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?”
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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
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1:20:06
After Dark: A Hunger Like No Other
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
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1:26:14
36: All Systems Red – The Murderbot Diaries, Book 1 (w/ Sir Aaron Carter & Emma Skies)
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
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1:28:48
Author Interview: Olivia Waite
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
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53:20
After Dark: Married to the Alien Cowboy
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.
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Shit We’ve Read is a sci-fi & fantasy book podcast hosted by geeky friends Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero. Each month, we get together to discuss a new-to-us book or graphic novel, sometimes giving it a spicy, adult twist with our After Dark episodes featuring co-host Emma Skies. Along the way, we’re joined by occasional guest hosts and noteworthy authors for insightful interviews, along with other fun surprises.
So, join us on our latest book journey and tell us - what shit have you been reading?
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