The Dust Jacket

The Dust Jacket

A husband and wife talk about books

Episodes

August 1, 2025 25 mins

We discuss Thao Thai's Banyan Moon and other multi-generational sagas 

 

Spoilers from 11 minutes in

Mark as Played

We discuss whether this 2012 still holds up or if the controversies are too much for it. We also talk about the wide range of philosophical questions it asks. 

TW: assisted suicide

Spoilers at 5 minutes in

Mark as Played
July 18, 2025 42 mins

We discuss the Fourth Wing-esque, possibly AI-written, new romantasy Silver Elite, with a special guest from our book group, Kate the librarian! 

We get into some of the rumors swirling around this book, why it was only disappointingly bad, not amusingly bad, and more. 

Spoilers start at 27 minutes

Mark as Played

We discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. For some of us, it was an iconic formative book. For others, a dumb thing boys liked. 

Spoilers start at 19 mins

Mark as Played

We have a special guest star--our niece and TJR superfan Kayla--on the pod to talk about TJR's previous book, Carrie Soto Is Back, and also Taylor Jenkins Reid in general. 

Spoilers start at 27 mins 

Mark as Played

We discuss the high-profile 2023 vampire novel The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland. Should you read other vampire novels before you write your own? Would you like to be immortal or nah? Did this even need to be a vampire book? All that and more...

Spoilers start around 20 minutes in

Mark as Played
June 13, 2025 35 mins

Special guest Lauren helps us discuss the future cult classic, Victorian Psycho, by Virginia Feito. A bizarre, grotesque, and hilarious novel. 

No plot spoilers, but fair warning: we do talk about a lot of the surprising and outlandish moments in this book. If you want to go in completely fresh, read it first

Mark as Played

We discuss The Book Censor's Library, by Bothayna Al-Essa, which was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for work in translation. 

Spoilers start at 14 minutes in

Mark as Played
May 30, 2025 20 mins

We discuss the standout 2024 lit-fic novel, Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors

Mark as Played
May 23, 2025 20 mins

We discuss the 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist The Unicorn Woman, by Gayl Jones. This book is notable for its obscurity and also its low review scores.

Later, Dacey digs into the Pulitzer Prize process and we float some totally unfounded theories about what goes on in those jury meetings.

Mark as Played

We discuss the shocking memoir of One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz, who was in a cult for over a decade. 

We also have a special guest, the person who recommended this book, Alayne!

Mark as Played
May 9, 2025 28 mins

We talk about the new novel by the acclaimed author of Black Cake. The love streak is over: neither of us liked this one. It's probably our fault. 

Spoilers from 7 minutes in

Mark as Played
Mark as Played
April 25, 2025 20 mins

We discuss the first installment of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy, Dawn. This might be the first book we both really liked! 

Light spoilers start at 8 minutes

Mark as Played
April 18, 2025 23 mins

We discuss The Favorites, by Layne Fargo. Is it too soapy or just soapy enough? Does knowing it's "Wuthering Heights on ice" make it better or worse? 

Spoilers from about 15 mins in

Mark as Played
April 11, 2025 18 mins

We talk about Lottie Hazell's 2024 debut novel, Piglet. One of us rated this book 5 stars, and the other one.... didn't... 

Mark as Played
April 4, 2025 21 mins

We discuss the classic Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, which is an astounding 212 years old! We talk about what still works two centuries later, what feels dated, and whether this book is the origin point of popular romance tropes

Mark as Played
March 28, 2025 25 mins

We discuss the breakout 2024 hit The Wedding People, by Alison Espach. Yet another book about a wedding... 

(Trigger warning: this episode (and the book) talks a lot about suicide)

Mark as Played

In which we discuss the 2024 Oprah's book club pick and inspiration for Cillian Murphy's latest movie, Small Things Like These. We talk about how we felt like this novel didn't live up to its potential and do some research that we probably should've done beforehand (but we get there in the end!) 

Mark as Played
March 14, 2025 40 mins

Special guest alert! Our friend Jules joins us to discuss the New York Times 2024 novel of the year, the truly bizarre All Fours, by Miranda July

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    The Megyn Kelly Show

    The Megyn Kelly Show is your home for open, honest and provocative conversations with the most interesting and important political, legal and cultural figures today. No BS. No agenda. And no fear.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.