Are we in a literacy crisis? Part 1

Send us Fan MailIf you read the news or look at social media, you've probably heard that the U.S. is in the throes of a literacy crisis. Are we? And what do we even mean when we say 'literacy?' Join as we unpack this topic in a special two-part episode. In this first part, we discuss the history of books and reading, the definition of literacy, and how our digital age informs (and possibly changes?) what we mean when we talk about literacy. This is not limited to, but certainly includes generative AI, which has all sorts of impacts on skills and mental processes directly related to literacy.Books we're reading:Girl on Girl by Sophie GilbertThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett [narrated by Carrie Hope Fletcher]The Terminal List by Jack Carr [narrated by Ray Porter]The House of Hidden Letters by Izzy BroomThe Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter BolandSources:Lyons, M. (2011). Books : a living history. J. Paul Getty Museum.https://ourworldindata.org/literacy https://www.discoveryuk.com/features/scribes-scholars-and-stories-the-history-of-literacy/ https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/6https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6097646https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/bitstreams/37e73890-d0cf-48fe-8b3a-fbb1de9abd85/downloadhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S109675162400040X https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/mac/9/4/475/ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/https://techwontsave.us/episode/277_generative_ai_is_not_inevitable_w_emily_m_bender_and_alex_hanna Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailWe're back with our annual year-end reading round up. Join us as we talk about our year in reading, our favorite books of 2025, the big stories in the world of books and publishing (probably not a spoiler: AI), and what we're looking forward to reading in 2026. We also talk about the pros and cons of different reading tracking apps and audiobook listening apps, how reading tastes can change over time, and how culling a TBR can feel just as cathartic as physically de-cluttering your life. This annual reflection has become one our favorite conversations to have! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.-----------------------Books we talk about in this episode: Our favorite books of 2025:Robin Hobb!Hamnet by Maggie O'FarrellThe Which Way Tree by Elizabeth CrookTom Lake by Anne Patchett (read by Meryl Streep)A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie IrwinThe Island of Missing Trees by Elif ShafakAlready published books we want to read in 2026:All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennet Is A River Alive by Robert MacFarlaneThe Overstory by Richard PowersConsider Yourself Kissed by Jessica StanleyDeath at the White Hart by Chris ChibnallJane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon The Correspondent by Virgina Evans I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman Lifeform by Jenny Slate The God of the Woods by Liz MooreGreat Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmare’s in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao Moby Dick by Herman MelvilleThe Earthsea Series by Ursula Le GuinBooks being published in 2026 we want to read:The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (Feb)The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (April)American Fantasy by Emma Straub (April)The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez (March)Land by Maggie O'Farrell (June)Whistler by Ann Patchett (June)Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo (September)----------------------- Sources Anthropic to pay authors $1.5B to settle lawsuit over pirated chatbot training material: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/05/g-s1-87367/anthropic-authors-settlement-pirated-chatbot-training-materialBone, J. K., Bu, F., Sonke, J. K., & Fancourt, D. (2025). The decline in reading for pleasure over 20 years of the American Time Use Survey. iScience, 28(9), https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)01549-4Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we are lucky enough to talk with author Zoe B. Wallbrook about her critically acclaimed debut novel, History Lessons. It's a clever, witty mystery on its surface that touches on deeper, more challenging issues with what the New York Times calls "a satirical bite." It also has a sweet romantic subplot that we are here for!It was Library Journal's Mystery Debut of the Month in July, and was chosen as one of The Best Debut Crime Novels of 2025 by Crime Reads Magazine and one of The 10 Best Mystery Novels of 2025 by The New York Times Review of Books.Elizabeth met Zoe in 2019 and since then they have been critique partners and friends, which makes this conversation extra special. Join us to hear about the books Zoe loves, her journey to becoming a writer, how she navigates the publishing industry while still holding onto the joy she finds from writing, and how she feels about her writing being categorized as "cozy." We also chat about diversity in the mystery genre and how Zoe and her publisher, Soho Press, think about all the various threads in her writing as a feature, not a bug.You won't want to miss this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation with the always insightful Zoe B. Wallbrook and two of her fangirls.Find Zoe on Instagram @zbwallbrook or at her website: https://www.zoebwallbrook.com/. And buy History Lessons wherever books are sold! -----------------------Books we're reading in this episode:Piranesi by Susanna ClarkeIn Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane UrquhartA Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel PennantMartyr! by Kaveh AkbarBrothers Sinister Series by Courtney MilanLord of Scoundrels by Loretta ChaseThe Poppy War trilogy by R.F. KuangA Deadly Education by Naomi NovikSupport the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailSomething about this season of cold weather and long, dark nights makes us want to read mysteries. Whether you like 'em cozy, hard-boiled, or realistic and by the book, there's something in this genre for everyone. Join us as we follow the clues to learn about the history, make-up, and readers of the mystery genre.----------------------- Sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20090719003858/http://www.historyofthemystery.com/crime_and_punishment.php?page=35 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_fictionhttps://americanwritersmuseum.org/many-writers-many-forms-mystery/https://web.archive.org/web/20090719004017/https://lithub.com/agatha-christie-is-the-best-selling-novelist-in-history/https://archive.org/details/sim_publishers-weekly_1929-10-05_116_14/page/1728/mode/2up https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/popular-mystery-tropes-for-writershttps://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20090504/4567-some-like-it-mild-cozy-mysteries.html Moser, S. & Xhignesse, M. (2023). A Garden of One’s Own. Feminist Philosophy Quarterly, 9(1). https://doaj.org/article/c742434a58f74246a086d0fcfc90416b Vester, K. (2015). Bodies to Die for: Negotiating the Ideal Female Body in Cozy Mystery Novels. Journal of Popular Culture, 48(1), 31–43.https://bookriot.com/diverse-cozy-mysteries/Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailHave you ever wondered why we have "summer reads" but not winter or spring or fall reads? We both had various associations with "summer reading," namely from being kids out of school and having the languorous expanse of the summer stretching out in front of us. But we wondered what is really behind this phenomenon. Join us to find out more and hear about our own summer TBR lists.-----------------------Books we're reading in this episode:   Dragon Haven (Rain Wild Chronicles 2) by Robin HobbSwift and Saddled by (Rebel Blue Ranch #2) by Lyla SageMorbidly Yours by Ivy FairbanksThe Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin----------------------- Sources listed in the order they appear in the episode:https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/31/books/a-brief-history-of-summer-reading.html https://www.npr.org/2025/05/20/nx-s1-5405022/fake-summer-reading-list-aihttps://lindac.substack.com/p/why-do-writers-use-ai https://lithub.com/50-of-the-greatest-summer-novels-of-all-time/ Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailElizabeth just got back from a trip that included a day in the Original Book Town, Hay-on-Wye in Wales in the UK. It was adorable and she went to more bookstores than you can shake a stick at. It also made her wonder what other bookish vacations she could go on. When we started to dig into this idea for this episode, we found out that the answer is: a lot! Join us in daydreaming about bookish trips to literary festivals, literary museums, bookish hotels, famous libraries, a friends reading retreat, and more!-----------------------Books we're reading in this episode:  Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (Rain Wild Chronicles #1)Voyage of the Basilisk–A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #3)84, Charing Cross Road by Helene HanffThe Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club #3) ----------------------- Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay-on-Wyehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_town https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/apr/26/10-worlds-best-book-towns-france-spain-south-korea-usa https://www.hayfestival.com/hay-on-wye/homehttps://www.hay-on-wye.co.uk/tourism/bookshops https://themelodramaticbookworm.com/2023/07/18/bookish-places-on-my-travel-bucket-list/ https://www.buenosairesfreewalks.com/what-to-see/el-ateneo-bookstore/ https://www.cntraveler.com/story/book-fairs-to-travel-for https://bookriot.com/bookish-cities/ https://libraryhotel.com/en/ https://bookandbedtokyo.com/en/ https://www.hotelsylvia.com/ https://theeverygirl.com/reading-retreat-trip-idea/ Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailHave you heard about the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) in the news lately? An Executive Order in mid-March ordered it be "eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law" and there has been a lot of conversation about it since. But this agency was relatively low profile politically until recently, so many people might not know much about it. On this episode we talk about what the IMLS is, what it does (and what it does not do), its history and mission, what our communities stand to lose with its elimination, and what you can do to support libraries and museums. You won't want to miss this important and relevant conversation! -----------------------Books we're reading in this episode:  Murder in Postscript by Mary WintersTom Lake by Ann PatchettJane Eyre by Charlotte BronteThe Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club #2)Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (The Inheritance Cycle #3) Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes ----------------------- Sources:Houpert, Cécile. 2019. “The New Role of Libraries: Places for All”. European Journal of Creative Practices in Cities and Landscapes 2 (2): 175–184. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2612-0496/10429 https://apnews.com/article/institute-doge-musk-museum-library-services-executive-order-trump-30ebde013ce3e9f97e2f4af72c869c0bhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Museum_and_Library_Serviceshttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-79/pdf/STATUTE-79-Pg845.pdfhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/21/trump-attack-libraries-devastatinghttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/04/07/libraries-and-learning/ ----------------------- How to help:EveryLibrary petition: https://www.everylibrary.org/statementimls2025 ALA Call on Congress to Protect IMLS phone script: https://app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-page?cid=2CzAyJUB9sorxFLO5KSZ&lang=en Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailHave you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a bookstore? According to Rebecca, bookseller and events manager at the independent bookstore Fireside Books, who we interview for this episode, it's a lot like playing a video game! Join us to find out what she means by this, and also hear her talk about so many other interesting parts of her job, including how her work affects her reading, what it's like managing a book club, how her store and other indies are dealing with AI, and the things she wishes everyone knew about indie bookstores.(Side note: can someone actually develop a video game where we can play working in a bookstore?!)-----------------------Books we're reading in this episode:   Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam ZhangThe Astrology House by Carinn JadeA Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie IrwinJane Eyre by Charlotte BronteThe Giver of Stars by Jojo MoyesWe All Live Here by Jojo Moyes Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros----------------------- Rebecca's book recommendations about indie bookstores:How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny CaineHow to Protect Bookstores and Why: The Present and Future of Bookselling  by Danny Caine Find out more about Fireside Books: https://www.goodbooksbadcoffee.com/Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailWe were planning to talk about our reading habits and rituals in this episode...but then Elizabeth heard an NPR podcast about how no one reads anymore, at the same time as Martha read multiple articles about how more people bought Rebecca Yarros' latest book than any adult book since records began and that thanks to TikTok, Barnes & Noble is opening more stores this year. We had to ask ourselves: how could both of these things be true?Join as we try to sort fact from moral panic, discuss the gendered media narratives around book releases by women authors and the loss of literary men, debunk an oft-repeated (even by us) statistic about reading, and ponder whether reading has indeed become a niche hobby. We do also, eventually, talk about the struggles we both face with reading and the habits and rituals we've developed to help fit reading into our lives.-----------------------Books we're reading in this episode:   All Fours by Miranda July A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie IrwinThe Women by Kristin HannahI Ran Away to Evil 2 by Mystic NeptuneOnyx Storm by Rebecca YarrosThis is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone----------------------- Sources listed in the order they appear in the episode :https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1263527033Irwin, William. "Reading Audio Books." Philosophy and Literature 33, no. 2 (2009): 358-368. doi:10.1353/phl.0.0057.https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/03/romantasy-and-booktok-driving-a-huge-rise-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy-saleshttps://www.newsnationnow.com/business/booktok-barnes-and-noble-60-stores/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/books/rebecca-yarros-onyx-storm.html https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/01/06/three-in-ten-americans-now-read-e-books/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/books/sally-rooney-intermezzo.html https://www.vox.com/culture/392971/men-reading-fiction-statistics-fact-checkedhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/07/opinion/men-fiction-novels.html Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!

Send us Fan MailHave you ever wondered what it takes to be an audiobook narrator? Or is it perhaps your dream job like it is for Martha? In this episode, we interview audiobook narrator extraordinaire Laura Horowitz.Laura tells us how she got into the business, what a day in the life for an audiobook narrator looks like, how she connects with authors and fans, and what the rise of AI might mean for audiobook narrators like her. This interview was so fun and informative! It’s one you won’t want to miss. Find more about Laura and her work at her website: https://www.laurahorowitz.com/ -----------------------Books we're reading in this episode:  The Plated Prisoner series by Raven KennedyWings So Wicked by Emily Blackwood (Golden City #1)Blood So Brutal by Emily Blackwood (Golden City #2)Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltThe House Witch 2 by DelemhachWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonI Ran Away to Evil by Mystic Neptune Support the show-----------------------  Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves. Support us!If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a monthly supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235482/support. It also really helps us reach more listeners if you leave us a rating and/or review, especially on Apple Podcasts. Reach out!Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com. If you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.Read on!