In this episode Cori is joined by Tara and Cade to dive into the world of spooky books and horror literature as they share their personal experiences, favorite reads, and recommendations for the Halloween season. They discuss their scare tolerances, the first books that gave them the creeps, and their all-time favorite spooky reads.

A little late for this Halloween, but it's never too early to start building the 2025 horror TBR!

BOOKS MENTIONED

Shattered by Dean Koontz

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Never Whistle at Night by Various Authors

Salem's Lot by Stephen King

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts

The Silver Coin by Various Authors

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Come Closer by Sara Gran

To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger

In this episode Jordan is joined by OwlCrate founder Korrina and New York Times best selling author V.E. Schwab for the Keynote Address of OwlCrate-A-Con 2024.

The trio discuss the origins of their collaborations, dismantling the concept of "fantasy" and expanding your interests both as a reader and a creative. Victoria describes how her approach to writing has changed with success, the significance discovering her sexuality has had on her work and how her path through the industry has informed her creativity.

Date Recorded: August 17th, 2024

In this episode Jordan and Maggie are joined by New York Times Best Selling Author (and longtime OwlCrate collaborator) Carissa Broadbent. The trio discuss the themes and impact of "Serpent and the Wings of Night", what it means for a character to be morally gray, the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing and the excitement and surrealness of success in the book industry.

In this episode, Jordan and Cade explore the post-apocalyptic subgenre centered around their buddy reading of "Last Light" by Claire Kent. They share their favorite post-apocalyptic media, discuss the appeal of dystopian stories and debate how each would fare in an end of the world scenario.

They also share some big news as they reveal the submission process for the upcoming OwlCrate Press project, "Future States of Stars".

BOOKS MENTIONED

Last Light by Claire Kent

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

1984 by George Orwell

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Wool by Hugh Howey

The Four Horsemen Series by Laura Thalassa

Jordan and Maggie get together this week to look back on the recent OwlCrate-A-Con event. The duo touch on some of their favorite moments and inside jokes ("Butter" merch available soon!) plus offer a glimpse at some exciting future plans and projects.

The hosts are also briefly joined by Team OwlCrate member Tara to discuss the recent "Six of Crows" box and the challenges of curating items amid rights restrictions.

In this episode, Cori is joined by Amber from team OwlCrate to discuss Susan Dennard's "The Luminaries" and other monster themed books. The two go over their favorite moments, make a few predictions for the future installments and reveal which clan they each belong to (via the Luminerds quiz at https://luminerds.substack.com/p/which-clan-do-you-belong-to)

They also provide recommendations for other monster stories ranging from classic literature to high fantasy.

BOOKS MENTIONED

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

The Girl From the Other Side by Nagabe

Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

This week Jordan is joined by Maggie to gear up for OwlCrate-A-Con 2024, taking place August 16-17th!

The two go over the extensive panels and events planned for the weekend as well as reveal the many special guests due to attend.

OwlCrate-A-Con attendance is exclusive to members of the Nest, so be sure to join today for access to this special event!

EVENT SCHEDULE

Friday August 16th 6:45PM EST: YA Author Panel

Friday August 16th 8:00PM EST: Keynote: Soldier, Poet, King

Saturday August 17th 12:00PM EST: Keynote Guest V.E. Schwab

Saturday August 17th 1:15PM EST: Monsters in Masquerade Panel

Saturday August 17th 2:30PM EST: Artist Panel

Saturday August 17th 3:45PM EST: Contemporary Romance Panel

Saturday August 17th 5:00PM EST: Horror Panel

Saturday August 17th 6:15PM EST: Creator Panel

Saturday August 17th 7:30PM EST: Sci-Fi Panel

Saturday August 17th 8:45PM EST: Romantasy Panel

In this episode Maggie is joined by New York Times best selling author Adriana Mather for a remarkable conversation.

Adriana shares some amazing stories of her family connections to historical events ranging from the Salem witch trials to the sinking of the Titanic. They discuss her most recent work, "The Break Up Artists" and consider the necessity and comfort of genre tropes before going a little deeper into Adriana's evolving psychology of positivity -- shaped recently by some truly joyous news!

Don't skip this one if you missed it in the Nest!

Maggie is holding down the fort this week and she's joined by Sophie to discuss their passion for contemporary romance.

The two discuss their favorite tropes and trends, the sometimes misleading effects of "cartoon covers" on spicy stories, the perfect length for a "slow burn" romance and LOTS of recommendations. All this plus a small deviation on the popularity and history of golf in Scotland.

Given the topic the language is slightly saucier than our standard fare, so audience discretion is advised.

BOOKS MENTIONED

Business Casual by B.K. Borison

The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas

Daydream by Hannah Grace

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Collide by Bal Khabra

The Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang

Twisted Games by Ana Huang

Twisted Lies by Ana Huang

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

Windy City Series by Liz Tomforde

Fix-Her Upper by Erin St. James

Knockemout Series by Lucy Score

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Magnolia Parks by Jessica Hastings

Jordan is joined this week by Cade and Maggie to go over her first foray into thrillers. What starts as a book club gathering to discuss the recent novel "Middle of the Night" soon becomes an analysis of Riley Sager's entire body of work culminating in Maggie and Cade's rankings of all eight of his novels.

The trio also discuss some of their favorite tropes of the genre and the surprising cross-over that might exist between fantasy and thriller fans. Plus Jordan confesses to the crime of the century!

BOOKS MENTIONED

Riley Sager Novels

- Middle of the Night

- Final Girls

- The Last Time I Lied

- Survive the Night

- The House Across the Lake

- The Only One Left

- Lock Every Door

- Home Before Dark

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

The Last One by Will Dean

The Chamber by Will Dean

Razorblade Tears - S.A. Crosby

All the Sinners Bleed - S.A. Crosby

Blacktop Wasteland - S.A. Crosby