Just Plain Wrong

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss Breaking Amish Season One, a reality tv show that ran for 6 seasons on TLC and can now be streamed on Discovery+. The premise of the show is five Amish and Mennonite young adults go to New York City to experience urban life and decide whether or not to return to their Amish communities.  We recap the plot of season one in depth, while discussing what is actual...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss With Open Arms,  an explicit romance novel by Kathy Alerding (or sometimes Aldering) from 1986.  We discuss unlikely sabbaticals, confusing flashbacks, somewhat surprise tornados, and more!  Content note: As this book contained explicit sex scenes, these are referred to in a non-explicit way; some sexual euphemisms from the text are quoted.  We always love hear...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss the Amish themed episodes of Murder She Wrote and Orange is the New Black. In Murder She Wrote, we follow Jessica Fletcher as she stumbles upon a body while in Amish country to buy a quilt. The Orange is the New Black episode tells the backstory of prisoner Leanne Taylor, an inmate who grew up Amish. We chat accidental detectives, implausible plot lines, bad ac...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss Letterkenny, a TV show about a small town in Canada, and the various episodes revolving around Old Order Mennonite characters.  We chat regional language quirks, Dyck jokes, Old Order Mennonites and more.  For our US listeners, you can find Letterkenny on Hulu.  Content note:  We did mark this episode as explicit on purpose! Explicit warning is for mild sexual...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss a variety of comics with Amish themes. Matthew Murray of the Book Club for Masochists podcast joins us to offer expertise on comics and graphic novels.  We chat illustrations, vampire-prevention with farm equipment,  sexual butter churning and lots more! Follow Matthew on Twitter @MidniteLibrary , and be sure to check out Book Club for Masochists , a Reader&apo...

This week we are thrilled to be joined by Regina Shands Stoltzfus and Tobin Miller Shearer to discuss their antiracism work and their book Been in the Struggle: Pursuing an Antiracist Spirituality.  We chat about their friendship, work in and for the Mennonite church, and why we think they should consider branching out and writing Amish romance.  Purchase their book, Been in the Struggle, through...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss and read excerpts from a handful of Amish publications: The Budget, Die Botschaft, and Family Life.  We chat scribes, weather reports and more.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to help support the podcast financially, please consider joining our Patreon at...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss Follow Your Heart, a 2020 Hallmark movie. In the movie, Katrina "Kathy" Yoder is a successful author, having published several books in her Broke Girl's Guide travel series. She and her boyfriend have just been offered a TV deal when she finds out her father has passed away and she needs to return home to the Amish community where she grew up. We...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss the first book in the Half-Stitched Quilting Club series by Wanda Brunstetter. We chat and rant about quilting, clubs, stereotypes and frustrating tropes. We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to help support the podcast financially, please consider joining our...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss Zeke Yoder vs. the Singularity by Stephen Beachy, a 2017 Amish cyberpunk novel. Tim Nafziger, Abby’s brother, fills in for Erin and we chat about cyberpunk, radical Anabaptism, the singularity and more.  Content note: This book contained references and depictions of suicide. While we don’t discuss that theme in depth, there are references to suicide during this...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss the mystery thriller Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo and its Lifetime movie adaptation, An Amish Murder. We chat favorite movies, bad romances, Amish alarm bells, and more.  Content note:  This episode contains non-descriptive discussions of murder, violence, sexual assault, and police brutality.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at pl...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss the Amish episodes of two adult cartoon shows,  Futurama (S. 6 Ep 19) and Family Guy (S.10, Ep 7). We chat favorite cartoons, roller coasters, bad puns and the prevalence of non-pacifist Amish characters in media we've covered.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If...

This week, the MennoBrarians veer away from the usual and into Jello! We taste Jello in 3 rounds: Savory Horrors (Salmon Dill mouse, BBQ Jello cubes, and Orange & Carrots), Jello Shots (Conrad Grebellinis, jello style), Desserts (Graham cracker fluff, 7 layer salad, Dream salad, and Strawberry Pretzel salads. Following the tasting, we discuss the best and worst. Be sure to check out the videos...

This week, the MennoBrarians, discuss the horror movie Amish Witches: The True Story of Holmes County, along with special guest Emily Hedrick. We chat about the Pennsylvania Dutch practice of Braucherei and its connection to Amish and Mennonite groups, as well as our thoughts on horror movies and the very confusing plot lines this movie offers.  Content note:  Horror movie themes and violence are...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss and review a pile of children's picture books about the Amish, including the Reuben series (Reuben and the Fire), Ruthie Goes to Town, and Raising Yoder's Barn. We chat our favorite books, illustrations, and the prevalence of barn raising in Amish themed kid's books. We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmai...

This week, the MennoBrarians chat with Joe Springer, the curator of the Mennonite Historical Library (MHL) at Goshen College. The MHL is a comprehensive research collection with the mission to collect everything by and about Mennonites and related groups. The collection includes everything from rare works on early Anabaptism to 20 yards worth of Amish Romance books.  We chat with Joe about the MHL...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss Kingpin, a 1996 comedy movie in which an Amish man is recruited to participate in a bowling tournament. We chat about sports and Amish, personal bowling experiences, 90s movies, and more.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to help support the podcast financi...

This week, the MennoBrarians return to Amish Romance, discussing the 2021 book by Mindy Steele, an Amish Flower Farm. We chat gardening, cozy romances, hot showers in summer time, the Mennonite and Amish valuation of hard work,  how "Amish" a book needs to be to qualify as an Amish romance, and spicy meatloaf.   We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at...

Season 3 is here! In our first episode of the season we quiz each other on 3 topics: Mennonite current events, Mennonite & Amish children's books, and the state of Amish romance publishing in 2021. We also chat a bit about what's to come in Season 3.   We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you...

This week we wrap up season 2: the best, the worst, and the ones that managed to surprise us. We go over listener statistics and media tropes, reflect on what we've learned, and share some of our favorite bloopers and cut-for-time clips from throughout the season.  We will be back in March of 2022! Until then, you can contact us at plainwrongpod at gmail or follow us on social media @plainwro...

It's time to chat about the Amish romance book that helped inspire the existence of the Just Plain Wrong podcast: Amish Christmas Baby Gone by Samantha Price. Join us for conversations on our favorite holiday movies, baby kidnapping rings, bad theology, and more.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If...

It's our first of two holiday episodes! This week, we each read a different novella with the same name: "Amish Second Christmas."  One was a sweet rekindling of a romance between an Amish woman and a firefights, another's plot was two young [chaste] lovers reunited after being separated by an angry father who hates Christmas, and the third was a wild tale of a long-lost family...

This week we take a break from reviewing Amish romance novels to answer questions from listeners. Topics include Amish lawn care, Amish weddings, Mennonite jokes, our ideas for our future (and very hypothetical) Amish novel, and a lot of chat about food.   We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to h...

This week, we once again head to the mid-1990s, this time to discuss the Hallmark Movie, Harvest of Fire.  The movie, filmed in the Kalona, Iowa area,  stars Patty Duke as an Amish widow, and follows the FBI investigation to find an arsonist after several Amish barns are burned. Join us for conversations on movie making, arson, barn roofs, and alternative movie endings.  We always love hearing fro...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss the 4-part book, Amish Country Treasure by Ruth Price. We chat newspapers, impractical relationships, and whether phrases like "picking onions" are a sign that a bot wrote a book and not a real human. Tune in to learn why this is our lowest rated book yet!  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Tw...