{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/677831a8a1ad7348eb9843c7/6a232612a2db34bb8922f56b?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Ep 36: We Have Opinions - Our 2026 Mid-Year Reading Check-In","description":"<p>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.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Bookish News</strong></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"http://hayfestival.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Hay Festiva</a>l</p><p>Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi (translated by Lin King)</p><p>John of John by Douglas Stuart @douglas_stuart</p><p>Ruth Ozeki @ozekiland</p><p><a href=\"https://carolshieldsprizeforfiction.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Carol Shields Prize for Fiction</a></p><p>Canon by Lee Lai @_leelai</p><p>Hellions by Julia Elliott @jelliottic6</p><p>A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar @megha.maj</p><p><a href=\"https://womensprize.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Women’s Prize</a></p><p><a href=\"https://thebookerprizes.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Booker Prize</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Recent Reads</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Famesick by Lena Dunham @lenadunham</p><p>May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry @poorsasquatch</p><p>Stone Fruit by Rebecca Perry</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Our Mid-Year Reading Goals</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Buckeye by Patrick Ryan @patrickryanyc</p><p>The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine @wednesdaywerskin</p><p>Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke @caroclaireburke</p><p>The Wreck by Lizzy Stewart @lizzy_stewart</p><p>Prairie Oyster by Sophoe Robinson @sophiepoetry</p><p>London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe @praddenkeefe</p><p>Dominion by Addie E. Kitchens @addie_citchens</p><p>The Correspondent by Virgina Evans @virginia.l.evans</p><p>Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash @madelinecash</p><p>Middlemarch by George Eliot</p><p><a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Guardian’s ‘100 Best Novels of All Time’</a></p><p>The Little Friend by Donna Tartt</p><p>Ordinary People by Haldor Laxness</p><p>Death’s End by Cixin Liu</p><p>Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert @sophiegilbertwrites</p><p>A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness by Michael Pollan @michael.pollan</p><p>You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate @christinapplegate</p><p>Indignity by Leah Ypi</p><p>Winter In The Blood by James Welch</p><p>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones @stephengrahamjones</p><p>The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman</p><p>The Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day @yeah_okday</p><p>The Sleep Thief by Ibtisam Azem @ibitisam.azem</p><p><a href=\"https://charcopress.com/bookstore/2026-bundle\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Charco Press 2026 Fiction Bundle</a> @charcopress</p><p>Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz @arianaharwiczw</p><p>Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly&nbsp;</p><p>Angel Down by Daniel Kraus @kraus_author</p><p>Kin by Tayari Jones @tayari</p><p>Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn</p><p>On The Calculation of Volume series by Solvej Balle</p><p>Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston</p><p>Practice by Rosalind Brown</p><p>Land by Maggie O’Farrell @maggieofarrellofficial</p><p>The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout @lizstroutauthor</p><p>Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason</p><p>Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel @emilystjohnmandel</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What We’re Reading Next</strong></p><p>John of John by Douglas Stuart</p><p>The Left and the Lucky by Willy Vlautin</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Also mentioned</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Curious Readers is mixed by the incredibly talented James Whiting @fishislandstudio</p><p><br></p><p>Follow us on Instagram @curiousreaderspodcast and Bluesky @curiousreaderspod.bsky.social for more recommendations in between episodes</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Curious Readers"}