Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Latest Episodes:

My True Love Gave To Me (2014) Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Brenna and Joe celebrate the holiday season with a look at the Stephanie Perkins-edited collection of seasonal stories.

We chat about the stories we liked the best ("It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown", "Krampuslauf", "Midnights", "The Girl Who Broke The Dreamer" and "Welcome to Christmas, CA") with special lumps of coal for a few less successful entries ("Polaris is Where You'll Find Me", "What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?" and "Star of Bethelem").

It's a mixed bag!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mailbag 25: Dark Rise Recommendation Dec 15, 2023

Show notes

Here's a short and sweet Mailbag from Tasmanian listener Emily, with a recommendation for a future read: Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Willy Wonka / Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

We've got a golden ticket! To coincide with the release of new film Wonka, Brenna and Joe dip into Roald Dahl's problematic 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as well as Mel Stuart's 1971 adaptation and Tim Burton's 2005 "more faithful" take.

There's *lots* to discuss: colonialism, racism, slavery, "the deserving poor," mixed moral messages, Anna Wintour hair, Michael Jackson and practical FX.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shamer's Daughter Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

Thanks to listener Charlotte, we're checking out The Shamer's Daughter, book one in Lene Kaaberbøl's The Shamer Chronicles, as well its 2015 film adaptation by Kenneth Kainz.

This medieval fantasy novel has a fantastic protagonist, strong female friendships, and complex moral stakes. The film is less memorable: it is a little too grey and happy to forego politics for explosions, but it does keep the book's dark ending.

Plus: why Brenna won't forgive the puritans who complain about the book's language.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mailbag 24: Bat Mitzvah Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

After our episode on You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah, listener Tea, Books & Chocolate wrote in to share her experiences, including expensive gifts and a Mitzvah project that involved a protest rally with grandma!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Brenna and Joe are working on our Mitzvahs as we discuss Fiona Rosenbloom's 2005 book You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah and its 2023 Netflix adaptation by Sammi Cohen.

While both texts are relatively slight, we found these quite enjoyable. The book's conflict is a little manufactured and the Judaism lessons can be a little after school special, but we're big fans of Stacy's relationship with younger brother Arthur.

The film, meanwhile, features the whole Sandler clan, but Sunny and Sadie are great comedic actresses and there's so much musicality here that we're willing to forgive how Mean Girls-ish this feels.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mailbag 23: Alanna Recommendation / Imogen Consolation Nov 24, 2023

Show notes

We're responding to mail from listeners Aimee, who has an Alanna-inspired contemporary recommendation, and Victoria, who is drawing on lessons from Imogen, Obviously and There's Someone Inside Your House to confront toxicity in her personal life.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023) Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

Brenna and Joe return to Panem for The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, directed by franchise regular Francis Lawrence.

While Joe struggles with the transition from Part 2 to 3, Brenna is unconvinced by lead actor Tom Blyth or the romance between Snow and Lucy Gray.

We do, however, have plenty of praise for Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer and Jason Schwartzman, as well as the costume design and the politics of the dystopia.

Perhaps it simply needed to be a (mini)series instead of a 2 hour 40 minute movie?

Missed our discussion of the book? Listen here https://tinyurl.com/5n6apjy8

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mockingjay Part 2 feat. Alex Heeney Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

We're wrapping up Mockingjay which means our resident The Hunger Games expert Alex Heeney of Seventh Row is back!

We're closing out the back half of Suzanne Collins' book (Chapter 13 -> End) and Francis Lawrence's Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) with a discussion about PTSD, the Capitol as arena, and the heteronormative baby-centric ending.

Plus: settling the Peeta vs Gale debate once and for all, the ugly visual palette of the film and Katniss as soldier.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

> Alex: @bwestcineaste / @SeventhRow / Website

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mailbag 22: Cursive Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Brenna and Joe gush over new listener Chantal's cool grandmother (reader of Harlequin romance novels), then sidestep into a conversation about cursive writing as a lost art form and how it can connect us.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.