The Buddies are back to continue their "summer saga series" (say that 10 times fast) with Pierce Brown's "Dark Age," the fifth book in the Red Rising universe and second in the Iron Gold trilogy. This new trilogy is basically Game of Thrones in space, but with more creative ways to die. The Buddies got to discussing summer camps, habituation, the Black Knight from Mondy Python, and how this book made the battle of Helm’s deep blush. That and much more. So grab your anti-radiation meds, practice your habituation techniques (you'll need them), and join the Buddies as they navigate a book where Mercury finally gets some respect and literally everyone you like probably dies!

Intro/Book Summary (0:00-4:29)

Stock Up/Down (4:30-44:23)

Favorite Scene/Character (44:24-50:23)

Love/Hate (50:24-58:59)

Conclusion (59:00-1:02:02)

NEXT BOOK: Light Bringer (Red Rising Book 6) by Pierce Brown 

The Buddies are back from their extended hiatus (sorry vacations, bats, and constipation got in the way) to tackle Pierce Brown's "Iron Gold," the fourth book in his Red Rising series. The first trilogy currently sits #1 in both Keith and Dman’s rankings, so big expectations for this one. The Buddies got to revisit their old friends Darrow, Severo, Mustang, and many more along with some new friends as well. Did Iron Gold meet the Buddies high standards? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out. So, grab your razor, practice your "Hail Reaper" salute (but maybe not in public), and join the Buddies as they navigate Pierce Brown's expanded universe of morally questionable heroes and volume-inconsistent narrators! 

Intro (0:00-3:13)

Stock Up/Down (3:14-34:25)

Favorite Scene/Character (34:26-41:40)

Love/Hate (41:41-50:36)

Conclusion (50:37-53:25)

NEXT BOOK: Dark Age (Red Rising Book 5) by Pierce Brown

The Buddies tackled Bill Belichick's "The Art of Winning" with the religious devotion only Patriots fans can muster. The Buddies got to chatting about why selfish players are actually fine, the tragic lack of insider Patriots secrets, and whether comparing NFL salary caps to office vlookups should be a crime. They also debated who should play Belichick in a biopic (Dennis Quaid vs. Randy Quaid, depending on how crazy things get). So grab your tattered hoodie, your "I f*cked that up" attitude, and join us as we read through the Greatest Coach of All-Time's new book.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:58)

Stock Up/Down (3:59-27:21)

Praise/Lack of acknowledgements (27:22-33:47)

Love/Hate (33:48-40:37)

Casting the Movie/Biopic (40:38-42:35)

Conclusion (42:36-45:00)

NEXT BOOK: Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

 The Buddies hit the waves with Taylor Jenkins Reid's "Malibu Rising". If you enjoy family drama with deadbeat dads, cocaine platters, and specialty seafood sandwiches that sound absolutely disgusting, this book is for you! The Buddies got to chatting about sympathizing with terrible fathers (because of diet failures), the economics of therapy vs. longboards, salmon polo shirts, and whether almonds taste like vanilla. So grab your longboard, your three model-looking siblings, and join us as we blaze through Malibu Rising. 

Intro/Book Report (0:00-2:50)

Stock Up/Down (2:51-32:49)

Favorite Scene/Character (32:50-40:20)

Love/Hate (40:21-46:44)

Lingering Questions/Casting the Movie (46:45-48:59)

Conclusion (49:00-52:21)

NEXT BOOK: The Art of Winning by Bill Belichick

The Buddies made their way to Brooklyn for Freda McFadden's thriller, "The Housemaid”. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with questionable characters, glaring red flags, and DIY dental work, this book is for you! The Buddies got to chatting about driving a great car (namely a 2011 Nissan Sentra), torture, Family Feud, gaslighting, and much more. So join us as we chat about The Housemaid (coming to theatres this Christmas). 

Intro/Book Report (0:00-1:47)

Stock Up/Down (1:48-27:07)

Favorite Scene/Character (27:08-33:42)

Love/Hate (33:43-39:43)

Casting the Movie (39:44-44:46)

Conclusion (44:47-46:50)

NEXT BOOK: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Buddies tackle Suzanne Collins' Sunrise on the Reaping, the Hunger Games prequel that follows a young Haymitch Abernathy. If you liked the Hangover 2, Dumb & Dumber 2, and the Han Solo movie, then this book is for you. Not a lot of positive comments in this one, but the Buddies did wander into some bizarre tangents around spitting, gleeking, transfusions, and dead bees in figs. They also managed to rewrite the book, a "Lord of the Flies meets Rambo" epic. So join us as we discuss where it all went wrong on this one (or maybe skip if you were a big fan).

Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:12)

Stock Up/Down (3:13-37:13)

Favorite Scene/Character (37:14-41:56)

Love/Hate (41:57-48:39)

Conclusion (48:40-51:37)

NEXT BOOK: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

The Buddies strapped in for book 2 (or some may say book 1.5) of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series with Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman. While this book may have not advanced the story too much, the Buddies had a good time reading and got into chatting about, AIM chatting, binge reading, and why being less intelligent and less sensitive is a good thing. So join us as we reconnect with our good buddies Carl, Princess Donut, and Mordecai.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-4:18)

Stock Up/Down (4:08-27:51)

Favorite Scene/Character (34:41-32:45)

Love/Hate (32:46-36:53)

Conclusion (36:54-40:08)

NEXT BOOK: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

The Buddies dove into Ashley Elston's 2024 thriller First Lie Wins, and let's just say they weren't thrilled. The Buddies found the book lacking in both thrills and twists, so they tried to provide some in this podcast. They got to talking about group chats, guardian angels, bathroom etiquette at parties, and a clever use of a zip lock bag. So join us (or maybe skip if you’re a fan of this book), as we tell no lies in our review of First Lie Wins! 

Intro/Book Report (0:00-4:07)

Stock Up/Down (4:08-25:10)

Favorite Scene/Character (25:11-32:45)

Love/Hate (32:46-37:18)

Casting the Movie/Lingering Questions (37:19-40:33)

Conclusion (40:34-44:59)

NEXT BOOK: Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

The Buddies ventured into Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl, a lit-RPG novel. A lit-RPG novel, for those of you that don’t know, is basically a story told more like a video game RPG (we’re guessing, as this is our first time ever reading one). This book had the Buddies chatting about Cats, Nick Arcade, and the merits of Public Urination. Looking for a light-hearted, good time, with your pals Princess Donut and Carl? Well pick up this book and join us as we venture through Book 1 of Dungeon Crawler Carl.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-2:58)

Stock Up/Down (2:59-22:17)

Favorite Scene/Character (22:18-29:41)

Love/Hate/Listener Mail (29:42-35:59)

Casting the Movie/TV Show (36:00-38:20)

Conclusion (38:21-41:53)

NEXT BOOK: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

The Buddies popped open a bottle of Appalachian moonshine and dove into Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. If you enjoy listening to a light-hearted comedic book podcast navigate a relentless parade of poverty, addiction, and child abuse while desperately trying to keep things light, this episode is for you! The Buddies got to discussing the benefits of rural living, stereotypes, and what Sarah McLachlan, Nas, and Kendrick Lamar have in common with this book. So join us for the most uncomfortable ‘funny’ book club discussion this side of Appalachia!

Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:11)

Stock Up/Down (3:12-40:22)

Favorite Scene/Character (40:23-43:53)

Love/Hate (43:54-51:00)

Conclusion (51:01-54:30)

NEXT BOOK: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman