Rainie Toll explains why "The Giver" and "The Catcher in the Rye" are more similar than you might think. We also talk about mushrooms, OCD, John Green, and why it's okay to not finish a book.   On the Patreon version of this episode, we talk about life since we both got laid off. Sign up today, or purchase the episode for $3, at https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   "Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook" by Eugenia Bone https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781647222956   "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780316769488   "The Giver" by Lois Lowry https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780544336261   "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780525555377   "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" by George Saunders https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780812987683 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931   follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

Jimmy Wong (Game Knights, the Command Zone, Try Guys, Video Game High School) shares the 3 books he thinks you should read. We end up discussing how he surprised himself with his own paternal instincts, won a jet ski on the Price Is Right, redefines God as he gets older, and much more.   follow Jimmy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jfwong/?hl=en   check out Game Knights: https://www.youtube.com/@commandcast   for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   Conversations with God by Neal Donald Walsch https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780399142789   Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781401945015   Exhalation by Ted Chiang https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101972083   Tenth of December by George Saunders https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780812984255 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

Enjoy this bonus episode from the Shoulda Books Patreon. Every month, we compare a film to the book it was adapted from. Sign up today to unlock more episodes like this.   My grandmother passed away this past weekend, so I've been taking a step back this week to focus on spending time with my family. I'll be back next week with a classic episode. Thank you very much for all of the kind wishes, everyone. It means a lot :) sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini  follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Annie Rauwerda, the mind behind one of my favorite Instagram accounts (Depths of Wikipedia, go check it out) joins me to share way more than 3 books you should also check out. We talk Robert Moses, literary gossip from the 1920s, cartoons, the internet, and the recent passing of a bottle of amaro.   for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks follow Annie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annierau/   follow Depths of Wikipedia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/depthsofwikipedia/   Annie's live show in LA on May 9th, 2026: https://hollywoodforever.com/event/depths-of-wikipedia/ books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   "Complete Poems" by Dorothy Parker https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143106081   "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780394720241   "Working" by Robert Caro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780593081914   "Word by Word: the Secret Life of Dictionaries" by Kory Stamper https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101970263   "Gulp" by Mary Roach https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781324036067   "In the Beginning Was the Command Line" by Neal Stephenson https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780380815937   "The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons" https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780316484770   "City of Quartz" by Mike Davis https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781786635891 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

I unpack Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 classic "Never Let Me Go".   I dive into some of the questions that philosophers have asked for millennia, vent some of my frustrations with the characters, and take a peek at a very specific branch of science you don't hear much about today.   sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we read "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400078776   next month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931   the links above are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   the article I mentioned in the episode: https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Cloning-Fact-Sheet   follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

Stephen LaConte is the managing editor of Clickhole and the author of the advice column Stephen, Please. He's also the boyfriend of hyper-realistic cake creator Jonny Cakes, who refers to him (respectfully) as Cake Twink. Stephen shares 2 memoirs and a play that will make you laugh, cry, and question whether children should ever be actors.   sign up for Stephen's advice column: https://stephen.substack.com/ follow Stephen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenlc/   for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   Bossypants by Tina Fey https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780316056878   I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781982185831   Our Town by Thornton Wilder https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780063003996 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   this month, we're reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400078776 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

Sam Bakas (editor, The Try Guys) returns to discuss 3 books that helped him find meaning in a cold, indifferent universe.   follow Sam on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShmoopy follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshmoopy/ for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   "The House of the Spirits" by Isabell Allende https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781501117015   "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931   "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780553375404   "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalinithi https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780812988406   "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781631495311   "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400078776   join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

The Left Behind series traumatized me as a tween, and I know I'm not the only one. Join me for a loose, rambling episode exploring this cursed series and how it shaped the American Evangelical mind and, consequently, maybe even current US foreign policy?   NOTE: I recorded this episode on the afternoon of April 7th, 2026, before the temporary ceasefire was announced   Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/03/us-israel-iran-war-christian-rhetoric#:~:text=war%20on%20Iran-,US%20troops%20were%20told%20war%20on%20Iran%20was%20%27all%20part,Christian%20rhetoric%20to%20justify%20war for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Merle Shane O'Neal shares 2 books that mean a great deal to me, and one that I know absolutely nothing about. So it goes.   follow Merle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merleeshay/   follow Merle on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MerleONeal   for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143129257   "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780060786502   "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780440180296   "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780142407332   "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400078776 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg  

this week, we're rumbling through S.E. Hinton's 1967 classic The Outsiders, the book that apparently taught the publishing industry that teenagers read books   for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks   books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission.   "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780142407332   "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781400078776     join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw   follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/   follow Shoulda Books on TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks   follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en   Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg