Adult Book Club

This episode features Book of Night by Holly Black. Spoilers are between the 37 – 1:17 minute marks. We discuss what we liked about the characters, setting and magic of this world as well as how we would treat our quickened shadows. During spoilers we talk about some questions and issues this left us with and then finish with our usual segments, including our second surprise book reveal. Enjoy!

This episode features Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Spoilers are between the 46 – 1:20 minute marks. We discuss our love for all the characters and this world they live in as well as how this book delivered perfectly on its promise of low stakes and high fantasy. We also touch on what kind of shops our DnD characters would open if they gave up adventuring and finish with our usual segments. Enjoy!

This episode features The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. This is a huge book so spoilers are long between the 56 - 2:14 minute marks. We spend a lot of time discussing which characters we loved and who we could’ve done without as well as the immense world building that went into this standalone novel. We tell you which of the six virtues of Virtudom would be our patron if we lived in this world and Taja ends spoilers with her BEEF with the book. We finish with our usual segments and have our first actual surprise book of the year revealed for our next podcast. Enjoy!

This episode features The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. Spoilers are between the 45 – 1:30 minute marks. We discuss the characters and the web that she writes them in, as well as the unusual but pleasing set up to the book. We reminisce about Y2K and discuss how this story compares to the real-life events that inspired it during spoilers. We finish with our usual segments and prepare you for our extended break. Enjoy!

This episode features The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. Spoilers are between the 58 – 1:40 minute marks. We discuss how we liked the original idea of Book Eaters and Mind Eaters, but wished there was more emphasis on them and their abilities throughout the story. We also discuss what we think different books we’ve read would taste like and finish with our usual segments. Russ also discusses his upcoming trip to Rwanda in February, and this is the link ( Ubaka Rwanda ) to the gofundme to raise money for the kids there for their upcoming school fees and day to day living costs. Donations or sharing the link is greatly appreciated!

This episode features California by Edan Lepucki. Spoilers are between the 58 – 1:50 marks. In this we discuss our alternating protagonists, how much we loved the post-apocalyptic setting of this story, another failure to communicate and how we think we’d do trying to survive in this world. We finish with our usual segments and manage to keep it under 3 hours. Enjoy!

This episode features A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Spoilers are between the 1:08 – 2:33 minute marks. We do apologize for our failed attempts at pronunciation of names and would like to warn you to get your tissues ready as this episode gets emotional while talking about Ove and all he has done. We end with our usual segments and discuss a little change for how books will be selected for the show in the New Year. As a warning, a large part of this story involves Ove’s attempts and planning of suicide which we do discuss in the podcast. Please listen with care.

This episode features Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Spoilers are between the 1:10 – 2:11 minute marks. We discuss the characters, realism and use of games both in the book and our lives as well as the importance of communication. During spoilers we gush about one section in particular and then end with Taja debuting a new segment called What We Got Wrong. Enjoy!

This episode features A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. Spoilers are between the 49 – 1:29 minute marks. We discuss our strong female lead as well as the incredibly original setting in this story. We also touch on some of the pieces that felt cookie cutter and what really made it stand out for us. We briefly discuss ways we would collect and store mana and then end with our usual segments. Enjoy!

This episode features Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian. Spoilers are between the 51 – 1:37 minute marks. We had a lot of issues with this book and spend time discussing what we didn’t like about the characters, the set up of the book and Elaine’s use of her oracle abilities. We also discuss who’s power we would like to have and then finish with our usual segments. Enjoy!

This episode features the Classic Novel of South Africa, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. We both loved this book so we spend a lot of time gushing about our protagonist Peekay and the incredible people he meets along his journey to adulthood. We encourage you to stay throughout spoilers which are between the 1:17 and 2:27 minute marks. We also discuss some of our unconventional friendships similar to Peekay and Doc’s and finish with our usual segments. Enjoy!

This episode features The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. Spoilers are between the 51 – 1:35 minute marks. We discuss the characters and curveballs thrown in this book, as well as how we felt it used perspective differently than other books we’ve read. We hit on all kinds of spoilers and then end with our usual segments and random recommendation. Enjoy!

This episode features The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye. Spoilers are between 1:01-1:32 minute marks. We discuss at length the issues that we had with this book when it came to its writing style and language as well as our inability to connect with any of the characters. We also touch on different “Nobody” roles we have in our lives and then finish with our usual segments. Enjoy!

This episode features book one of The Wheel of Time series, Eye of the World by Robert Jordan; skip ahead to minute 15 to jump right to the book discussion. It’s a bigger book than we normally tackle so spoilers are longer than usual. They run from the 1:03 – 2:10 minute marks. We discuss the characters, events, lore and world building of this book as well as give some of our predictions for what happens later and where we think we’d fit in the world Jordan built. We end with our usual segments including a breakdown of Colleen Hoover’s latest It Ends With Us during current selection. Enjoy!

This episode features Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. Spoilers are between the 56 – 1:39 minute marks. We discuss the layout of the book, the characters and the believability of Mandel’s version of time travel. We also discuss whether or not we believe we are living in a simulation and our feelings towards that. We finish with our usual segments where we learn about Taja’s podcast addiction, make an apology and give you our latest random recommendation. Enjoy!

This episode features Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Spoilers are between the 39 – 1:24 minute marks. We have our usual discussion on characters as well as setting and what it would take to get us to stay in High Place for a few weeks. We also go deeper into the book and explore some of our own ideas into the motivations of certain characters and have no idea how far off we probably are! We finish with our usual segments. Enjoy!

On this episode we feature Upgrade, the newest book from Blake Crouch. Spoilers are between the 59 – 1:40 minute marks. We discuss the characters, the not to distant and unfortunate future setting as well as getting into what kind of upgrades or downgrades we would make to our genes. We do have a long opening where we catch up on our travels, so if you are here for the book only; skip ahead to the 27th minute! Also, after a little too much drinking and some jet lag we do refer to the epilogue of this book as the prologue about 2 dozen times during spoilers so sorry for that! Enjoy!

This episode features West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. Spoilers are between the 47 – 1:29 minute marks. We discuss the characters, their connection with animals and what it was like surviving in 1938. We also have our second pod within a pod during segments and finish up with current selection and a random recommendation. Enjoy!

This episode features Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. Spoilers are between the 33 and 1:19 minute marks. We discuss how the author used this novel to highlight both prejudice and ignorance when it comes to people’s sexuality and race. We also get into how well it was written and the realism that shown through the characters. We end with our grading and usual segments. Enjoy!

This episode we discuss Hunter by Mercedes Lackey. Spoilers are between the 1:08 – 1:52 minute marks. We do get critical on this book for its too perfect protagonist and discuss how this setting was very exciting for us and we wished the author dug deeper into the background story of this world. We also talk about times we were nervous about trying new things or experiences and end a little bit tipsy with our usual segments. Enjoy!

On this episode we cover The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. We decided to forgo the spoiler’s section in this episode because while this book brings a new perspective to the story, we feel most already know the legend of Achilles and separating spoilers was unnecessary. We discuss how Miller wrote the romance and love between Patroclus and Achilles as well as how she came to the decision to tell the story this way. We spend a lot of time on their relationship but also touch on the other players and events surrounding their upbringing and the Trojan War. Enjoy!

This episode features The Match by Harlan Coben. Spoilers are between the 1:05 and 1:52 minute marks. We discuss how well Coben develops relationships between characters, how he pulls characters from other books and about the growth we see, especially from Wilde, throughout the book. We talk about whether or not we’ve ever used a DNA match site as well as our experiences with reality TV. We finish with our usual segments and have our first podcast within a podcast at one point. Enjoy!

This episode is dedicated to our friend Nern and Uncle Jesse, it features Gallant, the newest book from V.E. Schwab. Spoilers are between the 48-1:28 minute marks. We discuss the main character Olivia Prior as well as all the mysteries surrounding her and Gallant. We also talk about what possessions we have that are similar to Olivia’s mother’s diary as well as how much we appreciate Schwab’s writing. We finish with our usual segments and scoring. Enjoy!

This episode features Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. Spoilers are between the 54-1:46 marks. We spend a lot of time in spoilers because we didn’t want to give away the biggest mystery in the story and talk a lot about the different relationships that Taylor filled this world with. We also touch on what our godspawn powers would be and our own childhood versions of playing Tizerkane. Enjoy!

This episode features The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker. Spoilers are between the 1 hour and 1:42 minute marks. We had a lot of issues with this book, and discuss them throughout the podcast. We remind you that we are not authors, so please take this criticism with a grain of salt! We also discuss characters from other books or shows that we think would be good or scary Yokai and finish with our usual segments. Enjoy!

This episode features Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Spoilers are between the 1:03 and 1:48 minute marks. We discuss the format of the book and how well all the different characters lives are weaved throughout it. We also discuss what we would miss most about life if we survived the Georgian Flu with Kirsten as well as some of the differences between the book and show during our spoilers within spoilers’ section.

This episode we cover Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. Spoilers are between the 1:03 and 1:48 minute marks. We discuss the characters, the setting and the emotions of this book at length. We also discuss what flavor of tea Hugo would serve to us and why, and finish with our usual segments.  A note from the beginning of the book from the author that we wanted to pass along here as well is that "this story explores life and love as well as loss and grief. There are discussions of death in different forms – quiet, unexpected, and death by suicide." So please listen with care.

Featuring the fantasy fairy tale Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, spoilers are long this episode, between the 55-1:54 minute marks, as there are a lot of puzzle pieces to fit together in this story. We also discuss the strong female characters in this book, what movies or fairy tales we wanted to live in as children and finish with our usual segments. Enjoy!

The one where we feature The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner. Spoilers are between 1:04-1:48. We discuss how Waggoner's writing created an immersive world for us, especially with her characters and the language they used. We also touch on different twists and turns that we thought were coming but didn't necessarily. We have our usual segments and random recommendation, we hope you enjoy, what?

We feature the sci-fi classic Foundation by Isaac Asimov. No spoiler section as we go through each short story with a quick overview and then a question or two about them. We also draw some connections between the Galactic Empire of Foundation to the world in the 1940's when Asimov wrote this as well as to the world we live in today. We also talk about how sci-fi can be used to shine a light on todays culture, even if it was written 80 years ago! We also get a fired up Taja at one point so keep an ear out for that! Enjoy!

We go all in on April May and friends as we cover An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. Spoilers are between the 1:05-1:46 marks. We discuss April's rise to fame, how she handles it and other correlations between this book and our world. Also we discuss the way the book was written and presented and how that affected our reading. We discuss our own brushes with fame, as well as the usual quick host catch up and shout out to our listeners in Australia!! Enjoy!

We deep dive Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo with spoilers between 1:04 and 1:46. We spend a lot of time on the backstory and setting on this book. We talk about the confusion we felt when trying to remember the different houses and timelines as well as which twists we saw coming and which ones we did not. We have things we missed from previous episodes, random recommendation and the first tears of the podcast are shed as we share ghost stories. Enjoy!

We feature People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. Spoilers are between the 54 and 1:50 minute marks. We discuss love, friendship, putting yourself out there and the importance of communication as well as travel and some of our experiences. First ever book club within a book club happens during current selection and then Russ gets heated talking about his latest read! Enjoy!

We feature The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. Spoilers are between 1:04-1:54. We have a quick host catch up before we jump into the book. Then we discuss the book and different meanings we found within it about spaces between worlds as well as different choices/chances that could have led our lives on very different paths. We finish with our DnD based score for the book, current selection and random recommendation. Enjoy!

We feature The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and are almost brought to tears! We discuss how Klune uses the events and story of this fantasy world in order to shine a light on issues in ours. We also discuss the ideas of found family and home. Spoilers are between the 1:12 and 1:51 marks. We also have a triumphant first on the podcast in relation to this book so be sure to listen!

We do a deep dive into the science fiction masterpiece Dune by Frank Herbert. Spoilers are from the 1:01 to 1:50 mark. We have a special shoutout this episode and also debut a new segment after spoilers! We also talk about some dreams and premonitions as we cover this classic!

This episode we focus on The Regulators by Richard Bachman (get into book discussion around the 20th minute). Spoilers are between the 1:05-1:58 mark. We also discuss Bachman's relationship with another famous author and his story as well. We cap it off with current selection, random recommendation, our DnD scores for the book and a preview of which book will be featured next!

In episode 8 we highlight WIN, the latest book by Harlan Coben. Because it is a mystery/thriller and Coben is a man of many twists and turns, spoilers run long in this episode from the 43:00 to the 96:00 minute marks. Apart from the book we also discuss our minimal experiences in high class living, get more in depth with our grading system, talk about what other books we've been reading and get some input from the third podcast member Bryce (the dog). Enjoy!

In Episode 7 we do a deep dive into the first book of the Dresden Files; Storm Front by Jim Butcher. Spoilers are between the 1:05-1:35 mark. We have host catchup, the importance of names, a deeper dive into the books we've been reading and even take the time to improvise a potion similarly to how Harry would in the book! This one's a bit longer than normal, but we hope you enjoy it!

We cover Gork, The Teenage Dragon by Gabe Hudson on the show. It's a bit chaotic and all over the place, but stick with us; even through spoilers! We have a first in our grading system this week that you surely don't want to miss and stay to the end to find out which book we will cover next!

We discuss Kristin Lambert's debut YA novel The Boy in the Red Dress with spoilers between the 55th and 88th minute. We've been gone a month, so there's a lot to catch up on in the beginning of the show and plenty of stories throughout! Stick around for the end to see how this book did in our second attempt at our grading system and to learn which book we will feature next!

We discuss Andy Weir's latest book Project Hail Mary with spoilers between the 50th and 88th minute. We also unveil our new book grading system, have our first call-in "expert" and an added surprise to start the show off! We're a bit tipsy from the start, so enjoy the conversation!

This episode we dive into the Grishaverse with Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. We discuss which Grisha powers we would have, talk a bit of YA romance and discuss being accepted by others. Quick animal topic in the beginning and a few side tracks we hope you'll come along with us on! Enjoy the show and keep reading!

In episode 2 we delve into The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab and discuss different topics based on the book about being remembered, leaving a legacy and what it would take to sell your soul! Spoilers from the 49 minute mark to 1 hour 10 mark! Come listen with us as we discuss this incredible book!

In the first episode of our podcast we touch on A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist and introduce ourselves to you the audience! Come listen to two friends catch up and discuss a book together! We hope you'll join us!

Short intro episode to let you know how the Adult Book Club works, some of its history and the layout of our episodes. Meant as an introductory episode for those who have stumbled upon us. Welcome, and Enjoy!