Tag Archives: podcast

Episode 189 – Carnal Innocence

Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts Month continues with a gracious Southern-style housecall from Heidi and Emily, the cohosts of the Nora Roberts podcast Romancing the Shelf. For this podcast crossover event, we discussed Nora’s 1991 thriller Carnal Innocence. It’s the story of a serial killer in a small Southern town and aspects of it have not aged well. Listen now to find out how to sign up for a true crime LARP!

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it includes sexual assault, murder, child abuse, racism, and hate crimes.

Readers advisoryHere.

Footnotes: Romancing the Shelf: Carnal Innocence

Romancing the Shelf on Instagram

Worst Bestsellers Episode #169 – Divine Evil

Coming up next: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman.

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Episode 188 – Brazen Virtue

Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts

We’re once again starting the year with a visit from our Nora Roberts expert, Christine. This time we read Brazen Virtue, a murder mystery-romance novel from 1988 that has been mystifyingly adapted into a 2022 Netflix original movie. This episode costs $1.99 per minute to listen to via long-distance phone call.

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it includes rape and murder.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: A Statement from Nora Roberts Re: Alyssa Milano

“Nora Roberts defends Alyssa Milano’s casting in adaptation of Brazen Virtue” by Maureen Lee Lenker

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Finale Fails to Reckon with Its Pro-cop Legacy” by s.e. smith

Coming up next: Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts.

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Episode 186 – The President Is Missing

The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton

Our beloved patrons voted on a book for us to read, and they chose The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton. We still love them, and we also love returning guest Carrie for reading this book even though she didn’t have to. Listen now before some terrorists delete the entire internet!

Readers advisoryHere.

Footnotes: Unclear and Present Danger podcast

Coming up next: Bests of 2021.

 

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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Episode 185 – The Meaning of Mariah Carey

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey.

All we want for Christmas is…another celebrity memoir, and Mariah Claus delivered. We read The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey with Michaela Angela Davis and enjoyed our visit to Mariah’s realm. Listen to this episode on your way to visit your lambily!

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains non-graphic discussions of child neglect, domestic abuse, and racism.

Readers advisoryHere.

Footnotes: “Mariah Carey Explains Why She Tweeted That “Thanksgiving Is Cancelled” by Bianca Betancourt

“This Throwback Photo Of Mariah Carey & Will Smith Will Give You All The ’90s Feels” by Brad Witter

“This Video Of Mariah Carey Communicating With A Dolphin Has Over 30,000 Retweets, Like She Is Actually Speaking Dolphin” by Matt Stopera

“The Summer That ‘I Don’t Know Her’ Became the Most Crushing Celebrity Shade” by Kenzie Bryant

Mariah Carey’s Ice Cream Meltdown on TRL

Mariah Carey’s Weddings in Photos

“Mariah Carey smashes pumpkins to kick off Christmas season: ‘It’s time'” by Nick Romano

“27 Burning Questions About Mariah Carey’s New McDonald’s Ad” by Dave Holmes

How Did This Get Made #94 – Glitter

Coming up next: The President Is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton.

 

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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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 advisoryHere.

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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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 advisoryHere.

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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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 advisoryHere.

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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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 advisoryHere.

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

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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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 advisoryHere.

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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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 advisoryHere.

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.)

Filed under Podcasts