The Imagined Life by Andrew J. Porter (AUTHOR INTERVIEW)
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to interview Andrew J. Porter, the author of THE IMAGINED LIFE. This was Lucy's favorite book of 2025, and was selected as one of the “Best Books of the Year” by NPR, The New Yorker, and Esquire. We discuss Andrew's drafting of the opening of this novel, California as a character, and the importance of an author maintaining mystery when writing, especially to himself. We had an absolute blast meeting Andrew, and highly recommend that you give this one a read. Please leave us a comment or email us at longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com.
15 Jun 2026
Famesick by Lena Dunham
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss FAMESICK by Lena Dunham. They talk about their long-term interest in the Lena / Jack / Lorde love triangle, what memoirists owe to their readers, and excavate some old text messages from 2018. Leave a comment or email us at longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com. Next week, we're reviewing The Imagined Life by Andrew J. Porter - with a very special surprise.
26 Apr 2026
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash. They talk about the otherworldly, cartoonish vibe this book brings, whether any of the stakes are actually real, and compare it (perhaps unfairly) to the Bee Sting. Next up, The Imagined Life by Andrew J Porter.
8 Feb 2026
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. They talk about Lucy's childhood crush and how it may have impacted her enjoyment of the book; Lucy also blows out the levels on her mic when she realizes they have both diagnosed Agnes as a manic pixie dream girl. Spoiler alert: the husband is William Shakespeare. Leave a comment or email us at longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com. Next up: Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash.
Also: live video of Crash unjustly winning the Best Picture Oscar over Brokeback Mountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAADWfJO2qM
5 Jan 2026
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach. They discuss this book’s misleading opening paragraph (nevertheless - a banger), internet rabbitholes on true crime psychics, and when Lucy accidentally became a rabbit breeder in Year 9. Spoilers throughout. Leave a comment or email us at longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com. Next up, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.
23 Nov 2025
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. They discuss how the Great Recession in Ireland created a lot of failed businesses but also a fertile literary environment; the (perhaps excessive) foreshadowing in this novel, and why shame is the most destructive emotion. Spoilers throughout. Leave a comment or email us at longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com. Next up, Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach.
14 Oct 2025
Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
"The edge is a shantytown filled with gold-seekers." Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson. Lucy reveals that she was a psychic grifter as a child, they discuss the ethics of self-plagiarism, and how they'd react to Ann Patchett being behind a Satanic panic. This is a banger of a book; run, don't walk to read it. Spoilers throughout. Leave a comment or email us at longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com. Next up: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray.
9 Aug 2025
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey. They discuss the book's inevitable comparison to Never Let Me Go, nature vs nurture, and speculate about the author's hypothetical vegetarianism. Spoilers throughout. Next up, Now Is Not the Time to Panic, by Kevin Wilson. Leave us a comment to tell us which book we should review next!
22 Jun 2025
Playworld by Adam Ross
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Playworld by Adam Ross. They discuss whether this qualifies as a Great American Novel (it does), what growing up in New York City does to a child, and their complicated feelings about Woody Allen's films. Spoilers throughout. Next up, The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (whose novel, Pet, we reviewed in December). Leave us a comment to tell us which books we should review next!
4 Apr 2025
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Anne Tyler's recent release, Three Days in June. They discuss this book's misleading dust jacket, Gail's social skills (or lack thereof?), what makes a good wedding speech, and whether opposites really attract. Spoilers throughout. Leave a comment or email us at longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com (mailto:longdistancebookfriends@gmail.com). Next up: Playworld by Adam Ross.
27 Feb 2025
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue -- now with new and improved audio. They talk about this book’s similarities and differences to Sally Rooney’s oeuvre, its endless quotability, and the most incredible confrontation scene in modern literature (perhaps hyperbole… but perhaps not). This episode contains spoilers throughout. Next up, Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. Leave us a comment to tell us what other books should be on our list!
6 Feb 2025
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Vladimir by Julia May Jonas. They talk about this book's sexy cover, the backlash to the #MeToo movement, and how this book depicts female middle age (not good). Ashleigh also discovers that Lucy doesn’t know how to vacuum, and Lucy tells a story about how her librarian-patron privilege was violated. This episode contains spoilers. Next up, The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue. Leave us a comment to tell us what other books should be on our list!
2 Jan 2025
The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Jo Hamya's The Hypocrite. Listen to their discussion about the ethics of portraying people you know in art, why Ashleigh gifted this book to her mother-in-law for Christmas (awkward given all the parental sex...), and Lorde's Melodrama (please don't sue us, Ella). Spoilers are signposted. Next up is Vladimir by Julia May Jonas -- leave a comment to tell us what other books should be on our list!
1 Dec 2024
Pet by Catherine Chidgey
Ashleigh and Lucy get together to discuss Catherine Chidgey’s Pet, one of their best reads of the year. This was actually the Long Distance Book Friends’ first recorded podcast! Listen to their short discursion into the power of books in long-distance friendship, before they dive into why this book is so engaging, growing up in New Zealand, the cruelty and competitiveness of 12-year-olds’ friendships, and whether Justine’s Dad is useless. They also get meta and review some of Pet’s reviews on Goodreads. Spoilers are signposted. Next up is The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya — leave a comment to tell us what other books should be on our list!
28 Oct 2024
Long Island by Colm Tóibín
Ashleigh and Lucy get together for their inaugural episode to discuss Colm Tóibín's Long Island, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Brooklyn (2009). Listen to hear why these two friends disagree about whether this book is good or not, if Ireland in the 1970s is in any way relatable, and why the antagonist of this book is not who you think it'll be. Spoilers are signposted. Leave a comment to tell us what book we should review next!
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