn't commit and is incarcerated for 5 years. The story then explores what happens to Roy and Celeste's marriage when the time they thought they'd have together is stolen from them. Then, inspired by "An American Marriage" we tal...

'The Ensemble' (featuring guest and author Aja Gabel)

This week on the MashReads Podast, we're joined by Aja Gabel, author of "The Ensemble." "It's a book about music, classic music in particular, but put another way, it's really just a book about people who happen to play music." And, as always, we close the show with recommendations: 'The Third Hotel' by Laura van den Berg. "It's one of those books where you're like 'I've never read anything like this.'"

Fahrenheit 451 and our favorite books about books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451. Then, inspired by the novel, we talk about other books about books. And finally, we end the show with recommendations: Martha recommends Spotify music podcast 'Dissect.' Each season of the podcast focuses in on one music album, devoting each episode in the season to dissecting one song. The show just launched their third season which focuses on Frank Ocean's album 'Blonde.' "It's really, really fasc...

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and our favorite sci-fi books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Douglas Adam's classic sci-fi novel 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Then, inspired by the novel, we chat about our favorite sci-fi including 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson, 'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel, 'The Afterlives' by Thomas Pierce, 'Neuromancer' by William Gibson, Kindred' by Octavia Butler, and 'Annihilation' by Jeff Vandermeer. Then as always, we close the show with recommendations: Martha recommends the mov...

Merry Spinster and books inspired by fairy tales

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Daniel Mallory Ortberg's new short story collection "Merry Spinster." The book reimagines classic fairy tales but with very dark twists. Then, inspired by "Merry Spinster" we move on to discuss other books inspired by fairy tales that we love. And as always, we close with recommendations: Peter recommends the video game "God of War." "It is just an incredibly well rought game in terms of basically everything. It feels great, it looks g...

Books we really love and think you should love too

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we pull together a panel of our past guests to chat about books we really love and think you should know about.

Books you should absolutely be reading this Spring

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we are joined by Bustle's book editor Cristina Arreola to talk about all of the books you should be reading this spring. Join us as we talk about what books we absolutely loved and what upcoming books you should keep an eye out for, including The Recovering by Leslie Jamison, The Feamle Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. Then, as always, we close the show with reco...

Paper Menagerie and books about the immigrant experience

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Ken Liu's short story The Paper Menagerie, (you can read it online here) and then, inspired by the story, we discuss our favorite stories and books that describe the immigrant experience.

A Wrinkle In Time and books we want to see turned into movies

This week, we read and discuss Madeline L'Engle's classic children's book 'A Wrinkle In Time.' Then, inspired by the book (and it's recent big screen adaptation), we talk about books we want to see turned into movies. Next week, we're reading and discussing Ken Lui's short story 'Paper Menagerie.' We hope you'll join us. You can read it online here.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and books we wish had growing up

This week we are joined by two guests  — Martha's roommate Zach and MJ's brother Marc — to chat about 'Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda,' A.K.A. the book that inspired the movie 'Love, Simon.'Then, inspired by Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, we talk about books we wish we had growing up, including The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman, and The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky.And as always, we close...

'Call Me By Your Name' and our favorite love stories

On this week's episode of the MashReads Podcast, we're continuing our lovely streak of books that happened to have been turned into feature films. We discuss the brilliance of Andre Aciman and his stunning 2007 novel, Call Me By Your Name.  The premise is simple: Elio, an intelligent 17 year-old, meets and falls for Oliver, the 24-year-old American graduate student staying with the family for six weeks in the summer. Elio and Oliver embark on a friendship and love story set in Italy of the 1...

Annihilation and books that make us go WTF

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Annihilation, the first book in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy. Join us as we talk about the mysterious Area X, VanderMeer's unique approach to suspense, and what makes Annihilation so singular.Then, inspired by Annihilation, we talk about books that make us go "WTF?!" including: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Windup Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, and Wool by Hugh Howey. And as always we close the show with recommen...

Catching up with David Levithan

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with David Levithan, author of 'Boy Meets Boy,' 'Two Boys Kissing,' and 'Every Day' (which was recently adapted into a movie). Join us as we talk about the queer message behind 'Every Day,' writing queer novels, and how YA literature has grown.And as always, we close the show with recommendations. David recommends Julien Baker "I think everybody should listen to her. She is incredible. I have a massive musical crush on her." David also recommends a...

Black Panther

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk about all things Black Panther. Join us as we talk about Marvel's new 'Black Panther' movie. Then we revisit 'Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet,'  the 2016 Ta-Nehisi Coates 'Black Panther' comic book run. And as always, we close the show with recommendations.  Brian de los Santos, Mashable's assistant editor who joined us this week, recommends hyphy music, especially because of the Black Panther soundtrack. "It was the soundtrack to my high sc...

The Monk of Mokha (featuring Dave Eggers and Moktar Alkhanshali )

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Dave Eggers and Moktar Alkhanshali about Dave Eggers' new biography of Moktar Alkhanshali and the history of coffee, 'The Monk of Mokha."

The Immortalists (with guest and author Chloe Benjamin)

Down and Across (with guest and author Arvin Ahmadi)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk to Arvin Ahmadi about his debut novel 'Down and Across.' The book follows Scott Ferdowsi, who is on a guest to find his purpose and become gritty. When he runs away from his home in Philadelphia to D.C. for the summer, he meets Fiora, a crossword puzzle enthusiast struggling to define her own life as well. "You hear sometimes, and this is a cliche, that life is like a crossword puzzle. But Fiora’s perspective is a bit different," explains Ahmadi. "...

Catching up with Neal Shusterman

This week, we chat with Neal Shusterman, author of the new Arc of the Scythe series, the 2015 National Book Award-winning young adult novel 'Challenger Deep,' and more. Join us as we chat about utopia vs. dystopia, writing about mental health, and advice for young writers. Neal recommends 'Black Mirror.' "For TV, I just finished the new season of 'Black Mirror' which is my favorite TV show. That series hits me where I live." He also recommends 'Dear Evan Hansen.' "I saw 'Dear Evan Hansen' ba...

'Maze Runner' series (with guest and author James Dashner)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we catch up with James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner series to chat about the movie adaptation of his novel The Death Cure, dystopian novels vs. post-apocalyptic novels, and what's its like to write blockbuster books. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations: James recommends Leonard da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. "It is fantastic. Leonardo da Vinci had a fascinating life, and I really enjoyed [this book]." Peter recommends Reality Is Not...

'Snapshot' by Joe Hill and books that scared us as kids

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Joe Hill's novella "Snapshot," which choronicles the plight of a boy who discovers a man who steals memories with mysterious polaroid camera. Then, inspired by the book, we chat about books that scared us as kids. Also during the episode, MJ urged people interested in the plot of "Snapshot" to check out the lauded short story by George Saunders "Victory Lap." During the podcast, we also learned of the very sad death of author Ursula K....

Episode 100!!

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we celebrate our 100th episode! Join us as we look back on some of our favorite moments, from book discussions we loved to guests we can't believe we got to interview.

When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir (featuring author Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, about her new memoir When They Call You A Terrorist. The story documents both Patrisse's own life as well as the founding of Black Lives Matter. "The story of Black Lives Matter starts before Black Lives Matter. The story of Black Lives Matter, for me, starts with my childhood." And as always we close the show with recommendatiosn: Patrisse recommends “Anything by Octavia Butler, especially...

'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House'

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Michael Wolff's new book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Peter recommends The Mighty Boosh, a BBC Three comedy. "It's just the weirdest and most surreal show, that's slightly problematic sometimes. All that said, though, it's a delightful show because it has my two favorite comedians: Rich Fulture and Matt Berry. It's fun. It's on Hulu. Heather recommends The Liars Club b...

New Year reading and 2018 book goals

The MashReads Podcast is back! This week, we reunite in the New Year and talk about what we read over the holiday and we set some 2018 reading goals. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations: Martha recommends watching Lovesick, season 3, on Netflix. "It's a beautiful story of friendship and love. And it's just so good. The acting is fantastic. I'm just the biggest fan of this." Martha has also been working on a movie project: "I have been watching every Jake Gyllenhaal movie...

Favorite Books of 2017

2017 is coming to an end! This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat about what we read in 2017, including our favorite new book released in 2017, the most unexpected thing we love, books we wished got more attention, most challenging book, and our favorite things we read (new or old) in 2017.  

'Cat Person' and extremely relatable books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'Cat Person' by Kristen Roupenian. Then, we move on and discuss books and stories that we extremely related to.And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Chloe recommends 'Difficult Women' by Roxane Gay. "It's great. I assume that if you're listening to this podcast, you'd be into very interior female protagonists. It's full of them. It's great." Nicole recommends 'A Life Apart' by Neel Mukherjee. She also recommends 'Voyeur,...

Infinite Jest-isode

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat about David Foster Wallace's novel 'Infinite Jest.' And as always we close the show with recommendations: Peter recommends Lady Bird. "I don't think it's a perfect movie but I think it's an incredibly beautiful one."  Brett recommends This is Water, David Foster Wallace's speech about daily life. Chloe recommends the show Riverdale. I think it's a perfect is a perfect post-modern show and I think David Foster Wallace would love it." (Also check out...

Wonder (with guest and author R.J. Palacio)

This week on The MashReads Podcast, we talk to R.J. Palacio about her novel Wonder, which was just turned into a major motion picture staring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The book follows a year in the life of Auggie Pullman, a 10-year-old boy who is starting the 5th grade. Though Auggie is a normal 10-year-old boy, he was born with facial differences resulting in numerous surgeries which have kept him homeschooled and away from his peers until now. Now, entering school for the first time,...

Catching up with Neil Patrick Harris

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we catch up with actor, producer, and author Neil Patrick Harris to talk about writing, reading, and his new book 'The Magic Misfits.' Neil has a host of recommends including the podcasts Comedy Bang Bang, The Daily, and Human Brain; the TV shows Survivor; Kelly Clarkson's new album The Meaning of Life and P!nk's new album Beautiful Trauma; and more. MJ recommends "The Apex of Insanity: A look back on the fifth anniversary of Rihanna's ill-fated '777 Tour,'...

'Artemis' (with guest and author Andy Weir)

This week on the MashReads Podast, we talk with Andy Weir, author of 'The Martian,' about his new novel 'Artemis.' The novel follows Jazz Bashara, a space smuggler who has grown up on Artemis, the first city on the moon. When Jazz gets a heist job from one of Artemis' wealthiest citizens, she thinks she's hit the jackpot. However, what Jazz believes to be a tricky but solvable task soon transforms into a mission that not only threatens Jazz's future but also the future of Artemis itself.And ...

'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter' (with guest and author Erika L Sánchez)

This week, we talk with Erika L Sánchez about her National Book Award nominated YA novel 'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.' The book follows the story of Julia Reyes, a 15-year-old Mexican American girl growing up in Chicago. The novel begins with the death of her sister and as the story unfolds she soon learns that her sister isn't as perfect as everyone imagined. "But it's funny!" Sánchez clarifies. And as always, we close the show with recommendations. Erika recommends Don't Call Us...

'There's Someone Inside Your House' and our favorite vivid and visceral books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Stephanie Perkins' novel 'There's Someone Inside Your House,' a YA slasher novel that's a perfect homage to classic horror movies like 'Scream' and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer.'  Then, inspired by the vividly rendered gore of the novel, we chat about favorite visceral books including 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy, 'Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess, 'Room' by Emma Donoghue, 'Wolf in White Van' by John Darnielle and 'The Walking D...

'The Haunting of Hill House' and our favorite horror books for Halloween

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Shirley Jackson's classic horror novel 'The Haunting of Hill House.' Then we chat about our favorite scary books for Halloween.

'Long Way Down' (featuring guest and author Jason Reynolds)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Jason Reynolds himself about his new book Long Way Down. The book follows a minute in the life of Will, the day after his brother Shawn is murdered. In a quest for vengence, Will steps onto an elevator with a gun, on his way down to find the man that he thinks is responsible for his brother's death. However, as Will tries to make the long trip down, the elevator keeps stopping floor-by-floor, forcing Will to confront the ghosts of his past. "E...

'Turtles All The Way Down' and books about mental health

John Green is back! This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'Turtles All the Way Down,' John Green's first book in 6 years after 'The Fault In Our Stars.' The book follows Aza, a 16-year-old would-be detective living in Indianapolis who is trying to track down a missing billionaire, Russell Pickett, with her friend Daisy, all the while grappingly with her own severe OCD and anxiety. Then, inspired by 'Turtles All The Way Down,' we chat about our favorite books that explore m...

'My Absolute Darling' (featuring guest and author Gabriel Tallent)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 'My Absolute Darling' by Gabriel Tallent with Gabriel himself. The book follows Turtle Alveston, a young girl living in northern Calfornia, as she fights to escape unthinkable abuse from her father. Then as always, we end the show with recommendations: Gabriel recommends ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ by Celeste Ng and 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison. Aliza recommends Ronan Farrow’s piece in the New Yorker about the Harvey Weinstein allegations ...

'Thanks, Obama' (with guest and author David Litt)

This week on a special MashReads Podcast, Aliza talks to former Obama speechwriter David Litt about his new memoir "Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years.” Litt shared stories about his White House experience, his advice for young writers, and why his comedic memoir is really a love story. As always, we ended the show with recommendations: David recomments "A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean, which Litt reads about twice a year. He also recommends "The Chief Inspector Ga...

'Don't Call Us Dead' and portrayals of the afterlife in literature

This week on the MashReads podcast, we discuss Don't Call Us Dead, a poetry collection by Danez Smith, focusing on "Summer, Somewhere," the book's breathtaking 25 page opening poem about the afterlife of black boys murdered by police. Then, inspired by the depiction of paradise in "Summer, Somewhere," we discuss our favorite portrayals of death and the afterlife in literature including: Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, the Mediator series by Meg Cabot, ...

New People (with guest and author Danzy Senna)

This week, we chat with Danzy Senna about her novel 'New People.'And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Danzy recommends A Separation by Katie Kitamura. "It was such a pleasurable read but sort of unsettling in all the ways that I like." Danzy has also been reading through novels by French writer Emmanuel Carrère. "Class Trip is an amazing novel." MJ recommends Release by Patrick Ness. The book is a day in the life of a queer kid in Seattle as he is dealing with a going away p...

Alan Cumming

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk to Alan Cumming about, well, just about everything. Join us we hang out with Alan and talk about books, writing, the teletubbies, bars, dogs, and Alan's new book 'The Adventures of Honey and Leon.' Peter recommends the new adaptation of It. "It is as good as it could be, which is saying a lot for a Stephen King movie." "There's an attention to detail about the scary parts and the atmosphere they're trying to create. It was very well thought out and ...

'Warcross' (with author and guest Marie Lu)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with YA superstar Marie Lu about her new novel Warcross as well as her upcoming YA adaptation of Batman, Batman: Nightwalkers. Marie recommends Force of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. "It is a fantastic, East Asian retelling of the Snow White story but from the Queen's perspective. It is so good, and it is dark, and lush and awesome. I can't believe it's a debut." She also recommends Bob's Burgers. "That's my happy show. I always leave that sh...

'300 Arguments' and our favorite short books

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss 300 Arguments by Sarah Manguso. The book is composed of 300 platitudes, most of them about a sentence or two long. While they seem completely unrelated at first, a storyline soon emerges about Manguso's own life, illness, friendships, etc. "Think of this as a short book composed entirely of what I hoped would be a long book's quotable passages." Then, inspired by 300 Arguments, we discuss our favorite short books, including George Orwell...

Summer Reading 2017

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat about what we've been up to this summer, what we've been reading (other than what we've discussed on this podcast), what makes a good summer book, and other things (not necessarily books) we've loved this season. Things mentioned in the show: You can check out some photos from our guest, Mashable culture reporter Martha Tesema, here. You can read a collection of New York Times "New Sentences" columns here.

"The Devil in the White City" and our favorite books about secret history

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, an investigation into the construction of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and the serial killer H.H. Holmes that plagued it. Then, inspired by Larson's deep dive, we chat about our favorite books that reveal little known or secret histories.

'Grief Is The Thing With Feathers' and our favorite books about grief

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Max Porter's Grief Is The Thing With Feathers. The book follows three characters after a family's mother dies: Dad, Boys (a combination of the families two children), and Crow (who is the maybe real, maybe imaginary incarnation of grief who resides with the family while they grieve). Through a series of vignettes told from the perspective of each character, Grief explores just what happens when we lose someone and what it means to heal....

'The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger' and exploring Stephen King novels

This week on the MashReads Podcast, in time for the new movie adaptation, we read and discuss Stephen King's novel The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, the first in King's The Dark Tower series. And then, because of Stephen King's expansive catalogue, we talk about reading Stephen King at large: what are common tropes in his novels, where does the author shine and struggle, what Stephen King books should you read, etc.