I Read Something Bad

Today your matron saints of spice are tackling the topic of escapism—because apparently reading our silly little books is unhealthy coping, but planning to literally escape all worldly suffering via the Rapture is fine and normal theology. We’re unpacking how escapism is actually a natural human response to systemic oppression (not just a character flaw) and why the most prevalent form of escapism...

Today we’re diving into Callie Hart’s Quicksilver . Topics Covered: * Why Zilvaren’s city structure is secretly showing us exactly how power keeps us fighting each other instead of the real problem * That Artemis astronaut said WHAT about Earth right before going dark for 40 minutes—and how it connects to fantasy城 cities * The theological move fantasy authors can pull that nonfiction writers can’...

Today we’re diving into Mary Magdalene—the biblical FMC who got completely wrecked by centuries of patriarchal mythmaking that turned her from “apostle to the apostles” into either a prostitute or Jesus’s secret lover. Topics Covered: * How we got the myth that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute or sexually sinful woman * How conflating all the Marys (Mary of Bethany, Mary mother of Jesus, the sinner...

Today we’re wrapping up Melissa K. Roehrich’s Legacy series with Dawn of Chaos and Fury . We’re unpacking how churches structure everything around nuclear families to everyone’s detriment, why Jesus had a cool aunt at the cross and you should aspire to be one too, and how Eviana’s arc is the most complex character development in the whole series even though we wanted to hate her. Oh AND we get to...

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are tackling the ever-controversial question of why so much Christian art feels thin, didactic, and aesthetically weak—and just plain BAD. We’re getting real about how flattening the Bible into surface-level application points has destroyed our capacity to engage layers in any medium, why making Ruth and Boaz into a love story completely misses the point about wel...

Power Corrupts, Patriarchy Polices, and Why We’re All Rooting for the Dragons Today Kate, Liz, and Sarah are diving into their first dark romantasy series on the pod—Melissa K. Roehrich’s Legacy Series, books 1-3. We’re talking about source bonds as weaponized intimacy, how power systems crush imagination for anything better, and why literally every character is morally gray (so we’re all just roo...

Welcome back! Today we have a special guest—Brooklyn Stephens from We Choose Welcome—to talk about Wicked and why the people who refuse to watch it because “witches = evil” are exactly the ones who need its lessons on propaganda, authoritarianism, and othering the most. We’re unpacking how Elphaba’s intimate knowing of the marginalized gave her empathy while Glinda’s proximity to power kept her cl...

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are wrapping up Stacia Stark’s Kingdom of Lies series with book four, where Prisca finally gets her crown and we’re learning that pre-disappointment is just stealing from yourself twice—a phrase that will now live rent-free in our heads forever. We’re unpacking how defiant joy is fuel for sustainable resistance (not escapist toxic positivity), why social media has...

Today your matron saints of spice are diving into book three of Stacia Stark’s Kingdom of Lies series, where Prisca is processing trauma while everyone tells her she needs to grieve right now , and we’re realizing the pendulum on grief has swung from “suffer in silence” to “perform your sadness publicly or you’re doing it wrong.” We’re unpacking how Regner’s sleeper cell spiders mirror church mani...

Today your matron saints of spice are breaking down Taylor Swift’s latest album The Life of a Showgirl. We’re unpacking the false binary of “literary Taylor” versus “fun Taylor,” defending intellectualism in giddy romance, and explaining why performative activism on social media isn’t the same as actually loving your neighbors. Plus, we’re getting real about how knowing too much about Taylor’s lif...

Today your matron saints of spice are putting our literary lens on some biblical badasses who deserve way more airtime than they get—Jael and Deborah from the book of Judges. We’re talking about a prophetess judge who sat under a palm tree settling disputes and leading military strategy, plus a married woman who lured an enemy general into her tent and drove a tent peg through his skull with #bibl...

Today we're diving into book two of Stacia Stark's Kingdom of Lies series, where Prisca's relationship with time becomes a metaphor for everything we've been taught wrong about God's will, productivity culture, and why evangelical Christianity turned us into anxious overachievers who think every micro-decision could ruin our entire lives. We're unpacking how chaotic theology around time keeps us f...

Today we're absolutely thrilled to have Stacia Stark, author of the Kingdom of Lies series we've been obsessing over. Join your Matrons Saints of Spice, Jenai Auman, Kate Boyd, Liz Daye, and Sarah Lewan as we're diving deep into how fiction builds empathy while nonfiction can't, why religious hypocrisy hits different when you have ADHD and justice sensitivity, and how writing becomes free therapy...

Welcome back, matron saints of spice! Today we're diving into Stacia Stark's Kingdom of Lies series, starting with A Court This Cruel and Lovely . We're unpacking how King Sabium weaponizes religion to hoard magical power while executing anyone who threatens his control, and honestly? It hits a little too close to home when you've navigated systems that uphold power while dehumanizing people. Plus...

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are tackling the supernatural drama that has evangelicals clutching their pearls over fictional wizards while pouring grape juice around their property lines. We're exposing how much of our "biblical" understanding of angels and demons actually comes from medieval poetry, why some magic gets a holy pass while other magic gets the pitchfork treatment, and what spir...

Kate, Sarah, and Liz are back with A Court of Silver Flames , where we discover that Nesta Archeron isn't just the "unlikable" sister—she's actually a mirror for anyone who's ever been told their anger, their darkness, or their refusal to fit in the "good Christian girl" box makes them fundamentally unlovable. Turns out Sarah J. Maas is serving up more truth about healing from shame and self-hatre...

Join Kate, Sarah, Liz, and special guest Dr. Sandra Glahn (author of Nobody's Mother ) as they explore the vital connection between fiction, biblical literacy, and women's representation in scripture. This thought-provoking conversation challenges common misconceptions about narrative, storytelling, and the often-overlooked women of the Bible. Turns out understanding how to read fiction might be e...

Kate, Sarah, and Liz are back, diving into "A Court of Wings and Ruin" where we discover that Sarah J. Maas isn't just giving us sexy faeries with wings—she's exposing the toxic patterns we've been taught are "godly leadership" in evangelical spaces. Who knew fantasy novels could be more spiritually formative than those "Biblical Womanhood" conferences you've been guilted into attending? 💁‍♀️📚✨...

Join Kate, Sarah, Liz, and special guest Rebecca Lindenbach (co-author of The Great Sex Rescue and She Deserves Better ) as we dive into the wildly contradictory messages about sex in evangelical spaces and why fantasy romance novels might just be providing women with the vocabulary they've been denied their whole lives. And it might just be one of the most important episodes we ever make for you....

A bonus episode for Holy Week! Join Kate, Sarah, Liz, and special guest Grace Kelley (actual poet, not the princess) as we dive into the world of biblical poetry and why it might be the most revolutionary part of Scripture that your church Bible study conveniently skips over. Turns out when you start paying attention to the poetry that makes up a whopping THIRD of the Bible, all those neat theolog...

Join Kate, Sarah, and Liz as we dive into A Court of Mist and Fury , where we're discovering that this isn't just about sexy faeries with wings (though we're here for that too) — it's actually a master class in recognizing red flags, valuing your own agency, and finding healing after trauma. Turns out Sarah J. Maas might be doing more for women's emotional intelligence than all those "Biblical Wom...

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are diving into why imagination gets treated like the awkward cousin of faith — even when it's the secret ingredient that makes our spiritual lives actually interesting and effective. We're breaking down why your fantasy novel might just be more revelatory than that dusty theology textbook, and no, we're not apologizing. Topics Covered: * How creative thinking is...

Your Matron Saints of Spice are back, and this time we're diving headfirst into the thorny world of Sarah J. Maas! 💫 Join Kate, Sarah, and Liz as we unpack A Court of Thorns and Roses - that spicy fantasy novel your church friends might raise eyebrows at that is often the gateway to the world of romantasy … but we're here to tell you contains more theological insight than meets the eye! We're ble...

Your Matron Saints of Spice are back, and we're unpacking the side-eye your TBR pile gets from society! Join Kate, Liz, Sarah, Jenai, and special guest Morgan Strehlow (who blessed us with our podcast name) as we dive into why men's violence-packed entertainment gets called "epic" while our books get dismissed as "fairy smut" — even when they contain less spice than your average Oscar-nominated fi...

Grab your favorite “heretical” romantasy novel and settle in, because we're back for round two of theological dragon-riding shenanigans! In this episode, we're diving deeper than Violet's trust issues into everything from weaponized forgiveness to MLM boss babe venin ("Hey girl!"). Join us as we explore how Ridoc's humor is actually emotional intelligence in disguise, why Dane still needs to work...