There’s no doubt that readers love talking shop (i.e. books) with other readers. But where and how do you cultivate that community, without the Amazon-ownership, plus an early-internet, Neopets-inspired aesthetic? Bookworm.

Bookworm is the brainchild of Amelia Goodman, a place to track your reading, find new book recommendations, and meet and connect with readers just like you. Oh, and you get a worm avatar! And AND…you can put a hat on the worm!

Today, Amelia Goodman chats all things Bookworm, cultivating reader-first communities, and why establishing spaces apart from Amazon is mission critical to the future of literature.

DOWNLOAD BOOKWORM: https://www.bookwormreads.co/

BEFRIEND ME ON BOOKWORM: https://www.bookwormreads.co/profile/bsscpod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, Book club, readership, literature, community, Goodreads, Storygraph, app creation, Amazon, founder story, interview, BookTok, Bookstagram

For the girls who wear vintage nightgowns, endure eternal existential dread, and are a little bit feral - there is Weird Girl Lit, the genre of unhinged women feeling feelings that has taken over literary fiction. Today we dive deep into these narratives and explore their history and why they’re so popular today.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Book club, books, literature, culture, weird girl literature, literary fiction, literary history, Victorian era, Gothic literature, Modernist literature, Ottessa Moshfegh, Mona Awad, Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, social media, womanhood, girlhood

Tennessee Hill’s debut novel “Girls with Long Shadows” is the story of the 19-year-old Binderup triplets - Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C - but so much more: a haunting and beautifully written narrative on fear, siblinghood, and our very human need to be seen. Today, Tennessee and I sit down to discuss just that, along with her writing process, the lasting legacy of the Southern Gothic, and how Tennesee’s own experience of triplethood has influenced her writing.

“Girls with Long Shadows” debuts May 6. Pre-order your copy below.

PRE-ORDER GIRLS WITH LONG SHADOWS: https://bookshop.org/p/books/girls-with-long-shadows-tennessee-hill/22044738?aid=106686&ean=9780063412019&listref=books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, literature, Southern Gothic, debut novel, novelist, author interview

Book-to-film adaptations are the original “expectation vs. reality.” Sometimes our favorite character is portrayed exactly like we’d imaged in our mind…and other times…not. Today, I sit down with fan-casting extraordinaire and hilarious friend Zara to go through our best loved movie versions, plus try our hand at casting (or recasting) some of our favorite books.

BOOKS MENTIONED

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Women by Kristin Hannah

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sara J. Maas

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, literature, movies, film, screenplay, book club, fantasy books, literary fiction, interview, fun, humor, culture

Thanks for joining me on a very special solo ep covering and reviewing the (very few) books I read — or, wished I hadn’t read — in Q1 of 2025. Plus a few reflections on DNFing, reading, learning, culture and how I’m staying sane in times of chaos. Enjoy!

Books mentioned:

Long Island by Colm Toibin

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

For Small Creatures Such as We by Sasha Sagan

Girls With Long Shadows by Tennessee Hill

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, book review, quarterly review, reading recap, fiction, literary fiction, reading, learning, culture, authors, nonfiction, book recommendations

Read this? Read that! Inner Child Edition. Today, Kate of @k8sreads and I pair our favorite children’s books with their adult literary equivalent, as well as go deep on our best loved girlhood stories and the romance plots that took precedent over any kind of meaningful social narrative and critique in teen fiction.

KATE’s INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/k8tsreads

KATE’S TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@k8tsreads

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Children’s books, YA books, young adult books, fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, history, books, book clubs, writing, literary criticism

There's no better practice for honing your intuition than "getting your hands dirty", says Sam, psychic, reader, friend.

Still, if you're looking to expand your consciousness, clear your shadows, or are just curious to learn more about the world of the mystical, my favorite guide to the spirit realm Spirituality with Sam joins us with her top book recommendations for all things spirituality - plus an insight into what the h*&l is going on right now, energetically!

BOOK A READING WITH SAM: https://www.spiritualitywithsam.com/

SAM'S TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@spiritualitywithsam

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Spirituality, Psychic, Intuition, Spirit Guides, Book Recommendations, Books to Read, Book Club, Books, Self-Development, Manifestation, Consciousness

In honor of St. Patrick and the Land of Saints & Scholars, let’s put down the “Normal People” this year and read one of these incredible - but highly underrated - Irish literature greats. We cover my 5-star reads out of Ireland, the books and Irish authors I always recommend - plus, enjoy the world’s most Spark Notesiest overview of Irish literary history.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Book recommendations, books, books to read, Irish literature, Sally Rooney, Normal People, Conversations with Friends, Ireland, Irish history, history, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, W.B. Yeats, Dorothy Macardle, Maggie O’Farrell, Maeve Brennan, short stories, novels, literature