It's our mid-year check-in! Marissa and Megan embark on a review of the highs and lows of 2022 so far! We start by discussing our reading goals for the year and whether or not we're ahead or behind schedule. We also talk about the main themes, genres, book pacing, and pages that we've read this year, using the data from our Storygraph accounts. (If you're looking to see our Storygraph accounts, you can find Marissa's here and Megan's here .) From there, we break down our highest-rated and lowest...
Jun 23, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 18
All that's evil is not created equal. Marissa and Megan start off this podcast by discussing our most recent reads before we dive into an in-depth discussion of several great antagonists and what makes them so great at being bad. We start with a discussion of the eight main categories of villains: The Anti-Villain, The Beast, The Bully, The Machine, The Mastermind, Evil Incarnate, The Henchman, and The Fanatic. From there, we break down the characteristics that make those bad guys/gals/enbies so...
Jun 10, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 17
Extra, extra, we've got book news! From new releases to new announcements, Megan and Marissa bring you some of the top headlines for June 2022. Want your question featured on our podcast? DM us your question on Insta and we'll add it to the book jar. Like our podcast? Consider leaving us a review so more people can find us!
Jun 01, 2022•36 min•Ep. 16
Places of magic, wonder, and realism: we're talking about worldbuilding! Marissa and not-Megan are back in this episode with the best worldbuilding in novels. Alix Calfa fills in for Megan this week and together Marissa and Alix discuss a number of books, including novels by Brandon Sanderson, J.R.R. Tolkein, Dan Brown, and so many more. They also discuss books they have recently finished and finish the episode with a look ahead to next week's topic. Marissa starts off the podcast by discussing ...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 15
Happily ever after – and sometimes not. We're breaking down what makes an ending in a novel good, and which endings are our faves. But first, we start by discussing our most recent reads. From there, we dive into the topic, first discussing six main types of novel endings (Resolved, Unresolved, Ambiguous, Expanded, Unexpected, and Tied). Megan and Marissa briefly describe each and then dive into examples of novels that they've enjoyed from each category. Megan discusses several resolved endings ...
May 12, 2022•58 min•Ep. 14
Extra, extra, we've got book news! From new releases to new announcements, Megan and Marissa bring you some of the top headlines for May 2022. Want your question featured on our podcast? DM us your question on Insta and we'll add it to the book jar. Like our podcast? Consider leaving us a review so more people can find us!
May 04, 2022•27 min•Ep. 13
We start off this week, as always, by talking about our most recent reads. Marissa discusses Grand Union: Stories by Zadie Smith and Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. Megan takes her turn to discuss The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante. From there, the readers dive into this week's topic: Who are your favourite, go-to authors? These are the authors who you always buy no matter what. Marissa starts off, as usual, by breaking down the topic. This leads her to discuss an author who was previou...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 12
We open, as always, with a dive into our most recent reads. Megan discusses Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz. Marissa discusses two very recent reads: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy and Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu with illustrations by Sana Takeda. After that, they dive into this podcast's topic: What books did you hate at first but you're glad you finished the series for? Marissa begins the discussion by bringing up the weirdness of her willi...
Apr 14, 2022•57 min•Ep. 11
Extra, extra, we've got book news! From new releases to new announcements, Megan and Marissa bring you some of the top headlines for April 2022. Oh. And, also Marissa mentions a BookTokker in the podcast, who you should definitely check out >> @limmadi8 Want your question featured on our podcast? DM us your question on Insta and we'll add it to the book jar. Like our podcast? Consider leaving us a review so more people can find us!...
Apr 06, 2022•17 min•Ep. 10
Content Warning: In this episode, we talk about personal stories related to loss and death. This topic is contained to the end of the podcast; however, if this could be potentially distressing or upsetting for you to listen to, please stop listening at 00:57:30 and skip to 01:03:34. Thank you. Marissa opens the podcast and, for once, Megan has more books read over the past two weeks. She discusses The Dragon Republic by RF Kuang, Monstress by Marjorie Liu (Drawn by Sana Takeda), and Along for th...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 9
Once Marissa figures out how to open a podcast, the two readers dive into discussing their most recent reads. Over the past two weeks, both readers have a shorter list than normal, but we're chit-chatting about Emma by Jane Austen, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green, and Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. From there, they dive into the bold, the beautiful, and the brilliantly open-ended novel endings they've loved. Marissa talks about her first fave...
Mar 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 8
We're back with another episode of The Book Jar Podcast and we're discussing our most spectacular DNFs. We start this week's podcast with a review of our most recent reads: Marissa's got a long list and Megan has a modest one. From there, we dive into DNF lists. Marissa takes a brief moment to discuss why she is a "carry-on" type reader with books she doesn't love and Megan defends the lost art of putting down a book to never, ever pick it up again. Megan and Marissa then dive into an account of...
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 7
**Content Warning** In this episode, we discuss novels with a variety of themes, including domestic abuse, incest, rape, sexual assault/harassment, and toxic relationships. Please be advised if these topics may be triggering to you. The bookworms are back, and this time they are discussing romances that make or break books. First, though, Marissa and Megan review the books they've read in the past two weeks, including The Poppy Wars by R. F. Kuang, Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, Sense & Sensi...
Feb 17, 2022•56 min•Ep. 6
The podcast opens with our usual discussion about our most recent reads. Marissa discusses several novels, including her first Colleen Hoover read, and Megan dives into her newfound love for Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe. Other recent reads include The Weight of Sand by Edith Blais, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, and Persuasion by Jane Austen. From there, our readers dive into this week's topic. Marissa opens the discussion with a strong opinion on wh...
Feb 03, 2022•57 min•Ep. 5
Marissa and Megan start off this episode by discussing their most recent book-ish triumphs, including a brief review of each (although you can find a full review on our Instagram account). Marissa discusses Joan He's novel, The One's We're Meant to Find, Sailor Moon 10 by Naoko Takeuchi, and Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe and Megan talks about Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy, and We Met in December by Rosie Curtis. Afterwards, both Marissa...
Jan 20, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 4
These two avid readers start by discussing the books they've read since the last episode (and, yes, Marissa binged an entire Manga series) before diving into this week's topic. Megan also discusses her read – An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green – in great detail. Then, Megan and Marissa dive right into this episode's topic with a book that they share from their childhood memories: Sabriel. Marissa discusses The Princess Diaries in great detail, and Megan dives into the cultural phenomen...
Jan 06, 2022•58 min•Ep. 3
The second episode of The Book Jar Podcast is now live! Marissa and Megan discuss the books they've most recently devoured and then dive into this week's topic: What are your least favourite plot tropes? We've got Damsels in Distress, Hotter is Better, Break His Heart to Save Him, and so much more in store – with references to the novels that dealt with the tropes the worst (plus, a few that get passes because they were put to good use). After a lengthy discussion of our first official topic, Ma...
Dec 24, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 2
In the first episode of The Book Jar Pod, Marissa and Megan discuss all their bookish faves. From tropes to genres, characters, and a game of Would-You-Rather, these two avid readers introduce you to all their favourites. They also pull their first topic out of the book jar. Want your topic added to the book jar? DM us on social media to get your question added. This episode contains no spoilers.
Dec 09, 2021•58 min•Ep. 1
