NerdAlert!: My Favorite Podcasts on Books

One of my favorite websites, BookRiot, recently released a new podcast series, Annotated. This is an “audio-documentary series telling stories about books, reading, and language” and it features BookRiot’s creators, Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky. Their first episode was just released and it features George Orwell’s 1984 and just why it would be making it’s recent surge back to the top of the charts (hmm, I wonder.) My favorite feature of this podcast was the attention spent on the history of 1984, a look into George Orwell’s past, and why this novel is popular.

While listening to Annotated I quickly new this would be one of my new favorite podcasts to add to my list. I currently keep up with 41 podcasts that occur either weekly or bi-weekly, some more, some less…yes, I know I have a problem. These 41 podcasts fall into the following categories: sports, books, murder, The Bachelor franchise, or just stuff I like. Since Annotated inspired me, I figured I could focus my efforts on sharing my favorite “Bookcasts.”

1. What Should I Read Next? with Anne Bogel 

Currently on Episode 85

I first found Anne Bogel through her blog Modern Mrs. Darcy a few years ago and last year she started the WSIRN podcast! Anne’s blog focuses on many different categories: House & Home, Beauty & Style, Work & Family, but I went there for her posts on books, reading, and her Kindle newsletter. So when she released WSIRN, I knew it was meant to be and I could skip all of the “Mommy Blogging.”

Each episode of What Should I Read Next? features a guest and follows the same format: the guest tells Anne three books they love, one book they hate, and what they’re reading lately, and Anne gives them three recommendations. I have gotten many great recommendations from this podcast and have even been encouraged to visit a few books on my TBR pile because of the praise they received. Plus, I find Anne’s voice to be so soothing and I leave each podcast wanting to listen to more, so I typically let this one back up a few episodes so I can binge.

What Should I Read Next? iTunes

2. Overdue

Currently on Episode 247

If you want to crack up about some of your favorite titles, listen to this podcast.

Each Monday, Craig and Andrew share a book that you either already love or have been meaning to read, and then proceed to poke fun at plot lines. I love this podcast for many reasons, but mainly because their laughs are infectious. Each episode of Overdue tackles a book that “you probably should have read by now” with banter that leaves you feeling like you just spoke with two close friends. I typically skip around the episodes because I either don’t want to ruin a book on my TBR list or I look through the feed of 247 episodes and find one I just cannot miss. Most of the titles they choose are from listener recommendations, so in between episodes on 1984 or Jane Eyre, Craig and Andrew share their thoughts on 50 Shades of Grey and Infinite Jest. 

Overdue iTunes

3. Harry Potter and the Sacred Text

Currently on Book 3, Chapter 14

***I need to note that I love Harry Potter, a lot. Harry Potter was an adventure from 4th grade to my freshman year of college. It is what encouraged me to start branching away from only reading what my mom or brother read, and find my own preference in books. I love Harry Potter so much that I have a tribute to it tattooed on my body, I have a wand, my college dorm room was decked out in HP posters, I named a fish after Mad-Eye Moody, I love HP. LOVE.

I just recently ran across this podcast and I am VERY far behind, but I have loved it so much that it has already made it’s way into my top 5. If this was MySpace, I would have some very jealous friends. Anyways, I found Harry Potter and the Sacred Text while searching through the Religion & Spirituality category in the Podcast App and love the hosts approach to reading Harry Potter. Their tagline is “Reading something we love as if it were sacred.” Every episode is dedicated to a single chapter of the series, hence the episodes not being numbered, and they read each chapter with a theme in mind. I wish I could say more, however I am still so far behind in the podcast that I don’t want to misrepresent what it has become. If you’re an HP fan or if you have never read the series (MOM!) I suggest that you give it a listen, maybe even read along with each episode and your life will be changed.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text iTunes

Benchwarmer: All the Books!

Currently on Episode 110

Get ready for your TBR list to grow exponentially. Another offshoot of BookRiot, All the Books! features the Well-Red Heads, Rebecca Schinsky and Liberty Hardy, as they talk about each week’s new releases. Just a fair warning, both of them are cat people…but they’re SO cool! This podcast releases every Tuesday and features new releases. I have to take a break from this podcast every so often because my list of books to get is overwhelming. However, Liberty and Rebecca have great banter, are awesomely nerdy, and show their passion for reading.

**Life goal: be Liberty Hardy.

All The Books! iTunes

Backlist: BookRiot – The Podcast

Currently on Episode #215

This is the first book-focused podcast I listened to and it is full of great information. They go beyond books to read and talk about happenings in the world of publishing. BookRiot is my go-to website and they’ve proven themselves to be very reliable. They also have more focused podcasts focusing on Sci-Fi and Fantasy that just released, as well as Read or Dead that focuses on mysteries and thrillers!

BookRiot-The Podcast iTunes

Happy Listening!

Before and After: MBfBC vol. 6 & updates

Since I have been playing a ton of bar trivia lately, I wanted to start off with a fun round of Before and After. Here’s the gist: I give you two clues, you find the shared word that connects the two clues and come up with an answer. It’s similar to everyone’s favorite round on Wheel of Fortune.

Clue #1: A National Book of the Year finalist that mixes architecture and murder in the city of the 2016 MLB Champions.

Clue #2: A city in the rockies where it isn’t uncommon to play the game “Hipster or Hobo.”

5…4…3…2…1…

Answer: The Devil in the White City of Denver

Congrats to everyone who answered correctly! Based on my assumed readership, congrats Mom & Dad. I wanted to title this post The Devil in the White City of Denver, but figured it would be more fun to torture those who were nice enough to click on the link I post on Facebook. Why spoil all of the fun early? It’s what I tell all of my students, “create a title that is bland and boring and make your reader guess as they go. Trust me,  everyone loves that game.” Anyways, I recently moved to Denver and volume 6 of My Boyfriend’s Book Club is The Devil in the White City so it works.

Denver Highlights: Today marks Denver day 10 and everything has been going well. I like the area where we live, there is a park right across the street so I can work on turning Oliver’s bratwurst physique into one that is AKC Chihuahua/Beagle/other certified, and there are Little Free Libraries EVERYWHERE! It’s like Oprah visited HOA meetings in the city and passed out Little Free Libraries to someone on every street. So far I have picked up The Girls by Emma Cline. Oh, and I am employed so that’s a major perk.

My Boyfriend’s Book Club, vol. 6: Yeah, yeah, yeah… we skipped volumes 4 and 5, alert the media. But when you spend approximately 48 hours together every month for a year, writing a blog about books is not at the top of the list. You’ll be happy to know that we did actually read two great books which can be found in our catalogue at the end of the post. Also, this write-up will not be identically formatted  as my previous posts because, well, I make the rules. (Plus I haven’t posted in months so don’t act like you actually remember my previous formatting.)

Published: 2003     Pages: 447     Genre: History, True Crime

Why This?: This month was my pick. I selected it based on my love of True Crime (shoutout to my fave podcast My Favorite Murder) and the fact that it seemed fitting since it is one year since Will and I took a trip to Chicago. Plus, we can prep for the Leo film that is supposed to be in development.

Shae’s Short Summary: The World’s Fair is coming to town! Buy up all of the cheap land near the fairgrounds to build a hotel filled with torture devices because, honestly, no law enforcement agency will even care if someone complains that their daughter has gone missing. Insert a lot of information on landscape architecture and take a short break with a creeper named Prendergast.

Will’s Thoughts: “Being a History major, it was interesting how much collaboration was required to put the fair together. The look behind the scenes was very cool. Also, it was interesting to read about how easy it was to be a serial killer back then, and just how dumb the people were around H.H. Holmes.”

Shae’s Thoughts: “Dude, that girl left her footprint on a metal door. Crazy.”

Real Talk: How did this book not win the National Book of the Year award? Just a reminder of the Nonfiction winner from 2003, in case you forgot, Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy by Carlos Eire…read by no one ever.  Larson made the old saying “I’d rather watch paint dry” a farce, literally.  His meticulous research and narrative style made the subjects of paint, soil, and dimensions competitive equals to murder, deception, and overall weirdness. We love that stuff! The Devil in the White City is proof of how deeply rooted murder is in America, a sad and morose conclusion but true.

It would be a shame if I didn’t close this post with some sage advice from the women of My Favorite Murder, Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered!

Rating:  4.5/5

Next Pick: We have our first ever guest pick from Will’s brother, Peter! The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It’s been compared to the Holy Grail, Harry Potter so I’m already in love. Plus if a guy with the last name Rothfuss can’t write a badass fantasy novel, life just doesn’t make sense.

Catalogue:

1. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (Will)
2. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (Shae)
3. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Will)
4. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Shae)
5. Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger (Will)
6. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Shae)

My Boyfriend’s Book Club (vol. 3 -The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy)

For the third installment of MBfBC, we took a mostly harmless journey into the galaxy with Will’s pick, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This book has always been on my TBR so I was excited when Will selected it plus I knew I was in for a laugh.

Published: 1979     Pages: 180     Genre: Science Fiction

Drink: We learned a lot from The Guide. For instance, we learned that “the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. It says that the effect of drinking a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick” (17). So, naturally, Will and I gave them a go.

 

Why This?: Will read Hitchhiker’s when he was younger and wanted to give it another go. I remember so many of my classmates reading this is school and I have been meaning to try it ever since.

Shae’s Short Summary: Earth is blown up to create a galactic freeway, Ford Prefect (writer for The Guide) saves Arthur Dent (the last remaining human) and they begin to travel the galaxy and search for the meaning of life. Thanks to many acts of improbability we meet the President of the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian, and their depressed robot Marvin the Paranoid Android.

Shae’s Thoughts     Will’s Thoughts

Favorite Part: Meeting all of the different characters throughout the novel and learning about them. Also that Earth’s entry in The Guide is “mostly harmless.” Petunias and the whale…to best describe this incident, read the following graphic.

Favorite Character: Zaphod and Ford – they’re quirky and fun. Marvin – so annoying he made the computer commit suicide.

Least Favorite Part: None, it made me want to keep reading. No issues, too short.

Would you recommend? YES! Absolutely, bring a towel.

Real Talk: I could see how HHGTTG would not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is sooooo amazing. I couldn’t even think of one quote to pull out of the book in fact, my great friends at BookRiot managed to narrow it down to 42 for us :). My favorite from the list is #37 – “Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.” Reading HHGTTG made me feel all the feelings and despite being 37 years old, the issues are still relevant. Adams is a hilarious genius that makes the reader escape into a crazy world that, somehow, if you choose to suspend some sense of reality, seems real.  I honestly have no more words to say about the book other than read it and enjoy a nice giggle.

Rating:  5/5

Next Read: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Oliver enjoying HHGTTG

My Boyfriend’s Book Club (vol. 2 – Fight Club)

Welcome back to MBfBC, I told myself that I would do a blog post a week this month BUT life has been happening and I simply do not have time to write blog posts in my spare time without giving up my Netflix addiction. But, never fear, the book club is still going strong!

This month was my pick! I chose Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (10 points if you can properly pronounce his last name) because it’s been sitting on my shelf forever, it’s short, and it turns out that neither of us had seen the movie. Additionally, the stars aligned, and Flix Brewhouse was screening the film at the end of month. So, without further ado… Congratulations! You are now the recipient of a book review and a three sentence movie review from something that happened almost 20 years ago and you could easily Google!

Published: 1996        Pages: 208        Genre: what in the world is happening?!? (Satirical Novel)

Food: Bone-in chicken, we wanted something primal.

Drink: Whiskey and ginger

Why This?!: Shae’s pick – I’m selfish and am tired of looking at it on the shelf. Plus the cover has a recommendation from Bret Easton Ellis and American Psycho is one of my favorite books.

Shae’s Short Summary: This guy’s apartment blows up, he can’t sleep, he goes to support groups, he meets Marla. Same guy meets a dude name Tyler Durden, they make soap and fight each other. WHAT IS HAPPENING?! I can’t keep up! This book is stupid…OMG it all makes sense now! The narrator and Tyler are the same person, duh! (That was literally my thought process during the book.)

Will’s Thoughts     Shae’s Thoughts

Favorite Part of the Book: When the narrator holds up the convenience store worker and you think the whole time he is going to have to kill him but instead he gives him six weeks to get on track to be a vet. Chapter 18, when you learn about the dual personality…whoa! Or am I just dumb? And when his boss finds his stuff on the copier, that was fun.

Favorite Character: Tyler, he was a terrorist and philosopher. Narrator,  he seemed like the most normal one until you realized he was the whole reason so much weird was happening.

I didn’t like…: Marla as a plot device, she wasn’t a character. When Tyler was out of control with Project Mayhem and the soap, it made me uncomfortable.

Would you recommend this book? Yes. Yes, and I’d even recommend that they read the afterword by Chuck Palahniuk first because it gives a lot of fun, context to how the story came about. 

Real Talk: Entering into this book all I knew about Fight Club is that you don’t talk about it. I know, basic. You learn in Palahniuk’s afterword that the book originated from a short story that later became a chapter within the novel. He had recently been in fist fight over summer vacation and was bored at work, on top of that he was tired of seeing novels in bookstores that aimed to women within society so, he created Fight Club. The plot is driven by the narrator’s inability to sleep, which leads to  Marla, frustration, fear, and, ultimately, fighting. Fighting is something I’ve never done, although I was punched in a basketball game once (video on my Instagram: @seagraves22) but Fight Club is built upon the ability to release the frustration and fear people are feeling. Overall, this book feels like you’re in a 200 page fever dream; it’s dark and twisted, it messes with your mind, but it’s honest. The idea of creating fight club stems out of something very real, two people looking for release.

“I want you to do me a favor. I want you to hit me as hard as you can.” 

Now I don’t suggest that everyone who needs to find themselves and do some self-exploration goes around starting fight clubs and creating havoc around the town like Tyler does with Project Mayhem. But Fight Club hits strongly on destruction – people want to destroy what haunts them now, to find what is creating their inner turmoil and just pummel it. It’s the basic concept that sometimes, people need to break themselves down in order to find out who they are.

3 Sentences on the movie: I’m so happy they were able to use Marla’s character better than the book could convey her, after all, fight club began because of her. Reading the book helped me take so much more from a first watch of the movie, picking up on how others don’t look at Tyler and better understanding the relationship with Marla. Such a good film, despite Brad Pitt’s clothing.

Rating:  4.5/5

Next Read: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

My Boyfriend’s Book Club (vol. 1 – For Whom The Bell Tolls)

Welcome to the first installment of My Boyfriend’s Book Club!

This month we took a stab at the classic For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Let me start by saying that this all began as a way for me to manipulate Will to start reading more books while selfishly being able to expand on the types of books I read. Plus, reading rocks! 

Here’s how this whole thing works:

• We alternate book selections and agree on a date to have it read…then change that date 2-3 times based on schedules
• Once we both finally finish the book, we set up a date to discuss it…then change that date 2-3 times because we decided to watch wrestling or New Girl or something instead
• To help keep discussions guided, we eat a themed-ish meal while we answer four extremely simple questions about the book
• A new book is selected for the following MBfBC (and will now stay around 300 pages based on our first attempt)
• I will write a blog post about the experience with a short plot summary, review of our questions, and summary of thoughts. I cross my fingers and hope this is somewhat exciting and help people decide if they want to read the book or not, or even better want to discuss their opinions of the novel!

Published: Oct. 1940     Pages: 480     Genre: War novel

****76 year old spoilers occur beyond this point **** 

Food: BBQ Chicken Enchiladas – because nothing else says Spain more than a Tex-Mex classic – and a chocolate rabbit.

Drink: Spanish Wine

Why this?!: Will’s pick. He loves Old Man and the Sea and I was pretty excited because I really enjoyed A Farewell to Arms in high school.

Shae’s Short Summary: Somewhere in Spain the great Robert Jordan is told to blow up a bridge. Along his four day, 480 page journey, he meets a band of guerrilla fighters and the love of his life, Maria aka Little Rabbit  **barf**. Fights, long-winded stories, and  late night rendezvous’ ensue, I doze off about 75 times, and BOOM! Robert Jordan finally blows up the bridge and eventually dies – RIP.

Will’s Thoughts     Shae’s Thoughts

Favorite Part of the Book: The massacre of the Fascists. Robert’s first night in the cave when you meet Pilar and the fact that Hemingway uses the words like obscenity, muck, or manure instead of actually cursing. My favorite example of this is, “‘Of course not. Do not talk such manure,’ he said, using a stronger, ugly word.”

Favorite Character: Pilar! Anselmo. We guessed each others before sharing, how cute.

I didn’t like…: The rambling middle and how fast Maria fell for Robert Jordan. Pages 110-307. Blah, blah, blah…blow up the damn bridge already!

Would you recommend this book?: Yes, to the right person. Yes.* 

Real Talk: This book had its peaks and its deep, deep valleys. The first 100 pages had me pumped up for RJ, going on adventures and blowing up bridges…instead he was sitting in caves and being super creepy about Maria. I literally just Googled “how old is maria in for whom the bell tolls” and learned she is 19, Robert Jordan’s age is apparently unsearchable. I don’t know, maybe it’s because Maria has been through some tough manure in her life or maybe she just doesn’t give a muck anymore and thinks that RJ is cute, either way they fall in love obscenely quick. Also, what is it with him always being called Robert Jordan? It’s never shortened or abbreviated, I can’t decide if it’s annoying or just makes him seem cooler, because he is kind of a cool dude. I know that I give Robert Jordan a hard time, but all-in-all he is a good character; he’s reflective, fearless, and we watch him grow and change throughout his last four days alive. He is probably the type of man every guy aspired to be in the 1940’s: unflappable, capable, and someone even asked him to blow stuff up which is pretty sweet. But his character is only as strong as the ones around him, and RJ has some awesome help. Pablo, PILAR, Anselmo, and the list goes on. They depict the toughness it takes to survive hopeless odds and the scars that have been left behind. Throughout For Whom the Bell Tolls we meet characters who are deeply entrenched in the effects of war and are questioning their own values and morality as they recite their stories and come to terms with the acts they have already committed and witnessed. Despite all of these tragic events already being reality, they still decide to go along with this crazy white man’s plan to blow up some bridge and cause even more havoc. ¡Qué va! *Will and I both said that we would recommend this book to someone but it would have to be the right person. It’s safe to say that the major plot points weren’t necessarily exciting or fast paced enough for either of us, but overall this book is driven by the effects of war and it isn’t a light, afternoon read. So if you decide to start reading this novel, hang on to your hat because a steady, yet forceful, breeze is coming your way.

Rating: 

Next Read: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

And that concludes Volume 1 of My Boyfriend’s Book Club. If you have read For Whom the Bell Tolls let me know your thoughts on the novel, if not let me know if you’re racing out to buy or check out a copy soon. In the meantime here’s a cute picture of my dog Oliver, his pal Lilly, and my great 1960’s library edition.

 

 

The Anatomy of Stuff

Titles, I’ve always been really bad at titles. Remember in high school when you would always be asked to come up with something creative to encapsulate your 5 paragraph essay about Julius Caesar, or The Scarlet Letter, or World War II? Well, mine was probably “Julius Caesar and Other Stuff.” So after 3 months of agonizing over the next great blog title I have thought up “Stuff by Shae,” don’t worry, we’re only bound to go up from here.

I used to write a blog, in fact I learned today that it has had 49 views in the last week and I haven’t posted in over a year (woo! P.s. if you click on the link just read the one about Insanity, people seem to like that one), but I needed a new area to hoard my thoughts and ideas so here I am. You can expect hard-hitting posts including, but not limited to, things like books, beer, sports, comics, podcasts, Netflix, WWE, Big Business, the Oxford comma, and “The Bachelor/ette.” Aka, anything.

Here’s a few things about me: My name is Shae and I fall into the category of twenty-something. I recently adopted a dog who is very small to contrast how tall I am. My boyfriend is even taller – he will be making appearances on here because I forced him into a book club with me. My 3 favorite things: books, beer, and watching sports.