Boss My TBR + Finding Your Reading Sanity (S8E42)
5/25/20261 hr 4 min
This episode of The Currently Reading Podcast is a great place to jump in if you love honest book recommendations and spoiler-free bookish conversation.
Meredith and Kaytee help two listeners take control of their overflowing TBR piles with personalized picks. They also get into everything they have been reading lately, from literary fiction like Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar to the cozy fantasy of T. Kingfisher, and they talk honestly about how to keep your reading life calm instead of overwhelming.
On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing:
- Bookish Moments: needing some reading sanity and two Kindles?
- Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately
- Deep Dive: Kaytee and Meredith boss some listeners' TBRs
- Before We Go: our new segment featuring a bookish friend post and Meredith brings a book she may DNF
Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site).
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1:23 - Bookish Moments of the Week
3:16 - The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson (pre-order, releases June 9, 2026)
5:56 - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
10:53 - Current Reads
11:14 - The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan (Meredith)
17:03 - The Better Mother by Jennifer van der Kleut (Kaytee)
21:30 - Strangers by Belle Berden (Meredith)
24:06 - Awake by Jen Hatmaker
28:49 - Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher (Kaytee)
29:36 - A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher
32:40 - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
32:41 - Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
32:42 - Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
34:56 - The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan (Meredith)
36:42 - An Unlikely Story
38:25 - Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanne Clarke
39:26 - The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
40:13 - Isola by Allegra Goodman (Kaytee)
45:35 - Deep Dive: Boss My TBR
From Carrie:
47:19 - Lady Tremine by Rachel Hochhauser
47:20 - How to Kill A Guy In Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
47:24 - Five by Ilona Bannister
47:27 - Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire
47:57 - romance.io
48:02 - This Summer will be Different by Carley Fortune
50:38 - Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
From Gianna:
52:26 - The Boomerang by Robert Bailey
52:28 - Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore
52:31 - For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn
52:34 - Good People by Patmeena Sabit
52:37 - Lady Tremine by Rachel Hochhauser
57:23 - Before We Go
Kaytee highlights a bookish friend post
Meredith brings a book she might DNF and why
59:43 - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zang by Kylie Lee Baker
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMeredith Monday Schwartz· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hey, readers. Welcome to the Currently Reading Podcast. We are bookish best friends who spend time every week talking about the books that we've read recently. And as you know, we won't shy away from having strong opinions, so get ready.
Katie Cobb· Host0:24
We are light on the chitchat, heavy on the book talk, and our conversations will always be spoiler-free. Today, we'll discuss our current reads, a reader-ly deep dive, and a little something bookish before we go.
Meredith Monday Schwartz· Host0:34
I'm Meredith Monday Schwartz. I'm both a mom and a Mimi, and a full-time CEO living in Austin, Texas. And as much as I love to read about murder and mayhem, sometimes I need kindness and chamomile.
Katie Cobb· Host0:47
And I'm Katie Cobb, a homeschooling mom of four living in Arizona, and I've found myself in a reader-ly pickle. This is episode number 42 of Season 8, and we are so glad you're here.
Meredith Monday Schwartz· Host0:58
A reader-ly pickle?
Katie Cobb· Host1:00
Yeah.
Meredith Monday Schwartz· Host1:00
That sounds not good.
Katie Cobb· Host1:01
Well, I do like pickles, but not in this case. So I'm gonna need some advice today, Meredith, and that's why we're here.
Meredith Monday Schwartz· Host1:08
[laughs] All right. We'll do it.
Katie Cobb· Host1:09
First I'll let everybody know that our deep dive today, we have a new crop of victims. We will be bossing some TBRs for our deep dive today- Mm-hmm ... which always delights us. We love getting a little bossy around here. But first we'll get started the way we always do, with our bookish moments. Meredith, what have you got?
Meredith Monday Schwartz· Host1:25
All right. Katie, I... This, t- the story of 2026, I know