click to listen The Mikes gather once more to talk over a horror book, this time it's one of the earliest classics of werewolf fiction, and are surprised at what parts of werewolf lore it does and does not use. They also had no idea they'd be this shocked by a book this old. It's cocktail time! The Hairy Palm In a shaker with ice, mix: 2 oz cognac 1 oz Tia Maria dash three of orange bitters...

                                                                           click to listen   The Two Mikes enter the culinary world with Lucy Rose and her debut novel The Lamb .  Are you going to&nbsp...

click to listen The Two Mikes reunite for the holidays and bring along a Linda! We talk over Joe Hill's new short story and then spend a stupid amount of energy reimagining it as a Hallmark Christmas movie. It's Cocktail Time! The Shotgun In a rocks glass with ice mix: two shots rye 1 shot Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur) dash orange bitters stir and garnish with twist of orange. Chin chin!  

  Click to listen Join the Two Mikes and a little  Linda as they investigate the supernatural in F. G. Cottam's The Fourth Haunting. Is that a ghost in your in your pocket or are you just trying to get me to join a super evil, dark magic, sinister sex cult?    It is Cocktail Time!  GHOST GIN ( and tonic) 2  shots Blue Gin Tonic Get a tall glass, ice  ... come on,...

  click to listen And so the Two Mikes finish their sixteen+ year journey to read scary books together and try to come up with intelligent and fun things to say about them. And make cocktails. We had a great time. Thanks to all who listened along! And thanks to all who've engaged with the site and with us. And thanks especially to all the authors. So many great books. We'll keep the site aliv...

  click to listen We two Mikes tackle, for our penultimate episode, Lisa Tuttle's first horror novel. We struggle to recall the details (as we are getting on in years) and eventually things start to get more familiar.  It's Cocktail Time! Cocktails with Mr. Lunch In a shaker with ice, pour 1 shot Cointreau 1 shot lime juice 1 shot gin 1 shot Chartreuse Shake and strain into chilled cockt...

  click to listen The Mikes belt out some wolf whistles and learn about men's accessories. And Nazis. It's cocktail time! Three Shots to the Head Line up three shot glasses. In order, fill them with: Jägermeister Bärenjäger William Wolf pecan whiskey Shoot them!

  Click to listen Let's tonsure our hair, put on the scratchy robes and make the vows with The Two Mikes and Matthew Lewis in The Monk.   Celibacy is not all that is cracked up to be, so throw in a little Lucifer, a smidge of witchcraft and a pinch of lust and you got yourself one hell of a gothic tale.    It's Cocktail Time! The Bleeding Nun You are going to layer these liquor...

 click to listen The Mikes' book group reads a book about a book group. This won't end well. It's cocktail time! Shelby, Drink Your Juice! In a champagne flute pour: 1/2 shot of Southern Comfort orange juice to about halfway fill the glass top with club soda

 No Picture Today Click to listen   Two Mikes learn all about Adult Vampring in Clare Kohda's Woman, Eating .   Sometimes you gotta pay your dues and sometimes you  just gotta drain the blood out of your intern supervisor. It's Cocktail Time! Hallucinogenic Milk 1 shot Pernod Juice of 1/2 lemon A teaspoon of powdered sugar, or sugar substitute Shake with ice, pour into a g...

click to listen In which the Mikes realize they're reading the same book at the same time and decide to record their thoughts, with no regard to what they're really supposed to be reading, which is Claire Kohda's Woman, Eating.   It's Cocktail Time! The Black Death 2 oz black vodka 3 oz limoncello 1 oz club soda stir with ice and garnish with a lemon (or a dead rat)

                                                                           Click to Listen Pack up you belongings and quickly relocate with the Two Mikes and William Hallahan and his 70s horror novel The Search...

  click to listen Wherein the Two Mikes look upon creation and find that it is good enough. It's Cocktail Time! Black Sunrise Make coffee ice cubes When ready, place in shaker. Add:     1 shot espresso     1 shot Kahlua     1 shot blackstrap rum Shake and pour entire into tumbler. Go to work.

  click to listen The Two Mikes hop into the Misery Machine to solve a mystery, along with some damaged kids and a precocious Weimeraner. What they discover is a man in a mask behind a mask behind some tentacles, in a mine, behind a mask. It's Cocktail Time! Essential Salts A day before you make this cocktail, prepare tomato water ice cubes. roughly blend four large tomatoes, a hot pepper, a...

          Click to listen  Are you there God? It is us, The Two Mikes and Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires .  Listen as we journey through a plague ridden world devoid of compassion, and goodness and replete with superstition and horror. Here is where the leaders are most likely the actual spawn of hell.  No, it does not take place in 2022. It's Cock...

click to listen In a town that is not Salem's Lot, comes a man who is not John Rambo to fight a vampire who is really a vampire. What should we title it? Not First Blood . How about Night Blood ! Yeah, that's good. It's Cocktail Time! The Hoosier Hot Shot Perk some crappy hospital coffee (not the goods stuff). Pour into a diner-style mug, leave an inch of space Float shot of James Dickel bourbon a...

     Click to listen .    Listen to the Mikes as they nibble that oh so tempting cheese in Stephen Gilbert's Ratmen's Notebooks. It is that time of the year the critters come in from the cold; Why not contemplate some petty revenge?                                    &n...

  click to listen The Mikes pack their gear and head into the woods for some up-close encounters with nature. Worms are nature, right? It's Cocktail Time! As the Worm Turns In a shaker mix 2 oz mezcal 1/2 oz fresh lime juice 1/2 oz ginger juice 1 oz agave nectar strain into ice-filled glass and top with sparkling water. Garnish with worm from bottle.

  Click to listen Continue your studies abroad with the Mikes and Simon Raven's Doctors Wear Scarlet.   Will you graduate Summa Cum Laude? You will if you're a nasty young chap who get's his kicks from having his neck gnawed on.    Cocktail Time! Tbe Dick Fountain Cocktail 1 ounce anise flavored liquor 1/2   ounce simple syrup 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice one egg white &nbs...

  click to listen The Mikes have a confession to make: we read and have thinkings about another Thomas Disch novel. We marvel and cringe at the what goes underneath those cassocks.  It's Cocktail Time! No one Drinks the Spanish Inquisition In a shaker with ice, mix 1/2 shot Cointreau 1/2 shot calvados Pour into coupe glass (for up) or rocks glass (for on the rocks). Fill glass with cava...

     Click to listen Join The Two Mikes but quietly tip toe backwards as they come upon a herd of ghostly elk in Stephan Graham Jones's horror novel  The Only Good Indians.   You can run but the Elk Head Woman will find you and she's going to want to play a mean game of H-O-R-S-E. It's Cocktail Time! The Elks Club   ( yes, there is no apostrophe) 1/4 ounce dry ve...

click to listen The two Mikes visit old haunts in Chicago and Madison, as they learn the ropes of vampirism and the club scene with new creature of the night. It's Cocktail Time! Kroba 1 shot calvados 1 shot vodka 1/2 shot kirsch 1/2 shot maple syrup shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Enjoy with herring. Lots and lots of herring.

  Listen The Mikes trip on hippie brownies and head into the 1960s and Chicago's Westside in Emil Ferrris's My Favorite Thing is Monsters.   Are monsters real?  Take a look in a reflective storefront window and find out for your damn self. It Is Cocktail Time! Monster Mash Take fruits that can represent monsters. For example: Kiwi= The Wolf Man Strawberry = Dracula Blueberry = Boobe...

  click to listen Two Mikes and a Linda put on their dancing shoes and head to a party, where all, it seems, is not well. We try to solve the mystery of the crime solvers, learn to say "yes" to the dress (and hear what it has to say in return), and finally pull the ribbon on the whole thin g. It's Cocktail Time! Difficult at Parties Punch Freeze ice in a ring, like in a Bundt pan. Slice a blo...

Click to listen The Two Mikes travel to the Deep South with Flannery O'Connor and her short story "Good Country People. Bless their hearts, it isn't all fried chicken and sweet tea. It's Cocktail Time! Hooch in the Bible 1 shot Campari 1 shot good Bourbon 1 shot ginger liqueur Place in a tumbler of ice, shake and decant into a martini glass. Garnish with a shaving of ginger. Chin Chin.