Hot and Bothered

Vanessa and Lauren have arrived at Thornfield Hall in chapters 11 and 12 of Jane Eyre. And who do they find on the road outside of Thornfield? Why Mr. Rochester himself, the 'hero' of our romance! This week they analyze Jane's restlessness in her new home, The Gothic as it appears in these chapters, and why women are attracted to brooding bad boys like Rochester. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If for some reason you haven't heard (have you been living under a rock?), Vanessa wrote a book all about Jane Eyre! It's the inspiration for this podcast. After reading Chapter 10 last week, we realized there were some strong resonances between our conversation and the chapter of Vanessa's book on the theme of Destiny. We thought we'd take a week to share it with you and dig even deeper into chapter 10.And if for some reason you haven't purchased Vanessa's book yet (have you been trapped in someone's attic?) you can do so here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Lauren wrap-up their time at Lowood School in chapters 9 and 10 of Jane Eyre. They discuss Jane's peculiar perspective on dying in chapter nine ("what a drag to die" as Lauren puts it), the special tenor of Helen's death by tuberculous, and the power of female friendship.Many thanks to Phoebe Judge for lending her voice to Helen this week. Phoebe read the entirety of Jane Eyre aloud on her podcast Phoebe Reads a Mystery last fall. We highly encourage you to go back and listen to her reading of the book as a companion to our show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Lauren settle into the Lowood School in chapters 5 through 8 of Jane Eyre. They grapple with the role of Christianity in this book, paying special attention to how Charlotte Bronte's ideas are expressed through the character of Helen Burns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Lauren slow down again to look closely at just one chapter - chapter four of Jane Eyre. They discuss Mr. Brocklehurst and his Christianity, Jane’s powerful use of her own voice, and what Gateshead Hall represents in the context of the larger book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Lauren tackle chapters two and three of Jane Eyre, spending more time at Gateshead Hall. They discuss the famous 'red room' scene, explore Victorian sensibilities about sex and womanhood, and grapple with Jane's comparison to a 'rebel slave.' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Lauren dive into Jane Eyre, starting with a close look at Chapter 1. They discuss the first sentence of the book, Jane’s abuse at Gateshead, and what it means to be a ‘precocious girl.’  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you know anything about Vanessa Zoltan, you know that Jane Eyre is her favorite book. In fact, she just wrote her own book about it: Praying with Jane Eyre. But after spending so much time lovingly pouring over this text, it's time to take a step back. Each week of On Eyre, Vanessa and Lauren Sandler will take a critical look at the text and ask themselves ‘does this old book still have something to say in our world?’But before we jump into the first chapter, a few questions need to be answered. Questions like: Who is Charlotte Bronte, and why should anyone (who isn't Vanessa) care about this book? ---If you plan to read along with us, we have several book club options launching on our Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next week, we're launching our new series On Eyre. But before we jump into 19th century England, we wanted to spend some time introducing you to our new co-host Lauren Sandler. Lauren's recent book This is All I Got: A New Mother's Search for Home is recently out in paperback. We talked to her about the process of writing her book and the similarities she see's between Jane Eyre and the continued vulnerability of women on the margins . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're excited to share a conversation with Nichole Perkins about Romance Thrillers, the pleasure of competency, and her podcast This is Good For You. Stick around after our conversation to hear an episode of This is Good For You all about baking bread. And if you like the show, be sure to subscribe wherever you find your podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're between seasons of Hot and Bothered, so to keep you company we're bringing you interviews with our favorite writers and thinkers. This week, we're bringing you the wonderful writer and bookstore owner Emma Straub. Together we talk about how women's books are marketed, her love of writing hopeful endings, and why it's important to surround yourself with young people.Her book, All Adults Here, is recently out in paperback. Go check it out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're following our interview with Julie Anne Long last week with someone else who Vanessa is obsessed with: Justine Eyre, the woman who reads Julie Anne Long's books.Justine Eyre is a classically trained, multilingual actress who has narrated well over 400 audiobooks and received an Audie Award and multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. We talked to her about her process of preparing to record a book, the joys of romance, and whether listening to an audiobook counts as 'reading.' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're between seasons of Hot and Bothered, but that doesn't mean we've stopped reading Romance novels. On the contrary, recently Vanessa has been binge reading The Pennyroyal Green Series by Julie Anne Long. And because Romance novelist are the nicest kind of people, we were lucky enough to get Julie on the phone. We asked her all of our questions about her books, how she got started writing, and regency romance. Enjoy this mini-episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read all of Breaking Dawn and have some thoughts on imprinting, vampire sex, and best practices for vampire childbirth.This is the final episode of Twilight in Quarantine ya'll! Thank you so much for being on this journey with us for the past year. We'll be back in June with On Eyre!---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us make our new Jane Eyre podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fact 1: Vanessa Zoltan has been the host of this romance novel themed podcast for almost two years now.Fact 2: Vanessa Zoltan is a Jane Eyre evangelist. She’s literally written the book on Jane Eyre.Fact 3: Vanessa has somehow never talked about Jane Eyre on this podcast???Finally, we’ve come to our senses and one of life’s biggest contradictions is getting sorted. Coming June 1st 2021, our newest season--- Hot and Bothered: On Eyre. Vanessa will be joined by the brilliant journalist Lauren Sandler, and together with experts they’ll read through Charlotte Bronte’s seminal work and explore the questions and themes that emerge. If you want to read along, we’ll be starting with Chapters 1-4. Grab your SPF and your library card. This summer, we’re On Eyre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have officially finished Eclipse! Jacob wants to be a wolf full-time and we love that for him. Go Jacob, run like the wind and never come back. Seriously. Please don't come back.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us make our new Jane Eyre podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 27 of Eclipse and need a whole closet of custom designed free clothing from Alice stat.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: In this episode we discuss sexual assault and read an explicit scene of assault and emotional abuse from Eclipse.Still reeling from the Jacob/Bella plot line, Vanessa turns to sex educator and author Emily Nagoski for some help in making sense of Eclipse. They discuss the history of women's sexualization, how Jacob's storyline plays upon real and toxic gender norms, and what to do with Romance novels that uphold the patriarchy.If you haven't already, be sure to check out Emily's amazing books! She's the author Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, and two romance novels of her very own: How Not to Fall and How Not to Let Go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We at Not Sorry are making a new show! It's called The Real Question and the first episode is out today. We've already checked-in with Alice, and she has assured us that you're going to love the show. So go subscribe now! --The Real Question is a weekly podcast exploring life’s questions through a surprising mix of pop culture and academic insight. Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile learned in divinity school about the art of paying attention. By paying attention to very specific things in our lives, we can begin to see something true about big, universal questions. In this podcast, they turn that attention to a variety of everyday scenarios in their own lives to see what’s really at stake. Questions about the tooth fairy can really be about the fear we have for our children. Questions about driving can really be about what it means to be a good partner. Each week, Vanessa and Casper walk each other through the process of figuring out what their ‘real’ questions are in conversations with texts ranging from movie musicals to theological treatises. In this intimate, thoughtful podcast we explore how friendship can be a tool for living a more intentional life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 26 of Eclipse and are still shaking off the horror of this whole Bella/Jacob situation. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 25 of Eclipse and they have a few special valentines to share with the class.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: discussion of suicidal ideation, graphic violence, and abuseWe really only planned to skip one chapter in this book, but then Chapter 23 went and happened. Chapter 23 is a minefield of sexual and emotional abuse and we thought: 'You know what would be more fun than recording an episode on this nonsense? Not recording an episode on this nonsense.' So we moved on to Chapter 24. And don't worry, Chapter 24 still has plenty of problematic things to discuss! Topics include dismembering vampires and whether or not Bella actually stabs herself during the battle scene.We also announce some extra Breaking News in this episode: We've decided not to read Breaking Dawn chapter by chapter. Honestly we can't keep subjecting ourselves to these books. Instead, we're going to do one episode covering all of Breaking Dawn, and then launch a new romance novel related mini-series in June. (More on that to come!) Until then, we'll be watching Eclipse and both Breaking Dawn movies with our patrons on Patreon and discussing all our feels in some bonus episodes. It's a bittersweet announcement, we know, but we hope you'll stay with us as we move onto new and exciting romance projects! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 22 of Eclipse and they have a lot of ideas about how to stay warm without inviting Jacob into your sleeping bag.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: Because of the content of this chapter we spend a lot of time talking about sexual assault and emotional abuse. Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 21 of Eclipse and they don't know how anyone could be #TeamJacob.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 20 of Eclipse and do their best Richard Dawson impersonation in our Twilight version of Family Feud.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter nineteen of Eclipse and are continuing to explore the rich thematic questions that thread through these books: whether Bella is a cat vs. dog person, if Charlie is capable of any kind of parenting, and why nobody has acknowledged that Jasper being a confederate solider is super problematic. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were hoping to release a regular episode today, but unfortunately we ran into some technical difficulties! It was probably Werewolf Jacob using our wires as a chew toy again.While you wait for next week's episode, please enjoy this blooper reel from our Chapter 18 episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're taking one more week off before we're back to Eclipse. While you wait, here's a peak at what we've been up to over on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter eighteen of Eclipse and they're ready to hit the runway and Make It Work. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter seventeen of Eclipse and they're dreaming up business ideas for Alice's party planning company. First step: a suite of business tools where the Cullens can keep track of their revenue, as well as their blood grudges against other vampires. Technology can really do it all these days.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter sixteen of Eclipse and they've been chosen as the Forks High graduation speakers.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: We discuss sexual assault when summarizing the events of this chapter. You can fast forward about 5 minutes to skip.Vanessa and Julia have read chapter thirteen of Eclipse, but they honestly can’t bear to talk about it. So Julia has used her one and only Uno Skip Card to save us from having to re-live Bella’s sexual assault. Instead, we turn our dial to see what’s happening at Forks High School. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s prom season! What hijinks do our favorite high schoolers get up to at prom? Eclipse doesn’t tell us. But fortunately Vanessa and Julia are here to fill in the details.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter fourteen of Eclipse and it turns out that Tom Hanks is a main character in these books.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter thirteen of Eclipse and Vanessa gives advice from her stint as a robber in the 1980s.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter twelve of Eclipse and they've finally figured out that Bella is a time traveller. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter eleven of Eclipse and they're uncomfortable with the amount of hot dogs in this chapter.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter ten of Eclipse and they are joined by special guest Hannah McGregor of the podcast Witch, Please. Hannah has a lot of the same questions we've had in the past: Why doesn't Bella have a cell phone? Why don't werewolves wear something more convenient to their lifestyle? And why aren't Charlie and Carlisle banging?---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter nine of Eclipse and are revisiting these books scariest monsters: Capitalism and The Patriarchy. Don't look now, they're under your bed! They're right behind you!---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter eight of Eclipse and they're doing all they can to not be sucked into the logic of these books. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter seven of Eclipse and they will always and forever be #TeamRosalie.... but Team Rosalie and who?---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter six of Eclipse and are joined by reporter Rachelle Hampton to discuss Bella's latest kidnapping.Don't miss it: Rachelle did some top-notch analysis earlier this month about Midnight Sun.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter five of Eclipse and they are obsessed with Sam Uley's love life. Can someone say drama? ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter four of Eclipse and it's an episode full of harsh truths and crushed dreams for the characters this week. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter three of Eclipse and they're ready to pitch a CW adaptation of Twilight staring Chad Michael Murray. Because we're switching our release schedule to once a week (on Wednesdays!) we're trying to make our episodes longer. To that end, we have a new rotating segment called Reality TV. In today's episode, we try out our 'Shark Tank' edition for the first time, in which Vanessa and Julia both propose a new product that could be useful to the people of Forks.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read the second chapter of Eclipse and they've final solved the mystery of why so many socks go missing in the laundry: Edward is eating them.Because we're switching our release schedule to once a week (on Wednesdays!) we're trying to make our episodes longer. To that end, we have a new rotating segment called Reality TV. In today's episode, we try out our 'Survivor' edition for the first time, in which Vanessa and Julia both vote a character off the Twilight Island.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read the first chapter of Eclipse and are very interested to learn that Bella's favorite book is Wuthering Heights. They dive into the book-within-a-book relationship with some essential questions: Is Eclipse going to draw its themes from Wuthering Heights? Will Bella gets to become a ghost instead of a vampire? And, most importantly, why does Bella like the wrong Bronte book?Because we're switching our release schedule to once a week (on Wednesdays!) we're trying to make our episodes longer. To that end, we have a new rotating segment called Reality TV. In today's episode, we try out our 'Bachelor' edition for the first time, in which Vanessa and Julia both come up with dates for the characters in Eclipse.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read the Epilogue of New Moon and they're starting a petition to bring RBG to Forks, Washington.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 24 and they're rooting for Bella to say yes to the dress. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book three! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 23 and they think that some bunk beds and a Daniel Craig shaped pillow would solve a lot of Bella’s problems.---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book two! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 22 of New Moon and they want to celebrate Edward for his self-control in several categories. Blood-thirst for Bella? Completely under control. Public displays of affection? Generous, yet tasteful. We can honestly say for once: Good job Edward. ---If $2/month doesn’t feel like a vampire sucking your blood, we’d love it if you could support us on Patreon. Your support will help us help Bella through book two! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.