The Worst Bestsellers

Y’all horny for some dragons? We forged a soul bond with comedian, writer, and Scary Mommy Sarah Aswell by reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros together. Listen to this episode while pondering ways to legally murder your classmates! Content warning: Here there be dragons. Also, dead parents. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “How Rebecca Yarros Packed Dragons, Magic and Steamy Sex Into a Blockbuster Fantasy” by Alexandra Alter “Q&A: Rebecca Yarros on Chronic Illness Representation in Fourth Wing” by Riyana Straetker NPR Weekend Edition: “Veronica Roth’s ‘Carve The Mark’ Is A Fantasy Inspired By Chronic Pain” Coming up next: Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon.

  The devil made us read This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. Fortunately, we were #blessed to be joined by Izzy Wasserstein, author of These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart, who helped safely guide us through this Christian thriller. Listen to this episode while waiting for a cool angel to pick you up on her motorcycle. Content warning: False accusations of sexual assault, Christian fundamentalism, murder/suicide/demon attack. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “This Present Darkness” on Wikipedia “The long history and slow death of a word once used to describe everyone and everything from Egypt to China as well as rugs” by Yanan Wang “15 times The X-Files’ Dana Scully was the best character on TV” by Sarah Crocker Coming up next: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

Ice, ice, baby! Annie Cardi, author of Red, returned to the podcast to discuss the sexy skater Booktok sensation Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. Join us as we skate back to college and dirty talk our way into the Olympics! Content warning: Disordered eating, gaslighting, emotional abuse. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Who Is Hannah Grace? And Why Won’t She Show Her Face?” by Elisabeth Egan Coming up next: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti.

  Nora Roberts Month continues! Heidi and Emily from Romancing the Shelf podcast returned and took us back to the 90s with the vintage romantic thriller Sanctuary. Sadly, this book has zero plates of casual pasta but it does have at least 3.5 romantic couples and almost as many murders. Listen to this episode on one of your three computers! Content warning: Murder, sexual assault, questionable mental health care. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Romancing the Shelf – Sanctuary “Nora Roberts: The woman who rewrote the rules of romantic fiction” by Carole Cadwalladr Coming up next: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace.

Our Lady Nora Roberts has written a book about a handsome criminal who admires good architecture and casual pasta? We’re so back. Our friend and Nora Roberts expert Christine has returned to discuss Nightwork with us. Listen to this episode while working on your night cheese! Content warning: Cancer, death of a parent. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “A Visual Guide to 35 Popular Pasta Shapes — Plus the Best Sauce to Serve with Each” by Rochelle Bilow Coming up next: Sanctuary by Nora Roberts.

Once again, we’ve managed to sneak in a few good books this year! Here are our favorite books we read in 2023 (regardless of publication year. Long live backlist titles!) Footnotes: Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2023 (featuring Renata’s picks for middle grade and YA!) Coming up next: A January hiatus. Happy New Year! We’ll see you in February!   Kait’s Top 5 Best 5.) Under the Eye of Power by Colin Dickey 4.) Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle 3.) The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall 2.) Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie 1.) A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher Bonus star: A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll Bonus star: For Never and Always by Helena Greer   Renata’s Top 5 Best 5.) Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurriqib 4.) Siren Queen by Nghi Vo 3.) America the Beautiful? One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Traveled by Blythe Roberson 2.) Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer 1.) To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose Bonus Star: Murderbot series by Martha Wells Bonus Star: Elf Dog and Owl Head by M. T. Anderson  

We finished our adventures with the Time Traveler’s Wife but decided to linger in the 2000s for awhile longer. Friend of the Show (and the Internet’s Best Friend) Margaret H. Willison joined us to discuss Britney Spears’s memoir The Woman In Me. Listen to this episode instead of listening to the music of Justin Timberlake! Content warning: This book contains abuse, abortion, disordered eating, and all the other stuff you’d assume. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Miss American Dream” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. “Craig Ferguson’s Monologue Defending Britney Spears From 2007 Resurfaces Amid #FreeBritney Movement” by Alexandra Del Rosario “Mariah Carey Calls Mention in Britney Spears’ ‘The Woman in Me’ ‘Super Sweet’: ‘I Love Her'” by Ilana Kaplan “Michelle Williams impersonates Justin Timberlake while narrating hilarious part of Britney Spears’ memoir” by Shania Russell Mystery Show Case #2: Britney “Britney Spears’s Conservatorship Is a Disability Rights Issue That Deserves More Attention” by Haley Moss Coming up next: Bests of 2023.

We held our annual Patreon Choice poll and our Beloved Patrons chose to send us back in time to 2003 with The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Since the book is prominently set in Chicago, we were #blessed to be joined by prominent Chicagoan Ashley to unpack the Jeremy Bearimy of it all. Please do not listen to this episode while having sex with your future wife for the first time. Content warning: Sketchy time travel age/consent issues, death of a partner, miscarriages. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Popular Titles are Vanishing from HBO Max After Merger” by Eric Deggans. Audrey Niffenegger’s Chicago The Time Traveler’s Wife: Reception Audrey Niffenegger Tweet about The Other Husband Legends of Tomorrow – Swan Thong Coming up next: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears.

  A cautionary tale: too many people complained about this book online so we were dumped into an arena and forced to publicly defend it to the death. Mackenzi Lee, author of many Best Bestselling books including The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and The Winter Soldier: Cold Front, has returned to the podcast to get to talk about a book we all actually enjoyed: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. The Capitol has mandated that all citizens listen to this episode, so please comply with their decree. Content warning: Hunger Games. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Hunger Games prequel: untangling the controversy over The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes” by Kayleigh Dray “Reminder That ‘Hunger Games’ Co-Stars Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera Are Dating IRL and V Cute” by Mehera Bonner Coming up next: The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

Spooky season is here, so we were joined by Lily Sparks, author of the Teen Killers Club trilogy (including the latest book, Teen Killers at Large) and the upcoming The Merciless King of Moore High. We got witchy with the Owens women in Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. This episode will bring all the cats to the schoolyard! Announcement: Join us in our Discord server on Monday, October 30th at 8:30pm Eastern Time for a live watch of the Practical Magic movie! (It’s currently streaming on Hulu.) Content warning: Light mention of death of parents, domestic violence, and death of a boyfriend. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks. Episode 122 – A Discovery Of Witches Coming up next: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.

We just wrapped up Banned Books Week in the USA, a time to celebrate our freedom to read and also to speak up about book challenges! We were joined by Jen and Dan, the hosts of the Banned Camp podcast, where they read banned books to investigate why they were banned. They previously read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which is frequently banned and challenged. So together we read the controversial Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee, and you know what…maybe we’re challenging it. No, like, we’re not going to call for it to be removed from libraries or anything, just like…are you sure you want to read it? Listen to this episode on your next train ride to Maycomb. Content warning: Discussion of racism (though we 100% guarantee we do not say the n-word aloud on the podcast, although it is in the text of the book itself), sexual assault, and death of a sibling. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Unite Against Book Bans “How to Fight Book Bans and Challenges” by Kelly Jensen “Banned Spotlight: To Kill a Mockingbird” by Betsy Gomez “See where ‘Go Set a Watchman’ overlaps with ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ word-for-word” by Keith Collins and Nikhil Sonnad Harper Lee: The controversy that still surrounds author’s ‘lost novel’ Go Set a Watchman by Andrew Buncombe Coming up next: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

It’s our 9th podiversary! We’ve run out of Stephenie Meyer books so we decided to have our OG guest Carrie return to check out a series whose marketing team would certainly love for us to think it was written by SMeyer: Crave by Tracy Wolff. Thanks to everyone for joining us for these past 9 years, and let’s all work on manifesting a new Twilight book for next year! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: 360+ Teen Slang, Emojis, & Hashtags Parents Need to Know Coming up next: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.

We’re topping off this year’s Flashback Summer with a pair of red–some would say auburn–braids. We were joined by Hannah and Marcelle, the cohosts of Witch, Please and Material Girls, to discuss Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Pour yourselves a cup of raspberry cordial and listen to this podcast on your train journey from the orphanage! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Anne of Green Gables Raspberry Cordial recipe by Tori Avey The Real Reason ‘Anne With an E’ Was Canceled by Netflix Is Heartbreaking by Katie Bourque Coming up next: Crave by Tracy Wolff.

For Flashback Summer we decided to get away from it all with a visit to an exclusive desert spa. Unfortunately, the spa was plagued with black widow spiders, blackmailers, and other concerns. Fortunately, Kristin, the host of the Kristin Sleuth YouTube channel, was able to talk us through Nancy Drew #111: The Secret at Solaire by Carolyn Keene. This episode is not sponsored by Solaire moisturizer. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Episode 55 – Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Kristin Sleuth on YouTube Crime Pays, Botany Doesn’t on YouTube It’s a Clue podcast The Dream podcast Sweet Valley High Diaries – 35’s Extended B-Story: Tofu-Glo Coming up next: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery.

  Breaking Flashback Summer News: in the title of the book Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison, “Angus” refers to the cat! Renata was almost as excited about this fact as she was about convincing JJ, aka S. Jae-Jones, author of Guardians of Dawn: Zhara to return as a guest for this episode! Listen to this episode while shaving your eyebrows (or while you are homebound, waiting for your eyebrows to regrow). Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Time 100 Best YA Books Of All Time: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging Coming up next: Nancy Drew and the Secret at Solaire by Carolyn Keene.

For this Flashback Summer episode, the Bellwether Friends Anna & Alene joined Renata to discuss Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry. Sadly, Kait had to miss this one because she was busy shopping for her new poetry outfit, which would make Anastasia green with envy. Listen to this episode while you update the list of “loves” and “hates” in your notebook! Kait’s Poetry Outfit: Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Four Questions with Lois Lowry, Newbery Award-Winning Children’s Author” by Molly Parr “Why Anastasia Krupnik Was Ahead of Her Time” by Grace Lapointe Bellwether Friends #65 – Fastest and Furiousest Coming up next: Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.

  Were you looking for sound medical advice to treat snakebites and rabies? Well, we do not recommend consulting Trixie Belden #1: The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell for first aid training. However, we had a great time talking to returning guest Carrie about this Flashback Summer mystery novel. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: The Trixie Belden Series WikiHow: How to Treat a Snake Bite WikiHow: How to Spot Rabies in a Dog Coming up next: Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry.

  Help! We’re trapped in the bodies of millennial podcasters! Andrew and Craig from the Overdue podcast joined us to discuss the classic switcheroo tale Help! I’m Trapped In My Teacher’s Body by Todd Strasser. Listen to this episode while your coworker makes you breakfast! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: A Taste of Spongey: Help! I’m Trapped in the First Day of School Overdue #590 – Super Mario Bros movie adaptation Coming up next: The Secret of the Mansion (Trixie Belden #1) by Julie Campbell.

  It’s–hey, calm down, no, put down your pitchforks, we’re not calling Judy Blume a “worst” bestseller! Absolutely not, just, please, let me finish this intro–it’s Flashback Summer! The time when we chill out and revisit childhood favorites, even when they are iconic classics that absolutely do not match the name of our podcast. We were joined by writer and comedian Sarah Aswell (@seaswell), also known as the Scary Mommy behind Scary Mommy Book Club, to discuss Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by the one and only Judy Blume. Listen to this episode while increasing your bust! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Judy Blume Shares How It Felt To Finally Watch ‘Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret’” by Sarah Aswell “God to Margaret: Always with wings!” by Rebecca Traister “Judy Blume Blasted An Article Linking Her To J.K. Rowling’s Anti-Trans Views As ‘Bullshit'” by David Mack Judy Blume embraces renewed interest in her work from her Florida book store Coming up next: Help! I’m Trapped in my Teacher’s Body by Todd Strasser.

Hey, we’ll be honest: we kind of phoned this one in. On a landline. You screened it? On your answering machine? Haha, a topical reference. See, we read Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and The Musical Rent by Anthony Rapp. He was in Rent! Listen to this episode while waiting in line for rush tickets for Rent. Or, honestly, don’t listen to this episode if you don’t care about Rent the musical. You’ve been warned! Content warning: Sexual assault, death of a parent. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: This American Life: Hoaxing Yourself ‘Without You’ Review: Anthony Rapp’s Seasons of Love, and Loss by Elisabeth Vincentelli “Actor Anthony Rapp: Kevin Spacey Made A Sexual Advance Toward Me When I Was 14” by Adam Vary Rentheads FAQ Josh’s Website   Coming up next: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.  

Pamela Anderson: model, actress, activist…poet. Dame Karen Corday (of Two Bossy Dames and elsewhere on the internet!) joined us to read Love, Pamela, which…we kinda loved. Join us as we revisit the 90s with increased feminist rage! Content warning: Child abuse/child sexual abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “What to Read, Watch, and Listen to After the Pam & Tommy Finale” by Sophie Brookover and Karen Corday Pamela Anderson Blue Zone Girl ad Pamela Anderson’s Playboy Covers Through the Years Coming up next: Without You by Anthony Rapp.

  As Americans, it’s our right to not pay attention to the British royal family. However, we’re waiving that right in order to read Spare by Prince Harry. We were thrilled to be joined by Dame Sophie of Two Bossy Dames–even more thrilled than Harry was to meet Will Arnett at a party at Courtney Cox’s house. Listen to this episode on your way to throw more tea into Boston Harbor. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Prince Harry Holds Spike the Echidna The Victorian Society in America “Royal Bodies” by Hilary Mantel BrainyQuote.com Jimenez’s “Wolverine” Savages the Poaching Trade Coming up next: Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson.

Divorced, beheaded, subjected to an extremely long and boring work of historical fiction. Ann Foster from Vulgar History joined us to discuss The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. We were glad for Ann’s expertise, because now we now that it’s historically inaccurate in addition to being super boring. Listen to this episode on your way to your next gay witchcraft circle! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Brimping. Gable hoods. Coming up next: Spare by Prince Harry.

Did you read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus and think, “This could really use more victim blaming?” If so: have we got a book for you! Kristen and Jolenta from How To Be Fine (and By the Book) joined us to discuss Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever: The Making of a Happy Woman by Judge Judy Sheindlin. Listen to this episode on your way to pick up your husband’s dry cleaning! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: By The Book: Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever Judge Judy To Megyn Kelly: ‘I’m Not A Feminist’ Coming up next: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.

We got tired of waiting for Stephenie Meyer’s latest book, so we checked out a book that some book bloggers are saying Stephenie Meyer wrote. Corinne is written by Rebecca Morrow, whose author bio simply states, “Rebecca Morrow is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling author.” We had our friend Margaret H. Willison (of Two Bossy Dames, among other projects) join us to investigate Morrow’s identity: is she Stephenie Meyer? Or perhaps an even more dazzling author? Listen to this episode to find out! Content warning: Religious trauma. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Reddit post: “Pretty sure Stephanie Meyer is wrote a new novel that’s slightly anti-religious under another name to avoid getting in trouble with the Mormon church.” “Who Really Wrote Corinne by Rebecca Morrow?” “Elin Hilderbrand to retire from writing beach reads in 2024” Village Inn Cream Cheese Mints Coming up next: Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever by Judge Judith Sheindlin.

Dear Ellen, our friend Vanessa from the podcast Hot and Bothered flew in from Plethora, Maine to discuss Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us. Millions of BookTokkers can’t be wrong…can they? Listen to this episode in Boston, where everything is better. Content warning: Domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, death of a child. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Bestselling writer Colleen Hoover apologizes for planned coloring book based on domestic violence novel” by Issy Ronald. Hot and Bothered: It Ends With Us Coming up next: Corinne by Rebecca Morrow.

Although we had to check out of the real life Inn BoonsBoro, we were able to return there through the power of fiction. We read the second book in the Inn BoonsBoro trilogy, The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts, with our returning guest and Nora Roberts expert Christine. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Inn BoonsBoro Coming up next: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.

  Thanks to our wonderful Patreon Patrons, we recently traveled to Nora Roberts’ bed and breakfast in Maryland, Inn BoonsBoro, along with our Resident Nora Roberts Expert, Christine, and Resident Robe Expert, Nicole! Please enjoy this bonus episode where the four of us talk about our luxurious weekend stay, debate the content of a dolphin massage, and fail to accurately describe the size of a pretzel. Footnotes: Romancing The Shelf: Our Trip to BoonsBoro! Inn BoonsBoro Gifts Inn BoonsBoro Ghost-scented lotion! Bespoke tea blends! Dan’s Restaurant and Taproom Renata’s Instagram Post Big Pretzel: Coming up next: The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts.

It’s our first episode of the year and we’re already longing to get away from it all. So we were joined by Heidi and Emily of the Romancing the Shelf podcast to discuss the book The Next Always by Nora Roberts. But also more importantly, we discussed Inn BoonsBoro, the B&B where this book is set, but also the B&B that Nora Roberts owns in real life! Heidi and Emily gave Kait and Renata travel tips for their upcoming stay in BoonsBoro. Listen to this episode on your way to pick up your next pizza. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Romancing The Shelf: Our Trip to BoonsBoro! Inn BoonsBoro Coming up next: The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts.

Another year has come and gone, and yet we’re still here, talking about books! For a treat, here are some good ones. Footnotes: Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2022 (featuring Renata’s picks for middle grade and YA!) Coming up next: A January hiatus. Happy New Year! We’ll see you in February! Kait’s Top 5 Best 5. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert 4. Experimental Film by Gemma Files (4a. each thing i show you is a piece of my death by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer) 3. Small Angels by Lauren Owen 2. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher 1. These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall Bonus fave: Season of Love by Helena Greer   Renata’s Top 5 Best 5. Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, & Jessica Spotswood 4. Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson 3. Ducks by Kate Beaton 2. Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore 1. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin   Renata’s Top 2 Worst Books To Be Banned/Challenged 2. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez 1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Democracy works: our Patreon patrons voted for us to read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, so we did. And we, along with our returning guest Meredith Goldstein, of the Boston Globe’s Love Letters, actually kinda…loved it? Sorry haters, we’ve been Gilbertpilled. Listen to this episode while eating incredible homemade pasta, or just some frozen pizza if you’re currently in the USA. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “The ‘Eat Pray Love’ Problem: How Movie Liz Ruined The Story Of Book Liz” by Linda Holmes “In which I don’t review ‘Eat Pray Love'” by Crunk Feminist Collective The new colonialism of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Sandip Roy “Elizabeth Gilbert Is Owning Her Past Mistakes” by Lizzy O’Leary “‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Author Elizabeth Gilbert Announces She’s Dating Another Woman” by Claire Landsbaum Coming up next: Bests & Worsts of 2022.

Duarte’s been asking us for more feline representation, so we were joined by Phillip Mottaz, author of the Psychic Barber Mystery series, to read the first Mrs. Murphy mystery, Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. It’s a small town cozy mystery solved by a postmistress and her pets. Unfortunately, the pets have weirdly regressive attitudes. Turn the volume up on this episode to make sure you can hear it over all the almonds being blended! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Rita Mae Brown’s Wikipedia page Coming up next: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

  We reunited with Sydney and Delaney from Book Cult to discuss the cult-adjacent teachings of Sylvia Browne, as presented in her book Blessings From The Other Side: Wisdom and Comfort From the Afterlife For This Life. Play this one extra loud to make sure that it’s audible to the spirits hovering three feet above you! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Book Cult Episode 43: Blessings From The Other Side Book Cult Episode 75: Worst Bestsellers (that’s us!) John Oliver is sensing a ‘p’ for ‘predatory bullshit’ as Last Week Tonight debunks TV psychic by Dennis Perkins 44 Life Themes Everyone Chooses Before Incarnation: Which One Did You Choose? Sylvia Browne on Wikipedia Coming up next: Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown.

With Saturation Day (and spooky season!) upon us, Kait retreated to her queers-only bunker with returning guests Wren and Laura to discuss Chuck Tingle’s horror novella Straight. Listen to see what happens when three type-A planners read a book about the type of people who don’t google the menu before going to a new restaurant. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Nightfire Proves Love is Real With Chuck Tingle’s Horror Novel, Camp Damascus Coming up next: Blessings from the Other Side by Sylvia Browne.

We got tired of reading reality TV memoirs, so instead we read a thinly-veiled reality television novel, L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad. Some of us (Renata) enjoyed it more than others of us (Kait), but we were both thrilled to talk to Helena Greer (@BlumAgainCurios), the author of Season of Love and the upcoming For Never And Always. Readers advisory: Here. Candy pairing: Helena says Sour Patch Kids, Kait says a big novelty lollipop, Renata says cotton candy. Footnotes: Fug Girls Book Club: Lauren Conrad’s L.A. Candy “Lauren Conrad Is The World’s Most Successful Reality-TV Defector” by Misty White Sidell Coming up next: Straight by Chuck Tingle.

It’s our 8th anniversary, and Stephenie Meyer has rudely not written anything new for us to read, so instead we decided to take a page from Diana Gabaldon and time travel through our past. We recorded this supersized Origin Stories episode where we answer listener questions, talk about the history of our friendship and our podcast, and only cry a little bit! Thanks for listening to us for 8! years! Footnotes: Check out our newly revamped and relaunched merch store on TeePublic! Flash sale until 9/28/22! The Secret: We don’t understand electricity, but we use it Matthew McConaughey’s Peace Corps ad Coming up next: L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad.

  We were so thrilled to be joined by Bobby Finger, cohost of the Who? Weekly podcast and author of the upcoming book The Old Place! We read How To Be A Boss Bitch by Christine Quinn, the star of Netflix’s Selling Sunset and confirmed Diva Boss Bitch. This book gave Bobby a chance to share his considerable reality television expertise with us, while we summoned all the knowledge of past self-help books to get through this bitchy, yet derivative read. Listen to this episode while lounging on the yacht that you manifested! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Pre-order The Old Place! “Christine Quinn, the Breakout Star of Selling Sunset, on Success, Sudden Fame, and Why She Now Wants Her Own Show” by Hattie Collins “Selling Sunset: The 10 Best Christine Quinn Moments” by Aya Tsintiras “Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn Has a Tiger at Her L.A. Home for Security: ‘He Is So Friendly'” by Nicholas Rice Southlake podcast The Secret Check From the Universe Coming up next: Our 8th Anniversary Special!  

We are once again returning to the rosy world of The Bachelor with our special guest Rebecca Kim Wells (@RebeccaWriting), Bachelor fan and the author of Shatter The Sky, Storm The Earth, and Briar Girls. This time we had the good sense to read Miss Me With That by Rachel Lindsay, a woman who found love on reality television and then was smart enough to walk away from the franchise. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Episode 159 – The First Time “Rachel Lindsay and Raven Gates: A Timeline of the ‘Bachelor’ Alums’ Friendship and Falling Out” by Erin Crabtree “Alexis Is Dolphinitely A Shark On ‘The Bachelor'” by Martha Sorren ‘The Bachelorette’: “Whaboom” Guy Admits He Went on the Show for Fame” by Christina Schoellkopf Coming up next: How To Be a Boss Bitch by Christine Quinn.

  Our sweet Flashback Summer is finally over and we’ve reluctantly returned to the world of modern publishing. Dee Ernst, author of Lucy Checks In, joined us to discuss the certified #BookTok sensation, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. We’ll unpack this Star Wars fanfiction turned fake dating romance novel, google Adam Driver’s height, and lament the lack of porgs. Listen to this episode while curing cancer! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Reddit Thread: The Love Hypothesis, Who is Who? Reddit Thread: Looking for a Copy of Head over Feet Meet the Porgs: The Cutest Stars in the Galaxy by Jodi Guglielmi 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Adam Driver by Temi Adebowale Fanfiction 101 Coming up next: Miss Me With That by Rachel Lindsay.  

  It’s our 200th episode! Which means we have read approximately 200 books, and therefore we deserve a break. Walt, the professional DM from First Time at the Table (and husband to past podcast guest Annie Cardi), led a delightful Dungeons & Dragons adventure set in the magical world of Duartensia. Kait played as The Rock, Renata played as Wolverine, and past guest Danielle (of Hello World Tarot) played as Angela Weber. Listen now to find out if these chaotic adventurers can restore good literature to the land! Footnotes: First Time At The Table (use promo code WORSTBEST for 10% off!) Hello World Tarot (use promo code WORSTBEST for 10% off!) Wolverine’s Character Sheet Episode #104 – 4th Anniversary Twilight Spectacular Coming up next: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.  

When we asked Chris Collision (cohost of I Don’t Even Own A Television) for his Flashback Summer choice of childhood favorite book, he surprised us with a title we’d never heard of before. And then Diane Duane surprised us with The Door Into Fire, a delightfully queer fantasy novel that was so great, we couldn’t believe we hadn’t heard of it before! Listen to this episode while riding your hot fire horse through the Waste. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Diane Duane’s Door Into Starlight Status Update The Door Into Fire ebook Coming up next: 200th Episode Dazzling Spectacular!

  Happy Fourth of July! Buy Westing Paper Products! Flashback Summer continues with a book that’s such a stone-cold classic, we strongly advise that you not listen to this episode if you haven’t read The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Our guest, J.W. Friedman from the I Don’t Even Own a Television podcast, joined us to discuss this iconic mystery that won the 1979 Newbery Medal. Listen to this episode in between checking stock prices on your transistor radio. (But, again, only after you’ve read the book! Please!) Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “8 Uses for an Asparagus Steamer” by Lindsay-Jean Hard. Coming up next: The Door Into Fire by Diane Duane.

  The day has arrived: Renata read her very first Goosebump novel. Courtney Summers, Best Bestselling author of books like The Project and the upcoming I’m The Girl, joined us to discuss Night of the Living Dummy by R. L. Stine. Please rate this episode 10/10 Splats in the Apple Podcasts store. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Episode #54 – R. L. Stine Episode #152 – Mallory and the Trouble With Twins Episode #177 – Baby-Sitters Beware Slappy the Dummy on Goosebumps Fan Wiki ‘A small corner of the internet is obsessed with ‘Long Furbies’ and the creations are both disturbing and hilarious” by Julie Gerstein Pangur & Grim Coming up next: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

As the earth makes another journey around the sun (allegedly), we return to Flashback Summer. Writer Annie Cardi (@AnnieCardi) returned to the show to discuss A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle, a formative read for many 90s children who aspired to be psychic marine biologists. Listen on your way to the beach, and make sure to share it with any dolphins who might want to listen in! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “The World” by Henry Vaughn Depresh Mode #61 – Maggie Smith “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith “Try to Praise the Mutilated World” by Adam Zagajewski Mariah Carey Can Speak Dolphin Coming up next: Goosebumps #7: Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine.

  Sure, we at Worst Bestsellers have read several self-help books over the years, but you may be asking: what about the men? Oh, you weren’t asking? Well, Dave Hollis (ex-husband of Rachel) is concerned, and he wrote Get Out Of Your Own Way to help men understand that they have problems too. And we made that Margaret Willison‘s problem, as she returned to discuss this book with us. Turn your volume up to bless up! Our friends at Porter Square Books hosted us for this virtual live show! If you watched it on Crowdcast: thank you so much for joining us! This is just the audio from that event for those of you who prefer not to see our faces. (The video is still archived and you can watch it here if you’d like. You can also watch the archived video of our previous virtual live show at PSB discussing Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis here.) Readers advisory: Here (via Porter Square Books). Footnotes: Ally, Ally, Ally, or Ali Slides Episode 170 – Didn’t See That Coming Episode 144 – Girl, Wash Your Face Appointment Television Coming up next: A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle.

We asked a djinn to bring us a book that could be adapted into a video game, a Netflix series, and a podcast episode, and we got The Witcher: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. We were joined by Arielle to discuss this book that, to our great surprise, was actually pretty good–and best of all, didn’t even have a fantasy map in it. Hire a bard to perform this episode for you in your local tavern! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “What Was Geralt’s Last Wish in The Witcher?” by Sadie Gennis. Coming up next: Get Out Of Your Own Way by Dave Hollis.

Every once in awhile it’s nice to read something that’s so bad it truly reminds us why we do what we do. We were joined by Rachel Andelman (of Union Comedy, Improv Boston, 2MB Studios, and Smiling Women Comix) to discuss The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Listen to this episode on your next long, pointless run! Content warning: It turns out that James Dashner was dropped by his agent and publisher following accusations of sexual harassment in 2018 and we didn’t find that out until we checked his wiki page at the very end of recording, so sorry for not mentioning that earlier in the episode! Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Dylan O’Brien Is Ready to Talk About That Accident” by Kyle Buchanan I Don’t Even Own a Television #119 – The Maze Runner The Maze Runner IMDB Trivia Coming up next: The Witcher: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski.

What’s new, pussycat? We were joined by Meredith Goldstein, the Boston Globe’s Love Letters columnist and podcaster (and author of Things That Grow), to discuss Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas. It’s a book about DC’s horniest character written by one of the horniest YA authors of our time, so why was this book so focused on serious medical conditions? Listen to this episode while you prepare for your next gala. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: “Ranking 10 Batman actors from best to worst” by Meredith Goldstein Coming up next: The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

Announcement: On Thursday, April 14th at 8PM Eastern, we’ll be doing a virtual live show presented by Porter Square Books! Our very special guest Margaret H. Willison will join us to discuss Get Out Of Your Own Way by Dave Hollis (aka the man whose divorce was washed by Rachel Hollis). The event is free and will be recorded and archived if you can’t make it on the 14th. Register here!

The Worst Best Friends have reconvened at the high school carnival! Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the kissing booth is closed, but returning guests Anna and Alene (aka the Bellwether Friends) still joined us to discuss The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles. We discussed Wattpad, why the movie is better than the book, and what our own summer dance prom masquerades were like. If you ask nicely, maybe the barista will play this episode over the sound system at the sit-down Starbucks. Readers advisory: Here. Footnotes: Episode #79 – Dark Archer “The Kissing Booth: How a Newport teen author inspired Netflix” “‘Kissing Booth 2’: Meet Beth Reekles, the young author behind the popular Netflix rom-coms” by Carly Mallenbaum “Netflix Releases Some More Fuzzy Viewing Data: Congrats, ‘The Kissing Booth’!” by Rick Porter One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful Plain White Ts – I Really Want You Coming up next: Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas.