Welcome back friends and foes. It was hard to return to Riverdale knowing the world was Joaquin-less, but we soldiered on.
Read moreFeatured Bookstore: The Strand, NYC
If you’re a book person and you’ve been to New York, this month’s featured bookstore is probably not going to be a new discovery for you.
The Strand Book Store, home to 18 MILES of books, is arguably the most popular bookstore in New York City, and shows no signs of slowing down in its 90th year of existence.
For my first two featured bookstore picks, I went with shops in Brooklyn that are a little more off the beaten path, but if I’m being realistic, the place I frequent the most (and drag visitors to the most) is definitely the Strand. Part of the reason for this is that it’s located very close to where I work, part of it’s that they have a large selection of gently-used — and therefore cheap — books, and part of it is because the store is legitimately intoxicating. When I leave, I feel drunk. This is the only explanation for the amount of money I end up spending there when I already have a full bookshelf of unread material at home.
Read on for more info about this magical place, and if you’re so inclined, click through the book links on our homepage to purchase your next #BSG read from the Strand!
Read moreSusan's #PodSquad: You're the Expert
You’re the Expert live at National Geographic in Washington, DC
Photo by Taylor Mickal
One podcast I recommend every single time someone asks is You’re the Expert. I don’t just recommend it because I love it and I think everyone else should too (although I do believe that). I recommend it so often because it has such a great mixture of genres and topics. You like RadioLab? Great. You’ll like YTE. You like Comedy Bang Bang? You’ll like YTE. You like Invisibilia? Go download YTE. Stuff You Should Know? Try YTE. Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me? You get the idea.
Read moreBSG #22: Speaking Up On Behalf of Brunch / Little Fires Everywhere
BSG #22: Speaking Up On Behalf of Brunch / Little Fires Everywhere
Come with us to the idyllic community of Shaker Heights, Ohio for our discussion of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. We discuss whether the novel is character- or plot-driven, which characters were most effective, why the book is set in the 1990s, and more (like which of us were bitchy teenagers). Plus, we read some listener feedback on Goodbye, Vitamin, and Emily tells us about MyTBR, which you should definitely subscribe to. Hear about this month's featured bookstore, The Strand, and catch up on what's on the #BookSquadBlog. Read along with us for our next #bookpisode on Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao and tune in on 12/17 for our Best of 2018 #othersode!
Click through for table of contents and show notes!
Read moreRiverdale Recap! S3E6: Manhunter
This week, Riverdale tries to remind us that there is a world outside of Gryphons and Gargoyles, and that world contains a farm!
Confused? So are we. Read on as we sort through our thoughts and feelings about this season’s sixth episode: “Manhunter.”
Read moreWhy The Princess Switch Wasn't So Bad
Each year, earlier and earlier, the Hallmark Movie Channel begins its tirade of Christmas movies. Most of them can be boiled down to a simple scenario: indescribably quirky girl who has a tiny, weird business meets a man (who may either be a simple business dude or a prince or something) and they fall in ~LURVE~. My step-mom loves these movies and watches them all throughout the holiday season, and my dad and I have often made fun of them. The truth is, I’ve been quick to write off these movies as stupid fluff without really giving them a chance.
Enter this year. Enter The Princess Switch.
Read moreFantastic Beasts 2: The Fact That These Movies Exist is Fan Service
So what we learned from this scene is that Lupin straight up stole a lesson plan from Dumbledore. Cool. Moving on.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gindelwald is finally here!
In case you have no idea what this movie is or why we’re excited about it, we’re, first of all, judging you really hard right now. Secondly, let us fill you in, you muggle: The Fantastic Beasts series is the J.K. Rowling-penned prequel to the Harry Potter series, following Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his fantastic beasts (mostly nifflers in this latest movie) as they haplessly wander around and somehow get mixed up in the bigger battle between good and evil raging on in the Wizarding World.
Our first adventure saw our hero traipsing around 1920’s New York with his charming pals (Tina, Queenie, and muggle Jacob) and his adorable animals. This second installment takes us to London and Paris, adding on Jude Law as Dumbledore and, oh yeah, way too much Johnny Depp as the titular character Gellert Grindelwald.
Joining Kelli and Emily to discuss this film is our friend and our outside Harry Potter expert/consultant, Grace Treutel — let’s get into this. There’s a lot to cover. Deep breaths, everyone.
PLEASE NOTE: This post has SO MANY SPOILERS. Continue at your own risk.
Read moreRiverdale Recap! S3E5: The Great Escape
“I want Betty to mace Archie” - Gabriella
This week, we give thanks for Riverdale, and count the many, many blessings that it has bestowed upon us.
There might not be a new chapter airing tonight, but we’re still here to give you this extra-special-belated-edition of the BSG Riverdale Recap — so read on for our discussion of “The Great Escape,” complete with a prison break, an allusion to Choni’s sexual relationship, and a truly sick pair of bell-bottom overalls (What store is Betty shopping at, and why doesn’t anyone else on this show go there?).
Read moreTen Things I Learned from the Are You The One Reunion Special
Look, I am real happy I decided to cover this Are You the One Reunion.
The tea was spilt. Hearts were broken all over again. Secret girlfriends were revealed. Exes were reunited. Post-show makeovers were executed, for better or for worse. Zak was yelled at and called a sociopath. New terms were defined. I learned so much from this hour of television, and I truly feel like I came away a better person for it. But did you accidentally miss all the drama? Not to worry, here I have aggregated the most important lessons learned from this Are You the One? reunion special.
Read moreOthersode #21: Swilda Tinton / Suspiria
Othersode #21: Swilda Tinton / Suspiria
Join the #BookSquad — er, #BookCoven — for a not-so-scary look at the new Suspiria, directed by Luca Guadagnino. We talk about what worked and what didn't work (but mostly what didn't work) in this re-imagining of the 1977 film. Is the dancing good? Why is Tilda Swinton playing so many characters? And most importantly, what would Suspiria sound like as a Rihanna song? We answer all this and more, plus we hear some listener feedback on Castle Rock! Read along with us for our next #bookpisode on Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere, which drops on December 3rd.
Click through for table of contents and show notes!
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