Robert Langdon is back in action and this time he has to solve... wait. what does he do in this book exactly? This week we read The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown with return guest Johnathan Fernandez! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 21 reading ...
May 12, 2026•2 hr 12 min•Season 21Ep. 6
A lost grandson, a talking octopus, and a new unholy alliance between hosts!? This week we read Remarkably Bright Creatures and is was remarkably bad. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 21 reading list: Rose in Chains by Julie Soto Heated Rivalry b...
Apr 28, 2026•1 hr 21 min•Season 21Ep. 3
This week we have a MASSIVE episode filled with lame powers, daddy issues, and a whole lotta YA yearning. This week we read Powerless by Lauren Roberts and despite it's best efforts, it's not The Hunger Games. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 21 ...
Apr 14, 2026•1 hr 43 min•Season 21Ep. 4
Ivy league frats, magical pencil pushers, and an ALL NEW SEGMENT OF THE POD!? This week we read "Ninth House" by Leigh Bardugo and it was a doozy. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 21 reading list: Rose in Chains by Julie Soto Heated Rivalry by Ra...
Mar 31, 2026•1 hr 37 min•Season 21Ep. 3
Looking for the hottest MM, enemies-to-lovers book about hockey that inspired a hit Netflix show? Well we've got you covered! This week we read "Heated Rivalry" by Rachel Reid and it everything we had hoped and so much more. Like, way more. Maybe more than we needed? Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute....
Mar 17, 2026•1 hr 41 min•Season 22Ep. 2
Our season 21 book list announcement! Listen so you can read along, or so you can full ignore the books and just enjoy the podcast. You decide! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 21 reading list: Rose in Chains by Julie Soto Heated Rivalry by Rache...
Mar 04, 2026•9 min
An incomprehensible world of magic, a blinding romance fraught with peril, and a bunch of filler in between: This week we read the fan-fic turned book: Rose in Chains by Julie Soto, and spoiler alert, Sarah loved it. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Sea...
Mar 03, 2026•1 hr 27 min•Season 21Ep. 1
Special Bonus Episode! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Send any future book suggestions to meanbookclub@gmail.com! Follow us on the socials @meanbookclub! Rate, like, subscribe, and check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/meanbookclub to become a true patron of...
Dec 23, 2025•50 min
From the author of seminal legal-thrillers such as The Firm and A Time to Kill, comes the inspiration behind... Christmas with the Kranks? This week we read Skipping Christmas by John Grisham and all we want from santa is to give us back the time we spent reading this nonsense. Big thanks to our very special guest Johnathan Fernandez! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable lit...
Nov 25, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Season 20Ep. 8
A very special episode with a very special guest, this week we read "Beautiful Ugly" by Alice Feeney and it was... confusing. Revenge, instant bestsellers, and murderous lesbians make for a wild and confusing ride as we read between the lines of this bad bad book. Special thanks to our guest Raúl and to our wonderful fans who support us over on Patreon! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that ha...
Nov 18, 2025•1 hr 51 min•Season 20Ep. 7
Where are our Parrot Heads at?! This week we read Where's Joe Merchant by Mr. Margaritaville himself, Jimmy Buffett. Did the plot make sense? No. Did we like the book? Also no. But did Johnna find out that Jimmy Buffett is her most listened to artist on Spotify mid-episode? The answer may surprise you. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's catha...
Oct 28, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Season 20Ep. 6
Personal goals, career goals, squad goals, any and all of it can be considered "The Cheese." But what happens when someone moves the cheese? What wildly oversimplified options do you have? Well Spencer Johnson lays it all out in this tiny little business fable about adapting to change and the very literal rat race. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fu...
Oct 14, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 20Ep. 5
Arson, anmesia, and a private island? It's a wonder how this book could be so boring. This week we read "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart and we can't say it enough: JUST WATCH THE TV SHOW! Big thanks to our special guest David Joseph Craig who's new film "I Don't Understand You" is now streaming on Hulu. Check it out! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's f...
Sep 16, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 20Ep. 3
An alternate history with family drama, cultural identity, and extremely detailed descriptions of stamps, this week we read "The Plot Against America" by Phillip Roth and what can we say? This book was way too good for our podcast. Special thanks to our patron Miles for foisting this literary classic on us. We enjoyed the break from our usual trash! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have q...
Sep 14, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 20Ep. 4
Sometimes in life, a special book comes along and embraces you with characters you relate to, a setting that you enjoy, and a plot that exists. This is unfortunately not that book. This week we read "Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld and good news, we hated it! Big thanks to our patron Saroj for making us read this stinker and congratulations to Curtis Sittenfeld for being our first ever three-peat author! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discus...
Sep 02, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 20Ep. 2
Was it profound or was it pretentious? Is the author a genius or a misogynist? The only thing we know for sure is that a man made love to a couch. Mean Book Club returns for our 20th season with "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen. Big thanks to patron of the mean arts, George for generously forcing this behemoth onto us! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit...
Aug 19, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 20Ep. 1
Mean Book Club "From the Vault!" We're periodically reuploading episodes straight from the ghost of Mean Book Club's past! This week we're taking a look back at the book that started the multimillion dollar franchise: "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. Sarah, Johnna, Clara & Sabrina rip apart this week's NYT bestseller: Twilight. Released in 2005, this book debuted at #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list within a month of its release and later peaked at #1. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UC...
Aug 12, 2025•51 min•Season 19Ep. 10
Mean Book Club is BACK with their biggest season yet! Join us for a series of bad romances, self-help stinkers, and mandane mysteries to celebrate our 20TH SEASON. New episodes start on August 15th and follow us on Patreon for even more of that sweet, sweet season 20 content! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your...
Aug 05, 2025•4 min
Mean Book Club "From the Vault!" We're periodically reuploading episodes straight from the ghost of Mean Book Club's past! This episode we're revisiting "Congo" by Michael Crichton. Check out our thoughts on this bad, bad book before we watch the bad, bad movie! Hey book nerds! This week Colin O’Brien (Just For Laughs) and Michael Wolf (Comedy Central, MTV), hosts of the Literati podcast, forced us to read Congo by Michael Crichton. This book spent 12 weeks on the NYT bestseller list in 1980 and...
Jul 22, 2025•1 hr 39 min
A Hollywood romance, a high diving board, and a weirdly important video from high school: this week we read "The Rom-Commers" by Katherine Center for a very exciting season finale, featuring special guest Emily Fidago, and the triumphant return of Sabrina! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcas...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 52 min•Season 19Ep. 8
Family drama, wine caves, and Johnna crimes: This week we read "The Paris Apartment" by two-time Mean Book Club offender Lucy Foley and it was un peu ennuyeux. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 18 reading list: 1. Fourth Wing by Yarros 2. Hillbill...
Jun 03, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 19Ep. 7
Heartbreaks, hate rates, and a host of husbands. This week we read "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid and it was... pretty good? Special shoutout to the person who recorded Johnna's version of the audiobook. This episode wouldn't have been the same without you. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 19Ep. 6
Rich husbands, dead sisters, and another non-NYTimes Bestseller!? This week we read "The Last Mrs. Parrish" by Liv Constantine and, twist, it was a stinker. Big thanks to Molly our recommender who was very correct about the NYTimes Bestseller status of this book. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 19
An old folks home and filled with red herrings. This week we read "Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman and we got mad. Big thanks to our listener Abby who recommended the book, which we found out IS a NYTimes bestseller after all. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesda...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 19Ep. 4
James Bond meets pickle ball? This week we read "Killers of a Certain Age" by Deanna Raybourn and we'd rate it a big old "Dr. No." Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 18 reading list: 1. Fourth Wing by Yarros 2. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance 3. The Ho...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Season 19Ep. 3
Maybe the best/worst book we've ever done? This week we read "Handbook for Mortals" by Lani Sarem and we will never be the same. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here’s the Season 18 reading list: 1. Fourth Wing by Yarros 2. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance 3. The Hous...
Mar 25, 2025•1 hr 46 min•Season 19Ep. 3
Murderous middle-age male meets moral mentor's mindful mantras. This week, we kick off season 19 with the alliterative "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay. Will Dexter turn evil? Will he ever experience human emotions? Should we have watched the TV show instead of reading his bad bad book? Tune in to the episode to find out! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary...
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 19Ep. 1
A book as thrilling as joining the chess club at law school: for our season finale this week we read "While Justice Sleeps" by Stacey Abrams with our editor extraordinaire Blake Opper! You can check out his album "For Money and Power" on Bandcamp or wherever you get your music! https://goldbloomtrio.bandcamp.com/album/for-money-and-power Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable ...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 38 min•Season 18Ep. 8
The memoir of a fictional Japanese geisha written by white guy who went to Harvard... what could go wrong? This week we read "Memoirs of a Geisha" and just in time for Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone and thank you so much for the support this year! Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (al...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Season 18Ep. 7
Your classic who-done-it where the hypnotist is the killer and you find that out in... the prologue? Also the house is not a house it's a cabin and the cabin isn't a cabin, it's a pit with cement blocks. Special thanks to Susan from Book Squad Goals for this rec! You can check out their podcast at https://www.booksquadgoals.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling book...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 18Ep. 6
