Buckle up, everyone, for a shocking tale about one of the worst families in American history! Kate tells Mollie about the book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe, a riveting exploration of the Sackler family's ascent to power and their role in the opioid crisis. This impeccably researched book is an intersection of wealth, morality, and accountability. It leaves no doubt that the Sackler family was aware of and indifferent to the suffering their greed caused and were, in fact, huge sacks of shit.

Wow, that woman's teeth are white.. what was I doing? Oh, right! Welcome to our first episode of 2024, where we tackle Sara Petersen's Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture. Join us for a discussion of parenthood in the age of Instagram, influencers, and cruel optimism.

It was nice knowing ya, 2023! Pop some champagne and start 2024 off right with Mollie and Kate as they share recommendations for enchanting and compelling winter reads.Recommendations in order:Mollie: The Heatwave by Kate RiordanKate: Bitter Orange by Claire FullerKate: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi by Shannon ChakrabortyMollie: Tamora Pierce's booksMollie: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth WareKate: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan StradalMollie: Little Secrets by Jennifer HillierKate: Country of the Blind by Andrew LelandKate: Lucky Red by Claudia CravensMollie & Kate: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Halloween may be over but we're still in spooky season mode, which gives us free reign to talk about monsters (albeit the less fun kind, because these are real). This episode, Kate recounts Claire Dederer's Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, which wrestles with the question: What do we do with the art of monstrous artists? You won't want to miss this conversation about fandom, celebrities, notes-app apologies, and more.Pop Culture Pairings: Wannabe by Aisha Harris (Nonfiction), The Stacks (podcast)

Autumn is here, and what better way to celebrate than by curling up with a good book about how to write a good book? Join us this week as Mollie tells Kate all about Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. They talk about the creative process, how hard it is to start from a blank page, and how to cope with jealousy in creative fields.

It only seems right to end the summer with a blockbuster—and what's a more perfect blockbuster than a memoir by one of the most famous people on Earth? Join us this month as Kate tells Mollie about former First Lady Michelle Obama's bestselling book Becoming. Pop Culture Pairing: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

A penny for our thoughts? We'll give them to you for free! (We're just that generous.) And this month we're thinking about Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy's Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love. Listen in as Mollie tells us all about personal finances, from emergency funds to investing to 401ks and salary negotiations. This episode will make you feel like a million bucks!Pop culture pairing: Barbie (movie playing in theaters near you!)

What do women WANT? Wait, don't leave! This isn't a set up for a 1990's male stand-up comedy routine—the answer is NOT shopping. Well, sometimes it's shopping. But no, it's the prompt for Margot Kahn and Kelly McMasters' anthology Wanting: Women Writing About Desire. Join us as Kate tells Mollie all about the WANTING and DESIRE that came up in this book.Pop culture pairings: Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky (Fiction, Thriller-ish?); You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (Fiction, Romance); Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder (Fiction, Satire); and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (Fiction, Romance / SciFi)

April showers bring May (dating) story hours! This month, Mollie shares an essay from Samantha Irby's essay collection We Are Never Meeting In Real Life. We get into the hardest ages for dating (all of them?), romantic connections, and how to collect signs about someone you're dating to determine if they're cool or seriously not.Pop culture pairings: Why Won't You Date Me (podcast), Twitter thread

We did it. We read Prince Harry's memoir Spare so you don't have to! You're welcome! Join us this month as Kate tells all about Prince Harry's tell-all.Pop culture pairings: Inventing Latinos by Laura E. Gómez (nonfiction book); The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (fiction book); and The Banshees of Inisherin (HBO Max, Hulu)

We're back in February to talk about our favorite subject of all time—food! Listen in as Mollie recounts Anthony Bourdain's famous debut book, Kitchen Confidential. Pop Culture Pairings: Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz (cookbook) and The Art of Memoir by Mary KarrEvidence of Alec Baldwin's astounding vocab

Was your New Year Resolution to drink more caffeine? We knew it! Join us this January as Kate tells Mollie all about plant drugs like caffeine and how our bodies just can't get enough of them.Pop Culture Pairing: The Bear (Hulu)

Happy holidays from Mollie and Kate! Join us for this sweet and spicy December discussion of "I'd Read Her Grocery Lists" On Cooking With Sylvia Plath, where we talk about our favorite baked goods to make for others (and ourselves) and Sylvia Plath's fraught relationship with baking and domesticity.Pop Culture Pairings: Wicked Cake (magazine). Don't forget to check out our Instagram for our favorite holiday recipes!

It's September! That means summer is coming to a close (sadly), so today we're sharing some of our summer reading recommendations to make it last juuuuuust a little bit longer. Join us in denial!The Guest List, Lucy FoleyThis Thing Between Us, Gus MorenoMouth to Mouth, Antoine Wilson

Join us for August's episode as Kate recounts Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary by Sasha Geffen. They dive into Kurt Cobain's fashion, Prince's vocal performance, and the way Cher uses technology to complete the legacy of cyborg princesses. Plus, an important commentary on low-rise jeans. (We hate them. Please stop the comeback.)

Strap in for another tale of deceit as Mollie reviews Gabrielle Bluestone's book Hype!: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet And Why We're Following. Tune in to this meandering conversation that goes from Fyre Fest to.. Applebee's? You won't want to miss it!Summary (1:26)A Fyre Festival Timeline (10:21)Other Key Highlights (30:05)Pop Culture Pairings: Normal Gossip (Podcast), Diet Prada (Instagram account)

Learn the answers to life's hardest questions this month as Kate discusses How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by comedian, writer, and producer Michael Schur.Summary (4:10)Main Issues, Explained (15:32)Key Passages (36:00)Pop Culture Pairings: The Good Place (Netflix), Rutherford Falls (Peacock), BoJack Horseman (Netflix), The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathon Haidt

We're welcoming spring with a new podcast format! This week, Mollie shares a book she read with Kate: Down River: Into The Future of Water in the West by Heather Hansman. Tune in as they talk about river trips, water rights, and vital ecosystems.Summary (2:42)Main Issues, Explained (13:27)Key Passages (47:30)Suggested donations: The Nature Conservancy and American Rivers

This month we're diving into Sophie Elmhirst's long read in The Guardian, "Brazilian butt lift: behind the world's most dangerous cosmetic surgery," and "The age of Instagram face" by Jia Tolentino in The New Yorker. Listen in as we explore the sociological, racial, and gender influences on how these procedures became commonplace in the year 2022.Hold on—what's Instagram face look like? Here's a cheat sheet. Okay, now what about a BBL? Check out this Vox article.Summary (5:27)Key takeaways (13:00)Quotes (22:03)Questions (45:12)Pop culture pairings: Ingrid Goes West (Hulu), Even The Rich (podcast hosted on Wondery), Under the Influence (podcast hosted on iHeart Radio)

Wonderworks explores literary inventions through the ages, from the ancient Greeks to modern writers like Alison Bechdel and Tina Fey. Join us as author Angus Fletcher takes us on a literary journey to explore how stories can help us cope with the challenges of life, provide safe spaces for self-discovery, and inspire hope.Summary of the book (5:08)Live Your Dreams (Kate's Chapter, 7:55)Unfreeze Your Heart (Mollie's Chapter, 19:23) What questions do we still have? (41:19)Pop Culture Mentions: Obligatory bullying pictures of Jeff Bezos as Pitbull / a Space Cowboy, Succession (HBO), Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Book by Alison Bechdel), Insecure (HBO), I Think You Should Leave (Netflix), Broad City (Hulu), The Bachelor (ABC), 30 Rock (Peacock), Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!