Ep 36: We Have Opinions - Our 2026 Mid-Year Reading Check-In

Where have the last six months gone? Join Amanda and Joseph as they check in on the reading goals they set themselves in January. Find out if they’ve stuck to their promises, or if they’ve bombed out on their reading resolutions. Plus, they talk about more prize news, and as always, what they’ve been reading recently and what they hope to pick up next. Bookish NewsHay FestivalTaiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi (translated by Lin King)John of John by Douglas Stuart @douglas_stuartRuth Ozeki @ozekilandCarol Shields Prize for FictionCanon by Lee Lai @_leelaiHellions by Julia Elliott @jelliottic6A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar @megha.majWomen’s PrizeThe Booker PrizeRecent ReadsFamesick by Lena Dunham @lenadunhamMay We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry @poorsasquatchStone Fruit by Rebecca PerryOur Mid-Year Reading GoalsBuckeye by Patrick Ryan @patrickryanycThe Benefactors by Wendy Erskine @wednesdaywerskinYesteryear by Caro Claire Burke @caroclaireburkeThe Wreck by Lizzy Stewart @lizzy_stewartPrairie Oyster by Sophoe Robinson @sophiepoetryLondon Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe @praddenkeefeDominion by Addie E. Kitchens @addie_citchensThe Correspondent by Virgina Evans @virginia.l.evansLost Lambs by Madeline Cash @madelinecashMiddlemarch by George EliotThe Guardian’s ‘100 Best Novels of All Time’The Little Friend by Donna TarttOrdinary People by Haldor LaxnessDeath’s End by Cixin LiuGirl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert @sophiegilbertwritesA World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness by Michael Pollan @michael.pollanYou With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate @christinapplegateIndignity by Leah YpiWinter In The Blood by James WelchThe Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones @stephengrahamjonesThe Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down by Anne FadimanThe Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day @yeah_okdayThe Sleep Thief by Ibtisam Azem @ibitisam.azemCharco Press 2026 Fiction Bundle @charcopressDie, My Love by Ariana Harwicz @arianaharwiczwKingfisher by Rozie Kelly Angel Down by Daniel Kraus @kraus_authorKin by Tayari Jones @tayariEvery One Still Here by Liadan Ní ChuinnOn The Calculation of Volume series by Solvej BalleTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonPractice by Rosalind BrownLand by Maggie O’Farrell @maggieofarrellofficialThe Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout @lizstroutauthorSophie, Standing There by Meg MasonExit Party by Emily St John Mandel @emilystjohnmandelWhat We’re Reading NextJohn of John by Douglas StuartThe Left and the Lucky by Willy VlautinAlso mentionedCurious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudioFollow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.