What Has the Panel Been Reading This Month, Friday, Sept 25, 2026

Hi there The Moosa Slobodian Network friends,

We had a great time chatting about what everyone has been reading on this month’s Books Panel. Give it a listen at the following link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5FJYFP2NsCKuOosmUky13M

Show Notes

Books Panel Format and Attendance: The participants discussed the format for the September 25, 2026 session of the Books Panel on the Musa Slobodian Network, noting that they were short three to four panelists as stated by Ashlyn and Aliasgar Moosa. Due to the missing panelists, Macara Slobodian proposed switching to a roundtable format to discuss books read throughout the month rather than focusing on a single title. The introduction for the broadcast was recorded by Becky Kohl, as acknowledged by Aliasgar Moosa and Macara Slobodian (00:02:41).
Discussion of Getting Away with Murder: Lily Frederiksen reviewed the book *Getting Away with Murder* by Sherry Lapina, which involves two brothers where Greg managed and grew inherited money by 500% through business ventures, while Ted struggled with debt and conspired to murder Greg by pushing him off a boat (00:03:48). Lily Frederiksen expressed frustration that Ted acted as a biased, rationalizing narrator who never experienced a guilty conscience and faced insufficient consequences (00:05:14). Lily Frederiksen asked if other participants had read books where unlikable characters achieve a good result, which led to an open discussion among the group (00:07:53).
Spoilers and Resolution of Getting Away with Murder: Building on the previous discussion, Lily Frederiksen provided spoilers regarding how the plot of *Getting Away with Murder* resolves, explaining that Ted’s paranoia about blackmail leads friends to hire someone to investigate secret video recordings of the confession, ultimately exposing them. Macara Slobodian noted that Ted’s own paranoia caused their undoing (00:22:31). Aliasgar Moosa stated that they generally avoid books with unlikable protagonists who win, noting that they do not read fiction frequently (00:23:52).
Additional Examples of Protagonists Avoiding Consequences: Addressing Lily Frederiksen’s earlier question about characters avoiding consequences, Macara Slobodian offered *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* as an example, noting that President Snow commits terrible acts without guilt and ultimately becomes president. Macara Slobodian compared this to Lily Frederiksen’s reaction to *Getting Away with Murder*, observing that both characters caused harm without feeling guilt. Ashlyn acknowledged this as a fitting example that they had not considered (00:29:42).
Ashlyn’s Reading Updates and The Liars Playbook: Ashlyn shared that they are looking forward to reading *The Liars Playbook* after the author visited their bookends meeting. Ashlyn described the book as a heavy work detailing the author’s father’s mafia involvement, an escape to Florida from Ontario led by the author’s mother and grandmother, and the author’s background as an officer. Macara Slobodian and Ashlyn briefly discussed the heavy nature of the subject matter (00:31:03).
Discussion of Reading Strategies and Library Apps: Ashlyn and Macara Slobodian discussed various reading experiences and formats, including Ashlyn reading *Talking as Fast as I Can* as a quick five-hour read, and *The Nightingale* by Kristin Hannah, which took eighteen hours (00:39:39). Ashlyn mentioned utilizing Libby despite wait times, noting that they resort to Audible when books are unavailable. Macara Slobodian and Ashlyn noted issues with the Sila app regarding bookmarking, while Aliasgar Moosa affirmed that Audible is effective for tracking positions (00:41:11).
Aliasgar Moosa’s Reading Habits: Addressing a question from Macara Slobodian about what they were reading outside of show preparations, Aliasgar Moosa confirmed that they had not been reading other books. Ashlyn humorously pointed out this disclosure, leading to playful banter among Macara Slobodian, Ashlyn, and Aliasgar Moosa regarding accountability and show scheduling (00:41:11).
Upcoming Media and Show Schedule: Macara Slobodian and Aliasgar Moosa outlined upcoming broadcasts and events, noting that Gil Martin appeared on the Ali Musa show on Wednesday, September 23, and Ted Wallishan will appear on Tuesday to discuss memories of the late Lloyd Robertson (00:43:01). Macara Slobodian announced that the next Books Panel will take place on October 29, 2026, moved from October 30 due to Halloween festivities (00:47:03). Additionally, Macara Slobodian announced that the next Books Panel book will be *Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers, and The Road Home* by Tom Wilson, and an Ali and Mara show will air on Sunday, September 27 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern to discuss *The Leap Year Gene* by Shelley Wood, a book recommended by Letty (00:50:09).
Upcoming Tech Workshops and Local Events: Macara Slobodian and Aliasgar Moosa reviewed upcoming workshops, confirming that a retake of the eye-catcher tutorial due to previous disruptions will be held on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern. An extra session is scheduled for Friday, October 2, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern, with the topic to be determined (00:46:02). The participants also briefly discussed attending a local play, *The Little Mermaid*, scheduled for the following day (00:49:01).
Network Sign-Off and Conclusion: Macara Slobodian reminded listeners to subscribe to newsletters at the Musa Slobodian Network website and submit feedback via email (00:51:10). Playful banter occurred regarding renaming the network to the Mara Media Network, which Macara Slobodian and Aliasgar Moosa dismissed in favor of keeping the original name (00:52:31). Macara Slobodian concluded the show by thanking Ashlyn and Lily Frederiksen for participating, followed by the playing of the outro recorded by Becky Kohl (00:51:10) (00:53:40).