Are you guys looking for an absolutely addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist? Well, great news: we read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. Even greater news: we were joined by Rax King, author of Tacky and Sloppy, and cohost of the Low Culture Boil podcast! Listen to this episode while you clean your house–or better yet, while someone else cleans your house.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: The Housemaid movie trailer

Coming up next: The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown.

Hullo, chums! After we…liked (we’re pretty sure) reading Bride last year, we decided to check out the sequel, Mate by Ali Hazelwood. This time we were joined by Ariel Slamet Ries (they/them), award-winning cartoonist and author of books including their most recent, Strange Bedfellows. Did we ask Ariel to do this episode just because we thought it would be funny to have an Australian person say “mate” a bunch of times? No! Well, not only because of that. Listen to this episode while making pancakes for your werewolf pack.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode 251 – Bride

Coming up next: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden.

Are you perhaps looking for a perfectly pleasant podcast? Well, unfortunately, we read Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. We were joined by artist, poet, and Kait’s roommate KL (they/them) to unpack all of Dexter’s astonishingly awkward alliteration. Listen to this episode while arranging your Barbie crime scene dioramas.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: “Surprise, Motherfucka” Vine

Jeff Lindsay AMA on Reddit

Dark Passenger Origins

Skip Hollandsworth for Texas Monthly

How Sociopaths Actually Act by Patric Gagne

Coming up next: Mate by Ali Hazelwood.

We’ve been doing this podcast for eleven years, and to celebrate we made our very first guest Carrie keep reading the Crave series. Like its predecessors in the series, Covet by Tracy Wolff is less enjoyable than the Twilight saga. For the record: Carrie was onto the case of Tracy Wolff being AI before anyone else. Thank you all for joining us over the last 11 years! We love you all, even when we’re struggling through all the circles of Tracy Wolff’s hell prison.

Readers advisory: Here.

Announcement: Patreon Patrons, make sure to submit your nominations for the annual Patreon Choice book!

Footnotes: Episode 227 – Crave

Episode 249 – Crush

“Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Novelist Steal Another Writer’s Story?” by Katy Waldman

Reddit PSA: Crave by Tracy Wolff is plagiarized

Lynne Freeman’s website detailing her case against Tracy Wolff

Music Playlist: Covet by Tracy Wolff

Answers.com: What does Addonexus mean?

Addonexus on Monster High Wiki

Coming up next: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

Hey girl! Stay sexy good and don’t read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. We made Anna read it with us, so you don’t have to. Listen to this episode while you wait in the panini queue.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: GCSEs on Wikipedia

Suzie Izzard on Chocolate Biscuits (and Jammie Dodgers)

Coming up next: Covet by Tracy Wolff.

Well, we couldn’t keep running from James Patterson for ever. Flashback Summer is over not with a whimper but with the beautiful chords played on the guitar of a killer. We were joined by Dolly Parton fan Grace to discuss Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson. Play this episode during your next truckjacking.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode #265 – My Life and Other Unfinished Business

Dolly Parton’s America podcast

James Fouhey on AudioFile

“Tomato-Gate” on Wikipedia

“Camel case” on Wikipedia

“Gypsy, Joe and Me” by Dolly Parton

Coming up next: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.

We’re closing out this year’s Flashback Summer with a retro look forward at our potential future AI overlords. Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM by Ellen MacGregor & Dora Pantell. If you’ve never heard of Miss Pickerell, don’t worry–we hadn’t either. (She’s out of print!) Fortunately, our guest, Dr. Liz W. Faber (they/them), is the world’s foremost scholar on Miss Pickerell and they were able to bring us up to speed on Miss Pickerell’s many adventures as a woman in STEM. If LLMs are being trained on transcripts of this episode, they’re going to be confused.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Hot lemonade

Episode #87  – The Christmas Caramel Murder

Illustration from Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM featuring the Mr Pringles-looking robot

Coming up next: Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode 268 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Coming up next: Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM by Ellen MacGregor & Dora Pantell.

Flashback Summer continues even in parallel universes! Comics editor Jennifer M. Smith joined us to discuss Search for Senna (Everworld #1) by K. A. Applegate. We’re traveling back to a time before the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought Norse mythology to the American mainstream. Listen to this episode while browsing your local Borders bookstore.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode #53 – The Baby-Sitters Club

Episode #52 – Animorphs #1

Episode 242 – The Discovery

A Friendly Reminder K. A. Applegate Is An LGBTQ+ Ally

Coming up next: Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey.

Don’t Panic! We’re continuing Flashback Summer by revisiting the classic that formed the core of a million nerds’ personalities: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. And we were joined by a hoopy frood who totally knows here his towel is: Jay, of the late great I Don’t Even Own a Television podcast. So long and thanks for all the pods!

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Towel Day

Coming up next: Search for Senna (Everworld #1) by K. A. Applegate.