HeyJaredFictionMatters
what I read, how I read, and books that matter
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- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 20
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- Sep 30, 2026
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- Aug 23, 2026
Latest issues
Putting it all together (Reading Well Challenge #4) (opens the original)
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Alright, readers, today is the final installment of our 2026 Reading Well Challenge and I have a confession. I have not finished my book! I feel like a bit of a failure for not completing my own challenge on my own set schedule, but I’m trying to be forgiving of myself and model this as another aspect of reading well. Sometimes books don’t fit into our prescribed timelines, and rushing to finish isn’t my version of good reading.So for today, I will still take you through the activities I had pla
This Month in Books | September 2026 (opens the original)
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Welcome to the FictionMatters Podcast. This is This Month in Books, an exclusive podcast series for FictionMatters subscribers cohosted by Liz Hein. In these monthly chats we’ll check in about what’s making news in the literary world and share a handful of books we need to discuss.In today’s discussion, we chat a bit about book prizes (it wouldn’t be fa… Read more
Annoying book trends and the National Book Awards long lists with Traci Thomas (opens the original)
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Today in lieu of Friday Mood Recs, I’m here with some conversational criticism with my friend and friend of FictionMatters, . I’m pretty sure you all know and love Traci, but if not you should know and love Traci. She is the creator and host of the excellent book podcast The Stacks and writes the Unstacked newsletter right here on Substack. In this crossover episode, we discuss a book trend that has been driving us crazy. We had been voice memo-ing each oth
Letting a book teach you how to read it (Reading Well Challenge #3) (opens the original)
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Last week we talked about reader response theory and paying attention to where our attention naturally lands as readers. Today, we’re looking at how to let our books guide us in the direction they want us to go. I am a firm believer that the best literature teaches its readers how to read it. I’m not a fiction writer myself so I don’t know if this conscious or not, but in the best works of fiction, the books that are pushing the boundaries, asking the biggest questions, standing the test of time
Books That Matter: Julie Buntin on THE STONE DIARIES by Carol Shields (opens the original)
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Welcome to Books That Matter. In this series, I ask writers to share a book that matters to them. I read it and we deep dive into the world of the text, exploring story, craft, and the way a great book can become part of someone. You’ll hear your favorite authors on their favorite authors and come away with expertly curated reading lists.Today, Julie Buntin, author of Famous Men and Marlena, joins me to talk about Carol Shields’s Pulitzer-winning novel The Stone Diaries. This is one of the best
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