Shit We've Read

This month, we discuss Sunyi Dean's debut contemporary fantasy The Book Eaters, "a story of motherhood, sacrifice, and hope; of queer identity and learning to accept who you are; of gilded lies and the danger of believing the narratives others create for you.” Joining us once again is Sacramento multimedia artist Sarah Marie Hawkins. Listen in as we talk about Dean's creation of a new creature with in-depth lore, debate the technical definition of "cannibalism", and Jason tries to figure out if he even read the right book. 

Guest Host:
Sarah Marie Hawkins (she/her) is a queer API artist, photographer and curator based in Sacramento, CA. You can follow her on Instagram @artbysarahmarie.

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Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

The In-Between by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
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We are so excited to be joined once again, for this and all future SWR After Dark episodes, by ongoing After Dark co-host EmmaSkies. In this episode, Emma sits down with Jason and Bella for a spicy discussion of the monster romance Stalked by the Kraken, book one of the Monstrous Matches series by Lillian Lark. Listen in as we discuss the trifecta of Emma’s least favorite smutty tropes, we talk about how the MC needed therapy (not a penis), and Bella gets their soundboard privileges revoked.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode features a discussion of an adult-themed book and is intended for mature audiences only.

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Shit We've Read After Dark is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, Bella Romero, and EmmaSkies, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

Dark Hollows by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
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In this episode, Jason and Bella venture into another Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel, this time discussing her latest release, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau—"a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico." Listen in as we discuss the book’s commentary on race, colorism, and Western beauty standards, Bella ponders the age-old question, “Is there truly such a thing as a selfless act?”, and we announce our next After Dark book.

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Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson,, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

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It’s Pride Month and we’re celebrating by doing what we do best—reading a queer, YA novel featuring a custom VW van, a road trip across California, and a mystical adventure about a mysterious tarot deck. Joining us for this month’s discussion of Zachary Sergi’s Major Detours is Jessilee Windhaus, cofounder of local performing arts nonprofit, Empire Arts Collective. Listen in as we choose our own paths and share our thoughts on spirituality and mysticism, praise the casual queer representation in this book, and find out what makes us agree to fight to the death.

Guest Host:
Jessilee Windhaus (she/her) is a proud Sacramento native and twenty-year theatre and improv veteran who has trained with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Groundlings, and toured with the world-renowned Missoula Children’s Theatre. She currently runs the improv comedy program at Empire Arts Collective. You can find Empire Arts Collective on Facebook and follow them on Twitter & Instagram @empireartsco, and follow Jessilee on TikTok @jessileeinthehaus.

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Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

Space Ambience by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
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On this premiere episode of SWR After Dark, guest-host Emma Skies returns for a spicy discussion of the dark romance Desperate Measures by Katee Robert–the first novel in the Wicked Villains series. Listen in as we debate who's to blame for this episode, Jason explains how he once read an erotic series by accident, and Emma questions the logistics of how the main characters' sex scenes are happening back-to-back.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode features a discussion of an adult-themed book and is intended for mature audiences only.

Guest Host:
EmmaSkies is a Twitch streamer, cosplayer, co-host of BYLO Watch podcast, and a huge fan of fantasy books. You can follow her on Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @EmmaSkies, and her Bookstagram @BiblioSkies.

Connect with SWR: Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Facebook | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

Dark Hollows by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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We are absolutely thrilled to be joined by award-winning author Heather Walter to discuss her new novel Misrule. Listen as Walter chats with Jason, Bella, and EmmaSkies about the importance of normalizing queerness, we learn her process for going from an idea in the Notes app on her phone to a complete published novel, hear her theory on why we’re still so obsessed with fairy tales, and remind children not to commit arson.

Guest:
Heather Walter is the award-winning author of the Malice duology, including the new novel Misrule. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @heatherrwalter5.

Guest Host:
EmmaSkies is a Twitch streamer, cosplayer, co-host of BYLO Watch podcast, and a huge fan of fantasy books. You can follow her on Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @EmmaSkies, and her Bookstagram @BiblioSkies.

Connect with SWR: Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Facebook | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

Voice Of An Angel One by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
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We’re excited to be back for SEASON TWO of Shit We’ve Read with a special May the 4th/Star Wars Day premiere episode discussing Star Wars: Light of the Jedi, by Charles Soule, the first novel in the High Republic sub-era of the Star Wars universe. Laura, Jason, and new co-host Bella talk about how The High Republic series connects to Star Wars canon, what hyperspace is, reading vs listening to audio books, and discuss who the main protagonist/antagonist might be.

Connect with SWR: Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Facebook | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

Space Ambience by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We have a new co-host! Friend of the show, Bella Romero is joining us full-time and we couldn’t be more excited. If you’re a listener of the show, there’s a good chance you’ve already gotten to know them a bit, but we sat down with them to learn more about their favorite genres, what they do when not reading, and how Bella & Jason first became frenemies. Have a listen and then we’ll see you again in a couple of weeks for our Season Two premiere!

Connect with SWR: Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Facebook | Website
Request transcripts on our website: shitweveread.com/contact

Shit We've Read is hosted by Laura Benson, Jason Rico, and Bella Romero, with music by Joshua Chilton and editing by Jason Rico. This podcast is part of the BYLO Network. Visit BYLONetwork.com for more great geeky podcasts.

We’re closing out Season One of Shit We’ve Read with a discussion of Ashia Monet’s self-published debut novel, The Black Veins. Listen in as we describe this book as ‘X-Men with magic’, admit we’re both too dumb for hard science fiction, and Laura reveals why she would never try to write a book.

As a reminder, this is our last episode of Season One after which we will be taking a short hiatus to recharge and plan out Season Two. We’ll be back with new episodes (and some exciting surprises) starting in May! Follow us @ShitWeveRead on Instagram and Twitter for updates and announcements.

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This month, Jason is joined by new guest host Z LaFrance as well as a returning Bella Romero to discuss Ninth House, “the mesmerizing adult debut from Leigh Bardugo” about “power, privilege, dark magic, and murder set among the Ivy League elite.” Listen in as Jason finds out he may already be part of a cult, Z creates two brand new SWR segments—Which Character in This Book Would Be a Vampire? and Which Character in This Book is Gay?—and we ban the use of the word toilet.