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Between The Covers

Jay Ruud and Stacey Margaret Jones

Details

Author Jay Ruud has read every ”100 Best Book” list there is, so it’s only natural that he would create his own. Listen to each episode as he and his wife, author Stacey Margaret Jones discuss a book from his carefully cultivated ”100 Lovable Books” list. Stacey interviews Jay on what makes the book ”lovable” and where it ranks on the master list. They’ll also discuss current books in the CHAOS READER segment.

Recent Episodes

OCT 20, 2026
ICYMI No. 2: Recapping Jay’s List of the 100 Most Lovable Novels: 75 to 51
We continue walking through the final rankings of Jay’s List of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language that we covered one by one for the past two years. This week, we discuss nos. 75 to 51 along with the original air dates for each book.
52 MIN
OCT 13, 2026
ICYMI No. 1: Recapping Jay’s List of the 100 Most Lovable Novels: 100 to 76
This week we begin walking through the final list’s rankings, as Jay slowly built the ranked list of his 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language over two years of podcasting. In this episode, we talk about nos. 100 through 76, what’s lovable, whether Chaos Reader has or will read them and when each book's episode originally aired.
52 MIN
OCT 6, 2026
Possessed by the 100th Book on the Lovable List
Jay completes his list of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language with A.S. Byatt’s Possession. The novel about academics and poets in parallel timelines engages the reader on many levels. Chaos Reader shares the next phase of the podcast. A note on the sound: We apologize for the scratching noise listeners may hear in the podcast this week. We will make sure it doesn’t happen again!
52 MIN
SEP 29, 2026
Iris Murdoch Enters the Chat
This week’s entry on Jay’s list of the 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language is Irish Murdoch’s novel The Sea, The Sea. Jay discusses the allusion of the title and Murdoch’s philosophical themes, making the case for this worthy book. Chaos Reader checks in on her adventures with The Neapolitan Quartet.
49 MIN
SEP 22, 2026
A Wacky, But Oh-So Lovable Classic
Jay’s pick this week is The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne, a book that could be maddening or it could be one of the 100 Most Lovable Books in the English Language if you approach it ready for the ride. Chaos Reader is very enthusiastic about a newly published mystery novel.
44 MIN