Lit Lit

Andy and Dani discuss their good friend King Arthur. Dani immediately attacks Andy’s sense of humor, finally, we talk about the best movie to ever exist: Dragonheart, New York football players as knights of the roundtable, tasty morsels of history, and Dani is changing everything about this podcast.

Andy and Dani went to The Round Table. Have you ever wanted to hang out in ancient Britain (maybe ancient? IDK Dani is writing this) and find some fun guys to go on some quests with that are pretty funny and actually kinda emotionally intelligent and like to drink wine around a campfire? Cool us too.  The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

Dani left Andy behind and went to Bali. A 19 hour direct flight is the perfect time for a LOTR movie marathon. Bali is such an amazing, beautiful island! NEVER get buried in sand… even if they say it's relaxing. Sean is NOT a fan of geckos. And did the cats miss Dani? Maybe…

Dani and Andy get yolked out. Andy is actually Poopman. Dani’s only-child life REALLy shines here. This book might curse more than us… Do subtle throughlines with a big impact work? And does Andy actually hate his sister…  Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Andy and Dani fall in love in a small town… unbelievable. What’s even more unbelievable is that Andy LIKED THIS BOOK. This is a huge win for Dani and she will remember this forever. Anway, we’re back and maybe Dani can convince Andy to only read romcoms forever? Funny Story by Emily Henry

Andy and Dani go to the beach. Dani derails this episode VERY quickly. What element would make the best bed? What makes a beach read a beach read? And then we obviously descend into the unfair standards of sex in male-gaze books vs female-gaze books.

Andy and Dani go to Spain. Dani learns what goes into a cannon besides a cannonball. Andy once again knows WAY more about history. Jurassic Park and National Treasure are actually very similar, and Dani figures out what her superhero origin story is.  Sharpe’s Eagle by Bernard Cornwell

Andy and Dani take home the gold. The Olympics might be over but we still have some words to say about it… well, mostly just soccer but whatever. The goalkeepers should have their own gold medals. Gymnastics is always insane. Ummmm and the basketball games… wild.

Andy and Dani talk about whales and absolutely NOTHING else. What drink would Whale Fall be? Fetishizing rural living. Men still suck. Bitch, my hands smell like fish. And as always please don’t marry your cousin.  Whale Fall: A Novel by Elizabeth O’Connor

Andy and Dani plan their perfect meal. If, for some reason, we descend into an apocalyptic world where food is scarce and we are living totally differently, what meal would you miss the most?

Andy and Dani finish another series. Again… why is she getting captured ALL THE TIME? We got basically every prediction wrong… and we rewrote the whole plot to get through this final book. The Dragon and Jin-Sayeng

Andy and Dani talk about balls… soccer balls. Get your mind out of the gutter but get ready to put it back in there. Which teams were we most excited to watch during Copa and Euro tournaments? Which players do we like the most? 

Andy and Dani continue with their bitch queen. So…, it turns out we are not liking this book. WHY IS SHE ALWAYS GETTING CAPTURED?! WHY IS SHE A QUEEN?! HOW COULD THIS BOOK END OK? We answer all of these questions very thoughtfully and not spitefully.  The Ikessar Falcon by V.S. Villoso

Andy and Dani escape an assassination attempt. We started our Summer Series! Do we like it? We don’t know yet. Do we trust the author? Um, we’ll get back to you. Is there any smut? No. No there is not. Did we forget to make predictions and now have to drink double? Yes. Yes, we do. Chronicles of the Bitch Queen by K.S. Villoso

Andy and Dani ask friendship questions. Once again we find out that Andy and Dani are, in fact, "Not Really Strangers." Does Andy give off drummer energy? More importantly, we come up with a band name… A.P.BR… and then Dani descends into branding madness.

Andy and Dani go to Paris. Dani gets all English Major-y and Andy does too? Could this be one of the best books ever written? Absolutely. Will this book take a lot of emotional bandwidth? Most definitely. Is this book worth reading? 100 times, yes.  Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Andy and Dani FINALLY talk about how old Andy is. It’s Andy’s Bday Little Lit which means he gets to talk about anything he wants, and you know what this man wanted to talk about… that’s right the age difference between him and Dani.

Andy and Dani take a trip down memory lane. A long, long, long time ago Andy was in his 20’s and he really liked a book, so we read it. Does it still hold up? Is Andy more hipstery than he thinks? Can you tell who wrote this description? Oh ya, and happy birthday, Andy. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

Andy and Dani discuss dates. Dani allows herself to be completely dragged through the dirt as she attempts to accurately date MAJOR events in world history. Does she do better than she thinks she will? Does Andy destroy Dani’s hopes for ever being called smart again?

Andy and Dani talk generational trauma? Is this the best book we’ve read this year? Maybe… Does this book have a SUPER happy ending? Maybe… Do we believe in characters being good and bad and complex? Never.  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Andy and Dani talk about books for young people. But first, let’s talk about fidgets. Andy and Dani get heated about what YA and NA books are. Andy will not be fooled by these naming conventions. What do 13-year-olds care about nowadays… we’ll never know.

Andy and Dani go back to high school. Join the world of YA or NA or whatever you want to say. Never trust the hot hockey player… unless he says, “Trust me. I’m a good guy.” Also don’t trust your half-brother’s Mom. Also absolutely DO NOT trust any Dad. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Andy and Dani visit Arrakis. Dani is hardcore gaslit by Dune… and maybe Andy. Christopher Walken can only play Christopher Walken. Side stuff comes across better in books than in movies. How long would this movie be without all the desert shots? These costumes are amazing and yes the movie is awesome.

Andy and Dani talk about octopuses. Are high-concept sci-fi books better for conversations? A lot is going on here…. What has 8 legs and MURDERS people? When does AI become human? And why is there so much edging?  The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

Andy and Dani talk about the Pitts. What is the best chain restaurant? Did Dani have the best sandwich of her life? How many dad jokes are too many? Obviously, the coolest thing about Pittsburgh is… the aviary. And Andy is NOT special.