Marginalia Pod

Watford School of Magicks, and particularly Simon and Baz’s relationship to the place, is such a big part of Carry On, so we thought it was high time we got some answers to our burning boarding school questions. In this bonus ep, we interview special guest Frank about his own experience at the English boarding school Stonyhurst. We hope you appreciate getting some insight into what this experience...

We’re joined by a very special guest this week - Jen V’s friend Frank shares a story about ability in today’s episode and then we have a whole bonus episode where he answers all our questions about English Boarding School Life (TM). That’ll be out tomorrow so keep an eye out. Frank co-hosts the great podcast Drawn to the Flame, all about Arkham Horror: The Card Game - listen here ! In this ep, we’...

It's finally here - we're off to Watford with Simon Snow! We're reading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell for season 6 and we have a lot of feelings so brace yourself. Our foundational theme is expectation, and we kick things off by reading chapters 1-9 through the theme of coping this week. You can find the show notes  on the website .  This episode was recorded on 29 January 2022. Thanks for listening!...

Oh, what a day! What a lovely day! We’re very excited to chat about Mad Max: Fury Road through the themes of perseverance and glory this week. It was an interesting challenge to do a close reading of a film with so little dialogue, but there’s so much going on here on so many levels, we couldn't get enough of it! You can find the show notes  on the website .  This episode was recorded on 22 Januar...

The saying about friends being the family you choose seems very true for the Gangsey. We’re reading the final chapters of The Raven Boys through the theme of friendship, and wrapping up the novel. In our section this week, Adam makes a sacrifice to wake the ley line. Neeve, inexplicably, disappears. A herd of Irish elk turn up out of time and trample Whelk. The trees speak Latin. Finally, they reb...

Our theme for chapters 40-44 of The Raven Boys is sanctuary, and you know what, it's super fitting cause everyone could really do with a safe place right now! In this section, Neeve has kidnapped Whelk, but not well enough. Adam seeks out Blue for comfort but decides to make a third path, as Persephone suggested, and disappears. While Maura is telling Blue about her father, the Raven Boys turn up...

Hesitation is often framed as a bad thing, but sometimes taking a moment to hesitate can actually be a good thing! We unpack all of that as we read chapters 35-39 of The Raven Boys this week. This is a pretty intense section! Gansey is determined to prevent Cabeswater falling to Whelk. Adam’s life reaches a tipping point, partly thanks to Ronan. Adam and Gansey fight about principles. Blue, findin...

Sometimes just showing up for someone, and being there, is the most important thing you can do. We look at what it means to be present as we read chapters 30-34 this week. In this section, Blue grieves Noah. Neeve is creepy. Gansey pulls some strings to fix things for Ronan, who finally offers Blue an olive branch. Whelk waylays Gansey in a low moment. Persephone, Calla, and Blue start looking for...

We all have moments of uncertainty, and times when our convinction is tested. How do you bounce back from that? That’s what we’re unpacking this week as we read chapters 25-29. And it’s a big week! The Gangsey go back to the woods—Cabeswater. The trees speak Latin! Blue and Gansey search for the ley line and find a body instead. Back at Monmouth, Gansey confronts the boys with the improbable news...

What is Gansey's search for Glendower if not a quest? It's the perfect theme for exploring these characters' motivations, and how their individual quests form part of the bigger picture, as we read chapters 20-24 this week. In this section, Adam invites Blue on an adventure. This involves a helicopter (piloted by Gansey’s older sister, Helen). Ronan and Gansey realise they’ve heard Blue’s voice be...

We’re all guilty of being a little judgy sometimes…. but when is that useful? Is it ever? We unpack judgement this week as read chapters 15-19. Our group officially meet as The Raven Boys come for a reading; things immediately get weird. Back at Monmouth, Ronan confronts Gansey about the argument with Adam. Meanwhile, Barrington Whelk is hot on Gansey’s trail. Back at 300 Fox Way, Blue interrupts...

What’s life without a little mystery? It certainly keeps things interesting in Henrietta! This week, in chapters 10-14, we learn that Whelk was once a young man of means who was also searching for ley lines. Blue overhears some curious conversations at home. At Aglionby, Gansey and Ronan cover for Adam’s unexplained absence. Back at 300 Fox Way, a stranger requests a card reading and the women of...

“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” Abraham Lincoln said that, apparently. It's a good jumping off point for this week's episode as we explore the vices at play in Hernietta and what it can teach us about our own lives. Fair to say, it’s a lot to work through! We're reading chapters 5-9 this week, and it's the part where worlds start to intersect. Gansey...

New season baby! We are very excited to get stuck into The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, the first book in The Raven Cycle. Our overarching theme is connection and we’ll carry this through for the whole series – and yes, we will eventually read all of them. This week, we introduce the text through the theme of destiny as we read the prologue to chapter 4. Can't wait to spend this time with Blue...

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene… That’s right, we're watching Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet through the themes of folly and passion. This film is a frenetic intertextual dream with a banger soundtrack and we hope you enjoy revisiting it as much as we do! You can find the show notes  on the website .  This episode was recorded on 25 September 2021. Than...

We’re at the end of our Fangirl journey and we can’t quite believe it! It has been so good to spend time with this text and unpick our own beliefs about identity, and fandom, over the last ten weeks. To wrap things up, we stretch ourselves to look at chapters 37-38 throught the theme of fame. Cath finally begins writing her story. They finish the year the same way it began, with Levi in her dorm r...

We’re both “creatives” so we really get stuck into the theme of creation this week. What is creation? Making something out of nothing! Making something out of something! But isn’t trying to understand your existence through relating a narrative a kind of creation too? We unpack all this as we read chapters 33-36 of Fangirl. Levi is sad about a test he bombed. Cath lies to Professor Piper about how...

It’s a bumper episode as we have a very special guest this week! We're joined by friend of the Pod Bethany Actually as we dive into chapters 29-32 of Fangirl through the theme of attraction. It’s a heady thing when you’re really into someone, and we attempt to unpack all the feelings that come from young love - and love in general, including the love you have for your friends and family. In this s...

The world can always do with more kindness - and so could all of us! We reflect on what kindness means and how we can find more of it in our lives as we read chapters 25-28 of Fangirl this week. It's a big week as Cath and Levi navigate dating and Wren is hospitalised, forcing Cath into a confrontation with their mother. You can find the show notes  on the website .  This episode was recorded on 2...

We’re delving into the theme of openness this week - what does it mean to be receptive to new ideas and opinions? How do you invite it and encourage it, even in the face of potential heartache? We also continue to explore how we express and build identity as we unpack chapters 21-24 of Fangirl. You can find the show notes  on the website .  This episode was recorded on 14 August 2021. Thanks for l...

This week, we’re reading chapters 17-20 through the theme of disillusionment. Cath is devastated when Nick reveals he’s turning in their story for his final project. Cath and Wren’s dad is hospitalised. Wren’s content to stay and finish finals, but Cath asks Levi to drive her back to Omaha. As it is almost Christmas break, Cath stays in Omaha, and she and Wren fight over their mum.  You can find t...

Heartbreak City, Population: Us. This week we read chapters 13-16 through the theme of heartbreak. We also instituted our first MarginaliaPod award: The Art Avery Award for Awesome Parenting (or as Jenn D calls it, the A-Triple-A-P). If you’re a fictional parent who wins this award, you should feel incredibly highly honoured indeed. If you are a crap parent, then maybe you can join Thranduil (raci...

We’re reading chapters 9-12 of Fangirl through the theme of anxiety - something we are intimately familiar with! Cath faces a big challenge when she turns in a piece of fanfiction for Professor Piper’s class and it does not go well. Wren continues to make things complicated, BUT Levi is there to help and Cath allows herself to be vulnerable. You can find the show notes  on the website .  This epis...

Well, I guess this is growing up. Yep that’s our theme this week as we read chapters 5-8 of Fangirl. Cath has a lot on her plate - she’s friends with Reagan now, she’s worried about her dad, she’s kind of sort of fighting with Wren, and her boring boyfriend dumped her! over! the! phone! So, a lot of growing up opportunities to unpack here. You can find the show notes  on the website .  This episod...

Oh hey, new season! We’re so excited to kick off season 4 reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. This is a true coming of age tale, and wonderfully character driven, so we’re looking forward to going deep with this one. Our foundational theme for the text is identity, and in this episode we’re reading Chapters 1-4 through the theme of waiting.    You can find the show notes  on the website .  This epi...