Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

What more can be said about Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Salinger's iconic 50s novel? Buoyed by contributions from Sophie, Gavin, Miriam and Tea, Books & Chocolate, Brenna  and Joe weave through the trauma, the misogyny, the homophobia, the class and the privilege of one of literature's most famous - and frustrating - teenage male protagonists.

With discussions on: a childhood lost, boarding schools, repetition, sexual assault and rape, 1950s crisis of masculinity and "The Man in the Flannel Suit." 

Plus: an exciting (and slightly daunting) challenged book recommendation courtesy of German listener Laura: Charlotte Roche's Wetlands  (2008).

References:

• S. N. Behrman. "The Vision of the Innocent: J. D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.” The New Yorker

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

• Feb 24: This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
• March 24: The Pigman by Paul Zindel

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time to revisit the Divergent series and oh boy are we tired of the false conflict between Tris and Tobias! 

It's time to revisit the Divergent series and oh boy are we tired of the false conflict-

Oh sorry, we fell into the same habit as Veronica Roth and just started repeating ourselves. 

Look folks, we bet you never thought you'd get an episode where Brenna apologizes to Suzanne Collins, but the lack of world building, the shallow attempt at dealing with Tris' PTSD and martyr complex and the overwhelming need for an editor in Insurgent has Brenna re-appraising her disdain for The Hunger Games.

Thankfully the film has Shailene Woodley and her 31 year old love interest Theo James, plus a bevy of A-list actors (none of whom have anything to do) to make it bearable.  

Plus: the struggle with 2nd entries in YA dystopias, frustration with the Christina subplot, and Woodley's chemistry with all of the boys who want to kill her, but not her boyfriend. Yeah, this isn't terrible; it's just so...meh.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

• Jan 27: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
• Feb 24: This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dance your cares away! Brenna is living for the revival of Fraggle Rock, another Jim Henson series that she worshipped as a child. Joe doesn't have the same connection, so it's up to Brenna to clue us in on how the new show compares. Expect talk of the visual splendour of the show, the great new incarnation of Doc, as well as which episodes stand out and why even non-fans should give the show a chance.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

• Jan 27: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
• Feb 24: This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

School is back in session at Bayside and Brenna and Joe are very happy to be back with this lovable crew of misfits!

 Since we've previously covered the show, we jump right into how the show has matured in its second season, how it handles its own COVID year and which storylines are working best for us, including the season-long Spirit Award rivalry with Valley and the Lexi/Jamie relationship.

Plus: using the adults wisely and more sparingly (Joe is especially appreciative of Elizabeth Berkley's Showgirls riff), wanting more for Devante, uncertainty about how Aisha's bisexuality is revealed, and why Principal Toddman needs a win. 

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

• Jan 27: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
• Feb 24: This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who's ready for massive cliffhangers? Not Brenna or Joe!  After gushing over the swoon-worthy romance of Menon's debut meet-cute coding novel, the majority of the episode tackles the adaptation issues of the TV show, which misses the mark in more than a few ways.

Don't get us wrong: we love  Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf as Dimple and Rishi, but the series is so concerned with packing in supporting characters and issues (Disability! Class! Coming out! Mature widowers who don't know Urban Dictionary!) the whole series is just too stuffed to be satisfying. 

Also: Brenna really needs to know that that kitten is ok.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or Tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

• Jan 27: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
• Feb 24: This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki

See you on the page and on the screen!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for an impassioned and rant-filled episode? After a year of books about POC, LGBT+ and anti-police books being banned and challenged, Brenna and Joe are ready to take a stand.  We discuss why freedom to read is so important, our own childhood reading experiences (Judy Blume!) and what we think is driving the new wave of intolerance.

Plus: read along with us! Here's the Banned Book Club  schedule, including deadlines to email or Tweet us your responses:

• Jan 27: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
• Feb 24: This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about book club? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the end of the year, so we are once again reading a Levithan & Cohn collaboration. Unlike Dash & Lily... last year, though, we're not quite as satisfied this time around. Is it the manic pace of this "all in one night" romantic adventure or just the fact that the book doesn't offer enough beyond its obvious romance?

Sadly the film only fares a little better! While Ari Graynor's Caroline is a runaway delight and Kat Dennings can do no wrong, Michael Cera has baggage, the queer representation is not GLAAD award-worthy and the repeated, egregious use of the "R" word is a major distraction (oh these 2000-2010 YA films). 

Neither book nor film are a slam dunk, but overall this is a step-up from recent full-length episodes. Hopefully we'll have better luck in 2022!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about book club? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big thanks to listeners Tea, Books & Chocolate and Victoria for contributing responses as we read Lee Maracle's famed novel about the coming of age of Stacey, a  teen struggling to find her place in both her village and the white town across the bridge. We discuss whether this is literary fiction or young adult literature (answer: yes), Maracle's elliptical approach to time, real life parallels (both historical and contemporary) and, finally, Maracle's legacy as a mentor  of female Indigenous writers.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about book club? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who's ready for tragic teen romance? We're back on a sick lit kick with A Walk To Remember, the tale of "bad" boy Landon and literal good girl / angel Jamie, whose pure love changes him forever. 

This is...not a text for us. While we find the book highly readable, Landon is definitely a garbage character (even if that's the point!) while Jamie is too perfect in all the wrong Manic Pixie Dreamperson ways. And then there's the ending, which is both ableist, icky and just plain dumb. 

We know we're probably in the minority, but this faith-based love affair just didn't stick the landing (also: it just ends!). On the plus side, at least we got to watch Mandy Moore sing  - even if it was a whole darn song for no good reason.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about book club? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Woo boy, is this the wrong text for Joe! While In My Skin is undoubtedly an excellent show with great performances, this was a rough watch for Joe, who cried his way through all five episodes of series one.

Talking through the feels, Brenna addresses the class issues in this depiction of Cardiff, Wales, we discuss the depiction of queerness and how (if?) the comedy works to balance out the upsetting depiction of Bethan's really difficult life.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about book club? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.