RazzleFrat

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, the seasonal depression is settling in, along with the existential dread, BUT Ashtin got promoted and Allie is back to writing, so, there’s that. Then, the Razzlefrat 2023 book lovers gift guide + our most anticipated Spring 2024 releases! Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our join...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, we’re… not doing great. BUT, it’s soup szn and Ashtin’s apartment gas is soon-to-be-restored, so, not all is lost. Then, we keep it short and sweet and dive into our film adaptation analysis of Jane Eyre (*Ashtin shudders*). We chat about feminism (or the lack thereof), the “love” story between Rochester and Jane, and THAT ending. As usual, we have lots of th...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, Ashtin is scrambling to find her sanity as she briefly touches down in New York before her next trip and Allie is letting her inner Swiftie shine. Then, we talk about books that terrify us to our very core—for many reasons—thanks to BookTok. And, finally, our inner basic BuzzFeed bitches make an appearance as we find out what fall aesthetic we are. Join us ne...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, Ashtin is reading fluffy romance while Allie dives into some serious lit fic (what else is new?). Then, we dive into the wonderfully layered Haunting on Hill House by horror novel pioneer Shirley Jackson. We chat about innocence and childhood, obsession vs. possession, the cyclical nature of stories, and, of course, shake our fists at Shirley Jackson for rais...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we’re both hanging on by a thread, which makes for some… interesting takes. We play an inaugural round of “Yes If, No If,” (Spooky Version) inspired by @loislanea on TikTok, then cringe over shared fall-related fears. It’s fine, we’re fine, everything is fine. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhan...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we’re almost done morphing into full-on moody bitch mode as fall descends, PSLs in hand. We chat fall prep, Gilmore Girls rewatch szn, and, of course, Dead Poets. We cover everything from how Todd and Neil are in love (change our minds) to the symbolism of Walt Whitman to the anger and restrictions of adolescence. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on ou...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week Allie is in the throes of fever dreams and Ashtin is packing her fall schedule to stave off The Void™. So, we’re obviously THRIVING and totally qualified to be your pretend professors. We chat through our favorite campus novels and discuss what books we’d assign if we were your English teachers. Don’t worry, we’d never be allowed near an actual classroom. Be s...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we break down our August book club pick, The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor. Taylor gives us a ton to talk about in less than 300 pages, including art, identity, monogamy, queerness, class, and more. Also, lots of relatable existential crises. Like, a lot. We love to see (read) it. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_a...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we embrace how easily we—okay, mostly Ashtin—are influenced by the BookTok machine and tell you whether some of the most popular books on the platform are worth the hype. BUT we also have some hidden gems up our sleeves. Next time we’re discussing The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor and hope you’ll join us for the “Sally Rooney but in Iowa” vibes. Be sure to...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week while the world burns (thanks, SCOTUS), Allie’s got her running groove back, Ashtin’s back from Maine, and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is imminent. Then we discuss which Barbie we’d like to be—and which ones we actually are. Also, a sneak peek at our most anticipated reads of fall 2023! Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week Allie’s back from the Catskills and Ashtin’s freaked out about the lost (now found) Titanic submarine. Then—after stalling for as long as possible—we FINALLY finish our Infinite Jest discussion and banish him from our reading lives. Did we enjoy this read? Questionable. Will we be bragging about having finished this brick? Absolutely. Be sure to follow us in b...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, we’re the dog in the meme saying “this is fine” as the world literally burns and covers NYC in toxic orange smoke. And, because we’re masochists, apparently, we rub salt in the wound by discussing the first half of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. As it turns out, the behemoth has some interesting insights, but we need whomever called it “uproariously f...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, we’re entering our artsy-girl summer era, Allie is about to complete another Gilmore Girls lap, and Ashtin is steeped in dreadful anticipation waiting for the Succession series finale. Then, the latest installment of everyone’s favorite game, Allie-and-Ashtin-don’t-communicate-so-this-game-has-two-very–different-sets-of-rules! And, as a bonus, we also take a...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, Ashtin is devastated that she finished ACOTAR but she’ll soldier through it, somehow, and Allie braved the Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl in the pouring rain. Then we dive into our latest adaptation watch—Passing! We talk about its fealty to the book, the stunning cinematography, and *that* ending. We’ve discussed the book at length in “Chapter 6: I’m a Slut for Th...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, Ashtin is still hurtling through the ACOTAR universe and dreading the impending book hangover she’ll have at the end, and Allie is cultured AF with concerts and Broadway shows. Then we compare our reading tastes as children to the most popular books of the time and, in a shocking non-upset, we find out that we were always… this way. Be sure to follow us in be...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week, Allie gets stuck in an elevator and Ashtin won’t shut up about A Court of Mist and Fury. Then we dive into our April book club discussion—Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. To say we have strong thoughts is…an understatement. Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we chat about Succession, Jaspertok, Lana Del Rey’s latest album, and Ashtin’s ACOTAR rabbit hole before diving into another epic game of FMK (Book Edition). We also discuss the summer 2023 titles we are most excited about! Join us next time for our April book club discussion for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Be sure to follow us in...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week Allie is reading Bell Hooks while Ashtin has been sucked deep into a Dramione fanfic wormhole. BUT she redeems herself by having an intellectual conversation with Allie about Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. We chat about the juxtaposition between Jo and Amy, social expectations for women and loneliness, and the power of women owning their own stories—in every sen...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we channel our inner Moira Rose and revisit all of our book club titles and give them awards, in honor of ~Oscars szn~. We also discuss how we’ve achieved peak grandma with our knitting. Join us next episode for our breakdown of Greta Gerwig’s Little Women! Be sure to follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands...

Welcome to Razzlefrat! We get a little carried away chatting about coffee, Pedro Pascal, and the cinematic values of The Vampire Diaries. But all of that is followed by our discussion on Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. We look at the different POVs, and try both classical and modern lenses when looking at a day in the life of party planning with Clarissa. Be sure to follow us in between episodes...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! It’s been quite a minute. We took a break for the holidays and a tough January but we’re back, just as chatty and obnoxious as ever. This is a late airing of an oldie but goodie where we take authors from the past and bring them to the Tik Tok dominated modern world. Taking the idea of talking books and coffee and bringing lots of the “more”. Follow us in between episod...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! We catch up after a month of moves, weddings, and Mercury not being in retrograde. We hit the books with a campus read On Beauty by Zadie Smith. We talk about her talent of making music and art come through the page, the satire of academia superiority, and the Shakespearian elements of a dysfunctional family.  As always, follow us in between episodes on our booksta...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we are celebrating our FIRST podcast anniversary with Gilmore Girls hot takes and wine! Oh, and we discuss some books, too. As always, follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod ! Until next time, we bid you farewell. xoxo, Razzlefrat Books mentioned this episode: When...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This week we dive straight in to our latest book club pick— Persuasion by Jane Austen. We talk about her growth as a writer, the power of love and redemption, and the latest adaptation with Dakota Johnson. As always, follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpod ! Until next time, w...

Welcome back to Razzlefrat! This month we play an absolutely unhinged bookish version of F*ck, Marry, Kill and discuss how much we HATE the summer in the city. Join us for the book club episode next month! We’ll be reading Persuasion by Jane Austen.  As always, follow us in between episodes on our booksta accounts @grapes_of_ash and @theresinkonmyhands and also our joint account @razzlefratpo...