No Returns

HONK HONK. HONKHONKHONK get in loser, we're going to the world's largest twine ball***!!! In this season finale, Alyssa and Kevin buzz to Darwin, Minnesota to gaze upon Francis A Johnson's greatest creation!  *** assembled by one person!  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often...

The Reasonable Duo becomes a reasonable trio as Kevin and Alyssa are joined by Lexa Harmon (sibling of previous guest of the pod, Becca!!) to discuss Wild by Cheryl Strayed!  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and In...

The No Returns crew is joined by local musician and educator, Jessie Buns(!!), to slog through Chuck Palahniuk's 2001 novel, Choke! Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein was the host of the A...

WE'RE BACK IN THE KITCHEN THIS TIME, trying out some recipes from this episode's featured title—The Magic of Jelly: 100 New and Favorite Recipes by Welch's. We're scooping jam, quarreling at the grocery store, and finally revealing Kevin's veganism journey!! Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "m...

The No Returns duo is joined by RETURN GUEST, Lauren Neumann, to talk about Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods!! Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein was the host of the An...

Alyssa and Kevin get FRESH in this episode, and prepare food from the recipe book, Raw Food/Real World. Written by Sarma Melngailis (as seen in Netflix's Bad Vegan) and Matthew Kenney (known for his dicey business and financial practices), this book aims to convince its audience that raw veganism is accessible. And decidedly not for ugs!! No Returns resident vegan, Kevin, has thoughts. And Alyssa...

This week Alyssa and Kevin return and discuss the book Emma Cline wrote while dwelling in a backyard shed—The Girls! Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein was the host of the Anhedonic Headph...

This holiday season, Kevin's VHS player is put to good use as the No Returns co-hosts watch and discuss the 1986 made-for-TV movie, Babes in Toyland.   Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein w...

Take ANOTHER walk with co-hosts, Alyssa and Kevin—but this time, in the woods!! This week they're discussing Bill Bryson's 1998 “humorous travel book,” A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.   Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xy...

In the season premiere, accompany the No Returns duo on a couple of jaunts inspired by the book, Walking Twin Cities by Holly Day and Sherman Wick.     Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein i...

BONUS EPISODE ALERT! We thought we were wrapped up for this season of No Returns until we met Kate Russell, Senior Director of Advancement for Little Free Library! This week Kate welcomes us to the Little Free Library offices in St Paul to discuss our meet cute, the best and worst things we've found in Little Free Libraries, and the work the Little Free Library organization is doing to provide acc...

This week, Alyssa and Kevin crack open the 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records! Which records have been broken in the last 35 years and which have been maintained? The No Returns duo discuss this most impressive compendium AND even try to beat some of its listed record holders.  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newslet...

As the change of seasons approaches, Alyssa and Kevin gather to discuss Carley Fortune's Every Summer After.  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein is a writer and host of the Anhedonic Headp...

This week the No Returns duo welcome Alyssa's spouse, Jarred, for a conversation about the hit 90s series, Animorphs.   Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein is a writer and host of the Anhed...

This week, Alyssa and Kevin watch "Scientology: An Overview," a DVD found in a Little Free Library. They also discuss Going Clear, the HBO documentary. And if you're a Scientologist reading this, they are just jokin about it all! Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about sna...

This week, the No Returns pair attempt to bamboozle and charm their book club with tricks learned from this episode's text, The Magic World of The Amazing Randi by James Randi.  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and...

IS BLOOD THICKER THAN WATER!?? Alyssa and Kevin will get to the bottom of it in this week's episode about My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin...

This week Alyssa and Kevin gather ingredients and prepare dishes from a 1979 church cookbook, Cooking Collectibles. Many things have changed in the kitchen, but fun cooking with friends is everlasting. Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and f...

This week Alyssa and Kevin discuss Lena Dunham's book of essays, Not That Kind of Girl. They also touch on the overlap between this book and Dunham’s HBO series, Girls, and Kevin takes another quiz!  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and fol...

This week Alyssa and Kevin crack open a celebrity wedding special edition of People Magazine from 2005 that likely spent years in someone’s basement, but made its way to them blessedly via Little Free Library. They discuss the fate of many of the couples featured, the extravagance of celebrity weddings, and even 2005 teeth trends versus teeth trends of today. Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop cultu...

This week Alyssa and Kevin watch the modern classic, The Notebook, as found on DVD in a Little Free Library. Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein is a writer and host of the Anhedonic Headph...

For this week's episode, we read Roald Dahl's The Witches, as well as watched both the 1990 and the 2020 film versions!  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein is a writer and host of the Anhe...

To close out 2024, Alyssa and Kevin play a round of "Would You Rather" utilizing a discovered partial book. Additionally, they assemble a Costco-themed puzzle selected from a Little Free Library of puzzles.  Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break ,...

It's a merry mid-December for us on No Returns! This week we discuss L Frank Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often about snacks) Xylophone Break , and follow her on Twitter and Instagram . Kevin Krein is a writer and host of the A...

Found on the state of Utah’s list of banned books in this year 2024, Judy Blume’s 1975 novel, Forever, is the subject of this week’s episode. Alyssa and Kevin discuss this book’s controversial reputation, and how it’s held up over time. Alyssa Savino is a writer, a pop culture enthusiast, and is "deeply Midwestern." Subscribe to her newsletter, Soft Earlobe , listen to her "mini-podcast" (often ab...