Read It & Roast

Vampire Academy & Blue Bloods, or How Are Y’all So Powerful, But Also Suck So Bad

Happy solstice, spidermonkeys! In this season finale Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy meets Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods to speak to our cringiest, teenage selves. Tune in to find out if these undead tales still sparkle like the skin of a killer!

Tenth of December, or I'll Never Not Read You Again, F*ck You

This episode brings you a breath of fresh early winter air, as we roast and discuss great American author George Saunders' collection of short stories Tenth of December with our lovely guest Ingrid Z. Will Saunders' experimental short fiction survive the gauntlet of our picky hosts? Tune in to find out!

Devolution, or I'll Be Jerky For Them

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL! This episode we battle beastly horrors with Brady B., who recommends Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks. Things get hairy as we encounter the power dynamics of a small, tech-dependent settlement under siege by…whatever is out there. Will our characters thrive under adversity? Or will they give up and be jerky for their ape adversaries?

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an IKEA Wardrobe, or Tom Cruise Jesus Christ That's a Long Title

Hej! This episode we explore the labyrinths of Swedish furniture and literary translation with Alexz C., translator and cat lady extraordinaire, who recommends The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an IKEA Wardrobe by Romain Puertolas. Join us as we discuss this portrayal of the European migrant crisis and the economy of translation. Is this novel a read or a roast? And is the IKEA POÄNG chair really worth it?

Kafka on the Shore, or May December Meets Cats the Musical

This month your favorite bookworms get down and nerdy with Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore! Tune in as we chat with guest Sarah W. about this fantastical tale in translation. Will the celebrated author dazzle us with metaphysical time beings and fish raining from the sky? Or will we find [cat] hairs to split?