This is Lit!

Sometimes, the solution only makes things worse. Stevie Bell discovered this after a few months at Ellingham Academy. Ellie has vanished, David is in crisis and Truly Devious is still at large 80 years later. Will Stevie be able to solve this one? This week, we read Maureen Johnson’s ‘The Vanishing Stair’!

This week, the hosts take on Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious! 80 years ago, tragedy came to Ellingham Academy. Now, young Stevie Bell seems to be in the middle of tragedy’s return! When learning is a game, the consequences can be deadly! #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #trulydevious #murdermystery

Freezing and temps and blackouts can’t stop us! (Just delay) Everyone loves a good villain, but things can get complicated when your brother is the city’s hero, your dad’s the mayor and you’re in a cursed high school musical. This week we read ‘The Supervillain and Me’ by Danielle Banas.

The course of true love never did run smooth. No one knows this better than Patroclus. Then again, loving a demigod was never easy. This week, Liz gets emotionally destroyed by ‘Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller. 

Happy New Year? As we move forward with 2021 and Season 4 of TIL – no, we can’t believe it either- we’re going to make a few changes. Hopefully, all for the better. Hopefully, everything gets better. #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #itsatwisttop

Happy New Year. Since the world is in need of a fresh start, let’s all move to Narnia. There is the pesky problem with that witch and cursed eternal winter, but every place has its drawbacks. Today, the hosts discuss CS Lewis’ classic ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’.   #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #itsatwisttop #CSLewis #Narnia

This holiday season we all need a few little acts of kindness to hold the darkness at bay. This week, we read the compilation of letters JRR Tolkien wrote to his children as Father Christmas.

Case and Elizabeth take a look back and name their top 3 new reads of 2020! We also reveal our first ever Book Of The Year!

Being a transgender teenager is hard. It’s even harder when Yadriel comes VERY traditional family with magical necromancer powers and accidentally summons a ghost who won’t leave. It’s worse when he doesn’t want him too. Happy Halloween! Time for some Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas   #thisislit #itsatwisttop #cemeteryboys #aidenthomas #imnotcryingyouare

Home renovations are stressful, especially when the landscaper has a stalker & the architect and organizer are ex's. Oh, and let's not forget the 100 year old unsolved murder and the angry ghosts left behind. Today, Liz indulges in 'Better Homes and Hauntings' by Molly Harper.

Dungeons, Dragons, Resurrections and Anime References, everything we look for in a book. Wonderland is in the balance in the the second #Nightmareverse novel by @ElleonWords A Dream so Dark. Will Alice be able to stop the Black Knight, rescue her friends, and save Hatta? Well, she has to get un-grounded first. #thisislit #litliterturepodcast #itsatwisttop

Liz knows what scared her as a kid. Oddly enough, it became one of her favorite books. Help us celebrate Liz's birthday with 'Coraline' by Neil Gaiman. #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #birthdayepisde #neilgaiman #coraline

What if Buffy fell down the rabbit hole instead of Alice? Oh, and she was also a bi black woman from Atlanta? This week we get curiouser and curiouser with ‘A Blade So Black’ by L.L. McKinney.

Its the triumphant return of Casye! This week, gather your fellowship together for an adventure in returning evil jewelry with the classic, The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien #thisislit #LOTR #FellowshipoftheRing #itsatwisttop #JRRTolkien

Magic cannot be contained with simple ink and paper. It takes something a little more than that, and the spells within can be chatty. The question is, does one listen to what they have to say? Today we discuss ‘Sorcery of Thorns’ by Margaret Rogerson.

Humans create monsters to make their monstrosities easier to deal with. Because then at least they aren’t a monster. Monsters aren’t always what you think, and the monsters better run because the Witcher is here. This week we discuss ‘The Last Wish’ by Andrzej Sapkowski. 

They have met before. Wait, no they haven't, or time isn't linear. Not for them. Can romance blossom when literal time tears them apart? This week we discuss 'The Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger. Minor Trigger warning: Pedophilia discussion

Time has very little meaning these days. Is time a straight line, or a big ball of timey-wimey stuff? What if, just what if, time and space could be bent? This week we discuss 'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle

The weather is warm. The sun is hot. The travel itch needs to be scratched. Too bad we are all stuck at home. This week the hosts discuss ‘On the Road’ by Jack Kerouac. #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #itsatwisttop

We're all desperate to get out of the house. It's time for a roadtrip across America! Well, at least in our minds. This week, we discuss 'Wayward Son' by Rainbow Rowell. What happens after the hero's destiny is fulfilled?

After 3 weeks trapped at home with 4 more to go, we have some advice for you, our lovely listeners.

Every country has a city of the dead. Egypt had Hamunaptra. America has New Orleans. It's time to break out the bourbon and discuss 'The Beautiful' by Renée Ahdieh.

What does everyone associate with the month of March? That's right, vampires. This week, the hosts discuss the many evolutions of Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. And guess what? Mama's Back! #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #carmilla #itsatwisttop

Content Warning-Triggering situations discussed-Listener Discretion is Advised. If you have to say “It’s not a cult” it’s probably a cult. Casye & guest host Alison from Story-Eyed Reviews discuss The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. Definitely grab a drink for this one. You’ll need it.

Liz is on maternity leave, so Casye and special guest host Karina are going to discuss 'The Golden Compass' from Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series. All we can say for certain is we stan Lin Manuel Miranda and Karina has a definitive type.

Words have power. Always have. So, of course they would be a source of magic. Today, we use the power of words, some eloquent and some not, to discuss Rainbow Rowell's 'Carry on'. Simon Snow is the worst Chosen one ever. When he agrees to help his mortal enemy, Baz, with a mystery, will they uncover more than the power of friendship?

Who's up for romantic tropes? We kick off enemies to lovers month with The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Tags are slow burn, enemies to lovers, omg there was only ONE BED, 400K words.

Happy New Year!-Almost. Tonight, we discuss 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' by JK Rowling. For Harry and his friends, the freedom of the wizarding world is at stake. It's the end of the series, and for most of us, the end of our childhoods. Ready your wands. Here we go.

Tis the Season! Join the hosts this week as we investigate a brutal holiday murder, and we aren't talking about what your Aunt Stacy said to your mom about the over-done turkey. Can Hercule Poirot solve the crime by Christmas? Find out tonight in Agatha Christie's 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas'

This week, we return to Hogwarts for Harry's 6th year. Hormones are raging, Harry reads a book, Dumbledore is lying (again) and Ginny becomes even more of a BAMF! And what the He** is a Horcrux? #harrypotter #thisislit #itsatwisttop #litliteratrurepodcast #jkrowling

This week, the hosts investigate the mysterious Slade House, a place that only seems to exist every 9 years. Will we make it out alive? Probably since Liz is alive to post this.

Happy Halloween! This week, we continue our education at Hogwarts with 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' by JK Rowling. There are things in this world far more terrifying than ghosts and goblins, like Delores Umbridge for instance. #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #itsatwisttop #harrypotter #happyhalloween

Today we dive into Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. An actor dies on stage. A man tries to save his life and a young girl witnesses the entire thing. 20 years later, 99.9% of the population has died of the Georgia Flu. Kirsten along with the Traveling Symphony journey through this post-apocalyptic world to keep culture alive, for survival is insufficient.

Dragons, Mermaids and Darkness! Oh My! It's time for 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' by JK Rowling. Grab snacks, this is a long one. #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #harrypotter #itsatwisttop #GoF

Slight change in plans! This week we cover 'The Thief' by Megan Whalen Turner. My dear Ali, this one's for you! #thisislit #itsatwisttop #thequeensthief #meganwhalenturner

It's Elizabeth's 30th Birthday! So we have a special gift for you! Enjoy us talking about a graphic novel, based on a podcast, based on a Dungeons & Dragons campaign...AKA Here There Be Gerblins by Justin,Travis,Griffin & Clint McElroy. Art by Carey Pietsch @griffinmcelroy @JustinMcElroy @travismcelroy @TheZoneCast #TheZoneCast

Goodness, Pandora had it easy. Today the hosts dive into a world full of angels, demons, 2 apocalypse cults, ghosts, vampires and one master thief who has to deal with it all in Richard Kadrey's 'The Everything Box'. Chaos ensues. It's funnier than it sounds. Promise.

We have an announcement! Plus, things are not always what they seem, especially in the wizarding world! Join us as we return to Hogwarts for Harry's 3rd year in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' by JK Rowling. #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #harrypotter #PoA #itsatwisttop

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is the American Dream. Can this idea be reconciled with a fairytale? Marry prince charming and ride off together in the sunset? It's our first foray into LGBT fiction with 'Red, White & Royal Blue' By Casey McQuiston!

We are headed back to Hogwarts with 'Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets' by JK Rowling. The girls drink enough Polyjuice potion to cause plenty of trouble. The Weasley Twins would be proud. #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #itsatwisttop #harrypotter #jkrowling

Limbo is a not just a fun party game. It's a bad place to be stuck, both literally and figuratively. Let's fix that, shall we? Casye & Elizabeth read the (currently) last of the Shades of London series, The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson. #shadowcabinet #maureenjohnson #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #itsatwisttop

We're going back to Hogwarts! Where everything is magi-Cool! Join us as we cover the first of a series that formed our childhood. It's time for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! #litliteraturepodcast #thisislit #potter #jkrowling #itsatwisttop

This week, we return to Jolly Old London in Maureen Johnson's "The Madness Underneath". London is still covered in unhappy ghosts, and the London Shades are without their only weapon, until Rory discovers her new powers. Casye may soon become one of the ghosts after this ending. 

We asked and you answered! It's time for heat, sun and adventure. Pack your rum and practice your swordplay. It's time to read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson! Drink up me Hearties! Yo Ho! #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #itsatwisttop #treasureisland #pirates #whyistherumgone

It’s finally spring! Here in the Midwest, it’s a great time to do foolish things. This week on ‘This is Lit’ we read each other’s writing. Fates above help us. Where’s my drink? #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #fanfictionisaradicalfeministchoice

Never trust a Fae, especially if it's a wounded Faerie prince you find in the woods. Casye knows this well. Elizabeth learned this the hard way. Don't ask. Tonight, we read 'Tithe' by Holly Black.

Ah, Eternal Youth. It's something everyone wishes for & no one gets. But what happens when you do? The girls dive into 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde. Let's get Wilde!

We're off to jolly ol' London in Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star! Rory is a foreign exchange student. Not only does she have to settle in at her new school in a new country, but she gets caught up in a series of murders! Ones that closely resemble those of the infamous Jack the Ripper. Is there a way to avoid getting ripped by the Ripper?

It's the season of love! Or hate? There is often a thin line between the two. The ladies explore this line in William Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Claudio and Hero are in love. Their friends, Benedick and Beatrice hate each other. So of course, they'd make the perfect couple. Time to place your bets!

This week, hosts Casye and Elizabeth read a book by a local Kansas City author 'The Bone Brick City by Aaron Hollingsworth. The world is nothing like we mere mortals have ever known or seen. Can a rag tag group of misfits save a great city from the Mystic Mafia? #listentoourpodcast #itsatwisttop!

Happy New Year! Casye & Elizabeth are back with more wine, more books and side tangents. It's a time of year to reflect on the past. That's why this week we are covering 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The past is a nice place to visit, but please don't live there.