Let’s Read a Paperback

Welcome back for episode two of our summer project where we do one mini-episode per chapter of Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo. In Chapter Two we meet Ivan—Peter’s awkward, unfortunate looking, allegedly autistic, chess prodigy brother—and wow he is not who we were expecting! Join us for this sweet, sweet chapter before we fall apart for a bit. Read with us! 

Welcome to our summer project: one episode per chapter of Sally Rooney’s critically praised but widely disliked novel, Intermezzo. In this episode we tackle what’s going on with this guy Peter and his narration. Please trust us, even though it seems chaotic, Rooney is in complete control—she’s just making us work for it! We can do this.

It’s summer break and we’ve found our flow state for the final installment of The Coin. We are resisting our urge to ask but what does it all mean? and leaning heavily into an absurdist reading of this text. Hear us out!! 

A chaotic episode for a chaotic set of chapters! Our narrator continues to lie to her students, teaches Trenchcoat about the art of laundry, and gets herself involved in a luxury bag scam.

We’re back! This week we discuss the first 73 pages of Yasmin Zaher’s debut novel The Coin. It’s our first foray into absurdist lit on the pod, and we’re HERE for the kooky crazy energy. Take your clothes off and sunbathe in that skylight, girl. Cover your body in luxury toothpaste to discover the limits of your own reach. Organize your neighbors’ recycling bins. Fall in love with the man you see wearing your discarded trenchcoat and call it your return to glamor. Embrace the chaos and read with us!!!!

Yes, of course we need to talk about Part Two of Hamnet and the breathtaking ending to this family tragedy, but we also really need to talk about Justin Chang’s appallingly bad takes about Hamnet (the film mostly) in the New Yorker. Is alchemizing sadness into anger good for you? It’s working just fine for us!
NOTE: Our next book is The Coin by Yasmin Zaher. We promise no children die in this one!! Join us for pages 3-73 in our next episode. Read with us!

Join us as we discuss the long middle section of Hamnet, Chapters 5-17. Is it sad? Yes. But is it heartbreaking? Also yes. But is it worth it? BIG YES. It’s called catharsis, baby! Let’s get through it together.

There’s no way you made it to this point in the timeline without hearing the name Hamnet. He’s everywhere! And you know how sometimes when everyone hypes up a movie so much that it gets annoying and you just can’t bring yourself to see it or care because how good can it actually be?? Well, THIS IS NOT THAT. Let us get you up to speed before the Oscars. Read with us!

So it seems that 2026 is off to a chaotic start, but that’s a perfect reason to lean in to cozy season and lock in on your resolution to scroll less and read more! In this one-off episode, Kathryn and Hannah chat about the books they reach for this time of year: immersive plots, engaging mysteries, comfy settings, and…solarpunk??!? Listen for recs and read with us!

In the second and final episode about This Other Eden, Kathryn & Hannah discuss white tears, the incongruous logic of eugenics, chosen family and other queer themes, replacing news with fiction, and of course, the moment we’ve all been dreading: the other shoe drops! Just as Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, so too were Apple Islanders banished from their own little Eden.