In this episode, we introduce Joan Didion and her amazing memoir, "The Year of Magical Thinking." Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Didion https://www.joandidion.org/about-joan-didion If you'd like to read along, you can find it here: https://amzn.to/4cMgNSy Follow us on Instagram @TheBookCommonRoom. Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube: https://linktr.ee/TheBookCommonRoom Introduction music features Antonín Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 in F major...

In this episode, we further discuss the many reasons why we still love Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan, 20 years later. If you'd like to read along, you can find it here: https://amzn.to/3TOwm5t Follow us on Instagram @TheBookCommonRoom. Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube: https://linktr.ee/TheBookCommonRoom Introduction music features Antonín Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179 "American": I. Allegro ma non troppo (1893), performed by the Clev...

In this episode, we introduce the many reasons why we still love Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan, 20 years later. Additionally, we take a glance into who Rick Riordan is and how he started his writing career. If you'd like to read along, you can find them here: https://amzn.to/3TOwm5tReferences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Riordan https://rickriordan.com/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113255.Big_Red_Tequila Follow us on Instagram @TheBookCommonRoom. Watch or listen o...

In this episode, we're back to discuss Part 2 of The Odyssey. We dive into our overall reactions to the epic, compare the Emily Wilson and Robert Fagles translations, and explore why The Odyssey continues to resonate thousands of years after it was first composed. If you haven't finished The Odyssey yet, consider this your spoiler warning! If you'd like to read along or compare translations, you can find them here: -Emily Wilson: https://amzn.to/3SGKdKz -Robert Fagles: https://www.amazon.co...

In our thirteenth episode of season two, we dive into the divisive topics of which translation of the Odyssey is the best and who Homer was. For this month, Lauren and I will be reading both the Robert Fagles and Emily Wilson translations. You can find a copy of each of the translations here: Wilson: https://amzn.to/3SGKdKz Fagles: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140268863?tag=136746-thebookcommonroom-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1 Sources: https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/w...

In our twelfth episode of the season, we take a deeper dive into the writings of William and Dorothy Wordsworth. Through poetry, journals, and reflections, we explore themes of stewardship, of nature, of community, and of one another. Join us as we discuss how the Wordsworths invite us to see the natural world with renewed attention and care, and how their writings continue to speak to questions of responsibility and memory. We also feature Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer Above the Sea of F...

In our eleventh episode of the season, we enter into a new genre through the lens of William and Dorothy Wordsworth. Enjoy the world of poetry with us as we learn about the brilliance of both William and his sister, Dorothy. Links to the poems we will discuss in the next episode: William Wordsworth, Resolution and Independence ("The Leech-Gatherer" 1807 version) - https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Resolution_and_Independence (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Resolution_and_Indepe...

Content warning: this episode includes discussion of rape, murder, and the dehumanization of marginalized groups within the novel. In our tenth episode of the season, we return to Pierce Brown’s Red Rising for a spoiler-filled deep dive. One of us loved it, one of us was a little less convinced, and we discuss everything from the Institute and the worldbuilding to the characters, pacing, and moments that either hooked us or lost us along the way. What are some of your favorite Red Rising quot...

In our ninth episode of the season, we explore Pierce Brown as an author and the different works that influenced his epic series, Red Rising. References: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_Brown - https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/show/993.Pierce_Brown - https://www.piercebrown.com/aboutpierce If you would like to read the "Book of Lorn": - https://www.patreon.com/shit_escalates Follow us on Instagram @TheBookCommonRoom. Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify...

In our eighth episode of the season, we explore Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, sharing our reactions, interpretations, and some of our favorite passages from her powerful writing. What are some of your favorite Wuthering Heights quotes? Follow us on Instagram @TheBookCommonRoom. Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube: linktr.ee/TheBookCommonRoom Introduction music featured by Antonín Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179 “American”: I. Allegro ma n...