Librarian and raconteur Bill Householder has read a lot of books, but the ones he read as a nerdy teen have stuck with him all along, and the dashing, roguish hero of some of those books is "Slippery" Jim diGriz, aka the Stainless Steel Rat. Revisit the silver age of SFF with Bill and Jenn, and for the love of everything shiny, don't soil your caftan!

Connect with Bill on Twitter @dobidox

Connect with us on Instagram: @RJSpirko

Buy the Stainless Steel Rat books via our Bookshop.org List!

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

It's' a holiday bonus episode! Before they were (formally) RJ Spirko, Rob and Jenn made a short-lived podcast called "Are We Too Old For This?" And this, the debut of that podcast, has a special theme. Enjoy this break from our format and hear the Spirkos extol the virtues of Jenn's favorite Christmas show, "The Year Without a Santa Claus." (And yes, there will be singing. Sort of.)

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Holiday transition music by SoulProdMusic via Pixabay

Find guest co-host Rob Spirko on Facebook and on Instagram.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

Artist John Moses introduces us to his favorite character, The Fool, from Robin Hobb's Seven Duchies books. The Fool is also one of Jenn's favorite characters, too! He's complicated and fascinating, sometimes charming and sometimes difficult. Please stay out of his private room, please don't question him too severely, but please let him into your heart nonetheless.

John Moses on Instagram: @john__moses

Buy Robin Hobb's books via our Bookshop.org List!

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

In celebration of Children's Book Week, Jenn asked a bunch of children (ranging in age from 4 to 12) about their favorite characters! Thanks to Cora, Graham, Annalise, Julian, Dominic, Lilliana and Barbara, and to Youth Services Librarian Chelsea Tarwater.

Find Pippi, Agatha, Ivy, Junie, Frowley, Moonwatcher, Alcatraz and more in our Bookshop.org affiliate shop, along with all the other characters we've heard about! bookshop.org/shop/rjspirko

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

Graphic Designer Beth Hall introduces us to her favorite amphibian, er, character: Toad, from the delightful Arnold Lobel "Frog and Toad" stories. Toad is chaotic; he's irascible; he is all of us.

Bird in a Hat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birdinahat_branding/

Shop Bird in a Hat designs: https://www.redbubble.com/people/BirdinaHat/shop

Buy Arnold Lobel's books via our Bookshop list!

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

Actor and model Gray Casterline whisks us away to Faerie in pursuit of their favorite character, Oberon, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Gray's website: https://www.graycasterline.com/

Connect with Gray on TikTok: @going_batty https://www.tiktok.com/@going_batty

Buy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and related books via our Bookshop list bookshop.org/shop/rjspirko!

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

Poet, editor and educator Erin Elizabeth Smith takes us down the original rabbit hole after Alice, her favorite character.

Buy Erin's book, "Down": https://books-by-erin-elizabeth-smith.square.site/product/down/3?cs=true&cst=custom

Erin's website: http://www.sundresspublications.com/erin/

Erin's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundresserin/

Buy "Alice's Acventures in Wonderland" and related books via our Bookshop list! bookshop.org/shop/rjspirko

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

Steve's website: https://sablodgett.com/

Steve's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sablodgett/

Buy "Dracula" via our Bookshop list!

Intro and Outro music by PunchDeck. Find them on SoundCloud.

Special thanks to Scott Rust for our intro and outro.

Jenn chats with esthetician and podcaster Lea Yoder about her favorite character, Susannah Dean from "The Dark Tower." Get the book series in our Bookshop lists!

Find Lea:

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leawhymua/

As co-host of "Be Gay Do Piracy," an "Our Flag Means Death" fancast: https://sites.libsyn.com/410318

Connect with us on Instagram: RJ Spirko

Intro and Outro music by Punch Deck: Find them on Sound Cloud

Special thanks to Scott Rust for the spoken intro and outro!

Jenn chats with her co-author, Rob Spirko, about his favorite character, Corwin of Amber, from the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny.

Find the book on our Bookshop.org lists! https://bookshop.org/shop/RJSpirko

Find us on Instagram: RJSpirko

Intro and Outro music by Punch Deck

Special thanks to Scott Rust for the Intro and Outro!