Welcome back, Literary Slummers, to our second holiday episode of 2018. Santa heard that Anna hated the song Christmas Shoes with a fiery passion, and decided to punish us both for being such mean, hateful readers all year long. He found something much worse than coal: the novelization of said Christmas song. Will Anna & Em be able to overcome this challenge and discover the true meaning of Christmas along the way? Tune in to find out! A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song!...
Dec 24, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Ding dong, Literary Lovers, welcome to GushRead, the podcast where we “challenge” each other to read books we absolutely adore. This fortnight, we revisit a book that Em wasn’t so sure about in the past, but, spoiler alert, turns out she was just being a dumb. Join us as we discuss the holiday classic Hogfather, in which Death has to pretend to be Discworld’s version of Santa. Holiday hijinks ensue. Thank you so much to loyal listener and friend of the podcast, Sam, for stepping in as Samta Clau...
Dec 10, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Welcome back, Literary Slummers! Do you like overly explained narratives, casual sexism, and the glorification of anti-social assholes? Then have we got a book for you. We hated this one so much that Em had to leave about 30 minutes of discussion on the cutting room floor (bless you, Em). Tune in as we attempt to sort out the plot from the exposition in Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. This fortnight, Anna is joined by a special guest, Lindsay! Everyone say “Thank you, Lindsay!” You can check o...
Nov 26, 2018•1 hr 28 min
[Please excuse our sniffles and slightly altered voices - we’re both dealing with allergies, ugh.] You know what really didn’t need to be made? An adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in which the two leads are immortal beings fighting for opposite sides in the war of good versus evil, wherein the side of good wants soulmates to fall in love with each other, and evil wants the soulmates to kill each other. Come listen about the book that Em has declared her least favorite book she’s ever read. Ever. A...
Nov 12, 2018•1 hr 18 min
Welcome back, Literary Slummers! This fortnight we have another special rewind episode full of paranormal teenage hormones, 90s nostalgia, and a few extremely inappropriate romantic relationships. Join us as we discuss the werewolves and meat boys in Annette Curtis Klaus' Blood and Chocolate! A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz Rather Be Reading: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong The Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce Have you eve...
Oct 29, 2018•1 hr 18 min
Welcome back, Literary Slummers! This fornight, we tackled our first Nicholas Sparks book, and wow, was it an experience. We had a lot of expectations going into this one. Some of them were met in hilarious and unnecessary ways. Others... well, let's just say it made for a good HateRead. Come along with us on this journey of creepy stalking and unsatisfying romance as we discuss Nicholas Sparks' 1998 classic, Message in a Bottle. A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out...
Oct 15, 2018•1 hr 13 min
We're back on our search for the Holy Grail of bad books, as we reread Dan Brown's most famous work. From weaponized peanuts to sex cults, there's plenty of secrets to uncover this week. But will we be able to answer the ultimate question: Do we still hate this book? A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather be reading this fortnight: Lethal White by Robert Galbraith Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff Christ's Childhood Pa...
Oct 01, 2018•1 hr 21 min
TW: Body horror, self harm This week, Anna challenges Em to read our spookiest story yet, as we head deep into the jungles of Mexico with Scott Smith's The Ruins. We'll experience all the horrors of drunk tourists, sad handjobs, and of course, very scary plants. Come get creeped out with us on this fortnight's episode! A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather be reading this fortnight: Misery by Stephen King Annihilation ...
Sep 17, 2018•1 hr 21 min
Anna's back, and we're reading the only book to spend a mere 23 hours on the New York Times Best Seller list. But what did it do to deserve such treatment? Is it really as bad as people say, or are the negative reviews a response to the bad press? And what the hell is Carrot Top doing in this book? All that and more on this episode of Hate Read. A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather be reading this fortnight: The Hate ...
Sep 03, 2018•1 hr 23 min
It's an episode full of horrors here on hate read. Ghosts! Murders! Revenge! All of those will be briefly discussed and set aside for the greatest horror of all: teenage love triangles! It's a classic case of marketing gone awry, as we dive into a book which promised us spooky mayhem, only to emerge from the other side unspooked and entirely mayhemless. This fortnight, Em was joined by special guest host, Morgan Malyn. A big thank you to Morgan! You can check her out on twitter and insta: @iammo...
Aug 20, 2018•59 min
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 for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather be reading this fortnig...
Aug 06, 2018•1 hr 8 min
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 to a man, and common sense. Join us as we grit our teeth through a book that, for once, is definitive...
Jul 23, 2018•1 hr 12 min
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 our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather be reading this fortnight:...
Jul 09, 2018•1 hr 5 min
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 special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rath...
Jun 25, 2018•1 hr 24 min
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 everything is as it seems. A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube c...
Jun 12, 2018•1 hr 9 min
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: Coraline by Neil Gaiman The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Series of Unfortunate Events by Le...
May 28, 2018•1 hr
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 very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.co...
May 14, 2018•1 hr 27 min
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 Shovelhands, the merits of having blonde hair, and whether or not people knew what animals were in t...
Apr 30, 2018•52 min
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 wave of serial killings? And will their motive make any sense? You’ve been with us long enough to...
Apr 16, 2018•1 hr 16 min
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. Rather Be Reading: Bear by Marian Engel Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Tempests and Slaught...
Apr 02, 2018•1 hr 12 min
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 Pocus by Teresa Roblin. A very special thank you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his Y...
Mar 19, 2018•1 hr 19 min
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 song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather Be Reading: The Mothers by Brit ...
Mar 05, 2018•1 hr 9 min
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 you to Ben Cope for our theme song! Check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather Be Read...
Feb 19, 2018•1 hr 13 min
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 Meg Cabot’s newer works Anything by Sophie Kinsella As always, we would love your HateRead sugge...
Feb 05, 2018•56 min
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: youtube.com/fretwiz. Rather Be Reading: The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore Hogfather by Terry Pr...
Jan 22, 2018•1 hr 1 min
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 Laurell K. Hamilton, book 21 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. Send us your terrible book suggest...
Jan 08, 2018•1 hr 13 min
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: hatereadcast @ gmail Twitter: @hatereadcast, @emnoteliza, @amdeebee
Dec 25, 2017•1 hr 10 min
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 Letter by Chris Harrison! Things Mentioned in Podcast: Sweet Home Alabama: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt...
Dec 11, 2017•59 min
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 classic science fiction with the 1954 serialized novel They’d Rather Be Right by Mark Clifton. P.S. If a...
Nov 27, 2017•1 hr
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?
Nov 07, 2017•59 min
