Badly Annotated Readers Society

Happy (belated) Galentine's Day everyone! We are very excited to bring you this episode with something of an announcement: WE HAVE FRIENDS!! That's right, this week we are joined by the lovely ladies from the Smuts After Dark podcast, Chey and Jill, to discuss our most fun and unhinged romance book recommendations! It's going to be a longer one, so grab your snacks and buckle up as...

Come one, come all! It's another genre swap! This time we both jumped headfirst into science fiction, except we went in ~very~ different directions with our picks. Hannah followed two rather arrogant and powerful "heroes" in their philosophical battle between good and evil. Meanwhile, Jess spent some time on a faraway ice planet with 7 foot tall blue alien men who have some interest...

Hello and welcome to the first ~official~ Badly Annotated Requested Reads bonus episode! This month we take a close look at The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story originally published in 1892. This harrowing tale has a multitude of layers that definitely left us guessing. Who is the woman in the wall? Is she a ghost? Is she merely a figment of our narrator's frustrated and trapped imagination? O...

Hello and welcome back to the Badly Annotated Readers Society! We've looked at classics. We've looked at gothic literature. We've analyzed poetry through the ages, and now we present to you our list of books that we think will become the next classics!! From contemporary slice of life to nostalgic children's horror to lyrical climate fiction, these are the books we think we&apo...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Welcome to the first episode of 2025 here at the Badly Annotated Readers Society! We're so happy you're joining us as we look back at 2024, and forward to 2025. First, we reflect on our reading from stats to ratings to our winners of the BARS Awards of 2024. Then, we share our reading goals and book-et lists for 2025!! As usual, grab your hot beverage of choice and sett...

Calling all last minute holiday shoppers! This week we bring you a list of easy to find, mostly affordable, and absolutely wonderful bookish gift ideas for the reader in your life. Are these just our Christmas wish lists? Maybe. But we are readers, so we would know what readers like! If you're organized and all of your shopping is already done, then this is just going to be another hang out w...

What is this? A ~bonus~ episode? That's right. Here is the first of what will hopefully become a series in the new year where we read and review books requested by you, our lovely listeners! This episode is all about A Man Called Ove. We laughed, we cried, and we absolutely fell in love with this story of grief, community, and healing. Come join us, and we'll tell you all about it! A Man...

Happy Holidays!! This episode is all about sharing our love for the bookish community online as we go over some of our most beloved bookish creators! From bookstagramers to podcasts to book shops, we're here to highlight the best and brightest, and maybe even introduce you to some new favorite book besties. Grab a snack and buckle in, this is a longer episode but definitely a joyful one. Leav...

Hello hello! This week we're back with another genre swap! This time, Hannah dove into the realm of weird magical realism with a sorority cult, while Jess got her first taste of monster romance with a side of political intrigue. We laughed, we cringed, we swooned, and we're here to tell you all about it. Have a seat, join us! Books Discussed: Bunny by Mona Awad Bride by Ali Hazelwood Lea...

Hey, it's you again! Welcome back, dear listener. This week, we bring you a series of handpicked artisan one star reviews of some of our favorite reads! While we disagree wholeheartedly with these reviews, we can appreciate the wit and the gall of these reviewers. Come along with us! Just remember that this is all in good fun, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions... even if we think...

Welcome back to the Badly Annotated Readers Society! This week we're looking at a different medium... MUSIC! We chose six books and we have specially curated playlists for each that we think match the book in some way. Whether it be lyrics that feel like our favorite characters, melodies that suit the mood of the story, or just an alignment of general vibes, these are some of our favorite rea...

Hello hello! We've got something a little different for you this week. We're looking at poetry! This episode covers everything from 17th century satire to 21st century sonnets and we're thrilled to share it with you all, our dear listeners. These poems span different genres, themes, historical periods, and more, so grab a snack and a cozy blanket, and let's get into it! Poems D...

Hear ye, hear ye! The final installment of the Badly Annotated Spooky Season Extravaganza is here! To end off the month of October, we bring you a Halloween special. This week's episode contains all of our thoughts, feelings, musings, and more (shoutout Michelle, iykyk) about our picks for this month's spooky readathon! We both got out of our comfort zone this season as Hannah had the fr...

This week, in the third installment of the widely beloved Badly Annotated Spooky Season Extravaganza, we bring you a visit from the ghosts of spooky past. From the works of Edgar Allan Poe to Oscar Wilde, from slightly sapphic vampires to capitalist goblin curses, join us as we discuss our favorite gothic classics!  Books: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe  The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wild...

Look! It's the second installment of the Badly Annotated Spooky Season Extravaganza! Join us in our continued celebration of spooky season as we walk you through all of our favorite fall reads, as well as some new ones we're hoping to get through this year. Grab a latte, get cozy, and let us know if any of our recommendations catch your interest! Leave us a review if you enjoyed hanging...

Now presenting... *drum roll* ... the Badly Annotated Spooky Season Extravaganza! Come one, come all to the first official episode of spooky season here at the Badly Annotated Readers Society. This week, we bring to you a fun twist on the "If you liked this, then try that" trend in the online book community. Unsure of what to read this spooky season? Well we're here to recommend spo...

Dearest listeners, today we at the Badly Annotated Readers Society bring you a crossover episode for the ages. We have swapped genres! Jess strong-armed Hannah into one of her favorite wonderfully strange sci-fi books, while Hannah made Jess read a young adult romantasy (romance/fantasy). We were both definitely out of our comfort zones and in for some wild surprises, which we discuss at length th...

Welcome back to the Badly Annotated Readers Society for episode 7! You've all seen the tiktoks, the reels, the YouTube videos convincing you to read bookworm's favorites via out-of-context quotes, and so we are here to provide the full hour version of your top bookish trend to add oh so many more to your TBR! Come laugh, get confused, and most importantly yap about books! Leave us a revi...

Come one, come all to the great debate you have all been anticipating since episode one, where Hannah and Jess discuss Jane Eyre! Is she the feminist icon of 1847? Or is she the original 'Pick Me' girlie? Come find out! We can't wait to have you! Leave us a review if you enjoyed hanging out with us! Socials & Such: Instagram: @badlyannotatedpod Hannah: @thefriendlylibrarygoblin...

Hello hello and welcome to episode 5 of the Badly Annotated Readers Society where this week we talk outlandish, we talk unhinged, and we talk STRANGE SCI-FIs. Jess recaps some for her recent science fiction reads to Hannah, who cannot believe the bizarre-ness of the tales Jess thrives on. If you don't want spoilers, this week is not for you and we'll see you next Friday (with love). Leav...

Greetings, fair and faithful listeners! This week's episode is all about tropes. Specifically, Hannah takes Jess through a mildly long-winded but very educational list of all of her favorite fiction tropes such as enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, the one bed trope, and more! So grab your favorite lil snack and settle in with us for a cozy and chaotic time. Leave us a review if you enjoye...

We are diving into episode three this week by exploring characters that we're not quite sure should be considered relatable, but here we are identifying with them anyways!  The Badly Annotated Readers Society ladies are here to yap about kings' guards, college cults, powerful women, and learning to take care of themselves! CW: This episode contains discussions around therapy and mental h...

Welcome to episode 2 of the Badly Annotated Readers Society!  We have scrounged deep into our reading histories and are excited to present to you the best of the best (in our most humble opinions)! Listen in for our favorite fantasies, nightmares, and everything in between as we go over the books that left an impression, stuck out to us for one reason or another, or just simply made us FEEL! Leave...

Welcome to the Badly Annotated Readers Society! You are now an official member of this cozy, chaotic, literary club.  Join us in this introductory episode where we discuss who we are as readers, our reading practices, our favorite annotation techniques, and more. Jess mainly reads to really get herself thinking, while I, Hannah, generally prefer reading to escape from thinking. We're really q...