Podcasts about mortifying ordeal

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: poolside reading and friends who know your reading tastes Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: it's finally time to let you know the bookish friends' best books of 2024! The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  2:30 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 6:42 - Our Current Reads 6:47 - Tempest by Beverly Jenkins (Kaytee) 10:31 - Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Meredith) 19:41 - The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb (Kaytee) 19:56 - The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb 21:40 - Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb 24:19 - Campfires & Corpses by Nikki Weber (Meredith) 28:10 - Woodworking by Emily St. James (Kaytee) 28:45 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 31:59 - This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Meredith) 37:33 - Bookish Friends' Best Books of 2024 40:11 - The Women by Kristen Hannah (#4) 40:13 - The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (#4) 40:17 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare (#4) 40:40 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (#3) 40:45 - Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (#1) 40:47 - All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (#1) 43:36 - James by Percival Everett 43:37 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy 43:38 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach  44:35 - In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn 44:57 - The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin 45:13 - All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby  45:30 - You Are Here by David Nicholls 45:31 - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali 45:47 - Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner 46:23 - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (#1 disliked) 46:26 - The Fury by Alex Michalides (#2 disliked) 46:30 - Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (#3 disliked) 46:33 - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (#3 disliked) 46:47 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang 46:48 - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow 46:56 - I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid 47:05 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver 47:13 - The Husbands by Holly Gramazio 47:15 - All This and More by Peng Shepherd 47:30 - The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett 49:18 - What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan 50:13 - Meet Us At The Fountain 50:17 - I wish to press This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan. (Kaytee) 50:19 - This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan 52:38 - Shawnathemom on Instagram 54:31 - I wish book slumps weren't a thing. (Meredith)   Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May's IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.  All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Send us a textThe Spinsters discuss Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare and Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by IsThisSelfCare. The also discuss their fanfiction origin stories, fandom fave Theodore Nott, and how Catholics are demon loving divas. Also featured: Sarah falling asleep while recording and Shandra and Andrea not even noticing. Check us out at @clashyspinsters on Twitter and Instagram, or send us an email at clashypodcast@gmail.com. Shout out to @robotjellyfish for our logo and Chris Marino for our jingle!

Type A heroine, flipped gender roles, fake dating. Can you tell it's Katie's pick this week? This was a surprisingly good, clean romance. Katie consumed it via audiobook but believes it can stand alone in either format. Whether you're an avid contemporary romance consumer or you're interested in dabbling in the genre, this is a perfect little cream puff of a book.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724801-the-bodyguard?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=8I6R9pmgIQ&rank=1Other books mentioned in this episode: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwoodhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56732449-the-love-hypothesis?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=szAk2MTyyt&rank=1The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedyhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123255391-the-graham-effect?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_17Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcarehttps://archiveofourown.org/works/34500952/chapters/85870804

Grab your Galentines and Valentines because today we celebrate what brought us to K-Dramas in the first place, romance done right. We gush about the heroes and heroines who make us swoon, the second leads who will always have our hearts, and the beauty of the subtle romantic gesture. But first, for those with strong stomachs and a lot of patience, your unnis take some time to reconnect after not having the whole band in one place for a couple of weeks. *Because we love our listeners, for today's episode, we offer you a time stamp (head to 15:50) if you'd like to bypass talk of gum surgery and projectile vomiting before we get to all the lovely romantic things we discuss after.  K-Pop Rec: "Python" by GOT7 Dramione Fanfic books mentioned being traditionally published soon:Alchemized by SenLinYu (AO3 as Manacled)The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightly (AO3 as Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love)Ready to download your first audiobook? Don't forget to click HERE for your free Audible trial.*Audible is a sponsor of Afternoona Delight Podcast*Are your family and friends sick of you talking about K-drama? We get it...and have an answer. Join our AfterNoona Delight Patreon and find community among folks who get your obsession. And check out www.afternoonadelight.com for more episodes, book recs and social media goodness. And don't forget about the newest member of our network: Afternoona Asks where diaspora Asians living in the West find ways to reconnect to Asian culture via Asian/KDramas.Last but CERTAINLY not least....love BTS? Or curious what all the fuss is about? Check out our sister pod Afternoona Army for "thinky, thirsty and over thirty" takes on Bangtan life.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We are Traci and Ellie, two bookish friends who read in any spare minute that we have.  This week we are sharing our Top Ten Books of 2024!  To shop the books listed in this episode, visit our shop at bookshop.org.   Care to join us on Patreon with even more content?  We would love to have you join us at From the Bookstacks of Literally Reading! Traci: The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane Table for Two by Amor Towles The Wedding People by Alison Espach Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau Ellie: What Does it Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane  Mercury by Amy Jo Burns We are the Brennans by Tracey Lange Sandwich by Catherine Newman A Grimm Reapers Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara  Funny Story by Emily Henry Better than the Movies and Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter Ready or Not by Cara Bastone  The Wedding People by Alison Espach   

ACOFAE Podcast Presents: We are Thankful: Hockey Romance and Faebound! It's 2024 and ACOFAE is thankful for a lot. No really, there is a lot to be thankful for! For example ACOFAE is thankful first and always foremost for the listeners! You all make this pod what it is and ACOFAE thanks you forever. Also though, Laura Marie and Jessica Marie are thankful for books. Not just any books, but books that aren't covered on the pod! But Faebound is something you would cover...Hush now and let ACOFAE tell you a story about how rules are meant to be broken, even when you were the one to make them in the first place. ACOFAE thanks you. Forever. TW / CW: none to our awareness For additional TW/CW information for your future reads, head to this site for more: https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ Spoilers: The Wren in the Holly Library, Faebound Mentions: So This is War, Business or Pleasure, Shadowhunters, DMATMOOBIL (Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love), The Magicians, BOnes, Interstellar, Time Traveler's Wife, Donnie Darko, The Love Hypothesis *Thank you for listening to us! Please subscribe and leave a 5-star review and follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/) at @ACOFAEpodcast and on our TikToks! TikTok: ACOFAELaura : Laura Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura?) ( https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura) ACOFAEJessica : Jessica Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica?) (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica) Instagram: @ACOFAEpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/) https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/ @ACOFAELaura (https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/) https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/

Summary: While many authors dream of the day when their story will be picked up by Simon and Schuster, many more decide not to wait for their own IP or publisher. These brave, creative souls write fanfiction. One of the most popular ships in the fanfic world is that of Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger - iconic hero and villain characters from the Harry Potter franchise. Join Devin (seasoned Dramione and fanfic reader) and Holly (experiencing her first ever fanfiction for this episode) as they explore the oft-overlooked world of fanfic.  Topics Discussed: The Heart (5:31): Devin discussed Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare, a friends to lovers tale set after the Harry Potter books end. Draco has a successful career as an Auror, an amicable relationship with his colleagues Ron and Harry, and a new assignment guarding his former nemesis - Hermione Granger. Hermione straddles the Muggle and Magical worlds as a medical researcher and Healer, but her most recent discovery has put her in danger and Draco Malfoy may be the only person who can keep her safe. Devin's key takeaways were:  This is one of the most common ships in the Harry Potter fanfiction universe, and for a good reason. Hermione's sassy, fiery hyper-competence combined with Draco's bad boy but soft cinnamon roll vibe is a combo that readers never get sick of. They go toe-to-toe with banter, witticisms, and are both very attractive people. The redemption arc for Draco assisted by Hermione also feels accurate to their characterizations.  A lot of this story is centered around exploring those who have power (magic, political, physical, etc.) and those who do not. Both Draco and Hermione in their respective ways are fighting for those weaker than them and the plot arcs toward an ultimate battle against a known villain we all hated but never got their comeuppance in the cannon.  If you think intelligence is hot, boy, this is the book for you. Both Draco and Hermione are at the top of their craft in different ways and find their respective talents and cleverness alluring, which makes this an absolutely fantastic read for nerds. The author clearly did a ton of in-depth research on medicine, mathematics, and magical theories to make this story feel accurate to real, modern life (with a magical twist). The Dagger (16:26): Holly discussed Regression by WritexAboutxMe  The fanfiction is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers narrative, combining elements of suspense with intense emotional and psychological depth. It includes mature themes such as PTSD and trauma recovery, as well as moments of sexual tension between the characters.  For a fanfiction, the settings of the story were fantastic; Draco's Paris flat, Neville and Luna's cozy cottage for example. The mystery was intriguing amidst the cozier places as Draco and Hermione sought to understand how the bodies had runes carved into them, trying to get to the bottom of what they meant and who might be responsible.  If you're used to reading published works, the lack of editing and juvenile tone can be off-putting in this story. Be mindful of things like the length (600-800 pages equivalent), some sudden and explicit mentions of sex, and Harry calling our protagonist “‘Mione” nonstop.  Hot On the Shelf (36:24): Devin: Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London Holly: Christine Falls by Benjamin Black What's Making Our Hearts Race (39:32): Devin: Nobody Wants This on Netflix  Holly: Rings of Power Season 2 on Amazon Prime    Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com   If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Fan Favorite Lindsey joins Traci and Jen to discuss all things Dramione related. This episode was previously released (later deleted) due to terrible sound. The sound on this episode is MUCH better. Promise :) Books Discussed Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen NorthWoods by Daniel Mason Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Poisonwood Bible – BarbaraKingsolver Demon Copperhead – BarbaraKingsolver Bookish Life of Nina Hill –Abbi Waxman   Fics Falling Dark by Scullymurphy Bending Light by Scullymurphy Days at Malfoy Manor by seagull_in_the_sunset Creep by Cr0ftisprocrastinating Measure of a Man by inadaze22 Detraquee by Hystaracal Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare Remain Nameless by HeyJude19 Rosemary for Remembrance by rubber_soul02 The AuctionLovesBitca8 Secrets and Masks by Emerald_Slytherin All You Want by Senlinyu Every Day a Little Death by Lovebitca8 Bring Him to His Knees by Musyc The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy by speechwriter Love and other Historical Accidents by PacificRimbaud Theo Knott's Infallible Guide to Wooing Witches by Curly_Kay Remember One Thing by PacificRimbaud Bloody, Slutty and Pathetic by WhatMurdah Ten out of Ten by morriganmercy Apple Pie and other Amends by ToEataPeach

Join Erin and Jamie in this spicy page-turner of an episode as they discuss the intersection of Christianity and romance novels. Based on a massive listener survey, they'll explore questions like whether this is a pendulum swing from the other side of purity culture and whether or not we are merely just trying to read porn and justify it. You'll hear deep dives on purity culture, sexual immorality, and fan fiction.  MENTIONS Want even more? Listen to the Behind-the-Scenes of this episode on Patreon  Past Episodes about Purity Culture: IKYN: If Not Purity Culture, Then What? | Faith Adjacent: Purity Culture | July Favored or Forsaken  Romance Deep-Dive: Check out Leigh Kramer   What was that about Harry Potter? Read Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love So Many Peppers: Check out this Romance Book Database Research about this Topic: Here's the National Institute of Health study mentioned  Sexual Immorality Deep-Dive: Read Sex, Christ, and Embodied Cognition by Robert H. von Thaden  The Faith Adjacent Seminary: Support us on Patreon.   Subscribe to our Newsletter: The Dish from Faith Adjacent Faith Adjacent Merch: Shop Here Shop our Amazon Link: amazon.com/shop/faithadjacent Follow Faith Adjacent on Socials: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jen and Traci talk about one of their new favorite authors. In the fanfic world, she's the indomitable Lovesbitca8, writer of kickass Dramione & Kylo Rey Fanfiction, but in the published author world she's Julie Soto. For those living under a rock (just Jen, apparently) here are some pictures of Kylo Ren and Rey from Star Wars to give life to the Kylo Rey Fanfic conversation Books Discussed Lady Tan's Circle of Women– Lisa See Shipwrecked – Olivia Dade Ready Player One – Ernest Cline Not Another Love Song – Julie Soto Forget me Not – Julie Soto Fics Discussed The Auction– Lovesbitca8 The Right Thing to Do – Lovesbitca8 All the Wrong Things – Lovesbitca8 Manacled –Senlinyu Wait andHope - Mightbewriting Beginning and End - MightbewritingDraco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love - Isthisselfcare

Send us a Text Message.In today's episode, I am chatting with Hannah Levin. Hannah Levin is a neurodivergent dog mom who grew up in Northern New Jersey and currently resides in the D.C. metropolitan area. Her writing career began with poetry and fanfiction in her early teen years; luckily, she's come a long way in the decade since. During the day, she writes repetitive marketing copy to pay the bills, but by night, she writes fantasy romance to feed the dreamers. She has several projects in the works at any given time, usually with common themes of relatable characters, a healthy balance of plot and spice, and gradual relationship development. After a long struggle with ADHD, Hannah's debut novel, The Treasured One, came out July 9, 2024. Episode Highlights:Writing with ADHD and her publication journeyKindle UnlimitedIndie authors and a cozy romantasy book flightConnect with Hannah Levin:InstagramWebsitePurchase Her Latest Book:The Treasured OneShow NotesSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.Books and authors mentioned in the episode:Gail Carson Levine booksTerry Pratchett booksA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasNo Excuses by Andrea JanelleBook FlightRadiance by Grace DravenDraco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by Brigitte KnightleyBound to Fall by A.K. CaggianoBe sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!InstagramFacebookWebsiteI'm thrilled to announce that Bookish Flights is a nominee in the Women in Podcasting Awards! Please vote for us in the “Authors & Books” category.

We are Traci and Ellie, two bookish friends who read in any spare minute that we have. This week we are each sharing our top 5 books of the year (so far). To shop the books listed in this episode, visit our shop at bookshop.org.   Care to join us on Patreon with even more content?  We would love to have you join us at From the Bookstacks of Literally Reading! Traci: The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau Table for Two by Amor Towles Ellie: We are the Brennans by Tracey Lange  The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue  Mercury by Amy Jo Burns  Funny Story by Emily Henry  Ready or Not by Cara Bastone   

Essentially an hour long high five. Jen and Traci reminisce about the last 10 episodes and act like they have their act together... and then lose 40 minutes of programming and have to re-record it all. Proving to all who were curious that they truly are just faking their way through this podcast game. Novels Discussed Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez The Prospects: A Novel by KT Hoffman Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Thank you for Listening by Julia WhelanForget me Not by Julie Soto FICS Discussed Hot for Teacher MotherofBulls The Auction by Lovesbitca8 A Dress with Pockets by PacificRimbaud Spite's as Good a Reason to Take his Power by TakenbytheView Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by Isthisselfcare

Traci and Jen talk knotting, omegaverse, wolves and spice expectations.  This is not suitable for any younger listeners.   Books Discussed Bride – Ali Hazelwood Catching Feelings – Maren Moore For the Fans – Nyla K The Summer I Turned Pretty – Jenny Han The Happy Ever After Playlist – Abby Jimenez Love, Theoretically – Ali Hazelwood Heartless – Elsie Silver West With Giraffes – Lynda Rutledge   Fics All You Want - Senlinyu Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love - Isthisselfcare Remain Nameless – HeyJude19 The Auction – Lovesbitca8

Traci and Jen discuss Dramione (as usual). Books Discussed: Bride by Ali Hazelwood Done and Dusted By Lyla Sage Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling Forget Me Not by Julie Soto Fics Discussed Remain Nameless by Heyjude19 Manacled by senlinyu Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by Isthisselfcare In Silence and Submission by gillianeliza Rosemary for Remembrance by rubber_soul02 Breathmints and Battlescars by Onyx and Elm The Auction by Lovesbitca8 The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy by Speechwriter

In which Traci and Jen talk Dramione (of course); The Idea of You by Robinne Lee makes a significant appearance, and then they jump into one of Jen's favorite comfort reads... The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. SOOO good. Books Discussed The Happy Ever After Playlist - Abby Jimenez A Court of Silver Flames - Sarah J Maas The Idea of You - Robinne Lee The Hating Game - Sally Thorne Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie Fics Discussed Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by Isthisselfcare

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: book recs that land with non readers and Kaytee meeting an octopus! Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: how we recommend books to readers outside our own wheelhouses The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  .  Season 6, Episode 45 1:27 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 1:50 - Happy Place by Emily Henry 6:52 - Our Current Reads 6:59 -  Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (Mary) 10:41 - Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery (Kaytee) 10:50 - The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht (Fabled link, not available on Bookshop) 11:14 - Secrets of the Whales by Brian Skerry 11:16 - Secrets of the Elephants by Paula Kahumbu and Claudia Geib 11:33 - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery 13:45 - Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (Mary) 15:51 - Boswell Books 16:55 - Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart (Kaytee) 17:01 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart 17:13 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare 22:25 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Mary) 25:51 - Drowning by T.J. Newman (Kaytee) 25:57 - Falling by T.J. Newman 26:02 - CR Season 5: Episode 41 30:12 - Deep Dive: How To Recommend Books Outside Your Wheelhouse 32:21 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 32:23 - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gayle Honeycutt 36:24 - This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel 36:30 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley 36:44 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi 36:46 - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 36:52 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 39:31 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty 39:55 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle 41:19 - Breathless by Amy McCulloch 41:43 - The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer 44:29 - Drowning by T.J. Newman 48:55 - Meet Us At The Fountain 48:59 - I wish people would give slow and steady reading a try. (Mary) 49:35 - Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 51:30 - I wish everyone would keep a readerly profile. (Kaytee) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL comes to us from our anchor store Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, Michigan. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

In this episode, Laura is joined by Shayna, a prominent fan fiction enthusiast and creator of Shayna's Library on TikTok and Instagram. They dive deep into the world of Dramione fan fiction, discussing the allure of fan-created stories, the proper etiquette for engaging with fan fiction, and Shayna's top recommendations for new and seasoned readers alike. Whether you're a veteran fan or new to the world of Dramione, this episode has something for everyone.Topics Covered:Introduction to Fan Fiction and DramioneShayna's Journey into Fan FictionProper Etiquette in the Fan Fiction CommunityFinding and Navigating Fan FictionAO3 WattpadFanfiction.net.Understanding Fan Fiction Word CountsShayna's Top Fan Fiction Recommendations:Wartime Fics:"Manacled" by SenLinYu"The Auction" by LovesBitca8 (Julie Soto)Post-War Fics:"Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love" by IsThisSelfCare"Remain Nameless" by HeyJude19"Measure of a Man" by InADays22Hogwarts Era:"Isolation" by Bex-chan"The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy" by Speechwriter"Things We're All Too Young to Know" by NerwritesOther Favorites:"Meet Your Match" by MorganMercy"Love and Other Historical Accidents" by mightbewritingShayna's Own Work:"The Stars Above Us" by EmbersofAprilConnect with ShaynaShayna's Library on TikTok: @shaynaslibraryShayna's Library on Instagram: @shaynaslibraryShayna's Fan Fiction Database: https://shaynaslibrary.notion.site/Dramione-FanFiction-Database-6db1f9cb1d02456687f30644dbd95d67Shayna's Fan Fiction Writing (EmbersofApril): https://archiveofourown.org/works/41741034/chapters/104716539Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-podcast-l-book-recommendation-show--5263998/support.

ACOFAE Podcast Presents: DMATMOOBIL: "Stop listening to us and go read this!" Happy Birthday Draco! ACOFAE is thrilled to celebrate their favorite Slytherin by covering the best Romantic Comedy ever written. No really. It is the best. Hermione is on the verge of a breakthrough that could change the lives for a huge portion of the magical population and Draco is the lazy but deadly Auror assigned to protect her. What follows is a series of adventures where bums are admired, nuns are cursed, and of course our favorites fall in love. DMATMOOBIL is a delicious romp that takes us to Hogwarts, Malfoy Manner and The Savoy as well as far flung locations across the globe and even Cambridge. Join ACOFAE as they try and fail to not kick their feet and giggle at the story that makes you laugh out loud say "awww" almost constantly. There's nothing wrong with a little joy. "Tell your cat I said pspspspspsppss" xoxo SITES MENTIONED: IsThisSelfCare - https://archiveofourown.org/works/34500952 Meems_ToAnEnd Reads - https://open.spotify.com/show/72u5R7WTZYicIzDblFW2KH TW / CW: please see author's tags For additional TW/CW information for your future reads, head to this site for more: https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ Spoilers: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love (DMATMOOBIL) Mentions: Manacled, Breath Mints/Battle Scars, The Mummy *Thank you for listening to us! Please subscribe and leave a 5-star review and follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/) at @ACOFAEpodcast and on our TikToks! TikTok: ACOFAELaura : Laura Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura?) ( https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura) ACOFAEJessica : Jessica Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica?) (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica) Instagram: @ACOFAEpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/) https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/ @ACOFAELaura (https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/) https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/

Jen and Traci talk Fourth Wing & Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. Books Discussed: Yours Truly - Abby Jimenez House of Flame and Shadow - Sarah J Maas The Last Letter - Rebecca Yarros Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros Fics Discussed: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love (199548 words) by isthisselfcare

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: bookish mail and more tech to help our reading lives Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: what makes an unputdownable book and some examples The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  .  1:26 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 1:48 - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker 1:50 - The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley 3:15 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy 6:35 - The Outsiders by S.E Hinton 8:44 - Our Current Reads 8:54 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare (Kaytee) 9:11 - Season 6, Episode 25 w/Knox and Jamie 14:07 - Here Goes Nothing by Steve Toltz (Meredith) 15:16 - Foyles UK 16:08 - The Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz 19:05 - Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Kaytee) 19:18 - Libro.fm 21:57 - Article About AI Friends 25:10 - The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Meredith) 26:32 - I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir 29:53 - Breathless by Amy McCulloch (Kaytee) 34:10 - Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews (Meredith) 35:55 - The Princess Bride by William Goldman 36:25 - The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews 38:49 - The Most Unputdownable Books 42:03 - Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson 42:15 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 43:39 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 43:51 - The Rook by Daniel O'Malley 44:17 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 45:35 - Confessions by Kenae Minato 45:48 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 45:50 - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 45:56 - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell 46:17 - Cover Story by Susan Rigetti 47:18 - No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister 47:37 - Kaytee mentions Adenrele Ojo being a Recorded Books copyright narrator but it is actually Simon and Schuster! 48:06 - The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf 48:34 - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet 48:51 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 49:27 - Drowning by T.J. Newman 49:28 - Falling by T.J. Newman 49:41 - Bird Box by Josh Malerman 49:44 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips 49:52 - Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell 50:31 - Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 51:49 - Check Please! by Ngozi Ukazu 51:51 - Heartsopper by Alice Oseman 51:58 - March: Book One by John Lewis 53:00 - El Deafo by Cece Bell 54:16 - Meet Us At The Fountain 54:24 - I wish more people would give graphic novels a chance. (Kaytee) 55:35 - Currently Reading Patreon 56:28 - I wish I could collect Precious Moments dolls committing all kinds of murder. (Meredith) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May's IPL comes to us from Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Jen and Traci meet to talk about Jennifer Armentrout's From Blood and Ash series and then end up... not. Books Discussed: The Hating Game - Sally Thorne Beyond the Wand - Tom Felton From Blood and Ash - Jennifer Armentrout Kingdom of Flesh and Fire - Jennifer Armentrout A Crown of Gilded Bones - Jennifer Armentrout A War of Two Queens - Jennifer Armentrout A Soul of Ash and Blood - Jennifer Armentrout A Shadow in the Ember - Jennifer Armentrout A Light in the Flame - Jennifer Armentrout A Fire in the Flesh - Jennifer Armentrout House of Earth and Blood - Sara J Maas House of Breath and Sky - Sara J Maas House of Flame and Shadow - Sara J Maas The Summer I Turned Pretty (Box Set) - Jenny Han To all the Boys I've Loved Before (Box Set) - Jenny Han The Four Horsemen Series (Box Set) - Laura Thalassa Kingdom of the Wicked - Kerri Maniscalco Kingdom of the Cursed - Kerri Maniscalco Kingdom of the Feared - Kerri Maniscalco The Bargainer - Laura Thalassa A Strange Hymn - Laura Thalassa The Atlas Six - Olivie Blake Forget me Not - Julie Soto Shark Heart - Emily Habeck Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate - Cate C Wells Totally Folked - Penny Reid The Lone Wolf's Rejected Mate - Cate C Wells The Ice Planet Barbarians - Ruby Dixon The Dixon Rule - Elle Kennedy The Graham Effect - Elle Kennedy Fics Discussed: ⁠Manacled⁠ - SenLinYu ⁠Draco Malfoy and Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love - isthisselfcare The Auction - Lovesbitca8

We are Traci and Ellie, two bookish friends who read in any spare minute that we have. This week we are looking back on our winter reading. To shop the books listed in this episode, visit our shop at bookshop.org.   Open the Book:  Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue Absolution by Alice McDermott Red Rising by Pierce Brown The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman Anna O by Matthew Blake  

ACOFAE Podcast Presents: MST 3000: "It's not so serious all the time." Let's set the scene: You're two weeks into a book-hangover. You're DNF-ing everything and AO3 isn't getting you where you need to be. What is a reader to do?! Where do you go?! Sometimes taking a step back and changing up the format can do wonders. Enter MST 3000. Enter Spaceballs. Exit the funk that has kept the slump alive. Parody and Satire can keep you in the genre you want to be, the headspace you want to be, but allow you to laugh at yourself, at the content, and at the world in general. Join Laura Marie and Jessica Marie as they reset and have a good laugh. Everything doesn't have to be the be all end all ALL the time. Sometimes you just need to laugh until you cry and then cry until you laugh again. "Star Wars, this isn't Star Warrrrrrrrrs" TW / CW: none to our awareness For additional TW/CW information for your future reads, head to this site for more: https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ Spoilers: Spaceballs Mentions: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love, Star Wars, House of Flame and Shadow (HOFAS0, Third Eye, Austin Powers, Star Trek, Jaws, Dune, Looney Tunes, The Lion King, Manacled, The Love Hypothesis, Starship Troopers, Twilight, 50 Shades of Grey, Mystery Science Theater *Thank you for listening to us! Please subscribe and leave a 5 star review and follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/) at @ACOFAEpodcast and on our TikToks! TikTok: ACOFAELaura : Laura Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura?) ( https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura) ACOFAEJessica : Jessica Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica?) (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica) Instagram: @ACOFAEpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/) https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/ @ACOFAELaura (https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/) https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/

Sarah is an amazing author who combined two of my favorite things in one amazing series: hockey and omegaverse! Not only are her stories fantastic, but she has the most enthralling audiobooks that you can lose yourself in for hours. Sarah has a huge obsession with Dramione FanFics. I've heard so many people rave about them that I thought Sarah would be the perfect person to do a deep dive with! Through our conversation we discovered her true opinion on Harry, her love of slow burn tension, Arizona iced tea cans, and the knotty Dramione FanFic that surprised me! The second book in the Pucked Up Omegaverse series just released on audio and it absolutely was everything I had hoped for and more. For a chance to win both books in e-book, check out the link below.

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee may have died and come back to life after recording this week. They are joined by none other than Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden of the Popcast! They are discussing: Bookish Moments: reading clickers and reading to our kiddos Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: Knox and Jamie's top 5 books of 2023, plus each guest brought their favorite reading experience The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  .  1:11 - The Popcast 3:21 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 3:39 - Tiktok scrolling ring 4:05 - Kindle remote clicker 7:53 - Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver 9:32 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine 10:20 - Fabled Bookshop 10:26 - Cold People by Tom Rob Smith 11:56 - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 13:35 - Persuasion by Jane Austen 13:44  - Our Current Reads 14:07 - Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Jamie) 14:15 - Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson 16:11 - Slow Horses by Mick Herron 16:47 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Knox) 19:19 - Warcross by Marie Lu (Kaytee) 19:31 - What Should I Read Next Podcast  20:13 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card 20:15 - Slay by Brittney Morris 20:16 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 21:50 - Wildcard by Marie Lu 22:34 - The Future by Naomi Alderman (Meredith) 23:53 - The Power by Naomi Alderman 27:52 - The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier 28:11 - Deep Dive: Knox and Jamie's Top 5 Books of 2023 28:42 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross 28:44 - Congratulations! The Best is Over by R. Eric Thomas 28:49 - The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab 28:56 - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride 29:38 - The Road of Bones by Demi Winters (Jamie #5) 32:23 - Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (Knox #5) 32:41- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller  34:16 - All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore (Jamie #4) 37:39 - The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen (Knox #4) 39:48 - The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers 40:16 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare (Jamie #3) 42:14 - Archive of Our Own 42:16 - Fanfiction.net 43:29 - All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89 44:43 - Traffic by Ben Smith (Knox #3) 46:24 - Drowning by T.J. Newman (Jamie #2) 46:35 - Falling by T.J. Newman 49:04 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Knox #2) 52:07 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (Jamie #1) 56:14 - Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan (Knox #1) 59:16 - Knox and Jamie's Favorite Reading Experiences of 2023 1:00:43 - Hot and Bothered by Jancee Dunn (Jamie) 1:04:37 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi (Knox) 1:06:00 - The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi 1:06:22 - Meet Us At The Fountain 1:07:08 - I wish more of us would print our book covers to keep in a book to reflect on. (Jamie) 1:07:10 - Canon Ivy 2 Mini Photo Printer 1:09:46 - Mother Horror on Instagram 1:10:32 - I want to press two books into the hands of listeners (Jamie) 1:11:08 - We Are the Light by Matthew Quick (specifically for dudes, touches on masculinity without being bro-ish) 1:11:32 - Open Throat by Henry Hoke (specifically for writers) 1:13:35 - I would like to read the same book, but with a different take - with more humor and snark (Kaytee) 1:13:38 - Monsters by Claire Dederer 1:16:49 - I wish everyone would listen to the Popcast (Meredith) 1:16:56 - The Popcast 1:17:28 - The Popcast on Instagram 1:18:34 - The Popcast Patreon 1:20:46 - @KnoxMccoy on Instagram 1:20:48 - @Jamiebgolden on Instagram Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. January's IPL is brought to you by our anchor store, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, TX. Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

This week we are discussing what you all keep requesting, Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by IsThisSelfCare!

In this episode, stay frosty as Jamie, Erin, and Jason Waterfalls discuss the Nos of January. From January birthdays to a petition to move MLK day, we cover what in the new year needs to go.Relevant links: Our full and fun show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/537Try being a BFOTS for for free for 7 days at knoxandjamie.com/patreon. Or join now as an annual member to get Princess collection deep dives that drop drops next week!LOL: See the 1000+ Nos of January commentsThese influencer are exceptional: @House.Peace | @Grillin_with_Dad | @Maddy__Mitchell | @MorganHarperNichols Contributors: @kate_thielen14, @stephmac18, @tarajoy90, @cholley_golightly, @gibsontuttle, @erindotsmith, @krissywait BONUS SEGMENTOur Patreon supporters can get full access to this week's The More You Know news segment. Become a partner. This week we discussed the Oceans 11 Prequel & Margo Robbie and Netflix stats. GREEN LIGHTSJamie: (fanfic book) Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in LoveMark: (documentary) BeckhamErin: (music) Reneé Rapp (Erin's new playlist)SHOW SPONSORSBetterhelp: get 10% off with code popcastpod at betterhelp.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we discuss Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love, written by isthisselfcare - available on Ao3, Wattpad, and various Audio versions as well. We will discuss the story in detail, talking about what we liked and didn't like. Because we will be diving into the full story, there will be spoilers ahead! Read this fanfic here: Draco Malfoy and The Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love Connect with us on Social Media - We'd love to hear your thoughts on this fanfiction story! Facebook  Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube   **Dramione Fanfic Fanatics is a fan podcast that discusses and reviews fanfiction written by various authors, based on the characters Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series created and owned by J.K. Rowling. We do not own the rights to the Harry Potter series, its characters, or any of the fanfiction works mentioned in this podcast. The purpose of our podcast is to provide commentary, analysis, and entertainment related to the fanfiction community and to foster a sense of community among fans. We respect the creative efforts of fanfiction authors and consider their works as transformative interpretations of the original source material. All fanfiction works discussed on this podcast are the intellectual property of their respective authors. We aim to provide proper attribution and promote the fanfiction community by linking to the authors' original works where possible. This podcast is created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon the rights of the copyright holders. If you are the author of a fanfiction work discussed on this podcast and would like us to remove or modify our content related to your work, please contact us, and we will promptly address your request. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to the terms of this disclaimer. **

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers! Spoilers begin at timestamp 17:16 to 32:40.   On this week's episode we are discussing our November book club pick: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston. We all thoroughly enjoyed this book (Kyleigh even gave it infinity stars) and loved the magical realism aspect with added romance! We wanted to share another book podcast with you! If you haven't already, go listen to Read with Jul wherever you listen to podcasts & follow her on IG at @readwithjul. Julia is the sweetest soul and her podcast is just so cozy, we know you're going to love it.   Currently Reading: Thunder Head by Neal Shusterman Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin The Woman in Me by Brittany Spears A Season for Second Changes by Jenny Bayliss Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love STILL Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet   Added to our TBR: Holiday Star by Melissa Dymond Love, Holly by Emma Stone This Spells Love by Kate Robb The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods Right on Cue by Falon Ballard Choice and Chance by chaosandcrumpets Radiance by Grace Draven Pestilence by Laura Thalassa   Come hang out with us on Instagram: Podcast: @itgetsgoodpodcast Kyleigh: @alltheroseyreads Micaela: @whatmicaelareads_ Hannah: @readwithhannahjo  

Join us for a spoiler free episode this week! We're playing a fun little game where we answer which character from the SJM or Harry Potter Universe would best fit the question. Which caracter would max out their credit card? Who is likely the end up in jail after a night out? What meal would you make if you were cooking for Rhysand and Draco Malfoy? Admittedly, our answers were more of a reflection of our favorite Slytherin characters that you get to know the more Dramione fanfics you read, so we used this as another opportunity to remind you that it is time to jump on the train if you haven't yet.   Reminder: Next week we're talking about our November book club pick, The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston. There is still time to read and join us in our discussion next week!   Kyleigh's ornament shop is having their annual holiday sale from now until Sunday, November 26th! You can get 15% off of every custom ornament style, from handwritten, sentimental ornaments to your favorite milestones to celebrate 2023. We promise you don't want to miss it! Shop now: etsy.com/shop/bykyleighrose   Currently reading: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by thisisselfcare If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos Just a Trip by Jenessa Fayeth The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston The Gilded Cage by  Lynette Noni   Added to TBR: Bunny by Mona Awad The Good Part by Sophie Cousens The Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh Snowed In by Catherine Walsh The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer The Brightest Black by Enigmaticrose4 A Witches Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna Things I Should Have Said by Jamie Lynn Spears Flame and Sparrow by S.M. Gaither Nectar of War by Leilani Helen Aki Nightmares and Nocturnes by olivieblake The Darkwood Wand by Thebemoon   Come hang out with us on Instagram: Podcast: @itgetsgoodpodcast Kyleigh: @alltheroseyreads Micaela: @whatmicaelareads_ Hannah: @readwithhannahjo

ACOFAE Podcast Presents: We are Thankful: Business or Pleasure and Edge of the Woods. Another year, another opportunity to be thankful. This year ACOFAE is thankful for so many things: reading slumps, not so great books, self discovery, and setting boundaries. If you're reading that and scratching your head then you are in for a treat! Join Laura Marie and Jessica Marie as they discuss the book that they are most thankful for this year and for reasons chose to NOT pitch to the podcast. Both Laura Marie and Jessica Marie went on a journey of discovery during their reading adventure for extremely different reasons but both conclude the same: the love of fandom unites us all. ACOFAE is thankful for YOU.

Join us this week where we're bringing you all our Christmas and wintery recommendations! You guys loved when we did this for all of our Fall recs, so we knew we had to do it again for the best time of the year! There are so many great books to check out as we enter the holiday season. And don't worry, Micaela delivered and found some Dramione Christmas recommendations just for you!   To see the list of all our recommendations, come visit us on instagram: @itgetsgoodpodcast   Currently reading: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by thisisselfcare Matthew Perry's memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing Meet Your Match by Morriganmercy Starling House by Alix E. Harrow The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller The Fear of Letting Go by ladymidnight87   Added to TBR: This is how you lose the time war by fleabagshair Unsphere the Stars by cocoartist The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center The Woman in Me by Brittany Spears The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson Three Wizards and a Baby by lizzie_carlile Blackmailed by mistresslynn From Wiltshire, With Love by mistresslynn   Come hang out with us on Instagram: Podcast: @itgetsgoodpodcast Kyleigh: @alltheroseyreads Micaela: @whatmicaelareads_ Hannah: @readwithhannahjo

Kat & Cass discuss Manacled, a Harry Potter fanfiction, by SenLinYu. Start off nice and easy with costume conundrums, Kardashian bashes, and Hailey Bieber. Immediately question Kat's life choices for reading Manacled as her first fanfiction. Start a tally for how many times Cass cries during the episode and then take a little break with some dragons and Shrek. Finally, read the tags, dry your tears, tell your cat pspsps, and spend some time with your favourite Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw duo. What's next? Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Thanks for listening! We'd love to hear from you! Please consider leaving a review and subscribing. Check it Out: ETL Echo Audio Recording: https://open.spotify.com/show/42cTgtq8xfnAedSUPEzgyp?si=98bf581f8d524ac8 Manacled by SenLinYu: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454174/chapters/33390198 Dramione Recs: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare, Bring Him to His Knees by Muysc, Measure of a Man by inadaze22, Love and Other Historical Accidents by pacificrimbaud, Love in the Time of the Zombie Apocalypse by rizzle, The Auction by lovesbitca8, Secrets and Masks by emerald_slytherin, Breath Mints/Battle Scars by onyx_and_elm, The Fallout by everythursday, Isolation by bexchan Youtube: www.youtube.com/@twobookbitchespodcast Website: www.twobookbitches.com Email: twobookb.tches@gmail.com Twitter: @2bookbitchespod Instagram: @twobookbitchespodcast Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/117056291-kat-cass TikTok: @twobookbitchespodcast Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead & sometimes we like to swear and talk about raunchy things.

Sarah's Top 5 Dramione FanFics:manacled - senlinyuall you want - senlinyubring him to his knees - musycDraco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of being in love - isthisselfcareBreath Mints / Battle Scars - Onyx and ElmAO3: https://archiveofourown.org/ Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hallmark movie, second-chance romance is Katie's pick of the week. Check out "Forget Me Not" by Julie Soto.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61618737-forget-me-not?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=rVEiGI9uNT&rank=1 Also check out..."To Die For" by Linda Howardhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/411701.To_Die_For?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=vTDHDtMjyO&rank=1 "Goodnight Tweetheart" by Teresa Medeiroshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8870923-goodnight-tweetheart?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=W1LCq6mOlX&rank=1 "Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love" by isthisselfcarehttps://archiveofourown.org/works/34500952 Want to sneak a look at upcoming content? Check out our YouTube channel or follow us on Instagram @notanotherheroine

Even if you don't recognize Tim Kreider's name, there's a good chance you've read his work. In addition to his two collections of essays, We Learn Nothing and I Wrote This Book Because I Love You, he's published many short essays in the New York Times opinion section, nearly all of which seem to go viral. The first such essay was The Busy Trap, published more than 10 years ago, wherein he called out Americans' perpetual condition of being “crazy busy” as “a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously, your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy.” He's also famous for an essay about knowing people are talking about you behind your back, which Meghan has mentioned several times on the podcast and which has been immortalized in a famous meme. In this conversation, Tim shares his thoughts about writing about yourself, writing about other people, teaching writing to college students and (unrelatedly) getting stabbed. He also talks about the process of deciding not to have kids, the difficulty of living with another person as you get older, and a phenomenon he describes as the “soul toupee.”    For paying subscribers, Tim stays overtime and talks about (among other things) being 56-years-old, contemplating mortality, coping with a diminished attention span, and dating his fans – although he insists they're not really fans once you start dating them.  To hear that portion, become a paying subscriber at https://meghandaum.substack.com/.   Guest Bio Tim Kreider is the author of the essay collections  We Learn Nothing and I Wrote This Book Because I Love You. He has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker's Page-Turner blog, Men's Journal, The Comics Journal, Film Quarterly, and Fangoria. His cartoon “The Pain–When Will It End?” ran for 12 years in the Baltimore City Paper and other weeklies and is archived at thepaincomics.com. Learn more about him at timkreider.com

Please enjoy this spoiler free episode of the It Gets Good podcast! On this week's episode we'll be talking about the books we've read in June and also have our first ever guest on the podcast, Jenna! She is Micaela's best friend from college, an avid fantasy reader, and an all around hilarious human being. During this episode we'll share our June reads and ratings (this month was much better than May) and what we're looking forward to reading next. Recording with Jenna was a blast: we laugh, we roast each other, and we get a little loud.  We apologize that the audio levels may be a little off this week - it's our first time recording with four people, so we're learning! We appreciate your understanding.   Currently Reading: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica Caraval by Stephanie Garber Threaded by Tay Rose The Measure by Nikki Erlick As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage   Books mentioned throughout the Episode: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder by Grace Ruth Mitchell The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig  Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt  Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by Istthisselfcare  Belladona by Adalyn Grace  Maame by Jessica George  Good Girl Bad Blood by Holly Jackson Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton Lady of Shadows by Melissa Roehrich Lady of Ashes by Melissa Roehrich Lady of Embers by Melissa Roehrich Lady of Starfire by Melissa Roehrich Cruel Prince by Holly Black Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard  Every Summer After by Carly Fortune A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole    Added to TBR:  Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig Heidi Lucy Loses her Mind by Grace Ruth Mitchell Same Time Next Summer by Annabell Monaghan Lady of Darkness by Melissa Roehrich The Veiling of the Moon Kingdom by Caitlin Zura This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi Ashes in the Wind & Islands of Ash by Lashell Rain Come hang out with us on Instagram: Podcast: @itgetsgoodpodcast Kyleigh: @alltheroseyreads Micaela: @whatmicaelareads_ Hannah: @readwithhannahjo  

Please enjoy this SPOILER FREE episode of the It Gets Good podcast! Would you rather meet the main character of the book you just finished or be them? Would you rather give up physical books or give up ebooks/audiobooks? Would you rather never be able to read a stand-alone or never be able to read the last book of a series? Tune into this week's episode to find out Hannah, Micaela, and Kyleigh's answers to these thought provoking questions in this fun would you rather game, book edition! Currently reading:   Maame by Jessica George One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton Lady of Embers Melissa K Roehrich Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love fanfic by Isthisselfcare Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt   Added to our TBR list:   Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhorn The Chain by Adrian McKinty Remain Nameless fanfic by HeyJude19  Untainted by Lillian James Breath Mints / Battle Scars by Onyx_and_Elm Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown A Crown of Chains by Erin Phillips The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall Flawless by Elsie Silver Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage   Come hang out with us on Instagram: Podcast: @itgetsgoodpodcast Kyleigh: @alltheroseyreads Micaela: @whatmicaelareads_ Hannah: @readwithhannahjo

Author's Notes: About the mole – I gave you one, single, paltry, not-even-clue about her in Chapter 1. I am horrible, I know. We now know who pissed in her Pixie Puffs, anyway. Adult content warning. Please [jump to minute 44:12] if you prefer to skip to softer things.

Thanks so much for listening! A special thank you to isthisselfcare for the wonderful story and generosity in sharing; to Claude, Bobo, tofuraven, InstantAvada, adiaz009, and The Pippeen for audio beta-ing, and for their endless encouragements of my oddities.   Stay tuned for more stories and come find me on ao3 and Instagram.

Author's Note: Warning for violence/gore in the second part of this chapter. I mention at the start of this story that it's a low-stakes tale with occasional serious moments – we come to one of those serious moments here. I am pleased to inform you that it is human on human violence and no mushrooms have been hurt.

Author's Summary: Hermione straddles the Muggle and Magical worlds as a medical researcher and Healer about to make a big discovery. Draco is an Auror assigned to protect her from forces unknown – to both of their displeasure. Features hyper-competent, fiery Hermione and lazy, yet dangerous, Draco. Slow burn.

Stacy, Chanel, and Ashley discuss the second part of Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love. Written by the incredibly talented Isthisselfcare. As Stacy would say "this is a God tier level fic". We are obsessed with this Draco/ Hermione story and we know you will be too! Story link below:https://archiveofourown.org/works/34500952/chapters/85870804Summary: Hermione straddles the Muggle and Magical worlds as a medical researcher and Healer about to make a big discovery. Draco is an Auror assigned to protect her from forces unknown – to both of their displeasure. Features hyper-competent, fiery Hermione and lazy, yet dangerous, Draco. Slow burn.

ÉPISODE 16 - L'univers des fan fictions est large et presque illimité! Dans le monde, c'est plus d'un million de fan fictions d'Harry Potter qui ont été écrites. On reçoit Camille Nicol, auteure d'une thèse sur le sujet, ainsi que Sabrina et Jessica, les co-animatrices du podcast québécois What the fic. Pourquoi lire des fan fictions? Comment savoir quoi lire? + Nos recommandations de fan fics. L'APRÈS-SHOW SUR PATREON » https://patreon.com/harrypotterquebec/ Suivez Potter Québec sur Instagram » https://www.instagram.com/potter.quebec/ NOS RECOMMANDATIONSFred: Down in his eyes's heart » https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4922558/1/Down-in-his-eyes-heart Camille: Neville Longbottom and the Black Witch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSbXEFmc9Qk Severus Snape and the Marauders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmsntGGjxiw Orgueil, préjugés et sortilèges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBz9LIFHpz8 Sabrina: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love https://archiveofourown.org/works/34500952 The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13530716/1/The-Disappearances-of-Draco-Malfoy Meet your match https://archiveofourown.org/works/34259563 Skin https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11248058/1/Skin Just Pretend for a Night https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7683183/1/Just-Pretend-for-a-Night Jessica: Unsphere the Stars https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7728303/1/unsphere-the-stars Fostering a Nightmare https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12663206/1/Fostering-a-Nightmare Have a Nice Day! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6113733/1/Have-a-Nice-Day Things We're All Too Young to Know https://archiveofourown.org/works/36088735 Stuck in the Middle with You https://archiveofourown.org/works/44927677 Let the Dark In https://archiveofourown.org/works/32850244

Stacy, Chanel, and Ashley discuss the first part of Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love. Written by the incredibly talented Isthisselfcare. As Stacy would say "this is a God tier level fic". We are obsessed with this Draco/ Hermione story and we know you will be too! Story link below:https://archiveofourown.org/works/34500952/chapters/85870804Summary: Hermione straddles the Muggle and Magical worlds as a medical researcher and Healer about to make a big discovery. Draco is an Auror assigned to protect her from forces unknown – to both of their displeasure. Features hyper-competent, fiery Hermione and lazy, yet dangerous, Draco. Slow burn.

#346: Link, Lara, and Marc discuss the particular excitement and anxiety of sharing a beloved piece of media with others. Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum. — The post The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known appeared first on Geek Therapy.

It's coming homeeeee! And by “it” I mean “Jasper” and by “coming home,” I mean “talking about soccer.” Jasper lays out the case for relegation in all sports, Eric brings a deeply frustrating update to the Sports Story Saga, and we advise you on how mortifying but also important it is to tell people about your creative ideas.   Sponsors - Brilliant, where the first 200 people to click the link brilliant.org/gamesandfeelings will get 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription. - Hero Forge, go make some minis right now!   Find Us Online - ask questions: gamesandfeelings.com/questions - patreon: patreon.com/gamesandfeelings - twitter: twitter.com/gamesnfeelings - insta: instagram.com/gamesnfeelings   Credits - Host, Producer, & Question Keeper: Eric Silver - Permanent Guest: Jasper Cartwright - Editor & Mixer: Mischa Stanton - Music by: Jeff Brice - Art by: Jessica Boyd - Multitude: multitude.productions   About Us Games and Feelings is an advice podcast about being human and loving all types of games: video games, tabletop games, party games, laser tag, escape rooms, game streams, and anything else that we play for fun. Join Question Keeper Eric Silver and a revolving cast of guests as they answer your questions at the intersection of fun and humanity, since, you know, you gotta play games with other people. Whether you need a game recommendation, need to sort out a dispute at the table, or decide whether an activity is good for a date, we're your instruction manual. New episodes drop every other Friday.

Andrew and Riley are venturing out into a brave new world today as they learn new things about The Hot Dog Man, try to record the world's quietest podcast, and try to dethrone Andrew's spot as the perfect little boy. -- You can OWN THIS EPISODE! Visit ThePodcastMINE.com to find out how! We assure you this isn't an NFT and won't destroy the environment. Also, if you want to support the show, you can visit ThePodcastMines.com to check out our Patreon. Is it stupid of us to have two URLs that are one letter apart? Probably. And if you're starting a podcast through Pinecast you can use our referral code (r-d0121d) to save 40% on the first 4 months of your plan. When they're out of the Mines, Riley is a Tabletop Game Designer whose games can be found at Linksmith Games. They have a lot of other shows including Never Believe It, If Not Us Then Who, and Champs in the Making. When Andrew's helmet comes off he wastes too much time on Twitter and streams a variety games over on Twitch. He's also the cohost of the ARGonauts Podcast, an Alternate Reality Game Deep Dive show. Our incredible show art was created by Alyssa and our Home Depot Style Beat was made by Matt!! Find out more at https://the-podcast-mines.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Loveby isthisselfcare --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sep-fanfic-readings/message

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Loveby isthisselfcareAuthor Summary:Hermione straddles the Muggle and Magical worlds as a medical researcher and Healer about to make a big discovery. Draco is an Auror assigned to protect her from forces unknown – to both of their displeasure.Features hyper-competent, fiery Hermione and lazy, yet dangerous, Draco. Slow burn. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sep-fanfic-readings/message

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Loveby isthisselfcare --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sep-fanfic-readings/message

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Loveby isthisselfcare --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sep-fanfic-readings/message

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Loveby isthisselfcare --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sep-fanfic-readings/message

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Loveby isthisselfcare --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sep-fanfic-readings/message

Bonus Episode Alert! Indulge yourself with this enemies-to-lovers fic starring Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. We're many years past the battle of Hogwarts and Draco has been assigned as Hermione's protection...shenanigans shall ensue. - The Rose & Thorn Thorn - Pour into a shot glass 0.75 oz Green Chartreuse and 0.75 oz scotch. Take your shot like an Auror, before the Rose. Rose - In a shaker of ice add 1 oz gin, 1 oz Lillet Blanc, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.75 oz rose simple syrup, and 2 dashes of Peychaud's bitters. Pour into a chilled glass. -  Want to read this fic for yourself? Give this author the kudos they deserve? You can find this fic on archiveofourown.org Title: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love Author: isthisselfcare And join us on our Patreon! It's 18+ so you can't search us, but use our link to find us www.patreon.com/finepairingspodcast - Fine Pairings Podcast - A podcast about fanfiction. Where we pair ships with cocktails and reading with comedy. Got fanfic you'd like to share? Email us at FinePairingsPodcast@gmail.com Remember to follow us on Tiktok, Tumblr, and Instagram @Finepairingspodcast and on Twitter @Finepairingspod - Additional Credits  Music Creator: Kevin MacLeod, Source: Incompetech.com  "In Your Arms" "Night On the Docks" License: CC BY 3.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/   Music Creator: FoolBoyMedia, Source: Free Music Archive “Newsroom Theme” License: CC BY-NC 3.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/#   Music Creator: babuababua, Source: Freesound "Rainy Day - Light Rain" License: CC BY-NC 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/   Music Creator: Nebulousflynn, Source: Freesound "Pouring Glass of Wine from Bottle" License: CC BY-3.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/   Additional AFX from Freesound.org

Step one: rob the rich. Step two: break a curse. Step three: interrogate your deep-seated childhood trauma. Who could this to-do list belong to? Why, none other than the protagonist of Little Thieves by Margaret Owen! This week, we dive into a delightful young adult fantasy retelling of the fairytale The Goose Girl following a teenage thief whose final heist goes terribly wrong. Topics include the hilarious and cynical protagonist, our love of a good heist story, the excellent romance, and the unexpected emotional depth through an exploration of childhood trauma.   Other Media Mentioned: BBC Starstruck Sh*t Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner The Rose Code by Kate Quinn Some By Virtue Fall by Alexandra Rowland The Liar's Knot by M.A. Carrick The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong Dungeons and Dragons I Know What You Think of Me by Tim Kreider in the New York Times Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Painted Devils by Margaret Owen (forthcoming) Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick Content warnings: mentions of child abandonment and child abuse. You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

This week, we cancel the apocalypse with Guillermo del Toro's 2013 monster fighting action movie "Pacific Rim!" We talk about perfect melodrama, who we'd neural handshake, and the downfall of the world's health hoarders. Links: Ladyknightthebrave- "A Wild Franchise: A Pacific Rim Video Essay" Follow us @MortifiedPod on twitter. Sign Up for our monthly Newsletter! Our theme song is "Obsolete" by Keshco, from the album "Filmmaker's Reference Kit Volume 2." Find more of their music here. Aaron: Twitter: @aaronsxl Bible Boys: @TheBibleBoys Leyla: Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram Astral Heart: @_astralheart

Let's talk about Agile! What is it, what do we like, we do we not like? In this episode, Steph and Chris discuss: Broadly, are they fans? What makes this practice work well? What makes this practice work poorly? And also, hit specific topics and practices like Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming. Twitter Poll re: Gotime Podcast - Is Agile's Time Over? (https://twitter.com/gotimefm/status/1388126124299878412?s=21) The Mortifying Ordeal of Pairing All Day (https://www.simplermachines.com/the-mortifying-ordeal-of-pairing-all-day/) The Real Story Behind Story Points (https://thoughtbot.com/blog/the-real-story-behind-story-points) Agile Manifesto (https://agilemanifesto.org/) & Agile Manifesto -- Principles (https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html) Extreme Programming Introduction (http://www.extremeprogramming.org/index.html) Extreme Programming Explained (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Programming-Explained-Embrace-Change/dp/0321278658/) Ron Jeffries - What is Extreme Programming (https://ronjeffries.com/xprog/what-is-extreme-programming/) Transcript: CHRIS: I feel like we should try a couple of different byes just so we have sort of a smorgasbord of options, and then we can pick the best one. STEPH: With countdowns, [laughter] because I do so well with countdowns. CHRIS: Hello and welcome to another episode of The Bike Shed, a weekly podcast from your friends at thoughtbot about developing great software. I'm Chris Toomey. STEPH: And I'm Steph Viccari. CHRIS: And together, we're here to share a bit of what we've learned along the way. So, Steph, I thought we would try maybe something a little bit different this week, a little bit more of a structured topic. In particular, I've been gathering little tidbits of information. I've been seeing conversations happen all around the topic of Agile, things that people like about Agile, things that people hate, mostly it's things that people hate about Agile. Lots of ire on the internet about Agile, but I think also some disagreement about what it actually means. And I think; generally, you and I are probably fans, so I want to talk about that. What parts do we like? What parts do we not like? What do we think Agile actually means or, at its best, maybe what it means? But yeah, let's start at the very top stuff. Steph, what do you think about Agile? STEPH: I am generally a fan. I'm with you. And yeah, the internet being full of more negative remarks and ire, that sounds very true. But generally, I am very much a fan of Agile, and the very broad scope of this is how we work, and this is how we plan our work, and this is how we collaborate as a team, and then how we reflect on the work that we have completed. I can also pick apart some of the things I don't like about Agile, but in the broad umbrella definition, I'm a big fan. I've enjoyed that approach. Granted, I've also only ever used Agile. I haven't written software using a Waterfall style, at least not purposefully. And then if I have encountered a team that was using more of a Waterfall style, then we changed it quickly. I really only have known the more Agile approach to writing software. CHRIS: I think that's largely true of me as well, where most of my work would fit somewhere under the umbrella of lowercase "a" agile, although I've tried variants of Scrum and Kanban and a bunch of other things that we'll probably chat about today. But I think in general, I find that things are most effective; things seem to move the most smoothly. And I think the software that we come out with is the best one. It's closest to those very simple ideals of Agile. And every layer of process that gets added on even though, like you, I've not done true Waterfall where it's like six months requirements gathering and then it gets handed off, and no one talks for a while. I've never done that. STEPH: I have to interject because I actually think you have in a previous life when you were an engineer. You have done the more Waterfall. Like, you have to plan very far in advance. CHRIS: I think this is one of those cases where people think "engineering" quote, unquote like mechanical engineering is one thing and it's actually...there is a little more structure, and there's a little more necessity of sequencing where you've got to figure out what you need to buy first because sometimes it takes a while to find the particular piece of metal that you need in the world. But it also has a lot of figuring out as you go and being like, well, we've got a bunch of stuff, and we're just going to figure it out. And also, this is something that as I was studying software while working as a mechanical engineer, I started to hear about this whole Agile thing, and I was like, huh, I wonder how I can bring more of that? Because I definitely saw cases where a more Waterfall-centric approach to engineering projects was leading to bad outcomes. It's like we decided upfront what we're going to do, and then we went away for six months, and we did it. And then we came back, and it turned out it was wrong. So that was solvable along the way. There were ways to build prototypes and things like that. So that is definitely a part of the mechanical engineering world. Although I think there are some true constraints, but I think there are also some occasionally self-imposed constraints, but again, I see sort of the same thing in software. Anytime that we can shorten feedback loops, that's what I like. And I think that for me, that's the core of Agile. Specifically, to come to the Agile Manifesto, to start at the very top, the thing that kicked it all off is a very simple document that the first line of it is "We prioritize individuals and interactions over processes and tools." It's like, yeah, that seems like a great thing, having more regular conversations about the things that we're building rather than having those initial conversations. And everybody goes away for a while and tries to build that thing, and then they come back, and hopefully, the thing that they've produced actually solves the problem. But I think almost always there are some deviations like, oh, actually, it would have been better if it was like this or now that we're actually trying it in the field, it's fundamentally different. So in that way, I think there's actually a lot of commonality between mechanical engineering and software development. STEPH: Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, I was thinking around the process of where you'd have to order stuff in advance versus for us; we can describe everything that we need as we need it unless we're having to procure some specific software or licensing. But otherwise, we don't have to wait on that shipment flow to then have our goods. And then, if we also mess something up, then we don't have to reorder more pieces. But I like how you started talking about that agile with lowercase "a" and then talking about the manifesto because I suspect most people are familiar with Agile, but it wouldn't hurt just to read off some of those top things about what Agile is so that way we're all on the same page together for this conversation. So you already covered the first one that talks about individuals and interactions over processes and tools, and then the others are working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a plan. And that's it; those are the aspects of Agile. And so then, circling back to what you were saying earlier where people are having more criticisms around Agile, it sounds that it's less about Agile, and it's often more about the implementation of these ideas and then how you're approaching them. Because, boy, do we have several ways to implement Agile. We have Scrum; we have Kanban; there's Extreme Programming. Does that fall within the Agile umbrella? I think it does. CHRIS: I believe so. And I think a lot of the things that people take issue with particularly come from Scrum and Extreme Programming. We're taken to their extremes. Yeah, it's right there in the name, so you should probably know that it's going to be a little out there. But taken to the extreme and especially where it becomes rigid and dogmatic, then it becomes a problem. But again, so we listed out now the four items that are the core of the manifesto. There is a separate part of the manifesto, which is the principles, which digs in a little bit deeper, but it's still very much in that same ethos. But I do want to highlight because there's a subtext to the Agile Manifesto that I really love, which is given there are things on the left and then things on the right when the Agile Manifesto was presented. And so it's like we like individuals and interactions, that's the thing on the left, over processes and tools. And so the subtext below it is that is while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more. And that's one of the things that I love about the Agile Manifesto is it's not this very rigid thing that says, "This is good, and that is bad," it is a statement of a preference of well, yeah, it's definitely good to have comprehensive documentation. That's a really nice thing to have, but it's incredibly difficult. And if we have to choose, we're going to choose working software. We're going to prioritize that well before we have comprehensive documentation. So I really love the juxtaposition, and the emphasis on it's not that one is good and one is bad of these two things that we're comparing but that we have a preference, and that we want to orient our work around the items on the left rather than the items on the right, which I think the items on the right are more traditional or were more traditional to the Waterfall approach. STEPH: I like how you highlighted how those statements are presented to the reader. So then that way, as you mentioned, we still value what's on the right, but we favor more what's on the left. So one of the things that I saw recently was something that you shared with me in regards to where you're bringing up the idea of, like, hey, let's talk about Agile. And you shared with me a clip or a specific tweet that linked to a clip from the Go Time Podcast, which is a podcast that I hadn't listened to before. But I listened to that episode or at least part of it, and it's really delightful. I enjoyed listening to them very much. And they had Kris Brandow on the episode. And at the end of the episode...and they do something really fun where they ask the guests, "Do you have an unpopular opinion that you'd like to share?" And one thing that I like about their unpopular opinions is they often have polls afterwards, and they want to see was this truly an unpopular opinion? And if most people agree with you, then they actually consider it nope, he didn't win. I don't know if they use the word win if you didn't achieve the unpopular opinion. And in this instance, Kris shared the opinion that Agile is done and over with and that we should move on, which is a big thing to say. Everyone on the podcast reacted in a similar way that I would where it's like, well, how do we track things? And there are still things that we need to care about. But then also, there's a part of me that's just like, yes. I am not sure where Kris has heard it just yet when I heard that, but I'm already tuned in and very interested. And one of the things that Kris said that also really resonated with me is he mentioned that "I've never worked on a team where Scrum specifically like sprint and story points functions well," and I absolutely agree. There are parts of Scrum, we can get to the specifics that I think are fine that I've certainly used in the past and that have worked. Story points resonate deeply. I very much agree that story points are something that I do not enjoy using, and I do not find that they really lead to building software. There's even a blog post that I published along with Matt Sumner, a former thoughtboter and guest on this show, where we talk specifically about story points and some of the concerns and issues that we have with using story points. CHRIS: It was actually also the first episode where you came on as a guest to Bike Shed; that that was the topic that we dove into because it was so near and dear to our respective hearts. STEPH: That's right. I forgot about that. So yeah, story points are certainly up there on my don't list. I feel like we're doing a fashion do and don't, but we're doing the Agile do and don't list. [laughs] CHRIS: I kind of like that. Yeah, we should lean into that vibe. But yeah, continuing on with the poll there, it was interesting to see also, like you said, they tweeted out, and then there's the poll that comes after. And it was 64-ish percent of folks agreed that Agile's time is over and done with, and we need to move. Granted, it wasn't a huge sample size. It was like 85 people that took the poll but still, seeing both the statement and then also the general support from folks on the Twitter, it was interesting to see. So I do have the question of like, well, okay, if not, what else? And I share your sentiment of we should be able to ask questions and iterate. And nothing is so precious that it can't be replaced by something else that's better. So we always need to be trying to find the best ways to work. But again, I think there are still kernels of good stuff in the Agile. So I found this and I was like, oh, this is interesting. What's going on here? STEPH: So I'd love to dive into some of the specifics around Agile to understand what are the bits and pieces that work for you and the bits and pieces that don't. So if we are taking our Agile approach and reviewing the things that do and don't work and changing that process, what are the things that you would keep, and what are the things that you would throw out? CHRIS: Yeah, well, we can dig in, and we can bounce back and forth, I think, on this. But again, there are sort of a few different camps. So I collected together some of the lists of practices associated with some of the different approaches to Agile. So starting with Scrum, which I think perhaps is one of the most rigid, most structured, and perhaps most ire-deserving of the approaches to Agile, one of the first things is sprints or iterations, so the idea of starting...before you begin the work, you sit down, you define how much work you think you're going to take on. There's often an estimation process. Actually, we'll say that because that's maybe a separate idea, but even just broadly the idea of sprints and iterations, which often involve the idea of committing to a certain body of work. And that commitment is always handwavy and loose. No, no, no, we won't hold you to it, but then it's a constraint that's placed on the team. It's an expectation that's set, but it's wildly difficult to estimate software, as we all know. So sprints and iterations, personally, I am not a fan of. I really like a more continuous flow where we're constantly reprioritizing the work to be done. We're constantly measuring against what we built, what we think we need to get out there. How can we get something out in front of users as quickly as possible? But I've not found a ton of utility in the sprint or iteration workflow. But what do you think of that one? STEPH: Yeah, I'm generally not a fan of sprints, and it has taken me a while to get there. And I feel like I can admit that openly because it is something that I feel like when I first started doing software development, sprints were life. It was how you planned everything. It was how you committed to work. It's how you measured your work. It's how you then looked back to see what you could and couldn't accomplish in two weeks' time or maybe a week's time, depending on how long your sprint is. But over time, I have realized that I don't like the mentality of sprinting, and that may just be a nitpick on my part, but that is something that I don't enjoy because we write better software when we have breaks. And with the sprint methodology, there's really never that break unless you're going to plan that into your sprint. And then there's the idea of the upfront commitment, as you'd mentioned, it's one of those, don't worry, we're not going to hold you to this, but can we all commit to this work? And it's one of those you just feel compelled to say, "Yes," to the person who's asking because then you feel like a jerk if you push back and you say, "Well, actually, I don't know if I can, so I'm going to commit to way less." And then that's the approach that I started taking of, well, I don't know. So I'm going to always commit to a little bit because I'd rather overachieve and then deliver more than come in under because I could work really hard, but I've over-committed and then still feel like I didn't reach my goals, and that's a rough feeling. So I found that I was already lowering my commitment there. So then, it felt more appropriate to be in line with that sort of continuous workflow instead of trying to commit to all these features or all these tickets that needed to get done. I think those are the two areas for sprint where it doesn't align with me and where it can work for teams. But I feel like there's always that underlining unhappiness that a lot of us just don't want to talk about because we don't know what else to do other than to keep sprinting. CHRIS: Yeah, I think you said something about the specific, like nitpicking the word sprint, but I do think that's actually meaningful. It's The Bike Shed, after all; if we're not going to Bike Shed about some words, what are we doing here? But I do think that we're using that word...it's obviously the wrong word; this thing's a marathon. You can't have 26 2-week sprints back to back throughout a year. That's not going to work. That's not how humans work. But any amount that we let that thinking into our head, I think, is problematic. If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like you've come to a place of comfort around committing to a smaller body of work and then ideally overdelivering. But in my experience, many developers, perhaps even most developers, don't feel comfortable. It's so difficult to say, "Yeah, I know that the login form should take a day. That's what I feel in my heart. But let's be honest, every other time we've done a form, it's taken a week. So I'm going to say a week." It's so hard to do that. And so I think continuously, we end up in a mode where we are failing to meet the collective commitment that we made, and that's demoralizing. That's going to constantly just be a drag on the team, even if they're fake, made-up deadlines that we're constantly setting, that we're constantly not hitting. Just doing that over and over, I think, is really detrimental to the morale of the team, to the cohesions, and the feelings of are we actually doing this work? So perhaps pedantic, but I definitely share all of that. STEPH: I do want to highlight, as I mentioned earlier, I'm feeling more comfortable that I can under commit and then I can overdeliver, and that is hard. That is something that still in the moment, even today, is very hard for me to do. And it's like how you said, in my heart, I feel like this should take a day, and the heart lies. But on top of that, it's often it's also my ego that's driving me all the time. And with that, it feels like a competitive environment to me where someone's saying, "Hey, can you get this done?" And in the moment, that brings out my more competitive side where I want to say, "Yes, I can get all this done, and I can deliver all the things." When, in truth, that's often not how it's going to work out. There is one thing I do like about sprints that I want to reflect on, or perhaps it's actually two. And one of them is that we are getting together every so often, and we're agreeing on the important work to be done. And I really like that planning process that is typically coupled with a sprint. So you get together, you review the work, you address any concerns or raise any concerns. And then you could say, "Yes, we all agree this feels like important work." And essentially, we're buying into the work that's getting done, and I really like that process. And then, as an extension of that, I really like how we often then pick themes. So as we are agreeing to the work, we're often grouping together work that makes sense where it's either the most cross-functional or collaborative. We're already going to be in that space together. We're aware of what everybody is working on. And those are the aspects that I really do like about sprint and some of the other styles, that more continuous workflow of where we're always pulling from a backlog. It feels more of a grab bag in terms of I don't really know what I'm going to get next. I don't know how this work has been reviewed or vetted. I haven't really gotten to talk to anybody, perhaps. I'm making some broad statements here. But I haven't really gotten to talk to anybody from the product side to understand this change. And I also don't really know what the rest of the team is working on, so I feel more disconnected from them. CHRIS: Yeah, I definitely share that, the planning or the meeting where we discuss the work that's coming up and shape it a little bit; I love that. Although it's interesting within the context of Scrum, I think like truly to the letter Scrum; my understanding is there are very discrete meetings, and they each have a distinct purpose. And so there's the sprint planning meeting, there's a backlog grooming, there's a sprint review and the sprint retrospective. And each of those are these four distinct meetings that are happening once every two weeks or so or whatever your sprint cadence happens to be. And the splitting of those becomes interesting. And some of the practices in there, I think, are...I think you and I share not being interested in doing them or not finding them to be super valuable. But I think broadly having some version of hey, let's sit down and talk about the work before we have to do the work, definitely a fan of that. For me, it often can be let's collapse four of those meetings into one sort of thing and maybe have it more regularly or something to that effect. But actually, we'll touch on the rest of those. But if you're good with bouncing from sprint/iteration, I think we've covered that topic well. Let's move on to one that I think we can do pretty quickly because I'm pretty sure I know how we feel, but sprint planning/planning poker/estimation. How do you feel about this one, Steph? STEPH: We grouped a couple of things in there. There's sprint planning, and then there's sprint poker, and those are different to me. CHRIS: Yeah. So let's go specific to the planning poker as the most pointed version of it but also generally estimation and sizing of stories. STEPH: Nope. Throw it out. I don't know how to play poker. Let's just get rid of it. [laughs] I was never a good poker player. CHRIS: Playing poker can be fun, but planning poker...Well, so actually, to ask a slightly different question, I think in the past we've talked about keeping aspects of it, definitely not keeping the let's figure it out, let's hash it out. Let's get down to an exact point value, and then we know we can have 34 story points a week, and that's what we're going to do. But the version of using planning poker, using this numerical communication tool to see if we're aligned, that one I think we've talked about liking that. I have enjoyed that, but under the strict guidelines that we throw the numbers out. The numbers are only a communication tool. They get thrown out after the fact. We do not commit to a set amount of work or anything like that. We just use it to say, "I think it's an eight. I think it's a one. Oh, we should talk," just for that. That's when it's useful. STEPH: I agree. Yeah, in my previous answer I was being flippant about it, but I do agree very much where I don't like the specificity of where you're trying to plan exactly what numbers are these. But I do find it very helpful for the reasons that you just said where the team agrees with the estimation around how long they expect something to take. Because then that is really great where you have someone who's never touched the codebase, and they're like, "I think it's a five or whatever system we're using here." It's an elephant...whatever scale you're using. And then someone else is like, "Well, I think it's a doughnut size." I'm making up silly stuff because it's more fun for me. And then those two people can talk and reconcile. So I do like discussing the estimation of work for that purpose but then not actually writing it down or maybe going with t-shirt sizes, something that's more simple, and then doesn't have anything with points, really. Anything with points can then be gamified and also brings out people's more competitive side. So, if you can make it something that's more fun, maybe around t-shirt sizes or a bunch of cute animals, various sizes, whatever works for your team. I'm trying to think of other fun measurements now [laughs] that we could use instead of t-shirt sizes. CHRIS: There are the sizes of bottles of wine as you go past. So there's a regular bottle of wine, and then there's a magnum. And then it gets to weird names like a Nebuchadnezzar and other things. These are big performative champagne bottles. So I think we should use that kind of sizing because I think they also have a geometric progression type thing, not quite Fibonacci but something like that. So I'm going to make that push for Nebuchadnezzar as being my go-to [chuckles] sizing in story points. STEPH: I have never heard of that, and I love it. That's great. CHRIS: Okay. We'll find a relevant link to the wine bottle sizing, and we'll put that into the show notes. We will also, of course, include a link to your wonderful blog post. What's the story with story points that you wrote with Matt Sumner? Because I think that really does dial into this topic really well. And again, coming back to that core idea around Agile, while we see value in the item on the...which side is it? While we see potential value in story points, I have worked with countless teams who desperately wanted to make this thing work. So it would be great if we could quantify the work and then numerically understand the work that we had ahead of us and sequence things and talk about deadlines and whatnot. Man, that would be amazing. I would really love to do that. So with every other developer and every manager of a team of developers in the world, I have not seen it done. I am still looking for that day. When that day shows up, then I think this will be a wonderful practice. But unfortunately, my experience has been that this doesn't work, and trying to do it causes more harm than good. STEPH: I agree that I certainly understand the reason that people want story points to work because it's very nice to then say, "We can calculate, and we can measure, and then we can have delivery dates." And that's really nice from a management perspective. But that does blend in nicely to the next topic, which I think fits nicely underneath the Agile umbrella, our daily syncs. Because that does bring us closer to that goal of where we can't give real valid updates on how something is going and provide a more real estimate as to when we think something is going to get delivered. That doesn't have the same effect of where we think we're able to plan and then promise delivery dates a week in advance because we're getting those updates in real-time, but they're going to be more reliable. And that is, we're so much more than where we try to over commit to work or if we try to say how much time something is going to take. And that is so much more valuable to have that reliable update and estimate versus trying to trick ourselves into thinking that we know when something is going to get delivered. CHRIS: Yeah, I think the daily sync or sometimes called the daily Scrum, or standup, or otherwise morning meeting often in the morning, this is one that I see lots of folks really hate, and I'm personally a big fan of. This is one that I would definitely hold onto. But I think you have to be very, very purposeful with how you structure it. It really should be as short as possible. And there's one particular thing that I see very regularly in teams, which is almost a performative version of what I did yesterday. It's trying to demonstrate to the team that yes, I, in fact, did work yesterday. I was a valuable team member. Please don't let me go from the team. And I think that's the sort of thing that we should try and just get rid of. There are definitely times where what you did yesterday is relevant to the team, or you worked on something, and now you have a bunch of questions, and bringing that to the team is useful. But that version of everyone needs to prove that they did work yesterday or...it's the sort of thing like if anyone says that sort of thing, then everyone else is like if you don't say what you did yesterday, then it sounds like you did nothing because everyone else is saying what they did. So you have to, I think, get a team buy-in to do this, say, "We're not going to talk about sort of bullet-list what we did yesterday. That's not going to get us anywhere as a team." But what's useful are those little magical moments of connection where I say, "Yep, I'm working on this. I'm going to implement it in this way." And someone's like, "Wait, wait, that way? Oh, we shouldn't implement it that way." And then ideally, what happens there is okay; let's connect after this meeting. You've now made this connection, but you don't need to hold up the rest of the meeting for that. You can just say, "Cool, this connection has been made. That's an incredibly valuable little point in time, but now let's continue on with the flow of the meeting," so that it keeps that rapid pace. And so times where you're blocked, times where you have questions, times where you're just describing what you think you're going to be working on. So if anyone's like, "Oh wait, no, we needed to stop that work because we actually made a decision yesterday that impacts whether or not we actually wanted to build that feature at all." If you can head off incorrect work at the pass, there's so much potential value in that meeting that it is interruptive. And it does take up some time, but I find that it is so, so worth it if you're able to really keep it focused, keep it concise, and keep that end goal of those little connections. When those happen, they're so valuable. So I think it's really worth the input. STEPH: I'm still smiling from where you said performative of what I did yesterday because that is something that took me a while to understand, one of the things that I did not like about the daily sync or daily meeting whenever your team gets together to talk about the work that's being done. And it was finally when I realized we're just going through a list of who has the longest list of the things that they accomplished yesterday. And again, it felt like it was bringing out more of that competitive mode in folks to talk about what they did, and it didn't feel very useful. Every now and then, maybe there was one thing that was interesting that someone did. But most of the time, it was always more helpful to hear what the person was working on that day for all the reasons that you just highlighted. There is one practical concern that I have with these types of meetings or with these types of events. And it's where you'd mentioned where if we can keep it concise…and someone brings something up, and it starts to devolve into a conversation right there. So then whoever was up next is now waiting while that conversation is happening. And that part gets awkward because then there's usually one person who is then willing or no one frankly is willing to then say, "Hey, so sorry to interrupt, but let's actually table this discussion and let everybody else go, and then we'll come back to this." And if you have people on the team that have been there for a long time with that culture, then that will just work because everyone will keep each other in check. But otherwise, if you're starting that new process, or if you start to notice there's always that one person who's doing that awkward thing of trying to then set that culture of this is how we do our daily chat, and these are the things that then we wait for later, it's really hard. And I say that because I have often been that person that's in that space where then I encourage people to table a conversation. And it always just feels awkward to interrupt someone and ask them to please wait until everybody else has gone. CHRIS: I share your hesitations around that, but it is very important. And it's that sort of ideally someone in a more senior position will model that behavior and model it in a positive, friendly way. Where I have done that often it's in the form of a question, so it's, "Actually, do you think maybe we could take this offline?" or something like that. Not a command, not taking over or shutting people down because it is somewhat interjective, and you're sort of correcting course. And so, being as friendly and empathetic in that moment as possible, but that's a hard note to strike. And again, if it's something that only one person is like the taskmaster, the Hermione Granger of the team who's trying to keep everyone focused and doing their homework sort of thing, nobody wants to be that. Well, Hermione did, but otherwise, nobody wants to be. STEPH: I love all the Harry Potter-themed references that have been coming through in the last couple of episodes. And I agree it is something that's hard to help teams course-correct, but it's important, and it's very much something worth doing. I just recognized that I think that's why these roles get implemented, why there's this concept of a Scrum Master, and then why we designate these tasks to specific people because then you have someone who can do it. And then when they do interject, it feels more appropriate because that is their role, and that's one of the things that they're supposed to do versus putting it more on the social pressure of whoever is comfortable speaking up to then course-correct. So I do understand where that implementation of Agile has then tried to create those roles, which I've been on teams that have a Scrum Master. And my experience is it's often been a very positive experience because the person that is in that role is often very kind and caring about that team. And so they are a wonderful person to work with, but it's also one of those...I've also been on teams without them, and things have been fine. So I have mixed feelings about that one. It's one of those; it feels like an extra heavy process, but I've also been on teams, and it worked. CHRIS: It's interesting the way you frame it, of the utility of that role. Like, having a role where we've now all bought into the idea that this person may take these actions say, "Hey, can we take that conversation offline?" and rather than one individual choosing to do that. I like that framing. I share what you're saying about the rest of the baggage that comes along with having this formal position, and often, that person is otherwise removed from the work. That can often be an aspect of Scrum. I think that gets complicated. But now I'm wondering can we make a software solution to do this? Because, of course, that's where my head goes. Can we have a standup bot that is listening and is like, "Hmm, it seems like you two people have been talking for the past two minutes. I'm just going to interject like my little bot self that I am and ask maybe take this conversation offline," in the way that we've sort of automated a lot of code formatting things, and that's been really wonderful, so that's not a part of PR review. Can we do the same for standup? I don't know. STEPH: I think all the award ceremonies have these where they start to play the music, and that's your cue to move off stage. CHRIS: Oh, I like it. STEPH: I think that's it. [laughs] So you cue the music whenever someone has been going for quite some time. On a slightly separate note but still related to this, some conversations that have been bubbling up around me have been related specifically to this idea around stepping in to say, "Hey, I'll take on that thing that you need a volunteer for," or "Hey, I will help the team stay on track," will often fall on people with a specific personality and then they will often be the one that continues to do that. And so they will end up taking on additional work or taking on additional roles just because they may be in a more empathetic spot where they feel that's the kind, helpful thing to do. And so, we've been looking for more ways to make sure that those tasks are being distributed evenly across the team. So we're not just waiting on someone to say, "Who would volunteer for this?" And then typically being the same handful of people that are always speaking up and then volunteering for it. And then trying to shift to more of a purposeful approach of having a queue of people and then cycling through that queue, and then if someone can't do it at a certain time, then we move on and then we just put them back in the queue. But this way, we don't have people that are typically just always taking on these responsibilities. And that's something that is a new consideration for me but one that I have found really helpful to be aware of and notice on your team who's the one that's always volunteering for these roles and checking in with them to see if they're comfortable with this, or if they're feeling compelled to volunteer for stuff because they may feel more inclined to speak up versus others are okay with staying quiet. But circling back to some of the Agile discussions earlier, you'd mentioned a handful of meetings and that you have some feelings about those meetings. What are those meetings that you have feelings about? CHRIS: Yes, the meetings. So again, this is somewhat contextual to Scrum, but the structure of Scrum has a handful of meetings that sort of define the sprint. So you have some at the beginning, the middle, and the end. So there's sprint planning, there's backlog grooming, there's sprint review, which typically includes a demo for stakeholders, and then there's sprint retrospective. And these, as far as I understand it, are four distinct meetings and are intended to be kept distinct so that their purpose stays purified in each of those meetings. And I think my feelings would be that again; I don't really find a ton of value in the sprint structure or in the two-week cadence or things like that. And so I think it can make sense in those contexts to be like, we need to make sure we have space for these things. But in a more continuous context, I think the backlog grooming or, more generally, let's talk about the work that's coming up. Let's make sure that we're all unified in how we're thinking about that work, what we think matters, what's prioritized. I think that is an incredibly valuable meeting. I think sprint review and specifically demo for stakeholders I'm really intrigued by that one. I don't know that I feel like that needs to be a distinct meeting. And in fact, more and more these days, almost every feature I deliver has either screenshots or a screen recording of what that workflow looks like. So we're continuously demonstrating to the stakeholders what does this look like now that it's a real thing? What does an end-user see? What's that experience like? And in retrospect, I think we'll probably spend a minute on that one. I like retros; some people hate retros. Yeah, let's loop back to that. But of those, what are your thoughts? What do you like? What do you not like about those meetings? STEPH: I think grooming is a very helpful meeting that can help a product manager and a technical team have discussions about the upcoming work. I don't necessarily think it needs to be the whole team. I think it can be a couple of engineers from the team; maybe those people rotate, maybe it's the team lead. And they get together with the product manager, and they essentially answer any technical questions about upcoming work. So then it can be refined. So then, as we get closer to that planning session, whatever we want to call it, then it feels more in a ready state for folks to react to and then have opinions on. So I do like grooming, but I wouldn't necessarily advocate that the whole team needs to be present for those. For a demo, I'm with you; it really depends. I've worked on projects where the stakeholders are less close to GitHub and Slack and areas that we could demo some of the work that's being done, and maybe they weren't poking around on staging as much. So it was really helpful to then have a more formal demo to then show them the work that's being done. And then I've also worked on plenty of teams where a demo was something that we used as a fun internal event where we have all these different teams, and we get together. And then we get to show off all the great work that we have done across all the different products. So then us, as fellow teammates, can then celebrate what the other teams are working on. Retros, you know I love retros. I think retros are a microcosm of your team's culture and process. And if your team is struggling to have a productive retro, your team is struggling. Because I think that is representative of your team's ability to get together, and reflect, share concerns, celebrate wins, agree on what's important, and run measured experiments. And if you're not having a retro, then I think you're not going to know how your team's doing until it's too late, and it's going to be harder to course-correct. CHRIS: #HottakeswithSteph. I like it. I like the intensity that you came in with there, but I know retro is near and dear to your heart. So I'm unsurprised that that is the line that you've drawn. I definitely share all of those feelings, particularly around retro, because I think much like the daily sync, I've seen many people who are just like, "This is a bad meeting. It's useless. Nothing ever happens. I don't like it." And I'm often surprised by that because I've found so much value in it. Retro similarly is this magical meeting that can just regularly change the course of how we're working as a team. But I also have come into plenty of teams where it definitely did not have that shape, where it was basically a place that everyone sits down, and somewhat downtrodden restates their list of grievances, their airing of grievances, and then nothing changes. And much like the sprint iteration thing where you're constantly missing the commitments, and that's just going to wear a team down. I think if you constantly have retro and nothing changes and it's that same list of concerns, then that is going to be bad, but that, like you said, is not the reason not to do it. [chuckles] Oh, we just keep saying the same things in retro, so I don't think it's even that valuable. I would say that maybe we should change the things. But I've definitely been on plenty of teams where retro was just so valuable. And it's definitely one where I feel like having a facilitator, having someone who is in that particular seat trying to guide the conversation without necessarily being in the conversation, can be incredibly valuable. There are also structures that I've seen work particularly well. We have a video on Upcase that we can link to. That's a format that I've found; it's a very lightweight format, but it basically involves getting everyone's input on a positive note, on a more critical note, and then revisiting and sort of sorting and waiting, and then digging into topics that need a little bit more focus. But I think a lot of different formats can work as long as retro is a way for people to sincerely meet up, safely talk about the things that they are feeling about the work, and then ideally, some change comes about as a result of that. You mentioned having measured experiments, and I love that as a framing or like something that retro can do for us. STEPH: I really do think that retros are so important because they're the health check of the team. As you'd mentioned, if people are having a very negative retro experience, which I understand, I've had very negative retro experiences as well, and I've walked away feeling like that was not a productive use of my time. But then that is our warning. That is our signal that's saying, "Something is not right, and something's not great, and we're not working together as we really want to be working together." And this retro is just that reminder that is right in our face, that is making this so uncomfortable and feel like a waste of our time because it is informing us that something needs to be improved upon. And we can feel like retros are not productive when we feel powerless to make that change. And that again is then another discussion to have with the team, to have with management, leadership, to talk about how do we get the power to then make the changes that we need to then have productive, happy retros? Because that's going to be a reflection that you have a happy, productive team. CHRIS: Love it, love the framing, love the symmetry there between team happiness and retro happiness. So to summarize, I think we've gone through most of Scrum now. So just to...correct me if I'm wrong on any of these, but I believe sprints and iterations, nah, we'll leave it. Planning poker, definitely not. That doesn't seem good, although maybe just to bring up conversations, but not as an artifact that we save in any way. And then otherwise, daily sync, we're fans. Retro, definitely fans. Sprint review, backlog grooming, some version of those, a lightweight version of a bunch of the meetings seems may be good, but a couple of things definitely are going to leave on the cutting-room floor. Does that sound about right to you for Scrum specifically? We've got other topics to cover. STEPH: Yep. All of that list sounds really good. CHRIS: All right. So we've now found our refined version of Scrum, re-Scrum as we'll call it. But now there's a couple of other pieces...So Scrum is very focused on the ceremonies and the team activities, but there's another facet of the Agile umbrella, which is Extreme Programming, which that's a book. I believe Extreme Programming Explained is the name of the book. And there are various different links that we'll include to point at those. But there are two particular practices that stand out that I have heard some people love, some people do not. So we'll go into both of them. The first is pair programming. What do you think, Steph? Do you like pair programming? STEPH: I do. I'm a huge fan. [laughs] Yes, I very much like pair programming, although it still has its limitations. I definitely want time on my own, and I can get exhausted from pair programming. It is a very vulnerable experience, too, where you have to share with someone: this is what I know, this is how I work, this is how I think. And I think that is incredibly challenging. I find that I am typically more productive when I'm pairing with someone or when I have the opportunity to pair with someone at least every couple of days. CHRIS: Yep. I'm definitely a huge fan of pairing. Although I think specifically to Extreme Programming, I think the idea is 100% pairing. I think you already spoke to this, but pairing is exhausting. And the idea of 100% pairing is I can't really even imagine that; even 50% pairing feels like an incredibly high bar to hold for any extended period of time. There's a recent article that was going around the mortifying ordeal of pairing all day, which spoke of one person's experiences getting deeply burnt out just going through that process. And so, as valuable as pairing is, it's definitely a tool to be used not all the time. That feels like a lot. STEPH: That's a lot of Stephanie singing because I tend to sing a lot whenever I'm stuck or thinking through things. So that's a lot of singing that I don't know if the world wants. CHRIS: I mean, based on all of the various Bike Shed intros that involve you singing, I think the world wants it. That's maybe one person's take. But definitely, something that you said of there's a vulnerability to it. And so many pairing sessions I've either been the one saying this or someone else that I was pairing with has said this to me, but they're like, "I swear I know how to type, just now that someone's looking, my hands don't work." It's like you're in a dream, and your legs don't work. You're like, I know how to run, I swear. But for some reason, my legs are made of jelly right now. Or you can't remember a particular method, or there's just something that happens, and so getting over that hump, getting comfortable with it, I think it is a skill and something to become accustomed to. And so, again, being conscious of that when you start doing it is super important. STEPH: I don't know if this is true because I only have access to people's thoughts when I'm pairing with them, and then they're sharing their thoughts with me. But I do feel like people tend to beat themselves up more when they have someone watching because then you feel the need to say, "Oh, I normally can type, but because someone's watching..." which is so true; that definitely happens. But those moments are some of those really great moments to then reflect on the fact that just because someone's watching us doesn't mean that then we suddenly need to beat ourselves up. And I don't know how philosophical that I want to get with this, but I feel like there are so many opportunities while pair programming to then encourage other people around us to be kind to themselves. That is one of the things that I have really benefited from pair programming is learning to be more kind to myself. And even if I don't know exactly what's happening or what I'm doing and I may not be as confident with someone else, I can still be positive and kind. Just because you're in a vulnerable space doesn't mean that you then need to be unkind to yourself. CHRIS: Yeah. I definitely agree with the idea of being kind to yourself also, where you can, be kind to someone else who you're pairing with, especially if they're finding that they're like, "Ah, suddenly my hands don't quite work." But I have pretty uniformly seen that a pairing session may start out that way. And then as everybody kind of just relaxes into it, suddenly you'll see someone just kind of flying around their editor. And you're like, wait, what just happened there? That was so fast. I don't even know. And so there's just this comfort level that sometimes it takes a little bit of time to ease into. But yeah, so pair programming, broadly yes. 100%, oh, that's going to be a no, no, thank you, not that. All right, so one other practice that comes from Extreme Programming, which is Test-Driven Development AKA TDD. What do you think about that one, Steph? STEPH: I feel like you're giving me lay-up questions here. For anyone that's familiar with us, [laughs] I feel like this is an easy one. Test-Driven Development is a thing. It's a thing that I enjoy. I don't always write tests first, though, so I don't always follow TDD, but I am definitely a fan of tests. So, I guess in that light, it's not so much that I adhere always to TDD. I don't feel the need that I have to write tests first, but I have found that with practice, that often helps me write code where I have tests then help me write out the logic for my code. So generally, yes, thumbs up on TDD, but I'm also not terribly strict about it where if you want to write some code first, write some code first. CHRIS: Yeah, I think I'm definitely in the mode where I like testing. I like Test-Driven Development. I can't always pull it off, frankly. It's hard. It is hard to know how to write a test in advance of the implementation that you're going to write such that the test will correctly constrain the system that you're about to write. That takes a couple of levels of knowledge that if I'm writing a Rail's controller action form sequence, I can probably TDD that because I've done it so many times. But if I'm doing something that's a little bit more new, novel, less familiar to me, then likely I won't be able to pull it off. TDD is like a fancy move that I don't always have available to me. But I consider that whenever I'm in that mode like that's not oh, it's fine to just write the thing before the test. Like, I want to be able to do TDD 100% of the time. I'm just not a good enough developer, frankly. And I don't know that I ever will be because I always want to be working a little bit past the edge of my comfort. So it's a delicate line of when I will not use TDD, but wherever I can, wherever I do have that level of knowledge of the system and the frameworks and whatnot built up, I find it is a vastly more effective way to work. It's not that I feel cool when I do it. It's like I feel much more effective. It helps me stay focused and on task and get the thing done. So it's very utilitarian in that way but also not something I can always pull off. STEPH: So, circling back to when we first started chatting, you were asking about Agile and then my thoughts about it. And having this conversation with you, I'm realizing, or I think I was already aware, but it's helping me re-solidify I'm very much a fan of Agile. There are specific implementations of Agile that I don't find enjoyable, and I don't find helpful to writing software, and I don't find helpful from the project management side either. But broadly speaking, I'm still very much a fan of the approach that we use generally for Agile, where we want to work in small deliverable increments, and then we also want to have the ability to change any moment what is the most important thing to work on? To me, that is the heart of following the Agile process. And I don't think that's going anywhere. Like, I don't think Agile's going to disappear. But I wouldn't be surprised if we see another implementation of an Agile variety of the things that you and I just shared and the things that we like. And so, I feel like most teams that I work with follow Agile within their own unique bespoke version. And we don't have to give it names because everybody's going to have their own custom version where they decide which process works for them and which one doesn't work for them. And that's what retros are for so then you can figure out which process works for you. CHRIS: Once more, Steph on the record about her love of retro. I think the core of Agile, the Manifesto, those core ideas about small iterations, delivering value, staying close to stakeholders, all of that feels deeply true to me. And I would be really surprised if a year from now or two years from now I was doing something that was wildly different from that. But then each of the layers of practices on top of that to varying degrees I like or don't like. And I wouldn't be surprised if aspects of that were swapped out down the road. But that core, that idea of this is how we think about building software. I like that thing; that seems like a good thing. So I'm going to hold on to Agile for a little bit longer personally. STEPH: Same. I still see Agile in my future. On that note, shall we wrap up? CHRIS: Let's wrap up. STEPH: Show notes for this episode can be found at bikeshed.fm. CHRIS: This show is produced and edited by Mandy Moore. STEPH: If you enjoyed listening, one really easy way to support the show is to leave us a quick rating or a review in iTunes as it helps other people find the show. CHRIS: If you have any feedback for this or any of our other episodes, you can reach us @_bikeshed on Twitter. And I'm @christoomey. STEPH: And I'm @SViccari. CHRIS: Or you can email us at hosts@bikeshed.fm. STEPH: Thanks so much for listening to The Bike Shed, and we'll see you next week. All: Byeeeeeeee. Announcer: This podcast was brought to you by thoughtbot. thoughtbot is your expert design and development partner. Let's make your product and team a success.

Page 464: The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known (feat. Simple Country Theory Debunker) Denna finds Kvothe (again) and apologizes for leaving at the drop of a hat. We talk about what Kvothe leaves unsaid, and we once again return to that crackedest of pots about Denna and the Moon. Don't worry, we soon tangent into some nonsense about the taxonomy of the himbo, before returning to talk about Kvothe's writer's block. . @pageofthewind pageofthewind.com If you want to donate to the SFWA's Legal Fund to help ensure that authors like Alan Dean Foster are paid the royalties they are owed, here is the link: https://www.sfwa.org/about/benevolent-funds/legal-fund/ If you would like to donate to help the Palestinian people in their ongoing struggle against settler-colonial violence, you can donate at these links: Islamic Relief Canada https://www.islamicreliefcanada.org/emergencies/palestine/?utm_campaign=12848446276&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=517142162113&utm_term&adgroupid=124171132249&gclid=CjwKCAjwy42FBhB2EiwAJY0yQpP3kc82omP-G5rZHYvoXKG-8z5mRcorlQ-sQvHgiGLNlz6x-l9vmxoC1yEQAvD_BwE Eye on Palestine facebook.com/eyeonpalestine.official/

this episode is about our experiences with body dysmorphic disorder. we talk about how growing up as identical twins, among other factors, may have contributed to our heightened awareness of our appearance. we also discuss ways we've learned to live with BDD and provide resources for more info. cw: mention of self harm.

Today's episode is all about the early noughties classic and everyone's not-like-other-girls champion Amélie (2001) dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet and by extension about the MORTIFYING ORDEAL OF BEING KNOWN. We get knee deep in Shrek's psyche and reveal some dark secrets of our own teenage years.