Author Archives: Kait

The Worst Bestsellers LIVE!

In case you missed our many posts on social media, we’re going to be returning to Trident Booksellers and Cafe in Boston to record another LIVE episode of The Worst Bestsellers! We’ll be reading Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice, joined by Meredith Goldstein, whom you may know from Boston Globe‘s “Love Letters” column/podcast, her two books, Chemistry Lessons and Can’t Help Myself, or her appearance discussing the Horny Fairies Books here on our show. We’ll be discussing the book, playing games, giving away some prizes, and deciding how Wolverine and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can improve the story.

The show is one week from today, Thursday, April 18th at 7pm. Trident is located at 338 Newbury St in Boston, easily accessible from the Hynes Convention Center T stop (as much as anything is easily accessible from the T, am I right??). There’s also metered street parking and a smattering of garages in the area if you’d rather attempt Boston traffic.

The event is unticketed and FREE, and there will be full food/drink service during, so make an evening of it and grab dinner or a drink while you’re there! You can RSVP to the Facebook event here (though it’s not required) or check out some more details on Trident’s website. Hope to see you there!

Filed under Extras

Episode 112 – Queer Thoughts on Having It All

Having it All by Helen Gurley Brown

How do you get and keep a man? Hell if Kait knows, even after reading Having It All by Helen Gurley Brown. Once again, Kait has gathered some queer friends to see if Helen Gurley Brown’s worldview falls apart if you are not a heterosexual, cisgender woman. (Spoiler alert: It does!) Join Kait, Wren (of Ready to Roll), and Laura as they explore whether bisexual people exist (Spoiler alert: They do!), what the best “thanks for the sex!” gift is (brass lion all the way), and how much to tip on dates (less than the price of whatever outmoded status symbol you gift to your date at the start).

Original Episode

Readers Advisory

Coming up next: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

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Bygone Badass Broads Giveaway!

If you were not aware, the greater Boston area is lucky enough to be home to a whole gaggle of awesome independent bookstores. While we try not to play favorites, it’s hard to deny that Trident Booksellers and Cafe on Newbury Street in Boston holds a special place in our hearts–it was the location of our first live show, after all!

Renata, Margaret Willison, and Kait at our Trident live show last March

Last week, a small fire broke out at Trident on Wednesday night. While, luckily, no one was hurt, the store and its inventory suffered a lot of property and water damage. They’re closed until further notice.

Yikes 🙁 (courtesy of the Trident newsletter)

It’s no secret that independent bookstores like Trident are an endangered species in the Amazon Prime economy, so being out of commission like this could be disastrous. Luckily, they’re still taking online orders and selling giftcards (which can be used online!) while their brick and mortar store is temporarily closed. SO, as an incentive for you to spend some $$$ there, we’re holding a giveaway!

Friend of the show Mackenzi Lee (as heard on Episode 86 – The Amorous Intrigues and Adventures of Aaron Burr), who works at Trident, is hitting the road to promote her new book, Bygone Badass Broadsand she’s taking some great swag with her, like enamel pins showcasing some of the awesome ladies of the past. We’ve gotten our hands on one of them and we’re raffling it off in support of Trident!

Irena Sendler, a Polish nurse in WWII who used her position to help save thousands of children from the Warsaw Ghetto (photo by Mackenzi Lee)

All you have to do is buy something from Trident’s online store, including giftcards, and forward us a proof of purchase to worstbestsellers(at)gmail.com. Everyone who does will be entered into a drawing (powered by RandomPicker.com) for this awesome pin AND even if you don’t get chosen for the pin, we’ll send you a Worst Bestsellers-themed postcard! It doesn’t have to be a specific price or item, BUT if you would like to double dip, Mackenzi is also offering an incentive for shopping at Trident right now–if you buy a giftcard for $18 to pre-order The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, she’ll send you an exclusive short story from the world of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue! (Instructions here.)

In short:

  1. Order a book or a giftcard from Trident Books.
  2. Send us proof of your order by Sunday, March 25, including your mailing address. (International addresses are fine!)
  3. We will send you a cool Worst Bestsellers postcard and you’ll be entered to win the Irena Sendler pin!

If you’re one of our Patreon patrons (at any level), be sure to let us know in your email, and we’ll give you double raffle entries!

We’ll announce the winner here on the website on Monday, March 26 when we put up that Monday’s podcast episode.

Not sure what to buy? Here are some of Kait and Renata’s favorite books they read in 2017 (as discussed here and here) for some inspiration:

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Filed under Extras

Episode 90.5 – A Queer Chat About Martians and Venusians

If all Venusians communicate so easily, why is Kait so garbage at asking girls out? That’s just one of the questions John Gray’s Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus tire fire left unanswered from a queer perspective, so Kait rounded up a few of her queer friends to talk about why this book is extra garbage if you don’t conform to the cisgender, heterosexual societal norm. Join Kait, Wren, and Red as they have a collective rage aneurysm and make a lot of dumb queer jokes about the Mars/Venus designation. Will Wren and Red actually remain friends with Kait after she made them read this nonsense book? Listen to this bonus episode to find out!

Original Episode

Readers advisory

Filed under Podcasts

Looking for a Rock, Paper, Snikt! logo artist!

Hello, best listeners!

As you may be aware, one of our Patreon goals is to have someone create a logo for “The Rock, Paper, Snikt!” that we could potentially offer on merchandise, etc. As we’ve recently hit that milestone, we’re starting to put out feelers to find an artist to commission for that logo. The graphic designer we’re working with for some other logo work suggested reaching out to the fan artist community to see if anyone would be interested in working with us on this, as a fan artist might make for a more dynamic logo given the subject matter.

That’s where you come in! If you would be interested in potentially taking on this paying gig, please send a link to your portfolio to worstbestsellers@gmail.com with the subject link “Rock, Paper, Snikt!” We’ll take a look at people’s portfolios in the next week or so and get back to you soon. We’re pretty flexible–we don’t have a solid idea for this logo in mind and we’re definitely interested to hear what you think.

As always, thanks for listening, and feel free to pass this on to your friends!

Filed under Extras

No New Episode Again!

Happy New Year, Best Listeners!

Sorry to report that we have to push our Best of 2016 episode back a little further, still! Renata is still sick, and with all of the holiday travel and work, we’re still a little behind. We hope to have the next episode up VERY SOON, and we apologize for the continued delay. We’ve worked really hard the past 2+ years to try and deliver our episodes on time, but, unfortunately, life happens! In 2017, we’re going to try and work on creating a backlog so this doesn’t happen again.

In the meantime, send your best health wishes to Renata (hint: cute cats delivered via Twitter are the best medicine, followed by compliments to Duarte) and revisit some of our most popular episodes!

Episode 01: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Episode 58: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Episode 19: Modelland by Tyra Banks

Episode 31: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Episode 12: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Episode 21: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Episode 60: Dark World by Zak Bagans

Episode 17: Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews

Episode 46: Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly

Episode 15: Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

Filed under Extras

Episode 55 – Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys

Nancy Drew and the Ghost of Craven Cove The Hardy Boys and the Secret of Sigma Seven 
 

Kait, Becca, and their guests Anna of Bellwether Friends and Holly of TopatoCo continue Flashback Summer by trying to solve the mystery of the missing entertainment after slogging through Nancy Drew and the Ghost of Craven Cove and The Hardy Boys and the Secret of Sigma Seven. Will they discover why they read so many of these books as kids? Will they uncover the secret to why these series are so long-lasting? Will they deduce the three basic personality types of all teenagers in series mystery books? (Spoiler alert: no, no, yes.)

Readers advisory: Here.

Special note: Please take a short survey about our potential Patreon account!

Footnotes: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys YouTube Playlist

Nancy Drew TV Show Not Happening Because It’s ‘Too Female’

Hardy Boys Online

A Nancy Drew Ghostwriter on the Art of Being “Carolyn Keene” and the Evolution of Nancy Drew in a More Feminist Age

15 Mysterious Facts About the Hardy Boys

Nancy Drew in Starlight

The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and the Secret Ghostwriters of Children’s Fiction

Nancy Drew by Kate Beaton: 1 2 3 4 5

The Original Ghostwriter Behind Nancy Drew Was One of The Most Interesting YA Writers of All Time

 Candy pairing:  Kait says old-timey penny candy, Becca says Three Musketeers, Anna says Twix and Bit O’ Honey, Holly says candy buttons.

Coming up next: Angels to Watch Over Me by Lurlene McDaniel.

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Filed under Podcasts

Readers Advisory: Episode 55 – Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading

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Episode 54 – R.L. Stine

Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower by RL Stine Fear Street: The Face by RL Stine 
With Renata still in her Sadness Cave, Kait, Becca, and their guest Sarah took advantage of her absence to talk about Goosebumps and Fear Street. Join us on a trip back to Scholastic Book Fairs past, which is much more fun than taking a trip back to a torture chamber in vaguely medieval times. Just be careful not to DIE!!!!

Chapter Two: …of boredom, because it turns out not much happens in these books, despite the cliffhanger shoved in every five pages.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Goosebumps television theme song

Monster Edition: Goosebumps fanzine

Welcome to the Dead House by Rebecca Mock

Review of the Goosebumps movie

Goosebumps the movie is streaming on Netflix

RL Stine AMAs – 2013, 2016

A Definitive Ranking of Ever Goosebumps Cover by Creepiness

Are You Afraid of the Dark? Season One on Amazon | Later seasons on YouTube

Ross Hull (Gary on Are You Afraid of the Dark?) is a weatherman now

 Candy pairing:  Kait says Creepy Crawlers Edibles, Becca says Caramel Apple Pops, Sarah says Warheads.

Coming up next: Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys.

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Filed under Podcasts

Readers Advisory: Episode 54 – R.L. Stine

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Goosebumps and Fear Street by R.L. Stine. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading

Filed under Readers Advisory