Shows / Busy Girls Book Club
Busy Girls Book Club
Three busy young professionals who love to read tackle today's most popular books and let you know how to fit them into your busy schedule.
Episodes
- Busy Girls Book Club
191: A New Agatha Christie? "Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel"
Popular mystery writer Lucy Foley was tapped by Agatha Christie's estate to write a new Miss Marple story. Is the new spin on an old story worth the read, or…
- Busy Girls Book Club
190: Chilling Takes on Mental Illness in "The Caretaker"
Marcus Kliewer paints a chilling story of suspense with themes of isolation and mental illness in "The Caretaker". Follow the Rites? Leave the scary house?…
- Busy Girls Book Club
189: "The Lamb": Cannibalism! (Again)
Somehow we are here again. Why do so many trendy books involve cannibalism? "The Lamb" is pretty much entirely about the topic. That's all they do. So do the…
- Busy Girls Book Club
188: "Practical Magic": The Original Cozy Spooky Season Read
With hype around the second "Practical Magic" movie sending readers back to the original book, it seemed like the perfect choice to kick off Spooky Season…
- Busy Girls Book Club
187: Did We Really Need a Whole Story about "The Other Bennet Sister"?
Once again, television has us reading a book before we watch. This time, it's Pride and Prejudice from Mary's POV and then beyond to her own story. But it's…
- Busy Girls Book Club
186: A Love Letter to "The Correspondent"
It's truly the book that's been everywhere, and is being read by a variety of reader types. So what's all of the hype about? Is a book full of letters from an…
- Busy Girls Book Club
185: What's Truly Remarkable About "Remarkably Bright Creatures"
Shelby Van Pelt's book about the octopus has gripped readers for several years now, but its move to the Netflix screen has enticed an entirely new audience. So…
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184: "Dire Bound": The Answer to a Dire Need for New Romantasy?
"Dire Bound" is described as Fourth Wing meets any number of other fantasy stories. That's pretty spot in. So is a new take on an old story arc refreshing for…
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183: The Thing About "The Deal"
The Off Campus TV series has spiked an interest in Elle Kennedy's hockey romances. "The Deal" is the basis for the first season of the show, and the book has…
- Busy Girls Book Club
182: Beauty in Simplicity and Solitude in "Piranesi"
Susanna Clarke's "Piranesi" has held popularity for a few years now and has been dubbed a "modern classic." What makes it classic? Readers wander "The House"…
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181: "The Raven Scholar": Is it a Plot Twist if You Lose the Original Plot?
"The Raven Scholar" is very highly rated on book review sites, but the Busy Girls had a hard time saying why. It had an amazing world and magic system, but it…
- Busy Girls Book Club
180: Back to the Regency World of Emma M. Lion
The short and sweet Emma M. Lion books have captivated the BookTok girlies, so we are back with book two in the series. And this one is full of eligible…
- Busy Girls Book Club
179: Back to the Crawl in "Carl's Doomsday Scenario"
If you thought the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book was fun, just wait for book two. The characters move from surviving to really playing the game. New…
- Busy Girls Book Club
178: Gruesome Yet Cozy Murder Mystery in "The Tainted Cup"
Can something be totally gross but cozy at the same time? Apparently. This murder mystery with lovable but chaotic detectives is sweet and funny while also…
- Busy Girls Book Club
177: "The Compound": A Sinister Summer Read for "Love Island" Fans
Life surrounded by cameras and at the mercy of brands and other residents of an isolated home isn't for the weak. And what if the normal "Love Island" style…
- Busy Girls Book Club
176: Cozy in Canada with "Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter"
The author of the viral "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries" series is back with a cozy cat shelter set in Montreal. It brings the same historic charm…
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175: "Yesteryear": It's Not What You Think
When the trending book is pitched as a modern social media trad wife being transported back in time, it doesn't deliver as promised. "Yesteryear" is actually a…
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174: "Half His Age" Only Appeals to Half of Readers
Jennette McCurdy's memoir took BookTok by storm, so fans were lining up for her fiction debut. While loosely based off of personal experience, it may be a tad…
- Busy Girls Book Club
173: "Operation Bounce House" Amid the Matt Dinniman Craze
The author of Dungeon Crawler Carl took a break from the series to release "Operation Bounce House". Is it more of the same thing? Or does it deserve its own…
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172: We Selected "The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1"
Jane Austen and Bridgerton lovers rejoice: Emma M. Lion has come to bust you from your reading slump. At just over 100 pages, this delightful first installment…
- Busy Girls Book Club
171: Witchcraft Across the Ages in "The Bewitching"
The spooky chaos of "The Bewitching" doesn't fit into normal witchy stereotypes. With three different decades and three different leading females, is the…
- Busy Girls Book Club
170: The Newlyfriends Game
You've heard of the Newlywed Game, but we bring you the Newlyfriends Game! The Busy Girls are all together for the first time since the pod started. So we had…
- Busy Girls Book Club
169: Generational Sin and Atonement in "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter"
We don't often dive into the horror genre, but somehow when we do it's always on the open plains. A three-POV story through diary entries and across decades…
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168: Not So Subtle Messaging in "Blood Over Bright Haven"
Sexism. Racism. Religious intolerance. Cultural theft and erasure. What doesn't this dark academia/fantasy story touch on? While the messages may be obvious…
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Busy Girls Bonus: March 2026 SJM News
SJM is back, baby! And we are coming alive again! Sarah J. Maas has three A Court of Thorns and Roses books ready to release and we are SO excited. It's the…
- Busy Girls Book Club
167: How Pop Culture Portrays the Modern Woman in "Girl on Girl"
Sophie Gilbert's "Girl on Girl" is a breakdown of 90's, 2000s and 2010s culture and how it has shaped how woman are viewed today. It analyzes different art…
- Busy Girls Book Club
166: War, Wrongdoing and Forgiveness in "Buckeye"
Two families are intertwined over decades and through several wars. Secrets lead to more secrets and fighting isn't just on the battlefield. This historical…
- Busy Girls Book Club
165: Another Greek Myth Retelling but Make it Poetry in "Hekate"
Nikita Gill writes the story of rarely talked about Greek goddess Hekate in this coming of age story. And you know the Busy Girls love a Greek retelling. But…
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164: "The Strength of the Few" Who Can Survive a 700 Page Book
The follow-up to "The Will of the Many" is somehow even longer and sees three complex storylines weave together intricately into a world-building masterpiece…
- Busy Girls Book Club
163: "We Love You, Bunny" Or do we?
The world of "Bunny" is back with a story from the bunnies' POV, and that of their first darling. And if none of that makes sense to you... same. It's a wild…
- Busy Girls Book Club
162: Hot Hockey or Cringey Smut? "Heated Rivalry"
"Heated Rivalry" has taken the world by storm with its HBO series based on the book. The girls and the gays are all in love. So is it worth the hype? Is the…
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161: Metal Magic and Morally Grey Characters in "Mistborn"
Brandon Sanderson is one of the most popular living authors, and definitely rules king in the fantasy world. "Mistborn" is one of the older works in the…
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160: Busy Girls Book Club Awards 2025
In our most diverse reading year yet, what books stood out? What books fell flat? And what book ruled them all?
- Busy Girls Book Club
159: Omens and Adventure in "The Knight and the Moth"
We return to a world created by Rachel Gillig, and it once again did not disappoint. "The Knight and the Moth" tells another dark fairytale where girls drown…
- Busy Girls Book Club
158: Shakespeare from Stage to Novel to Screen in "Hamnet"
Hamnet is a reimagining of the life of William Shakespeare's wife and children. It's an interesting historical fiction thought exercise, and its new movie…
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157: The Role "Dungeon Crawler Carl" Plays in LitRPG
One of the best "hear me out..." books may be Matt Dinniman's "Dungeon Crawler Carl". It's a LitRPG that reads like a video game but is somehow still funny and…
- Busy Girls Book Club
156: Meaningful Growth in "Morning Star"
The third book in the Red Rising trilogy, "Morning Star" is quite the explosive finish. And it might include some of the best character development we've seen…
- Busy Girls Book Club
155: "Done and Dusted": Save a Horse...
You know how the song goes. Lyla Sage writes western romances, and TikTok girlies love a good themed romance. "Done and Dusted" will either make you want to…
- Busy Girls Book Club
154: The Incredible Path of "Alchemised"
Plenty of fan fictions have been traditionally published lately, but none took quite the rewrite "Alchemised" did. This one tops over 1,000 pages and had to be…
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153: Mad About "Mate"
Another Ali Hazelwood. Another book Casey refuses to read. Somehow the weirdest one yet? Video: https://youtu.be/ch5iys_dEjE
- Busy Girls Book Club
152: Girlhood, Girl Boss, "Girl Dinner"
What is a "Good Woman"? What is power? Olivie Blake takes on these questions and more in "Girl Dinner". It includes some hard to digest themes. Pun intended…
- Busy Girls Book Club
151: Troubling Tropes in "Tourist Season"
Miscommunication - but make it serial killers. Brynne Weaver is back with yet another serial killer romance. How does this still work? Somehow, it does. Video…
- Busy Girls Book Club
150: Horror is Our History in "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls"
Grady Hendrix makes a second pod appearance with "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" and a deeply researched look at homes for unwed mothers in the 60s/70s. There…
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149: A Spin on a Piece of History in "The First Witch of Boston"
The First Witch of Boston tells the story of Margaret Jones, an actual woman who was put to death for witchcraft in the 1600s. However, it puts its own spin on…
- Busy Girls Book Club
Spooky Season 2025 Preview
Boo! We're here on a random day of the week with a surprise preview of what this year's spooky season has to offer. Did we startle you?
- Busy Girls Book Club
148: Dark Academia Can't Get Darker Than "Katabasis"
Hell is other people. Academia is hell. Those all sound like enticing reasons to read "Katabasis" by R. F. Kuang. And while they are prevalent themes, there's…
- Busy Girls Book Club
147: "Golden Son" and the Space Opera
Red Rising fans are torn on whether book one or book two - "Golden Son" - are the better story. The Busy Girls are in agreement, though. What was sort of like…
- Busy Girls Book Club
146: A Warm Hug from "The House in the Cerulean Sea"
Tim Burton, if you're listening, we want you to produce this movie. TJ Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea" is an adventure in magical foster care and is…
- Busy Girls Book Club
145: I Who Have a Lot to Say About "I Who Have Never Known Men"
A plotless dystopian read with a nameless main character and no men. Do we have your attention? "I Who Have Never Known Men" is a fun thought exercise on…
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144: John Green is Back with "Everything is Tuberculosis"
You probably read "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green. His new book is pretty much the opposite of that, but with a touch of the same voice he brings to all…
- Busy Girls Book Club
143: Three Years of Busy Girls Book Club
We're back! We are celebrating! We have games! Video: https://youtu.be/v2fXSczxCpo
- Busy Girls Book Club
142: Vampire Summer? "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil"
V.E. Schwab is back with another tale that crosses centuries and explores love and desire. This time, it also explores female rage. Toxic lesbian vampires?…
- Busy Girls Book Club
Busy Girls Bonus: July 2025 News
Latest updates include: Project Hail Mary trailer People We Meet on Vacation trailer I'm Glad My Mom Died TV series Abby Jimenez Christmas surprise Ali…
- Busy Girls Book Club
141: The Girls Got Hold of "Red Rising"
Why do boys gatekeep some of the best sci-fi/fantasy? We certainly aren't afraid of big, wordy books. Pierce Brown's "Red Rising" has had a renewed interest…
- Busy Girls Book Club
140: “Atomosphere”: Out of this world or failure to launch?
We love a good Taylor Jenkins Reid story. The newest, "Atmosphere", has been creating a lot of buzz thanks to the anticipation of her fan base. A NASA woman…
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139: "Silver Elite" ...Mystery or Mess?
"Silver Elite" has been causing quite the stir in the online book community. Who is Dani Francis?? Is this book AI?? Is it political propaganda?? Or is it just…
- Busy Girls Book Club
138: Savoring Summer with "Tom Lake"
Ann Patchett wrote an excellent summer read in "Tom Lake." It's set on a lake and a cherry farm in Michigan in the summer. But it has some very deep topics…
- Busy Girls Book Club
137: YA Romance to Cult Classic Meme: Tackling "Twilight"
Yes. We are serious. Today we are talking about "Twilight." Two of us read it as kids, but one of us is joining the craze a little late. So what merit do…
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136: "North is the Night" and Political TikTok Authors
Dr. Emily Rath became an overnight TikTok sensation for her political views and discourse with social media followers. She's known for her hockey romance, but…
- Busy Girls Book Club
135: Is "Big Swiss" a Big Miss?
There's no good way to describe "Big Swiss" succinctly. It's a bizarre adventure in trauma recovery with an unpredictable main character and a torrid affair…