Idiot's Alphabet Soup

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss the book Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. Themes of government oppression with a fun premise made the book quite enjoyable. What game did Jenny and Kathrine play that led them to reading this book? Why are the girls so tired? Has Jenny ever been a narc? What was Kathrine's latest sewing victory? Listen to find out! If you have comments or questions, rea...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine don't talk about books at all, instead, they yap about all the fun things they've been up to for the past few days. What creature is living in Kathrine's garden? Whose poop would be the least objectionable to scoop? What anime can Jenny and Kathrine not stop watching? Listen to find out. If you have comments or questions, reach out to us on instagram...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine get a little theological and talk about the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. But first, they talk about their most recent obsessions and what’s been going on in their lives. Who did Kathrine meet on the pickleball court? What’s the deal with Jenny and the community center? How would C.S. Lewis respond to Jojo Siwa? Is it prideful to have this podcast? Liste...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss all things collaboration, inspired by an offhand comment in an episode from 6 months ago. What would it be like if John Green and J.K. Rowling wrote a book together? How would Willy Wonka behave in Middle Earth? Could two dragon riders learn to get along? How did Kathrine almost get human trafficked? Listen to find out! If you have comments or questions,...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine share some exciting news about a new project and also talk about The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. What new shenanigans are Jenny and Kathrine getting up to? What weird dreams have they been having? Who are their least favorite characters in Lord of the Rings? Listen to find out! If you have comments, questions, or want to sign up for our riddles, DM...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine begin by apologizing for the disaster that was trying to upload the correct version of the last podcast episode. There was an actual plan for the podcast, but that was thrown by the wayside when Jenny and Kathrine started talking about their new favorite activity: math riddles! How can you get the best deal at the bookstore? What gets wetter the more it dries? I...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss the book Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. Before that, though, they give you a lengthy recap of their trip to New York to watch the eclipse. What did Jenny and Kathrine do just before and just after the eclipse? What is Jenny’s Roman Empire? What happened in the time when Jenny and Kathrine knew each other but weren’t friends yet? What makes Jasper Jones su...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine suffer from a bad case of the Yaps. Who is Kathrine's favorite character in Fellowship of the Rings? Why is John Quincy Adams cool? Is it a splinter or a sliver? How expensive is dirt, exactly? What would Jesus be like as an F1 driver? Listen to find out. If you have comments or questions, reach out to us on instagram (@idiots.alphabet.soup) or through email...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss the book "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros. They search high and low for a theme and discuss all of the ridiculous character names. How many tropes are in this book? What plot points make absolutely no sense to Jenny? What sports have Jenny and Kathrine been invested in lately? Listen to find out! If you have comments or questions, reach out to u...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine pitch their ideas for a Young Adult fantasy romance novel. It has all the key elements, a love triangle, magical powers, and a strong female lead. What have Jenny and Kathrine been up to the last few days? What inspired them to come up with a YA book in the first place? What age range is young adult written for anyway? Listen to find out. If you have comments or...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss the book "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. Oh wait, no, it's "the stranger in the lifeboat" by Mitch Albom. What would Jenny and Kathrine do if they were trapped on a wind turbine? How long would it take them to believe that some guy on a lifeboat was actually God? How did the Philippines deal with dynamite fishing? What is keepi...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss book-to-movie adaptations: the good ones, the bad ones, and the good movies that came from bad books. What would Jenny and Kathrine like to be called when they're grandmas? What is the key to turning a good book into a good movie? What books have we read that would make great movies? Listen to find out. If you have comments or questions, reach out to...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss the book The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. In the search for the theme of the book, Jenny and Kathrine discuss colonization, mission work, and the discovery of what is essential. What is Kathrine’s newfound hobby? What book element made Jenny feel stupid because she didn’t see it earlier? How does a parrot represent a country? What happened to...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss their book goals for 2024 and talk about what they've been up to for the last two weeks. What basketball player do Jenny and Kathrine have a little crush on? How did Kathrine embarrass herself in front of Jenny's mom? What Filipino classic should you read? Listen to find out. If you have any comments or questions, DM us (@idiots.alphabet.soup) on...

In this special video episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss all of the fun little adventures they've had this Christmas season, and also spend some time talking about their favorite Emily Dickenson poems. What do Jenny and Kathrine want their future kids to be like? How pretentious can a waiter be? How much did Emily Dickenson write about death? Listen to find out! You can reach out to us on ins...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine recap some of the books they read this year that never made it onto the podcast and discuss how they plan to structure their reading next year. Spoiler: you can participate in their reading challenge too! What were the funnest, weirdest, most informative, and best books that Jenny and Kathrine read this year? And why does poo keep coming up? Listen to find out.

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss the book The Ballad of Laurel Springs by Janet Beard. As they do so, they dish out all the sage advice they’ve been saving up in their combined 49 years of life. What should you do if your husband runs away for seven years? How do you find good friends? What show should you watch on Amazon Prime? Listen to find out.

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss some of their favorite book quotes on topics ranging between feminism (sort of), mathematics (of course), and Alexander the Great. What questions does Jenny ask her fellow grad students? How are secrecy and loneliness related? What's the best way to control another person? Listen to find out. If you have comments or questions, reach out on Instagram...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine are joined by Mae Coyiuto, the author of Chloe and the Kaishao Boys . The three of them discuss the “Great Wall”, Filipino food, and how Mae Coyiuto became the first person from the Phillipines to be published by Penguin Teen. What aspects of Filipino culture has Kathrine introduced to Jenny? Could Mae write a story about Jenny and Kathrine with a little bit of...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine are joined by their energetic young friend Didi. Didi helps Jenny and Kathrine learn the hip slang, and Jenny and Kathrine interrogate Didi about the books she reads. Which Jane Austen character would Didi prefer to kill? What word should Jenny stop using?  When did “cuffing season” become a thing? Listen to find out.

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. They dissect his arguments and his grammar, but also somehow end up talking about snails and Taylor Swift. What does Camus say about Mathematics that gets Jenny fired up? What side of TikTok is Kathrine on? How did Jenny discipline herself into actually finishing the book? Is this book even about Sisyphus? Listen to...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine talk about one of their favorite childhood authors, Cornelia Funke. They discuss her work and the movie adaptations that came from it, as well as what they love so much about her writing style. How was Cornelia Funke instrumental in the start of Jenny and Kathrine's friendship? What fictional food would Jenny love to try? How did Kathrine get confused at the...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine are joined by bestselling author Katherine Howe to discuss her book Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of An American Dynasty. Katherine shares what stories from the book she found most impactful and gives us an overview of the books she has coming out soon (Spoiler: they all sound pretty cool!) What should every good pirate book have? How does one actually write a b...

What happens when Jenny and Kathrine plan an episode and then completely disregard their discussion guide the whole time? This episode is what happens. In (some of) this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss what it means to be well read, why it’s important to them to be well read, and how they are working to read more diversely. However, the episode manages to wander all over the place. What is the...

In this episode, Jenny and Kathrine discuss the book "The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese. There are many themes to this absolute book of a book, and they bring up as many as they can, including generational growth, motherhood, class divisions, education, and leprosy. What does Jenny do when she encounters a word she doesn't know in a book? What happens when Kathrine gets too...