This is the continuation of Episode 240. If you haven't listened to that, please go back and do so because otherwise this isn't going to make a ton of sense.

If you've ever wanted TBC to be a sleepy podcast to help you drift off into dreamland, you're in luck this episode and the next! Scribando worked really hard on this one but it is really just him retelling history, both real and imagined.

Our Patron Miles submitted this as his Patron's Choice this season saying, "This book was originally published online via the website Alternatehistory.com and then was later given an actual published release. Much like a lot of stories on that site, it's broken up into various segments detailing how things have changed leading up to a certain point. I suppose the best way to summarize this book is "What if Mussolini was Stalin?" Because he's very much still a dictator in this universe but he ends up becoming a US ally here and then rules for quite a while...I'll also say that this book contains a personal pet peeve of mine when it comes to alternate history, namely that the point of divergence, the moment where things truly become different, basically boils down to a moment that never happened in real life featuring people that didn't exist."

Now Miles has been a loyal patron and did try to keep to the roughly 350 page limit we have on requests for our sanity, since, well, when you go look at the physical copy on Amazon it sure seems like it's around that length. However, Terriblo had other plans. As a result, we're splitting this into two episodes so you heard the first half in Episode 240 and you'll hear the rest today.

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion of World War 2 and all associated atrocities. You know that big list of horrible shit that happened? It's in here. Sometimes double or triple!

RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

• alternatehistory.org

• https://reallifemag.com/considered-alternatives/

• https://www.alternatehistory.com/wiki/doku.php?id=timelines:timelines_and_scenarios

TBC is an AI-free production. Audio by Oselka Sound.

If you've ever wanted TBC to be a sleepy podcast to help you drift off into dreamland, you're in luck this episode and the next! Scribando worked really hard on this one but it is really just him retelling history, both real and imagined.

Our Patron Miles submitted this as his Patron's Choice this season saying, "This book was originally published online via the website Alternatehistory.com and then was later given an actual published release. Much like a lot of stories on that site, it's broken up into various segments detailing how things have changed leading up to a certain point. I suppose the best way to summarize this book is "What if Mussolini was Stalin?" Because he's very much still a dictator in this universe but he ends up becoming a US ally here and then rules for quite a while...I'll also say that this book contains a personal pet peeve of mine when it comes to alternate history, namely that the point of divergence, the moment where things truly become different, basically boils down to a moment that never happened in real life featuring people that didn't exist."

Now Miles has been a loyal patron and did try to keep to the roughly 350 page limit we have on requests for our sanity, since, well, when you go look at the physical copy on Amazon it sure seems like it's around that length. However, Terriblo had other plans. As a result, we're splitting this into two episodes so you'll hear the second half of this discussion in two weeks on Episode 241.

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion of World War 2 and all associated atrocities. You know that big list of horrible shit that happened? It's in here. Sometimes double or triple!

RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

• alternatehistory.org

• https://reallifemag.com/considered-alternatives/

• https://www.alternatehistory.com/wiki/doku.php?id=timelines:timelines_and_scenarios

TBC is an AI-free production. Audio by Oselka Sound.

We're back, we're sober, and another Boston book has appeared on our digital doorstep! Now That You Have Seen Me was submitted to the show by the author herself sometime over the last two years. Every once in a while it's fun to experience Boston-based fiction and it's been a little bit since we've dealt with an unreliable narrator, so we thought we'd take this for a spin this season.

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion or mention of drug use, severe mental illness, sex, and just a dash of racism and a pinch of some phobias we gotta' talk about a little bit.

TBC is an AI-free production. Audio by Oselka Sound.

At last, we give you the final episode in our alcohol-fueled quadrilogy. Our wonderful Patron Beastwiththeleast mailed us this book of their own free will. Thoroughly in debt to them and their glorious book packages, we selected this one for review this year especially for our dear Beast.

As we are far from being biblical scholars ourselves, we're desperately trying to summon Dan McClellan for an assist here to provide a fact check for our own sanity.

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion and consumption of alcohol (your hosts are intoxicated after sampling cocktails from the book we reviewed two episodes ago in your timeline, but have yet to record in ours) along with a whole lot of Christianity.

TBC is an AI-free production. Audio by Oselka Sound.

It's another alcohol-infused episode of TBC. Our long-time Ko-Fi Patron KiwiThing requested this book for 2026, so we were obliged to enter TRELLAND - the mishapen world that bubbled forth from a crucible of literary confusion, where popular video game franchises were melted down with Euopean fairytales and random writing exercises!

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion and consumption of alcohol (your hosts are intoxicated after sampling cocktails from the book we reviewed last episode in your timeline, but have yet to record in ours).

TBC is an AI-free production. Audio by Oselka Sound.

You've heard of feminism, right? ... you wanna' drink it?

You may recall us saying that we were a bit tipsy in the first episode of this season and would be for a whole four episodes in service to a later terrible book. Today, you meet that book.

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion and consumption of alcohol (your hosts are fairly intoxicated after sampling several cocktails from the book). Be forewarned that there's a big ol' vulnerable bummer section where we discuss the death of our family member from 1:54 - 12:49 before the episode properly beings at 12:50.

Bookbarella's Amaretto Surprise

For the mocktail version, simply omit the Disaronno

For a stronger drink, add 1 part of an orange liqueur (e.g. Grand Marnier)

• 1 part Disaronno
• 1 part freshly juiced orange (mandarin, clementine, - whatever you have)
• 1 part freshly juiced lemon
• 10 pomegranate arils (or however many your heart desires)
• 1/2 part pomegranate juice
• 6 oz. Polar seltzer flavor of choice (Cranberry Lime or any citrus flavor)
• Ice
• Optional Garnish: Twist of lemon and/or orange peel

1. Juice your orange and lemon
2. Fill a 12-20 oz. glass with 3-4 ice cubes
3. Pour the Disaronno, orange, lemon, and pomegranate juice over the ice and stir a few times to combine
4. Pour in enough seltzer to nearly fill the glass, leaving 1/2 inch of room
5. Add the pomegranate arils and optional garnish

What's your Terriblo recipe? Send us a message on IG, Tumblr, BlueSky, Patreon, Ko-Fi, or via email (terriblebookclub at gmail dot com).

TBC is an AI-free production. Audio by Oselka Sound.

It wouldn't be a new season of TBC without a Victorian visit from the Antiques Freaks! Dig your Carnacki Bingo cards out of storage and enjoy a live reading of The Story of the Beetle Hunter by Arthur Conan Doyle, all set to the impeccable scoring and sound design talents of Oselka Sound.

If you'd rather hear a properly acted, serious version of this story, please check out the Gothic Tales audio book narrated by Gary Furlong.

In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes irreverant and sexual humor and some bad Victorian ideas and opinions.

Scribando and Bookbarella return! We're a little tipsy for the first four episodes of the season in service to a future TBC episode, so this one is perhaps not our greatest season opener. We try and fail to do a little scientific thinking around particle and quantum physics and sing a fake song for your amusement, though, so there's that.

Special Thanks to:

• Ken from Antiques Freaks for narrating our cold open for this season
• Lightwitch/Courtney Brooke Hall for our new photos
• Greylord's Hoard for our new logo and graphic design

Links & References:

• The Multiverse is real. Just not in the way you think it is. | Sean Carroll

• You can find many episodes about particle physics and other quantum topics we mentioned on Daniel & Kelly's Extraordinary Universe podcast:

• What is a particle?

• Time travel fiction

• Unraveling misleading popular science

• How to make sense of quantum entanglement

• Focus playing Hocus Pocus on NBC in 1973 (introduced by Gladys Knight!)

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion of depression, suicide, and very brief mentions of guns and pet death.

TBC is an AI-free production. Audio by Oselka Sound.

Thank you to our Patron One In A Thousand who requested this week's book! They wrote in to us earlier this year, saying:

"...At some point in your lives, you've probably experienced media that you felt was ALMOST really good, but for whatever reason it just wasn't, and media that was almost really good can be just as frustrating as outright bad media because you can see that it just needed a little bit of fixing. That's how I felt about The Third Force. It's a tie-in novel to an obscure Japanese multimedia franchise from the 90's called Gadget...Marc Laidlaw was given a lot of creative freedom to write his own interpretation of the story, including more worldbuilding and character development, to mixed results...Laidlaw has confirmed that several characters and plot points from this book went on to inspire elements of the Half-Life series, which he became the lead writer for a couple years after writing this...In a way, The Third Force is almost like a rough first draft for ideas that Laidlaw would execute in a better way later."

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion or mention of brainwashing, torture, murder, and general high mind loss.

It's winter up here in the northern hemisphere, so why not explore a fluffy memoir that flirts with self-help specifically for the season? Get a nice blanket and a stuffed creature, a hot beverage, maybe light a candle or incense or perhaps even a fire, and snuggle in. Take care of yourselves out there - make that doctor, dentist, therapist, etc. appt you've been avoiding!

In addition to our usual barnyard language, today's episode includes discussion or mention of injury, surgery, mental health struggles, and alternative treatments for health and wellness.

References & Resources:

• National Institute of Health - Help for Mental Illnesses
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline: Chat Online for Free