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657: A Cloud Atlas with 12 Monkeys Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

Our Book Club reads “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel, a beautifully written story set in multiple timelines that—like her earlier novel “Station Eleven”—frustrated some, but not all, of our panelists. We also recommend a lot of other books to read!

Book Club: "Sea of Tranquility"

Host Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, Deborah Stanish, and Scott McNulty.

Referenced Works

Sea of Tranquility

[Amazon] [Apple]

Show Notes & Links

Our next Book Club selections are two Nebula Award nominees:

Spear by Nicola Griffith
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

What are we reading?

Aleen:

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Beach Read by Emily Henry
A Million Junes by Emily Henry
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

Deb:

Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them by Siân Evans
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

Erika:

Rabbit Test
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Scott:

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
Descendant Machine by Gareth L. Powell
The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran

Jason:

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Goodreads Book Club

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656: Endless Slumber Party Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

We wrap up our seven-year walkthough(!) of the seven seasons of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The show is slowly grinding to a halt, but are there gems to be discovered? Buffy’s got a speech about that. Maybe the real Big Bad was the friends we made along the way!

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" season 7

Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Jean MacDonald, Quinn Rose, Mattie Cox, and Steve Lutz.

Referenced Works

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[Amazon]

Show Notes & Links

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655: Princesses Don't Have to Wear Pink Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

This week we’re drafting Disney Princesses! There are two simple rules: They must be Disney, and they must be princesses. How far will our intrepid panelists go to stretch those rules? Join us to find out.

Disney Princess Draft

Hosts Annette Wierstra and Kathy Campbell with James Thomson, Rosemary Orchard, Moisés Chiullán, Monty Ashley, and Glenn Fleishman.

Show Notes & Links

James Thomson:

Princess Leia Organa
Elora Danan
The Princess
Quorra (Tron)
Xenomorphs (Alien)

Rosemary Orchard:

Belle
Snow White
Anastasia
Princess Fiona
Dot (Bug’s Life), Jane from Tarzan, Esmeralda, Giselle, Tinker Bell

Moises Chiullan:

Princess Eilonwy of Llyr
Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida
Mulan
Ariel
Lady (and the Tramp), Alice, Minnie Mouse, Ortensia the Cat, Marie (Aristrocats), Rita (Oliver & Company), Maleficent, Raya

Kelly Guimont:

Miss Piggy
Aurora
Dr. Frank N Furter
Vanellope Von Schweetz
Princess Vespa, Ripley (Alien)

Monty Ashley:

Cinderella
Dorothy Gale
Elsa
Maid Marian
Hello Kitty, Princess Clarabelle

Glenn Fleishman:

Wreck-It Ralph
Merida
Rapunzel
Luisa Madrigal
Eve (Wall-e), Bambi

Kathy & Annette:

Thor
Princess Buttercup
Ozma
Anna
Jasmine, Tiana, Nala, Kita, and Pocahontas

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654: Goth Girl Handbook Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Wednesday Addams is not the girl of your dreams — she’s the stuff of your nightmares. Our group of outcasts gathers in our secret library to conjure our thoughts on the first season of “Wednesday”, streaming on Netflix. We discuss what we love about the show, while also trying to figure out, is it really meant for us?

"Wednesday"

Host Tiff Arment with Brian Hamilton, Glenn Fleishman, and Kathy Campbell.

Referenced Works

Wednesday

Show Notes & Links

X (2022 film)

Wednesday (TV series - Wikipedia)

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653: Royalty Don't Mess Around Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Put on your home-built Iron Man suit and whisper into some beads, because it’s time to discuss “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Our panel talks about how the movie leaves space to grieve Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa while also providing a platform for a bunch of black women to take the lead in a geopolitical battle involving the charismatic Namor, the U.S. government, and… the French? We drift into the shipping lanes for a moment, but it doesn’t generate any enthusiasm about the film’s big boat battle.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"

Host Jason Snell with Cicero Holmes, Moisés Chiullán, Kelly Guimont, and Lisa Schmeiser.

Referenced Works

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Show Notes & Links

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652: A Long Zoom Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss R.F. Kuang’s “Babel.” It’s a story about magic and empire and revolution, and our feelings about it are similarly complicated. Plus: A whole bunch of book suggestions!

Our next Book Club selection: “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel.

Book Club: R.F. Kuang's "Babel"

Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Deborah Stanish, Erika Ensign, and Scott McNulty.

Referenced Works

Babel

[Amazon] [Apple]

Show Notes & Links

What are we reading?

Aleen:

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths
A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers

Erika:

“Cold Relations” by Mary Robinette Kowal
“How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark
Scarlett Bernard series by Melissa F Olson
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Ailette de Bodard

Glenn:

Dr. No by Percival Everett

Deb:

The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

Scott:

Pompeii by Robert Harris
Hopeland by Ian McDonald

Dan:

The Puzzler by A.J. Jacobs

Jason:

Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (they)

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651: Breakfast Club for Superheroes Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

Get in line to order a hero sandwich—not so fast, sidekick! We’re here to talk about 2005’s thoroughly delightful Disney movie “Sky High,” featuring superhero action and teen drama that are both full to the brim—but never quite over the top.

"Sky High"

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Jean MacDonald, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, and Dr. Drang.

Referenced Works

Sky High

Show Notes & Links

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650: The Sum of All Tildas Jan 28, 2023

Show notes

This week, we’re drafting some spies, secret agents, and con artists. Con artists? Why not? They all use similar skills—sometimes, it’s impossible to tell the difference. From fiction to spoof to inspired by real life, we’ve got it all. Also, is that Cate Blanchett or Tilda Swinton? Good luck, Jim. This episode will self destruct in five seconds.

Secret Agent Draft

Host David J. Loehr with Tom McGrath, Chris Klimek, and Nathan Alderman.

Show Notes & Links

Tom:

Archer
Charlie Wilson’s War Scarecrow and Mrs King Spy
Psych

Chris:

The Avengers
Hudson Hawk
Tenspeed and Brownshoe The Nice Guys
American Flagg

Nathan:

Sandbaggers
Hanna
Alias
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015 film) Leverage

David:

Mission: Impossible (TV)
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Lupin
Maverick (TV and film)
Parker novels / Dortmunder novels by Donald Westlake

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649: I'm Gonna Marry That Robot Lady Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

Put on your headset and get ready to jump into a polt, because we’re going to discuss “The Peripheral,” Prime Video’s adaptation of William Gibson’s novel. What makes its approach to certain famous sci-fi tropes unique? How interesting are the accents? Why is there an invisible car? We’ll answer those questions as soon as we flee to another stub.

"The Peripheral" (TV series)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Lisa Schmeiser, and Antony Johnston.

Referenced Works

The Peripheral

William Gibson

Show Notes & Links

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648: Magical NDA Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Store up some mana and watch out for maleficers and maw-mouths! We’re going to discuss Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy, which takes the familiar story of a school for teenage magicians and does some very different things with it! Before the Spoiler Horn, we talk generally about the books and why you should read them. Then we dig into some of the details of how the series changes as it comes to its end.

[Our next Book Club selection is “Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution” by R.F. Kuang.]

Naomi Novik's "Scholomance" trilogy

Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, and Glenn Fleishman.

Show Notes & Links

What are we reading?

Aleen:

“Signal Moon” by Kate Quinn
“The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn
World of the White Rat series by T. Kingfisher
“Swordheart” by T. Kingfisher
“Nettle and Bone” by T Kingfisher
“The Nova Incident” by Dan Moren

Glenn:

“Housebreaking” by Colleen Hubbard
“Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke
“Fairy Tale” by Stephen King

Erika:

“Dead Spots” by Melissa F. Olson
“The Necessity of Trans Joy” by Izzy Wasserstein

Dan:

“Blitz” - Daniel O’Malley
“Nightwatch over Windscar” by K. Eason
“Locklands” by Robert Jackson Bennett
“Jeeves and the King of Clubs by Ben Schott

Jason:

“Blitz” - Daniel O’Malley
“Fairy Tale” by Stephen King
“A Gathering of Shadows” by V.E. Schwab

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