Eclectic Readers

Four Ladies, All the Books

About the show

Starting in 2020, we're now releasing two episodes a month! The first episode releases on the 15th and is a chat of what we're currently reading and a general bookish discussion topic. The 2nd episode releases on the 30th and is our monthly book club discussion. We announce the following month's book pick at the end of the episode so you can read along with us. (Our older episodes follow this same format, but were combined into one longer episode a month.)

We also have special author interview episodes sprinkled throughout the year, so make sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app so you never miss out!

If you'd like join in on the bookish discussion through social media, our hashtag is #EclecticReaders and you can find us at:
Twitter: @EclecticReadPod
Litsy: @EclecticReaders
Instagram: @EclecticReaders
Goodreads: Eclectic Readers

The History of Eclectic Readers

The Eclectic Readers started in 2009 as an IRL book club. In 2015, four of us in the book club thought we'd give podcasting a try and have been going strong ever since! In each monthly book club episode, we base our book choice on that month's IRL book club pick.

Eclectic Readers on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 74: The Starless Sea: Had a Whiskey and Contemplated My Life

    January 30th, 2020  |  47 mins 49 secs
    erin morgenstern, fantasy, homage to stories, starless sea, storytelling

    Our hosts dive right into the Starless Sea and discuss all the stories to make a whole story and more. Also, they discover if they are a Keeper, Guardian, or Acolyte.

  • Episode 73: Book Talk: A New Chapter

    January 15th, 2020  |  44 mins 6 secs

    Our hosts come together to discuss the evolution of their reading habits in the last decade. They then look forward to their resolutions of the coming year with a fun twist.

  • Episode 72: The Tenth Girl: Twist Me, Don't Trick Me

    December 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 16 mins
    female protagonist, horror, sara faring, tenth girl, ya

    It’s our end of the year wrap up and the gang’s all here! Wherein Tara and Meredith talk about YALL Fest, we announce our 11th Hour Readathon to close out our 2019 TBRs, and we pick our favorites from this year’s reads. Then we cozy up by a (internet) fire to discuss the not-so-scary ghost story: “The Tenth Girl.”

  • Episode 71: Orlando: Don't Take My Pants Away

    November 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 4 mins

    It’s Non-Fiction November! Susan, Meredith, and Tara discuss the genre in general, do they read a lot of nonfiction? And what are some of their favorite nonfiction books? Then they go into a fictional biography with Orlando. Virginia Woolf really is ahead of her time and they come to the conclusion that more time may be needed for classics.

  • Episode 70: City of Brass: I Don't Know if I Want Anyone to be in Charge

    October 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 2 mins
    chakraborty, city of brass, female protagonist, high fantasy, non-western fantasy

    Meredith, Tara, and Susan talk all about Non-Western Fantasies in this month’s episode, including which ones they’ve loved, which ones are still on their TBR, and what cultures they’d love to read more fantasies about. Then they discuss the historical fantasy and the world of djinns in The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty.

  • Episode 69: The Scarlet Pimpernel: Winnie-the-Pooh

    September 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 9 mins
    classic, emma orczy, french revolution, scarlet pimplernel

    This month Susan, Jeannette, and Meredith talk about how pressured they feel about reading classic books and how it affects their TBR and just maybe realizing it’s time to Marie Kondo their TBR. But they do cross a classic off their list with The Scarlet Pimpernel and discuss how it’s more about a relationship than who the Scarlet Pimpernel is.

  • Episode 68: The City in the Middle of the Night: Insert Our Love for Libraries Here

    August 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 15 mins
    ebooks, libary love, sci fi

    Tara, Jeannette, and Meredith talk about Macmillan’s new ebook library lending model, what they love about our public libraries. Then they dive into Charlie Jane Anders’ The City in the Middle of the Night. The book left them disoriented, but in a good way? You’ll have to listen and find out why!

  • Episode 67: The Importance of Being Earnest: Bumbleberry

    July 15th, 2019  |  50 mins 59 secs
    importance of being earnest, oscar wilde, play, satire

    All 4 ladies are in one place celebrating the book club’s 10th anniversary! We talk a little about the Good Omens TV show on Amazon Prime, a little about how we love the theater, and a lot about being earnest.

  • Episode 66: A Thousand Mornings: I Was Told There'd Be Food?

    June 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 6 mins
    a thousand mornings, mary oliver, poetry

    Tara finally gets her poetry episode! Jeannette and Meredith talk with her about their favorite poets, poetry memories from school, and then they discuss Mary Oliver’s poetry collection A Thousand Mornings.

  • Episode 65: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: All Hail Oprah

    May 14th, 2019  |  1 hr 29 mins

    Meredith, Jeannette, and Susan discuss some ahem mature content when it comes to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and also talk about celebrity books clubs.

  • Episode 64: Interview with Dhonielle Clayton

    April 19th, 2019  |  28 mins 53 secs

    Jeannette and Meredith sat down with author of “The Belles” Dhonielle Clayton at the 2019 NoVa Teen Book Festival. They all agreed that adulting is hard, then discussed the idea of beauty, and, if you had the chance, how far you would go to change yourself… down to your very bones.

  • Episode 63: Interview with Alex London and Carmen Rodrigues

    April 18th, 2019  |  27 mins 39 secs

    Jeannette and Meredith sat down with authors Alex London and Carmen Rodrigues at the 2019 NoVa Teen Book Festival, who met for the first time at the interview, but quickly bonded over their shared love of early Christian Slater movies. Then they learned that Dolphins are the frat boys of the sea, discussed how authors shouldn’t be pinned down by genres, and that a great book can be so much smarter than its author.

  • Episode 62: Interview with Danielle Ellison

    April 17th, 2019  |  17 mins 33 secs

    Jeannette and Meredith sat down with NoVa Teen Book Festival founder and author Danielle Ellison to talk all things Book Fest and writing. They agreed pocket unicorns would make amazing pets and how important the setting of a book can be to its story.

  • Episode 61: Interview with: E.K. Johnston, Katherine Locke, Ben Philippe, Robin Talley

    April 16th, 2019  |  21 mins 34 secs

    Jeannette and Meredith sat down with authors E.K. Johnston, Katherine Locke, Ben Philippe, and Robin Talley to talk all things books at the 2019 NoVa Teen Book Festival. They discussed the fact that some of the coolest stuff happening in literature is happening in YA, that Ben is really into Agatha Christie books, and that platypuses are cute but will kill ya.

  • Episode 60: Signal to Noise: You Never Figure Out Adulting

    April 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 16 mins
    80s, fantasy, magic, signal to noise, silvia moreno-garcia

    Susan, Meredith, and Jeannette discuss the pros and cons of specific genre categories, and whether having really specific categories is great or too many! Also, what do we do with those genre-benders? Then we talk Signal to Noise and figure out our power objects

  • Episode 59: City of Ghosts: Un-Veiled

    March 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 1 min
    city of ghosts, ghosts, middle grade, victoria schwab

    Tara, Susan, and Jeannette discuss Middle-Grade books and how they may be subject to 'middle child syndrome'. They discuss what makes a middle-grade book and what their favorites were. Then they go into City of Ghosts and this could be a solid middle-grade book.