Well, it may be August, but it’s never too late to talk about the best books we’ve read so far this year.
My real life book club friends Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith join me for our annual tradition of sharing a few of our favorites mid-year(ish) before we put together our final lists in December.
It has been a STELLAR publishing year and we still have months to go until the end, but already the three of us have some favorites.
A special bonus to this conversation is that you can WATCH us have it. For the first time ever, I’m sharing the video version of our BBoTY(sf) conversation on Substack, but you can also listen in your favorite podcast app as usual.
Search for “Secret Stuff” in any podcast app OR if you’re a paid member of Secret Stuff, use this tutorial to get all audio content in one place.
Secret Stuff main Substack page
Stephen King Summer ends with CUJO
SLOW READ: Outlander starts soon!
(I will put out a full list soon!)
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
A Short Stay in Hell by Stephen Peck
A Hymn to Life by Gisele Pelicot
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young by Zayd Ayers Dohrn
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (Laura is currently reading)
The Autobiography of Mark Twain (Yasmin is currently reading)
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (divorce memoir that Yasmin brought to the show a few years ago)
Books Yasmin is reading with her teenage daughter: Pride and Prejudice, The Other Bennet Sister, and Death Comes to Pemberley
Transcription by Ben Lerner (on a lot of lists already)
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (might be an October pick for Secret Stuff)
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges
Office Hours podcast with Tim Heidecker
So much discussed in this packed episode! And still so much we didn’t get to. I’ll be sharing my full list of favorites from 2026 (so far) soon.
Would love to hear from YOU about your favorite books at the mid-year mark. Comment or jump in the members-only chat.
If you loved this conversation, please consider sharing it with a friend!
Happy listening and happy reading!
PS - Don’t forget that if you’re joining me and. Sarah Stewart Holland for the SLOW READ of Outlander this fall, that is a separate subscription from Secret Stuff! More details here.
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