best podcasts of 2023

I wouldn’t call myself a podcast aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have a few podcasts that I listen to consistently and enjoy, so I thought I’d share a short list of my favorites that I’ve voraciously devoured over the course of the past year. Based on my TV interests, I’d think that I’d gravitate towards the true crime serial type shows, but I actually don’t listen to any true crime podcasts, oddly enough. I think I’ve found that my sweet spot is learning/unlearning things paired with snarky shit talking.

5-4 was a new podcast for me in 2023, and it became one of my absolute favorites. It’s one of the only podcasts that I actually pay for the subscription to access bonus episodes and since I’m fully caught up, I’ve been delving into the archives to get even more 5-4. Oddly enough (for me, I suppose) 5-4 is a podcast about the Supreme Court. More specifically it’s a podcast about how much the supreme court sucks. Having grown up in a conservative household and worldview, I never thought much about the supreme court or the decisions of the supreme court being positive or negative. I think I probably had the opinion that it was a protective body upholding the constitution. But I’ll admit outside of landmark cases like the recent Dobb’s decision, the Supreme Court wasn’t something I thought about much, especially in the context of my current leftist perspective. Learning from Michael, Rhiannon, and Peter — all left leaning lawyers— about notable supreme court decisions that have helped (negatively) shape legal precedent and US society has been really illuminating. And their hilarious commentary and snarky take downs make the podcast something I’ve laughed out loud to on many occasions, not something I would have thought I’d do listening to a podcast about the supreme court.

Maintenance Phase has been a staple in my podcast lineup since 2022. It’s essentially a podcast about debunking junk science and cultural ideas about health and weight. The hosts, Michael and Aubrey, take turns each podcast teaching the other about a topic, book, or public figure that has made an impact on the cultural discourse or widely accepted “science” surrounding weight, nutrition, and health. And while the hosts themselves are absolutely hilarious to listen to (again, a podcast I regularly laugh out loud to) they actually do a remarkably thorough amount of research for each episode. In a way I feel like it’s sneaky the way they spoon feed me so much incredible information and research because the podcast is a brilliantly enjoyable listen. Michael and Aubrey have the wittiest rapport with one another and, like 5-4, their humor is snarky and biting— right up my alley. These two are doing some serious heavy lifting in dissecting and debunking so much in the realm of fatphobia, and have been instrumental in a lot of my own personal unlearning in that area.

You might recognize the names of the hosts of If Books Could Kill— Michael is a host on Maintenance Phase and Peter is a host on 5-4. My podcast taste is a little incestuous it seems. What really happened is that I listened to Maintenance Phase and then Michael announced his new podcast If Books Could Kill and I knew that I’d enjoy it because I love Maintenance Phase so much. Then I listened to If Books Could Kill and enjoyed Peter so much, when I discovered he was on 5-4, I started listening to that. So there you go.

If Books Could Kill is essentially a podcast debunking and, you got it, talking shit about the runaway bestselling books that America has fallen in love with and potentially fallen for some bullshit ideas wrapped in the shiny cover of a seemingly life-changing book. So think… your Atomic Habits, The World is Flat, The Five Love Languages, The Coddling of the American Mind, The Secret, etc. This podcast has a similar format to Maintenance phase where each episode one of the hosts basically teaches the other one about a book or topic that they’ve read and deeply researched (though Peter will admit, Michael does the lion’s share when it comes to research). It’s wildly entertaining and oddly educational.

We Can Do Hard Things is a podcast that I don’t find myself listening to each and every episode of, but I do enjoy quite a few of their guests, so I’ll cherry pick here and there when they’ve got a guest who I’m interested in hearing. Most recently I listened to the newest Liz Gilbert episode, and the Dr. Becky Kennedy episodes are some of the most impactful parenting information/perspective I’ve gotten from a podcast. The format is typically the three hosts conversing with a guest, but they do have quite a few episodes where it’s just the hosts— Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle. Glennon and Abby are married, and Glennon and Amanda are sisters, so they all have a fun dynamic. It’s a super heartfelt podcast that often has a deep spiritual and life-lesson-y focus, but they’re more irreverent and funny than, say, your Oprah SuperSoul podcast. They have lots of big-name guests on the show, including Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama, Brene Brown, etc. If you’re doing some deep shadow work and emotional healing in 2024, this might be a podcast you find helpful!

Some of my favorite book series'

I wouldn’t characterize myself as a voracious reader. If I’m in the midst of a series I’m loving, I’ll devour it for sure, but I find it hard to pivot to a new book or book series after I finished one I adored. I think I’m afraid I’ll be let down? I don’t know. Either way, I’m definitely not a prolific reader, so this isn’t too long of a list.

The Shattered City Series - Meg Smitherman

Meg is an old blogging friend from way back in my fashion blogger day when I used to take daily photos of my outfits and put them on the internet. Anyway, one day I was perusing tiktok, as one does, and one of her videos stopped my scroll. I hadn’t been following her in years but I recognized her immediately and was so thrilled to see that she’d written a book! This is a dark academia fantasy duology and book two is coming out spring of 2024? I got to read an ARC of Sanctifier, the second book, and it’s wonderful. These two books are a great pair, perfect for spooky season too!

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas

This was the series that got me back into reading fiction. There was just something about the perfect combination of magic and a powerful female lead, paired with a sweeping epic story and the delicious spice. It rekindled a love of immersing myself in fictional worlds and stories that I’d abandoned as an adult.

Crescent City Series - Sarah J. Maas

After ACOTAR, I dove into Sarah’s newest series, the Crescent City books. I think this series is my favorite of hers. The world building in the first four or so chapters of the first book gets a little confusing, and I think if you’re used to fantasy worlds being set in “olden-times” settings, the modern setting could feel awkward at first but I just ADORE it. There’s a crime fighting element of the first book that fed my love of crime novels, paired with sexy fae and a spitfire FMC. Ugh I love.

Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas

I read Sarah’s first series, Throne of Glass, last, which I actually really liked. I felt like I had some context from her other books that made reading it enjoyable. And even though the spice level on this series is a little cooler, it’s still a beautiful world, with incredible characters and the weaving she did in this series really hit home throughout the books. And don’t listen to the Tower of Dawn haters, I loved that book so much, certainly no less than the others, and it was a nice breather to get a different storyline, with the focus on some different characters, for a hot second.

The Dragonriders of Pern Series - Anne McCaffrey

This series is CLASSIC. It’s the perfect melding of sci-fi and fantasy, and McCaffrey does world building so well. There isn’t really romance, there are relationships, but it’s never the focus of anything. These books are super nostalgic for me, I read them as a kid, and the pacing and writing style is definitely different than a modern novel, but I still love these books so much. I started re-reading them earlier this summer and have blown through about six so far

The Will Trent Series/Grant County Series - Karin Slaughter

A little genre shift here to detective/crime novels, these two series’ are connected (The Will Trent Series essentially being an extension of the Grant County Series). I actually started reading these books a couple years before I got yanked back into the world of fiction on a recommendation from my mom. As a true crime aficionado (have I watched all 14 seasons of The Forensic Files more than once? Maybe), I really loved the crime/mystery/detective storylines and there is a little bit of spice/romance? Like not a lot, but enough that it makes me like these books even more. ALSO: if you’ve watched the Will Trent TV series and hated it, don’t discount the book series. I watched the trailer for it and it didn’t look or feel anything like how the book series does.

Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros

I didn’t read another fantasy romance book after Sarah J Maas because I was just so afraid that another book series wouldn’t be able to follow in their footsteps, but goddamn if this book isn’t firing on all fuckin cylinders. Iron Flame comes out in November, and I believe this is slated to be a five book series so buckle up, bitches. MY BODY IS READY.

Summer Reads Roundup

Divine Rivals

REBECCA ROSS

This one I technically read the last couple days of July, but since I haven’t actually finished August yet, we’ll call it even. I absolutely loved this book. It felt like Shadow and Bone meets You’ve Got Mail. Very sweet romance, interesting world with some magical elements, and it has a cliffhanger that leaves you looking forward to book two. I’ve already preordered book two, which I believe comes out Dec 26th. Looking forward to my Christmas break read already!

The Hunger Games + The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes

SUZANNE COLLINS

I bought the original three Hunger Games Novels earlier this summer because I saw them at the thrift store and picked them up, realizing I’d never read them. They came out when I was in college, and I wasn’t really in the YA novel reading mindset at the time, so they weren’t on my radar. I’ve seen the movies, but it’s been a while. I was sitting in the theater watching Barbie previews when I saw the preview for the new Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and it reminded me that I hadn’t read The Hunger Games trilogy yet. So I went home and did just that.

I think I read all three books in 3 or 4 days. They were great, but they also had a melancholy tone throughout in a way that kind of left me haunted. Part of me wishes Collins would’ve just given us a happy ending, but I think that what she did was honor the reality of the characters, in both the ending and throughout the book. Katniss isn’t a goddess, and there’s a lot of doing what has to be done. I don’t know if it’s because of Collins’ background writing for shows or because I’d seen some of the movies, but the books read very movie-like, in a way, if that makes any sense.

I read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes after I finished the original trilogy. This one is an interesting one because we follow the story of the main villain from the trilogy. So the main character is someone you are wanting to root for, but ultimately you know how awful they are. So it’s a weird cognitive dissonance as a reader. Collins does it really well, but again, I feel like the ending was just a little bitter, and it left some questions hanging in the air, which added to the unsettling feeling. This sounds like a negative review, and it’s not. It has very much the tone of the original trilogy, so if you liked those, you will most likely like this prequel as well!

Seven Days in June

TIA WILLIAMS

I don’t read a ton of fiction set in modern times, with the exception of crime, so this was a very different book from my usual fiction reads. The only reason I picked it up is because I saw it in our Little Free Library and I had just finished another book so I was on the prowl for a new book. I liked the cover and the blurb, plus it’s a NYT Bestseller so I figured why not. I loved it. I had a really lovely pacing, the ending felt super satisfying and the characters were really likable and easy to root for, which felt really nice because I had just finished The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and the main character in that is technically a villain and the ending felt sad and unsettling, so this was a nice counter point to that. I think I read it in two or three days. Blew through it! It had some sizzling spice, interesting characters, and just felt like an upbeat, enjoyable read.

Maidens of the Cave

LLOYD DEVEREAUX RICHARDS

Richards’ first book, Stone Maidens, was one that went viral on TikTok early this year after his daughter made a video talking about how he wrote a book and it hadn’t sold much in the 10 years since it was published. Cut to- TikTok doing its thing and turning it into an overnight bestseller. I didn’t realize he was coming out with another book (my guess: his publisher saw how crazy viral his book went and hopped on that to get him to quickly put out a second novel), but I saw it pop up in my Audible suggested reads and I preordered it.

This book follows the same forensic anthropologist as the first book. The vibe of both books is like if Bones and a BBC Detective show had a baby. And it was a book. I really enjoyed both of his books. Great pacing, good mystery, and we love a forensics moment over here.

Bird by Bird

ANNE LAMOTT

I’m going to a writing retreat in September where Anne Lamott is going to be a speaker, so I figured I should read some Anne Lamott before I go. This is a book about writing, or rather being a writer. I believe it came out in the mid 90’s, and you can definitely feel that in some of the stories she tells (some fatphobia and things that I forgot people used to have super deeply internalized that it showed up in their writing). I enjoyed it though. I haven’t really read any books about writing or being a writer, so it was my first foray into that realm. Mostly I feel encouraged to push through my “shitty first draft.”

After That Night

KARIN SLAUGHTER

I think I was afraid that I’d over inflated how good Karin Slaughter’s books are, because the last book in this series came out in 2020 (I think?). So it’s been 3 years since I read anything from her. I loved both the Grant County series (though I skipped the last one in that series because I disliked the character it focused on and she killed off one of my favorite characters, so I just said NOPE! and moved on lol), and the Will Trent series (which this book is a part of). Her pacing is just spot on. It moves quickly, but not too quickly. You get answers to questions at a rate that keeps you wanting more, but feeling satisfied along the way. And I was blown away by the attention to detail she included in this one. I knew she did her research because I’ve read so many of her other books, but she included a lot of medical details in this book that were things I’m pretty intimately familiar with because of my brother’s cardiac history, and girl did her research. And not just down to the procedure descriptions, but the descriptions of what it feels like to be a pediatric cardiologist. Like, remember my Drywall DNF woes? This is exactly the opposite of that.

I will say that this book deals heavily (very heavily) in rape and assault, so if those things are triggering, you might not want to read this (though she’s had quite a bit of content on that topic in her past books. None quite as pervasively and vividly as this one, if I remember the past books correctly, which I may not because it’s been years since I started her books). I always appreciate the perspective she brings in her books to sexual assault/sexism, though, and I don’t feel like she puts in gratuitous depictions of assault just for shock factor. That being said, I am not a survivor of SA, so I can’t really speak to how it would make me feel to read if I was.