Why if it isn't the old bait-and-switch...

Anita Blake: The series the guy at BAM! Books-a-Million warned you about...

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2068573/open_sms] Wow, is it already time for our annual episode again? Just kidding, we're gonna try to do more episodes more frequently now that we're on an emotional upswing (at least we're trying right? Surely that counts for almost something...). This episode celebrates the more than three decades of Laurell K. Hamilton's "Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" series of urban fantasy horror and crime novels by revisiting the first entry in the series, "Guilty Pleasures". Scooch your seat up real close to the vampire burlesque catwalk, dig out your old "Vampires are people too" pins, and find a stuffed penguin to curl up with as we reanimate the book that started it all for the "tough as nails" vampire hunter.

The late, great Hannibal Lecter

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2068573/open_sms] Ride with us... for our pleasure... as we pursue the Tooth Fairy in Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon." Learn how eating centuries old watercolors can improve your gut microbiome, which brand of fast dissolving toilet paper is best for letter writing, and which aftershave to pick for a trip to visit the wonderful Hannibal Lecter. Plus, we are really excited to finally have a reason to talk about NBC's "Hannibal." I mean, have you seen it? It's so good! We make sure to tag and bag all the evidence on this one (including that block of cheese), so be ready for spoilers if you are new to the Lecter-verse. No, I don't think Lecter-verse will catch on, but maybe the LCU (Lecter Cinematic Universe)?

Fancy a game of horse, or better yet, elk?

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2068573/open_sms] In a big country dreams stay with you, but so do the misdeeds of the past if Stephen Graham Jones' "The Only Good Indians" has anything to say about it. Hop in our pickup truck (once we get it off the cinder blocks) as we talk about visits to the local recycling center, opening up a brand new Circuit City, and where Slimer falls on that loathsome BMI. As always, we trample through the whole plot, spoiling it as we go. Then again, you're probably just here to talk about Kurt Russell, and that's fine.

Loathe It or List It

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2068573/open_sms] Drop on by for an open house tour of Brian Asman's "Man, F*** This House." (Please take your shoes off, the carpet is brand new.) We talk about the need for really "good bones" in this episode, and even bone structure, as the Crypt Keeper tries out Korean skincare routines, we recount actual haunted houses we have lived in, and we even give tips on how to cover up book titles with sticky notes for the benefit of any onlookers with delicate constitutions. You can hire an inspector after your offer is accepted, but right away we should disclose that we spoil the whole plot of the novella in this episode. So, if you want to do a final walkthrough, great. Otherwise, buyer beware!

Why if it isn't the old bait-and-switch...

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2068573/open_sms] Come along as we are lured like moths to the flame at the chance to talk about our favorite cryptid and spiritual ally: the Mothman! Admittedly, we were supposed to be discussing John A. Keel's "The Mothman Prohpecies," but as we discovered only a few scant traces of our hero in it, we ended up feeling a bit betrayed (Well, in terms of betrayal, it's really no worse than a moderately successful Ponzi scheme). Buckle up for a rocky and rant laden episode, as we search corporate restrooms for treats left by the Mothman, bump into celebrities at the Ross, and think about ways to creatively abridge books by about 150 pages. Also, there are zero spoilers this time, because everyone already knows about the Silver Bridge collapse. And if you didn't, well you do now.