Author Archives: renata

by | September 11, 2017 · 12:01 pm

Episode 81 – Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Kait and Renata decided to take a break from sexy vampires and learn some more about our nation’s history, so they asked KL (@momebie, @LaraEckener) to read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith with them. They learned that white people are bad and vampires are even worse. Tuck your headphones under your stovepipe hat and listen now!

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: “I Don’t Want To Watch Slavery Fan-Fiction” by Roxane Gay

Queer as a Five Dollar Bill by Lee Wind

Was Lincoln Bisexual? by Gore Vidal

Lincoln the Lover by Wilma Frances Minor

Worst Bestsellers #46 – Killing Lincoln

How Did This Get Made #108 – Con Air with Seth Grahame-Smith

Candy pairing:  Kait says wax vampire fangs, KL says root beer barrels, Renata says old timey stick candy.

Coming up next: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.

 

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Episode 81 - Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter [ 1:30:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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by | · 12:00 pm

Readers Advisory: Episode 81 – Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading →

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by | August 28, 2017 · 12:01 pm

Episode 80 – Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

 

Out of the coffin and into the world of Bon Temps! Kristin May joined us to read Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, the first of the Sookie Stackhouse novels that inspired the show True Blood. Despite the troubling trend of Confederate vampires and the overabundance of heterosexuality, this book had a lot of over-the-top drama for us to sink our teeth into–and, even better, a lot of paperwork for us to fill out.

Thank you note: Thanks so much to our Patreon sponsors for choosing this book for us to read in our first annual Patreon poll!

Patreon shout-out: Devin encourages you to visit the Wayne State University Museum of Anthropology and Planetarium, newly under the direction of his sister Megan!

Content warning: This book has light mentions of child sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Buffy Failed: ‘True Blood’ and the Accommodation of Vampires by Jon Stratton

The Trials, Tribulations & Turning of True Blood’s Tara Thornton

‘Redliners’ Drama Based On Charlaine Harris Works Gets NBC Pilot Order

Dracula vs. The Marvel Universe: 14 Times The Lord of The Undead Fought Superheroes!

Candy pairing:  Kait says candy blood, Kristin says a Take5 bar, Renata says beignets.

Coming up next: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.

 

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Episode 80 - Dead Until Dark [ 1:30:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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by | · 12:00 pm

Readers Advisory: Episode 80 – Dead Until Dark

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading →

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by | August 14, 2017 · 12:01 pm

Episode 79 – Dark Archer

The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan Albarran

In a crossover event worthy of the CW itself, the Bellwether Friends, Anna & Alene, joined us to discuss the Arrow tie-in graphic novel The Dark Archer, written by Kait’s nemesis John Barrowman (and Carole Barrowman) with art by Daniel Sampere & Juan Albarran. Are you fan of the CW’s Arrow? Well, too bad, because this comic contains none of the characters you love from that show, only John Barrowman. Alternately, have you never seen Arrow? Don’t worry, neither has Kait, and she understood this comic just as well as everyone else did. (None of us understood this comic at all because it’s extremely convoluted.)

Spoiler warning: This episode contains some spoilers for previous seasons of Arrow, except not really because Renata cannot reliably remember anything that actually ever happened on that show.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Arrow Wiki page for Malcolm Merlyn

Arrow Wiki page for Nanda Parbat

Podcast-strology: WBS’s Compatibility with Bellwether Friends

Dramatic Reading Panels: (click to embiggen)

The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan AlbarranThe Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan Albarran

The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan Albarran

That Sideboob Tho

The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan AlbarranThe Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan Albarran

The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan AlbarranThe Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan Albarran

The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman, Daniel Sampere, & Juan Albarran

Renata’s Future Tattoo

Candy pairing:  Alene says bulk chocolate fake M&Ms, Anna says a Choco Taco, Kait says Cool Ranch Doritos, Renata says a jawbreaker with a gummy dino.

Coming up next: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.

 

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Episode 79 - Dark Archer [ 1:33:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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by | · 12:00 pm

Readers Advisory: Episode 79 – Dark Archer

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Arrow: The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading →

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by | July 31, 2017 · 12:01 pm

Episode 78 – The Face on the Milk Carton

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

 

It’s Flashback Summer. Do you know where your daughter is? Have you looked on your beverage container? Jenny (definitely not Janie), Co-Founder of Grinnell College’s Caroline B. Cooney Book Club, joined us to discuss The Face on the Milk Carton. Join us for this wild dive into the world of cults, dairy products, and microfilm!

Readers advisory: Here.

Patreon shout-out: Thanks to Ai for supporting our Patreon! Check out their podcast Decoding Keanu.

Footnotes: ‘Resentments I Have Formed Against Characters From “The Face On The Milk Carton” By Caroline B. Cooney’ by Mallory Ortberg

‘The Face on the Milk Carton’ Grows Up

Frequently Challenged Young Adult Books

The Face on the Milk Carton movie

When Bad News Was Printed on Milk Cartons

99% Invisible – Milk Carton Kids

The Devil’s Elbow: ‘The Stranger’ Recap

Who Killed Lois Duncan’s Daughter?

I Am Feel Uncomfortable When We Are Not About Me?

Candy pairing:  Jenny says something you’re allergic to or chocolate that is not Rainforest Alliance certified, Kait says Oreos, Renata says fruit juice popsicles.

Coming up next: The Dark Archer by John & Carole Barrowman.

 

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Episode 78 - The Face on the Milk Carton [ 1:05:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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by | · 12:00 pm

Readers Advisory: Episode 78 – The Face on the Milk Carton

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading →

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by | July 17, 2017 · 12:01 pm

Episode 77 – Boxcar Children

Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler WarnerThe Mystery of the Purple Pool by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Flashback Summer goes all the way back to 1942 to read The Boxcar Children and The Mystery of the Purple Pool (Boxcar Children Mystery #38) by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Kait has returned from her Comet pilgrimage, and we were also joined by Katie Schenkel (@JustPlainTweets), writer of Moonlighters, to unpack the biggest mysteries of all: why the Boxcar Children made homelessness seem to appealing, and why their boxcar past equipped these extremely well-behaved children with detective skills. Pour yourself a glass of milk in your favorite pink cup and listen now!

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: “The Boxcar Children” and the Spirit of Capitalism by Jia Tolentino

What the hell happened to the Boxcar Children’s parents?

Candy pairing:   Kait says Werther’s Originals, Katie says satellite wafers or candy cigarettes, Renata says bread.

Coming up next: The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney.

 

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Episode 77 - Boxcar Children [ 1:43:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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by | · 12:00 pm

Readers Advisory: Episode 77 – Boxcar Children

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading →

Filed under Readers Advisory

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