Good books. Thoughtful conversation. No English degree required.
Welcome to Fireside Lit Book Club—a cozy corner of the internet for readers who love talking about books almost as much as they love reading them.
Hosted by yours truly, Fireside Lit is a book club-style podcast exploring memorable novels, complicated characters, big themes, and the questions about what it means to be human.
Think less literary lecture and more pull up a chair, pour yourself something warm, and let’s talk about this book.
Come Join the Conversation
Each episode takes a deep dive into a book worth talking about. We unpack the characters and relationships, explore the themes beneath the surface, revisit the moments that worked (and sometimes the ones that didn’t), and consider what the story might be trying to say about the way we live.
The conversations are thoughtful without being stuffy, analytical without taking the fun out of reading, and always grounded in the experience that matters most: what it actually feels like to read the book.
Our conversations don't always center around a book. Sometimes, they focus on literary questions, specific authors, developing an effective reading practice, and anything and everything pertaining to books and literature.
You don’t need to know literary theory to enjoy the podcast. You don’t need to have the “right” interpretation. You just need to love stories.
Books We’ve Gathered Around the Fire For
Over the course of the show, Fireside Lit has explored everything from contemporary literary fiction and modern bestsellers to enduring classics and the books everyone seems to have an opinion about.
Past discussions have included themes of mortality and spirituality in books like Life of Pi and Lincoln in the Bardo; repression and the shadow self in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; family enmeshment and identity in Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful; conscience, faith, and institutional loyalty in Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These; the dangers of over-intellectualization in Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground; power, obedience, and moral integrity in Prometheus Bound; and the tension between selfhood and responsibility in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. We’ve also stepped beyond individual books to explore coming-of-age literature, Greek tragedy, the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and even the literary world of Gilmore Girls.
Some books become favorites. Some inspire disagreement. Some leave us wondering what on earth everyone else saw in them.
Those can make for the best conversations.
At its heart, Fireside Lit is interested in more than what a book means on the page. It’s about what literature can reveal about who we are, what we believe, how we relate to one another, and how we make sense of being human.
A Book Club You Can Join From Anywhere
Fireside Lit is made for the reader who misses talking about books.
Maybe you used to devour novels and want to find your way back to reading. Maybe your shelves are overflowing and your TBR is getting mildly out of control. Maybe you finished a novel at midnight and immediately needed someone else to discuss the ending with.
You’re in the right place.
Episodes are conversational and approachable, with the intimacy of a book club and the perspective of a novelist who is endlessly curious about why stories work, why certain characters stay with us, and why the same book can mean something completely different to two different readers.
So grab your current read, settle into your favorite chair, and join the club—available wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.
The fire’s already going.