Hearts & Daggers

Summary: Happy Holidays, folks! To start year 3 of Hearts & Daggers with a bang, we are launching a brand-new special miniseries that is sure to delight Hearts and Daggers readers alike.

We have both been reading the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, a mutual favorite author who we celebrated in a previous LoveFest episode. We're excited to share that we will be releasing monthly special episodes in which we debrief on each book as we go throughout the series.

We encourage you to read along with us throughout the year–or at whatever point you're jumping into these episodes–and enjoy our reactions, speculations, and gushing as we explore this new fantastical world.

The first episode will air in January and they'll continue to drop each month until we finish the series.

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Welcome home, friends! Join Holly and Devin today as they discuss books that feature a return to our roots, to going back where we came from (for better or worse). Devin highlights that this trope is common and effective in romances - Hallmark and Lifetime use it constantly. Holly shares that thrillers remind the reader that "home" isn't always cozy and safe but can be the source of trauma and horrors to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

Topics Discussed:

• The Dagger (3:40): Holly discussed Sundial by Catriona Ward, a novel following Rob, a woman who has it all - a husband, two children and a nice house in the suburbs. At least, that's how it looks on paper. After discovering that her husband is cheating on her with her only friend and feeling increasingly worried for her daughter Callie's bizarre behaviors, Rob seeks answers at Sundial, the remote desert ranch where Rob grew up. Holly's key takeaways were:

• This novel explores the theme of nature vs. nurture, both in humans and animals. What makes us who we are, and how much can human intervention modify and control the choices we make? The setting in the Mojave desert doubles down on this exploration, portrayed as a brutal, hungry animal waiting to be fed.

• Ward keeps us back on our heels through the novel with alternating timelines and POVs; we follow Rob and Callie in the present day, but also see Rob of the past and her childhood at Sundial. We are left feeling distrustful of everyone and unsure which story we can rely on.

• Rob's return home and Callie's introduction to Rob's fraught past is a major factor in this novel; we are privy to the present day experience of Rob coming back to Sundial, but we also move back in time to learn what happened there when she and her sister Jack were growing up, particularly the events surrounding their late teens.

• The Heart (17:17): Devin discussed Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake as we follow the titular character from the life she's fought hard to build in New York City back to her hometown of Bright Falls for her step-sister's wedding. As a professional photographer, she'd normally reject the opportunity outright but the five-figure paycheck sways her. Once there, she meets her sister's friend Claire and decides that the entire two-week extravaganza would be more fun with some flirtation. Delilah ends up with way more than she bargains for and so does the reader. Devin's key takeaways were:

• Even with Astrid, Delilah's cold and perfectionistic step sister, a lot of this book is about finding your voice and learning how to stand for what you need and want, with boundaries and sharing feelings etc. whether in romantic partnerships or platonic friendships.

• The first of a three book series, this novel is a sapphic romance and is very fantastically steamy; Herring Blake focuses her talents on not just sexy moments but hot dialogue to make even the most seasoned romance reader blush. As queer romances go, this one is a fantastic representation of real queer community and intimacy.

• The chaos and stress of going home, facing triggers head-on and the complicated family dynamics between Claire and her ex husband all build to the sense that this whole exercise is tough for everyone, but also worthwhile to build a better future for everyone involved.

• Hot On the Shelf (37:09):

• Devin: A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

• Holly: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (40:46):

• Devin: Boygenius (especially Julien Baker)

• Holly: The Crown, Season 6 Part 1

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: It's time for another awesome LoveFest with Devin and Holly! This week they discuss Swedish author extraordinaire, Fredrik Backman. Known globally for his stories full of heart, redemption, and seeking meaning in the hardest parts of life, he's been a long-time favorite of both hosts. He sheds light on octogenarians and children, the ignored and the marginalized in his writing and brings would-be villains into a gentle light. We love rooting for all his characters!

Topics Discussed:

• Background (4:39): Backman debuted with A Man Called Ove in 2012 and lives in Sweden with his wife and two children; Holly and Devin discuss how they discovered his work and stand-out aspects of his writing.

• Curmudgeon Book Discussion (10:59):

• A Man Called Ove: After his wife's death, Ove decides life isn't worth living. But life has a funny way of pulling you back in and with a colorful and caring cast of characters, this grump discovers just how much there is to live for.

• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry: After the death of her sole caretaker and grandmother, Elsa is left with a series of letters addressed to residents of their apartment building. The adventure she goes on to deliver them opens up Elsa's world and reveals a community she never thought she had.

• Britt-Marie Was Here: A sequel to "My Grandmother…" this novel hones in on the strict, cleanliness- and rules-focused character Britt-Marie as she leaves her unfaithful husband and tries to rebuild her life in the decrepit town of Borg. There, she uncovers that the colorful inhabitants of the town are much more than meets he eye and that perhaps, sometimes, mess is ok.

• Recent Book Discussion (26:02):

• And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: This tear-jerker focuses on loss, aging, and dementia as three generations of men confront the decline of the grandfather.

• Anxious People: Following a failed robbery attempt at a cashless bank in a small Swedish town, this novel examines what happens when strangers become entwined in a hilarious hostage situation and compassion and vulnerability win the day.

• Beartown Series (35:20):

• A three-book series (Beartown, Us Against You, The Winners), Backman explores a tiny community in a frozen north-Sweden forest that revolves around it's hockey teams. His magnum opus, these stories follow the junior ice hockey team, it's coaches, players, and parents, as they struggle to survive trauma, a declining economy, and other challenges. Trigger warning for sexual assault.

• Hot On the Shelf (51:54):

• Devin: Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

• Holly: Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (55:30):

• Devin: David Sedaris Live Reading at CU Boulder

• Holly: Killers of the Flower Moon movie (you can check out the book here!)

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Pour yourself a mug of warm cider and snuggle under a blanket for this week's episode - we're hanging out in cabins in the woods! Is the wind outside a soothing background to a great makeout session or the cover for clomping feet coming to get us? One thing we're sure of - our hearts sure are racing whenever protagonists end up in rural cabins. Devin and Holly agree that while the outcomes of the stories in their respective wheelhouses differ, the allure is the same - isolated, cozy, and full of the unknown.

Topics Discussed:

• The Heart (2:31): Devin discussed The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller, a novel following Boston-based pastry chef Olivia Rawlings and she escapes a professional disaster by moving to a tiny Vermont town called Guthrie. Once there, she is hired to work at the Sugar Maple Inn by the owner, Margaret, who has her own apple-pie agenda, thrusting Livvy into a tiny community that makes a big impact on her life. Devin's key takeaways were:

• Livvy and the other characters in this novel all have their own ambitions, goals, and hang-ups. Some may seem silly on the surface (winning a pie baking contest) but are much more profound once you dig in. This story counteracts the assumptions we make about small towns and reminds us that community, whatever the size, makes us who we are.

• The descriptions of food in this novel are some of the best I've seen and rival Louise Penny. The sugar, the bread, the kitchen Livvy bakes in every morning and the way she approaches new recipes with us experiencing each ingredient makes this cozy novel delicious as well.

• Vermont as the setting also amplifies the cozy happy energy of the story; there's line dancing, small bars, a tiny sugar cabin Livvy moves into that has a woodstove, so many blankets and smells of pine and nature. Every season described is idyllic and enjoyable, even aside from the plot!

• The Dagger (16:37): Holly discussed In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt, a historical fiction suspense book set in colonial New England that follows a woman, Goody, who leaves her husband and son for the day to pick berries. She finds herself venturing deeper and deeper into the woods and stumbles upon a house - and much, much more. Holly's key takeaways were:

• This novel is lyrical but concise and reminded Holly of T.S. Elliott poems; the woods act as a symbol for freedom and dreams, for example. There's tension between the woods, where women can be wild and free, and fear of that from the uptight rules of religion and Goody's society.

• The reader encounters many eerie and unknown things through this story; a deep well, a living ship made of human bones, butchering pigs, and "swallowing screams" are a short list. The setting in the woods and in rural cabins gives us a sense of creeping unknown and begs the question - are things what they seem?

• A central theme of the story is womanhood and exploring the archetypes of being a woman; Hunt explores how women in history have been limited, abused, and subjugated to the rule of them through the guise of religion. Goody must break out of her traditional roles and learn to rely on the women she encounters who try to help; no one else will.

• Hot On the Shelf (37:31):

• Holly: Linghun by Ai Jiang

• Devin: The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (40:37):

• Holly: Lupin Part 3 on Netflix

• Devin: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Get those reading glasses on and join us for some extra nerdy energy this week, friends! Holly and Devin discuss Modern Classics today - those works post World War II that created pivot points in the cannon for the Thriller and Romance genres. In this era, ideas about race, gender and class are shifting as readers broadened their understanding of an interconnected world. Sexual liberation and violent horrors that had previously been viewed as outrageous become commonplace, so of course both our hosts have a blast this episode!

Topics Discussed:

• The Dagger (3:02): Holly discussed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, a Nordic crime fiction novel following Mikael Blomkvist (journalist and publisher) and Lisbeth Salander (a computer hacker) as they investigate the disappearance of a woman 40 years ago. Together, Blomkvist and Salander uncover the secrets of the woman's family through the darkest corners of Swedish society. Holly's key takeaways were:

• The novel delves into themes of violence, sexual abuse, and family secrets. It explores how individuals and families can hide dark and painful truths, often at great cost including corruption and financial malfeasance.

• Lisbeth is a central character who represents female empowerment; her intelligence, resilience and capacity for self-defense are key elements in the story. Larsson explores issues of gender and the societal treatment of women.

• This novel had a significant cultural impact and made important contributions to the mystery and thriller genres. Specifically, the complex female protagonist, darker themes, moral ambiguity and critique of society are now common in the genre, begun by Larsson in 2005.

• The Heart (20:31): Devin discussed The Lion's Daughter by Loretta Chase, a bodice-ripper romance from 1992 following the fiery-haired and -tempered Esme Brentmore as she works to avenge her father's (supposed) murder, entangled all the way with the scoundrel and handsome rake, Varian St. George. They roam the country of Albania as fiendish plots and unspoken feelings bring them together and threaten to tear them apart. Devin's key takeaways were:

• This novel and others by Chase are part of the bodice-ripper romance era (think: woman in silk dress laid sensually in a field with her blouse exposing ample cleavage). Bodice Rippers are known for "exotic" locations, sexually explicit material, heroines with careers outside of housewife/mother who are also virginal yet fierce and handsome alpha males bent on seducing and dominating that woman.

• Chase brings all the above tropes to the table with the country of Albania as the background. Albanian herself, Chase adds a real air of authenticity to Esme, who was born and raised in Albania by her English father, Jason, and to many of the colorful side characters.

• The romance in this novel is filled with delightful tension (once you become aware that Esme is over 18 and there is therefore no statutory rape going on - yikes) and a lot of "I must have you" energy. Esme is witty, combative, and quick to anger. Varian is immature, selfish, and devastatingly charming (also known as a fuckboi).

• Hot On the Shelf (48:50):

• Holly: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

• Devin: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (53:09):

• Holly: Stray, the video game

• Devin: Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Welcome to (ripped out) Hearts and (wooden) Daggers, where today we discuss our fanged frenemies - vampires! Whether you enjoy Edward Cullen at the height of sparky, pop-culture vibes or Bram Stoker's original work, it's hard to top vampires when you think of the best monsters of spooky season. Holly and Devin both appreciate the way vampires are simultaneously sexy and alluring and also genuinely terrifying, and the books they bring today perfectly encapsulate that versatility.

Topics Discussed:

• The Heart (3:01): Devin discussed My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, a novel following Cassie Greenberg as she works to survive and thrive as an artist in Chicago. With a crazy limited budget and a "too good to be true" craigslist ad looking for a roommate, she meets Frederick J. Fitzwilliam - a vampire looking to blend into modernity. Devin's key takeaways were:

• Frederick as a vampire walks the line between a unique twist to fit into 2023 while holding to a lot of traditional vampiric traits - he cannot enter a building without being invited but he can go out into the sun.

• This spooky story has many of Devin's favorite romance tropes that any romance reader will enjoy sinking their teeth into (get it? *winks awkwardly*): arranged marriage, roommates/forced proximity, forbidden love, and "looks like they could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll" to name a few.

• While the focal point remains Cassie and Frederick throughout, the cast of supporting characters and the multimedia narrative approach (featuring text threads, emails, diary entries etc.) add colorful dimensions that really make this romance come to life.

• The Dagger (24:35): Holly discussed Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, a historical horror romance novel set in 1840s Medico. We follow 13 year-old Nena as she and her vaquero friend Nestor decide to find buried silver in a place where little lights gleam up from the ground - legend says it was left by a Spanish explorer and could hold the key to Nena's freedom from arranged marriage. Nothing goes according to plan, though, and the disastrous night they go to search leaves too much unresolved. Holly's key takeaways were:

• The vampires in this book are represented as actual monstrous creatures: gray skin, no eyes, mouths full of sharp teeth. Cañas also leaves the reader to contemplate on the vampiric nature of the colonialist Anglos who haunt the communities and suck them dry of everything the locals have built and grown.

• There is a surprising amount of romance in this book! A great middle ground for Hearts & Daggers listeners alike. Nena's fight to choose her own life and get out from under her volatile father's thumb is accentuated by a high-stakes romance that builds tensions throughout.

• The gothic, Mexican west atmosphere of the novel fits perfectly for the plot and the monsters you'll encounter; Cañas infuses a lot of descriptions of the chaparral (scrublands that exist between ranchos and towns) with the storytelling and lore sharing by Nena's abuela and the rancho's curandera (healer).

• Hot On the Shelf (43:56):

• Devin: You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

• Holly: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (49:35):

• Devin: The season of Autumn

• Holly: A Haunting in Venice

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Welcome to Spooky Season, friends! Holly and Devin kick their favorite time of year off with a real bang today discussing books with serial killers. One host avoids true crime and scary stories at all costs - the other host has never felt more at home than in October vibes. Both hosts agree that that national obsession with serial killers acts as both an exploration into the muddy waters of human nature and a genuinely helpful protective mechanism for cis and trans women who need to be on their guard. Join us for some lighthearted fun about more than one murder!

Topics Discussed:

• The Dagger (3:17): Holly discussed All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby, a detective procedural following Titus Crown, the first Black sheriff of Charon County, as he responds to a call about a shooting at a local school and then must confront a reeling community and the fact that the true threat is still at large - a serial killer hiding in plain sight. Holly's key takeaways were:

• While sometimes plot is enough, S.A. Cosby's writing is phenomenal in this book, filled with with the kinds of delightful and original turns of phrase common in Southern speaking; he even names the county after the figure who ferries souls across the Rivers Styx and Acheron into the underworld in Greek mythology.

• Racism and hatred that exists bubbling under the surface, or on the surface at times, of this town and community. Titus must confront his own role and place in racial dynamics as a Black man but also as a law enforcement officer; he is met with hatred by both Black and white members of the community as he seeks to understand what "right" is.

• The cat-and-mouse game between Titus and the serial killer explores how things may not be what they seem - which is also reflected in the religious community. Cosby explores the choices people can make and how bad people can still do good things - they just prefer to do bad things more.

• The Heart (20:30): Devin discussed Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson, a novel following PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh as she spends a summer in Florida cleaning out her childhood home after her estranged father's passing. Things escalate quickly when she becomes convinced that the next door neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer. Devin's key takeaways were:

• Thompson highlights the very real (but slightly exaggerated) feelings across many cis and trans women of fearing cis men, especially men they don't know or trust, and how knowing everything about Ted Bundy is actually a mechanism by which they protect themselves from very real danger.

• At twelve, Phoebe's parents divorced and she and her brother Connor (he was five at the time) essentially picked sides and were subsequently raised by different parents; in returning to Florida, Phoebe must confront her past, her trauma, and her defense mechanisms that keep her from vulnerability that might unlock the door to real romantic love.

• This novel explores confirmation bias and what assumptions can do to our sense of selves and our relationships. Phoebe makes a lot of assumptions about Sam, who he is and what he cares about, and Thompson shows the reader the importance of uncovering truth.

• Hot On the Shelf (40:10):

• Devin: On Beauty by Zadie Smith

• Holly: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (44:46):

• Devin: What We Do in the Shadows Season 5 on Hulu

• Holly: Big Fish

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Grab your beakers and your wolverine traps - Holly and Devin are talking biologists today! The more specific our themes get, the more fascinating we find the comparisons between books in our wheelhouses get; both books have a heavy focus on women in STEM and making careers in male-dominated fields, but while one gets your blood pumping with a fake dating trope, the other has your hackles up with the scent of murder. Overall, books featuring biologists and other scientists are entering the zeitgeist in a real way - with "Cli-fi" (climate change disaster fiction) and "women in STEM" rich ground for the modern writer.

Topics Discussed:

• The Heart (2:10): Devin discussed The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, a STEM-y (get it?) story following third-year PhD candidate Olive Smith as she navigates her career and convincing her best friend Anh that she's over her ex so that Anh will finally cave and date him herself. To prove that Anh has the green light, Ali decides to show and not tell by kissing the first man she sees - who unfortunately happens to be Adam Carlsen, the hotshot professor who is notorious for his scathing feedback and relentlessly high expectations in the department. Devin's key takeaways were:

• The fake dating trope has never been more delicious to read; Adam needs to prove to his department head that he's putting down roots and not planning to leave the university so his research funds get released, and Olive is desperate to help her friend find her own happy ending.

• Hazelwood confronts some very real, very upsetting realities for women working in STEM and navigating careers when internal politics, sexism, and unfair power dynamics create barriers at every stage; yes this is a romance, but it's also an accurate and incisive look at what blocks success for anyone that isn't a cis man in the sciences.

• This book features Hazelwood's now trademark steaminess; Adam Carlsen reminds Devin of a brooding, cinnamon-roll-on-the-inside Adam Driver (so, basically, just Adam Driver); if you're looking for a sexy, tension-filled romance balanced out by real science, this book is for you.

• The Dagger (18:27): Holly discussed A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson, a thriller that starts with a bang as protagonist Alex Carter almost dies at an event celebrating the completion of a recent conservation project to protect wetlands near Boston; someone has brought a gun to the event and opens fire. Saved at the last second, Alex decides to recover by taking a job studying wolverines in Montana. To Holly's delight, the research takes place at a creepy, rundown old ski resort. Her key takeaways were:

• There is a heavy sprinkling of important (and real, Holly should know from her work at the Audubon society) wildlife conservation issues; Henderson explores not only wolverines interacting with their environment but the importance of native plants and programs collaborating with farmers and ranchers to help protect birds and other wildlife.

• Amidst the science, Alex is nearly driven off the road and spies footage in a wolverine trap camera of a badly injured man out in the snow; tension builds as time runs out to get to the bottom of what really is going on - all while still confronting lingering questions about what happened with the shooting in Boston.

• While this is a rock solid thriller, it wasn't the most memorable Holly has read. Many of the male main characters felt interchangeable and became hard to follow at times. If you're looking for a plot-heavy environmental thriller, A Solitude of Wolverines is worth a shot (winks awkwardly).

• Hot On the Shelf (38:39):

• Devin: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

• Holly: The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (43:27):

• Devin: Good Omens Season 2 on Amazon Prime

• Holly: Only Murders in the Building Season 3 on Hulu

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Howdy, neighbor! Join Holly and Devin today as they discuss a theme that catalyzes some of the most intense plotlines in both their wheelhouses; who is sexier and/or creepier than your neighbor? They agree that the tropes in both horror/thriller and romance stories featuring neighbors are some of their favorites. Stick around at the end for some *spoilers* on Holly's book that blew Devin's mind!

Topics Discussed:

• The Dagger (3:57): Holly discussed The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, a horror novel following Ted Bannerman - the classic creepy neighbor. He lives alone with his cat, Olivia, in a dilapidated house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Visited by his daughter, Lauren, and with perspectives shifting between them, a neighbor Dee, and the cat Olivia (you read that right), this novel explores what it means to be a neighbor, and to know (or not) yours. Holly's key takeaways were:

• This novel examines the impact of traumatic events on individuals' perceptions, behaviors, and mental well-being. Ward delves into how psychological trauma can distort memories and influence actions, including the nature of reality.

• Much of what you can expect from this book is disturbing; the author taps into fears and anxieties of the characters and the reader to create an unsettling atmosphere and unshakeable sense of unease.

• The unreliable narrators contribute to the suspense and ambiguity of the story; nothing in the book is what it seems - the reader is presented with perspectives that shift and befuddle.

• The Heart (18:18): Devin discussed The Switch by Beth O'Leary, a novel that follows Leena Cotton and her 79-year-old grandmother, Eileen, as they switch houses for two months. After a panic attack and subsequent sabbatical from work, Leena needs a change of pace and is looking for a quieter life than her bustling experience in London. Eileen is newly single, about to turn eighty, and ready to mingle. Devin's key takeaways were:

• While this novel is definitely a romance (for both Leena and Eileen), we also witness important and equally transformative platonic and familial relationships; our protagonists redefine their relationship through the novel and come to a deeper understanding of each other as they live each other's lives.

• One of the main themes O'Leary teases out is self-discovery at any age; whether you're about to be 30 or about to be 80, there is more to uncover about who you are, what you want, and where you want your life to go.

• Unlike many romances, The Switch has octogenarian representation and intergenerational connections; as a reader we get to experience well-rounded characters in multiple generations who come together to grow and learn from each other.

• Hot On the Shelf (36:17):

• Holly: The Master Key by Masako Togawa

• Devin: Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (40:42):

• Holly: Taylor Swift (Holly came out as a Swiftie)

• Devin: Heartstopper Season 2

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Summer is coming to a close and academia is back on our minds. Welcome to our fourth LoveFest, where Holly and Devin talk about Jane Austen for literally longer than they've ever spoken about anything on the podcast before. Born in 1775, Austen received a home-based education and began writing in her teens. Her novels were published anonymously during her short life; she died in 1817 at age 41 of what modern physicians believe to be Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Her six novels, though, have endured for centuries and are recognized especially for their wit, humor, and keen social commentary.

Topics Discussed:

• Sense and Sensibility (13:09):

• Elinor and Marianne Dashwood teach the reader via their contrasting approaches to love that a successful romance requires both logic and passion; Holly's introduction to Austen and a mutual favorite

• Adaptations: 1995 film ft Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, and Harriet Walter. 2008 BBC Miniseries ft. Dan Stevens, Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield.

• Pride & Prejudice (25:53):

• This novel is the foundation of what we think of as a romance book and is still the template some 200+ years later; Lizzie Bennet is a heroine for the ages and Darcy one of the best romantic leads in all of literature.

• Adaptations: 1995 BBC Miniseries ft. Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. 2005 Joe Wright film ft. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen

• Emma (39:43):

• Emma Woodhouse goes from playing matchmaking games and meddling in the lives of her friends and acquaintances to realizing she has to mature to earn the proper match of her own in this hilarious, witty novel; Mister Knightley is a favorite of both Holly and Devin.

• Adaptations: 1995 film Clueless ft. Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash and Brittany Murphy, 2009 BBC miniseries ft. Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller, 2020 film ft. Anya Taylor Joy and Johnny Flynn

• Mansfield Park (49:01):

• Following one of the harder heroines to love and root for, Fanny, the reader journeys through all kinds of tomfoolery and propriety transgressions on their way to a happy ending in Austen's least-loved novel (for Holly and Devin, at least); key themes of class differences, privilege, and morality add meaning.

• Adaptations: Don't bother.

• Northanger Abbey (1:01:13):

• It's a teenage dream for the reader as we follow Catherine Morland through her summer in Bath as she discovers herself, the meaning of true and false friendships, and ultimately - love (with a side of melodrama and a "murder investigation"); Austen pokes fun at the Gothic novels so popular at the time.

• Adaptations: 2007 Northanger Abbey TV miniseries featuring Felicity Jones

• Persuasion (1:11:36):

• In her final work, we follow Austen's oldest protagonist (27, gasp!) Anne Elliot, who had forsaken her love of Frederick Wentworth years ago after pressure from her family about his status. The reader explores the power of love, of self-advocacy, and not bending to societal pressure while rooting enthusiastically for Anne and Wentworth alike. If you want more details on this novel, check out Episode 17, Classics.

• Adaptations: 1995 film ft. Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root, 2007 film ft. Sally Hawkins, 2022 film ft. Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis (skip unless you want a laugh)

• Hot On the Shelf (1:18:58):

• Devin: With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson

• Holly: Let Him In by William Friend

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (1:21:37):

• Devin: Barbie

• Holly: Oppenheimer

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.