The Bad Book Club

Not Quite Dead Yet

We couldn't come up with a punny name for the title of this episode and felt we'd spent quite enough time on it. This book has it all--a hate-able protagonist, just enough romance to make dying slightly inconvenient, highly questionable family dynamics, constant reminders of the main character's mortality--you know, everything you look for in a story. With this book, the author bravely asks an important question: if you knew your time was running out, would you really spend it doing all that?
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Jing_of_Jin_(Ju)#cite_note-6
https://www.iflscience.com/franz-reichelt-and-the-eiffel-tower-wingsuit-incident-of-1912-79555
https://medium.com/the-masterpiece/this-greek-painter-died-laughing-at-his-own-painting-235816e9931f
 

Support Your Local Midnight Library

This book is what happens when you take the existential dread you had as a teen and make it a novel. In this episode, host Stephanie and guest Kristin take on bestseller The Midnight Library, a book that seems to be universally loved in a way that we just don't get. Have you ever wanted to revisit every stupid decision you ever made? Main character Nora Seed does just that, and we pulled along with her to every regret she's ever had. (omg I just realized her last name is Seed and hers is the "Root" life, and you will NEVER convince me that wasn't on purpose.)
Anyway, Nora learns a bunch of lessons about how life could always be worse, and that yes, sorry, this maybe really is as good as it gets. 

Girl, Change Your Pants

Is it an autobiography or is it self-help? Bad news, it's both! This book made us feel both called out and offended, and left us perfectly satisfied with how unproductive we are.
Bongo Comedy Background Music 60bpm by krytosss -- https://freesound.org/s/167388/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0

50 Shades of Ick

Strap in, y'all, pun absolutely intended. This episode is all about the classic romantic fan fiction that took the world by storm and reinforced the notion that stalking is peak romance. 
Ticking Clock by blukotek at https://freesound.org/s/412751/
TV Show Intro Music by TheoJT at https://freesound.org/s/698508/ 

Discovering Witches Should Be More Exciting

Grab your favorite vintage of red wine (or a vial of O-negative, we don't judge) because this week, Stephanie and Lindsey are diving into the Bodleian Library to unpack Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches. It’s so slow we actually aged three centuries just waiting for them to hold hands.

Twilight Zoned

In this episode, we take a trip down memory lane to revisit Twilight, a book that launched a thousand Tumblr accounts and innumerable codependent relationships. What's so appealing about Bella? Why does Edward keep going back to high school instead of getting a job? Why did Stephenie Meyer spell her name like that? We don't have answers to any of these questions, but we have a lot of opinions about this book. Cover your neck while we sink our teeth into this legendary tome.
Pick up a copy of the Christine's coloring book here!
 

The Guest List: RSVP No

Who did it? Who deserved it? Who should have been left off the guest list, from the start? Almost everyone, honestly. This farce of a wedding takes place at the least romantic place on earth, complete with bog bodies, frat boys, and murder most foul!
We love a messy bitch, but this one takes the wedding cake (sorry, not sorry).

Housemaid Bonus Episode

We took a little break over the summer to recharge and get through a little bit of our TBR pile, but we missed you so we're easing back in with a bonus episode about The Housemaid. Stephanie did some extra homework, which left her with just a bit more she needed to share, and Lindsey was gracious enough to let her.
Let's dive back in together!

A Court of Thorns and Trauma Bonds

This time, on The Bad Book Club, we’re venturing into the steamy, stabby, and suspiciously sexy world of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
Feyre loves crossing boundaries, Tamlin is allergic to communication, and Lucien is that one coworker who’s overqualified and under-appreciated. Honestly, everybody sucks except Lucien.

My Funny Demon Valentine: Be Mine...Or Else

This episode, we dive horn-first into My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher—a book where the romance is hot, the demons are hotter. This story that asks the eternal question: what is the appropriate number of abs for a supernatural being to have?
Join us for deeply unqualified demonology and reflections on our own taste in past partners. Warning: May induce sudden urges to summon a seven-foot-tall infernal boyfriend. Listener discretion—and possibly a summoning circle—advised.