Bookstupid with Claire and Molly

18: Huffin’ and puffin’ and blowin’ my house down

If you’re reading this, former president of Fordham University Father McShane, we’re going to watch Fifty Shades of Grey. We know about s-e-x and we’re allowed to watch that movie. This week, we talk about the steamy scenes that inspire us, and we’re still figuring out what that means exactly. We also discuss Obsession, the newest season of Four Seasons, and weird dates we witnessed in the wild this week. This is a message to the women of Manhattan: dump him!

17: Race you on the loom!

If it seems like Claire is bursting with energy in this week’s episode, it’s because she can hardly wait another second to talk about the new season of her favorite Scandinavian horror show, The Chestnut Man. Also this week, we discuss the lifestyle movies that made us yearn for womanhood (The Devil Wears Prada), as well as a show that makes us sad about girlhood (The Testaments). Finally, we review a new summer romance — and Little Women fanfic — on shelves now: Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune.

16: I just got French whiplash

The state of our writing mirrors the state of our Union: bleak, bordering on hopeless. But we barely talk about the economy and AI in this episode, if you can believe it! Instead, we discuss the Off Campus tv adaptation, Molly’s cult-of-one classic LOL (starring Miley Cyrus and D’mi Moore), and Claire’s latest second chance romance Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan — in addition to workshopping our own rough writing. It’s about time you put us in your prayer books.

15: Bad dad, fine king

This week, we catch up after an eventful weekend that includes a James Patterson commencement speech, a trip down memory lane, a mostly sober viewing of The Devil Wears Prada 2, and the rescue of 1,500 beagles. Since we last met, Molly finished Rites of the Starling and Claire (finally) finished The Poisonwood Bible. Also this week, we tackle Claire’s favorite romance trope: airports and airplanes. Hopefully you can’t catch Molly’s chronic cough through your headphones.

14: She's willing to whisk everything

It’s game night! Much like the 76ers and the Knicks, Claire and Molly are facing off in a battle of grit, heart, and skill. That is, we are dusting off Joops’ dad’s friend’s game, Writer Blocks, and writing short stories against a prompt and a time limit. Tune in for this and a misandrist reading of Eternity, a hit job on (one of our favorite writers) Mindy Kaling via review of her (very good) show Running Point, an indictment of old timey romantasy, and a close read of one particular scene in Paradise season 2. Oh, and if you’re thinking about jimmying Claire’s knee? You’re too late.