Who the hell is David Joy and why should you care? I am so glad you asked because I have prepared a 15 minute rant on why you should have been reading all of David's books by now. Check out haveyoureadthispodcast.com for all of the links mentioned in this episode as well as some bonus videos.

A small-time criminal. A has-been rock star. A shadowy government agency. And a severed hand whose dark powers threaten to destroy them all. Oh, don't forget zombies. Keith Rosson's book Fever House was a wild ride.

HBO just released a new documentary that caught my eye: The Truth vs. Alex Jones. While a great doc, this is a perfect time to discuss Sandy Hook by Elizabeth Williamson and why the book and documentary are worth your time.

“Saving Noah challenges everything you think you know about teenage sexual offenders. It will keep you up at night long after you've read the last page, questioning beliefs you once thought were true.” Goodreads wasn't lying. Lucinda Berry's book was powerful with an ending like a sledgehammer.

What is splatterpunk? Are these books interesting at all and worth reading or is this a genre you should avoid at all costs? In this episode, I talk about Talia by Daniel J. Volpe, Gone to the See the River Man by Kristopher Triana, My Vice Is Your Unfathomable Agony by Otis Bateman, Playground by Aron Beauregard, Cows by Matthew Stokoe, and Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica.

What is the darkest book you have ever read? What actually makes a book dark in the first place? Up until this book, I am not certain what my answer would have been. The story is powerful, difficult to read, important to experience, and well worth your time and attention.

In this episode, you will be relieved to know I have a co-host and we discuss a new challenge: My oldest daughter and I are broadening our reading horizons and are taking turns suggesting books for the other read. The idea is to have the other read a book that we think the other would enjoy, but more importantly, one that would never show up on the other person's radar. I went first and read If He Had Been With Me, which meant I had to drag Lauren on the podcast to talk about why this book was good, in a soul-crushing way. For links to all of the books mentioned in this episode, visit haveyoureadthispodcast.com.

This book by Luis Alberto Urrea follows the brutal journey a group of 26 men take to cross the Mexican border. Only 14 make it. The Atlantic referred to this book as "the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of U.S. border policy". Urrea's book has been a national bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a "book of the year" in multiple newspapers, and a haunting look at the dangers involved in making a trek across the border.