Catching Fire chapters 5-6
This week we're back on our string section stuff. We play a rousing game of Classical or From Something? (it'll make sense) that spins out in some unexpected directions before getting to work on this episode's pair of chapters, which are... fine? Good, even? But one thing's for sure: the road trip movie dream is dead, and we can't help but feel a little bummed about it. On the other hand we get some great Snow menace, some Effie comic relief, and some...
2023-09-23 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Catching Fire chapters 3-4
The PAX pox won't keep me away from recording! We've got lots to catch up on after taking a week off for travel, and we spend some time chatting about the PAX trip (thanks to everyone who came to say hi!) and Liz's exciting new musical venture. We've got two rich chapters to discuss this week too, with mostly high highs and a few low lows. What works? Katniss's character development! Peeta's new role! What doesn't work? Katniss's District 11 savior st...
2023-09-09 14:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Catching Fire chapters 1-2
Onward to book two! We started the next installment of the trilogy, and we might have had more fun with these two chapters than we had with the entire last book. Who knew that what this series needed was a Bond villain? These chapters are a little short, but they introduce an irresistibly fun bad guy and get us incredibly excited for a road trip through the districts of Panem. Plus, we have some official Hunger Games trading cards from 2012 to crack o...
2023-08-25 14:00:09 +0000 UTC
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It's too damn hot! We meant to record this last week, but the PNW heatwave had us steering clear of our computer desks, lest we spontaneously combust. But that means we have that much more to talk about this week. We've been playing Baldur's Gate 3 and other classic PC RPGs, reading The House in Fata Morgana, and watching every single James Bond movie. That's right--even the one that isn't technically part of the James Bond franchise. And after all of that, we have a special preview of a new ...
2023-08-22 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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We've finished The Hunger Games, and we're feeling a little rowdy! We celebrate the end of the book (and Liz's birthday!) by immediately checking in on what sort of Relatable Hunger Games Content we can find. We take a quiz about how our taste in decor would affect our chances in the Games (really), read incredibly mean grandmas commenting on Williams-Sonoma cooking videos, and see what the Hunger Games subreddit has to offer--all that and a discussion about the final chapters of the novel an...
2023-08-04 14:00:10 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 23-25
How did both of us manage to go 15 years without learning what the big twist of this book was?
2023-07-28 14:00:10 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 21 & 22
Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for scams! We apologize for our accidentally-prophetic bonus episode last week and discuss the market for 2000s internet nostalgia. Then we've got two action-packed chapters to discuss--well, actually, one is action-packed and the other is steamy. Kind of? It's attempting to be? We're still not sold on this Peeta guy, but there's plenty else interesting going on here. As we get closer and closer to ...
2023-07-21 14:01:01 +0000 UTC
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A recent reboot announcement prompts us to reflect on our earliest trashy anime memories. Then we revisit some of our favorite nostalgia-baiting scams we've talked about in the past--where are they now? And what happens if a portal opens above their front realm?
P.S I mention a management group being involved with the wave of celebrity endorsements--here's a brief primer on what happened with that if you're interested; there's plenty more out there that's quite in-depth:
2023-07-14 14:00:11 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 19 & 20
We saw Asteroid City! We chat a little bit about our latest movie outing (mild? spoilers? Hard movie to spoil!) but not for long--because it's Freak Day, the fateful day when everyone went crazy and started biting each other. Or something? Maybe we should be reading that book instead, because the third act of this one is starting a little... slow. Katniss is flustered by Peeta, who she's seemingly decided is Good Now, which we're having a h...
2023-07-07 14:00:09 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 14-18 (concluding act II)
We've got Mario on the mind! Specifically Mario RPG, the game with the fakest sounding name ever that we have a lot of fond memories of. This leads us through a whole tangent about retro gaming setups, but we can't talk about that for long--we've got a lot of book to talk about! This week we finish out the second act of the novel, which sees Katniss getting her first kill(s), teaming up with Rue, and clearing an enemy camp Far Cry styl...
2023-06-30 14:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 12 & 13
We went to the movies! We talk a bit about the new Spider-man movie (no spoilers) and the trailers we saw ahead of it before discussing our action-packed pair of chapters for the week. Katniss is mostly looking for water in these ones, but there are also some dastardly villains chasing her who have been trained from birth for combat (as long as it's not ranged combat or tree climbing). We still find a lot to talk about though--sports channel graphic...
2023-06-16 14:00:10 +0000 UTC
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It's bonus time here in the Content District! This week we catch up on TV, chat about Quest 64 and beverages, and then enter the witch's domain...
2023-06-09 14:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 10 & 11
It's game time! Where we dropping? Well, it turns out that in the Hunger Games arena, everyone drops in the same spot no matter what. Will Katniss score some good loot, or will she get taken out by a guy warping around on a laggy wireless collection?
That's right, we're finally in the Hunger Games section of the Hunger Games. We're having a great time too--these chapters went down smooth, and we have a brisk discussion about Peeta's many face...
2023-06-03 16:00:07 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 8 & 9
The people have been crying out for more third segment content! But since we're both reading this series fresh, what can we do? This week, we find an answer (in the first segment, natch). We also discuss the final two chapters of the first act of The Hunger Games--it's good! So good, in fact, that we can't stop excitedly wondering aloud what might be in store for our heroes and villains.
2023-05-26 14:00:06 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games chapters 6 & 7
We're back with another two chapters of Hunger Games! This week's pair are a little plodding, but there's a lot of drama to discuss: Katniss and Peeta "just pretending" to be friends! Evil career fairs! And more badass knife throwing/bow firing moves to show other characters you mean business! We also fall down a rabbit hole reading a blog about fictional foods because I forgot what pesto was.
P.S Here's the Purple Melon! 2023-05-20 16:01:00 +0000 UTC
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*I did look up District 14 after we recorded this episode and it's the MUTANT ANIMAL LAB FACTION!? Awesome...
It's bonus time! On this episode we're brainstorming bonus episode naming schemes, looking up ugly 2000s Star Wars merch, and finding out what our major at witch university would be. We also give a brief rundown on our Sotsu thoughts (it's been a while so forgive me if I forgot anything), something many of you have been asking for! We also talk about 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 ...
2023-05-05 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games Part 1 Chapters 4 and 5
We've made it to the Capitol! But first we've got to talk about something very important: The 7th Saga, a SNES RPG with barely any merch. We've also got our first Hunger Games listicle. Our chapters this week are full of dizzying ups and downs: brutally honest characterization and heartfelt drama alongside ridiculous action movie antics and some puzzling portrayals of a society so depraved it... wears a lot of makeup? Hmm. We chat through our fee...
2023-04-28 14:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games Part One Chapters 2 & 3
We're the tip of the spear! Or maybe just the shaft. It seems the whole world decided to reread this series around the same time we did, so we discuss a little bit of what we're seeing out and about in the world and how it's shaping our expectations. We also chat about a recent TV show announcement... that's right, the Twilight one!
After that, we've got two cool chapters to discuss. Neither of us have read this series before, so this t...
2023-04-21 14:00:06 +0000 UTC
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The Hunger Games Act 1 Chapter 1
It's time for a bit of a refresh! New book, new cover art, new... oops, I forgot to choose a new theme song. Well, we'll deal with that later--right now we've got Hungry Games to discuss! This week starts with an introduction to The Seam, The Meadow, The Forest, The Square, The Reaping, The Hob... and probably several other proper nouns I'm forgetting. We discuss the author's inspiration for the series, the wide dartboard of worldbuilding ideas this firs...
2023-04-07 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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It's been a while since we did a proper news segment, isn't it? We have grievances to air with the coming and going of that game's release, a certain author's doings and new media projects, and the shambling undead franchise we are finally free of. We miiight also have a teeny tiny bit of schadenfreude to spare for some gamers whose wildest dreams weren't met by a mid AAA open world game. But that's not the main event here...
That's right, we watched Maximum Ride! A mo...
2023-03-08 15:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Liz has been under the weather and watched some truly big movies, so we head to the Common Room to chat about Sauron vs Saruman, Aragorn vs Legolas, Eowyn vs Arwen, and what the "most cringe" moments of the films are (according to screenrant)!
2023-02-24 15:01:00 +0000 UTC
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The Da Vinci Code, pt. 2
We're back to wrap up our discussion of Dan Brown's novel and we brought cards! We explore the Da Vinci Code Top Trumps deck to refresh our memories on some of the facts of the story before we walk through some of the Facts of the novel, and end up falling down a rabbit hole trying to piece together the game's design through context clues. Come for our delight at the weird card game, stay for my bad explanation of Catharism--Either way, you'll never hear the num...
2023-02-03 15:01:00 +0000 UTC
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It's Halloween in January! We've had a busy beginning of the year, but we're here in the houseboat ready to chat about holiday traditions and new hobbies. Old video games, themed wristwatches... and going to bed at a reasonable hour! We also reach back into the archives and finish some Halloween activities--some one star classics reviews, and a spooky quiz!* 🎃
*That we had apparently done before and I just memory-holed? Look... The Da Vinci Code really did a number on my brain
2023-01-26 15:00:04 +0000 UTC
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The Da Vinci Code... part one!
That's right--we called an audible mid-episode this week because there's just too much to fit into even a big two-and-a-half-hour episode! In a fitting development for discussing a novel all about dualism, we're devoting an episode each to the two halves of the story: The airport thriller novel this episode, and the spurious alternate religious history on the next.
On this installment, we talk about 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕤 and ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣...
2022-12-22 15:01:00 +0000 UTC
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It's Da Vinky time! We'll be recording a long episode about the 2003 airport thriller soon, so leave your questions for us below! I'll be answering everything here, and we'll get to as many as we can on the episode itself. Wondering about some inscrutable art history puzzles? Got a funny story or question about your experience with the book at the time? Want to know what we thought of Langdon, the wo...
2022-12-10 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Bah humbug! It's December and we're in the common room, so what else is there to talk about but the holidays? Actually, there's plenty: the new Pokemon, houseboat travel logistics, power moves, and a new hobby eating away at my brain cells. Then we ring in the season with some one star Goodreads reviews of Christmas classics of yore... and finally, we get a sample of the new holiday tradition that is definitely for real sweeping the nation!
2022-12-07 15:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
Liz has pulled the greatest coup in Shriekcast history! This week we discuss Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, the first (sort of) book in James Patterson's hard swerve into books for kids in the wake of the Harry Potter phenomenon. So much happens in this novel, and I can scarcely keep track of it all--you're just going to have to listen to it. That might partially be because I'm already forgetting key details. I do remember that there are ...
2022-11-23 15:00:09 +0000 UTC
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We're recording an episode on the first Maximum Ride this week, and we're rolling out a new third segment--patron questions!
Do you have any burning questions about Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment? Or perhaps a crazy tidbit or bit of Lore you have to make sure we know? Put them below and I'll reply as best I can, and pick some highlights for the episode itself.
The third segment became a bit difficult to maintain during Twilight since there just wasn't the same abundance...
2022-11-20 04:04:56 +0000 UTC
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Hey all--I hope everyone enjoyed the return to the common room. I'm definitely looking forward to recording more of those!
We've still got to hammer out the actual scheduling and details, but I wanted to give an update on the upcoming format we're gonna try. We've been thinking about how best to keep doing what we do; i.e long-form episodes, as well as delivering bonus content for subscribers.
We have so many ideas for books that would be fun and interesting to cover, but 1. busy ...
2022-10-28 15:00:11 +0000 UTC
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A bonus episode just in time for Halloween! We celebrate our return to the houseboat with some TV catch-up and general bants before ringing in the season with some one-star Goodreads reviews of horror classics and a vampire-themed fast fashion quiz.
(Very minor spoilers for House of the Dragon and Rings of Power, nothing major but if you care a lot about either of those thumb through a couple minutes when those come up. There are also some Star Trek Voyager spoilers but I mean...)
2022-10-26 14:01:01 +0000 UTC
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