In this installment of #TheMerylSeason, Michael and Hannah tackle Lauren Weisburger’s The Devil Wears Prada and its sequels, and try desperately to master Meryl’s iconic affect in the eponymous movie. Plus, a quiz!

Research Links:

• On Lauren Weisburger: here
• On The Devil Wears Prada (book): here.
• On The Devil Wears Prada (movie): here.
• The bag made of hay.

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It’s over the covered bridge to Madison County, Iowa, the setting for Robert James Waller’s The Bridges of Madison County and its (spoiler) exponentially better film adaptation. We cover (ha) tie-in fragrances, Waller’s, um, musical career, and the one and only Painter of Light™, all while paying respects to Our Lady of the Pod, Meryl.

Resources: Waller interview, background on BoMC, Meryl interview, Anthony Lane on the book, Frank Rich on the book, the La-Z-Boy from...heaven(?), Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage.

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Hannah and Michael kick off THE MERYL SEASON with an investigation into Meryl Streep’s first appearance on the silver screen, Julia (1977), an adaptation of Lillian Hellman’s memoir Pentimento, and her much later turn as Julia Child in Julie & Julia, an adaptation of Child’s My Life in France and Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia.

Resources for this episode:

• Meryl on Jane Fonda (worth watching!)
• You, too, can read Elyse Sewell’s blog!
• Julia sans Julie

Books mentioned: Lillian Hellman, Pentimento; Julia Child, My Life in France; Mastering the Art of French Cooking; Julie Powell, Julie & Julia; Cleaving.

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Hannah and Michael talk Kalamazoo, old fav Danielle Steel, political book scandals, and the books on offer at the hairport.

Books Mentioned:

• The Mueller Report
• Melissa Caruso, The Tethered Mage
• Gary Sinise, Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service
• Sally Rooney, Conversations with Friends; Normal People
• Françoise Sagan, Bonjour Tristesse
• Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation
• Bridget Collins, The Binding
• Pierce Brown, Red Rising Trilogy
• Ramin Setoodeh, Ladies Who Punch

Resources:

• Kalamazoo in the news
• Danielle Steel profile by Samantha Leach
• Catherine Pugh scandal

We’re back for another chatty interlude! Michael and Hannah discuss rich authors, romance, real estate, and reading lists.

Books mentioned:

• Jessica Knoll, The Luckiest Girl Alive
• Alyssa Cole, An Extraordinary Union
• Harlan Coben, Tell No One
• Elizabeth McCracken, Bowlaway
• Kate Atkinson, Transcription
• Tara Westover, Educated
• Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians
• Jasmine Guillory, The Wedding Date
• Joan Didion, A Book of Common Prayer
• Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts
• Ramin Setoodeh, Ladies Who Punch
• Toni Morrison, Beloved
• Robert Caro, The Power Broker

… phew!

Resources:

• Article about Jessica Knoll
• Longread on Romance Racism
• Article about Harlan Coben’s house

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Your faithful hosts pop in to talk travel hacks and why it’s worth traveling to eighteenth-century England. Plus, a dip into what we’re actually reading!

Books mentioned:

• Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf
• Samuel Richardson, Pamela
• Bram Stoker, Dracula
• Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
• Saul Bellow, Herzog
• Choderlos de Laclos, Les Liaisons Dangereuses / Dangerous Liaisons
• Henry Fielding, Tom Jones and Shamela
• Jane Austen, Lady Susan (and the movie Love and Friendship)
• Craig Brown, 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret
• Kate Atkinson, Life after Life; A God in Ruins; Case Histories; One Good Turn

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We interrupt our hiatus to bring you a special TBC on Dan Mallory, best-selling thriller writer and Olympic-level scammer, whose shenanigans were recently exposed in The New Yorker. Plus we talk LA libraries, mail fails, and (according to Michael) the single most horrifying article published so far in 2019.

Links:

• Robert Caro being brilliant.
• Watch the scammer: Dan Mallory interview vid.
• Follow Christopher Shinn on Twitter.
• These monsters.

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White Whale time! Specifically George Eliot’s Middlemarch. Yes, Michael actually read the damn thing and Hannah read it for like the 60th time. Get their feelings about the book, some background on George herself, and a dose of what H & M are *actually* reading. Thank you for a great season two!!

Books mentioned: My Life in Middlemarch, Rebecca Mead; The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt; Lethal White, Robert Galbraith.

Resources: Rebecca Mead in the New Yorker, Henry James negging Middlemarch.

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Michael and Hannah give out superlatives for the books they've read in 2018, and make New Year's Reading Resolutions. Join the fun!

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Happy holi-daze people! In this book club ep Michael and Hannah hear your thoughts on Madame de Pompadour and Queen Insta herself, Rupi Kaur. Plus: a poetry scammer, a WILD gift idea, and a new segment!

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