What makes a villain truly unforgettable? In this episode, we explore the psychology of storytelling by mapping out the most compelling villain archetypes and character tropes in literature using the Enneagram personality framework. We break down the core fears and motivations of the nine different Enneagram types, matching them up against our favorite fictional antagonists, literary antiheroes, and specific character archetypes.

Enneagram 1: Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
Enneagram 2: Doug (Annie Bot)
Enneagram 3: Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)
Enneagram 4: Joe Goldberg (You) E
Enneagram 5: Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein)
Enneagram 6: Peter Darling (The Hounding)
Enneagram 7: George Wickham (Pride & Prejudice)
Enneagram 8: Cersei Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire)
Enneagram 9: Marcos (Tender is the Flesh)

Other Mentions
Headlights by CJ Leede
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

Non-Book Things:
Ninja NeverClog Juicer
World Cup '26

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We are broadcasting live from the NWA Book Fest Kids event in Springdale, Arkansas! In this quick bonus episode, we interview a lineup of brilliant local children's authors about their new books, their writing journeys, and what inspires them to create engaging stories for young readers. If you want to support independent creators and discover amazing new kid-lit from the Northwest Arkansas literary community, this episode is for you.

Featured Books & Authors:

Junko's Climb by Elyssa Gavin

Xavier's Voice by Ashley Franklin

Presha's Mountain by R. A. Thapa

I See Colors by Zuri Louis

Benny In The Garden by Matt & Melissa Cooper

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Welcome to our special Children's Literature Episode! Today we dive deep into the world of picture books, storytelling for kids, and graphic novels. We are joined by two incredible special guests: award-winning author and illustrator Zeke Peña, and Ryan from Fayetteville's own independent children's bookstore, Dad Suggests. What we thought would be a simple conversation about kid-lit turned out to be something far richer, with unexpected turns and genuine things to say about the human experience. Don't let the genre fool you—great children's stories have incredible depth.

Special Guests:

Zeke Peña

Ryan from Dad Suggests

Non-Book Things

The Boroughs

AMC+ Subscriber & Obsession

Chess.com

Tiny Bookshop

Books Mentioned

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Scarlett Morning by ND Stevenson

Recommended Children's Books

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Thanks so much for listening to I’d Read That!

As a Bookshop.org affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through the links, which directly supports local, independent bookstores!

We’d love to hear from you—your feedback, questions, and book suggestions help shape the show. Drop us a line anytime at idreadthat.podcast@gmail.com
.

Want a little more between episodes? Subscribe to our Substack for bonus thoughts, updates, and companion pieces at idreadthat.substack.com.

And of course, if you enjoyed the episode, tell a friend or leave us a review—it really helps us grow this book-loving community.

Hey, hey! In this episode, we’re celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with a few incredible books from Asian American authors. We’re talking fantasy, thrillers, literary fiction, and horror. What can I say, we have genre types.

Non-Book Things

More time to enjoy - Liz

Lawn is looking better - Jerry

Book Things:

Dear Debbie by Frieda McFadden

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Books Mentioned:

Jade City Trilogy by Fonda Lee

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

Audition by Kaite Kitamura

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

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As a Bookshop.org affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through the links, which directly supports local, independent bookstores!

We’d love to hear from you—your feedback, questions, and book suggestions help shape the show. Drop us a line anytime at idreadthat.podcast@gmail.com
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Want a little more between episodes? Subscribe to our Substack for bonus thoughts, updates, and companion pieces at idreadthat.substack.com.

And of course, if you enjoyed the episode, tell a friend or leave us a review—it really helps us grow this book-loving community.

Happy Mother's Day to all you special moms out there!

Non-Book Things:

Noah Kahan

Hacks - Season 5

Books Mentioned:

Open Throat by Henry Hoke

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney

Mother's Day Books

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Thanks so much for listening to I’d Read That!

As a Bookshop.org affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through the links, which directly supports local, independent bookstores!

We’d love to hear from you—your feedback, questions, and book suggestions help shape the show. Drop us a line anytime at idreadthat.podcast@gmail.com
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And of course, if you enjoyed the episode, tell a friend or leave us a review—it really helps us grow this book-loving community.

This episode celebrates the "auto-buy" authors; the writers whose names alone are enough to make us hit the pre-order button. Whether it’s sweeping historical drama, sharp-witted romance, or haunting atmosphere, these four authors have our full attention!

Non-Book Thing

Paradise

Home Labbing

Books Mentioned

Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Authors We Love!!

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Ali Hazlewood

Charlotte McConaghy

Isabel Cañas

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Thanks so much for listening to I’d Read That!

As a Bookshop.org affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through the links, which directly supports local, independent bookstores!

We’d love to hear from you—your feedback, questions, and book suggestions help shape the show. Drop us a line anytime at idreadthat.podcast@gmail.com
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Want a little more between episodes? Subscribe to our Substack for bonus thoughts, updates, and companion pieces at idreadthat.substack.com.

And of course, if you enjoyed the episode, tell a friend or leave us a review—it really helps us grow this book-loving community.

It’s a horror-heavy episode today. We’re looking at the Bram Stoker nominees, revisiting some classics from the ever-pleasant Stephen Graham Jones, and going deep on Wendy Wagner’s Girl in the Creek. That last one is for all the 'moist' fans in the audience. You're welcome!

Pronounced Bram or Bram?

Bram Stoker 2025 Nominees

Bram Stoker 2024 Awards Show

Non-Book Things:

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen

Spaaaace!! - Artemis II, Project Hail Mary, First Man

Books Mentioned:

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates - Shailee Thompson

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (bonus: John Green & Dr. Pepper)

Why I Love Horror edited by Becky Siegel Spratford

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephan Graham Jones

Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner

Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson

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And of course, if you enjoyed the episode, tell a friend or leave us a review—it really helps us grow this book-loving community.

Welcome to the book club! Today we dive into a full book review and discussion of the bizarre, delightful speculative fiction novel, Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino. It's a coming-of-age story with a surreal, 'is this really happening' vibe...

Also, Liz discusses her love affair with Below Deck.

Non-Book Things:

Below Deck: Down Under - Season 4

Reading the Greens: Fayetteville Public Library fundraiser

Books mentioned:

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Check & Mate by Ali Hazlewood

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

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Thanks so much for listening to I’d Read That!

As a Bookshop.org affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through the links, which directly supports local, independent bookstores!

We’d love to hear from you—your feedback, questions, and book suggestions help shape the show. Drop us a line anytime at idreadthat.podcast@gmail.com
.

Want a little more between episodes? Subscribe to our Substack for bonus thoughts, updates, and companion pieces at idreadthat.substack.com.

And of course, if you enjoyed the episode, tell a friend or leave us a review—it really helps us grow this book-loving community.