It’s Pride Month! And we’re celebrating with OF MONSTERS AND MAINFRAMES by Barbara Truelove, a clever mashup of genres featuring an AI ship, a motley crew of supernatural monsters, and one very vengeful Dracula. Joining us for this discussion of love, found family, and identity is guest host Arden Harris (they/them) of A Seat at the Table Books in Elk Grove, CA, and host of the Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Club.

Listen as Arden weighs in on this story’s comparisons to both Murderbot and The Locked Tomb, we celebrate the queer representation (and beyond), and discover why Jason blocked the audiobook experience from his mind. Plus, Jason channels Haddaway to ask the eternal question: “What is love?”

01001000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01111001 00100000 01010000 01110010 01101001 01100100 01100101 00100000 01001101 01101111 01101110 01110100 01101000 00100001

Guest Host:
Arden Harris (they/them) is a bookseller, crafter, and aspiring writer. You can often find them haunting the shelves at A Seat at the Table Books in Elk Grove, CA, or spending time with their wife and four cats.

They tend to lurk in the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror sections, but can occasionally be found creeping into other genres when the mood strikes.

They can be reluctantly perceived on Instagram @bookstore.cryptid

Buy the Book!
Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

Other books mentioned in this episode:

• Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman
• Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

Sink your fangs into our first After Dark episode of the season with A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER by Kresley Cole—a steamy paranormal romance where “a fierce werewolf and a bewitching vampire become unlikely soul mates whose passion will test the boundaries of life and death.”

Emma kicks off the season with this pick and sparks a conversation about what happens when monster theory meets gender essentialism. Meanwhile, Laura draws some surprising parallels to Star Wars, and we collectively urge parents to warn their children about the dangers of fated mates. Plus: find out why this book forced Jason to add a brand-new category in his After Dark grading system.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode features discussions of an adult-themed book, contains explicit language, and is intended for mature audiences only. Listener discretion is advised.

Buy the Book!
Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

Other books mentioned in this episode:

• The Sting of Victory by S.D. Simper
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
• Bride by Ali Hazelwood
• Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
• The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune
• Railed by the Krampus by Dalia Davies
• Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson

We’re kicking off Season Five with ALL SYSTEMS RED by Martha Wells—and a couple of very special guests! Sir Aaron Carter and Emma Skies join us to talk Murderbot ahead of the AppleTV+ adaptation premiering May 16th. (And yes, they’ll be covering the show in their very own Watch podcast, so stay tuned!)

Listen in as we dig into what makes Murderbot such a compelling character, why Emma has read this book four times, and whether Jason—reading it for the first time—thought it lived up to the hype. Plus, Aaron shares what took him so long to read the second Murderbot novella, and why he refuses to read book two of the similarly-themed Monk & Robot series.

Guest Hosts:
Aaron Carter is a writer, Twitch streamer, and Dungeon Master. He’s also a seasoned podcaster and co-host of BYLO Watch, a podcast series that looks at the film and television adaptations of novels. Beyond that, you won’t find him on social media. He’ll find you.

Emma Skies is a content creator, Twitch streamer, and host of multiple podcasts, including Reader Tangents, BYLO Watch, and our very own Shit We’ve Read After Dark. She’s also the acquiring editor for Skies Press, a publishing imprint under Bindery Books. Skies Press' first acquisition—To Bargain With Mortals by R.A. Basu—releases October 2025. You can find her discussing all the things she loves (and hates) in books and bookish things on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky, and Threads @EmmaSkies, and find her publishing updates on Instagram @SkiesPress.

Buy the Book!
Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

Other books mentioned in this episode:

• Five Survive by Holly Jackson
• Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam
• Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire
• Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes
• Legendborn series by Tracy Deonn

In this special author interview, Jason and Laura sit down with Olivia Waite to talk about her beautiful new novella, MURDER BY MEMORY—a “sci-fi ode to the cozy mystery, helmed by a formidable no-nonsense auntie of a detective.” Listen in as Olivia shares how Star Wars unexpectedly led her to read her first romance novel, and reflects on the ways grief continues to shape her writing. She also opens up about which childhood memory she’d most love to recover, and makes a case for why the novella is the perfect length for impactful storytelling.

Oh—and did you know a glass brain was found among the victims of Mount Vesuvius? Olivia did, and that’s just the start of the incredible things she wants to share with you.

You can grab your copy of MURDER BY MEMORY now wherever books are sold!

Other books mentioned by Olivia in this episode:

• All Fired Up by M.K. England
• Discworld by Terry Pratchett
• Imperial Radch Trilogy by Ann Leckie
• Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey
• Babel by R.F. Kuang
• Murderbot by Martha Wells

Guest:
Olivia Waite writes queer historical romance, fantasy, science fiction, and essays. She is the romance fiction columnist for the New York Times Book Review. When the birds are propitious, she sends out the Oliviary: a newsletter full of news, recommended reads, and intriguing content curated from niche corners of the internet. She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary.

You can find her at

Saddle up for one last ride before the season’s over! For our Season Four finale, we’ve headed to the cowboy colony planet for a discussion of MARRIED TO THE ALIEN COWBOY by Ursa Dax — a sci-fi western romance featuring a quiet alien cowboy, a human woman on the run, and one very messy marriage of convenience. Join us as Jason surprises his co-hosts with this pick, we ponder what makes a tentacle a tentacle, and question if Ursa Dax is secretly a pen name for our very own Laura.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode features discussions of an adult-themed book, contains explicit language, and is intended for mature audiences only. Listener discretion is advised.

Credits:
Shit We've Read After Dark is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, Bella Romero, and EmmaSkies, with an introduction by Jessilee Windhaus and editing by Jason Rico.

Desert West by Dagored | https://freetouse.com/music/dagored
Free To Use | https://freetouse.com/music
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Connect with SWR!
Instagram | TikTok | Discord | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Join our Discord!
We love connecting with our listeners and are excited to have another way to connect with you all. ⁣Whether you're into sci-fi, fantasy, romance, or anything in between, there's a spot for you HERE.

Support SWR!
Check out our MERCH STORE! Get your SWR t-shirts, hoodies, drinkware, and more. Plus, keep an eye out for new designs coming soon.

We're also an affiliate on bookshop.org! Order books through our link HERE and a small commission will go towards the podcast.

Create your podcast today!

This month, we’re sinking our teeth into IMMORTAL DARK by Tigest Girma—a dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy where a lost heiress must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire she suspects killed her family. Join us as we celebrate the portrayal of Black characters, break down what makes this vampire story feel fresh, and examine the delicate relationship between humans and dranaics. Plus, get a peek at the types of books Bella keeps on her shelves.

Credits:
Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico.

The In-Between by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Connect with SWR!
Instagram | TikTok | Discord | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Join our Discord!
We love connecting with our listeners and are excited to have another way to connect with you all. ⁣Whether you're into sci-fi, fantasy, romance, or anything in between, there's a spot for you HERE.

Support SWR!
Check out our MERCH STORE! Get your SWR t-shirts, hoodies, drinkware, and more. Plus, keep an eye out for new designs coming soon.

We're also an affiliate on bookshop.org! Order books through our link HERE and a small commission will go towards the podcast.

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Thank you for your support!

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s the perfect time to indulge in a cozy, high-heat monster romance novella. But there’s one big question: Has Bella finally broken her streak of bad After Dark picks, or is this another miss? There’s only one way to find out! Join us as we discuss MANEATER by Emily Antoinette and examine how the 1980s play into the story’s setting, why Emma and Bella are craving more pathetic men in fiction, and what this book has to say about sex work.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode features discussions of an adult-themed book, contains explicit language, and is intended for mature audiences only. Listener discretion is advised.

Credits:
Shit We've Read After Dark is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, Bella Romero, and EmmaSkies, with an introduction by Jessilee Windhaus and editing by Jason Rico.

Prod. by Vodovoz | https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/
Royalty-Free Music promoted on https://www.youtube.com/@DanyaVodovoz

Connect with SWR!
Instagram | TikTok | Discord | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Join our Discord!
We love connecting with our listeners and are excited to have another way to connect with you all. ⁣Whether you're into sci-fi, fantasy, romance, or anything in between, there's a spot for you HERE.

Support SWR!
Check out our MERCH STORE! Get your SWR t-shirts, hoodies, drinkware, and more. Plus, keep an eye out for new designs coming soon.

We're also an affiliate on bookshop.org! Order books through our link HERE and a small commission will go towards the podcast.

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Thank you for your support!

We’re kicking off 2025 with the divine novella OUT OF THE DROWNING DEEP by A.C. Wise—set in the distant future, when mortals mingle with the gods in deep space, an out-of-date automaton, a recovering addict, and an angel race to solve the Pope’s murder in an abandoned corner of the galaxy. Listen in as we discuss Jason’s Pirate Era, the casting of Ryan Gosling in the upcoming Project Hail Mary film adaptation, and the use of neo-pronouns in this novella—plus what they mean for the future of literature.

Credits:
Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico.

Space Ambience by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Connect with SWR!
Instagram | TikTok | Discord | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Join our Discord!
We love connecting with our listeners and are excited to have another way to connect with you all. ⁣Whether you're into sci-fi, fantasy, romance, or anything in between, there's a spot for you HERE.

Support SWR!
Check out our MERCH STORE! Get your SWR t-shirts, hoodies, drinkware, and more. Plus, keep an eye out for new designs coming soon.

We're also an affiliate on bookshop.org! Order books through our link HERE and a small commission will go towards the podcast.

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Thank you for your support!