Unbound with Trish and Jess

For their final ever podcast, Trish and Jess read one of Trish's all time favorites, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. They get a little choked up discussing the heartbreak of the multiple characters who don't make it to the end of this novel that takes place in WWII Germany and get off track only briefly when they need to pause to kill a spider. They reflect on their podcasting highs and lows over the past 3 years, and end Podcast Unbound for good with a Top 5 of books they read for the purpose of podcasting. Thanks for listening and happy reading! (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

For the final two episodes of Podcast Unbound, Trish and Jess pick books they love for the other to read. Our hosts discuss bookstores they've recently frequented, which requires discussion of Jess's dislike for BAM. Rob Lowe, after being a nonentity for the entirety of previous episodes, finds himself relevant on multiple occasions. Trish and Jess identify their favorite snail facts from this month's read, "The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating" by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. They finish the podcast next month with a book Trish has frequently mentioned, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

It's mid-August and Trish has already reached her goal of reading 52 books this year, so Jess and Trish discuss her updated reading goals. In spite of this reading high, Trish shares her recent literary low when she realizes she's been mispronouncing a word for a long time. Jess and Trish then share their heartbreak about how deeply events went wrong in this month's read "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy, and how heartbreaking books that take place in India always seem to be. With two podcasts left to go, Trish and Jess pick favorite books to read for each other. Next month Jess has picked "The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating" by Elisabeth Tova Bailey.  (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

Before getting into their book this month, Trish and Jess discuss some of their recent reads and book purchases, including 2nd person novels where mothers disappear and turn into birds and old school detective novels that are disappointingly creepy. They then asses “In the Time of the Butterflies,” a gorgeous novel based on the true story of the Mirabel sisters and their part of the revolution in the Dominican against Trujillo. Trish and Jess announce their podcasting days are drawing to a close. They plan to end Podcast Unbound at their three year mark, which means they only have three recordings left. Next month, they read “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy. (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

Trish and Jess talk about times they've been assholes, including Jess mispronouncing the word detritus on the podcast and in her personal life for forever. They also talk about the asshole main character in the beautiful, sparsely written "This is How You Lose Her" by Junot Diaz. Next month they read "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez. (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

Trish and Jess read "The Girl with All the Gifts" by M. R. Corey this month, and Trish is forced to start questioning why she has read 5 books in the last year in which people attempt or are successful in turning into some kind of tree. Trish also begins to soul search why she hasn't read as many dystopian novels as she thought, until Jess points out she's full of crap and has read lots of dystopia. Next month, "This is How You Lose Her" by Junot Diaz. (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

For the first time, Jess and Trish review a book which it turns out they both despise, "Mute" by Piers Anthony. Not even telekinetic chickens can save this misogynistic piece of old sci-fi. Trish suspects even the person who wrote the description for the back cover wasn't able to finish it, as Mit the hermit crab is misidentified as telepathic when he is actually clairvoyant. Next month they put this debacle behind them with "The Girl with All the Gifts" by M. R. Carey. (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

Jess and Trish talk about fake mermaids and true love while discussing "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman. They also break down some important though unconnected topics, like if the new Beauty and the Beast movie is gonna be good. They end with one of their favorite Top 5s ever, characters who think they're a monster. Next month the delve deep into serious sci-fi, "Mute" by Piers Anthony.  (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

Trish and Jess disagree about a variety of books from beginning to end. Trish fails to appreciate "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman the way it deserves, but they agree entirely that "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is great, and that the character development was clear when they had epiphanies about one character through the eyes of another. They finish with Top 5 books they've hated, and have moments of great agreement and dispute. Next month, they read "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman. (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

One of the best things about Leah is that she has a Pinterest board named "Mug Life," but it also is great that she was our guest in Jan! We talked about hot cheese, all while discussing "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrick Backman. Leah and Trish describe their love of the cantankerous old man with a heart of gold at the heart of the book, while Jess has mild reservations. They debate how old you have to be to be considered old, and agree the limit should be upped. They get into Top 5 male characters over 50, and next month Jess and Trish read "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Music credit: “Books” by Minden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)