The Highbrarians

Episode 20: Style Swap

Welcome to the Highbrary. We are your Highbrarians. Today is our second(and possibly final) Style Swap episode. This time we cover “One of Us is Lying” by Karen M McManus, a YA novel where “The Breakfast Club” meets “Clue,” and “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson where the point is that you’re crazy. Anyone wanna guess how many times the we say “weird” and “took it personally?” Spoiler Alert: it’s an embarrassing amount. In addition to us showcasing our staggeringly narrow vocabularies, this episode features us talking about crushes(unrequited and otherwise) The Great Oreo Debate of 2022, and somehow we always end up here, talking about candy(looking at you, Laffy Taffy.) Its always a good time here in the Highbrary and we would love for you to join us. Love, Indy and Annie 1. McManus, Karen M. One of Us Is Lying. Delacorte Press, 2017. 2. “Karen M. McManus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2022, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_M._McManus. 3. Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89717.The_Haunting_of_Hill_House. 4. “The Haunting of Hill House.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Oct. 2022, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_of_Hill_House. 5. “Shirley Jackson.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Nov. 2022, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Jackson. 6. Jackson, Shirley. The Haunting of Hill House. Penguin, 1984.

Mini Episode #2

Welcome to the Highbrary. We are your Highbrarians. Once again we thought we would try to placate you with a filler episode while we work through our own issues. Listen, the holidays take it out of everyone, we aren't sorry! (We're a little sorry.) Anyhow, this time we discussed "Eye of the Word" by Robert Jordan and "The Honeys" by Ryan La Sala. Wildly different in subject matter and length, these books are a good representation of our individual tastes in books. We also walk you through the small population of our state, Annie's primo living situation, and Indy teaches Annie about the internet. It's a moderately to quite fun time here in the Highbrary and we'd love for you to join us. Love, Indy and Annie Sources Jordan, Robert. The Eye of the World. T. Doherty Associates, 1990. “Robert Jordan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan. “The Honeys.” Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58874675-the-honeys. Kasia, et al. “About.” Ryan La Sala, 31 Aug. 2022, https://www.ryanlasala.com/about/. Sala, La Ryan. The Honeys. PUSH, 2022 “List of U.S. States and Territories by Population.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Jan. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population. “Alaska Cities by Population.” Alaska Outline, https://www.alaska-demographics.com/cities_by_population.

Episode 19: My Antonia

Welcome to the Highbrary. We are your Highbrarians. Today we cover “My Antonia” by Willa Cather. This 1918 novel follows the life of one Mr Jim Burden as he grows up in, you guessed it, NEBRASKA. He lives on a farm with his grandparents and their nearest neighbors are immigrants from Bohemia, the eldest daughter being the namesake of this book. Fueled by Taco Bell™ and dabs, we discuss foods we do or do not  like, our fear of various creepy-crawlies, our love of sunflowers, Annie’s extensive and unnecessary knowledge of the hit TV show “New Girl,” and our disdain for the patriarchy (surprise, surprise.) The critiques are endlessly flowing on this episode and we stand by it. We’d love for you to join us on this trip through the Highbrary. Love, Indy and Annie Sources: 1.Bowman, Sabienna. “25 Western Books Everyone Needs to Read.” POPSUGAR Entertainment, 15 Jan. 2020, https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/best-western-books-47095489/amp 2. Cather, Willa. My Antonia. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform , 2021. 3. “Willa Cather.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willa_Cather

Episode 18: Great Circle

Welcome to the Highbrary. We are your Highbrarians. Today we cover “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead. Part historical fiction, part textbook, this novel takes us through the lives of two ladies living in technically different centuries. Marian is a pilot during WWII(as if there is any other time period books can be about) and Hadley is a problematic actress in 2014 portraying Marian in a movie. Right off the bat, we’d like to apologize for the less than stellar sound quality and the overabundance of dogs making noise in the background. Hopefully we are forgiven when you learn our exciting news! We would also like to make a Content and Trigger Warning here at the top for the sexual assault of more than one character. Feel free to skip this episode if you need to. We promise that your mental wellbeing is more important than this book!! If you’re sticking with us, you may notice that Annie calls it “THE Great Circle” on multiple occasions and that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. We also discuss healthy eating habits and our mutual appreciation for one Mr Aaron Eckhart(don’t worry Zefron, you’re still our number one guy!) All this and more on this trip through the Highbrary and we would love it if you joined us. Love, Indy and Annie Sources: Shipstead, Maggie. “Great Circle.” Penguin Books UK, https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/440437/great-circle-by-maggie-shipstead/9780857526809. Kelly, Dan. “‘Like Driving at Night.’” Harvard Magazine, 14 Apr. 2021, https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2021/05/montage-maggie-shipstead. Shipstead, Maggie. Great Circle. Vintage Books, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2022. Maggie Shipstead. Great Circle, read by Cassandra Campbell & Alex McKenna, 25h16m.

Episode 17: Longbourn

Welcome to the Highbrary. We are your Highbrarians. Today we cover “Longbourn” by Jo Baker. The events of this novel take place alongside the events in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, a story that is very dear to one of our hearts. So much so that our ratings were VASTLY different. A book has never divided us so. Indy doesn't seem to understand that the Bennetts rule absolutely nothing in this universe and Annie lets her live in her ignorance. We still have a great romp through the Highbrary discussing our respective work dramas, the audacity of white people(a common theme at this point) and of course, our favorite man Mr Zac Efron. As always, we'd love for you to join us. Love, Indy and Annie Spotify Link!  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2i4uo8kEGs2yhU0J1Mnf7j?si=RT95nz28TUGmsB-wUmssaw [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2i4uo8kEGs2yhU0J1Mnf7j?si=RT95nz28TUGmsB-wUmssaw] Sources: 1. Tarasonin. “The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time.” B&N Reads, 6 Nov. 2021, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/50-best-works-revisionist-history-speculative-history-historical-fiction/. 2. “The Accomplished Woman, According to Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy.” Modern Mrs Darcy, 7 Apr. 2015, https://modernmrsdarcy.com/the-accomplished-woman/. 3. “Pov Sarah and James Are Dancing in the Kitchen of Longbourn.” Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2i4uo8kEGs2yhU0J1Mnf7j?si=RT95nz28TUGmsB-wUmssaw. 4. “About.” Jo Baker, http://jobakerwriter.com/about/. 5.Baker, Jo. Longbourn. CNIB, 2014.