Episode 31: Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski

Bras and Broomsticks: Goodreads, Worldcat, Indiebound, Author Website

Sarah Mlynowski: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Wattpad, Facebook

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Content Notes

Our first (and sadly not last) appearance of the Unfortunate Transphobia Bear—it’s a couple lines, but a couple lines that would do well to be edited out in 2018.

This is a book that gets REAL about relationships with step-parents, conflict between adults and kids, and kids seeing their parents as human for the first time. We appreciate it, good to know going in.

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Forward March is here!

Love, loss, and the surprising aphrodisiacs of the band locker room. That’s what the Dulaney High marching band has in store for Meghan Riggins. Like her Gram, who’s been her biggest fan since that first trombone lesson, Meghan’s always loved making music. So marching band should be easy, right? Wrong. It’s hard enough staying upright during the halftime show, avoiding the worst of the upperclassmen, or remembering the difference between a cummerbund and a dickie. But then she falls for Jonah, an adorkable fellow trombone nerd who just happens to be her best friend’s brother. Meghan may need to rethink everything she knows about herself, in and out of band, with and without her family and friends, and in and out of love. Both witty and poignant, Forward March will have you laughing, swooning, and cheering from the stands. 

Find Forward March by Carey Farrell at your favorite online bookseller!

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Source: BBC Two

The very spookiest bat

Per our query in the podcast: Sarah Mlynowski has two sisters—she’s in between the two!—and Bras and Broomsticks takes a lot of inspiration from real life.

Betsy Bird comes up a lot in this episode. She’s our hero.

Wendy Mass

Cynthia Rylant

Read When the Letter Comes by Sarah Fox online for free!

All the Halloween Episodes of Bob’s Burgers

The Infamous Vibrating Nimbus 2000

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Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love by MaryRose Wood

The 11:11 Wish by Kim Tomsic

The Holy Wild: A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman by Danielle Dulsky

What if This Were Enough? and How to Be a Person in the World by Heather Havrilesky

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Carey talked Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret on Unspoiled! Book Club

Thanks Podscure for always shouting us out!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.  (CC Marie Macula, Carey Farrell 2018)

Episode 29: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Before Maureen Johnson was writing about supernatural serial killers in London, she was writing showtune-singing serial killers in...Amsterdam? Carey and Marie talk whimsical world-tripping adventures, slapstick comedy, terrible musicals and the boys that write them, and how, in fact, we would spend $1000 from a dead aunt. Does being an artist give you a license to be a butt? Find out within!

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Content Notes

Grief, adults making bad decisions, teens making bad decisions, teens getting taken advantage of, sexual assault, internalized misogyny. In other words, 2005 YA in a book.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.  (CC Marie Macula, Carey Farrell 2018)

Episode 22: The Very Worst Wandering Frogger: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

To celebrate International Women's Day, we're taking a look at all the ways we can be terrible to each other...and how we can break the cycles of oppression. Or, we're looking at the debut novel by E. Lockhart, discussing how life on a houseboat with a performance artist mom can prepare you for dating a sociopath and being shunned by the entire sophomore class. Or maybe it's just a really funny book about nihilism. Or maybe...all of the above?

Episode 20: Camp Creepy Crush Art: Empress of the World by Sara Ryan

Happy Frienduary, readers and listeners! Our very first guest, librarian and author Kyle Lukoff, joins us to talk Sara Ryan's debut, Empress of the World. Find out why you should tell on terrible boys and why you shouldn't make creepy crush art while reminiscing about first loves, nerd camp, and bisexual folk music.

Sarah Ryan: Website, Blog

Empress of the World: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound

We love to hear from our readers and listeners! Send us email, or visit us at Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

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Kyle Lukoff teaches kids how to library well, writes fascinating children's books, and decides what books should get a Stonewall Book Award (along with a bunch of other cool people.) His first book, A Storytelling of Ravens, will be published May 1, 2018. You can find him on twitter @Shekels_Library

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Content Notes

People are real shitty about queer folks, even queer folks themselves! Battle has shitty judgemental Christian parents! The t-word that Frank-N-Further calls himself gets thrown around in a stupid way! Things that were all too commonplace in the era show up here.

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Show Notes

Katrina in "Me and Edith Head"

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is the book with Ramona making the Fancy Feast commercial parody

Battle and Nic have their first kiss to this song!

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Readalikes

Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties by Felicia Luna Lemus

Drum Roll, Please by Friend of the Podcast Lisa Jenn Bigelow

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Current Reads

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

Rookie on Love edited by Tavi Gevinson

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.  (CC Marie Macula, Carey Farrell 2018)

Episode 13: A-Hygge: The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer

The month of dark becoming light and whitefish become lutefisk continues! Kate Bjorkman uses her Romance Writer's Handbook, with its three paragraph kisses and dashing heroes, to capture her winter romance. Along the way we get to experience the Bjorkman family Christmas, love in the time of broken glasses and six layers of fleece and wool, and the affectionate embrace of a nerdy, quirky family.

The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman: Goodreads

Louise Plummer: Blog

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Happy First Night of Hanukkah!

Here are the recommendations we made in this episode:

How to Be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis: Goodreads

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli: Goodreads

Fearless by Shira Glassman: Goodreads, website

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Content Warnings

Side character death, casual 90s homophobia (fruit boots?!), assault of a male character by a female character, friendship aggression and slut-shaming. There's also a horrifying anecdote about baby mice.

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Show Notes

The true story of how Teen Vogue got mad, got woke, and began terrifying men like Donald Trump

How Sassy Changed my Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time by Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer

Want a modern take on The Romance Writer's Handbook? Try Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Courtney Milan

Beverly Jenkins

Is A Muppet Family Christmas the Best Holiday Special Ever? (Spoiler: Yes.)

Just as Long as We're Together and Here's the You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Code Words For Lesbianism In Classic Films

The Something Awful Christmas Albums

Photo by Marco Verch

Scandinavian Christmas Traditions

10 Nordic Christmas Traditions You Can Try at Home

17 Ideas for a Merry Scandinavian Christmas

The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy

Lagom: This Swedish Lifestyle Trend Will Help Balance Your Life

Announcing the Danziger Awards for Hilarious Kids Books

Readalikes

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Remember Me to Harold Square by Paula Danzinger

7 Days to a Brand New Me by Ellen Conford

Current Reads

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M.Montgomery

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.  (CC Marie Macula, Carey Farrell 2017)