Category Archives: Podcasts

Podcast audio files

by | November 8, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 184 – Yours Cruelly, Elvira

Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson

Hold on, Mariah, it’s still spooky season around here for a few more days. We read Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson and had a scary-good time getting to know the Mistress of the Dark (and her girlfriend)! Listen to this podcast while updating your list of enemies.

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains non-graphic discussions of child abuse, sexual assault, miscarriages, and old-fashioned light misogyny and racism.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: “Meet Teresa Wierson, Elvira’s Girlfriend of 19 Years” by Raffy Ermac

“Elvira: Tom Jones took my virginity, I needed stitches, and he ditched me” on CeleBitchy

Coming up next: The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey.

 

* 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.)

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by | October 25, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 183 – Jay’s Journal

Jay's Journal by Anonymous

After reading Go Ask Alice last year, we were still left with some lingering questions about issues facing teens. Like, drugs are bad, but what about doing occult rituals? Are they okay if you’re only using them to win high school debate tournaments? To find out, we read another book from Beatrice Sparks’ Anonymous Diaries series, Jay’s Journal. Join us for another spine-tingling episode with our beloved former editor Becca!

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains non-graphic discussions of death by suicide, animal abuse, drug use, sexual assault, and a lot of confusing cultural appropriation.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode 163 – Go Ask Alice

“Teen Death Diary” by Ben Dieterle

Alden’s Brother’s Amazon Review of Jay’s Journal

Grady Hendrix on Jay’s Journal

Coming up next: Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson.

 

* 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.)

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by | October 11, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 182 – Michelle Remembers

Michelle Remembers by Michelle Smith and Lawrence Pazder

We were joined by our Caftan Club sisters, Grace and Ashley, to discuss a bestseller that was so bad it had to be removed from publication: Michelle Remembers by Michelle Smith and Lawrence Pazder. The book represents irresponsible therapeutic practices as well as irresponsible journalism, but at least it’s also uncomfortably horny! Listen while assembling your 13-piece evil bench from evil Ikea.

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains non-graphic discussions of miscarriage, child abuse, animal abuse, sexual assault, and a lot of generally gross stuff.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: You’re Wrong About: Michelle Remembers.

The Shrink Next Door podcast

“The destructive conspiracy theory that Victoria unleashed upon the world” by Jen Gerson

“The Real Victims of Satanic Ritual Abuse” by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

“Real ‘Sybil’ Admits Multiple Personalities Were Fake” by Lynn Neary

Coming up next: Jay’s Journal by Anonymous.

 

* 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.)

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by | September 27, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 181 – The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

 

This is our seventh anniversary episode! We’ve been podcasting for much longer than the titular character of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner has been a vampire. We’d been putting off reading this Twilight novella because we suspected there wouldn’t be too much to talk about, and well, we were kinda right. Still, we had a great time talking to our all-time most frequent guest Carrie again. Plus, we experienced some of the Friendship Challenges from the Twilight: Eclipse card game, and I think it’s safe to say we all grew from the experience. Listen to this episode while politely petitioning Stephenie Meyer to write another book! #WheresFred

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes:

When this novella was released in 2010, Stephenie Meyer pledged $1 from the sale of each copy to go towards earthquake relief in Haiti, and ended up donating a total of $1.5 million.

As there was another earthquake in Haiti, and inspired by SMeyer’s charitable example, this month we donated $150 of our Patreon proceeds to Partners in Health, an NGO that does a lot of good work in Haiti and elsewhere.

Stephenie Meyer’s ‘Bree Tanner’ Raises $1.5 Million for Red Cross by Amy Wilkinson

“Haiti quake revives anger over aid response to past disasters” by Laura Gottesdiener and Dave Graham

Quileute Move to Higher Ground

Worst Bestsellers Drinking Game

Episode 158 – Midnight Sun

Episode 133 – The Host

Episode 107 – 4th Anniversary Twilight Spectacular

Episode 82 – Breaking Dawn

Episode 40 – Twilight Life and Death

Episode 31 – New Moon

Episode 01 – Twilight

Coming up next: Michelle Remembers by Lawrence Pazder & Michelle Smith.

 

* 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.)

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by | September 13, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 180 – The Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight Returns

We’ve read a lot of popular books over the years, but this episode might be the one most likely to make men on the internet yell at us. Oh well! We’ve already read The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley and there’s no turning back now. Phillip Mottaz, author of The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air, joined us at the local dump to discuss this extremely influential–perhaps too influential–Batman graphic novel.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Squirrel Girl on Dump Teens

Bruno on the Batman Wiki

“What was the conflict between Green Arrow and Superman that lead him to lose his hand?” on Quora

“Frank Miller: ‘I wasn’t thinking clearly when I said those things'” by Sam Thielman

Coming up next: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer.

 

* 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.)

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by | August 30, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 179 – Slayer

Slayer by Kiersten White

Flashback Summer is over, and yet we’re still talking about a TV show that ended almost 20 years ago. We were joined by Buffy enthusiast Talia to discuss Slayer by Kiersten White, a YA book set in the world of a TV show that ended before today’s teens were born. It’s a publishing choice that confuses us, but hey–the book itself is pretty good! Listen to this episode to get your blood pumping before vampire fight club.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Gwendolyn Post on the Buffy Wiki

Merrick on the Buffy Wiki

“Kiersten White answers all your burning ‘Slayer’ questions” by Karen Rought

Coming up next: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley.

 

* 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.)

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by | August 16, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 178 – Halloween Rain

Halloween Rain by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder

 

Flashback Summer has moved past our time with the Baby-Sitters Club to revisit another enterprising teen girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We read a vintage Buffy tie-in novel, Halloween Rain by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder, with our guest THE Meredith Goldstein, the Boston Globe’s Love Letters columnist and author of books like Things That Grow and Can’t Help Myself. This book may contradict established Buffy canon, but at least it also has some very dated pop culture references in it! Play this episode over the sound system at the Bronze.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Sunnydale Mall on the Buffyverse wiki

Slayerfest 98 podcast

“Mandolin Rain” by Bruce Hornsby

“Nightmare Before Christmas‘ Sally Gets to Shine in a New YA Novel From Shea Ernshaw” by James Whitbrook

Coming up next: Slayer by Kiersten White.

 

* 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.)

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by | August 2, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 177 – Baby-Sitters Beware

The Baby-Sitters Club Super Mystery #2: Baby-Sitters Beware by Ann M. Martin

 

The Baby-Sitters Club’s worst nightmare was a dream come true for us, as Courtney Summers, best-bestselling author of books like The Project and Sadie, joined us to discuss The Baby-Sitters Club Super Mystery #2: Baby-Sitters Beware by Ann M. Martin. Courtney identified this title as a formative book for her, and you simply can’t argue with the results that have come from this foundation. Listen to this in the station wagon on your way to Shadow Lake!

Readers advisory: Here.

Number of stars: Ten **********

Footnotes: Nola Thacker on the BSC Wiki

Michelle Kwan Presents Skating Dreams series

Coming up next: Halloween Rain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer series) by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder.

 

* 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.)

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by | July 19, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 176 – Karen’s Plane Trip

Baby-Sitters Club Little Sister Super Special #2 - Karen's Plane Trip

This Flashback Summer episode found Kait & Renata home alone, no cool teen baby-sitter nor responsible adult around to monitor their bedtime. Things got a little loopy. You’ve been warned. We read several books from the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series: Karen’s Plane Trip, Karen’s Witch, Karen’s Ghost, and Karen’s Kittykat Club, all “by” Ann M. Martin. We made zero jokes about “Karens,” because Karen Brewer transcends that cliche and would only ask to talk to your manager if she thought your manager might know a good scary story. Listen to this episode to briefly distract yourself from the horrors of climate change!

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Life Lessons We Learned from Baby-Sitters Little Sister

Coming up next: The Baby-Sitters Club Super Mystery #2: Baby-Sitters Beware by Ann M. Martin.

 

* 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.)

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by | July 5, 2021 · 12:01 pm

Episode 175 – Claudia and Mean Janine

Claudia and Mean Janine by Ann M. Martin

We read Baby-Sitters Club #7, Claudia and Mean Janine and Baby-Sitters Club #40, Claudia and the Middle School Mystery, both by Ann M. Martin. We were thrilled to spend more time with the coolest kid in Stoneybrook, and especially thrilled to discuss her with Susan Tan, author of the Cilla Lee-Jenkins books. Listen to this episode while hiding junk food and Nancy Drew novels around your bedroom!

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: “‘The Claudia Kishi Club’ is a love letter to the beloved ‘Baby-Sitters Club’ character” by Yi-Jin Yu

“Claudia and the Baby-Sitters Club Books We Really Needed”

“An Ode to Claudia Kishi, the Coolest Kid in ‘The Baby-Sitters Club'” by Bettina Makalinta

“Seventh-Grade Style Icon Claudia Kishi’s Baby-Sitters Club Outfits, Ranked” by Maggie Fremont

Coming up next: Karen’s Plane Trip by Ann M. Martin.

 

* 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.)

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