Currently Reading

Season 8, Episode 14: Reading Merit Badges + Books We Recently Set Aside

November 3, 2025

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  • The hosts expressed deep gratitude to their nearly 2,900 Patreon supporters, noting that this financial backing allows them to create content without relying on commercial advertising interruptions. 
  • Meredith discovered an accidental 'book flight' feature on Audible where the platform automatically played previews of other audiobooks after one finished, leading her to reread *The Marriage Portrait*. 
  • The hosts dedicated a segment to discussing books they recently Did Not Finish (DNF), including Meredith's DNF of R.F. Kuang's *Katabasis* due to finding the characters unlikable and Kaytee's DNF of John Boyne's *Fire* due to sensitive subject matter and the author's public stance on TERF ideology. 
  • Meredith wished for the creation of an "Author Cameo" platform where fans could pay authors for personalized video messages or Q&A responses. 
  • Kaytee proposed a "Reading Merit Badge" program, inspired by scouting, where readers earn badges for completing specific reading challenges or milestones. 
  • The hosts confirmed their commitment to discussing DNF (Did Not Finish) books periodically, seeking listener feedback on the segment's popularity. 

Segments

Patreon Support and Gratitude
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(00:01:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The podcast hosts have reached 2,900 paid Patreon members, which financially enables them to produce hour-long, ad-free episodes for the rest of the month.
  • Summary: The hosts highlighted their gratitude for their Bookish Friends, noting that this support allows them to operate without needing to worry about external advertising revenue. This financial model permits them to focus solely on creating content that brings joy to both the hosts and the listeners. They reminded new listeners that this ad for themselves occurs only once a month.
Audiobook Algorithm Discovery
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(00:04:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith experienced an audiobook platform (believed to be Audible) automatically playing five-minute previews of recommended books after finishing a title, leading to an unplanned book selection.
  • Summary: This feature, similar to Netflix’s auto-play, allowed Meredith to sample multiple books without actively choosing, resulting in her starting a reread of The Marriage Portrait. The hosts noted that this ‘reader roulette’ functionality is not present in other apps like Libby. They wished for this feature to be implemented, especially if it could pull from a user’s existing wish list.
Author Shoutout and Joy
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(00:08:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Podcast producer Megan Phouthavong Evans met author Tyler Merritt at a book festival and secured a personalized video message for Kaytee, highlighting positive author-fan interactions.
  • Summary: Tyler Merritt recorded a video message specifically calling out Kaytee for not attending the event, which delighted Kaytee and reinforced the joy found in connecting with authors. Kaytee emphasized that authors are often happy to engage with their readership in person. This moment served as Kaytee’s bookish moment of the week.
Current Read: Magpie Lane
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(00:10:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith highly rated Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins (4.5 stars), describing it as slow-burn domestic suspense that expertly balances a mystery with complex family dysfunction and atmospheric tension.
  • Summary: The novel centers on the disappearance of an eight-year-old girl in a creepy Oxford College house, immediately implicating the Scottish nanny, Dee. Meredith praised Atkins’ effortless writing style and the well-crafted mystery, suggesting it will appeal to fans of Strange Sally Diamond and 17 Years Later.
Current Read: Once There Were Wolves
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(00:14:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Kaytee loved Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaughey, finding it a beautifully written, emotionally charged literary novel about rewilding wolves in the Scottish Highlands amidst local tension.
  • Summary: The plot follows scientist Inti Flynn as she attempts to reintroduce wolves, a super-predator whose absence unbalanced the ecosystem, into the Scottish forests. The book explores themes of sisterhood, ecology, and the conflict between conservationists and the local community following a suspicious death. Kaytee found the book transported her and is eager to read McConaughey’s next release.
Current Read: What the Deep Water Knows
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(00:18:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith strongly disliked What the Deep Water Knows by Miranda Cowley Heller, finding the debut poetry collection bleak, angry, and overly provocative, suggesting the imagery served performance over insight.
  • Summary: The collection chronologically explores a woman’s life, touching on childhood, marriage, and motherhood, set against the Cape Cod landscape. Meredith, who had not read Heller’s novel The Paper Palace, felt the poems were intensely depressing and focused on marital unhappiness. She concluded that the work was not the ‘soul poet’ she is seeking.
Current Read: Camp Damascus
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(00:23:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Kaytee DNF’d Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, finding it horrifying due to its depiction of a community centered around the country’s most effective gay conversion camp, though she appreciated the author’s growth in horror writing.
  • Summary: The story follows Rose, a protagonist from a deeply religious community, whose life is upended when she begins vomiting live mayflies and seeing a demon after her parents suggest she enter an arranged Christian marriage. Kaytee noted the book contains strong representation for queerness but warned that it is a difficult read for anyone triggered by homophobia or conversion therapy themes.
Current Read: The Girl Who Reads on the Metro
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(00:26:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith adored The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury, praising it as whimsical, magical French fiction celebrating the power of books to connect people and provide therapy.
  • Summary: Juliet, who lives an autopilot life in Paris, finds escape by imagining stories about her fellow commuters on the Metro until she discovers a magical bookshop employing ‘passeurs’ (literary matchmakers). The novel explores the balance between retreating into books and living a full life, offering a cozy, profound read similar to The Little Paris Bookshop or the film Amelie.
Current Read: Impossible Creatures
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(00:31:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Kaytee declared Impossible Creatures by Catherine Rundell a near-perfect middle-grade fantasy, capable of making her sob while reading aloud due to its profound empathy and beautiful world-building.
  • Summary: Christopher, sent to Scotland, breaks the rule not to go past the tree line and discovers a unicorn, leading him to a hidden archipelago where mythical creatures still exist but are losing their magic. Kaytee praised the book for balancing the brokenness of the human world with the joy of friendship and nature, calling it a gem and potentially a top book of the year.
DNF Deep Dive: Mixed Feelings
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(00:38:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts initiated a DNF deep dive segment, clarifying their personal rules for what constitutes a DNF (reading 10-15% or 50 pages) versus an NRN (Not Right Now).
  • Summary: Meredith categorized her DNFs as either ‘with prejudice’ (never returning) or NRN, emphasizing that pushing through a book when not in the right headspace does a disservice to the reader and author. Kaytee noted that she rarely DNFs books read aloud with her children, even if they are struggling.
DNF: Buckeye and Katabasis
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(00:40:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith NRN’d Buckeye by Patrick Ryan because she felt she couldn’t bring her best self to the sweeping family drama yet, while both hosts DNF’d R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis after 47% because they could not care about the main characters or the quest to find an awful professor.
  • Summary: Meredith respects authors whose work she trusts and prefers to wait for the right emotional state rather than forcing a reading, which is why Buckeye was marked NRN. For Katabasis, the hosts found the book’s tone to be ‘priggish’ and self-aggrandizing, leading them to agree to stop reading together.
DNF: We Are the Light
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(00:49:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Kaytee DNF’d We Are the Light by Matthew Quick at 70% because she hated the characters and found the epistolary plot nonsensical, despite the book being a favorite of other trusted reviewers.
  • Summary: The novel follows Lucas writing letters to his therapist after his wife dies in a community-shaking shooting, positioning Lucas as a hero. Kaytee felt physically repulsed by the audiobook halfway through and decided life was too short to finish a book she vehemently disliked. She noted that Quick also wrote The Silver Linings Playbook.
DNF: Fire and Author Stance
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(00:55:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Kaytee DNF’d Fire by John Boyne (part of the Elements series) because the novella focused on the sexual abuse of young boys, which felt too close to home, and this was compounded by learning the author publicly aligns with TERF ideology.
  • Summary: Kaytee read the first chapter and immediately recognized the sensitive subject matter, which was too close to her 14-year-old son’s age at the time. This personal discomfort was solidified when she learned of Boyne’s public stance against trans women, which ‘sullied’ her feelings toward the author, leading her to unhaul his books despite loving The Heart’s Invisible Furies.
Fountain Wish: Author Cameos
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(00:59:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Inspired by a positive author interaction, Meredith wished for a platform like Cameo to exist specifically for authors, allowing fans to pay for personalized video messages from their favorite writers.
  • Summary: Meredith envisioned paying authors like Louise Penny or Jason Reynolds to deliver birthday wishes or personalized messages to loved ones. This wish stems from the joy of connecting with authors, as demonstrated by Kaytee’s experience with Tyler Merritt. The hosts asked listeners to weigh in on whether they would prefer DNF discussions remain a rare occurrence.
DNF Segment Follow-up
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(00:58:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts confirmed their commitment to discussing DNFs occasionally, asking listeners for feedback on the segment.
  • Summary: The hosts acknowledged that they are not always willing to finish books, referencing a previous agreement to discuss DNFs perhaps once or twice a year. Listeners are encouraged to provide feedback on whether they enjoy hearing about books the hosts set aside. Show notes timestamps allow listeners to easily skip this segment if they prefer not to hear negative book opinions.
Fountain Wish: Author Cameos
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(00:59:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith wished for a dedicated ‘Author Cameo’ service allowing fans to pay authors for personalized video messages.
  • Summary: Meredith’s fountain wish was inspired by Kaytee’s bookish moment, suggesting a platform similar to Cameo for authors. This service would allow fans to pay authors like Louise Penny or Jason Reynolds for birthday messages or to answer specific book questions. The hosts agreed that even if a new platform isn’t created, existing platforms need better tagging to make authors easily discoverable.
Fountain Wish: Reading Badges
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(01:01:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Kaytee wished for a ‘Reading Merit Badge’ system where readers earn physical or digital pins for completing reading achievements.
  • Summary: Inspired by her son’s scouting experience, Kaytee proposed a system where readers earn merit badges for tasks like reading a multi-book series or successfully DNFing three books. These badges could be physical pins collected on a tote bag or sash, or displayed digitally on a profile, similar to Duolingo achievements. Examples of potential badges include ‘Learn how to track your reading’ or achieving a conversation with a favorite author.
Closing Remarks and Connection
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(01:04:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts provided contact information, production credits, and reiterated ways listeners can support the show.
  • Summary: Meredith can be found at Meredith Monday Schwartz on Instagram, and Kaytee at Notes on Bookmarks. The show is produced by Megan Phouthavong Evans, who is on Instagram at most of Megan’s Reads. Listeners can support the show by becoming Bookish Friends to keep it commercial-free, or by rating and reviewing on Apple Podcasts.