Lit Lit

The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler Andy and Dani solve a murder... oh and it's Andy's birthday, but whatever. How much does Andy love noir? Even more intriguing... does Dani? And why did we start talking about what porn would be like in the Matrix? I don't know... guess you'll have to listen.

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha ShannonAndy and Dani ride a dragon, get poisoned, and kill a demon? Did this book live up to our expectations? Should this book have been split into multiple? Do happy endings mean as much as sad endings? Find out...

There's been an episode pivot! Sorry for delay of Lit Lit Andy and Dani talk about book covers... more specifically, book covers that are really, really cool! When should you judge a book by its cover? Do genres have specific artistic qualities? And most importantly, does Andy have good taste?

Andy and Dani talk classic Sci-Fi... Does space travel need to be explained? Will Dani ever forgive Andy for gaslighting her about Galaxy Quest? What is the new frontier for boredom? How quickly does Dani spiral about space?

Recursion by Blake Crouch Andy and Dani are stuck reliving their lives again... and again... and again. The time travel theories? Pretty cool. But is that enough to carry a whole book? (Spoiler: the old guy says no.) So how much do you really need to care about characters for a story to land? And more importantly... how many drinks did we have while figuring it out?Trigger warning: This episode includes light discussion of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, as portrayed in the book. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You're not alone.

Andy and Dani talk about their Moms. Queue the oooos and ahhhhhs. But first we talk about the new Pup album, and then our infamous "I was a bad toddler" stories, and then soft-core... AND then we talk about how awesome our Moms are. A very typical Mother's Day episode

Nightbitch by Rachel YoderAndy and Dani enter motherhood. How much female rage can you squeeze into one book? The answer is a lot of it... How many times can you read a book and get something new out of it? Please don't put your kids in a kennel. And there is one scene that we REFUSE to acknowledge.

Andy and Dani start a band. Well actually they just talk about their favorite band names so don't worry there's no singing... or maybe there is. Who do you think has the best fake band name? My bet is on Dani... but that's probably because I write the show notes and Andy never reads them.

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James Andy and Dani continue crying. Get ready for another doozy of a book... did we stack the front half of our year with too many good books? How many more books will make us cry this year? Do you want to see a cat? These are all questions that can be answered... if you listen

Andy and Dani give advice. Have you ever wanted dating advice from two people who haven't been in the dating game for almost a decade? We thought so. So really… you're welcome. If you use all of our tips you are bound to find the one… or least someone… or wait IDK maybe this won't work for you but you should listen anyway.

Little Foxes Took Up Matches by Katya KazbekAndy and Dani take a quick trip to Russia. Can you guess who liked the book more? Is this a coming of age book or something totally new? Everyone in this story NEEDS therapy. How many times does Dani say "like"?

Andy and Dani compare fancy words. What fancy words do we use in every day language? Is pretentious a pretentious word? How many of our favorite words end in -ious? And the real question everyone is asking who is actually the most pretentious?

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh NguyenAndy and Dani enter a covert mission. Will we read anything happy every again? Who knows... Why does Dani hate when dialogue is woven into paragraphs? Are we supposed to sympathize with the sympathizer? When does shock value pay off and does it in this book?

Andy and Dani take on an apocalypse. What stage of an apocalypse would we survive? There is so much luck in living. Random roast beef can take anyone out. To make things VERY clear we would not look for each other during the apocalypse.

The DRIFT by C.J. TudorAndy and Dani D.R.I.F.T. apart. How hungover can one person be? Spoiler alert the most hungover. Well done thriller puzzle books. This poor Carter guy has it rough. Why are there so many murders? And does Dani have a Cyber Truck?

Andy and Dani take a side quest into side characters. Sometimes a different perspective can be better than the original. What side character or villain would have the best main character moment? Can it be done in a way that's not sooo obvious? Also Marvel... let us know when you want to work together.

Andy and Dani take a trip down the Mississippi. Did we already read our number 1 book this year? Creating an accessible story with big meanings. Putting the questions back on Huck and really on the reader. How to use silence to make a big impact.James by Percival Everett

Andy and Dani talk about love stories that aren't the whole point of the story. Dani is feeling very spicy. They both 100% did not understand the assignment. Did they agree on any love stories? Dani did in fact NOT edit that out.

Andy and Dani finish their bird series! Is Dani being harsher than Andy for this ending? How are these people in LOVE?! It's sad when people die. Is there going to be a spin off because it seeeeeems like there should be one...Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

Andy and Dani fall into a deep spiral. The world's a hot mess (shocker), so we acknowledge that for a moment… then VERY quickly realize that we don't want to be sad so we descend into HYPOTHETICAL MADNESS… oooooo… ahhhhhh.

Andy and Dani talk more about birds. Dani absolutely murders predictions. Why is falling in love sooooo easy? Everyone is flocking to this sun disk, huh? Does using fowl language make books better? Is Serapio uncomfortably hung? How many bird puns can you find? Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

Andy and Dani talk about not drinking? Dry January anyone? Andy is really mean to Dani. What NA options are the best? Why are there no good NA wines?!? Don't fall for the 100% tart cherry juice. Give us a NA cocktail that looks like a cocktail! Also decaf coffee has caffeine… This is ridiculous!

Andy and Dani start their next series! Dani is a huge fan of birds and Andy gives his worst 2 sentence summary. How long can you hold a grudge? Was the anger in this story earned? How about that jacuzzi scene…? Will Dani and Andy get any of their predictions right? Who knows…  Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse ________________ If you're able to donate to support those affected by the Southern California wildfires, here is a list of verified donation sites:  https://give.pasadenahumane.org/give/654134#!/donation/checkout  https://enla.org/  https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/california https://supportlafd.kindful.com/  https://www.lafoodbank.org/fire/

Andy and Dani give their top 3 books of the year. Did Dani accidentally try lobster for the first time? Yep. Was 2024 stacked with some of the best books of Lit Lit? Absolutely. Did Andy and Dani pick the same books… again? Maybe.

Andy and Dani go to Nigeria. Happy almost new year! What better way to end the year with potentially the most emotional and gut wrenching book of all time? Do you get to listen to Andy and Dani cry on an episode again? Maybe. How much do you like your cousins? Not as much as this book illustrates. Does Dani go hardcore English major-y? Obviously. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

Andy and Dani discuss all their favorite NON-book things from 2024. Do you call your pets your kids? Andy's favorite thing this year was in fact music... big shock. Dani had a very music light year but went to a lot of concerts. Congrats John! Kendrick vs. Drake and Andy vs. Andy.

Andy and Dani read the best book this year? Well, we don't want to give too much away, but if you haven't read Demon Copperhead yet... what are you even doing with your life? Listen... Andy cried like actually cried this episode... Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Andy and Dani talk about revisiting authors. When is it ok to take an ex… uhhh I mean author back into your life? Is it better to read low stakes books by the same author? Do prequels count if they don't have the same characters? What if an author lets you down… what if we do…

Andy and Dani take a long walk with a cat. Did we like this book? Meh... well actually wait yes we did... well actually maybe... no, yes we definitely did... we think. Join in on a thieving rumpus with a lot of world building and most importantly a cat. The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

Andy and Dani play We're Not Really Strangers… and then Dani adds trivia questions about herself. Is Andy actually a true friend? How often do friend groups change? How smart do we think Andy is? What is Andy's favorite thing about Dani? And finally, what was the last thing we lied to our Moms about?

Andy and Dani let the bodies hit the floor. Romantasy once again brings Dani to her knees, but does Andy like this book too? Is 6'9 too tall? How much spice do you need in a book before it becomes smut? Did we finally find out what the appendix is used for?  The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Andy and Dani have a legit fight. Welcome to the biggest fight of the weekend. Nothing else has happened that would eclipse this fight... Listening to an audio book vs reading a book. Does it count as reading? Do you get the same feelings from an audio book? Blood is spilled and friendships are ended...

Andy and Dani go to metaphorical Chinatown? We're back and depressed as ever… but here we are. Dani ended up listening to the audiobook while Andy read like a regular person (lame). Did we get different things out of the story because of it? I don't know… well actually I do know but you don't so just listen to the episode dammit!  Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu P.S. Sorry for the delayed upload in light of recent country wide events *cough* election *cough*  we postponed recording but we're back! 

Andy and Dani get haunted? If you had to haunt someone, something, or someplace how would you do it, and at what bar? Because the right answer is a bar. Don't listen to Andy he has no idea what he's talking about… ever.

Andy and Dani go fishing. Nothing says Halloween like heading down to a new fishing spot and being plunged into a ritualistic horror nightmare where you end up going all the way with a fish-person who is pretending to be your dead wife and then you have to kill your friend… Happy Halloween?  The Fisherman by John Langan RIP Ka Check out all of his amazing work https://open.spotify.com/artist/0cmqAB0gdr6ObvjNrQJAQr?si=vWv_ldoFQc-boBYZBrIzOw

Andy and Dani discuss their good friend King Arthur. Dani immediately attacks Andy's sense of humor, finally, we talk about the best movie to ever exist: Dragonheart, New York football players as knights of the roundtable, tasty morsels of history, and Dani is changing everything about this podcast.

Andy and Dani went to The Round Table. Have you ever wanted to hang out in ancient Britain (maybe ancient? IDK Dani is writing this) and find some fun guys to go on some quests with that are pretty funny and actually kinda emotionally intelligent and like to drink wine around a campfire? Cool us too.  The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

Dani left Andy behind and went to Bali. A 19 hour direct flight is the perfect time for a LOTR movie marathon. Bali is such an amazing, beautiful island! NEVER get buried in sand… even if they say it's relaxing. Sean is NOT a fan of geckos. And did the cats miss Dani? Maybe…

Dani and Andy get yolked out. Andy is actually Poopman. Dani's only-child life REALLy shines here. This book might curse more than us… Do subtle throughlines with a big impact work? And does Andy actually hate his sister…  Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Andy and Dani fall in love in a small town… unbelievable. What's even more unbelievable is that Andy LIKED THIS BOOK. This is a huge win for Dani and she will remember this forever. Anway, we're back and maybe Dani can convince Andy to only read romcoms forever? Funny Story by Emily Henry

Andy and Dani go to the beach. Dani derails this episode VERY quickly. What element would make the best bed? What makes a beach read a beach read? And then we obviously descend into the unfair standards of sex in male-gaze books vs female-gaze books.

Andy and Dani go to Spain. Dani learns what goes into a cannon besides a cannonball. Andy once again knows WAY more about history. Jurassic Park and National Treasure are actually very similar, and Dani figures out what her superhero origin story is.  Sharpe's Eagle by Bernard Cornwell

Andy and Dani take home the gold. The Olympics might be over but we still have some words to say about it… well, mostly just soccer but whatever. The goalkeepers should have their own gold medals. Gymnastics is always insane. Ummmm and the basketball games… wild.

Andy and Dani talk about whales and absolutely NOTHING else. What drink would Whale Fall be? Fetishizing rural living. Men still suck. Bitch, my hands smell like fish. And as always please don't marry your cousin.  Whale Fall: A Novel by Elizabeth O'Connor

Andy and Dani plan their perfect meal. If, for some reason, we descend into an apocalyptic world where food is scarce and we are living totally differently, what meal would you miss the most?

Andy and Dani finish another series. Again… why is she getting captured ALL THE TIME? We got basically every prediction wrong… and we rewrote the whole plot to get through this final book. The Dragon and Jin-Sayeng

Andy and Dani talk about balls… soccer balls. Get your mind out of the gutter but get ready to put it back in there. Which teams were we most excited to watch during Copa and Euro tournaments? Which players do we like the most? 

Andy and Dani continue with their bitch queen. So…, it turns out we are not liking this book. WHY IS SHE ALWAYS GETTING CAPTURED?! WHY IS SHE A QUEEN?! HOW COULD THIS BOOK END OK? We answer all of these questions very thoughtfully and not spitefully.  The Ikessar Falcon by V.S. Villoso

Andy and Dani escape an assassination attempt. We started our Summer Series! Do we like it? We don't know yet. Do we trust the author? Um, we'll get back to you. Is there any smut? No. No there is not. Did we forget to make predictions and now have to drink double? Yes. Yes, we do. Chronicles of the Bitch Queen by K.S. Villoso

Andy and Dani ask friendship questions. Once again we find out that Andy and Dani are, in fact, "Not Really Strangers." Does Andy give off drummer energy? More importantly, we come up with a band name… A.P.BR… and then Dani descends into branding madness.

Andy and Dani go to Paris. Dani gets all English Major-y and Andy does too? Could this be one of the best books ever written? Absolutely. Will this book take a lot of emotional bandwidth? Most definitely. Is this book worth reading? 100 times, yes.  Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin