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
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Episode 42: Pachinko: I Get It!
November 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 12 mins
historical fiction, holiday, immigration, min jin lee, pachinko, south korea, wish list
The hosts discuss what’s on their holiday wish list because we can always use more bookish things. Then they discuss the characters of Pachinko as well as the symbolism of Pachinko and Korean society in Japan.
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Episode 41: Dark Matter: My Brain Hurts!
October 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 9 mins
banned books, blake crouch, dark matter, scifi
Meredith, Susan, and Tara discuss book banning along with some of their favorite banned books. Do you think books should ever be banned? Then they take a deep dive into the novel Dark Matter and leave with headaches after talking about the multiverse...though, there’s probably other versions of the co-hosts out there that have a total grasp on this science…is your head spinning yet?
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Episode 40: This Savage Song: Heavy-Handed But Awesome
September 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 18 mins
authors, auto-buy authors, this savage song, ve schwab, victoria schwab
The hosts discuss auto-buy authors where they can't help but give them our money. They also discuss Schwab's upcoming books. Then they dive in to This Savage Song and cut the discussion short because they could all talk about this book for hours.
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Episode 39: The Captive Mind: Finish A Chapter, Eat A Cookie
August 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 7 mins
captive mind, did not finish, dnf, nonfiction, philosophy, political, socialism
Susan, Tara, and Jeannette talk about DNF'ing a book; why do you DNF, what makes you DNF, would you go back to a DNF? All this leads to a discussion of The Captive Mind. We discuss if it has captivated our minds.
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Episode 38: Wallbanger: Entertain Me, Please
July 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 15 mins
alice clayton, contemporary, romance, wallbanger
In this episode, Meredith, Susan, and Jeannette wrap up the Eclectic Readathon and ER Madlibs and announce the winners! We speak on the weird happiness of adulthood, and how we overcome reading slumps. Finally, we discuss Wallbanger - its characters, the unreality of Caroline’s cat, and the reality of sex in romance. Disclaimer: Slight Mature Content
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Episode 37: Interview with Patrick Phillips
June 30th, 2017 | 45 mins 50 secs
author interview, blood at the root, patrick phillips, race, racial cleansing
Tara interviews Patrick Phillips, author of Blood at the Root. They talk about his experience as he researches, writes and promotes his book. We also get his Eclectic Pick!
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Episode 36: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: A YA With Parents!
June 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 28 mins
benjamin alire saenz, coming of age, lgbtq, sexuality, ya
The Eclectic Readers Podcast is two years old! In celebration, we’re gearing up for our next Eclectic Readathon (starting Friday, June 23rd at 8:00pm EST) and the end of our first ER Mad Libs Reading Challenge (submissions due at the end of the Readathon.)
In this episode we talk about books that helped shape us into who we are today and discuss the Young Adult (YA) book “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,” which focuses on two teenage boys discovering their personal, cultural, and sexual identities.
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Episode 35: Romeo and/or Juliet: Everything Would be Better with a Buff Captain Picard
May 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 5 mins
choose your own path, retelling, romeo and juliet, romeo and or juliet, ryan north, shakespeare
In this episode, Tara, Jeannette, and Meredith discuss what makes a good “retelling” of a classic story as well as share some of their favorite and least favorite (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) retellings of all time. We’re also ramping up for the end of our ERMadlib challenge and the start of our 24 hour readathon! Now with new great prizes! Then we dive into the multiple endings and laughter of Ryan North’s “Romeo and/or Juliet.”
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Episode 34: Love Warrior: Mind the Gap
April 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 3 mins
glennon doyle melton, love warrior, marriage, memoir
Susan has updates on our reading challenges, while Jeannette has a stack of new books to recommend. And we’re all excited about the PRIZES we’ll be handing out in June! Then we talk about the memoir Love Warrior and gaps between what we want and what authors give us.
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Episode 33: Girl Waits With Gun: Future Historical Fiction
March 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 6 mins
amy stewart, girl waits with gun, historical fiction
Susan, Meredith, and Jeannette discuss historical fiction: what is it, what isn’t it, and do we like it? Then we dig into Amy Stewart’s novel Girl Waits with Gun, and the complicated relationship between sisters, mothers and daughters, and women, sheriffs, and Singer salesmen.
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Episode 32: Interview With Tara Clancy
March 1st, 2017 | 37 mins 58 secs
feminism, interview, lgbt, memoir, new york, nyc, queens
Susan and Meredith interview the amazing Tara Clancy, author of The Clancys of Queens. We talk about her reasons to writing her memoirs of growing up and how became the woman she is today.
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Episode 31: Blood at the Root: Not for the Faint of Heart
February 28th, 2017 | 1 hr 34 mins
In this episode we welcome a new guest host and book blogger: Stacie! We talk about some exciting podcast news, like our new website and upcoming author interview, and then we discuss some of our favorite POC (Person of Color) literary characters and this tough but important read: Blood at the Root.
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Episode 30: Men Explain Things to Me: We’re So Witty
January 15th, 2017 | 1 hr 11 mins
Susan, Tara, and Meredith start off the new year with their read-olutions and goals for 2017. A small update on our ER MadLibs Challenge and then we dive into Men Explain Things to Me. We talk about how Rebecca Solnit addresses hard and upsetting issues that women experience through 9 essays.
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Episode 29: Eclectic Readers Special: Interview with Valentine DeLandro
January 9th, 2017 | 39 mins 58 secs
In our last interview from Book Riot Live, Meredith and Tara speak with illustrator, Valentine Delandro.
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Episode 28: Eclectic Readers Special: Interview with Ken Liu
January 5th, 2017 | 49 mins 27 secs
Next up in our Book Riot Live author interview, Meredith and Tara speak with author, Ken Liu. He has written The Grace of Kings and translated The Three-Body Problem.
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Episode 27: Eclectic Readers Special: Interview with Charlie Jane Anders
January 3rd, 2017 | 37 mins 25 secs
Meredith and Tara were at Book Riot Live! They had a chance to interview 3 authors. This episode is with Charlie Jane Anders author of All the Birds in the Sky.