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In this bonus episode, we’re putting ourselves on the spot with a series of fun, random, bookish questions! Tt’s a laid-back, unscripted conversation. So, grab a warm drink, settle in, and play along with us as we share our answers and plenty of laughs!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Housemaid:
“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
We hope you enjoy the episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Daughter of the Moon Goddess:
Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.
To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
We hope you enjoy the episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Best Way to Bury Your Husband:
A dark comedy about four women coming together to heal the damage their husbands have done––and hide their bodies once they’ve killed them
When Sally kills her husband with a cast-iron skillet, she’s more fearful of losing her kids than of disposing of a fresh corpse. That just wouldn’t be fair—not after twenty years of marriage to a truly terrible man. But Sally isn’t the only woman in town reaching the brink. Soon, Sally finds herself leading an extremely unusual self-help group, and among them there are four bodies to hide. Can they all figure out the perfect way to bury their husbands . . . and get away with it?
First to join is former nurse, Ruth, who met her husband as a single mom. Now her son is grown and her husband’s violence builds by the day until an attack on the stairs leads to a fatal accident—for him. A few doors down, Samira’s last straw comes when she discovers her husband is planning a campaign of violence against her eldest daughter, who has just come out. Janey, Sally’s best friend, has just had her first child at forty-two. Sleep-deprived Janey needs a hero to slay the monster in the fairy tales she whispers to her daughter each night . . . and as her husband’s violence escalates, it might just be her.
Together, fueled by righteous anger but tempered by a moral core, the four women must help each other work out a plan to get rid of their husbands for good. Along the way, Sally, Ruth, Samira and Janey rediscover old joys and embark on new passions in work, education, and life. Friendship and laughter really are the best medicine—and so is getting away with murder. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Tress of the Emerald Sea:
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
We hope you enjoy the episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Under the Whispering Door:
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.
And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.
But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.
Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.
Hey everyone! Welcome to our newest bonus episode. This one is special though, because we have Bethanie Finger joining us to talk about her debut novel, More Than Life: A YA Historical Fantasy. Enjoy the interview, and don't forget to check out Bethanie's book, available on Amazon.com and from Barnes & Noble.
Bethanie Finger Social: @bethaniefingerauthor
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about A Magic Steeped in Poison:
For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.
When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.
But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.
We hope you enjoy the episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review More Than Life: A YA Historical Fantasy by Bethanie Finger. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about More Than Life: A YA Historical Fantasy:
A gripping story of overcoming grief, self-realization, and embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. As the daughter of a high-ranking sea captain, nineteen-year-old Cordelia Kimbal lives a life of luxury in the sea faring kingdom of Mikiria. But when her father dies unexpectedly, she is stripped of her title and home, and forced to join the working class in order to survive. Determined to rise above her losses, Cordelia is eager to prove her worth and stand on her own. But four months after her father's passing, a mysterious letter arrives, revealing the secret location of the mythical island of Qualaris. Known for concealing the secrets of magic and eternal life, Qualaris is often dismissed as mere legend, but Jaspar, Cordelia's father's enigmatic apprentice, is convinced of its existence and is harboring its secrets—secrets that the dark enchanter, Janus would stop at nothing to obtain. For generations, Jaspar and his ancestors have pursued the discovery and rescue of Qualaris while battling a curse of nonexistence, and he believes that Cordelia is the island's true protector, the one who can save it and its people from Janus's impending threat. Faced with the daunting task of defending Qualaris and its people, Cordelia embarks on a quest to locate the island, embrace her birthright, and take on the darkest enchanter in history. If she doesn’t, the island and its people won’t be the only casualties of Janus’s war. Join Cordelia on her journey as she navigates a world of magic, mystery, and danger, discovering her true self and the strength within her.
P.S. More Than Life is the first book in the More Than Life trilogy, and ends on a cliffhanger.
We hope you enjoy the episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
Join us for a special bonus episode as we dive into the literary landscape of 2024! In this episode, we share our enthusiasm and anticipation for the most exciting books slated for release throughout the year.
From eagerly awaited sequels to groundbreaking debuts, we'll explore a wide range of genres and authors, offering insights, predictions, and our personal expectations for each anticipated book. Whether it's the latest installment in a beloved series, a promising debut novel, or a highly anticipated work from a renowned author, no literary stone will be left unturned.
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about None of This is True:
Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.
Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.
A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.
But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.
Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
Tune in for a bonus episode where we talk about books that we think would make great movies, TV shows, or video games. If there's some that we missed, let us know by sending us an email or DM!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about A Mirror Mended:
Zinnia Gray, professional fairy-tale fixer and lapsed Sleeping Beauty, is over rescuing snoring princesses. Once you’ve rescued a dozen damsels and burned fifty spindles, once you’ve gotten drunk with twenty good fairies and made out with one too many members of the royal family, you start to wish some of these girls would just get a grip and try solving their own narrative issues.
Just when Zinnia’s beginning to think she can't handle one more princess, she glances into a mirror and sees another face looking back at her: the shockingly gorgeous face of evil, asking for her help. Because there’s more than one person trapped in a story they didn’t choose. Snow White's Evil Queen has found out how her story ends, and she's desperate for a better ending. She wants Zinnia to help her before it’s too late for everyone. Will Zinnia accept the Queen's poisonous request and save them both from the hot-iron shoes that wait for them, or will she try another path?
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
For the bonus episode this month Michael read and reviews The Terminal List by Jack Carr! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Terminal List: A Navy SEAL has nothing left to live for and everything to kill for after he discovers that the American government is behind the deaths of his team in this ripped-from-the-headlines political thriller.
On his last combat deployment, Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush that also claimed the lives of the aircrew sent in to rescue them. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of government.
Now, with no family and free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons that he’s learned in over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging the deaths of his family and teammates. With breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in the upper echelons of power without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Three Body Problem:
1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China's Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind.
Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides. Wang's investigation will lead him to a mysterious online game and immerse him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns.
This is the Three-Body Problem and it is the key to everything: the key to the scientists' deaths, the key to a conspiracy that spans light-years and the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
Welcome to a special bonus episode! In this episode, we are going to imagine hosting a dinner party and inviting fictional characters from different books to join us. The concept is to have a fun and imaginative discussion about the guests, their interactions, and how their unique personalities would create an interesting dynamic at the dinner table. We’ll each be inviting three literary guests.
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about One of Us is Lying:
Pay close attention and you might solve this. On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
Tune in for a bonus episode where we talk about our favorite (and least favorite) book adaptations. If there's some that we missed, let us know by sending us an email or DM!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
In this bonus episode, we’re putting ourselves on the spot with a series of fun, random, and holiday-themed bookish questions! From cozy winter reads to holiday-themed sequels, and even which character would make the best Santa Claus, it’s a laid-back, unscripted conversation perfect for the season. Grab a warm drink, settle in, and play along with us as we share our answers and plenty of laughs!
As a reminder, we'll be taking a short hiatus for the holidays, but we'll see you again in January!
Happy holidays!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
🎙️ This month on Badass Literature Society, we dive into the mesmerizing world of These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. Join us as we review this captivating novel that intertwines romance, rival gangs, and a mysterious presence lurking in the shadows. As always, the first part of our review is spoiler-free!
📚 Set in the vibrant backdrop of 1926 Shanghai, the city pulses with debauchery while two rival gangs spill blood on the streets, plunging Shanghai into a state of chaos. At the center of it all is Juliette Cai, an eighteen-year-old former flapper who returns to claim her place as the formidable heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals who operate above the law. Their ultimate rivals, the White Flowers, have fought against the Scarlets for generations. And caught in the tangled web of power dynamics is Roma Montagov, Juliette's first love and betrayer.
💔 But when both gangs start succumbing to a mysterious madness, tearing at their own throats, whispers of a contagion and a hidden monster grow louder. As the death toll rises, Juliette and Roma must set aside their guns and grudges, joining forces to confront the growing menace. If they fail, Shanghai will be consumed by the ruthless mayhem, leaving nothing but ruins for either gang to claim.
🌃 Drawing inspiration from the enchanting allure of 1920s Shanghai, These Violent Delights delivers a heart-stopping debut. Fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane will be swept away by this imaginative retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Prepare to be captivated by the rival gangs, the atmospheric setting, and the lurking darkness beneath the surface of the Huangpu River.
🎧 Tune in to our latest episode and join us on this thrilling literary journey through the streets of Shanghai. Discover whether These Violent Delights will leave you breathless and yearning for more!
We can't wait for you to enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
Tune in for a bonus episode where we cast the roles for a film/tv show if they were making one of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova.
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Anxious People:
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.
First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.
As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.
Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about A Day of Fallen Night:
In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Defending Jacob by William Landay Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Defending Jacob:
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.
We hope you enjoy this episode! Tune in at the end for some bloopers!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Midnight Library by Matt Haig! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Midnight Library:
Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets? A novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
We hope you enjoy this episode! Tune in at the end for some bloopers!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Recursion by Blake Crouch! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Recursion:
Memory makes reality.
That's what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.
That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.
As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.
But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?
At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.
We hope you enjoy this episode! Tune in at the end for some bloopers!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Legends & Lattes:
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
We hope you enjoy the episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Cordova! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina:
The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low or empty, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly’s daughter, Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings. But soon, a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea’s line. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, the four descendants travel to Ecuador—to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back.
We hope you enjoy this episode! Tune in at the end for some bloopers!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Dark Matter by Blake Crouch! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Dark Matter:
Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.
"Are you happy with your life?"
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."
In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that's the dream?
And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
In this episode we came together and talked about our journey as a podcast and our favorite memories and moments over the last 3 years. Join us as we take a walk down memory lane!
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Shadow of the Gods:
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið.
Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out.
Now, as whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods . . .
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
For our bonus episode this month we read and review A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about A Spindle Splintered
It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no one has lived past twenty-one.
Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
We are joined by special guest, our friend Leah of YA Book Chat! You can check out her show by following that link.
Here's a little about Blade Breaker:
Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father's powerful sword.
But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.
Queen Erida's army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.
Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she's to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.
But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
For our bonus episode this month we read and review Legendborn by Tracy Deonn! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Legendborn
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Life We Bury:
College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same. Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran--and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.
As Joe writes about Carl's life, especially Carl's valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory. Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Diviners by Libba Bray! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Diviners:
SOMETHING DARK AND EVIL HAS AWAKENED… Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries her uncle will discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho is hiding a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened…
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
Wow. It's crazy to think we've been doing this little show for 5 years now! We had a blast recording this episode and going down memory lane together, and we hope you'll love it too. For all our listeners, thank you SO Much for all the support over the last 5 years! Thank you for all the recommendations!
Here's to another 5 years!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about Mistborn: The Final Empire
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.
But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Misborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
Hey everyone! We're back with another bonus episode. This time Michael and Barbara talk about our dream cast if they ever make a movie/TV show based on The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Enjoy! Let us know who you'd cast or if you agree with our casting choices.
Artwork: Justin Miller
Music: Hooksounds
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com
This month we read and review The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd! Like all of our reviews, the first part is spoiler free.
Here's a little about The Secret Life of Bees:
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Do you have a book you'd like us to review on this show? Want to give us some feedback? Send us an email at badassliteraturesociety@gmail.com