This week, Mary and Cole wrap up their deep dive into N.K. Jemisin's earthshattering fantasy novel The Fifth Season! The hosts gush about the twists that caught them off guard, debate the nature of the elusive stone eaters, and make wild guesses about where the series is going. Listen now! Content Warnings: Child Death, Child Abuse, Neglect, Sexual…

This week, Mary and Cole dive into the second part of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin! Mary shares a new recipe inspired by seismic activity and Cole kvetches about book hangovers. Listen now! Content Warnings: Child Death, Child Abuse, Neglect, Sexual Assault, Child Sexual Abuse, Death, Cannibalism, Discrimination, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Slavery…

This week, Mary and Cole begin their special three-part discussion of N.K. Jemisin's landmark Hugo award-winning novel The Fifth Season. Cole dishes up some thoughts on fantasy trail rations (and an accompanying recipe), Mary suffers from caffeine withdrawal, and both hosts gush about the Hugo Awards. Listen now! Content Warnings: Child Death, Chil…

In this minisode, Mary and Cole talk about the field of editing! Cole shares some industry knowledge about what it takes to be an editor, and Mary asks the important questions about what kind of agency an author has when their book has been marked up in red ink. Listen now!

This week, hosts Mary and Cole continue their deep dive into bestselling romance novel Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston! Cole shares a new recipe inspired by Alex Claremont, and Mary talks about the importance of contraceptives (even in a romance novel). Listen now! Content Warnings: Addiction, Alcohol, Blackmail, Depression, Violation of…

This week, Mary and Cole get swept away by the romance phenomenon Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston! Mary shares a classic British recipe to celebrate the story, and the hosts talk about the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation in books. Listen now! Content Warnings: Addiction, Alcohol, Blackmail, Violation of Privacy, Parental Neglect, S…

Join Mary and Cole for a very special minisode with guest Kristin Burchell, author of the new fantasy novel Court of Venom. The trio enthuse about the realm of fantasy storytelling and the hosts pepper Kristin with questions about her novel. Listen now!

This week, Mary and Cole do a deep-dive into the second half of bestselling fantasy novel The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab! Join us as we talk about why you should always read the fine print when making deals with demons and how we felt about the book's controversial ending. Mary also bakes up a classic patisserie treat to enjoy alo…

This week, Mary and Cole leap into the unknown with New York Times bestselling fantasy novel The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. The pair talk immortality, invisibility, and pacts with the devil. Cole shares a new recipe inspired by a little old man and his books, and Mary theorizes about the devil's tricks. Content Warnings: Death, s…

This week, Mary and Cole dive into the second half of Space Opera by Catherynne M. Vallente! Aliens, espionage, and the biggest concert in the universe take center stage as the hosts wrap up their discussion of the book. Cole makes disco-inspired treats, and we finally uncover whether or not Mary has become a sci-fi fan! Join us! Content Warnings: …

For this week's (not so) mini episode, Mary and Cole break down their favorite reads of 2021! Join along as the hosts chat great reads, delicious beverages, and their controversial picks for the best books they read in a dumpster fire of a year!

This week, the HTBAB crew starts their conversation about one of Cole's all-time favorite books, Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente. Nominated for the Hugo award for best novel, this book has everything: washed up rock stars, unfathomable aliens, and intergalactic singing competitions designed to verify the sentience of the competitors! Cole gush…

This week, Mary and Cole return to T. Kingfisher's fantasy world for the YA novella Minor Mage. This special one-shot episode takes you along for a fantastical adventure about a young, inexperienced mage being tasked with the seemly impossible mission of bringing his village the rain. Cole shares an unconventional pancake recipe, and Mary reflects …

Welcome to our first mini-sode! In honor of Black History month, we're focusing on some of our favorite Black writers. Mary showcases a fantasy powerhouse, and Cole gushes about genre. Join us for tea and conversation about adding more Black authors to your tbr list!

Mary and Cole dive into the second half of the YA fantasy novel A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher this week. Join us as we discuss death, destruction, zombie horses, and the city-saving power of sourdough. Cole tries a new baking technique (many months after it was cool), and Mary finally finds a fantasy battle that holds her in…

We're back! And we're bringing you our bakingest book ever: A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. This week, Mary and Cole begin their discussion of this high fantasy YA novel and delight over just how much baking there really is! There's spy scones, there's carnivorous sourdough, there's gingerbread hooliganism. What more could a …

This weeks episode is the thrilling conclusion of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Join Mary and Cole as they dive deep into the second half of the book and discover a fantastical world of witches, vampires, and household spirits. Cole shares a new recipes inspired by a summer recipe in medieval 'Rus and Mary talks about her favorit…

Mary and Cole pick new books for next quarter out of Mary's "boyfriend's" hat.

This week on How to bake a Book, Mary and Cole begin their deep dive into bestselling fantasy novel, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. They talk feminism, fantasy settings, and folklore. Mary shares a decadent chocolatey treat inspired by the setting and Cole insists that mint actually does go in cocoa (despite Mary's ardent protests…

On this week's episode of How to Bake a Book, Mary and Cole dive into the second half of New York Times bestselling-novel The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Character secrets are revealed, prejudices confronted, and the hosts debate whether or not Australia really exists. Join us for the conclusion of our feel-good fantasy romp through a bo…

This week on How to Bake a Book, we're diving into the New York Times Bestselling novel The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. A light-hearted but poignant book, this episode finds hosts Mary and Cole giggling about egg-shaped men with pale knees, talking about what makes us human, and immersing themselves fully into the magical world of otherw…

Welcome back to How to Bake a Book! This week, Mary and Cole finish their deep-dive into Locus Award-winning sci-fi novel The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. The hosts discuss the second half of the book, Mary shares a recipe inspired by one of the last remaining Citizens, Cole discusses translation theory and what a human/a…

Welcome to How to Bake a Book! In this episode, hosts Mary and Cole begin their conversation about Locus Award-winning sci-fi novel The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. Set on a tidally-locked alien planet, this book hits all the great milestones of a good sci-fi novel. It has aliens, political unrest, a deserted mothership f…

Welcome back to How to Bake a Book! This week's episode features the thrilling (and chilling) conclusion of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The hosts talk about what's really happening in High Place (and how wrong all of their early theories were!), Cole shares a new recipe inspired by Noemí's trip into town, and dishes about all of the hor…

Welcome back to How to Bake a Book! This special Halloween episode focuses on the first half of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's 2020 novel Mexican Gothic. It is the very picture of melancholy and hosts Mary and Cole delve deep into this eerie tale set in mid-century Mexico. Mary and Cole discuss their favorite Halloween candies and what they love to have fo…

Welcome back to How to Bake a Book! This week's episode is the thrilling conclusion of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. Hosts Mary and Cole talk about the part that made them cry the hardest and explore how the many protagonists of the book all find their own version of a happy ending. Content Warnings: Child Death, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, P…

Welcome back to How to Bake a Book! This week's episode finds Mary and Cole digging into the magical fantasy novel Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. The duo does a deep dive into the first half of the novel, Mary bakes incredible cookies, and they explore the dark fairy-tale world between the pages! Content Warnings: Child Death, Child Abuse, Domesti…

Welcome back to How to Bake a Book! In this week's episode, Mary and Cole finish their discussion of Naomi Novik's novel Uprooted. The hosts launch into the Woods along with the protagonists, share a new recipe inspired by the book, and dish about how hard they cried while reading. Content Warnings: Attempted Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, Captivity, …

Welcome to Episode 1 of How to Bake a Book, the podcast dedicated to books, food, and everything in between! Join hosts Mary and Cole for a deep dive into Naomi Novik's 2015 fantasy novel Uprooted. It’s like going to a book club (except you don’t have to put on pants)! Mary and Cole guide you through the first half of the book while talking about f…