I am no stranger to writing about musicals on this blog, but today I am bringing something a little bit different. Last school year, one of my students mentioned this musical based on The Odyssey. After listening to it, I became hooked, much to Mary’s dismay. As I have continued to listen to the musical and really think about it, I realized that there was a disconnect for me between how much of the fandom perceives the musical and what its creator intended. So please join me as I put on my PhD in English (with an emphasis in Creative Writing - Poetry) hat and discuss EPIC: The Musical!
Read moreSpooktober Returns: Weapons (Day 3 of 10)
Welcome, creepy babies, to the Book Squad Blog, which is totally a thing now and we’re all writing and being really productive!
Weapons is the latest movie from Zach Cregger, who also directed Barbarian (2022) and was a founding member of The Whitest Kids U’Know. The movie follows the events surrounding the disappearance of a 3rd grade class. All of the students Naruto-ran into the night at 2:17 AM, except for one boy, Alex, who knows nothing about the events. This movie is horror, but like Barbarian, it’s not traditionally categorized into a neat box. Let’s talk about it!
Read moreYA Horror to Help You Get Your Creep On
Apparently, we just love horror over here at the BSG Blog! Here’s a non-comprehensive list of some YA Horror novels to get you in the mood this creepy season.
Read moreSpooktober Returns??: Together (Day 2 of 10)
Alison Brie and Dave Franco in Together (2025).
Friends, Spooktober is a lifestyle, and, as we’ve mentioned on the podcast many times, we are busy people. But as the weather begins to cool (for some people), the leaves begin to change, and the pumpkin-flavored treats begin to appear on store shelves, it’s time for Emily, Mary, and Kelli to see some horror movies. Here’s our conversation about Together, directed by Michael Shanks.
Read more10 Days of Spooktober: I Saw the TV Glow (Day 1 of 10)
Surprise! After a four-year hiatus, we're back with 10 W33ks of Spooktober. Get it. The Es are 3s because this is the third time we've done this series. This time, we're starting with I Saw the TV Glow, and Kelli is joining us to chat about this movie. So bathe yourself in the pink opaque, and let's get ready for another season of scary movies.
Read moreWhat to Read When You Feel Down About Your Body
If you’ve ever listened to the podcast, you know me, but you may or may not know that I have a PhD in English with an emphasis on disability studies and children's literature. That all means that I spent a lot of time thinking about how fat bodies are represented in literature for young people, which led me to so many great resources!
Read moreThe Bachelor s28E9: An Underwater Cave Situation
Kelli: Hello, and welcome back to another week of The Bachelor, sponsored by The Golden Bachelor. This week, Mary joins me again to give points to Emily’s team, because my team is dead. Take it away, Mary.
Mary: Here we are in Tulum, the most romantic place. Well, not too romantic for Joey at the beginning of the episode. Instead, he’s feeling weepy about his experience on The Bachelorette with Charity. It was hard for him to feel so connected to Charity, then heartbroken to be sent home. I mean, I get it, it would be hard, but also… should you put all your eggs in the Bach basket? They know each other for like, two weeks, right? I don’t know I’d bet my life on that.
Read moreThe Bachelor s28E8: It’s Not Like You’re Gonna Lose Your Hearing Over It
Kelli: Hello and welcome to another late recap of Joey’s season of The Bachelor! We’ve reached HOMETOWNS, which is famously the most boring episode of every season. Today, in Emily’s stead, I am joined by Mary. Mary, how has this season been treating you? Who’s your pick for the win?
Mary: You know, I didn’t expect to like Joey as much as I do. He didn’t really leave an impression on me in Charity’s season, but now he’s a bit more charming. That said, there’s something off-putting to me about his Extreme Direct Eye Contact. And how he says “thank you for sharing” to everything anyone says.
I’ve been enjoying the season so far, but I’ve been a little irked at all the Maria drama. It’s really not that serious! My pick to win is probably Daisy, but Kelsey has made some strides recently too.
Read moreThe Bachelor S28E7: Did They Forget That I Have an Axe?
Emily: Welcome back, Bachelor fans. The week before hometowns always creeps up on us. One minute we have a bajillion prospective fiancées, and then suddenly we’re down to four. But to get there, first we have to journey to the beautiful Jasper, Canada, and by all appearances, this seems like the kind of place where you might actually get to ride a moose. Too bad Lea has to miss it.
Kelli: RIP.
Emily: I have to say for once, the tourism propaganda is really working on me. I had no idea where Jasper, Canada was before this, but now I suddenly have to go. I mean! The mountains! The trees! The rainbows!
Read moreThe Bachelor S28E6: I'm Gonna Be Pushing You Out of a Plane
Kelli: Hello and welcome to another recap of The Bachelor. This week our goal is to get back on track after ABC threw us off with a random two night event last week. I still haven’t forgiven them.
Emily: We’re slowly inching our way towards posting on-time recaps. But you know, better late than never, friends. Better late than never.
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