MashReads Podcast

'Tis the season! In honor of Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season, this week on the MashReads Podcast we discuss the books we're thankful for and why.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we are joined by author Brit Bennett to discuss her new novel The Mothers. The novel begins with Nadia, a girl who, after the loss of her mother when she is 17, has a fling with the son of a paster, gets pregnant and decides to terminate the pregnancy. The novel then follows Nadia throughout her life, exploring how the repercussions of that decision effect not only her but also her community and her relationships in the future. Join us as we talk to Brit about The Mothers, finding success at a young age, writing about uncomfortable themes and wisdom in literature.

This week, we are joined by Colson Whitehead to chat about his book The Underground Railroad.  The book paints a portrait of slavery and American history by following Cora, a slave running away from a cruel plantation in Georgia. As she struggles to escape to freedom, Cora travels through the country, seeing how deeply slavery as shaped American life and how passionately citizens will fight to keep or destroy the institution. Join us as we chat about writing, history and The Underground Railroad.

This week, in honor of Halloween, we take a deep dive into the world of horror books. Join us as we chat about what we look for in a scary book, what tropes do you see in the horror genre, and our favorite terrifying books.

This week, we read and discuss Ray Bradbury's haunting carnival tale Something Wicked This Way Comes. The book follows two young friends, Jim and Will, living in a small town in Illinois. When a mysterious carnival arrives in the middle of the night, it's up to Jim and Will, along with Will's father Charles Halloway, to unravel the secrets of this carnival and protect the town from its horrors. Then, inspired by the fact that Something Wicked is a lesser known Bradbury novel (compared to Fahrenheit 451), we talk about lesser known books by famous authors.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Underground Airlines by Ben Winters. The novel imagines a world where slavery was not abolished and still exists in four states -- The Hard Four. Then inspired by Underground Airlines, we talk about our favorite speculative ficton.

This week, author Emma Cline joins the MashReads Podcast as we talk about her debut novel 'The Girls.' Join us as we chat about cults and communes, being a teen, and the complicated nature of friendship, as seen in 'The Girls.' 

This week we are joined by Cheryl Klein, the executive editor at Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic and author of The Magic Words:  Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults.  Basically -- as a reader, editor and author -- Cheryl is an expert in all things books. Join us as we talk about how to approach reading, how we discover books, tips for new writers and our other reading habits.

In honor of David Foster Wallace (this month marks 8 years since his passing) and his iconic writing, this week we discuss 'The Depressed Person,' Wallace's short story detailing a narrators inner thoughts about her depression. Then, inspired by Wallace's exploration of sadness and depression, we chat about books you should read when you are sad.

This week, we read and discuss Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger's hyper-existential novel about a family of geniuses grappling witht the spiritial crisis of its two youngest members, Franny and Zooey. The inspired by the novels examination of family, we chat about our favorite books about siblings.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we catch up with YA superstar Sarah J. Maas. Join us as chat about with Sarah about what she's been up to, writing emotional YA scenes (do authors like it when they make you cry?), what music makes good writing music and what to expect from Empire of Storms. Also, Ghostbusters.

Summer is coming to a close and that means one thing -- last minute vacations! This week on the MashReads podcast, we chat all things vacation reading. What do we like to read on vacation? What makes a good summer book? Are "beach reads" actually a thing? Join us as we take a deep dive into all things summer reading.

This week read and discuss Robin Coste Lewis' poem 'Voyage of the Sable Venus,' one long poem told only using the titles and descriptions of works of art that depict black women. Then we talk about our favorite books that were inspired by works of art.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss J.K Rowling's latest dive into the Harry Potter universe, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Join us as we chat about what worked and didn't work in the latest Harry Potter story, what it was like seeing our favorite characters return, and how this new play fits within the Harry Potter world.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we are joined by author Bob Proehl to read and discuss his new novel A Hundred Thousand Worlds. A modern The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, A Hundred Thousand Worlds follows a cast of characters as they travel the comic con circuit from New York to LA, with each character exploring his or her place within the comic industry as they journey.

This week, we are joined by author Hannah Pittard to read and discuss her new novel Listen to Me.The book follows Mark and Maggie, a professor and veterinarian respectively, as they road trip across the country, each confronting the trauma and anxiety Maggie experiences after she is mugged in Chicago.

This week on MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian novel that envisions a theocratic world where women are controlled by the government, and they are only considered valuable if they can have children. Then inspired by the novel, we chat about the dystopian novels that scare us the most.

This week we read, Mark Z. Danielewski's mindbending postmodern novel The Familiar, Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May, a story that follows 9 different characters all on, you guessed it, one rainy day in May. Then, inspired by The Familiar's play with form, we chat about our favorite pieces of experimental storytelling.

Winter is here. This week on the MashReads Podcast we chat about everything Game of Thrones, including Season 6, the show vs. the books and the best Game of Thrones things we've seen on the Internet. After all, the night is dark and full of Game of Thrones fan theories.

This week we are joined by author Emma Straub to read and discuss her new book Modern Lovers, a tale about two intertwining families and their summer trying to navigate the relationships in their lives.