Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Are you Green or Orange? We're not quite Red over this listener recommendation (thanks Em!) but both Brenna and Joe find that Bracken's text doesn't fully want to engage with its rebellion or world-building as much as it could (or should?) Instead it's a lot of road trip, with an unconvincing romance and a cliffhanger that suggests we might enjoy the next book in this series more.

Alas the film fares worse: despite decent special effects and a more convincing romantic pairing between returning champ Amandla Stenberg and someone named Harris Dickinson (*not a Hemsworth), the film doubles down on the book's least interesting aspects. 

As it stands, this pairing simply doesn't stand on its own two feet and Stenberg (see previous episodes: Everything, Everything; The Hate U Give, and The Hunger Games) deserves better!

Please note: we learned after this recording that Stenberg identifies as non-binary and will refer to them with their intended pronouns moving forward in future episodes.

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.

We're ready to talk about class, parental abuse and friendship as we travel to rural Tennessee for The Serpent King. Guided by thoughtful emails from listeners Tea, Books and Chocolate, Emily and Victoria, we discuss the deeply upsetting lives of Dill and Travis, as well as their rich, entitled friend Lydia (boo, hiss). 

We joke because obviously Lydia has a role to play in this narrative about escaping from small towns, bad parents and looking ahead to the future. Are there tears? Yes (Possibly on air) Is it relatable? Absolutely. Basically this book is all the feels, so much so that we're not at all bothered by the overly happy ending.

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.

Put on your red hat and mind the children because this meeting of HKHSPod is now in session! You had to know that we couldn't pass up the chance to  talk about season two of our fave feel good show, The Baby-Sitter's Club.

It's with great pleasure that Brenna dives into Marie Anne and Logan's relationship,  why Mallory needs more screen time, and how relatable seeing Alicia Silverstone cry in a bathroom is. 

Plus: more canonical lesbianism, saying goodbye to Mimi and Joe's shock at learning this season is two episodes shorter!

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.

Whew boy are we ever unhappy this week!

In the decade since the celebration of all things* geeky and nerdy was published, we've done a complete 180 on this property. In part it's because of the over saturation of nostalgia and corporate IP, but also because things like Gamergate and Comicsgate have darkened explicitly male-oriented perspectives on fandom (to say nothing of things like the "Not That Kind of Girl" movement).

In hindsight, this is Ernest Cline's shopping list of what he thinks is cool, which means excluding *female texts and even family-oriented material. While the idea of celebrating marginalized pop culture and embarking on mythic quests is still fun, the sad reality is that this book has aged very badly.

So what's the film's excuse?! Not only does it misunderstand the point of the book, but the challenges are dumb, Artemis is somehow even worse and it's nearly TWO AND A HALF HOURS long! Don't even get Joe started on all ofThe Shining stuff. 

In Brenna's words: "Thanks, I hated it."

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.

We found a lot to laugh about in this show about 30-something actors playing first year university students in Melbourne. Whether or not that's part of the joke, there's plenty of relatable comedy in this accessible sitcom from Australia's ABC (it's also available on CBC Gem in Canada and the Comedy Central app in the US). 

We have lengthy discussions about how the show does and doesn't address racism, and see a little too much of ourselves in the Post-Grad Student character. 

What did we do to you, Ronny Chieng?!

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, Jeff Zentner's The Serpent King? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

We're dipping back into comics! This time we're hitting some New Adult content with Y: The Last Man, which is Joe's Gateway back into comics as an adult. Both of us have read all of these before, though we don't remember a great deal  (we certainly didn't remember how frequently Vaughan trots out the R slur).

This one's tough because the premise is killer (literally) and the comics are a speedy, easy read, but the politics - from the reliance on hypnotized, angry women; the cavalier treatment of trans and lesbian character and the weird war-mongering of Israel - have not aged well.

The TV show definitely updates and modernizes this, particular the characters of Elliot Fletcher's Sam and  Amber Tamblyn's Kimberly, though Brenna takes issue with the uncertain use of Nora (Marin Ireland) and Yorrick (Ben Schnetzer)'s stupidity. All in all, we have a good conversation despite Brenna's microphone going on the fritz multiple times!

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, Jeff Zentner's The Serpent King? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

There's nothing like getting lost in a good scary story, so it's apt that we're closing out Halloween with White's book about a witch who lures children into a magical apartment and makes them tell her horrifying tales. It'll be evident very quickly that we're quite taken with the character development, the scope and the speedy pace of the book!

The more action-oriented film is also effective, though we *do* have a few quibbles (the plant nursery scene doesn't hold a candle to its book counterpart and we prefer the book's "shared custody" ending). The casting of Krysten Ritter, her Clueless-style costuming is inspired and the witch's candy-facial prosthetics are all spot-on perfection, though. 

Overall this is a really solid combo!

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.

Blame Brenna for this pick! After learning about Lois Duncan's real life history, Brenna wanted to tackle the author's infamous hit and run thriller, I Know What You Did Last Summer, which is both completely different and simultaneously very similar to the film adaptation by screenwriter Kevin Williamson (see previous minisode).

We're joined by Jes Battis to dissect the book's problematic ableism and fat phobia  (curious because Duncan updated the book in 2010), the queer coded relationship between Barry and Ray,  and why Barry is the worst. 

Then in the film, we're talking the female focused friendship, Sarah Michelle Gellar's nuanced performance as Helen, Jennifer Love Hewitt's Julie as a bad Final Girl, and Freddie Prinze Jr's queer friendly (but also dumb) portrayal of Ray.

There's a lot to unpack! But, most importantly, Brenna actually liked both of these and wasn't scared!

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

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote
• Jes: @jesbattis / jbattis.com

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.

Brenna and Joe are back in Trickster territory as the Canadian Indigenous lit sequel moves sober protagonist Jared to Vancouver and introduces a bevy of new family members, but keeps villainous ex-step father David around for conflict. 

Up for discussion: our fears for Jared, who refuses to let anyone in, the queer/Chosen family the book spends so much time with; the harrowing pedal-to-the-metal last fifty pages of the book and our predictions for where the story goes in the final book. 

Also: stick around for one of the show's funniest gags post-credits!

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 the next book club, Jeff Zentner's The Serpent King? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

Continuing our spooky theme for the month, we're checking out the 50 minute special, which finds Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn locked in the Haunted Mansion along with a bevy of (undead) stars.

Mega Muppets fan Brenna  walks novice Joe through the brand's plush history before the discussion turns to the new special. We discuss Rizzo vs Pepe, confusion about Taraji P. Henson's character, the split narrative and fan service, as well as Disney's trust issues and how it informs (or alters) the creative process.

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.