In this episode, we discuss our pandemic coping mechanism, watching horror movies and television! Please note we recorded this in October 2020. In spite of how it sounds, we were not quarantined at opposite ends of a long tunnel during the recording. CW: frank discussion of various elements of horror.

In this episode (ABBAsode) we invited @renatasnacks to rank the contents of the 1992 greatest hits release ABBA Gold with us, discussing the relative merits of each track and sharing our personal histories with ABBA. Spoiler: We totally went to Sweden about it. Links ABBA Greatest Hits ABBA Gold Columbia House Hannah Montana Kesha Lady […]

Somewhat in the spirit of Extra Hot Great's television Canon, your hosts each assembled a list of favorite movies and agreed to make a universal Bellwether Friends list out of intersecting titles. In this episode, we reveal our picks to one another. Click here for the joint list! *sounds of paper rustling*

Join us as we discuss the most recent winner of our What To Watch Next TV Bracket: Pose! Then we exhaustively review the shows we’re watching, shows we’ve lost, shows we might consider adding, and shows we’ve put on unintentional hiatus. Links Billy Porter Instagram (video) Paris is Burning Pose The Good Place The Daily […]

In this episode, we talk about all the books we got excited about at BookExpo way back in May. Many are already available for you to buy from your local independent bookstore or borrow from your library!

In this episode, we talk to author and librarian emeritus Kelly Jensen about mental health and how it impacts our ability to read for work and pleasure, and what we can do to get out of reading slumps (if we want to).

In this episode, we discuss all things (European) opera with noted cataloger @marccold! Content warning for sexual assault and murder (no thanks to Don Giovanni). Links Mozart: Marriage of Figaro Overture Episode 83 with @Tuphlos Great Courses: Operas of Mozart, How To Listen To and Understand Opera Dr. Robert Greenberg Seattle Opera Puccini: Tosca New […]

In this episode, we talk about the first-run movies we've seen since our last Movie Advisory effort in episode 95. This episode covers October 2018 through April 2019.

In this episode, we discuss fairies with author friend and known fairy aficionado Stephanie Burgis! Including some discussion of what we define as a member of the fey, how to get rid of an earworm, and all the things you should be reading and watching. Stephanie’s website: Thornbound The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart The […]

In this episode, we work our way through our own version of March Madness: our third annual What to Watch Next TV Bracket! At the end of this episode, you will get to vote on what TV series we will watch and discuss next from among four categories: Comedy, Crime, Drama, and SFF. Previous brackets […]

In this episode, we discuss our favorite romantic comedies that were not on the list we covered in Episode 103. More happy endings for lesbian couples! The Sandra Bullock sidebar! Aunt Lynne's picks! 

In this episode, we review and comment on a ratings-based Rotten Tomatoes list of the 150 best romantic comedies of all time! Tune in for many opinions about romance, comedy, and the intersection of the two in film.

In this episode, we talk about our favorite awards shows and what we like about them, then share our top Oscar picks.

In this episode, we tackle Anna's lifelong obsession, Robin Hood, in all his (her? its? their?) incarnations and formats. Thwip!

Can you believe there have been a hundred episodes of Bellwether Friends? Well, there haven't. THIS is the one hundredth episode! Carolyn, Margaret, Sophie, and Ally joined us to discuss our inspiration and beloved novel Bellwether, by our beloved and inspiring Connie Willis, complete with all the digressions you've come to love over our past 99 episodes, readalikes, and other suggestions!

In this episode, we look back over a year of movies, television, music, experiences, and books. We did the same for 2017 in Episode 77, 2016 in Episode 53, and 2015 in Episode 27. Links Movies Black Panther Crazy Rich Asians Ocean’s 8 To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before The Spy Who Dumped Me […]

In this episode, we discuss the ocean and her presence in movies, books, music, television, and art, in partial response to Episode 94, when our guests were not as pro-sea as Alene might have liked. The #1 takeaway from this episode is that boat safety is very important to Alene. Also, WHAT is the DEAL […]

In this episode, we discuss our favorite animated heartthrobs with friend of the podcast Sarah. Come for the strangely attractive cartoon foxes, stay for the romance recommendations! Links HuffPost: 27 Cartoon Characters Who Gave Us The Hots As Kids BuzzFeed: 38 Characters That Were Oddly Hot Even Though They Were Animated Robin Hood Dimitri (Anastasia) […]

We visited New York City to hear from a variety of publishers about their upcoming titles, and we’re here to share some of our favorites, as well as likely candidates for library collections, against a backdrop of rustling paper!

In this episode, we talk about the 25 first-run movies we've seen since our last movie advisory session, Episode 86. Our extensive movie viewing has been brought to you by MoviePass (RIP) and Ladies in Suits.