Bibliophage

Latest Episodes:

Spooky Booky (Pretend that Rhymes) Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

This week Gwenna pulls out her best narrator voice to add to your To Be Read list. Following a technical glitch (this translates to Gwenna really doesn't know how to operate a computer and may have deleted a vital file which tanked the whole thing. Repairing Gwenna's being where she doesn't belong came at the cost of time and a whole recording file.) Anyway, this week you'll hear a wide selection of books perfect for the spooky season kick off. Full episodes returning as soon as Gwenna stops trying to "fix" her computer by herself.

If you'd like to purchase any of the books you heard about today, please consider using our Bookshop.org link below. Every purchase from this link supports this podcast, the author, and independent bookstores across the world. The space p*n*s man doesn't need more money. But you definitely need more books.

https://bookshop.org/lists/sp0oky-seas0n-reads

Be sure to check out our other shows:

Founded

Childproof

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Stacey McEwan: Why? Magic. And Also I Said So Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Bestselling author of Forbidden Alchemy, Stacey McEwan joins Bibliophage to talk about spruce trees, winged cuddling (she cheated), and describe how very little she knows about mining despite writing a book that heavily revolves around mining. What tropes are Stacey's favorites? What books inspired her? What did she find after riding an elevator that might very well have killed her and was it with the $50 and dodgy lift? (Spoiler: It was a book.)

To get titles Stacey recommended, please consider shopping our Bookshop.org Shop to support Stacey, Bibliophage, and independent bookstores.

https://bookshop.org/lists/stacey-mcewan-s-mentions

Don't forget to pre-order Gwenna's new book, Thinky Thoughts:

https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/thinky-thoughts-9781250390028/

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Relaxing Gives Me Anxiety | Tori Phantom Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Ever slept for days? How thirsty were you when you woke up? And why does middle of the night water taste so dang good? On this episode of Bibliophage, Tori Phantom (author to be) gets to discuss their favorite books. From wall flowering to how good things hurt to the life-altering consumption of Andrea Gibson poetry, we discuss whether happy endings are realistic or if their surreality is the whole point.

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Chapter 4: No Knifing Until AFTER Dinner Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

Why are butter knives so dang useless? They aren't sharp enough to cut anything and they aren't even that good at spreading butter. How did we end up with an *almost* pointless (literally and figuratively) weapon on the dinner table? Bee Wilson knows. (Mostly the answer is...men.) In her book Consider the Fork, she explains the origins of the butter knife, addresses why French cooking is the way it is, and explores the ways our culture is shaped by our kitchens. Not just the food that's made in them, but what the food is made with, the tools and technology of feeding ourselves.

This book is one of Gwenna's favorites for a lot of reasons. She doesn't have any fancy awards to give but she gives some anyway. (There's even medals, y'all.) Tori and Gwenna also take a bit of time to discuss reading formats, veiny things, pasta water, narrative non-fiction, and how Tori is running out of Wood books.

NEW! Bibliophage Merch is now available. Every purchase of Bibliophage Products supports the podcast and literacy rates as a portion of every sale goes directly to Reading is Fundamental, helping get books in children's hands and instilling a love of reading across the nation. Get your Bibliophage merch here!

https://www.bonfire.com/store/momma-cusses/

If you'd like to pick up your copy of Consider the Fork or get ahead of the podcast and check out next episode's book, M*rd*r Your Employer by Rupert Holmes, here's a handy-dandy link to my online bookstore. Yes, I get commission if you buy from this link. Thanks for your support!

https://bookshop.org/shop/gwennalaithland

And finally, you can pre-order my newest book, Thinky Thoughts: All Grown Up & Still Just As Confused. It's an essay book that wanders through the millennial wasteland that is my youth, the confusing period of figuring out how to be a parent without being the reason my kid needs therapy. Well, without being MOST of the reason my kid needs therapy.

https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/thinky-thoughts-9781250390028/

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Chapter 3: Book Lovers Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

Do you judge books by their covers? Don't lie. That's what covers are for. We judge books by their covers and sometimes we judge poorly. I avoided Emily Henry for so long because her covers didn't appeal to me. I'm super glad I got over it though because Emily Henry does great work with dialogue and interiority. On this episode of Bibliophage we discuss not just covers and Book Lovers but also how readers are like Pokemon and how orcs births make small town romances are perfectly acceptable even if unrealistic. Yes, context is provided. In the episode.

Next time on Bibliophage we are discussing Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson. If you'd like to read before we chat, please consider using my links below to purchase your copy. Every purchase from Bookshop.org supports a small, independent bookstore. (And yes, I earn a little commission too.)

Bookshop.org

https://bookshop.org/lists/bibliophage-on-the-menu

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/shop/gwennalaithland/list/2FD8HGB3IRNQZ?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_ZS4TP7392C7SGMK5SYN5_1

And our Book Nook series continues. This week we are celebrating the plant parents who bring the outside to the inside so they have have green stuff and books.

Enjoy!

https://www.amazon.com/shop/gwennalaithland/list/10AM94X81T517?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_RVP8TA49KKXQ6B4DTJ5R

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Chapter 2: The Kaiju Preservation Society Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Bibliophage, we're serving up some Godzilla. Well, the species of them anyway. Join us as we explore John Scalzi's Kaiju Preservation Society. In this episode we attempt to decide:-How Winged People Cuddle-If House of Leaves is a book or rage bait-If John Scalzi is down in the sewer with the rest of the Twilight fans who can't be appropriate about the fandom. (Hello, my ratties.)-If Tori's TBR is ever going to have something that isn't an American History book on it.Next time on Bibliophage we'll be enjoying a helping of Emily Henry's Book Lovers. If you haven't read that one and would like to pick up a copy, please consider purchasing from one of my links. Your support keeps this podcast going. As do your subs, likes, shares, comments, and turning on notifications. Bookshop.orghttps://bookshop.org/shop/gwennalaithlandAmazonhttps://www.amazon.com/shop/gwennalaithland/list/2FD8HGB3IRNQZ?ref_=aipsflistAnd introducing our new Book Nook Outfittery where Gwenna and her friends dream up reading spaces and do all the searching for you. For now these are Amazon lists but we'll add other retailers and sources as soon as we are able.

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Chapter 1: Vanya & the Wild Hunt: Sangu Mandanna Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Are you a Harry Potter fan? Or...were you before...well, you know? Looking for something to scratch that itch? A book with all the best bits of magic, intrigue, and self-discovery?

Have we got the solution to your problem? Yes. Yes, we do.

We open the podcast with two adults discussing a middle-grade book. Vanya and the Wild Hunt by Sangu Mandanna ticks all the boxes for the hungry HP fan.

Auramere > Hogwarts and we cover all the reasons why.

Supportive parents & teachers: check.

Fallible folks who make mistakes: check.

Winged deer: check.

Wonderful story with cultural diversity, neurodivergence, and age-appropriate discussions of boundaries, consent, self-acceptance, and coming of age: check, check, check, check, check, check, check.

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Bibliophage: Prologue Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

Bibliophage: one who devours books as if they are food; a bookworm.

Every good author is a good reader. Therefore every good author has a favorite author. Bibliophage is the podcast that allows authors to celebrate and uplift their co-workers, favorite authors, and fellow bookish creators.

New York Times best-selling author Gwenna Laithland will celebrate her favorite books and invite her author friends to share their favorites. Even better, Gwenna won't just be talking to an empty room. Nope. She gets to live out every bibliophage's dream. Her spoiler-preferring best friend will be trapped in a room and forced to listen to Gwenna give grown-up book reports on her latest literary obsessions and yap with fellow author-type folk.

With co-host Tori Phantom, Gwenna will explore what books the folks that make books read. From reading habits to can't-miss titles to works that forever altered us, Bibliophage is a peak into the words that shaped the worlds authors create.

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