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We're back with our first book review of 2021, and to kick off the year, we decided to try something different, and do a throwback review of sorts. Inspired a bit by Livius having recently watched some James Bond movies, we decided to see how the original Ian Fleming books read, starting with Casino Royale. Will we choose to read more? Tune in to see what we thought of a British spy novel from the 1950s which inspired arguably the biggest spy franchise of the 20th century.

We're back after taking a week away due to a certain crisis playing out in the nation's capitol. We know that 2020 was challenging for us all, and not many people are eager to reflect on it. What we try to do in this episode is touch on the positive points of the podcast for 2020, from interviews to great books, new traditions to new living spaces. So join us for about an hour of talking about the silver linings of 2020, if that's the sort of thing you're in to. Also, look for our quick top five books of 2020 video on our YouTube channel!

It's our final review of 2020, and I guess the final episode for 2020 as well. Join us as we review what has been called the best book of 2020, and see if we agree with the masses. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and have a safe and fun New Years. We appreciate all of your support over the years - this wouldn't be possible without you. Here's to more book love in 2021!

It's our annual Office Holiday Party! This year, we discuss two modern classic holiday films - Gremlins, and Scrooged! Join Liv, Robb, Misty, and Jesse in a fun movie discussion, a weird quiz, and some general holiday banter.  And of course, Happy Holidays to everyone who has supported us over the years! You are all wonderful and we're eternally grateful!

Here's a little bonus episode for everyone! We managed to get Les Edgerton back on the podcast to talk about his new book Hard Times, and naturally we wander off into a variety of other topics, like his teaching, and planning the perfect crime. Enjoy! If you're interested in more Edgerton, check out the blog we mention in this interview!  

It's the holidays. We could all use some humor in our lives. It was in that spirt that we decided to review the classic Christopher Moore book Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. Join us for a chat about one of our favorite books, and if you haven't read it, we think maybe it could become one of your favorite books as well. Check back in a few days for our interview episode with Les Edgerton!

We're back with a new Les Edgerton book! Join us on a journey into the life of an impoverished woman who is trying to keep her family alive in dire circumstances, and the crazy people and situations that threaten them. Hopefully next week we'll have Les back on the podcast to talk about it.

More books! We're determined to hit our reading goal for the year, so we're not letting off the gas just because it's the holidays, so here's another book. This author made our radar because Livius had recently audiobooked a couple of the author's other books, and wanted to get one on the podcast. Without giving too much away, I'll say that this was the biggest gap in ratings between Liv & Robb probably all year.

It's the triumphant return of Livius to his hosting duties! After a very relaxing vacation, Liv is back to talk about the latest Jonathan Maberry book, Ink! Check out our thoughts, and support us on Patreon if you're interested in hearing our spoiler talk about Ink!

Misty Bennett joins Robb again, and this time it's for an excellent hour of discussion with Mark Olshaker. I gotta be honest, we were excited about this one from the moment the pitch landed in our inbox. Mark was an engaging and entertaining guest, and we know you're going to love listening to what he has to say.  His latest book, The Killer's Shadow, releases 11/17, and we really enjoyed it, so get those pre-orders pre-ordered!

Guess what kiddos? We managed to sneak in a book review without Livius! Robb's been itching to even the odds ever since Livius did a couple book reviews without him over the years, and the opportunity finally presented itself in the form of a non-fiction, true crime book, The Killer's Shadow! Long-time holiday cohost Misty Bennett steps in to take over the point to Robb's counterpoint, and absolutely knocks it out of the park. So please enjoy this hour-plus discussion of The Killer's Shadow, and keep your eyes peeled for an interview with Mark Olshaker coming very soon!

Here is our uncut, unedited recording of our 2020 Spookedtacular! We talk a whole lot about the Hulu Books of Blood adaptation, there's a quiz, we talk movies and TV shows, haunted houses, and a whole lot more. Enjoy!   If you want to see the video version, it's available on our Facebook page.

It's been hundreds of episodes since we've had a crossover with This Is Horror! I guess we were just looking for a good excuse, and one presented itself. Check out over two and a half hours of discussion about the new book They're Watching, co-authored by the This Is Horror podcast hosts Bob Pastorella and Michael David Wilson. We also talk about Halloween, the supernatural, interviewing tips and tricks, and more!   Feel like checking out This Is Horror? Here are a couple episodes we discussed: Interview with Chuck Palahniuk Episode #300   And if you're feeling generous, support them on their Patreon as well.

It's our first audiobook review ever! Join us for a discussion of the latest by Nik Korpon, Radicals! It's a punk rock infused cyber crime adventure from one of our favorite crime writers! We also discuss the experience of audiobooks, and how it impacts preparing for reviews. Also, we explore the podcast Robb is moonlighting on.

Here it is, the last of our highly anticipated reviews of the year! Jeremy Robert Johnson has been rocking our literary world for years now, and especially when he dominated 2017. So we were looking forward to this book for sure. So here's our thoughts on The Loop, and we did a great spoiler talk about it as well on our Patreon, so if you're read the book or don't mind us spoiling the hell out of it, check that out too, here on Patreon at the $2/month or more level.

September continues to bring book reviews, and here is our latest! Standalone by Paul Michael Anderson is the latest effort from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, and it brings us a sci-fi and script-flipping twist on your classic slasher story. It's a fun romp, a complicated concept, and a good time.

We're back with a review of Craig Wallwork's Labyrinth of the Dolls, the second in his Tom Nolan detective book series. Not gonna be shy about it, we both really enjoyed it. Check out what we had to say, and support us on Patreon to hear our spoiler talk once you've read the book yourself. Or if you just love having the plots of books spoiled. It's okay, we don't kink shame.

We're back after a week off while Robb moved into his new place. This episode, we're bringing you a review of Piranesi, the second book by acclaimed author Sussanna Clarke. We really enjoyed the book, so check out what we liked about it. Also, support us on Patreon and you can hear our spoiler discussion of the book as well, where we talk about the ending of the book, the interesting take on reality and the things that were being withheld from our protagonist. It was a spoiler talk that caused both of us to alter our overall ratings of the book to higher scores than we originally gave it!

We're back with a review. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is at the tip of everyone's tongue lately because of her latest book Mexican Gothic, which everyone is raging about. We had a hearty conversation about the book, and went really into depth in spoiler talk as well. Be sure to support us on our Patreon at the $2/month level to get access to our Spoiler Talk about this book, as well as all other spoiler talks we've done! 

July was an amazing month for books, and because of that, we've been lucky to land a bunch of great interviews. After six or so long years, we finally got back together with Stephen to talk about The Only Good Indians, and other stuff as well. Spoiler: fans of Justified and Hannibal will probably enjoy when we go off on tangents. For our supporters on Patreon, we also have about 20ish more minutes of interview, talking about spoilers of The Only Good Indians, Night of the Mannequins, and oddly, Paul Tremblay's Survivor Song. Sign up to support us on our Patreon at any level for access to extra spoiler interviews from this conversation, as well as our recent talks with Zoje Stage and Josh Malerman!