RazzleFrat

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we’re almost done morphing into full-on moody bitch mode as fall descends, PSLs in hand. We chat fall prep, Gilmore Girls rewatch szn, and, of course, Dead Poets. We cover everything from how Todd and Neil are in love (change our minds) to the symbolism of Walt Whitman to the anger and restrictions of adolescence. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

TW: Discussion of a fictional character's suicide.

Books mentioned this episode:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

The Apology by Jimin Han

The Invisible Man by HG Wells

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Billionaires’ Row by Katherine Clarke

Dead Poets Society by Nancy Kleinbaum

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

Haunting on Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week Allie is in the throes of fever dreams and Ashtin is packing her fall schedule to stave off The Void™. So, we’re obviously THRIVING and totally qualified to be your pretend professors. We chat through our favorite campus novels and discuss what books we’d assign if we were your English teachers. Don’t worry, we’d never be allowed near an actual classroom. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

Books mentioned this episode:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huong

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

The Handmaid’s Tale by Magaret Atwood

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Bunny by Mona Awad

The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

If We Were Villains by ML Rio

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Dead Poets Society by NH Kleinbaum

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we break down our August book club pick, The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor. Taylor gives us a ton to talk about in less than 300 pages, including art, identity, monogamy, queerness, class, and more. Also, lots of relatable existential crises. Like, a lot. We love to see (read) it. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

Books mentioned this episode:

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

House of Cotton by Monica Brashears

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Five Tuesdays In Winter by Lily King

In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

If this Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin 

John Dies At The End Series by Jason Pargin

This Bird Has Flown by Susannah Hoffs

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

Nobody, Somebody, Anybody by Kelly McClorey

Goodbye, Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we embrace how easily we—okay, mostly Ashtin—are influenced by the BookTok machine and tell you whether some of the most popular books on the platform are worth the hype. BUT we also have some hidden gems up our sleeves. Next time we’re discussing The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor and hope you’ll join us for the “Sally Rooney but in Iowa” vibes. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

Books mentioned this episode:

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers

Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

All the Gold Stars by Rainesford Stauffer

A Life of One’s Own by Joanna Biggs

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale

Eragon series by Christopher Paolini

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

All The Lovers In the Night by Mieko Kawakami

Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week while the world burns (thanks, SCOTUS), Allie’s got her running groove back, Ashtin’s back from Maine, and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is imminent. Then we discuss which Barbie we’d like to be—and which ones we actually are. Also, a sneak peek at our most anticipated reads of fall 2023! Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

Books mentioned this episode:
Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

The Cruel Prince (Folk of Air Series) by Holly Black

Wicked King & Queen of Nothing (Cruel Prince Series) by Holly Black

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers

Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Family Meal by Bryan Washington

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

The Furies by Lauren Groff

Lot by Bryan Washington

Memorial by Bryan Washington

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

Rouge by Mona Awad

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez

The Power by Naomi Alderman

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

All the Gold Stars by Rainesford Stauffer

House of Cotton by Monica Brashears

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week Allie’s back from the Catskills and Ashtin’s freaked out about the lost (now found) Titanic submarine. Then—after stalling for as long as possible—we FINALLY finish our Infinite Jest discussion and banish him from our reading lives. Did we enjoy this read? Questionable. Will we be bragging about having finished this brick? Absolutely. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

TW: discussion of suicide

Article mentioned in this episode: 

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/05/how-to-read-infinite-jest 

Books mentioned this episode:

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

Fourth Wing by Rececca Yarros

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, we’re the dog in the meme saying “this is fine” as the world literally burns and covers NYC in toxic orange smoke. And, because we’re masochists, apparently, we rub salt in the wound by discussing the first half of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. As it turns out, the behemoth has some interesting insights, but we need whomever called it “uproariously funny” to be so fucking for real. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

TW: discussion of suicide

Article mentioned in this episode: 

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/05/how-to-read-infinite-jest 

Plot Summary video mentioned in this episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPgANelYih0

Books mentioned this episode:

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Emma Straub (author)

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Fourth Wing by Rececca Yarros

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

The Body by Bill Bryson

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, we’re entering our artsy-girl summer era, Allie is about to complete another Gilmore Girls lap, and Ashtin is steeped in dreadful anticipation waiting for the Succession series finale. Then, the latest installment of everyone’s favorite game, Allie-and-Ashtin-don’t-communicate-so-this-game-has-two-very–different-sets-of-rules! And, as a bonus, we also take a Jane Austen fictional soulmate quiz via Buzzfeed (including walking you through visuals on this audio only platform). Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

Quiz Mentioned in this episode: 

Quiz Find Out Which Jane Austen Character Is Actually Your Fictional Soulmate

Books mentioned this episode:

Emma by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Celeste Ng (Author)

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

The Briar U series by Elle Kennedy

The A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas

Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Underground by Will Hunt

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

JD Salinger (Author)

Toni Morrison (Author)

Leo Tolstoy (Author)

Beach Read by Emily Henry

The Body by Bill Bryson

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, Ashtin is devastated that she finished ACOTAR but she’ll soldier through it, somehow, and Allie braved the Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl in the pouring rain. Then we dive into our latest adaptation watch—Passing! We talk about its fealty to the book, the stunning cinematography, and *that* ending. We’ve discussed the book at length in “Chapter 6: I’m a Slut for That Book,” so we recommend tuning in there first. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

Articles Mentioned in this episode: 

She Lit: ‘Passing’ Cast Members Discuss Differences Between Novel and Film in Netflix Book Club

Slate : How Netflix’s Passing Differs From the Classic Book

Video Conversation with Actors and Director

Books mentioned this episode:

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

Everything I Learned I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin

Passing by Nella Larson

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, Ashtin is still hurtling through the ACOTAR universe and dreading the impending book hangover she’ll have at the end, and Allie is cultured AF with concerts and Broadway shows. Then we compare our reading tastes as children to the most popular books of the time and, in a shocking non-upset, we find out that we were always… this way. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat

Yearly Lists Mentioned in this episode: 

Redbook Children’s List 1999-2006

GoodReads 2007

GoodReads 2008

GoodReads 2009

GoodReads 2010

GoodReads 2011

GoodReads 2012

GoodReads 2013

GoodReads 2014

Books mentioned this episode:

Sarah Dessen (author)

Roald Dahl (author)

Stephen King (author)

PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han 

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Forever by Judy Blume

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan

All’s Well by Mona Awad

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Marvin K Mooney Will You Please Go Now by Dr. Seuss

The Amber Spyglass by Phillp Pullman

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Junie B Jones by Barbara Park

Amelia Tells All by Marissa Moss

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

The Nightingale by Jerry Pinkney

Geronimo Stilton series by Elisabetta Demi

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osbourne

The Doll People by Anne M. Martin

The People Could Fly: The Picture Book by Leo and Diane Dillion

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor

Ink Heart by Cornelia Funke

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle 

Stargirl by Jerri Spinelli

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

I Am the Wallpaper by Mark Peter Hughes

Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5) by Richelle Mead

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4) by Cassandra Clare

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Insurgent (Divergent, #2) by Veronica Roth

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Matched by Ally Condie

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth 

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Anna Karenina by Tolstoy