Shelf Aware Podcast

We're going there and back again, as we rewind to one of Anna's least favorite books from her middle school years. We're not gonna lie to you guys, this episode ended up being a real unexpected journey. Come along with us, and Bilbo Baggins, as we travel through Middle Earth, to talk about Evangelical cartooning, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, and so much more! A very special thank you to Ben Cope fo...

Ohmigod you guys! Did you know that before it was a hit movie and Broadway musical, Legally Blonde was a book? Well, it was, and we're here to read it so you don't have to. Before Beyonce made feminism cool again, Elle Woods was here to prove that women CAN have it all! If your definition of "all" includes manicures and a bad attitude, and excludes healthy relationships, any life goals unrelated t...

It's another Rewind episode here on Hate Read! We're checking out some of our least favorites from our Middle School years, starting with Em's pick. In what could be described as "Harry Potter if JK Rowling hated children," it's Midnight for Charlie Bone. It's the only book we've read where we left thinking "gosh, I wish this book had more child murders." A very special thank you to Ben Cope for o...

Is it possible? We're not sending a book straight to the dog house? Yes, for the first time ever on Hate Read, we've managed to completely botch the premise of the show and read a book that we don't totally hate! Don't worry, we said totally. There's still plenty to pick apart this episode, as we delve into a book that rivals Cruella de Vil in the "crimes against animals" department. A very specia...

Sorry to everyone who might have accidentally downloaded the version of the episode released yesterday. Everything should be back to regularly scheduled programming now! Welcome to what might possibly be the most f-bomb laden episode of HateRead yet, Literary Slummers. So many exciting twists and turns in this one. So many unnecessary details. So many poor decisions made. But remember, not everyth...

Who knew children’s literature could be so creepy? Come relive the horror of the Vermicious Knids, a bored, eternal candymaker, and some very interesting fanfiction with Anna & Em this week as they tackle another childhood hateread, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator! A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather Be Reading: C...

TW: Assisted suicide. Ugh, ~emotions.~ Who needs them, amirite, Literary Slummers? Join Anna & Em as they discuss Will - a dude with a rude ‘tude - and Lou - an extremely boring, quirky girl - and how these characters cope with a physical disability. Spoiler: Not well, and we’ve got a lot of opinions about it. Also, for a bit of extra credit, read the sequels and let us know how those turn out! A...

Welcome to a special rewind episode of HateRead! Anna & Em have recorded a few episodes where they revisit books they read (and hated) throughout various points of their childhood and see if their feelings remain the same. Today, Anna revisits a book she was forced to read too many times as a kid, Little House in the Big Woods. Listen along as they discuss the hardships of living with Old Man Shov...

Episode 12 - There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins TW: Hazing. And also lots of murder. Welcome back, Literary Slummers! What do you get when a contemporary romance YA author takes a stab at the horror genre? Kind of a hot mess. Anna & Em head to the tiny town of Osborne, Nebraska to watch as teenagers from various cliques are brutally murdered. Who is the mastermind behind this w...

Apologies again for the audio issues. Pretty sure our recording equipment is just haunted. Happy Monday, Literary Slummers! Anna & Em are diving into a classic this fortnight, Tortilla Flats by John Steinbeck. A novel about a group of minorities written by a white male - what could go wrong? A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz...

Apologies for the audio issues! Anna is moving stuff around in her house and her normal recording space has been taken over. An eccentric aunt casts a spell on her mousy niece that makes her more assertive and sexier. Pretty much the rest of the book unfolds the way you’d imagine, but with an extra dose of Hate (PEE PEE TOILET) from Anna&Em. Join us this fortnight for a magical romp through Hocus...

Trigger Warning: Sexual assault, abusive relationships, teenage pregnancy, attempted suicide, postpartum depression. Who doesn’t love a little fear mongering in the form of a fake teenager’s diary? Anna & Em trudge through the fictional account Annie’s abusive relationship and subsequent pregnancy. It was such a yummy, nummy book. #GoodTimeSlime A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme s...

We come from the land of ice and snow, from the garbage sea where the Wailers flow… Ok, so that was bad, but this episode of the podcast is pretty good! This fortnight, the sci-fi YA dystopian novel Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz is up for discussion. Come and be dazzled by Em’s in-depth knowledge of the casino industry and Anna’s theories on panda bear prowess in the future. A very special thank yo...

This fortnight, Anna & Em discuss the One-Direction-based-fanfiction-turned-published-novel Nothing More by Anna Todd! Listen in to find out more about their embarrassing fanfiction habits and unseemly knowledge of Harry Potter trivia! A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather Be Reading: Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller...

Trigger Warning: Eating disorders. So, we’re a little bit behind on our holiday special, but we love Christmas so much we don’t care. This fortnight, Anna & Em discuss the novel that inspired the movie Christmas With the Kranks: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. Apparently some people are just hateful. A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtub...

Trigger Warning: Lots of discussion about sex, including some discussion of underaged sex and issues of consent. Are you ready for a sexy, sexy episode about sexy, sexy vampires and sexy, sexy werewolves, wereleopards, werelions, wererats, and were-every-other-animal-that-ever-existed? Anna and Em take a nostalgic trip back to a series they hoped to never revisit. Welcome to Kiss the Dead by Laure...

Take one Harvard scholar with a sense of honor and one cat ghost, and what do you get? One big hot mess of a cozy mystery. This fortnight, Anna and Em grow increasingly frustrated with one woman’s inability to use basic common sense in Clea Simon’s Shades of Grey. Feel free to reach out to us with your terrible book suggestions or any information you have on turning .jpgs into .xcl files! Email: h...

Trigger Warning: Discussion about sexual assault and consent. So apparently the host of The Bachelor, Chris Harrison, wrote a romance novel. A novel full of unsent letters, horrible career and life choices, and questionable sexual consent. Take a journey to Austin, TX with Anna and Em as they try their hardest to not strangle Leigh and Jake, the world’s stupidest couple. Welcome to The Perfect Let...

Trigger Warning: Very brief discussion on the main character’s suicidal thoughts. Another fortnight, another terrible book! Join Anna and Em as they discuss Mary-Sue telepaths, cow terminology, the best way to convince people that you have psychic abilities (hint: it’s not forcing people to throw up. That’s just rude), and how this book could have possibly won a Hugo award. It’s time for some clas...

This fortnight, Anna and Em tackle the infamously bad Antigua: Land of Fairies, Wizards and Heroes. Together they attempt to unpack the mysteries of Antigua: why are there so many characters? Are the Ellis' actual aliens trying to understand Earth culture? And what the hell is a miniwad?