E12 BloodBound 04: Here Lies Mercy, She Was Trying to Help

E12 BloodBound 04: Here Lies Mercy, She Was Trying to Help

Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/fan_mail/new] Uncle Mike’s Book Club discusses chapters 6–7 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. The gang starts off the random references strong with quotes from Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (“How’s your sex life?” and “Hi doggie!”); Black/Beckworth corners Honey and Mercy to get the lowdown; Mercy’s been judging Honey, partially based on literal appearances; did Mercy start changing her mind about Honey because of the abuse, or because Honey sees herself as a monster?; puberty plus werewolf somehow isn’t a disaster??; sexist laws that persisted into the 1970s; what if Cara the teenage werewolf met Mercy; Teen Wolf-style van surfing on the Mystery Machine; how one might pronounce “Leah”; will Leah and Cara’s relationship change in the wake of the events in Wild Sign?; werewolves apparently get to fast-track their therapy; Mercy shows off Honey as the pretty side of werewolves; Mercy asks Bran not to show off his guessing powers while under threat; too many creepy alpha werewolves who would take advantage of a teen girl; Mercy’s lunch with Tony and the evolution of their relationship over the years; the Opel GT with the wrong-rotation engine; werewolves = Wookiees when they rip arms off?; Kelly says we all know what goes on Mercy’s tombstone: “Here lies Mercy—she tried to help”; and we’re totally not fake-sponsored by Lilly’s Piano Bar—you’ll be enthralled by every performance! As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercy-verse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson series, and the Alpha and Omega series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet. Links: * Check out our “linktree” for-now website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.co  * Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/episodes/18525659 * Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings): SheWhoWrenches * Podcast RSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2566095.rss * Patricia Briggs' official website with complete book list: https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/  * Stories in timeline order (how they happen for Mercy): https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/printabletimeline.html * Follow and message us on BlueSky with your favorite ridiculous theory: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social  Recording Date: 2026-03-13 Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:34 Recap Guy 00:01:20 Reporter Tells Mercy and Honey About Teen Werewolf Daughter 00:17:34 Tony Asks Mercy About Preternaturals Over Lunch 00:26:26 Wrap Up 00:27:56 Outtake YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/08c1ArGBsvA

E11 Blood Bound 03: Exact Recreation of Mercy’s Closet

Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/fan_mail/new] Uncle Mike's Book Club discusses chapters 5–6 of Blood Bound, the second book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Like, part of each chapter.  They cover: which member of the metaphorical Scooby-Doo gang Stefan would be; the challenges of intimacy around a werewolf pack and the related logistical conundrums; "Denny likes to watch" and yet another reference to the terrible movie The Room (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Room); why the Samuel-in-Texas scene makes us so uncomfortable; how surprisingly dark Blood Bound is compared to other Mercy books; more jokes about how much space there is in Mercy's single-wide trailer; True Blood's vampire-stashing places; where Stefan usually spends the day; Vampire HR; The Simpsons (including the Treehouse of Horror episode where Homer's horoscope predicts his death); the distinctive sound of pre-digital phone calls breaking up; sending Gabriel out for parts before Black shows up for a scene above his pay grade; Brittany's extremely obscure complaints about The Mandalorian's second- and third-season writing choices; and how Recap Guy really needs to improve his notes. As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercy-verse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, at least). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:54 Recap Guy 00:03:13 Which Scooby-Doo Character Do the Demon Hunters Represent? 00:06:31 Start the Book, Immediate Tangent to Adam and Mercy’s Relationship 00:11:26 Samuel’s Texas Backstory 00:19:17 Mercy Calls Bran About Samuel 00:20:44 Phone Crackle & Call Drops 00:22:37 Honey as a Bodyguard, Gabriel GTFO Links: • Check out our “linktree” for-now website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.co • Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/episodes/18525659 • Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings): SheWhoWrenches • Podcast RSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2566095.rss • Patricia Briggs' official website with complete book list: https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/ • Stories in timeline order (how they happen for Mercy): https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/printabletimeline.html • Follow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Recording Date: 2026-02-27 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/l2QbpkxyWek

E10 Blood Bound 2: Self-Care for the Preternatural

Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/fan_mail/new] In this episode, Uncle Mike’s Book Club discusses chapters 4–5 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. They discuss supernatural coping mechanisms; whether the Fae can listen to heavy metal like Iron Maiden (https://www.ironmaiden.com), Mötley Crüe (https://motley.com), and Led Zeppelin (https://www.ledzeppelin.com); comparing the vampire seethe court to various TV judges and discussing how vampire courts work; how strange Wulfe is and his similarities to Coach Beard from Ted Lasso (https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy); speculating about a DoorDash or Uber Eats service for vampires; a What We Do in the Shadows reference (“It’s not hygienic!”) (https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/what-we-do-in-the-shadows); the vampires’ “tell the truth chair,” how to speak “chair,” and Stefan and Mercy testifying while seated in it; “must acquit” references from the O.J. trial; Mercy’s amazing ability to think before she speaks; wrapping up vampire night court; Warren and Ben joining Stefan to hunt vampires; Mercy complaining about her bodyguards, which are apparently as hard to cancel as AOL in the early 2000s; and how much Mercy loves sparring at full speed with Adam. We are a fan-based Mercy Thompson Universe (aka the Mercyverse) reread-along podcast. Just some friends who love Mercy Thompson (and a lot of other stuff) sharing fan theories, joking around, teasing each other, and making weird references to other fandoms and pop culture. As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercyverse: the short stories, the Mercy Thompson series, and the Alpha and Omega series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). So if you aren’t caught up, fair warning. Links: * Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/episodes/18525659 * Podcast RSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2566095.rss * Check out our for-now website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.co * Patricia Briggs’ official website with complete book list: https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/ * Stories in timeline order (how they happen for Mercy): https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/printabletimeline.html * Follow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social  Recording Date: 2026-02-06 Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:51 Recap Guy 00:06:13 Supernatural Coping Mechanisms 00:07:16 Night Court at the Vampire Seethe 00:12:33 We Meet Wulfe, the Creepy Teen-Looking Vampire 00:16:23 Vampire DoorDash 00:17:39 Back to the Vampire Court 00:25:42 Mercy Complains to Adam About Honey as a Bodyguard YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/C7O7ZYYMGhY

E09 Blood Bound 01: Meanwhile, at the Airport Ramada

Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/fan_mail/new] In this episode, Uncle Mike's Book Club discusses chapters 1-3 of Blood Bound.  This is the episode where you find out what terrible people we actually are. It also begins a new running joke: we start the ongoing way to bring us back from tangents, “Meanwhile, at the Airport Ramada…”   We discuss vampire lore across fandoms, vampires not letting go of the fashions from their human days, revisit what a single wide trailer doesn’t have room for, updates on Briggs’s vampire lore (and what would it REALLY take to destroy Wulfe?), if Blood Bound is the creepiest Mercy Thompson book, vampires can grow claws??, what level of naked is Mercy for her retelling of the events of the night with the sorcerer, how Mercy’s single wide trailer can apparently have a third bedroom AND the closets aren’t full and can fit a 6ft tall vampire, why Stefan can sometimes teleport and sometimes not—what are the limits??, if vampires in the Mercy-verse have mirror reflections, enriching your power-word word-power through unfiltered Ben swearing, which Chinese place do they get takeout from??, and speculation about Warren and Ben’s relationship. Random things mentioned: Days of Our Lives, how the different Mercy-verse readers pronounce names differently, Skeleton Crew (and Disney Star Wars), the creepy Doctor Who episode “Blink,” Kelly’s Band and baby bats, Weekly World News, Coast To Coast AM (you can actually find it in podcast form, though it’s no longer hosted by Art Bell), Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell, the Chili’s theme song (by way of Austin Powers), parts of the USA where everyone has blankets draped over their couches, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Demon sweat live, Sorcerer’s code, Repo Man and repossessing demon and devolving into a Night at the Roxbury reference, The Room’s “Anyway, how’s your sex life?” which has theatrical showings where people throw plastic spoons and they play football in tuxedos… As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercy-verse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet.  Links: * Message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social  * Check out our for-now website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.co  * Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/episodes/18525659 * Podcast RSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2566095.rss Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:04 Recap Guy 00:05:06 Start talking about Blood Bound 00:09:40 More Vampire lore explored 00:11:50 Meeting the new vampire at the hotel 00:17:53 Goth Baby Bats, The Weekly World News, and Coast to Coast AM 00:21:04 Back at the Airport Ramada (Stefan is drooling and Cory is killing) 00:23:54 Mercy comes to with a vampire and a werewolf stare down 00:28:49 Daniel the baby vampire already met the sorcerer backstory 00:30:55 Stefan asks Mercy to testify in the Vampire Seethe Court 00:31:37 Stefan the vampire asks to "sleep" for the day in Mercy's Closet 00:33:39 Do vampires have reflections in the Mercy Thompson universe? 00:35:00 Mercy can't sleep with a dead vampire in her closet 00:36:53 Mercy's VW Rabbit has scars from the night with the vampires 00:38:48 Meet Mrs. Hanna's Ghost 00:39:55 Mercy goes to work fixing cars 00:42:15 Mercy asks Zee about Sorcerers 00:44:39 Mercy is approached by the reporter after hours 00:47:02 Ben and Warren come to watch Mercy/ take her for a nap 00:48:37 Mercy/Warren/Ben relationship hashing out 00:52:29 Wulfe ponderings and episode close 00:53:43 Outtake Recording Date:  2026-01-31 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/UMZMKXeLTzQ

Moon Called Cliff Notes: A Wildly Inaccurate Retelling of Mercy Thompson

Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/fan_mail/new] Moon Called Cliff Notes is our wildly inaccurate recap of Moon Called, the first book in the Mercy Thompson series, by Patricia Briggs. It’s stitched together from all the Recap Guys in our coverage of Moon Called over multiple episodes. Indulge the least responsible way to get caught up on Moon Called. (But you’ll probably enjoy it more if you’ve already read the books.) If you’ve ever wanted the plot of Moon Called filtered through werewolf roofies, Vanagon slander, dated tech observations, mercenaries, vampire politics, and at least one truly unnecessary TPS report joke, congratulations: somehow this episode is just for you. This bonus episode is a fast, chaotic sample of the vibe at Uncle Mike’s Book Club — a condensed retelling of the first Mercy Thompson book with jokes, tangents, and a level of accuracy best described as “spiritually adjacent.” No spoilers here for later Mercy Thompson books — just Moon Called, badly summarized with enthusiasm. In under eleven minutes, we speedrun Mercy meeting Mac, Adam getting kidnapped, Jesse getting rescued, vampire chaos, mercenary nonsense, Gabriel showing up to work eventually, and an absolutely unreasonable amount of commentary about Vanagons. If this nonsense delights you, you can find our full Moon Called discussions and the rest of our Mercy Thompson coverage wherever you listen. Links: * Check out our “linktree”/for-now website: shewhowrenches.carrd.co  * Follow and message us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social  * Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095/episodes/18525659 * Podcast RSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2566095.rss * Patricia Briggs' official website with complete book list: https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/  * Stories in timeline order (how they happen for Mercy): https://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/printabletimeline.html We are a fan-based Mercy Thompson Universe (AKA Mercy-verse) reread-along podcast. Just some friends who love Mercy Thompson (and a lot of other stuff). We share personal fan theories, joke and tease and make weird references to other fandoms and pop culture.  Chapters: 00:00:00 Moon Called Chapters 1-4 00:00:46 Moon Called Chapters 5-7 00:01:27 Moon Called Chapters 7-10 00:03:46 Moon Called Chapters 11-13 00:06:22 Moon Called Chapters 14-15 00:08:44 Moon Called Chapter 16 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/7pnMdL20VFA