Kendall Bookworms

Hello all, I have some bad news for all of our loyal fans. This month, Alex and I were unable to get a new episode recorded for the bonus material. Not wanting to leave it as a blank, I decided to rebroadcast our most popular episode by far. Part-Time Indian has over 100 downloads. So, obviously we did something right here. For all those fans that have not yet had a chance to listen to this, pleas...

Alex has picked a powerful book for this month. We read A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. It is a middle school read with lots of pictures that are stunning and add to the text amazingly. A book truly worth reading. Even the curmudgeon, Joe, was impressed with this book.    Next month Joe has picked a book that he doesn't love, but has had trouble forgetting. And really, isn't that what books are s...

Joe and Alex have a super special bonus episode for everyone today. We had a fan request for a book, and we decided to combine the book with a movie critique.    The book (and movie) that we are covering today is, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. A drug fueled ride of extremes that will make you sick with envy. Or make you want to puke with all the excess. Either way, we hope...

Joe is back to torturing everyone again with his memoirs. He swears this one is better though. Alex may need some convincing. This month the brothers read Let's Pretend this Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson. It is a rip-roaring life to be shared, full of mental illness, awkward childhoods, and things that can only happen in Texas. (Just a note from Alex: DO NOT LISTEN TO THE AU...

Becky is joining the show again for this latest edition of bonus episodes! She has a new favorite book to talk about, The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner. This is an exciting book for young adult and middle school readers. So listen in and see what all the fuss is about.    I do need to apologize for the audio quality on this one. This was a last minute recording and editing thing. A few other...

Alex is changing up the format again. Keeping it fresh even, maybe. This month he picked a book that is completely different from what we have been reading. Instead of describing imagery of words on page, Alex is having us describe pictures on paper. That's right. We are discussing a graphic novel. Not just any graphic novel, either, but one of the greatest ever written by one of the greatest auth...

This bonus episode is a little different. This month Alex thought it might be fun for Joe to see how he does in a Choose Your Own Adventure style story. Joe, through bad experiences in 3rd grade, knew he would struggle to make it far. The book that Alex picked for this strange and bizarre adventure was Darkness Over Arkham by Jonathan Green. It is a Lovecraftian mystery, where you, the intrepid ad...

Joe has decided to make things a little more cheery for the readers after a few months of death and destruction. So he went the route of the cozy murder mystery. That's right, more death. This month we read Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart, the first book of the Death on Demand mystery series. So, lets jump into the cozy-verse and see how fun and relaxing murder really can be.   Next month, Alex ha...

In this month's bonus episode, Joe brings Becky back to talk about a book he got crazy excited about. Becky seems to think that Joe has found a new genre that he is becoming obsessed about. And Joe kinda agrees. In this episode, they will be discussing the book Endurance by Alfred Lansing. A book about an Antarctic exploration gone wrong.    Next month is a Joe pick. On the 5th of June, the brothe...

The month of May is Alex's shot in the dark pick. That pick that he has not read but heard good things. We read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Neither brother had good feelings going in, and we weren't disappointed. Joe does whine a lot about books of this nature, while Alex does his best to defend it.    Next month Joe is going to change it up a bit. He is having the brothers adventure into the coz...

Alex and Becky have a very delightful chitchat over a popular book that still produces thousands of memes and videos on the internet. It is one of the most noted books to the new bookshelves of Romantacy and Fairy Smut. That's right, they are talking A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. So, buckle up and get ready to hear what two well read people think about the hype of such a popular se...

It is time again for a Joe pick. This month he has had his brother read a lesser known Frank Herbert novel. The White Plague came out about the same time as the 4th book in the famous Dune series. God Emperor of Dune blew off the Sci-fi shelves faster than a sandworm could swallow Harkonnens. This book not so much. That is not to say it is a "bad" book. But you'll have to listen to the brothers di...

Joe has a bone to pick. A rant to make. And poor Alex has to suffer for it. Not only is he forced to participate in this conversation, Joe forced him to have to read this horribly dreadful book. That's right. The brothers read the 2024 Hugo winning book, Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. Listen in as they discuss the reasons why they think this book should never have even been in the discussion...

We are in an Alex book pick month. And he decided on a nice cozy young adult fantasy. The two brothers (and hopefully you!) read Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. A story about Sophie, a young shop girl, oldest of three sisters, who is cursed with old age by the Witch of the West.   April is back to a Joe pick month. We will be making the large jump from fantasy to science fiction. Joe ha...

So. Joe did what he said he would never do. He folded. He gave in. He let Alex pick the bonus book. A book series that he said should burn in the pits of hell.    So, for your post Valentine's present from your favorite, lovable, adorable book club podcast; we of Kendall Bookworms give you this month's bonus episode, Double Stuffed by Sylvia Morrow. This is the second book of the Stuffed series. A...

Joe has picked another book called Night Watch. This time, instead of time travel and revolution, we are discussing Russian philosophy and bad writing. That's right, as the title of the episode says, we read Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch. A novel that takes place in post-Soviet Moscow, where the wizards of the Light and the Dark are battling it out on the streets.    In this episode, the brother...

Welcome to the bonus episode of the month. This month Joe tells Becky about a book that he read for one of his book clubs. It was a book that he had little faith in, but ended up being thankful that Becky insisted he give it a try and read it. So buckle up, because this rambling talk is going to be all over the place; with lots of ups and downs and craziness.   Next month's book pick is Night Watc...

It is the start of a new year! And what better way than to make a resolution to listen to this podcast. This month Alex picked the retelling of The Odyssey from one of his favorite authors. The brothers read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. It is through the eyes of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, and her long grueling wait for a wandering husband. Told in a quick and snappy way that is a pure p...

In this very special bonus episode, Becky has come back to discuss several fan theories and controversies (no, not the main one about the author being a TURF). Joe puts his two cents in every once in a while to make sure he sounds like a doofus too.   In the discussions the two of them cover topics such as what houses they believe they would have been put in; their thoughts on which characters sho...

It's December. Christmas is in the air. So, Joe and Alex thought it would be the perfect gift to for all of you to read and share our thoughts on a book so filled with blood and gore that it would make the Hogfather blush. And no we aren't reading The Hogfather.    For the December pick Joe had us read The Tain as translated by Ciaran Carson. This book is the longest epic from the Ulster Cycle fol...

Welcome to Bookworms. In this very special bonus episode, Becky joins Joe to host an author interview. Today Alex Kendall is in the hot as he is about to republish his novel The Destroyer. New and improved; with hopefully all the grammatical errors removed. Listen in to discover his writing process and the passions that he is now pursuing.    With it being the holiday shopping season let us remind...

Welcome one and all. This month we have a wild adventure story to bring to you. Alex chose the forgotten classic, The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs. A story of several old wizards fighting an old evil across a strange land oddly similar to our world, but at the same time oddly different.   Next month Joe picked a mythical tale of blood and gore. Join the brothers in reading the classic Irish...

Welcome to Bookworms. Today Alex and Joe have a very special guest to talk about a hilarious yet worrying book. Haley, resident of Grafton, has joined the brothers to talk about A Libertarian Walks into a Bear by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. In this discussion, the three try to stop laughing long enough to discuss what it really is like to live in the small New Hampshire town since the Free-Staters h...

Welcome to Bookworms! This month the brothers discuss Joe's first pick of the season. The book that they discussed was Alice by Christina Henry. Alex thought it was just okay, but Joe worked his voodoo and talked Alex into thinking it was an alright book after all. An increase in a whole half star in Alex's rating.    If you want to hear how Joe did that, then please give it a listen. We promise t...

Welcome to our first bonus episode of the season. This month, Becky was kind enough to discuss an interesting book that she had recently read called Chasing Shadows by Gregory Skomal.    This is an interesting book on the history of studying sharks. Specifically the "Great" White Shark off of the coast of New England. Becky and Joe only hit the high points, so totally go out and check this book ou...