Useless Doctors Book Club

We decided to switch it up for our last episode of the season and watch a movie! In the next season we'll read the book to compare. We watched Luckiest Girl Alive (book written by Jessica Knoll) which follows Ani, a successful magazine editor, and her mysterious past at a prestigious boarding school. Will this thriller satisfy Pooja and Harshini? Will Sarah finally change her views on thrillers? Listen to find out!

This week, we're back with a very special guest, friend of the pod Pooja P., to discuss the super popular romantasy Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros! Harshini's friend Kayla recommended this book for the podcast, and with the 4.5 star rating from 2M (and counting) people on Goodreads, this was perfect for us to read this season. This book follows Violet Sorrengail as she enters a war college for dragon riders and hot men. You don't want to miss this episode full of fiery debates and discussion —as Sarah put it, she was ready to fight to the death (just like the dragon riders).

In this week's episode, we revisit our most favorite genre, ROMANCE

In this episode, we read Weyward by Emilia Hart which is a supernatural historical fiction. Definitely a first on the podcast! The book intertwines the storylines of three different women living in three different centuries. The women use witchcraft and intellect to fight the powers they are up against. Will we like our first supernatural historical fiction? Listen to find out!

In this episode, we read another book about a podcast: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. This book follows a woman named Lucy who returns to her hometown where everyone suspects she had something to do with her best friend's unsolved murder. A true crime podcaster named Ben Owens decides to investigate this murder and try to get Lucy to finally speak about what happened. We discuss what annoyed each of us, how easy it is to make Pooja laugh, why people never believe women, and much more. As fellow podcasters, did we enjoy this podcast in a book? Listen to find out!

We are back this week with a wildly popular book that recently became an Amazon Prime series, Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid! A story inspired by the rock & roll bands of the 70s, this book seems to be beloved by everyone. But I know you're more concerned about whether we liked it. Well, I guess you'll just have to listen to find out ;)

In today's episode, we read the BookTok famous book, Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. The book follows Wallace after he passes away and he visits a tea shop to cross over to the afterlife. Will we agree with BookTok? Listen to find out!

For this week's episode, we read a thriller (Harshini's pick ofc) by the popular author, Riley Sager, titled The Only One Left. This book follows a woman named Kit who starts working as a home nurse for Lenora, an elderly woman whose entire family was murdered back in 1929. As Kit spends time with Lenora, she begins to uncover her wild story. As a group that's pretty tough on thrillers, did we enjoy this highly-rated, full-of-twists book? Listen to find out!

In the second episode of season 6, we get into the fall vibes with an atmospheric, witchy book called Slewfoot by the author and artist Brom. Pooja had a LOT of thoughts on this book, arguably too many, leading to some rants and rambles. But listen in if you want to hear our thoughts on this revenge story with a twist!

We are back with season 6! This season we are doing something a little special — we are only reading books that have 4 stars or higher on Goodreads (because Harshini is officially done with bad reads). In this episode, we read the wildly popular book, A Secret History by Donna Tartt. A Secret History follows six classics students in a small liberal arts college and their relationships as a friend group. This book is considered one of the main books to popularize dark academia. Can we get behind everyone's love for the book? Listen to find out!

In this episode, we watch the show The Other Black Girl which is based off the book The Other Black Girl which we read back in Season 1 Episode 8. The book/show follow Nella Rogers who works at Wagner Books as an editorial assistant. She is excited when Hazel joins Wagner Books also as an editorial assistant since Hazel would be the second black employee Wagner Books has, other than Nella herself. The story follows their dynamic as they learn more about each other. Does the show ring true to the book? Listen to find out!

For our second-to-last episode of season 5, we decided to pick another spooky season book: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. We read Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House two years ago, all the way back in season 1. And as a bonus, we also discussed The Lottery, a short story by Jackson that both Sarah and Pooja read in school. Did Shirley Jackson finally win us over? Listen to find out!

Welcome back to our listeners! In this week's episode, we discuss 'The Great Believers' by Rebecca Makkai. The story follows a young gay man named Yale living in 1980s Chicago during the height of the AIDs epidemic. This book is very different from the previous Rebecca Makkai book read on this podcast, 'I Have Some Questions For You', which was a mystery thriller that was well-received by us in season 4. But the question here is, how did we feel about 'The Great Believers'? Listen in to find out!

In today's episode, we read the book The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange. The book follows Tara as she navigates life after being released from prison. She lives with her siblings again and is trying her best to find a job and integrate back into society. The book even features an unexpected romance. Will the romance satisfy the romances grinches? Listen to find out!

For this episode, we read another cozy, fun mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. This book follows Vera, an elderly woman running a "world-famous" tea shop when one day, she finds a man dead in her shop. She uses her amazing ability to cook lots of delicious food to investigate suspects and makes some cute friendships along the way. Note: do NOT read this book when you're really hungry! Listen to find out what we thought about Jesse Q. Sutanto's latest book and our own ideas for our tea shop!

In this week's episode, we revisit an author whom we've had a mixed record with, the one and only Colleen Hoover! This book, titled 'Too Late', originally began as a story on Wattpad and follows a young woman named Sloan who is in an abusive relationship with her drug dealer boyfriend, Asa. Little does she know a young DEA agent, Carter, is working undercover in an attempt to take down Asa's operation. Things get "complicated" when they begin to have feelings for each other. Classic. Did we love this book or did we loathe it? We make UDBC podcast history with this one, so give it a listen to find out what happens!

In this episode, we read the book Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood. The book follows Elsie Hannaway as she struggles to make ends meet as an adjunct professor. She interviews for a tenure-track position at MIT and comes face-to-face with her arch-nemesis on the hiring committee. How does Elsie navigate this predicament and how does this Ali Hazelwood book compare to previous we've read? Listen to find out!

In this week's episode, we read another Jodi Picoult book, which she co-wrote with Jennifer Finney Boylan, called Mad Honey. This book follows the perspectives of a young woman, Lily, and her boyfriend's mother, Olivia, before and after Lily's death. This book has suspense for Harshini and Pooja and romance for Sarah, but was it good enough to get a Triple Crown? Listen to find out!

Welcome back to our listeners! This week we read a historical, mythological, fantasy novel about a young woman who embarks on an adventure with the Mayan god of death during the Jazz Age in Mexico. During our discussion, we talk about how we'd love to see this as a movie and what really does 'sexy' mean? Also, it's always a plus when Sarah and Pooja argue. Listen in to hear whether we liked this book or not!

In today's episode, we read the book Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune. The book follows Fern Brookbanks as she grapples with the decision to either sell her family resort or manage it, something she vowed never to do. Along the way, she also meets a long lost lover. Throughout the podcast, we discuss whether 10 years is too long for a grudge and the best plot for the next dating show. Listen to hear our thoughts!

For this week's episode, Harshini chose yet another Alice Feeney thriller: His & Hers. This book follows two different perspectives (a news reporter and a detective) after a local woman's murder. We provide some content warnings in the beginning and then share our thoughts about the twists and turns this book took. Listen to find out how this book compares to the other Alice Feeney thrillers we've read!

Welcome back everyone! For this week's episode, we revisit an author who we love, Katy Birchall! We read her latest novel, “The Last Word”, a romcom featuring two coworkers who seemingly hate each other, but do they really?  Listen in to hear us discuss problematic tropes regarding female protagonists in romcoms and question whether we'd move countries for our partners. Also bonus (!), Pooja absolutely loses her mind over this book.  Do we still love Katy Birchall? Stay tuned to find out!

In today's episode, we read the science fiction novel, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. The book follows Ryland Grace, a teacher-turned-astronaut, who needs to save humanity before the sun dims too much and Earth freezes over. During this episode, we talk about the most wholesome friendship we've read so far, what we would do if we ever met an alien, and the most efficient way to get things done. How will Project Hail Mary compare to the last Andy Weir book we read, The Martian? Listen to hear our thoughts!

For the second episode of our Second Chance Romance (?) season, Harshini picked After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill. This book follows two different characters writing about each other, and the reader has to figure out who really is the author and who is the character. It's a little confusing but definitely an interesting idea. If for nothing else, listen to hear some truly great quotes by Sarah (including this episode title)!

Whoa whoa whoa, did someone say Season 5??? Your fav doctor trio is back for another season full of fun reads and shenanigans! In our season 5 premiere we revisit an author who loves a good summer scandal, May Cobb, when we read The Hunting Wives. Listen in to hear Sarah's unfiltered thoughts on small towns, Harshini's distaste for virtually every character in this book, and Pooja slowly questioning her sanity as she pokes holes in the plot. Take a guess how we felt about this book

In today's episode, we read the book Malice by Keigo Higashino. This book is part of the Detective Kaga series and it follows the murder of a bestselling novelist, Kunihiko Hidaka, who was killed late one night while working on one of his books. We've read another one of the Detective Kaga books back in Season 1 so we were able to compare how this book lives up to the last one. This episode kicks off our new season where we'll read a second book from an author we've already discussed on this podcast and see how the two books measure. Did this Detective Kaga book fair better or worse than the previous book we've read? Do we recommend Keigo Higashino books in general? Listen to find out!

It's the second to last episode of season 4 (can you believe it)!! For this episode, we read The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. It follows an older man, Mukesh, and a teenager, Aleisha, as they bond over some good books. Harshini chose this book because it was on both her and Pooja's reading lists (haha) and we needed some cute content. Little spoiler: if you wanna hear us rant/argue, this is the episode for you. Have fun listening!

Welcome back to our listeners! In this episode, we talk about an intriguing mystery novel, I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai, which is about a podcast host looking into a crime that took place at her old high school. Along the way, we discuss rich kid problems, how Harshini missed a MAJOR plot point, and annoying main protagonists. Based on this summary do you have some questions for us? Specifically, did we like this book? Guess you'll have to listen to find out!

In today's episode we read "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides which describes a patient accused for unaliving her husband. The patient hasn't said a word since the incident and a psychotherapist must figure out how to get through to her to find out what happened that fateful night. Will "The Silent Patient" fair similar reviews as our last Alex Michaelides' book "The Maidens"? Will Sarah, a thriller hater, like the thriller book she picked out? Listen to find out! Plus, hear our passionate thoughts on Colleen Hoover's books.

Do you also want cake now? We're back for another fun episode discussing Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson! In this book, we follow the story of a woman who passed away and left a recipe for a black cake and a video detailing some family history and secrets for her two children. We not only discuss cake but also the things we loved and didn't like about this book as there was certainly a lot going on. Was this story riveting enough to be given a Triple Crown? Listen to find out!

In this week's episode, we finally, finally, FINALLY, get to read a book about a toxic friendship. So Happy For You by Celia Laskey tells the story of two childhood friends, Robin and Ellie, and the insane shenanigans that go down when Ellie asks Robin to be her maid of honor at her upcoming wedding. Listen in to hear Pooja rant about pretentious PhD students, Sarah and Harshini's in-depth thoughts on wedding planning, and a surprisingly serious discussion about marriage. Did this book satisfy our need to read about a chaotic toxic friendship? Stay tuned to find out!

In this episode, we decided to change things up a bit and read our first nonfiction book! We read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo which gives tips on the best ways to live clutter-free. The book describes being intentional with what you own and getting rid of anything that doesn't bring you joy. Throughout this podcast we discuss Harshini's confessionals, the best places to keep your trash, and whether these tips would work for us. Is this book as life-changing as everyone claims? Listen to find out!

We're baaack with a new book, The Last One by Alexandra Oliva. Harshini chose this book after seeing a recommendation for it because it's based on a Survivor-style reality show (real ones know that's her jam)!! The book follows a woman on this survival challenge show as she works through her larger life problems and current survival problems. We've read other books about shows in the past and have also had low success with sci-fi novels, but will the useless doctors enjoy this one? Listen to find out!

Welcome back to our listeners! In this week's episode, we talk about a book Pooja chose called "Sign Here" by Claudia Lux. Our main protagonist is a guy named Pey who works in Hell (literal Hell) and the shenanigans that arise on the job. Listen in to hear Sarah furiously rant about a specific sub-plot featured in this book, our discussion regarding just how bad Jägermeister really tastes, and Pooja and Sarah's ten-minute tangent at the end about our FAVORITE author (note the sarcasm here) Ali Hazelwood's upcoming book "Love Theoretically". Was this book a win or nah? Guess you'll have to listen to find out!

In this episode, we read It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover. This book is the sequel to It Ends with Us which we read back in Season 1 Episode 6. The sequel follows Lily navigating her complex relationships with her abusive ex-husband and adoring childhood lover all while taking care of her daughter. Throughout the episode we discuss sibling relationships, Pooja and Harshini's ideal man, and how NOT to win over Pooja's heart. Listen to hear our thoughts!

WOOHOOO it's our 50th episode!!! Apparently Harshini's "wooo" at the beginning of this episode wasn't excited enough. Anyway, for this special episode, we read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and watched the movie, released in 2022, together. The story follows a young woman, Kya, who grows up alone in North Carolina marshland and is later accused of murdering town sweetheart, Chase Andrews. How did the movie compare to the book? Is this another Triple Crown (5 stars from all of us)? Listen to find out!

This week on your favorite podcast we are discussing the book that Pooja chose, "The Dead Romantics" by Ashley Poston. The book follows a young romance novelist returning to her hometown after a tragedy when someone VERY unexpected shows up at her door. As we discuss this romance novelist's problems, we talk about "forced quirkiness", cardboard cutout love interests, and why millennial protagonists are always so stupid. Please enjoy our commentary on this ridiculous novel. You're welcome.

In today's episode, we are reading another romance book, The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall, chosen by Sarah (the lover of rom coms). The book follows Freya Scott who is recently single after her long-term boyfriend left her the day before their wedding. Her best friends decide to give her a series of fun challenges for every wedding she attends that summer to get her mind off her heartbreak. Listen to hear our thoughts on these crazy challenges and whether we would ever do them! Bonus: could Sarah finally convince Harshini that not all romance books are bad?

In this week's episode, we read the promising fantasy book, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. A cool title, right? In a society of book eaters, our main protagonist Devon fights her traditional role (and her enemies) with her son who happens to prefer eating minds to eating books. Harshini chose this book to see if she could change Pooja and Sarah's minds about fantasy books with one that was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. Did it work? Listen to find out!

Hello hello, the useless doctors are back for season 4! We are ringing in our new season with an experience of a book called "Patricia Wants To Cuddle" by Samantha Allen! Pooja chose this book thinking we'd all like to read about the messy behind-the-scenes of a reality television dating show, and boy, were we surprised with what we ended up reading. Did we give this book a rose? Listen in to find out!

Hello everyone! Get ready because it's the last episode for season 3! In this episode we decided to switch things up a bit and watch the movie "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" which is based on the book "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" by Maria Semple. We picked this movie because some scenes were filmed in Pittsburgh where we all went to college so we could recognize some of the places. In the movie, Bernadette, a retired architect runs away from home to Antartica and the film follows her journey and her family's journey to find her. None of us have ever read the book but listen to hear our unfiltered thoughts about this movie!

Hello! In this episode we read the mystery Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia Manansala. The book follows Lila Macapagal who becomes a judge for Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant. When the head judge of the pageant is murdered, Lila works hard to figure out the killer. This book left us hungry and craving some Filipino food but will the mystery hit the mark? Listen to find out!

Welcome back to our listeners! On this week's podcast, we discuss the book “The Portrait of a Mirror” by A. Natasha Joukovsky. This book tells the story of two couples, Wes & Diana, and Vivien & Dale, and how their lives change after they meet. During our discussion talking about the dramatic lives of the main protagonists here, we somehow end up drastically off-topic, ruminating over the value and use of bathrobes, whether pineapples on pizza are that big of a deal, and reiterating our vehement dislike for the book we read for last week's podcast episode. If that sounds like your jam, then give episode 13 a listen!

For this episode, we read Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood (author of the super popular book, The Love Hypothesis, featured in S1 Ep15). Picked by neuroscience PhD student Sarah herself, this book follows a new couple co-leading a neuroengineering project who are trying to figure out their feelings for each other. We made UDBC history in this episode, listen to find out how!

In this episode, we discussed the spooky, "And Then There Were None"-inspired thriller, Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. A family gathered for the grandma's 80th birthday discovers that someone is starting to take them out one-by-one and uncovers some dark secrets along the way. Warning: we spoiled quite a few other movies in comparing them with this book. Listen to hear our thoughts!

In this week's episode, your favorite doctor trio read a small-town murder mystery titled "All Good People Here" by Ashley Flowers. A recent release, and a debut novel, the story follows a young woman Margot Davies who moves back to her small hometown to care for her ailing uncle and ends up becoming involved in a murder investigation. Listen in to hear us, in classic UDBC fashion, plot alternative storylines, ruminate over the logistics of murder, and of course, gush over fictional love interests. Did we like it or did we love it? Guess, you'll have to listen to find out!

In this episode, we explore the other lives of Nora Seed if she had made different decisions in her past. This book was named Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction in 2020 so we decided to check out what all the buzz is about. Throughout this episode we discover Sarah's horrible ability to remember/pronounce names and debate whether it's possible to travel to different dimensions. We also include our classic "How to rewrite this book" segment. Listen to hear all of our thoughts!

Welcome back! This week the Useless Doctors read a book recommended by Harshini titled, The Vegetarian by Han Kang. Originally published in Korean in 2007, this book follows a young woman and the ramifications of her decision to go vegetarian. In this episode, Sarah, Pooja, and Harshini spend an embarrassingly long time discussing the life of birthmarks, sibling and spouse relationship dynamics, and of course, what we would have changed about the book. Did we enjoy it or did we hate it? Well, I guess you'll have to listen to find out!

This week we are back with a thriller recommended by Pooja titled, These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever! Set in 1970s Pittsburgh, the story follows two college students as they navigate school, family drama, and their inner desires. Cue. Our. Intrigue. While you'll have to listen to the entire episode to hear our final thoughts on the novel, you can look forward to hearing a rant by Sarah, Harshini's unfiltered thoughts on descriptive books, and Pooja ruminating over potential alternative plotlines. Classic. Happy listening!

In the sixth episode, we rate and review the best selling romance book, Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. This book explores a summertime romance during childhood and their dramatic reunion in adulthood. Throughout the episode we talk about what makes a solid romance and all the epic drama that takes place in this book. Listen to hear our thoughts!

This episode reviews the mystery/thriller The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill. In this book, a scream is heard in a library and bonds four strangers into close friends as they try to figure out who screamed. Listen to our review to find out the best ways to become friends with people you don't know and how to sniff out the murderer!