Pick Me a Book Podcast

In this spellbinding and suspenseful debut, a young woman haunted by the past returns home to care for her ailing mother and begins to dig deeper into her sister’s unsolved murder. Sixteen years ago, Sylvie’s sister Persephone never came home. Out too late with the boyfriend she was forbidden to see, Persephone was missing for three days before her body was found—and years later, her murder remains unsolved. In the present day, Sylvie returns home to care for her estranged mother, Annie, as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Prone to unexplained “Dark Days” even before Persephone’s death, Annie’s once-close bond with Sylvie dissolved in the weeks after their loss, making for an uncomfortable reunion all these years later. Worse, Persephone’s former boyfriend, Ben, is now a nurse at the cancer center where Annie is being treated. Sylvie’s always believed Ben was responsible for the murder—but she carries her own guilt about that night, guilt that traps her in the past while the world goes on around her. As she navigates the complicated relationship with her mother, Sylvie begins to uncover the secrets that fill their house—and what really happened the night Persephone died. As it turns out, the truth really will set you free, once you can bear to look at it. The Winter Sister is a mesmerizing portrayal of the complex bond between sisters, between mothers and daughters alike, and forces us to ask ourselves—how well do we really know the people we love most? give it a'listen OH LAWD, WE TALKING SHIT AGAIN, Y'ALL! This episode has it all: cats, oopsie-doodle-incest, Ash going on a rant about how the Cancer Mom (TM) character of the book should just go DIE ALREADY!!!!! and also we ponder if masturbating hotter than fucking (in this case, definitely yes). Mentioned Links Ready for some 90s nostalgia? Here's the video for Tonight, Tonight by The Smashing Pumpkins. For added whimsey, here's Billy Corgan on the cover of the kitty-cat magazine, PAWS Chicago.Megan Collins is her name, being the author of The Winter Sister is her game. Need more info on the myth of Persephone? Here ya go!Compassion fatigue, Ash has it. (Hence her wanting Cancer Mom to die in this story, eek!). Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book over there: The Winter Sister by Megan Collins, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

Another Sideshow, so you know what that means: no books, all bullshit! Holiday shopping ideas from Goop ($3,490 for a gold-plated dildo? Sure, why not), pretentious moms, miscellaneous birth control chatter, and a friendly reminder that IUDs have strings that need to be checked regularly so you know it's still in place! Also, tarot, tennis coach-word association, and all kinds of other nonsense. Listen and weep, bitches. give it a'listen Don't Shoot Me Santa by The Killers is Ash's new fav Xmas song, you'll like it too (maybe?)Are you an angel, or a demon? Take the quiz and let us know in The Ask Hole--inquiring minds need to know!Word association time! Tennis coach makes Candace think of this, and Ash thinks of this. What does tennis coach make your brain dream up?Ahoy-hoy! It's Candace's favorite show Below Deck!Will you accept this link? ➡ The Bachelor is coming back this January and Ash is losing her mind.

All her life, curvy Dara Jenkins has dreamed of a White Christmas. But when she drives into the mountains for the holidays, what she finds instead is a snowstorm that threatens to claim her life. To Dara's amazement, she's rescued by an ice dragon - who turns into a sexy, charismatic man who hasn't left his snow castle in twenty years. Henrik Drakeson is a dragon shifter who lost his parents long ago in a terrible accident. For most of his life, he has carried that burden with him, choosing loneliness over the happy visitors that once came to the family's snow castle every winter. He's promised himself he'd stay forever alone, so he'd never hurt anyone again - until his mate suddenly appears on his doorstep in a snowstorm, bringing all the joy and cheerfulness of Christmas to his lonely home. Can Dara heal the pain of his wounded heart? And can they uncover the truth about his past - and defend each other against the ruthless enemy behind the old tragedy? This is a sizzling hot, standalone BBW dragon shifter holiday romance. No cliffhangers! give it a'listen Mentioned Links Wanna know more about Zoe Chant and her many books? Cool, here's her site.Heartbreak: this book contained not a single cloaca. Also, is it clo-AY-cuh, or clo-AH-cah???? Dara Jenkins is basically Rita Leeds. Oh no, the last 30 seconds of Ash's audio disappeared! You'll have to just imagine her saying "Merry Fucking Christmas, assholes" along with Candace. What are ya gonna do?? Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book over there: The Christmas Dragon's Mate by Zoe Chant, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

A veteran activist's guide to direct action and strategic civil disobedience as the most radical and rapid means to social change For decades, Lisa Fithian’s work as an advocate for civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action has put her on the frontlines of change. Described by Mother Jones as “the nation’s best-known protest consultant,” Fithian has supported countless movements including the Battle of Seattle in 1999, rebuilding and defending communities following Hurricane Katrina, Occupy Wall Street, and the uprisings at Standing Rock and in Ferguson. For anyone who wants to become more active in resistance or is just feeling overwhelmed or hopeless, Shut It Down offers strategies and actions you can take right now to promote justice and incite change in your own community. In Shut It Down Fithian shares historic, behind-the-scenes stories from some of the most important people-powered movements of the past several decades. She shows how movements that embrace direct action have always been, and continue to be, the most radical and rapid means for transforming the ills of our society. Shut It Down is filled with instructions and inspiration for how movements can evolve as the struggle for social justice continues in the Trump era and beyond. While recognizing that electoral politics, legislation, and policy are all important pathways to change, Shut It Down argues that civil disobedience is not just the only action that remains when all else fails, but a spiritual pursuit that protects our deepest selves and allows us to reclaim our humanity. Change can come, but only if we’re open to creatively, lovingly, and strategically standing up, sometimes at great risk to ourselves, to protect what we love.  give it a'listen Wowza--this episode was a teensie bit tough for a couple reasons. Candace has personal experience with an action/protest from the book, which was traumatic and the memories carry a lot of feelings with them. Ash didn't finish the book because figured out midway through recording that she's stressed AND depressed (surprise!) and that's why she never wants to read anymore. Woof! But no fear: we also talk possumkratom69 and Tiny Toons, so it ain't all a bummer. Mentioned Links We mentioned possumkratom69 and their cool memes. Turns out we aren't the only fans, either, Vox wrote a lil' bit about them.Info on the Standing Rock dickbag who fired a gun at a protest and drove his truck into a crowd of protesters.We're fundraising for the Osage Nation Foundation through our Facebook page. The donation link is posted to the top of the PMAB page, so you can't miss it! It's the season of giving so consider donating to a worthy cause, yeah?Want some levity? Wanna know which Tiny Toons character you are??? DUH don't be dumb, of course you wanna know! (Psst...Ash is Buster Bunny. Candace's results are still pending.) Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book over there: Shut It Down by Lisa Fithian, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances. In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,” roamed – virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history. A true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history. give it a'listen Mentioned Links Here's more info on the author, David Grann.Instead of blowing money on Black Friday, hows about you make a charitable donation? The Osage Nation Foundation is a great place to start. Another great organization is Adopt-a-Native-Elder, which provides support to elderly Native Americans.Henry Grammer, the ex-rodeo star/murderer/moonshine runner that got Ash feelin' feisty. Is he hot? No. Would she have had sex with him in 1910 in Oklahoma? Oh yeah, baby!Pete Davidson, yikes!

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Over the course of minutes, they would kill twelve students and a teacher and wound twenty-four others before taking their own lives.For the last sixteen years, Sue Klebold, Dylan’s mother, has lived with the indescribable grief and shame of that day. How could her child, the promising young man she had loved and raised, be responsible for such horror? And how, as his mother, had she not known something was wrong? Were there subtle signs she had missed? What, if anything, could she have done differently?These are questions that Klebold has grappled with every day since the Columbine tragedy. In A Mother’s Reckoning, she chronicles with unflinching honesty her journey as a mother trying to come to terms with the incomprehensible. In the hope that the insights and understanding she has gained may help other families recognize when a child is in distress, she tells her story in full, drawing upon her personal journals, the videos and writings that Dylan left behind, and on countless interviews with mental health experts.Filled with hard-won wisdom and compassion, A Mother’s Reckoning is a powerful and haunting book that sheds light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. And with fresh wounds from the recent Newtown and Charleston shootings, never has the need for understanding been more urgent. give it a'listen Mentioned Links Here's the ABC Interview Friend of Mine by Jonathan and Stephen Cohen, survivors of the Columbine shootingFor more info on the Columbine massacre, here's a website where Dave Cullen, author of Columbine, compiled his research. Are you or someone you know struggling with depression or suicidal ideation? The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a great resource for residents of the U.S.International listener? Here's a list of international suicide prevention resources. Sue Klebold's TED Talk Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book over there: A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

give it a'listen We're still getting on track from the shit-show that was October, so here's November's sidehow! We're back to books next week though, really, truly, we promise. In the meantime, this sideshow is all about the books that Ash picked up on her trip throughout the U.S.--oh gawd there's so many. (⌐■_■)

give it a'listen Wow, October was a wash! So instead of an episode about a book we're gifting you another sideshow that was recorded while we were TOGETHER IN THE SAME ROOM! You're welcome! ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

Two mothers—a suburban housewife and a battle-hardened veteran—struggle to protect those they love in this modern retelling of Beowulf. From the perspective of those who live in Herot Hall, the suburb is a paradise. Picket fences divide buildings—high and gabled—and the community is entirely self-sustaining. Each house has its own fireplace, each fireplace is fitted with a container of lighter fluid, and outside—in lawns and on playgrounds—wildflowers seed themselves in neat rows. But for those who live surreptitiously along Herot Hall’s periphery, the subdivision is a fortress guarded by an intense network of gates, surveillance cameras, and motion-activated lights. For Willa, the wife of Roger Herot (heir of Herot Hall), life moves at a charmingly slow pace. She flits between mommy groups, playdates, cocktail hour, and dinner parties, always with her son, Dylan, in tow. Meanwhile, in a cave in the mountains just beyond the limits of Herot Hall lives Gren, short for Grendel, as well as his mother, Dana, a former soldier who gave birth as if by chance. Dana didn’t want Gren, didn’t plan Gren, and doesn’t know how she got Gren, but when she returned from war, there he was. When Gren, unaware of the borders erected to keep him at bay, ventures into Herot Hall and runs off with Dylan, Dana’s and Willa’s worlds collide. give it a'listen Mentioned Links Wanna know more about Maria Dahvana Headley? Of course you do, she's awesome! Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book over there: The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

give it a'listen OOOOF it's a weird one today, we don't talk books because we literally CAN'T right now--our brains are scrambled and life is weird. We do, however, talk about eels, mom probs, menfolk, and rollercoaster fingerings. (☉‿☉✿) Mentioned Links Mark Wahlberg...fingering...rollercoaster...movieDid you know, you never step in the same river twice?EEL JAWSWanna talk shit about your mom? Great, us too. Go to the Ask Hole and send us your stories!

It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill.Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there, lurked several rogue androids. Deckard's assignment--find them and then..."retire" them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn't want to be found! give it a'listen Are androids alive? Would you order the special android bugs to give to your android toad, or are just plain ol' android flies fine? Is it funny when a sheep kicks a dude in the face? We explore all these Qs (and more!) during this very special back-door book pick! Mentioned Links Candace loves fail videos but they make Ash cry (literally). Please peep this fail video and let us know if you're #TeamSheep or #TeamFarmer!WTF is a Blade Runner, anyway? We're not really sure, but this article kinda explains it.Just a few Blade Runner facts that are *kinda* related to this book.Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? How about learning some Nubian goat facts, is that good enough for you? Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer—the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade—from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case. "You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark." For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area. Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer. give it a'listen We finally delve into some true crime this week--and it brought up a lot of feels. Who knew senseless murder could make people feel anxious?! Anyway, it's a good episode and a good book, so check 'em both out PRETTY PLZ! Mentioned Links Michelle McNama founded the website True Crime Diary, check it out to explore more of her work.Wanna get spooked and hear the voicemail that the EARONS left a victim, which is also the voicemail Ash always seems to wake up to when she leaves her true crime podcasts on at night? Here you go!Ash mentioned that she's woken up to the dulcet tones of the Jonestown Death Tape. If you have a strong stomach and want to listen, here you go, but obviously NSFW and TRIGGER WARNING! For real! You WILL hear the ramblings of a sociopathic cult leader, you WILL hear people dying, and the video has graphic images. Not for the faint of heart!K want something light now? Let's bring it up with When Your Name is Kyle. (Sorry Kyles--but this is accurate and u know itttttt.) Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

Double the pleasure, double the fun--this episode is as fresh as doublemint gum! It's a sideshow, y'all, so we don't spend the whole ep talking about a book, but we *do* talk saucy opossum facts, split members, and drop the deets on our book picks for the rest of the year! ╰(*°▽°*)╯ give it a'listen Mentioned Links We talked a lot about the Opossum Society of the United States, check out their site for educational opossum-based fun!MEpearl (a.k.a. the Possum Lady) is one of Ash's fav people. Check her out if you're feeling down (like if you just watched Dave Chappelle's latest comedy special--yikes) and she'll lift you up.Possums living in a grill meet their human neighbor, how cute!We chatted about human penis splitting in this episode, wanna know more about a meatotomy? Check it all out here. (Psst there are no photos, just a diagram, but Imma say its NSFW cause...duh, its penis stuff.)

In The Power the world is a recognisable place: there's a rich Nigerian kid who lounges around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power - they can cause agonising pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly. This extraordinary novel by Naomi Alderman, a Sunday TimesYoung Writer of the Year and Granta Best of British writer, is not only a gripping story of how the world would change if power was in the hands of women but also exposes, with breath-taking daring, our contemporary world. give it a'listen OOooooo babeeeey we didn't talk much plot but we talked all about them sweet, sweet themes during this episode. This episode also revealed that Ash has more vengeance in her heart than Candace, we argued about whether or not Polar Bear's Christmas counts as a book (it does), and we waxed poetic about zodiac signs. Give it a listen, or we'll give you a *ZAP*! Mentioned Links Are you a nerd? Wanna run some more? Then check out Zombies, Run! a fitness app co-created by Naomi Alderman.Learn more about Naomi Alderman at her website over here.70 Books to Make You Feel Hopeful!!!!What Bob's Burgers Character Are You Based on Your Zodiac???? Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: The Power by Naomi Alderman and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more. image credit: © M.E. MULDER/SHUTTERSTOCK

It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth -- and ultimately her life. Read her diary. Enter her world. You will never forget her.  give it a'listen This book is is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S! We can't believe that we thought this shit was real when we were kids, 'cause now that we're all grown up it is sooooo clear that it was written by an old Mormon lady. Misogyny? Check. Racism? Check. Rampant homophobia? Checkcheckcheck. Some other highlights? Two 15-year-olds start a successful boutique in downtown San Francisco and close it down two weeks later because Reasons (???), teens deal LSD to 10 year olds, who are then dealing it to 8 year olds (because what 3rd grader doesn't want to trip balls at recess?), and people eat WAY too many carbs in this book (7 yeast rolls in one meal????). Tune in for the madness and let us know what you think by hitting us up on social media or on our website, ya bunch of DOUBLE FINK MOUTHS! Mentioned Links Beatrice Sparks was a lying liar who lied. She wrote this book, and many others, that were written to scare teens into being "good". Read more about her life and nonsense here.We briefly mentioned Jay's Journal (also by Beatrice Sparks) and the real-life story that its details were yoinked from. Find more details about the debacle over here and here.Don't believe us when we say this book is as fake as a $3 bill? Okee dokee, here's a Snopes article about it. Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: Go Ask Alice by Anonymous and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1VT6RwQvfqDnsKuhDPd3X2?si=G3XWFBOAS_u8KEnxkCYfTA

Psst...we don't believe or condone any of the shit in the blurb from the back of the book below. This shit's cray, y'all. Discover how to eradicate the SOURCE of stress, anxiety and depression If you've ever felt there was something holding you back in life, you were right. It's called the subconscious, unconscious or reactive mind the hidden part of your mind that stores painful experiences, then uses them against you. Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the New York Times and International bestseller, shows you how to get rid of the reactive mind for a happier, healthier life. The revolutionary book everyone must read. give it a'listen OKAAAAAY so the blurb from the back of the book sucks, right? Well if you thought the blurb was bad, just wait til you hear the gals read direct quotes from the book! We've got sexually aggressive dental assistants causing engrams in patients, sentient fetuses getting sad from being gently squished while their mom is having sex, and a passage about how pig grunts/thorughly bruised baby's spines/a prayer to god are equal to the "reactive mind" and cause arthritis. Well now that's a FINE case of arthritis you've got there!Welcome to the shit show! Mentioned Links If you want a deep dive into L. Ron Hubbard's life, maybe check out the series done by Last Podcast on the Left? They can tell you everything you never wanted to know about the founder of Scientology.L. Ron Hubbard seemed to think that machines are perfect. OH, REALLY? Well here's a brand new, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed robot killing itself in a mall fountain. If this was a suicide machine, it would have truly been perfect, but it wasn't. It was just a simple Paul Blart Mall Bot who checked out of this mortal coil mere minutes after seeing it. Perfection!No matter what L. Ron Hubbard barfed out in this book, please know that mental illness is real and nothing to be ashamed of. If you need help, please seek it. Here's an article on how to find a therapist, if an IRL therapist is too daunting here's an article on therapy apps. Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book, Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard, over there, and of course, join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

It's a SIDESHOW ladies and germs, so there's no book but lots of bullshittery a'happenin. To start, we have a lot of opinions about CGI creatures in this episode. Between the trailers for Cats and Sonic the Hedgehog, we've barely survived 2019. We also lament about how hard it is to date, and we need all the help we can get. Have a tip? Send it our way. Please. Really. give it a'listen Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. No book this week, but you can join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - she's a little behind but hey, life happens. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them she's made so far (if you're so inclined).

The Book of Night Women is a sweeping, startling novel, a true tour de force of both voice and storytelling. It is the story of Lilith, born into slavery on a Jamaican sugar plantation at the end of the eighteenth century. Even at her birth, the slave women around her recognize a dark power that they and she will come to both revere and fear.  The Night Women, as they call themselves, have long been plotting a slave revolt, and as Lilith comes of age and reveals the extent of her power, they see her as the key to their plans. But when she begins to understand her own feelings and desires and identity, Lilith starts to push at the edges of what is imaginable for the life of a slave woman in Jamaica, and risks becoming the conspiracy's weak link.  Lilith's story overflows with high drama and heartbreak, and life on the plantation is rife with dangerous secrets, unspoken jealousies, inhuman violence, and very human emotion between slave and master, between slave and overseer, and among the slaves themselves. Lilith finds herself at the heart of it all. And all of it told in one of the boldest literary voices to grace the page recently--and the secret of that voice is one of the book's most intriguing mysteries.  give it a'listen SPOILER ALERT: we loved this book! We think you probably will too, so check it out from your local library, or, hell, just go buy it from your local bookseller or Marlon James' website (link below). Just FYI: we do talk about some actual spoilers in this book, but we warn you before it happens so LISTEN UP! Mentioned Links Learn more about the author, Marlon James, at his official website.Want to try some of the only chocolate made WITHOUT slave labor? Check out Tony's ChocoLonely and learn about how the chocolate industry still uses and abuses slave labor, how you can help, and order some ethically sourced chocolate all at once. Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book over there: The Book of Night Women by Marlon James , and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - you can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you're interested.

Jeeze oh man, what could it be?! Here's a hint: it's a sequel to a book we've discussed (and loved) before. Still lost? Here's another hint: vanilla ice cream. Damn are you STILL lost? K here's the last hint: it's Hope Rides Again by friend-of-the-show, Andrew Shaffer! And (SPOILER ALERT) we loved this book as much as its predecessor. *Juggalo woop WOOP* give it a'listen Bong rips. Chardonnay. Half asleep silliness. This ep is off the chain, but we had a lot of fun and it's worth the listen if we do say so ourselves. Plus the book was awesome, so what's not to love? Also, please report back to us on whether you're a pie person or a cake person, inquiring minds need to know.P.S. FUCK THE ELF ON THE SHELF!!!**not literally Mentioned Links Wanna check out Andrew Shaffer's books? Check them out over at www.quirkbooks.com , where you can also find books by one of our other fav authors, Grady Hendrix! Wowee, a twofer!For info about Andrew Shaffer's current book tour, books, and merch, head on over to www.andrewshaffer.comAsh likes romance books, horny-time books, and other such delights. Do YOU like romance books or horny-time books too? Great! Head on over to author Tiffany Reisz's website where you can find all kinds of good shit. Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer over there, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

From Harvard sociologist and MacArthur "Genius" Matthew Desmond, a landmark work of scholarship and reportage that will forever change the way we look at poverty in America In this brilliant,heartbreaking book, Matthew Desmond takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge. Arleen is a single mother trying to raise her two sons on the $20 a month she has left after paying for their rundown apartment. Scott is a gentle nurse consumed by a heroin addiction. Lamar, a man with no legs and a neighborhood full of boys to look after, tries to work his way out of debt. Vanetta participates in a botched stickup after her hours are cut. All are spending almost everything they have on rent, and all have fallen behind. The fates of these families are in the hands of two landlords: Sherrena Tarver, a former schoolteacher turned inner-city entrepreneur, and Tobin Charney, who runs one of the worst trailer parks in Milwaukee. They loathe some of their tenants and are fond of others, but as Sherrena puts it, “Love don’t pay the bills.” She moves to evict Arleen and her boys a few days before Christmas. Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most poor renting families are spending more than half of their income on housing, and eviction has become ordinary, especially for single mothers. In vivid, intimate prose, Desmond provides a ground-level view of one of the most urgent issues facing America today. As we see families forced into shelters, squalid apartments, or more dangerous neighborhoods, we bear witness to the human cost of America’s vast inequality—and to people’s determination and intelligence in the face of hardship. Based on years of embedded fieldwork and painstakingly gathered data, this masterful book transforms our understanding of extreme poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving a devastating, uniquely American problem. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible. give it a'listen It's a real Freaky Friday on the show today: Candace's audio was good and Ash's sucked balls. It kinda sounds like Ash is conversing with Candace through an old radio via a signal ̷̖̼̗̍ͅf̴̜̝̗̯̉r̷͚̝̻̲̰̐̏ŏ̴̡͇͆͒̕͝m̸̢͓̜̞̥̈̎̿̈́͐ ̶͉̘̭̳̐͐̏̄b̸̲̩̤̖̠͊e̷̛̹̐̋̚y̴̦̥͑͊̉͑ò̵̠̗̞̥̭n̷̢͉̞̩̄͂̃d̸̢͚̉͊͋̅ͅ ̸̭͌͐̌̋͠ṯ̵̮̰͓̩̊̆̃͠h̴̩̬̳͍̔̍e̴͇͎̎̒ ̵̘̫̳̺̈́͛̍̋̚͜v̶͚͈̦̄o̴̢̘̪̬̽̊̇í̶̮͑̓̅͠d̶͖̯̻͉̀̔̅́͠. Enjoy, ya dingdongs. Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book via the link here: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

No books, just babbling. That's right, it's a SIDESHOW ladies and germs, so strap in for some silliness. It's also our first Sideshow since Ash got back from Iceland, and we're trying to remember how to podcast. Our word-talkin' ain't so great in this one, but tune in for an Ash story about getting haunted by pissy American tourists in Greenland, and a Candace story about a dickwad guy getting Real, Real Mad about $50. give it a'listen Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find the latest book we discussed here, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

In Rudolph, New York, it’s Christmastime all year long. But this December, while the snow-lined streets seem merry and bright, a murder is about to ruin everyone’s holiday cheer… As the owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, Merry Wilkinson knows how to decorate homes for the holidays. That’s why she thinks her float in the semi-annual Santa Claus parade is a shoo-in for best in show. But when the tractor pulling Merry’s float is sabotaged, she has to face facts: there’s a Scrooge in Christmas Town. Merry isn’t ready to point fingers, especially with a journalist in town writing a puff piece about Rudolph’s Christmas spirit. But when she stumbles upon the reporter’s body on a late night dog walk—and police suspect he was poisoned by a gingerbread cookie crafted by her best friend, Vicky—Merry will have to put down the jingle bells and figure out who’s really been grinching about town, before Vicky ends up on Santa’s naughty list… give it a'listen Do you like to be cozy? Do you love Christmas-related mysteries? If so, great! Check out this episode and you won't be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're a grinch and hate Christmas and feeling cozy, then come to the episode for conversations about unexpected things that make us horny, the child-eating Icelandic Christmas cat, and how dirty dog's mouths really are. Mentioned Links Oooo ASMR sandcutting--so satisfying. Check out this compilation from Sand Tagious.While in Iceland, Ash went to Christmas Garden, an amazing Christmas shop/wonderland/Belgian waffle paradise. Here's a lil' article about it if you wanna know more.Wanna hear Björk sing about the Icelandic Yule Cat? Of course you do. Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany over there, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you'll ever read. give it a'listen We're adding in an extra book each month to make sure you've got a weekly episode for your listening pleasure - and first up, fresh out of the hat is Ella Enchanted. Obedience is not a gift, trust us. Music Credits Candy-Coloured Sky by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphrReleased by Paper Crane CollectiveMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his side of the story in a book William Gass called "one of the finest of our contemporary fictions." give it a'listen Ash is leading up to something... first there was Beowulf, then there was Grendel. Candace is not happy. But it's ok, because there's plenty to talk about this week. Music Credits Candy-Coloured Sky by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphrReleased by Paper Crane CollectiveMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: Grendel by John Gardner and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more. featured image courtesy of medievalists.net

It's June! We're celebrating our one year anniversary annnd making some big announcements! Tune in to find out what 6 books are coming up next... and our super secret new.... oh, you'll just have to listen! We're super stoked! Join us! give it a'listen Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.

On February 4, 1974, members of the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped nineteen-year-old newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst from her Berkeley, California apartment. Desperate to find her, the police called physicist Russell Targ and Pat Price, a psychic retired police commissioner. As Price turned the pages of the police mug book filled with hundreds of photos, suddenly he pointed to one of them and announced, "That's the ringleader." The man was Donald DeFreeze, who was indeed subsequently so identified. Price also described the type and location of the kidnap car, enabling the police to find it within minutes. That remarkable event is one reason Targ believes in ESP. Another occurred when his group made $120,000 by forecasting for nine weeks in a row the changes in the silver-commodity futures market.As a scientist, Targ demands proof. His experience is based on two decades of investigations at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), which he cofounded with physicist Harold Puthoff in 1972. This twenty-million dollar program launched during the Cold War was supported by the CIA, NASA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Army and Air Force Intelligence. The experiments they conducted routinely presented results could have happened by chance less than once in a million. give it a'listen Mentioned Links Wanna hear from Russell? He's featured in boatloads of YouTube videos, and Candace has curated a shortlist for you here.Russell Targ's WebsiteRussell's TEDTalk that got quashed Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book: The Reality of ESP: A Physicist's Proof of Psychic Abilities by Russell Targ and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more. Candy-Coloured Sky by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphrReleased by Paper Crane CollectiveMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

This is our shittiest episode yet! Literally, we talk a lot about poop at the top of the episode, but eventually we find our way to police dogs named after serial killers (really), real estate quandaries, and Candace learns that staring at warts helps Ash sleep. P.S. We heard your feedback about our volume levels, so hopefully now you'll be able to hear us! I mean, that's the whole point of this thing, right? Mentioned Links Ash is also known as The Bookish Bitch, you can find her here!Candace has a website where she talks about nature, health, and wellness. Find her here! Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes us up different playlists for our episodes so, you can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them.

This mystery thriller reunites Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama for a political mashup full of suspense, intrigue, and laugh out loud bromance.Vice President Joe Biden is fresh out of the Obama White House and feeling adrift when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident, leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues. To unravel the mystery, “Amtrak Joe” re-teams with the only man he’s ever fully trusted—the 44th president of the United States. Together they’ll plumb the darkest corners of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America’s opioid epidemic.Part noir thriller and part bromance novel, Hope Never Dies s essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fanfiction—and a cathartic read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs. Ash picked this book as a fun, light read to be a palate cleanser for Candace after Oryx and Crake from last month. Despite this probably being the most comedic book Ash has chosen yet, it's the only book that's made Candace cry. Whamp whamp. The book's about Barack Obama and Joe Biden just bein' bros and solving a mystery involving an Amtrak train conductor, opioids, and a lot of hi-jinks. So settle in and give those getaway sticks a rest while you listen to the gals argue about a train conductor's job duties, try to figure out what a tickler is (again), and cry over sad old men. Show Notes Wanna know more about the author, Andrew Shaffer? Check out his site here!Hey guess what? There's a sequel to Hope Never Dies that's going to be released in July 2019. More info here if you're interested (you should probs be interested).We mentioned The Onion's many ridiculous articles about Uncle Joe Biden, there's a shitload of them to be seen so maybe give them a peep? Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book here: Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes us up different playlists for our episodes so, you can check out this week's below or check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them.

Can you make sense out of press releases and TV programs that attempt to explain the newest astronomical ‘discoveries’ – things like invisible dark energy, warped 11-dimensional spaces, and black holes that spit out matter If not, you have lots of company.  The time to search for some realistic, intelligent, scientific answers has arrived. And those sensible answers are out there for those who are ready to listen - explanations of those answers are in this book.  Astronomers have been ignoring electrical activity in space for years. Their inability to generate sensible explanations for many observations made by state-of-the-art astronomical instruments demonstrates they need to study the properties of electrical plasma in the cosmos.  If, as we will claim, the causes of most of the observed phenomena of modern astronomy are electrical in nature, do you need a degree in electrical engineering before you can understand them? Indeed not. The average informed person can understand and make rational judgments about these ideas. All it requires is the time and patience to read and to think logically and critically about the issues. Some basic facts and a few new concepts will suffice. The main goal of this book is to convince you, the reader, that you really do have both the capability and responsibility to make informed, critical judgments about the pronouncements of establishment science. A careful reading of these pages will enable you to make an informed assessment of this new, simpler, plasma-based alternative cosmology.  give it a'listen In case it isn't obvious, this book was a Candace Pick. Despite that, the gals had pretty much the same opinion of the book: meh. Who knew that a book about outer space being full of electricity and terror (Ash's editorializing) the book wasn't very palatable for us laywomen. Tune in for us imagining Billy Mays hawking a book about alternate cosmology, a brief visit from Matthew McConaughey, and a teeny Best Friend Fight (BFF) about whether or not Breatharianism is bullshit. Mentioned Links In this book Donald E. Scott said they didn't exist, buuuuuuuuuuuut there's brand new photographic proof of their existence here. Neat stuff!Breatharianism. We talked about it, Candace is interested in it and Ash is not having it at all. Wanna know what the hell we're talking about? Point: Ray Maor is a famous breatharian who has a lot of info on that lifestyle. Counterpoint: How Stuff Works has a nice article that sums up criticisms of the lifestyle. Have thoughts? Let us know! Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book here: The Electric Sky by Donald E. Scott, and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists (Candace is dipping her toes in...) for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more. Interstellar Plasma image courtesy of iter.org

Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining. give it a'listen This week the gals feel pretty sorry for Jimmy (aka Snowman) who's real dumb, real sad, and under way too much pressure. Other takeaways from this episode: house cats are a problem for birds, Margaret Atwood is a BAMF, and rakunks sound super cute. Neat stuff! Mentioned Links Find more info about Margaret Atwood and her goings-on here. We lightly touch on Book #2 of the MaddAdam trilogy, The Year of the Flood, and its website. If you're not scared of potential spoilers, you can check it out here! Do you like books? Do you like funny stuff? Well then find Ash and her book nonsense here.Candace is a rolling stone, check out where and what she's up to here! Goodreads We'd love to have you join us in opining over on Goodreads. You can find this book here: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and of course join our discussion group here. Spotify Playlist Ash mixes up playlists (Candace is dipping her toes in...) for our books - here's a sample for this week. You can check out our Spotify profile for like, all of them if you want to see more.