Episodit
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Today, Jenny and Dani are tackling Lisa Jewell's It Could Have Been Her (2026). This new book is a homecoming for the two, as they share a love for Jewell's work and actually made in their very first episode ever one of the author's work their main topic (hint hint - go check it out). Jewell's latest book prompts the question: can you have a cozy murder mystery in a house of horrors?
The ladies talk all things tropes and what they like in them, agreeing that isolation is just great for all plots and characters to go off the deep end. Yay for forced proximity.
Towards the end of the episode, all Swifties should feel deeply offended, for that Jenny and Dani (mostly Jenny) are deeply sorry.
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This is one is a short one. Jenny suggests the first book of The Murderbot Diaries series (2017), and the ladies just do not click with it. They click more with Alexander Skarsgard on the Murderbot show on AppleTV.
What ensues is an in-depth conversation about what makes good science fiction (according to Dani and with plenty of great examples), and Jenny relates to Murderbot and his affinity for Reality TV.
The ladies tackle bookmaxxing after Jenny read a blurb about it on The Guardian: Dani fights all elitism, Jenny embraces some of it. So - the usual.
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Puuttuva jakso?
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New week, new book! This week Jenny and Dani discuss Han Kang's The Vegetarian (2015), as Dani is trying to get Jenny to read more horror-ish books. This shorter book invites us into complex and violent family dynamics that unravel as one person decides - in act of control and protection - to become a vegetarian. This small act pushes at the boundaries of what is appropriate in a highly rigid society and structure. Fascinating read! Lots to talk about. Horrible husbands again make an appearance.
TWs for this episode: Sexual assault, violence against women, violence against animals
The ladies talk about what genres they do not like or what tropes they reject in their reading: Horror, Sci-Fi, and Romance are picked apart and brought back together. Jenny and Dani agree that Ryan Gosling is handsome.
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Bruce Holsinger's novel Culpability (2025) brings us into the world of AI and what it means in our lives. After a fateful crash with an autonomous car, Noah, Lorelei and their three kids Izzy, Alice, and Charlie grapple with the idea of who responsibility, accountability and guilt when AI has taken the wheel - so to speak. This powerful family drama reveals complex family dynamics, which are intersected with wealth, class, race, and this new technology. Culpability is definitely a provocative and timely book.
Also ...
Do book reviews matter? Why yes/why no? Dani has no time for them. Jenny defers to the elite. The hive mind is scary out there on the internet. Find out how Jenny got scolded on Reddit after trying to great a civil discourse about books. Elsewhere, Dani is still reading Dungeon Crawler Carl and is equating it to War and Peace.
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Thank you for all your support on this crazy bookventure. Follow us on all the socials: linktr.ee/wereadthat
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Dani finally did it! She got Jenny to read a V.E. Schwab book: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (2025). And Jenny has a lot to say about: toxic relationships, men, female rage, the vampire lifestyle, and whether vampires should travel more.
If you like fantasy and a detailed play-by-play of a fascinating novel that brings female vampires from the 16th, 19th, and 21st century together, then this is the book and podcast for you. If you ever wanted to know what makes humans human, then buckle up. We cover it all and even give away the ending. Dani also honors V.E. Schwab and her genius over and over again, because all hail the queen, am I right?
The ladies also have some introspection as they are called out by a listener for always (!) reading about horrible husbands. Dani and Jenny set the record straight and promise to change nothing.
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We appreciate and love every single listener! Thank you for tuning in!
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WE ARE BACK! Welcome to Season 2 of "We Read That". Dani and Jenny have a fresh batch of books ready for you! This first new episode has it all: boy bands (Team Backstreet Boys), Jenny knows too much about Harry Styles, nostalgia, fame discussions (even though they are not famous), and obviously cruises (Dani is Miss Cruise). Another fun romp about the latest novel by Emma Straub, "American Fantasy" (2026), who happens to be one of Jenny's favorite authors. If you need a great summer read, this one is for you!
To our old and new listeners (and there are bunch of you who showed up during our brief hiatus): THANK YOU! We are having the best time recording these!
Check us out on all our socials: linktr.ee/wereadthat
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IT'S SEASON FINALE TIME, BABYYYY! (Don't worry we will be back June 15, 2026).
In our last episode of Season 1, we are tackling the new bestseller YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke. Is it historical fiction? Is it sci-fi? Is it fantasy? Jenny says it's just all about female rage!
After a few misses, both Jenny and Dani are on board with this debut novel that encompasses so many different issues regarding womanhood, parenthood, the patriarchy, religion, politics, and the tradwife movement. Are the "good old days" really better? For whom? And why do entertain this type of escapism?
Lastly, if you have BookCon 2026 Fomo, listen as Jenny and Dani dissect an event they only know things about based on TikTok videos and news articles. As ever, their professionalism is what others aspire to!
Shout out to our new listeners and old. This first season was a blast, and we are excited to produce/host/edit many more episodes for you!
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Show notes:
Find all our information on linktr.ee/wereadthat! Follow us on the socials (literally all of them), and check out our bookshop.org front if you want to read along!
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NEW ACHIEVEMENT! Dani finally did it. She managed to get Jenny to read Dungeon Crawler Carl. Listen how much Jenny internalized the apocalypse, and how Dani makes DCC her almost entire personality. We also talk all things BookTok, Hilary Duff, and Pop Culture Around.
Follow us on the socials: @WeReadThatPod
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This week we are discussing Nicola Yoon's One of Our Kind, a fascinating book about a black family that moves to the fictional town of Liberty, CA - a town built specifically for black families to live in and enjoy their lives. Shops are owned by black people, school classes are taught by black teachers, and all cops are black as well. Jazmin and her family move there after a traumatic experience with a white police officer. While King enjoys the vibrant and affluent life style, including the weird spa at the top of the hill, Jazmin can't shake the feeling that something is way off. The book gave us horror/thriller/Get Out vibes. We dig into a conversation on race, racism, and this idea of "escaping white influence".
We also give helpful tips (or less helpful) on how to get yourself out of a reading slump.
Follow us on the socials: @WeReadThatPod
Links from the Episode:
https://www.npr.org/2024/06/09/nx-s1-83383/nicola-yoon-on-her-novel-one-of-our-kind-and-trauma-in-black-american-life
https://amyletter.substack.com/p/one-of-our-kind-by-nicola-yoon-will
https://www.npr.org/2024/12/11/1218506698/code-switch-black-utopians
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We are reading Craig Thomas' That's Not How it Happened (2025), a fantastic novel about a chaotic family dynamic and a memoir that is being optioned for Hollywood. The book touches upon themes of parenting kids with special needs, what happens when your kids grow up, how Hollywood thinks of family's with special needs, and the joy and frustrations that parenting and adulting bring.
Also, we realize that Jenny has never read a duology after Dani explains what it is. We get in the weeds with casting choices, and Jenny has a thing about odd numbers. As always listen along as we dissect yet another book!
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Jenny and Dani did a thing! They read AND watched Project Hail Mary; the latter even in the same zip code! This special and timely episode covers the book (highs and lows) and the movie (how pretty is Ryan Gosling?). Dani talks all things science (no you do not get a degree in "science") and music in the movie. Jenny nerds out about pop culture, sci-fi, and political science. So yeah, classic episode as per usual. Join them in discussing the important themes of PHM, including collectivism vs. individualism, morality, climate science, friendship, science, and belonging.
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Dani and Jenny talk all things real estate, murder durder, and whether today's book is a comedy or a thriller. They also dissect good book merch vs bad book merch. Join the fun!
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Join Jenny and Dani as they dissect Water Moon (2025), a fantasy novel by Samantha Sotto Yambao. This book, which feels like cotton candy and rosy colored glasses were a lifestyle, asks us all profound questions about the meaning of life, free will, and regret - all while waxing essentially lyrical poetry.
Jenny also gives a hard pitch for Dan Brown's Origins (2017), and Dani only has VE Schwab on her mind.
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Jenny and Dani dive into the world of Alice Feeney's Beautiful Ugly, which gives them massive Shutter Island Vibes. Listen along as they also discuss their favorite book series, the beauty of book series with naval war ships, and why some series stick with us and others don't. Obviously Harry Potter makes an appearance as well, because why not?
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Dani and Jenny talk "Friends of the Museum" by Heather McGowan (2025). If you enjoy chaos, museums, museum politics, and questions of provenance, this is your episode. Also, hear Jenny once again discuss Harry Potter and the genius of Stephen Fry, while Dani highlight the beauty of yet another book cover. Happy Reading!
Bookshop.org affiliate link:
https://bookshop.org/shop/wereadthat
Freakonomics on Provenance:
"Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard." (3-Part Series)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/stealing-art-is-easy-giving-it-back-is-hard/
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Dani and Jenny discuss Olivie Blake's Girl Dinner (2025), a novel about Dark Academia, sororities, feminism, motherhood, and womanhood. We get side-tracked by our discussion on book clubs and whether cannibalism is the way to go to fight the patriarchy. Support us on Instagram, Threads, TikTok and Facebook @WeReadThatPod.
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Jenny and Dani are reading and raging against Carter Wilson's Tell Me What You Did. Follow along as they discuss movie adaptations, true crime, and friendship tests.
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Show Notes:
Ronald Knox: 10 Commandments of Detective Fictionhttps://www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/tips-masters/ronald-knox-10-commandments-of-detective-fiction
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Dani and Jenny read Jenny's pick The Compound by Aisling Rawle. They discuss reality tv, its tropes, consumerism, the power of producers, and in general what fascinates them about the genre that goes behind the scenes of reality television. Evan Peters makes ones again an appearance, because why not? Enjoy!
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Jenny & Dani discuss Lisa Jewell's The Family Remains, dream casts for the sequel to The Family Upstairs (Hello, Evan Peters!), their journeys in/to reading, and we dissect Dani's favorite book genre, mountaineering disasters. Who knew there was such a niche?
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @WeReadThatPod
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Show Notes:
Books mentioned:
Lisa Jewell:
The Family UpstairsThe Family RemainsDon't Let Him InThen She Was GoneThe Truth about Melody BrowneMountaineering:
Art Davidson: Minus 148 - First Winter Ascent of Mt. McKinleyJon Krakauer: Into Thin AirAmanda Padoan & Peter Zuckerman: Buried in the SkyLinks used to learn more about Lisa Jewell:
https://crimebythebook.com/blog/2019/11/15/qa-with-lisa-jewell-author-of-the-family-upstairshttps://www.bookbub.com/blog/lisa-jewell-family-upstairs-interviewhttps://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/ep-311/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/lisa-jewell-family-upstairs-good-morning-america/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/23/best-recent-crime-and-thrilers-review-rounduphttps://jojomoyes.substack.com/p/i-need-my-character-to-talk-to-mehttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug/11/lisa-jewell-i-once-read-40-agatha-christie-novels-in-a-year
