Mashreads Podcast

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Angie Thomas' new YA novel The Hate U Give.  The Hate U Give follows Starr Carter, a black teen who witnesses her unarmed friend Khalil get shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop. In addition to having to face the trauma of witnessing the shooting, as the sole witness to the incident, Starr finds herself at the center of the trial against the cop that shot Khalil. But after speaking to her police department about the incident, Starr quickly learns that any sense of justice following the shooting is going to be hard fought — rather than investigating the officer, the authorities conduct a character attack on Khalil, who was a drug dealer at the time of his death, with rumors circulating that he may have been in a gang. Now, mourning the loss of her friend, Starr must figure out how to find her voice and speak out, even while both cops and people in her neighborhood seek to silence her.   Then, inspired by the way

Inspired by the new Starz adaptation, this week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Neil Gaiman's tale of warring deities, American Gods. The novel follows Shadow, a man just released from prison and looking to find his way home. However, Shadow is intercepted by a mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday who enlists Shadow as his assistant and body guard. Soon Shadow is sucked into a world much bigger and much more powerful than the one he knew before. Then, we move from American Gods and talk about our favorite books featuring mythology. And, as always, we close the show with recommendations: Aliza recommends John Oliver's show Last Week Tonight, especially after the show's episode about kidney dialysis. "I think it's really important for us to be aware of this specifically because it does impact hundreds of thousands of people." Peter recommends Season 3 of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt . "I've been really super lucky enough to watch several episodes of the upcoming U

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Mariana Enriquez's new short story collection 'Things We Lost In The Fire' with Enriquez herself.  

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Congressman John Lewis' graphic memoir 'March Vol 1.' Then, inspired by the visual storytelling in the graphic novel, we talk about the best uses of art in literature.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of 'The Outsiders' and chat with the iconic book's author S.E. Hinton. And as always, we close the show with recommendations: S.E. Hinton has a host of recommendations 'Lost City of Z' by David Grann (and the recent movie adaptation starring Robert Pattinson and Charlie Hunan, as well), 'The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across The Ancient World' by Andrienne Mayor, and 'The Dry' by Jane Harper. She also recommends rereading Jane Austen. "I reread her novels every year, and I always find some new trick she has pulled. Aliza recommends journalist Lauren Duca's Teen Vogue column 'Thigh-high Politics.' You can check out her latest story here. "She goes through big things from the week in a way that I personally find funny and engaging. It helps narrow what people should be paying attention to." Peter recommends rewatching the anime 'Trigun.' "It's really wonderful. It starts off silly but it gets really deep, in its own. I

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby. Then, inspired by Gatsby's place in the canon of books we all read in high school, we chat about our favorite high school books including Lord Of The Flies by William Golding, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations: Aliza recommends Pod Save America, Lovett or Leave It, and the other podcasts from Crooked Media. Peter recommmends the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot on Netflix. He also recommends Slate's Political Gabfest (as a counter to Aliza's recommnendation of Pod Save America.)  MJ recommends "Touring the Galleries of Vin Diesel’s Facebook Page With Art Critic Jerry Saltz," a New York Magazine article where art critic Jerry Saltz deconstructs the (very weird) art Vin Diesel posts on Facebook.

  Author Mohsin Hamid has an observation about how people migrate today: "Human existence is an existence of transience. We don't stick around, sadly, and we change from moment to moment."   It is this observation that inspired Mohsin's latest novel Exit West, a stirring fable about the world's migrant crisis.   The novel follows two lovers, Nadia and Saeed, who live in a fictional city that succumbs to a militant civil war. Though restrictions are soon placed their city, Nadia and Saeed are not stuck in their immediate location — mysterious doors begin to opening, allowing Nadia and Saeed to migrate from place to place instantly.   The novel is inspired by Mohsin's own migrant past — he has lived all over the world ever since he was a child.    "But I was feeling increasingly this resentment of or fear of migrants that cropping up in America and particularly Britain where I lived before. And when I went back to Pakistan, so many people told me they wanted to lea

This week on the 'MashReads Podcast,' we are joined by author Jeff Zentner to discuss his latest novel 'Goodbye Days.' And, as always, we close the show with recommendations: Jeff recommends 'The Last of August' by Brittany Cavallaro. The book is the second book in the 'Charlotte Holmes' series. "Both books are the most utterly brilliant blend of commercial and literary writing." He also recommends 'History Is All You Left Me' by Adam Silvera (which we talked about here on the MashReads Podcast with Silvera himself). And finally, Jeff has been reading books by Khaled Hosseini. "He is what I want to be. His books are so poignant and so resonant and so beautifully written." Aliza recommends the 'Percy Jackson & The Olympians' series after seeing the new off-broadway show 'The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.' "They're fun and they're funny. Even though when you are reading them, it's very clear they are written for 12-year-olds, there are some deep dark stuff barely under the surface." Pete

This week we are joined by author Katie Kitamura to read and discuss her new book 'A Separation.' 'A Separation' is one woman's inner thoughts as she travels to Greece to try to uncover the mystery of her separated and soon-to-be divorced from husband who goes missing on a research trip. And as always, we close the show with recommendations. Katie recommends 'The Mountain', an upcoming short story collection by Paul Yoon. "[The stories] kind of migrate, there's a path of migration but both through time and through space. They are really beautifully observed." MJ recommends 'Evicted' by Matthew Desmond. "It is this incredible investigation into poverty and the practice of eviction in America and how eviction really is a destabilizing force in America that not only destabilizes families but also whole communities." Aliza recommends 'Feud,' Ryan Murphy's current show on FX. It's about the creation of the movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane.' I LOVE it. As a series, it is so well done; as social comme

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Samanta Schweblin surrealist novel 'Fever Dream.' Then inspired by the book's trippy nature, we chat about books that make us say 'WTF?!' And as always we close the show with recommendations. Aliza recommends You Must Remember This by Karina Longworth, a podcast that covers the unknown secrets and lesser-known stories of Hollywood in the 20th century. "It's just amazing. Karina is amazing. Here research is great. Her voices when she does old timey actresses is great. I highly, highly recommend." Peter recommends the newest Saga Vol 6. "Every time I read [Saga] I am so absorbed and very emotionally moved by those characters. It's the best comic series that I currently read." He also shouts out Margaret Atwood's New York Times Book Review cover story 'Margaret Atwood on What ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Means in the Age of Trump.' MJ recommends 'Maxine Waters Is Back and She Is Not Here To Play' by R. Eric Thomas. "It is an older po

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chatted with author Mark Z. Danielewski about writing and his experiment uber-novel series 'The Familiar.'

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Ursula Le Guin's short story "The One's Who Walk Away From Omelas." The story forces readers to imagine the utopia of Omelas, an idylic land filled with festivals, sun and happiness. But as a part of an undisclosed bargain, the joy of Omelas is only possible if one child experiences extreme pain. This child is imprisoned in a cellar or broom closet, covered in sores and can have no happy thing or kind word offered to him. Everyone in Omelas knows of this child -- citizens usually learn of the child when they are between 10-12 years old – and many accept this child’s pain as a fact of life. The ones who do not walk away from Omelas into the great unknown never to return. Though only 4 short pages, the story forces readers to grapple with a complex moral and ethical conundrum: should we accept the pain of one person if it makes the happiness of many possible. Then, inspired by Ursula Le Guin and Women’s History Month, we discuss female au

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Adam Silvera's novel 'History Is All You Left Me,' a YA novel about love and grief. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations: This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. Aliza recommends Moonlight. "It's gorgeous both in the themes but [it's] also visually stunning...the acting was so good, and it's so important in that it's giving representation to people who are not often seen on screen. Especially seen on screen in such a positive way." Peter recommends reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace."This is just this magnificient genius just spilling thoughts and watching them come together in ways that I would never ever in a million years be able to coalesce them. It just creates awe. It just inspires me." MJ recommends the podcast Reply All and their recent episode 'Worldstar,' about the founding and impact of WorldstarHipHop. "What I love about 'Reply All' is that I

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss George Saunders's new postmodern novel 'Lincoln In The Bardo' And as always, we close the show with recommendations: Aliza recommends the audiobook version of Lincoln In The Bardo. "The audiobook for this book, Lincoln In The Bardo, is amazing. All of the 166 different perspectives have a different voice actor; they're all well known celebrities/ big name actors, and they all apparently knocked it out of the park." Peter recommends rewatching the first John Wick movie (before seeing John Wick: Chapter 2). "What I love so much about that movie is that it all takes place in its own kind of silly world, but it knows it's silly and it's fine being silly." MJ recommends Kathryn Schulz's 'When Things Go Missing,' a new essay in the New Yorker about grief and the phenomenon of losing things. "It's both a really heartbreaking and emotional essay, but also a masterful one. [Kathryn Schulz] is such a phenomenal writer. I highly recommend you go read this."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Zora Neale Hurston's timeless classic Their Eyes Were Watching God. Then, inspired by Their Eyes Were Watching God and Black History Month, we discuss our favorite books by black authors. And as always we close the show with recommendations. Aliza recommends the trailer for the movie adaptation of Nicola Yoon's YA novel 'Everything, Everything.' She also recommends a list of geeky feminist projects after attending the Strand bookstore's Galentine's Day event this week including Geek Girl Brunch, an international meetup group that hosts activities for geeky women and Geek Girl Strong, a program and community that combines geekdom with fitness. Peter recommends 'The Fifth Season' by N.K. Jemisin. "It's really, really, really great. Especially in terms of fantasy... It's a rainbow of people and characters in a way that I have personally have found sendom in a fantasy genre. And it's wonderful and refreshing." MJ recommends 'Dear White People

In a special episode of the MashReads Podcast, MashReads spoke at length with YA expert Jeff Giles about his journey from YA fan to YA author. Giles is known for being the former Entertainment Weekly editor who brought in-depth YA coverage to EW in the early days of the Twilight craze. Now he can include himself among the ranks of the YA authors he covered with the publication of his debut novel The Edge of Everything. The Edge of Everything is about teen Zoe, who is still reeling from losses including the death of her father. When a blizzard hits, and a shady man comes knocking, Zoe's life is changed and saved by a mysterious and nameless young man. This book has everything: love, death, blizzards, and escaped bounty hunters from Hell. Join us as we talk about YA, The Edge of Everything and why YA fans are the best book fans ever. Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations. Jeff recommends: Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice, a novel about a loss and imagination where a little girl's search

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss John Darnielle's new novel 'Unverisal Harvester' with John Darnielle himself!   'Universal Harvester' follows Jeremy, a video store clerk in Nevada, Iowa, who notices that curious, shocking and sometimes violent scenes are being recorded on top of the store's tapes. When Jeremy and a few other employees at the video store begin to investigate the tapes, they realize that the scenes were recorded just outside of their town, leading them down a dark and unsettling mystery that has been hiding right in front of them.   Join us this week as we talk with John Darnielle about grief, mystery and family, as explored in 'Universal Harvester.'   And as always we close the show with recommendations: Peter recommends Wolf In White Van, John Darnielle's first novel. He also recommends Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. "It is a masterpiece of dialogue. It's just a masterpiece of subtext dialogue. It is a play of subtweets." Aliza recommends Ada

This week, we read and discuss Thomas Pierce's short story "Chairman Spaceman," published in the New Yorker. The story is about a man, Dom Whipple, and his last day on earth before he leaves, with no plan to return, to go live on a distant planet.   Then, inspired by the way this story deals with the decision to go to space, we discuss our favorite books about space including "The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness, "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, and a whole lot of complicated feelings about "The Martian" by Andy Weir.   Then, as always, we end the show with recommendations: Peter recommends 'The Alt-Majority: How Social Networks Empowered Mass Protests Against Trump,' a New York Times story by Farhad Manjoo. "It's just a fantastic read! A good, long, empowering read." MJ recommends listening to the hip hop group Migos and reading The Ringers profile of them, "Migos and the Never-Ending 15 Minutes of Fame." "This profile is absurd, it's phenomenal, it's smart, it's well written, there a

"Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small quiet room." So writes Cheryl Strayed in her advice/ essay collection Tiny Beautiful Things. Tiny Beautiful Things started out as an advice column by Steve Almond in 2009, written on the literary website The Rumpus. Advice came from the anonymous "Sugar" persona, a figure who was both kind and wizened. Later, in 2010, Cheryl Strayed took over the anonymous persona of "Sugar," doling out advice but mixing in personal stories of her own to help her readers make sense of their own struggles. It's this mix of advice and memoir that took Dear Sugar too both internet acclaim and later literary acclaim. This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read Cheryl Strayed's collection of advice essays Tiny Beautiful Things. Then, inspired by Tiny Beautiful Things, we talk about the books