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The Currently Reading Podcast

Minisode: An Exciting Announcement + the Worst Books of 2020

The Currently Reading Podcast

Meredith Schwartz

Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.61.8K Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2021

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are coming to you with our first joint minisode! Minisodes do not follow our normal format, so you won't hear our regular segments. What you will hear about instead is:

  • A trip to Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX as the inspiration for an idea

  • Requesting favorite and least favorite books of 2020 from our Bookish Friends (Patreon supporters)

  • The Indie Press list, which will debut in March 2021!

  • A rundown of the 20 least favorite books of the Bookish Friends and some spicy opinions to go with them

  • Check out the show notes below for the 20 FAVORITE books of the Bookish Friends - and see if you can spot the titles on both lists!

Minisode show notes are not time-stamped but the titles are below for you to peruse. They are also not transcribed because this is just bonus content.

*Please note that all book titles linked below are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!*  

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Patreon:

The big announcement here is the Indie Press List, which will debut in March of 2021 for our Patrons over on Patreon. $5 a month will get you that list, link you up with an Indie bookstore, and a bonus episode regarding the titles. You'll also get three additional bonus episodes a month (All Things Murderful, Kaytee Reads Too Much, plus the audio of the COVIDeo release for the month), as well as spreadsheets, behind-the-scenes access, giveaways, and our exclusive communities to interact with other Bookish Friends. Consider joining us!

Our Patrons' Bottom 20 Least Favorite Books of 2020 (but really 19 because there was a many-way tie for number 20, from #19 to #1):

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

(The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

(The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan)

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Conviction by Denise Mina

Majesty by Katherine McGee

(American Royals by Katherine McGee)

Beach Read by Emily Henry

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

(Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte)

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Our Patrons' Top 20 Favorite Books of 2020 (from #21 to #1):

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Anxious People by Fredrick Backman

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M Graff

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Connect With Us:

Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram

Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram

Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram

Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram

currentlyreadingpodcast.com

@currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram

currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com

Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey readers, welcome to a mini episode of the currently reading podcast.

0:15.4

We are bookish best friends who spend time every week and sometimes more than once a week talking

0:20.2

about the books that we've read recently.

0:22.3

And as you know, we never shy away from strong opinions.

0:25.6

So get ready.

0:26.6

I'm Meredith Mundi Schwartz, a mom of four, and full-time CEO living in Austin, Texas.

0:31.3

And I think the best books of the year lists are great, but worst books of the year lists are even better.

0:39.2

And I'm Katie Cobb, a homeschooling Mama Four, living in New Mexico, and I am ready to throw some shade today.

0:45.4

This is a mini-sewn of season 3.

0:47.7

It's our first one.

0:49.2

And we are so glad you're here, because today we are throwing shade just like we mentioned we were

0:53.6

talking worst books of 2020 and we came up with this list in an interesting way

0:59.0

that's right I'm so interested in what ended up being on the list and kind of how everything came together.

1:07.0

Yes, it was really fun to mind this data from a select group of people, but first we're going to talk a little bit about why we were interested in this list, other than spicy opinions, because we all know about those already.

1:20.0

Yes, so we have a little bit of a story to tell you because there's some background to some new stuff we're going to be bringing to our patron supporters.

1:30.0

So we wanted to give you guys a little taste of it here,

1:32.5

as well as going over this list of least favorite books

1:36.1

of the year.

1:37.0

So I got a chance last year.

1:40.4

It's going back a year ago.

1:41.5

I got a chance a year ago to go to Fabled bookshop in Waco and that is about an hour and a half from my house. It's absolutely

1:48.2

My favorite bookstore. I was completely blown away by it when I went there

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