Things We Read Instead

Bonjour Readers!

The Girly Swot is getting in on the summer reads action during the hottest week that there ever was! Vic has been reading Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere-A Love Story

We really hope you enjoy Vic's review, and keep your eyes and ears peel for more short reviews from our dashing duo of literary nerds over the next few weeks for some inspiration for your sunlounger based adventures.

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram and get in touch via email at [email protected],

We will see you all after our summer break for our next episode where Vic will be challenging Chris to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and in the meantime we will be keeping you in content over on our instagram and substack.

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Merry Summer Break Readers!

The War Bore has been on his travels and has been devouring books poolside in a leisurely manner. This time out its James Hollland's Fortress Malta, because when in Malta what else does a War Bore read?

Enjoy Chris' swift poolside review, and keep your eyes and ears peel for more of our summer shorts over the next few weeks.

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram and get in touch via email at [email protected],

We will see you all after our summer break for our next episode where Vic will be challenging Chris to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and in the meantime we will be keeping you in content over on our instagram and substack.

All music and sound effects by www.pixabay.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Readers!

Welcome back to the second half of the Girly Swot reading World War Z by Max Brooks. Let's see what the Chris has found for Vic to read and watch instead :) along with a bit of a debate to wrap up the show.

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

To Read Instead

The Classic Horror Stories by H P Lovecraft

The Rats by James Herbert

Handling The Undead by John Ajvide Linqvist

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

To Watch Instead

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Dawn of The Dead (1978)

28 Days Later (2002)

28 Years Later (2025)

Attack on Titan (2013)

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Other Honourable Mentions

We will see you after our summer break for our next episode where Vic will be challenging Chris to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and in the meantime we will be keeping you in content over on our instagram and substack while we take a small beer garden based break :)

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Readers.

Here we are again with a brand new episode, and this month the Girly Swot has been challenged to read World War Z by Max Brooks sit down with a brew and listen to how she got on and what she read instead. Feel free to read along and prepare for the second half in a couple of weeks. Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. Like, subscribe, email at [email protected], and follow us on Instagram.

Here’s a list of the books, movies and shows mentioned in the podcast.

That Time I Got Drunk And Yeeted a Love Potion at Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming

The Reading Cure by Laura Freeman

Box Office Poison by Tim Robey

Other Honourable Mentions

Other Honourable Mentions

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come - 2026

Ready or Not - 2019

Wuthering Heights - 2026

The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 1975

30 Days of Night - 2007

Castlevania (Netflix Animated Series)

Castlevania: Nocturne (Netflix Animated Series)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Make sure you are subscribed for part two when the War Bore will give you his recommendations for what you could read and watch instead :)

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Readers!

Welcome back to the second half of the War Bore's challenge to read Erotic Vagrancy by Roger Lewis. Let's see what the Girly Swot has found for Chris and you lovely lot to read and watch instead :) along with the traditional trivial argument (patent pending)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

To Read Instead

Furious Love by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

Hellraisers by Robert Sellers

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

To Watch Instead

Cleopatra (1963)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)

1984 (1984)

Other Honourable Mentions

Love Actually (2003)

Wuthering Heights (2026)

Carry On Cleo (1964)

We will see you in a couple of weeks for our next episode about the War Bore's pick of World War Z by Max Brooks and you can find out what the Girly Swot made of the zombies and what she decided to read instead :)

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Lovely Readers!

Welcome to the latest episode of our Third season of Things We Read Instead! This month the Girly Swot challenged the War Bore to read Erotic Vagrancy - Everything about Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor by Roger Lewis. Let's see what our Bore of War thinks and in a couple of weeks Vic will be back with what you could have read instead :)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

What Chris Read Instead

Fortress Malta by James Holland

Assyria by Eckhart Frahm

The Lost and The Damned by Guy Haley

Other Honourable Mentions

The Lost and the Damned by Guy Haley

Dominion by Tom Holland

A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman

Becket (1964)

The Simpsons

Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds

British Museum - Samurai Exhibit

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Merry Monday Readers!

We're back with the War Bore's alternative reads and what you could watch instead of Brothers in Arms by James Holland. All finished up with something a little different instead of the usual trivial argument :)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected]

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

To Read Instead

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose

Flame Thrower by Andrew Wilson

Rifles by Mark Urban

To Watch Instead

Band of Brothers (2001)

Fury (2014)

Our World War (2014)

An Honourable Tanky Mention

The Tank Museum YouTube

We will see you in a couple of weeks for our next episode about the Girly Swot's pick of Erotic Vagrancy by Roger Lewis and you can find out what the War Bore thought about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's knock down drag out relationship and the fallout and what he decided to read instead :)

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Readers.

Here is what Vic made of Brothers In Arms by James Holland and what she read instead. Feel free to read along and prepare for the second half in a couple of weeks. Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. Like, subscribe, email at [email protected], and follow us on Instagram.

Here’s a list of the books, movies and shows mentioned in the podcast.

You’re on an Airplane by Parker Posey

Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today by Naomi Alderman

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Other Honourable Mentions

The Crucible of Hell by Saul David

Mary Poppins 1964

Mary Poppins Returns 2018

Inside No. 9 BBC TV Series

Sunshine 2007

Make sure you are subscribed for part two when the War Bore will give you his recommendations for what you could read and watch instead :)

All music and sound effects by www.pixabay.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merry Monday Readers!

Welcome to the second part of our episode about 'Salem's Lot! Here are Vic's deep dive recommendations for what other Stephen King alternatives you could read or watch instead along with a few glowing recommendations to work by the fabulous late Rob Reiner.

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected]

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

Rob Reiner Tributes

Misery 1990

Stand By Me 1986

To Read Instead

Needful Things by Stephen King

It by Stephen King

From by Buick 8 by Stephen King

To Watch Instead

The Monkey (2025)

The Long Walk (2025)

The Running Man (2025)

We will see you in a couple of weeks for our next episode about the War Bore's pick of Brothers in Arms by James Holland and you can find out what the Girly Swot thought about the WW2 Tanks and Yeomanry and what she decided to read instead :)

All music and sound effects by www.pixabay.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Lovely Readers!

Welcome to the second episode of our Third season of Things We Read Instead! We're carrying on our run of big hitters kicking things off this season with one of Vic's top books of all time, Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot! Lots of pressure riding on this one readers! Let's see what our Bore of War thinks and in a couple of weeks Vic will be back with what other awesomeness written by Stephen King that you could read instead :)

Don't forget to get in touch with your praise or arguments, you never know you may get a mention. Thanks for your support. To follow our adventures like and subscribe, follow us on Instagram. and get in touch via email at [email protected],

Here’s a list of the books, movies, shows and podcasts mentioned in the podcast.

'Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

'Salem’s Lot 2004

Other Honourable Mentions

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Passenger of the U-977 by Rodolfo Santullo & Carlos Baricelli

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

Emma by Jane Austen

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris

Carrie by Stephen King

The Shining by Stephen King

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.