The Dust Jacket

Beautiful Ugly, by Alice Feeney

Join us as we grinch all over the worst book we read this year, Beautiful Ugly. This is a domestic thriller so bad it feels like a parody of Gone Girl. 
Spoilers from 17 mins

Heart the Lover, by Lily King

This was a tough one--early reviews of this book are glowing, but neither of us liked it. Find out which parts gave us the ick, why we think this book is autobiographical and why that's weird... and also why we thought the twist ending fell so flat. 
Spoilers from 42 mins

The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett

This week we talk about what makes a man a curmudgeon, the differences between quirky books and silly books, and when a wedding isn't a wedding. 
Spoilers from 27 mins, and they are significant spoilers, so be prepared to pause if you want to read this book unspoiled. 

Deadly Animals, by Marie Tierney

We discuss Deadly Animals, by Marie Tierney, in which a young precocious girl helps solve the mystery of who's killing all her classmates. We both loved some parts of this book and were irritated by others. 
Trigger warning for mentions of violence and sexual assault against children. Spoilers from 24 mins in

Sky Daddy, by Kate Folk

Special guest Jules returns to talk about Sky Daddy with us. This is a truly weird novel about a woman with a sexual fixation on planes, who wants to "marry" one by dying in a plane crash. 
Warning: This episode has a LOT of talk about sex. If you're around children or just don't want to hear about sex, skip this one. 
Spoilers not until 41 mins

Slewfoot, by Brom

Happy Halloween! For the end of Spooktober, we're talking about the cult hit Slewfoot, by Brom. We discuss why Puritans make great horror villains, why this book is actually two books, and the power and pitfalls of witch hunts in fiction.
Spoilers from 15 minutes.

Play Nice, by Rachel Harrison

We talk about a haunted house book that just got published, Play Nice, by Rachel Harrison. It features an interesting premise, but we didn't care much for the execution... 
Spoilers from 17 minutes in

The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward

We discuss the very popular horror novel The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward. Controversially, we didn't like it much...
Spoilers from 15 minutes in, and these are very real, will-spoil-the-book-for-you type spoilers. 

The Frequency of Living Things, by Nick Fuller Googins

This week we're talking about The Frequency of Living Things, and for the first time ever, we have the author on to discuss his book with us!
Nick Fuller Googins shares stories about the ins and outs of publishing, the real-life activist inmate who inspired one of the characters in this book, and how his writing process takes him on unexpected journeys.
This episode is spoiler-free

Tender Is the Flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica

To kick off Halloween month, we're reading the disgusting horror novel Tender Is the Flesh, by Argentinian author Agustina Bazterrica. 
Warning: this book is about cannibalism, and our discussion of it mentions a lot of stomach-turning violence, including to pregnant women and animals. Skip this one if you have any reservations about that subject matter. 
Spoilers from 19 mins