Buzzed British Book Club

NEW FORMAT ALERT! Your two favorite fake British friends have been SUPER busy. Too busy, in fact, to read the same bloody book. So they took some time to talk about two different books they read in a more concise format: Making Friends with Monsters by Sandra Rostirolla (Kit's pick) The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros (Bridge's pick) In the mood for a hefty mental health journ...

Pulitzer Prize winner and recently adapted by Netflix for a limited series, "All The Light We Cannot See" is a book that can change your life. Naturally, that meant Kit and Bridge had to register their official opinions in the form of cork ratings and a deep dive into the character's minds... exploring the tricky moral ground of a sympathetic Nazi character. But complex intellectual...

Spooky season and probiotics? Let's give it a go! Kit and Bridge swap out their usual headwear for witch hats and stoke up the fires under their cauldrons as they get ready to embrace their inner witches. In The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow, your two favorite fake British friends discuss what bullshit it is that taking down the patriarchy requires so many bloody meetings, what "...

Your two favorite fake British friends address the age-old question: can a much loved book ever been successfully adapted into a feature-length film? Opinions abound as Friend of the Pod and author, Laura Marden, joins for the discussion about queer intimacy displayed on screen, the concept of found family, and perhaps most importantly, the magic that are white polo breeches. Watching Content: Ama...

They're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! After disappearing rather unceremoniously, Kit and Bridge are ready to get back to business. In this episode, your two favorite fake British friends talk about what the FRENCH TOAST they've been doing (mostly what Kit has been doing - she's got the big news!). They also share some fun tea (as in literal tea, not the hot "goss") and talk about som...

What do you get when you give a bowling champion a chance for revenge after her most prized possessions are stolen? You get one epic show down at the corner gas station. Don't miss this episode covering Mrs. Perez, an adorably punchy short story written by the Texan author, Oscar Cásares. Your two favorite fake British friends, Kit and Bridge, talk bowling, rebirth, and how they want to be bes...

In this episode of Buzzed British Book Club, your favorite fake British friends Kit and Bridge dive into the wonderfully vibrant world of "Goat," a short story written by the multi-talented James McBride. They learned many life lessons, like "If it looks like a buzzard, and smells like a buzzard, it ain't catfish." In this close knit community living in a rural corner of Pe...

Peruse the library of regrets and bad decisions with Kit and Bridge in this week's breakdown of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library. This episode delves into themes of mental health, hope, and how the little things can make the biggest difference in the world. Drinking Content: Martin's Rake Sauvignon Blanc, 2021 Reading Content: The Midnight Library by Matt Heig ⁠Buy the book on bookshop.org⁠ ⁠Follo...

Imagine growing up in a land where you look different from everyone else; there isn't a single person in your world that looks like you. Your parents are gone, you're teased and bullied mercilessly, and the world has been torn apart by war. This is the premise of the great Kurt Vonnegut's story and your two favorite fake British friends, Kit and Bridge, get into it. They talk belonging...

After a lengthy intermission, Kit and Bridge's coverage of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo continues with Part Two! Your two favorite fake British friends get into it with Celia, continue their love affair of Harry, talk about who saw the plot twist coming with some random mentions of Grey's Anatomy, and wrap up with their cork ratings. They got into some Winking Owl this go 'round s...

And the Academy Award goes to... Your two favourite fake British friends, Kit and Bridge! Actually, no, but who doesn't love a little Hollywood glamor with some on-set romances and hidden loves? Tune in as Kit and Bridge walk the red carpet of this amazing novel, breaking down the characters like fashion police on a Timothee Chalamet number.  Reading content: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo...

Have you ever wondered what happens after you die? Did your vision involve a bureaucrat getting messages from God via pneumonic tube? Well, that's what the great Stephen King depicts in his short story, "Afterlife."  Your two favorite fake British friends jump into the beyond with some Tuscan Red wine to facilitate these lofty thoughts about the afterlife, regret, and how Mr. King weaves hist...

"History, huh? Bet we could make some."  Kit and Bridge continue their long, winding chat of Red, White, and Royal Blue as the prosecco goes very much to their heads. Don't miss the discussion and their cork ratings in part two of their coverage of Casey McQuiston's "banter-ful" novel. And while they won't give the ratings here, it's fair to say your two favorite fake British friends fancy th...

As the season of love settles around you, join Kit and Bridge as they romp their way through the delightful rom-com that is Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue. Paired with LaMarca's Prosecco and lots of steamy scenes, there is no way they make it through without needing a cold shower at the end. Listen in  for the journey of a cross-the-pond romance that could dictate world politics...

Looking for a jaunt with a murderous wizard and a morally-complex thief that culminates in a giant pile of ----? Look no further, mates.  Your two favorite fake British friends, Kit and Bridge, jump into another short story that LeVar Burton covered in his podcast. Listen to the story (both parts) and join the debate -- is Jayn's accent Irish, English, Jamaican...? And how do you feel about t...

Content warning: this episode deals very heavily in discussions of abuse, both psychological and physical, rape, and suicide. Please take care as you listen.  Your two very special BBBC correspondents, Kit and Bridge, continue their bone-deep admiration for Octavia Butler. This episode is part one of a two part discussion of the novel, Kindred.  In this first part, Kit and Bridge discuss...

Content warning: this episode deals very heavily in discussions of rape, suicide, abuse, both psychological and physical, in tandem with the story and as our hosts share personal experience. Please take care as you listen.  In this second part of the discussion of Octavia Butler's Kindred, your two hosts dive further into Dana, Rufus, Kevin and Alice's characterization. As Dana continues to n...

Kit and Bridge are kicking off the New Year with a new short story by the phenomenal Octavia Butler. Tune in as they sip terrible hot toddies to nurse their colds and drink in this amazing short story (as voiced by LeVar Burton) to nurse their souls. Childfinder was written in 1971 but did not see the light of day until 2014. Join your favorite fake British friends as they weave their way through...

Happy New Year, mates! Your two favorite fake British friends are here to share some of their plans for this year, including their reading list, how they will choose short stories, and more details for what is sure to be a corkin' good year!

In the final episode for 2022, Kit and Bridge cap off the year with Showtime Cabernet Sauvignon and Jhumpa Lahiri's Year's End. Your favorite fake British friends toast to this short story, the in-between of cultural assimilation, generational trauma, and why everyone should go to therapy and say you're sorry. Listen to follow along and hear their ratings of the wine and the book!  Reading Content...

Happy Christmas, mates!  Join your two favorite fake British friends as they get into the spirit of the season with one of their favorite authors, J.R.R. Tolkien, and read a little known text of his that he wrote in the form of letters from Father Christmas to his children over the course of 23 years. This book was posthumously published in 1976, and you'd think it would be a simple light-hea...

Kit and Bridge continue to wind their way through the wonderful novel, The Nightingale. As they resume their discussion, you'll hear more of the struggles with Sturmbannführer Von Richter (not just the pronunciation... but his general hideous character), the complexities of Vianne's husband returning from the POW camp, and the cork ratings for the wine and the book.  Reading Content: The Nigh...

"...In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are." As far as first liners go, that's a corkin' good one.  Kit and Bridge survive a French Bordeaux and the painful, powerful, beautiful novel that is Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale . Your favorite fake British friends wax philosophical about Vianne, Isabelle, Von Richter's breath, and how Kit can now do a French accent...

Wrapping up the month of November's theme of the military and war, Kit and Bridge drain a bottle of Evening Shade Rose and Helen Oyeyemi's My Daughter, the Racist . Winner of the BBC's National Short Story Award of 2010 for this work, Helen Oyeyemi was also a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Awards in 2009 for novel she wrote called White is For Witching ... it's all connected, innit? After the Al...

In their first book to movie comparison bonus episode, Kit and Bridge recount the experience of watching Netflix's 2022 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, the differences from the source text, the inception-y music, and whether human bowel movement foley should be included in films. As they sip on a sweet White Zinfandel from the illustrious Winking Owl Collection, your two favorite fak...