Can I Bring My Book

Title: Cult Vibes, Curses, and New Bookish Obsessions
Episode Description:This week on Can I Bring My Book, Amanda and Kat are back with fresh book reviews of their Bestie Book Swap read this month! Kat shares her thoughts on The Vicious Circle by Katherine St. John — a thriller that brings all the culty, secluded island drama. Meanwhile, Amanda dives into Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber and officially joins the Jacks fan club.
Along the way, they chat about what they expect from thrillers, the charm of slightly messy main characters, and a few of their favorite tropes. Plus, could a buddy read of The Lion’s Den be on the horizon? Tune in for all the bookish chaos and some seriously relatable TBR talk.
Books mentioned in this episode:
The Vicious Circle by Katherine St. John
The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
 
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Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook

Episode Title: Dramatic Goodreads Readings & Five-Star Shade
 
Book reviews, dramatic readings, and a little friendly shade—what more could you ask for?
In this episode of Can I Bring My Book, Kat confronts Amanda about her ahem generous Goodreads ratings and challenges her to revisit old book reviews. Cue the dramatic readings, cringey commentary, and some surprising reflections.
We talk about:
The books we used to love (or not)
The evolution of our reading tastes
Amanda’s villain origin story as a 5-star reviewer
Tropes of the week: Time Travel Romance and Forbidden Love
📚 Books we mention:
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
Tongue by Kyung-Ran Jo
The Witch Elm by Tana French
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Twisted Love by Ana Huang
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Let us know what your oldest or most dramatic Goodreads review is—tag us and spill the bookish tea.
📣 Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can singup here
Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook

Episode Title: Should We Challenge Ourselves as Readers? A Debate on “Shoulds,” Genres, and Bookish Growth
Can I Bring My Book — the podcast where we, Kat and Amanda, tangentially discuss books... and so much more.
This week, Amanda and Kat dive into the tension between comfort reading and personal growth, all sparked by a spicy internet comment about what books readers should be reading. Is it enough to read only what you want to read? Or does challenging yourself to step outside your favorite genre actually lead to a more fulfilling reading life?
The duo talks about Fable’s April reading challenge, representation in authorship, and why stepping outside your go-to shelf might be the best thing for your book-loving soul. They also touch on how the Can I Bring My Book club selections and monthly Bestie Book Swaps have pushed their own boundaries — sometimes with joy, sometimes with grumbles.
And don’t miss this week’s Trope Talk featuring:
Beauty and the Beast style romances (complete with demons and purple hair)
Billionaire boyfriends with suspicious shirt budgets
Books & mentions from this episode:
Maus by Art Spiegelman: https://amzn.to/3vWgeZT
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming: https://amzn.to/3PYaMxM
Twisted Love by Ana Huang: https://amzn.to/4aMLI88
Fable app: https://fable.co/
 
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Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook

Episode Title: Let’s Build the Ultimate Book Boyfriend
 
In this week’s episode, Amanda and Kat take a break from their towering TBRs to do something far more important—design their perfect fictional boyfriends. From battlefields to bakeries, black tees to farmhouses full of goats, the duo takes online quizzes (some more accurate than others, or maybe none that are accurate at all) and debate everything from pickup lines to dream proposal settings.
 
Along the way, they add even more books to their TBRs (shocker), reveal their all-time favorite book boyfriends (hi, Zayden and Khan), and squeeze in a round of Trope Talk featuring “everything is connected” endings and a shared love of happy endings that wrap up with a big emotional bow.
 
Is this a serious literary discussion? Not even a little. Is it a good time? Absolutely.
 
📣 Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can singup here
 
Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook

Spring Cleaning Your Reading
This week, Amanda kicks things off by sending Kat on a mission to grab five books from her physical TBR cart… and chaos ensues. Together, they reflect on reading goals, shift some priorities, and play a bookish version of “keep, read, donate” (don’t worry, no books were harmed in the making of this episode).
 
Also in this episode: 📚 How Goodreads guilt-trips Amanda 📚 Kat’s fear of spring cleaning and giving up her precious reads 📚 Books we’ve had since 2019 and still might read someday 📚 A quick-and-chaotic Trope Talk featuring “touch her and die” and a debate over whether Dark Academia is a trope or a subgenre
 
Whether you’re ahead, behind, or forgetting your reading goal altogether, this episode is your sign to tidy up your TBR—mentally and physically.
 
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Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook

Bestie Book Swap & Precious Little Robots
In this week’s episode, Amanda and Kat are back with another Bestie Book Swap! We each read a book picked by the other—and, as usual, we’ve got thoughts.
 
Kat reviews The Year of Less by Cait Flanders, a memoir (sort of) about minimalism, consumption, and self-discovery. Spoiler alert: someone’s feeling a little misled by the marketing.
 
Amanda shares her love for A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers and her introduction to the cozy, hopeful world of solarpunk. We talk mental health, comfort reads, and why this book truly feels like a hug in literary form.
Plus:
Why "precious" is the perfect word for this book (and Amanda never uses that word)
The robot character that stole our hearts
A mini deep-dive into the Enemies to Lovers and Mentor tropes
Mentions of Yoda, Dumbledore, and yes, even Draco/Harry fanfiction
It’s a fun one full of bookish rambling, gentle chaos, and cozy vibes. Come hang out with us!
 
📣 Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can singup here
 
Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook

How to Break Out of a Reading Slump
Reading slumps—every book lover’s worst nightmare. Whether it’s burnout, life getting in the way, or a book so good that nothing else compares, we’ve all been there. In this episode, Kat and Amanda break down what causes reading slumps and share practical tips to help you rediscover your reading groove.
We discuss: 📚 The different types of reading slumps and what causes them 📚 How long Kat’s last reading slump lasted (spoiler: it was years) 📚 Whether reading challenges help or hurt motivation 📚 Easy, fun ways to get back into the habit (including quick reads, buddy reading, and switching genres) 📚 How audiobooks can be the ultimate slump-buster 📚 Plus, our latest trope talk—morally gray heroes and grumpy/sunshine dynamics
 
If you’re struggling with your TBR pile or need a little bookish motivation, this episode is for you!
 
Let us know: What’s the longest reading slump you’ve ever had? And what’s your go-to way to break out of one?
 
📣 Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can sing up here
 
Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook

Bookish Hot Takes & Controversial Opinions
 
Get ready, book besties—we’re stirring the pot in this episode! Kat and Amanda dive into bookish hot takes, from whether reading a bad book is worse than watching a bad movie to the eternal debate of paperback vs. hardcover. We’re also chatting about series vs. standalones, dog-earing pages (monstrous or practical?), and whether smut is really just… well, you’ll have to listen to find out.
 
Plus, we’re introducing Trope Talk! This week, we discuss meet-cutes and found family—two of our favorites!
Tell us your bookish hot take in the comments or tag us on social!
 
Books mentioned in the episode:
The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection (Kindle Unlimited): https://amzn.to/3XKvqy3
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: https://amzn.to/3DrSrit
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune: https://amzn.to/3Fk7lrH
 
📣 Follow us for updates, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can singup here
 
Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook
 
Disclaimer: Some of the links included may provide us with a small kickback. There’s no cost to you, and if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll earn enough in ten years to buy a book of our own.

Get ready cuz it's Episode Ten Plus One: Cake, Cozy Mysteries, and Bestie Book Swap Updates
We’re celebrating our 11th episode (or as we like to call it, "ten plus one") with some bookish chat about cozy mysteries, annotated book swaps, and our latest reads. Plus, we talk about the books that inspired us as kids, the joy of missing out, and Kat’s spirit week adventures.
 
📚 Books Mentioned:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe: https://amzn.to/3WL15Py
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan: https://amzn.to/4aLeUTO 
Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight: https://amzn.to/3EgO5dO 
Baby Dragon Café by A.T. Qureshi: https://amzn.to/42Bfstq 
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman: https://amzn.to/4iJzKGT 
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros: https://amzn.to/3WO1P6j 
Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin: https://amzn.to/3CDQZsT 
Strangulation and Strawberry Cake by Nancy McGovern: https://amzn.to/4aMDNyh 
The Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst: https://amzn.to/3WO2bd9 
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride: https://amzn.to/4asTs5P 
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker: https://amzn.to/3W1HCtz 
Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics and Lore (ARC from NetGalley) available for preorder: https://amzn.to/3CrCvwe 
🎙 What’s Inside This Episode?✔️ Kat’s Free Little Library find – a Martha Stewart Baking Cookbook✔️ Do we ever actually make the recipes in cozy mysteries? Amanda says, “heck no!”✔️ Kat’s antisocial book club experience (snail mail annotations!)✔️ Bestie Book Swap updates: Den of Vipers & When the Moon Hatched✔️ Our thoughts on Four Thousand Weeks and the concept of JOMO (joy of missing out)✔️ February’s Selected Read: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store discussion date✔️ Celebrate Literacy Week & Kat’s Paul Bunyan cosplay✔️ Teachers who inspired our love of reading and writing✔️ Rapid-fire book questions: dust jackets, book boyfriends, and favorite villains
 
📢 Join the Club!Want to read along with us? Our next book discussion is happening on February 23rd at 3 PM EST. 
 
📣 Follow us for updates, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can singup here
 
Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubBluesky: @canibringmybook.bsky.social
Mastodon: @canibringmybook Facebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook
 
Disclaimer: Some of the links included may provide us with a small kickback. There’s no cost to you, and if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll earn enough in ten years to buy a book of our own.

Reading Relay, Bestie Book Swap, and Fourth Wing Love
Can I Bring My Book. The podcast where we, Kat and Amanda, will tangentially discuss books... and so much more.
In this episode, Kat and Amanda share their recent reads, including 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and Murder and Marble Cake by Nancy McGovern. They also discuss their January Bestie Book Swap picks—Kat reflects on Maid by Stephanie Land, a moving memoir about resilience, poverty, and overcoming stigma, while Amanda gushes over Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, officially joining "Dragon Club."
The duo dives into the inspiration behind their virtual Reading Relay sessions, explaining how it’s the perfect alternative to traditional book clubs for introverts and busy readers alike. They also announce February’s selected read, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, a mix of murder mystery and community storytelling.
Whether you’re a fan of dragons, reading relays, or just need an excuse to curl up with a good book, this episode has something for everyone.
Books mentioned in this episode:
4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman: https://amzn.to/4iJzKGT 
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara: https://amzn.to/3BZBOtO 
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land: https://amzn.to/3E5N7RR 
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: https://amzn.to/3Wqutud 
Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight: https://amzn.to/3EgO5dO 
Murder and Marble Cake by Nancy McGovern: https://amzn.to/3ZX5UWD 
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride: https://amzn.to/4asTs5P 
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai: https://amzn.to/3E0DhjY 
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah Parker: https://amzn.to/3W1HCtz 
Need a copy of the pacing guide for 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals? Grab a copy here.
📣 Follow us for updates, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can singup here
Can I Bring My Book Social Links:Instagram: @canibringmybook_clubTikTok: @canibringmybook_clubFacebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook
Disclaimer: Some of the links included may provide us with a small kickback. There’s no cost to you, and if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll earn enough in ten years to buy a book of our own.