Required Readcast

It's time for that classic summer beach read, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway! Grab your fishing pole and Xanax, and join Jess and Lauren as they debrief the most demoralizing fishing story ever written. (Thanks for nothing, Papa.) Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and pick up a copy of A Wrinkle in Time to join in on our next month's book! Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

It's our first listener-requested title: An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley! This play was new to our hosts, but required for students in the UK, which makes for a delightfully British-ish episode. Join Lauren and Jess as they explore this "Compulsory Classic," expand their slang-vocabulary and examine all the different ways in which rich old British people can be assholes. Thanks for the request, Beth! Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and get your copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula ready so you can join us in February (maybe?) for some gothic goodness. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

It's our traditional bummer of a holiday episode with The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen! Join Lauren and Jess as they sympathize with our frozen little heroine, strategize smarter match-selling methods and try to muster up a little holiday cheer this late in 2020. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and get your copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula ready so you can join us in January for some gothic goodness. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Come for the Pride, stay for the Prejudice (and Persuasion!) Join Lauren and Jess for a foray into the ultimate romantic comedy, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice... with a little bit of Persuasion thrown in there for good measure. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and get your copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula ready so you can read along for our October episode. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Join your hosts Lauren Bahlman and Jessica Austgen for a sneak peek at the titles for Season Three of Required Readcast. Sept: Pride & Prejudice (& Persuasion!) Oct: Dracula Nov: An Inspector Calls December: Les Miserables Volume Two: Cosette

Is the Baby-Sitters Club great literature? No. Is it a soothing, easy read during COVID times? Hells, yes. Join Lauren and Jess as they (remotely) reminisce about this treasured childhood series, discuss the finer points of living in suburban Connecticut and wonder if Kristy Thomas might be responsible for the current gig economy. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and stay tuned for our next title! Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Hey you crumby phonies! Jess and Lauren tackle their most-requested title, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar for our next episode! Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Get those tiny hearts ready, because they're about to grow THREE WHOLE SIZES with holiday cheer! Join Lauren and Jess and they discuss the holiday classic, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and send us your suggestions for Season Three! Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Oh wow, these lil bitches are charming AF! (Except Amy, she sucks) Join Jessica and Lauren for the wholesome feminist goodness that is Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and send us your suggestions for Season Three! Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Hold on to your butts (er...asses?) and head into the woods with Jessica and Lauren as they discuss William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and brush up on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women for our next episode! Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Big Brother definitely does not approve of this episode. Join Lauren, Jess and special guest Sean Scrutchins (Winston Smith in the Benchmark Theater production) as they talk through George Orwell's horrifyingly prescient 1984. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and keep pushing through Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, because we're talking Volume Two: Cosette on the next episode. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Is this the saddest book ever? Well... yeah. It's kinda in the title. Join Jess and Lauren for the first volume of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, a bummer of an epic novel that will make you super glad that you're not a single mother in old-timey France. Silver lining: there's a marmot! Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and join us next month for George Orwell's 1984 at our very first live show on March 18th.

New year, new magical country. Come through the wardrobe with Jess and Lauren as we explore C.S. Lewis' first story in Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Dont' forget to put on your fur coat, your most British-ish accent and pack an extra helping or two of Turkish Delight (What the effing eff IS Turkish Delight anyway?). Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and join us next month for a (the first chunk of) Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy.

God bless us, everyone! For the year end episode, Lauren and Jess tackle the most essential of all holiday stories: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Have a cup of holiday cheer (meaning: booze) and join us for a spooky holiday ghost story made even spookier by the spectre of unmoved Elves of Shelves, Victorian Era swingers parties and terminally ill urchins. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and shoot us a message suggesting books for us to cover in 2019 Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy.

Nothing will ruin your holiday spirit like O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, a bummer of a short story about Christmas shopping gone horribly awry! In this episode, Jess and Lauren get real sad, discuss terrible gifts of holidays past, and someone dies from the TB... but there is the briefest mention of otters to brighten the mood! Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and pick up Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and read along for our next holiday themed episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Lauren and Jess both agree: there's nothing revolting about Roald Dahl's Matilda. Listen in as your hosts talk newts vs. salamanders, discuss truly terrible teachers and marvel over the vocal stylings of one Miss Kate Winslet.  Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and get your hands on O. Henry's short (like, REALLY short) story, The Gift of the Magi. Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.  

What could be worse than an island full of feral schoolboys? Nothing. Nothing is worse than that. Jess and Lauren are back for for Season Two with one of the most horrifying novels to ever be assigned in a classroom: William Golding's The Lord of the Flies.  Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and crack open your copy of Roald Dahl's Matilda for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is an enduring tale about the power of friendship... and a great way to introducing children to the concept of mortality! Jess and Lauren sob their way through this childhood classic as they talk animal husbandry, the danger of barn swings and weigh the pros and cons of visiting your local fair.  Bring your tissues, this episode is a hard one.----more----Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and stay tuned for our summer reading list! Season Two is coming your way in the fall Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Lauren and Jess visit Salem, Mass. for a witchy good time as they discuss The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. Grab a copy of the play and listen along as our hosts chat witchcraft, McCarthyism and what kind of snacks are best for your coven meeting/podcast recording session. Stay gold, witches! Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out Charlotte's Web by E.B. White for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Happy Easter from West Egg, Old Sport! Grab a finger bowl full of champagne and join Jess and Lauren as they hate on Daisy Buchanan, flirt via shirts, and talk drunk driving in the Jazz Age. Stay gold, Gatz! Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out The Crucible by Arthur Miller for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Lois Lowry's The Giver is one kick-ass piece of uptopian/dystopia fiction, but no one ever assigned it to Jess and Lauren. Weird. Join our hosts as they discuss the pros and cons of living in a kinda-cult, why you shouldn't release babies into the wild, and the injustice of not being able to name one's own (Cabbage Patch) child.----more---- Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.

Join Lauren and Jessica as they discuss the greatest murder love story ever told, Romeo and Juliet by William "It's Hard to be the Bard" Shakespeare. Put on your favorite pair of pumpkin pants and listen in as your hosts tackle irresponsible parenting methods in old-timey Italy, villainous hats and play a rousing game of MFK: Verona-style! With stories from our friends (and Romeos!) Benjamin Bonenfant and Michael Shenefelt.----more---- Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out The Giver by Lois Lowry for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson, vocals by Erin C. Willis.  

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee might just be a perfect book, but that doesn't mean Lauren and Jessica don't have opinions about it! This week, we talk about our favorite/least favorite citizens of Maycomb, discuss the origins of the phrase "Hey Boo," and turn our noses up at ill-conceived sequels. ----more---- Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson.

Shirley Jackson's The Lottery is one of the most famous (and messed up) short stories of all time, so it seemed like a perfect way for Lauren and Jessica to kick off the new year of their new podcast. Grab a copy of the book and join your hosts to talk weird wedding themes, stone-throwing strategy and the great state of Vermont. With a special guest story from former soc Zachary M. Andrews!----more---- Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson.

Lauren had to read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton in the 8th grade, Jessica never read it at all. How does the ultimate YA classic hold up after all these years? Spoiler: it stayed gold, Ponyboy. ----more---- Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out The Lottery by Shirley Jackson for our next episode! Required Readcast is brought to you by the good people at Sexpot Comedy. Theme music and lyrics by Max McEwan and Noah Wilson.