(Sort of) The Story

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to our last episode before our summer break! This week, we're unlocking one of our favorite bonus episodes, released way back in August 2023. This week, Max is going to tell us all about a gambling princess with a pear problem, and Janey is going to tell a cautionary tale of choosing stupid names for your children. If you think you'll miss us this July, consider...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to a monstrously themed episode! Today we are discussing werewolves and wendigos, and finally getting some much-needed insight into the Alabama White Thang from the Monster Ladies, Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler. Enjoy! Janey’s Sources - The Wendigo LOCATION: Minnesota, USA “Monsters of the Midwest” by Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler   “ ZHAUWUNO-GEEZHIG...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome! This week, Janey is going to tell us a shorty-baby-cutie story about a woman who doesn't know how to bargain, and Max is going to tell us a VERY terrible story that has a small moral at the end! Good luck! Janey’s Sources - The Sunchild  LOCATION: Greece  Andrew Lang’s The Grey Fairy Book   Full Free story   “Letiko, La Fille du Soleil” by Caputo Nato   Lam...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome! This week Max is going to tell us a story that may or may not explain something we may or may not need to know (and also there's a water horse, and we know how much Janey loves that.) ALSO Janey is going to tell us about a perfect princess (and the horrible family she's attached to). Enjoy! Janey’s Sources - The Toy Princess LOCATION: England Folk &amp...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome! It's another sleep-deprived/low-oxygen episode, so you're welcome (or we're sorry?) This week, Janey is going to tell us about a DEFINITELY 100% straight king with ZERO things to examine in his own life, and Max is going to tell us a fever dream! Enjoy! Janey’s Sources - Fanta-Ghíro the Beautiful LOCATION: Italy "Italian Folktales" retol...

Send us Fan Mail Hello! This week we're celebrating spring's triumphant return with Max's story about what can only be described as "some sort of lake yeti" discovering the convenience of Lyft, and Janey's tale of a King in desperate need of an HR department.  Enjoy! Janey’s Sources - The Useless Wagoner LOCATION: Hungary “Fairy Tales of Eastern Europe” , collected an...

Send us Fan Mail Cowabunga, everybody! This week, Janey is going to tell us about a disloyal knight with a surprising secret, and Max is going to tell us an alien invasion story that teaches us all a powerful lesson (don't trust a man just because he says he's a doctor...) Enjoy! Janey's Sources: Bradamante LOCATION: France Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girl...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and happy spoooOOOOookyy March! This week, we're bringing out our scariest Irish tales to impress Andi and Feliz, the hosts of the "You Two Scare Me" podcast! First, Max is going to break the glass ceiling of headless horsePEOPLE, and then Janey's going to remind us all of the most important rule of horror: children. are. scary.  We hope you enjoy! Source...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to another episode! This week Janey is going to tell us about a man who will go to great lengths to get his boss laid, and Max is going to tell us about an old man's fears! Enjoy! Janey’s Sources - The Tibetan Envoy LOCATION: Tibet “The Spring of Butterflies and Other Chinese Folk Tales”, translated by He Liyi, edited by Neil Philp  “Story of Songtsan Gambo...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to yet another week of life! This week, Max is going to tell us the dangers of letting a good story languish on the shelf, and Janey is going to tell us about some real sillies. We hope you enjoy this shorty-baby-cutie episode!  Janey’s Sources - The Three Sillies LOCATION: England “Favorite Folktales from Around the World” edited by Jane Yolen   Max’s Sources -...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and happy Thursday! This week, Max is going to tell us a story about a salty sea-scrub whose wife deserves better, and Janey is going to tell us about a Rasputin-baby who can never die! (No one said these episode descriptions had to be helpful. Janey just gets to write whatever she wants in here! Watch this-- Pie 'a la mode' is stupid thing to call it, since "...

Send us Fan Mail Hello everyone! This week we're catching ya'll up on some life stuff and saying goodbye to an old friend. Then Max is going to tell us a horror story about an eye-catching beauty in the woods, and Janey is going to teach us all the proper comeback to someone telling you you're "too much".  We hope you enjoy! Janey’s Sources - The Little Girl with a Big Voi...

Send us Fan Mail HELLO! Today we have an amazing guest, the Cosbrarian herself-- LIZ GOTAUCO! Liz is the creator behind the series "F*cked Up Fairytales with Liz", and the author of the hilarious book inspired by the series! This week Max and Janey tell stories from her book, and she tells us a story about vengeful fairies and the danger of telling bad jokes (yes, we take this personally...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to our LAST episode of 2025! On this episode, Max is going to tell us a story about a girl who can see the important things (like what kind of belt you're wearing), and Janey is going to tell us why Rapunzel should have been a man.  We hope you've had a wonderful year, and that 2026 only goes up!  Janey’s Sources - The Three Fates LOCATION: Egypt “Fairy...

Send us Fan Mail Hello, you dirty birds! On this very special "69" episode, we're doing a deep dive into historical love letters from two very specific historical men. First, Napoleon Bonaparte is going to teach us the meaning of "anxious attachment style", and then Max is going to read us James Joyce's love letters that are not for the faint of fart (ehem...heart...)...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome back! This week Max is going to tell us about how wicked smart people from New Hampshire are, and Janey is going to tell us a very cathartic story that comes with the disclaimer "I swear I like my job". Sorry about our terrible accents! Enjoy! Janey's Sources - Mmadipetsane LOCATION: Lesotho, South Africa “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktale...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Janey is going to bring us the final story in The Arabian Nights , about a man who just hates this baby... and Max is going to tell us that classic story of a nameless child finding God wandering around in the woods. Wonder what'll happen!  For those of you who are in the half of the world that's moving into winter, we hope you stay warm and cozy! Janey's...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and happy Halloween (eve)! Today Janey is going to scare you with a tale about the oldest, wrinkliest woman in the world, and Max is going to tell us why romance books are going to get us all killed. Enjoy! Janey's Sources - Treasure LOCATION: Chatsworth, Georgia, USA “Spooky Georgia: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore” , retold by S.E. Schloss...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to another episode! This week, Janey is going to teach us a valuable lesson about the importance of writing complex characters, and Max is going to re-tell a cozy little comic! May your October be spooky and bright! Janey's Sources - “W.S.” by L.P. Hartley LOCATION: England “Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories”   L.P. Hartley’s wik i   Max's Sources - A...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to the shocking conclusion of this the 2025 Off Topic Season. This week, Max is closing us out with the truly baffling list of all the reasons why Nicholas Cage had to make those insane movies between 2009-2015. (Also Janey is REAL mouthy, so if you disagree, be sure to write in!)  Timed video Presentation All sources in presentation   Support the show Check out...

Send us Fan Mail Buckle up, babes! Janey's going to tell us about the most insane assassination you may have never heard of! Let us know if you followed this story when it happened, because Janey's never stopped thinking about it.  Sources: “Kim Jong-nam Says N. Korean Regime Won’t Last Long”, by The Chosun Daily in 2012.   “Kim Jong-il’s son reappears in Singapore one year after feeling...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and happy first episode of October!!!! This week, Max is going to tell us a wonder tale about a sexy bear and the weirdo prince who loves her, and Janey is going to give us all the CREEPS and make us want to do our laundry. Enjoy!!! Janey's Sources - Oh Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad LOCATION: England “Classic Ghost Stories” edited by John Grafton   M.R. James Wi...

Send us Fan Mail It's alive! IT'S ALIVE! ("It" being another Off Topic episode!) Welcome back, gals and ghouls! This week, Max is telling us all about the teenaged mother of science fiction herself, and the lengths she went to to avoid hanging out with Lord Byron. Enjoy! Support the show Check out our books (and support local bookstores!) on our Bookshop.org affiliate account!...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome! This week, Janey is going waayyyyy off topic to talk about something that freaked her out so bad, she felt the need to make a legal disclaimer at the top!   DISCLAIMER : This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Please check out the sources below for more information.  SOURCES:  “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”, directed by Alex Gibney ...

Send us Fan Mail On today's episode, Janey is going to tell us about a girl who CHOOSES to look that way (it's not an accident, so stop trying to fix her hair), and Max is going to guide us into spooOOOooky season with a story about a man with control issues. Enjoy! Janey's Sources - Tatterhood LOCATION: Norway “Tatterhood and other tales” edited by Ethel Johnston Phelps   Max'...