Survive the Book: Mary and Emily Read Riley Sager

July 20, 2021 Mary & Emily

Wow, do we have a treat for readers today. On a recent road trip (to see the rest of the Squad!), Emily and Mary listened to the new book by Riley Sager, Survive the Night. The novel focuses on Charlie Jordan, who needs to get out of town as quickly as possible following the death of her roommate and best friend, Maddie. Charlie uses a rideshare bulletin board (oh yeah, it’s 1991) to find Josh, a lonely college student looking for a companion on a road trip of his own. Charlie quickly begins to question if Josh could be the infamous Campus Killer as she plots her escape.

(Spoilers for Survive the Night to follow.)

The Bachelorette S17E6: Operation WOWO

July 15, 2021 Susan & Emily

What’s hotter than a day in the New Mexican desert? Trying not to touch yourself for a whole week while you live in close quarters with 10 other people! Oh, and a “roast”—those are heated too, right? Read on to find out if this week’s episode had us all hot and bothered or just left us feeling like we need to throw up in the middle of a group date. Let’s go!

Gossip Girl S1E1: Just Another Girl on the MTA

July 14, 2021 Kelli & Emily

these outfits are a collective crime against humanity

Hey Upper Eastsiders. Gossip Girl here. You thought I was gone, didn’t you? Well… I’m back. And I’m now publishing exclusively on BSG. It’s where all of the cool rich teens hang out. It’s basically the Dumbo of the internet.

Just kidding. We know that was a really convincing impression of the voice and general essence of THE Gossip Girl, but it’s actually just Emily and Kelli here to provide you with recaps of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl, a reboot of/sequel to the original show, which aired on the CW from 2007 to 2012 for six godforsaken seasons. If you’re thinking, there’s a Gossip Girl reboot/refresh/sequel?, fear not. We’re here to get you all caught up.

(Spoilers for episode one to follow, as well as spoilers for the original GG.)

My Favorite Reads of 2021 (So Far)

July 11, 2021 Susan

Since we’re a little more than halfway through the year, I thought it was a good time to check in on my reading goals for 2021 and reflect on my favorite non-podcast reads so far. I set a goal of reading 50 books at the beginning of the year, which is significantly more than I read last year, so this is a pretty lofty goal for me. While I’m ever-so-slightly behind schedule, I credit my progress to making a habit of tracking my reads. If you’re not already using the Book Riot 2021 Reading Log (made by author and friend of the pod Tirzah Price!), I highly recommend you start now. Using this log has changed my reading habits. I seriously get really excited every time I can fill in a new line on this spreadsheet.

Without further ado, let’s get into my top non-podcast reads of 2021 (so far)!

The Bachelorette S17E5: Into the Woods

July 10, 2021 Susan & Emily

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We’re back with another week of The Bachelorette and another recap! Unfortunately Blake is back too, but we’re just going to deal with it.

PLEASE NOTE: Trigger warning for discussion of sexual assault.

Let’s get to the episode.

Album Review: Lucy Dacus' Home Video Delivers

July 4, 2021 Kelli

On June 25th, Lucy Dacus released Home Video, her third studio album. I’ve been a fan of Dacus since I heard her first single back in 2016, “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore,” a song which explores the niche yet relatable experience of being the “funny one” and how that impacts one’s sense of identity. I was so taken by that song in particular that I began following her career in earnest, and she has yet to disappoint. I was obsessed with her sophomore album, Historian—I think I’ve listened to the song “Night Shift” over 100 times at this point—and I’m also a big fan of Boygenius, the sad!queer supergroup Dacus formed with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers.

Needless to say, I was fully primed to love her new album, and I’m pleased to report that it still managed to exceed my expectations. With Home Video, Dacus shifts the lens from the present to focus on her suburban Christian upbringing in Richmond, Virginia, and how those memories and romantic entanglements inform the person she’s become. It’s a crush of nostalgia, confusion, naivete and burgeoning queerness, and it’s proof that Dacus has hit her stride.

The Bachelorette S17E4: Buzz Killington

July 2, 2021 Susan & Emily

This week had departures, arrivals, truths, and dares! It had hot peppers, Lunchables, carbs, and giant ears! All of this and only one group date? How, you ask? Because ABC can make literally anything last two hours. Let’s see how the teams did this week.

YA Book Club: The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

July 1, 2021 Mary & Emily

This month we read The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He, a novel about sisterhood, memory, and identity. We picked this novel in part because of its gorgeous cover by Turkish artist Aykut Aydoğdu. We were drawn in by the cover but we stayed for the wild sci-fi ride. Let’s jump in.

Mary: So The Ones We’re Meant to Find is about two sisters, Cee and Kay, who desperately want to find each other. Cee woke up on an island with nothing but her wits and a dictionary robot companion to help her. She remembers almost nothing, but she does know that she has a sister named Kay that she wants–needs– to find. Kay knows that Cee loved the world outside their city in the sky, but she didn’t know just how far Cee would go to leave it. Kay teams up with someone from Cee’s past in order to find out more about her missing sister, but she’s not ready for the answers she’ll find. Joan He has one other novel, Descendant of the Crane, which I’ve never read, have you?

(Needless to say, spoilers will follow for The Ones We’re Meant to Find.)

The Bachelorette S17E3: Grinning Like A Clown from a Stephen King Novel

June 26, 2021 Susan & Emily

Sorry for the delay on the recap this week, Bachelorette fans! Susan and Emily needed extra time to recover from this particularly emotional episode. But we’re here, and we’re ready to cry all over again.

Please note trigger warnings for sexual assault, cancer, alcoholism… it’s quite an episode, but we’re here to guide you through.

The Bachelorette S17E2: A Dark Room With Sex Stuff

June 17, 2021 Susan & Emily

Ah, it’s good to be back. It’s good to see Tayshia and Kaitlyn blessing our screens again. It’s good to be racking up points for things like sob stories and hot makeout sessions. Let’s see which team starts out on top this season.

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