A Discussion on 'Chain Gang All Stars' by Nana Kwame Ajay-Brenya

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee may have died and come back to life after recording this week. They are joined by none other than Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden of the Popcast! They are discussing:

• Bookish Moments: reading clickers and reading to our kiddos

• Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately

• Deep Dive: Knox and Jamie’s top 5 books of 2023, plus each guest brought their favorite reading experience

• The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives

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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1:11 - The Popcast

3:21 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week

3:39 - Tiktok scrolling ring

4:05 - Kindle remote clicker

7:53 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

9:32 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine

10:20 - Fabled Bookshop

10:26 - Cold People by Tom Rob Smith

11:56 - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

13:35 - Persuasion by Jane Austen

13:44  - Our Current Reads

14:07 - Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Jamie)

14:15 - Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

16:11 - Slow Horses by Mick Herron

16:47 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Knox)

19:19 - Warcross by Marie Lu (Kaytee)

19:31 - What Should I Read Next Podcast 

20:13 - Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

20:15 - Slay by Brittney Morris

20:16 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

21:50 - Wildcard by Marie Lu

22:34 - The Future by Naomi Alderman (Meredith)

23:53 - The Power by Naomi Alderman

27:52 - The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier

28:11 - Deep Dive: Knox and Jamie’s Top 5 Books of 2023

28:42 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

28:44 - Congratulations! The Best is Over by R. Eric Thomas

28:49 - The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

28:56 - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

29:38 - The Road of Bones by Demi Winters (Jamie #5)

32:23 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (Knox #5)

32:41- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

34:16 - All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore (Jamie #4)

37:39 - The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen (Knox #4)

39:48 - The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers

40:16 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare (Jamie #3)

42:14 - Archive of Our Own

42:16 - Fanfiction.net

43:29 - All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89

44:43 - Traffic by Ben Smith (Knox #3)

46:24 - Drowning by T.J. Newman (Jamie #2)

46:35 - Falling by T.J. Newman

49:04 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Knox #2)

52:07 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (Jamie #1)

56:14 - Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan (Knox #1)

59:16 - Knox and Jamie’s Favorite Reading Experiences of 2023

1:00:43 - Hot and Bothered by Jancee Dunn (Jamie)

1:04:37 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi (Knox)

1:06:00 - The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

1:06:22 - Meet Us At The Fountain

1:07:08 - I wish more of us would print our book covers to keep in a book to reflect on. (Jamie)

1:07:10 - Canon Ivy 2 Mini Photo Printer

1:09:46 - Mother Horror on Instagram

1:10:32 - I want to press two books into the hands of listeners (Knox)

1:11:08 - We Are the Light by Matthew Quick (specifically for dudes, touches on masculinity without being bro-ish)

1:11:32 - Open Throat by Henry Hoke (specifically for writers)

1:13:35 - I would like to read the same book, but with a different take - with more humor and snark (Kaytee)

1:13:38 - Monsters by Claire Dederer

1:16:49 - I wish everyone would listen to the Popcast (Meredith)

1:16:56 - The Popcast

1:17:28 - The Popcast on Instagram

1:18:34 - The Popcast Patreon

1:20:46 - @KnoxMccoy on Instagram

1:20:48 - @Jamiebgolden on Instagram

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