Episodes
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Caitlin and Marie read and discuss the second half of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, from p. 186 in the paperback (“Happiness, Happiness”) to the end. We talk about grandma and grandpa’s relationship, the mystery of the key, Oskar and mom, our favorite parts, and more.
Intro/outro music by lesfm via pixabay
How to support the show:
Leave a review wherever you listen! Subscribe to the show on your podcast app of choiceMentioned on the show:
Books:
A Psalm for The Wild Built by Becky ChambersThe Patron Saint of Liars by Ann PatchettI Could Live Here Forever by Hannah HalperinShows:
The Summer I Turned Pretty
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Caitlin and Marie read and discuss the first half of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, AND discuss their shared love for the podcast Alone: A Love Story. We first talk about ELAIC, which we read up to page 186 in the paperback, to right before the chapter, "Happiness, Happiness." We talk about Marie's first impressions, and Caitlin's experience rereading this favorite of her's. We discuss the different narrators, grandma and grandpa's relationships, Oskar's search for clues from his dad, what it would be like if our skin color really changed to show our emotions, and our favorite quotes and scenes.
At the end of the episode, we talk about the podcast Alone: A Love Story, by Michelle Paresi for CBC. This show gave us so much to think about and feel and we hope it will continue! And as always, we finish the show with talking about some of our most recent obsessions, linked below.
Episode music by Ollella: Go listen to her new album, Back Back Back!
How to support the show:
Leave a review wherever you listen! Subscribe to the show on your podcast app of choice Sign up for our newsletter - we only send one out a few times a year Make a small monthly contributon on PatreonMentioned on the show:
Music:
Ollella's album Back Back Back (You can hear her songs Head In The Clouds in the intro and Test of Time in the outro!) Maude Latour's EP Twin FlameBooks:
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr The Dutch House audiobookPodcasts:
Andrea Gibson's interview on We Can Do Hard ThingsDead EyesNormal GossipDreamtown: The Story of AdelantoClassy People Who Knew... -
Episodes manquant?
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Caitlin and Darla read and discuss one of Darla's childhood favorites, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. We talk about the genre and format of the book, the introductions in both the 10th and 25th anniversary editions, stylistic choices we noticed, our favorite chapters, and more. We wrap up with sharing our recent obsessions, and there are links to some things mentioned below.
How to support the show:
Leave a review wherever you listen! Subscribe to the show on your podcast app of choice Sign up for our monthly-ish email newsletter Make a small monthly contribution on Patreon Visit the podcast website (remember, we're not on social media anymore!)Mentioned on the show, all podcasts!
Sisters
Alone: A Love Story
Everything is Alive
Intro/outro music by lesfm via pixabay
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Caitlin and Marie read and discuss one of Marie's childhood favorites, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. We talk about themes we noticed and how those affect readers of all ages, our favorite parts of the book and the world L'Engle created, our thoughts on if this book has some religious elements to it or not, and more. We wrap up with sharing our recent obsessions, and there are links to some things mentioned below.
How to support the show:
Leave a review wherever you listen! Subscribe to the show on your podcast app of choice Sign up for our monthly-ish email newsletter Make a small monthly contributon on Patreon Visit the podcast website (remember, we're not on social media anymore!)Mentioned on the show:
The most amazing hand-knit wedding dress by Kutovakika (one of Caitlin's new favorite knitters!)
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Jenna Phipps - another one of Caitlin's knitting obsessions
Intro/outro music by lesfm via pixabay
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Caitlin and Marie read and discuss a shared first-love-book, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. We talk about how reading this book in our 30s and 40s compares to reading it at age 10, the techniques we noticed that made the book memorable, what aged well and didn't age well with time, and why we think this remains a beautiful story for children today.
We wrap up with sharing books we are currently reading and recent favorites we've finished.
How to support the show:
>Leave a review wherever you listen!
>Subscribe to the show on your podcast app of choice
>Sign up for our monthly-ish email newsletter
>Make a small monthly contributon on Patreon, and get special bonuses!
>Visit the podcast website
Intro/outro music by lesfm via pixabay
Mentioned on the show:
My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem, and this author interview
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas
I Loved You More by Tom Spanbauer
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
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Welcome to Season 2! This season, we are re-visiting our first loves! We'll be re-reading the first books we remember really loving, going all the way back to our elementary school days with books like Bridge to Terabithia and A Wrinkle in Time, and on into our teenage years and beyond.
A biiig favorite of mine that I’m looking forward to reading is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and we will be reading old faves of Marie and Darla too.
At the end of Season 1, we had announced Season 2 would be all about Portland and Portland creators, and this is still somthing we plan to do and really look forward to, but we are saving that for a future season. We just got too excited about rereading our first loves, so we had to do that first!
The best way to stay up to date on the show is to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and to sign up for our newsletter. For my own sanity and enjoyment of life, we are going to experiment with being entirely off, or at least mostly off, of social media this season. So don't rely on Instagram for updates - please subscribe or sign up for our newsletter!
We do this because we love it and also, it costs money to make a podcast, so if you'd like to support us you can do one of 2 things: leave a review wherever it is you listen, or sign up to make a small monthly donation on our Patreon page. Thank you for being here and we hope you enjoy Season 2!
Music by lesfm via pixabay
Podcast website
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We have finished season 1 of the show, and oh how much fun we’ve had! Thank you to all of you who are listening!
Our most popular episodes about books were
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Part 1 and Part 2
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney: Part 1 and Part 2
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin: Part 1 and Part 2
Our most popular episdoes about music were
Taylor Swift's Best Album: reputation vs folklore
My interview with Chelsea Jade
Kishi Bashi: Why We Love His Music
We had so much fun recording all 27 episodes of this season and want to give a big thank you to all the creators who joined us: Chelsea Jade, Ollella, Julia Phillips, Lucy Tan, Caitlin Linden, and Carinn and Kate of Pop Fiction Women! Thank you also to our incredible co-hosts Marie and Darla, and our guest hosts Bianca, Luke, Sophie, Shawna, Kai, and Jess, and to all the listeners who shared audio messages for the show!
We're taking a break before we share Season 2 next year, and to give you a preview of what's to come, Season 2 is going to be focused on Portland! Portland, Oregon, where I live, so we'll be talking with artists of all kinds from Portland and reading books by Portland authors! If you have any favorite books by a Portland author, please share and maybe we'll get to read it in Season 2. See you then!
Intro/outro music by lesfm.
Learn more and support the show:
**Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! These mean more than you may know for supporting the show!**
Follow us on IG
Sign up for our free newsletter
Join our Patreon community
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Caitlin is back to talk with one of her favorite authors, Lucy Tan, for part 2 of last week's conversation. Lucy is the author of What We Were Promised, a story about a wealthy Chinese family, before and after they were wealthy, and the life of their housekeeper, all set in Shanghai.
We talk about the people and lessons Lucy wrote about in her Acknowledgements, and what she's like as a reader.
Then we discuss Part Two of The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang. Lucy chose this book for us to read together because she's been a longtime admirer of Chang's writing. The Family Chao is about a Chinese American family of three boys, their family restaurant, and the aftermath of their father's suspected murder.
We talk about the big plot twist in this mystery, favorite passages, who decides what is authentic, and why it's so hard to move on.
We finish with a song from the pod's fave musician, Kishi Bashi (listen to our episode all about Kishi here!). The Ballad of Mr. Steak felt like a fitting homage to Leo Chao.
Books/authors mentioned in the show:
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
The Ensemble by Aja Gabel
Chloe Benjamin
Intro/outro music by lesfm.
Learn more and support the show:
**Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! These mean more than you may know for supporting the show!**
Sign up for our free newsletter
Join our Patreon community
Follow us on IG
Show website
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Caitlin talks with one of her favorite authors, Lucy Tan! Lucy is the author of What We Were Promised, a story about a wealthy Chinese family, before and after they were wealthy, and the life of their housekeeper, all set in Shanghai.
We talk about Lucy's writing, her MFA experience, and the seeds of inspiration for her first novel.
Then we discuss Part One of The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang. Lucy chose this book for us to read together because she's been a longtime admirer of Chang's writing. The Family Chao (a Barack Obama summer 2022 reading pick!) is about a Chinese American family of three boys, their family restaurant, and the aftermath of their father's suspected murder.
We talk about our impressions of the characters, who we want to get to know more, the balance of passion and presence, and the idea that there are only certain times of your life for "emergence."
We share audio messages from more readers, thank you Sloane and Grayson for sharing your love for Lucy's work!
Music by lesfm via pixabay.
Learn more and support the show:
**Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! These mean more than you may know for supporting the show!**
Sign up for our free newsletter
Join our Patreon community
Follow us on IG
Visit the show website
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Caitlin and Marie are back with Leah Watson and Meredith Lockwood of the Unified Sisters Co/Op to discuss the second half of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Parts 4 to the end).
(Content warning: This part of the book discusses suicide)
We talk about Ifemelu's growth and challenges; the layers of class, race, and gender we see in the book; the lessons we learned about judgment; our reactions to the ending; our favorite blogs, quotes, scenes, and more.
Thank you Leah and Meredith for reading this book with us, and thank you to Anni for sharing your lovely thoughts on the book.
Mentioned in the episode: Small Doses with Amanda Seales podcast and interview with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
About the book: Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.
Music by lesfm via pixabay
Learn more and support the show:
**Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! These mean more than you may know for supporting the show!**
Sign up for our free newsletter
Join our Patreon community
Follow us on IG
Check out the show website
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Caitlin is joined by Julia Phillips for another creator book club! Julia Phillips is the author of Disappearing Earth (a NY Times Top 10 Book of the Year in 2019 and a National Book Award Finalist) and the founder of LitMixer, an event series for authors, readers, and aspiring writers.
We talk all about Julia's past and current work and discuss the book she chose for us to read together: Middlemarch by George Eliot. This is a literary classic written in 1871 by Mary Anne Evans, under the penname George Eliot. It's now considered one of the "great English novels." We talk about why it's a polarizing read, the constantly changing markers of social status, and how an author develops emotionally rich characters.
We get to hear from several listeners and readers! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed: Soniah, Narci, Jennifer, and Sandi, who shared their greatest takeaways from Disappearing Earth, and Madeline and Laura who talked about why they think Middlemarch has been such an enduring story.
Also mentioned in the episode: NYT Article on Self-Mesmerism by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Music: Lesfm by Pixabay
Learn more and support the show:
**Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! These mean more than you may know for supporting the show!**
Sign up for our free newsletter
Join our Patreon community
Follow us on IG
Visit the show website
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Caitlin and Darla are talking about the second half (Part 3 to the end), of The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin.
We talk about questions like: Is there really a difference between being emotional or rational? What is the power of the stories we tell? Do we need enemies?
We share our favorite sentences again, because Chloe herself collects her favorite sentences! And we share a few songs that represent each character.
We have the special treat of an audio message from Chloe Benjamin herself!! She shares how writing this book changed her. We also hear from two readers of the book with their greatest takeaways, thank you Leslie and Tracy for sharing!
This book is about four siblings who visit a fortune teller as children to find out the day they will die, and the lives they lead following this transformative moment.
Music:
Lesfm by Pixabay
Science vs Romance by Rilo Kiley
Angel by First Aid Kit (new album out Nov 4, 2022!)
Little Star by San Fermin (new EP out Your Ghost out now!)
Yellow Gold by Alela Diane (new album out Oct 14, 2022!)
Learn more and support the show:
**Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! These mean more than you may know for supporting the show!**
Sign up for our free newsletter
Join our Patreon community
Follow us on IG
Show website
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Caitlin and Marie are joined by Leah Watson and Meredith Lockwood of the Unified Sisters Co/Op to discuss the first half of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Parts 1, 2, and 3).
We start by learning about Unified Sisters, which is a collective of diverse women committed to advancing an antiracist society through community, education, and conversation. We hear from members about their greatest learning and growth moments in the group. Thank you Anne Marie, McKenzie, and Kat for your audio messages! (Check out the co/op instagram and website)
Then we get into the book and we talk about Ifemelu's development so far, the experiences Ifemelu and Obinze both have as immigrants to new countries, how the characters navigate peace and truth in varying circumstances, and our hopes for Ifemelu and Obinze.
Thank you Leah and Meredith or joining us in reading this book, we're excited to read the rest of it together.
And thank you to Liz and Muthoni for submitting audio messages with your feedback on this incredible book.
About the book:
Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.
Learn more and support the show:
**Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! These mean more than you may know for supporting the show!**
Sign up for our free newsletter
Join our Patreon community
Follow us on IG
Visit the show website
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Caitlin and Marie talk about the second half of The Mothers by Brit Bennett (Chapter 9 to the end).
We talk about themes of redemption and forgiveness, healing, a small vs. a big life, and the power of intergenerational connections. In what ways do the characters heal and grow by the end of the story? Would any of them be better off in a different situation? And what does this incredible final paragraph mean!?
We hear from two other readers of this book, Kristen and Rachel - thank you both for sharing your thoughts!
Resources mentioned:
>Listen to this amazing interview of Brit Bennett on For Colored Nerds
>Article that Marie references in Glamour
Music by Lesfm via Pixabay.
*Sign up for our free newsletter
*Join our Patreon community
*Follow us on IG
*Visit the podcast website
*Share your feedback here
Here's what the book is all about:
Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition.
It begins with a secret. "All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."
It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.
The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in
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Caitlin and Darla are talking about the first half (to the end of Part 2), of The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin.
We talk about questions like: Is life all destiny, or all choice? What emotions were driving Simon and Klara in their lives? What is reality and what is illusion? And we debate: Was Eddie O'Donaghue a bad guy who didn't mean much to the story, or was he in fact a pivotal character full of hope and possibility?
We share our favorite sentences, because Chloe herself collects her favorite sentences! And we share a few songs that represent each character so far.
This book is about four siblings who visit a fortune teller as children to find out the day they will die, and the lives they lead following this transformative moment.
Music:
Lesfm by Pixabay
High Beam by Chelsea Jade
Truth or Dare by Nora Rothman
Mirrorball by Taylor Swift
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Caitlin and Marie talk about the first half (to the end of Chapter 8) of The Mothers by Brit Bennett.
We talk about the tension between living a big and small life, the balance of compromise and caring for one another in a relationship, the role of "The Mothers" as the narrator, the growth (or lack thereof) of each character so far, and the Taylor Swift song that best represents this first half (seven!).
We hear from another reader of this book, Horizon, about the biggest lesson she learned from this story.
Here's what the story is all about:
Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret.
"All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."
It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.
The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.
Music by Lesfm via Pixabay.
Learn more and find out how you can be on the show at donttalktomepod.com.
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Caitlin and Darla discuss the second half (p. 152 to the end) of The Locust and the Bird by Hanan al-Shaykh.
In the book, Hanan re-creates the dramatic life and times of her mother, Kamila. Married at a young age against her will, Kamila soon fell head-over-heels in love with another man—and was thus forced to choose between her children and her lover. As the narrative unfolds through the years—from the bazaars, cinemas and apartments of 1930s Beirut to its war-torn streets decades later—we follow this passionate woman as she survives the tragedies and celebrates the triumphs of a life lived to the very fullest.
We discuss Kamila's pursuit of romantic love above all other types of love, the art of memoir writing, how the characters become more complex in the second half of the book, and how we do and do not see ourselves in Kamila (and what we admire about her!). We wonder about Hanan's process in creating this story and talk about the barriers to preserving family history.
We hear from more readers of this book at the end - thank you Nada and Elize for sharing your thoughts with us!
Music by Lesfm via Pixabay.
Learn more and find out how you can be on the show at donttalktomepod.com.
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This is part two of our magical mixture of book and musical love! Caitlin and musical artist Ollella talk about Ollella's music and the second half of Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (aka Japanese Breakfast).
Ollella is the musical creation of Ellie Barber, where she blends live-looping, the cello, folk sounds, and her original lyrics into beautiful songs. She was recently chosen (by Michelle Zauner no less!) as a top pick in NPR's Tiny Desk Concert contest.
We talk about Ellie's Saturn Return, the album she's creating, and hear the creation story of a song near and dear to Ellie's heart. We also talk about the process of pruning and simplifying in writing and music, how to recycle ideas and past creations, the value of having multiple passions, and we ask the question, do you have to fully know someone to love them?
You'll get to hear clips of Ollella's music, audio messages from other artists who have played with Ollella, and audio messages from fellow readers of Crying in H Mart.
Follow Ollella on Instagram here!
Songs played, all by Ollella:
Fire Burning
Methuselah
Cold Cold Water
Lava
Artist Audios from:
Helmer Hernandez
Carly Ann Calbero
Doug Indrick
H Mart Audios from:
Kai Burkhardt
Jess Bennett
You can expect to hear more of these episodes that blend interviews with creators we love (musicians, authors, comedians, visual artists..) and book club discussions with those same creators.
Learn more and find out how to be included on the show at donttalktomepod.com
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Caitlin and Darla discuss the first half (to p. 151) of The Locust and the Bird by Hanan al-Shaykh.
In the book, Hanan re-creates the dramatic life and times of her mother, Kamila. Married at a young age against her will, Kamila soon fell head-over-heels in love with another man—and was thus forced to choose between her children and her lover. As the narrative unfolds through the years—from the bazaars, cinemas and apartments of 1930s Beirut to its war-torn streets decades later—we follow this passionate woman as she survives the tragedies and celebrates the triumphs of a life lived to the very fullest.
Caitlin doesn't typically read memoir or non-fiction, whereas Darla is an avid reader of these genres, and also in the midst of writing a memoir herself. So Darla challenges Caitlin on some of her critiques of the book and helps her see the art of memoir in a new way. They discuss the challenges of writing a book for someone else, let alone for your mother who left you as a young child; about the lens we all see the world through; and Kamila's wonderful sense of humor.
We hear from more readers of this book at the end - thank you Ola and Paulina for sharing your thoughts with us!
Music by Lesfm via Pixabay.
Learn more and find out how you can be on the show at donttalktomepod.com.
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This episode is a magical mixture of book and musical love! Caitlin and musical artist Ollella talk about Ollella's music and the first half of Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.
Ollella is the musical creation of Ellie Barber. Her music blends live-looping, the cello, folk sounds, and her original lyrics, and her song Lava was recently chosen (by Michelle Zauner no less!) as a top pick in NPR's Tiny Desk Concert contest.
We talk about how Ellie got started in music and what her song writing process looks like; and then we get into the first half (to the end of Chapter 9) of Crying in H Mart. We talk about Michelle's mom's advice to always keep 10% of yourself, longing for simpler times, and how our differences can either be a point of pride or shame.
You'll get to hear clips of Ollella's music and audio messages from artists who have played with Ollella.
Songs played:
All Those Birds by Ollella
Lava by Ollella
Walking on Fire by Ollella
Losing Ground by Pearl and Wood (a folk project featuring Ellie, Natalie Spears, and Mark Zoller)
Artist Audios from:
Halley Greg
Melanie Granger
You can expect to hear more of these episodes that are part interviews with creators we love (musicians, authors, comedians..) and part book club discussions with those same creators, always with books chosen by the creator!
Learn more and find out how to be included on the show at donttalktomepod.com
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