The To Read List Podcast

THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson / BEACH READ by Emily Henry In this episode, we get to talk about two of our favorite authors--Emily "The Love Book" Henry and Erik "The Larsman" Larson. Will we be able to stop ourselves from reading every book they've ever written? Will we ever stop talking about Winston Churchill's bathtime? Will our college crush return our texts? Tune in to find out!

PALE BLUE DOT by Carl Sagan / THE GIFT OF FEAR by Gavin de Becker Toby makes his triumphant return to the podcast only to reveal his greatest shame yet! While "reviewing" PALE BLUE DOT, he makes us question how much we all care about space. Next, Bailey dives into THE GIFT OF FEAR, a thrilling self-help book that demonstrates why you should listen to your gut feelings (and be friends with Meryl Streep). Finally, we re-name the planets with the help of Gen Z. Enjoy!

THE UNWOMANLY FACE OF WAR by Svetlana Alexievich / UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN by John Krakauer The choosening really brought some heavy hitters to the book nook this time--these tomes pack a punch! First Andrew learns about the women of the Soviet Army during World War II in Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich's THE UNWOMANLY FACE OF WAR, a harrowing oral history. Then Bailey dives into John Krakauer's part true crime, part history UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN. There's plenty more in this episode, including a very intense job interview, some truly wild facts, and GAK!

THE LIAR’S CLUB by MARY KARR / SURVIVOR by CHUCK PAHLANIUK Tell the truth, Page-Os, you’re excited for this one! In this episode, Toby reads Mary Karr’s THE LIAR'S CLUB, a memoir so powerful that it is rumored to have revitalized the genre as a whole in the 1990s, and Bailey has her first Chuck Pahlaniuk experience (what!? I know, right?) with SURVIVOR, his slightly lesser-known but possibly-just-as-good-or-BETTER follow up to FIGHT CLUB. Plus, we get some advice about visiting Istanbul from Andrew, hear about Toby’s shame, and play a game where we say, “UM, ACTUALLY…” quite a lot!

THE CITY OF BRASS by S.A. Chakraborty / THE MITFORDS edited by Charlotte Mosley Today's the day that Bailey finally reviews THE MITFORDS, the 800-page epistolary non-fiction that's been glaring at her from the shelf for over a decade. Plus, Andrew dives into a new fantasy series with THE CITY OF BRASS and gets a song stuck in our heads in the process. Don't miss a game that reveals our limited Broadway knowledge, an admission of delayed shame, and a series of wild speculations about the making of the Mitfords. Enjoy!

SORROWLAND by Rivers Solomon THE WANGS VS. THE WORLD by Jade Chang Bailey and Dillon are back, baby! Now that the crew has re-assembled, Toby can introduce us to a new friend in Rivers Solomon, and Bailey can finally review the Jade Chang book she read two months ago. Plus, Dillon shares his latest reads, Andrew witnesses an unexpected fight, and we all leave Toby by the side of the road. Enjoy!

BABEL by R.F. Kuang BIRNAM WOOD by Eleanor Catton This week the boys are joined by none other than composer extraordinaire (and Andrew's wife) Gillian Beth Durkee to discuss books, life, and New Zealand! First, Toby gives his verdict on BookTok sensation BABEL by R.F. Kuang. Then it's a group discussion of Eleanor Catton's eco-thriller BIRNAM WOOD off of resident bad boy Andrew's list. There are plenty of laughs, tears, and a game that tests the international cred of Toby and Gillian - it's a rollicking good time!

STAY TRUE by Hua Hsu IN THE MISO SOUP by Ryu Murakami Lads episode! Andrew and Toby take the wheel this week and it is as ROWDY and CHAOTIC as you would expect a book review podcast recorded by two men in their 30s to be! So, pretty normal and chilled out! Andrew reviews Hua Hsu’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning memoir Stay True and flirts with a band that threatens to dominate his aesthetic and Toby, seemingly influenced by Ryu Murakami’s sex-thriller In the Miso Soup, can’t stop saying things like ‘School is a seductive place.’ Plus, the boys discuss their holiday shame, share their Goodreads goals of the past year and the year to come, and play a game with REAL FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES.

Call your headphone mechanic and your earbuds back from the shop, Page-O's, because HIATUS IS CANCELLED. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode - have a listen for the full details!

Hi loyal Page-os! This is a quick announcement to explain the lack of new episode this week: we're taking a brief hiatus to regroup. We'll be back before you can say "shame." Stay tuned!

Check it, Page-O's: it’s our favorite episode of the year, and also the most bowl-shakingly terrifying episode of the year — the Bookend Awards! Join us as we take a look at our stats, hand out superlatives (both positive and negative), and play a pair of games that alternately fill us with shame and dread. Plus, well, actually that’s it for this episode. Trust us, it’s plenty!

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky / SOUR HEART by Jenny Zhang Sacre bleu! This week, Andrew digs into his first Dostoevsky—CRIME AND PUNISHMENT— while in Parisian quarantine. Plus, Bailey reviews SOUR HEART, a surprisingly lewd collection of short stories à clef. And of course, we learn how to feel shame in multiple languages. Raskolnikov!

THE LEFT-HANDED BOOKSELLERS OF LONDON by Garth Nix / THE WESTING GAME by Ellen Raskin Would you like to play a game? In this very special episode of The To Read List, comedian and podcast creator Ella Gale joins us to discuss the classic middle grade mystery THE WESTING GAME by Ellen Raskin. We riff on overly complicated inheritance schemes, methods of passive research, and the dark habits of ravens. Plus, Toby reviews a book suggested by a listener-- THE LEFT-HANDED BOOKSELLERS OF LONDON by Garth Nix! Don't forget, Ella's narrative podcast, CANDY CLAUS, PRIVATE EYE, is available wherever you listen to podcasts!

CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY by Alan Paton / THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood In this very NOT spooky episode, we have a classic pairing of novels. They go together as well as peanut butter and jelly! First, Andrew reviews Alan Paton's 1948 classic, CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY and finds it a bit... surprising. Then Bailey delves into the world of STEM with Ali Hazelwood's buzzy romance, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS. There are plenty of laughs, cries, and more shipping than a port town in the 1800s!

MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE by Marguerite Henry / TRUST by Hernan Diaz Don’t make a sound, Page-O’s! Bailey’s on the warpath after she reads MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE by Marguerite Henry, and she totally takes it out on the boys. Meanwhile, Toby tries his best to encapsulate the many levels of the .5 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel TRUST by Hernan Diaz. All this plus striking out on spooky books, Toby’s opinion on the best Stephen King ending of all time, and Andrew’s reasons behind why he’s reading all the books Bailey and Toby hated!

TUFF by Paul Beatty / ELEKTRA by Jennifer Saint This week, Andrew attempts to summarize Paul Beatty's poetic style and finds it... TUFF. (You're welcome.) Then, with ELEKTRA, Bailey comes to the tragic conclusion that she doesn't know as much as she thinks she does about Greek Mythology. Finally, we celebrate the masterful career of the one and only Rufus Sewell. (You're welcome.)

DRIVING FORCE by Dick Francis / THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES by Tom Wolfe And we're off! This week, Toby reviews DRIVING FORCE by Dick Francis, a certified dad book set in the glamorous world of horse transport. Then Bailey finally discovers what THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES is about (fire is surpisingly not involved) and finally gets what everyone likes about Tom Wolfe. Plus, we break Andrew down with the power of film trivia. Neigh!

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU by Rebecca Makkai SIDDHARTHA by Herman Hesse Take a journey with us on this week's episode as our hosts dive into Herman Hesse's class, SIDDHARTHA, and I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU, your friend and my - Rebecca Makkai's - new novel. We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll grow, and one of us will get absolutely schooled in this week's game. There's also more shame than ever before - it's a rip-roaring good time!

FALCONER by JOHN CHEEVER THE WHISPER MAN by ALEX NORTH Caw-CAW, Page-O’s! Join us this week as Toby gets incarcerated by John Cheever’s prison novel FALCONER (sadly not about a man who trains falcons) and Bailey gets A24’d by Alex North’s THE WHISPER MAN. We also discuss just how fast of a reader Bailey is, unmask Alex North (probably) against his wishes, and uncover a disturbing revelation as to the true age of Gillian’s cousin. Doesn’t that sound exciting as all get-out?

A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce / RODHAM by Curtis Sittenfeld The books we read for this episode spark provocative questions, like: "What would happen if Hillary never married Bill?" (RODHAM) and "Does James Joyce really think we can't tell he's writing about himself?" (A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN). Plus, Andrew taunts us with his vacation plans, we discuss if "boogers" is a curse word, and we discover that we know way more than we thought about First Ladies.