Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

XOXO: Gossip Girl S02E04 (2022)

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Little Brooke isn't quite as boring anymore, is she?!Welcome back listeners. It's Valentine's Days on Gossip Girl and Ari, Jenny and Joe are ready to ...

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're closing out 2022 with one final foray into big budget spectacle with Andrew Adamson's 2005 epic adaptation of C.S. Lewis' 1950 British classic T...

XOXO: Gossip Girl S02E03 (2022)

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back followers. This week on XOXO, Ari, Jenny and Joe are discussing the third episode of the rebooted Gossip Girl's second season "Great Repu...

Spice World (1997) feat. Bobby Torrez

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In honour of the 25th anniversary of Spice World, we're giving you everything...or at least an episode on the iconic UK film! Along for the ride is Bo...

XOXO: Gossip Girl S02E02 (2022)

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back followers. This week on XOXO, Ari, Jenny and Joe are discussing the second episode of the rebooted Gossip Girl's second season "Guess Who...

High School (2022)

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're headed to Calgary in the 90s with Canadian lesbian twin sister singing sensations Tegan and Sara, reading their 2019 memoir High School and the ...

XOXO: Gossip Girl S02E01 (2022)

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Greetings listeners. School is back in session as HBO Max's Gossip Girl returns for a second year and a new semester. How are Jenny, Ari and Joe feeli...

On The Come Up

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's an Angie Thomas gush fest as Brenna and Joe cover the author's On The Come Up (2019) and first time feature director Sanaa Lathan's 2022 film ada...

XOXO: Gossip Girl S01 (2021)

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Greetings listeners. We know you love us, but do you love Gossip Girl (2021)? That's one question we feel is worth pursuing, so join Joe, as well as A...

Lord of the Flies (Banned Book 9)

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for our final Banned Book Club of the year and we're going out with a "classic": William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies and Peter Br...

Mockingjay Part 1 feat. Alex Heeney

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On its eighth anniversary (and with one year until the prequel film drops), Joe returns to Panem to revisit Mockingjay Part 1. Along for the ride is A...

The Last Unicorn feat. Justin Nordell

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joe is joined by Justin Nordell to discuss Peter S. Beagle's 1968 fantasy novel The Last Unicorn, as well as Rankin and Bass' 1982 animated film, whic...

Do Revenge (2022) feat. Jenn Adams

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With Brenna taking a breather, Joe recruits former guest Jenn Adams to tackle director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's Netflix's '90s throw-back, Do Reveng...

Boo, Bitch! (2022)

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We hopping on the Lana Condor train for one last Spooky Season entry with Netflix's Boo, Bitch! Spoiler: the first half of the season is silly fun...t...

The Moth Diaries

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Spooky season continues as Brenna and Joe tackle 2002's gothic vampire lesbian boarding school text The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein and its 2011 adap...

The Witches (Banned Book 8)

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're back for another Banned Book discussion about Roald Dahl's The Witches (1963) which we've partnered with Nicolas Roeg's 1990 adaptation, as well...

Paper Girls

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's not often we get to a show just after it's been cancelled, but that's the sad situation here as we tackle Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's exce...

Vampire Academy (2022)

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's week 2 of our coverage of Vampire Academy and we're ending with a whimper! The 2022 Peacock series by The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec a...

Vampire Academy (2014) feat. Jenny Nulf

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With Brenna away one more week, Joe recruits recurring guest Jenny Nulf to gush over Zoey Deutch's star-making turn in Mark Waters' 2014 Vampire Acade...

Five Feet Apart (2019) feat. Nichole Goble

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Brenna's absence, Joe recruits Nichole Goble for a return to Sick Lit with Justin Baldoni's directorial debut, Five Feet Apart (2019) and its novel...

Tenure and Transparency

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brenna's back! Eschewing our usual approach, Brenna catches Joe up about her tumultuous summer and her decision to make her Portfolio for Tenure &...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian feat. Dr. Debbie Reese

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're wrapping up Book Four with a very special guest: Dr. Debbie Reese joins us to discuss Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time ...

Anything's Possible (2022) feat. Terry Mesnard

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for a trans rom com...or is it? Joe is joined by guest Terry Mesnard to discuss Billy Porter's directorial debut, 'Anything's Possible' (202...

Moonshot (2022) feat. Jessica Scott

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With Brenna taking a breather, Joe recruits former guest Jessica Scott to launch into space with Chris Winterbauer's old school rom-com 'Moonshot' (20...

Crush (2022)

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're head over heels in love...with King Pun! This week we're talking Sammi Cohen's lesbian/bi romance film Crush (2022) which features tons of repre...

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In advance of its fortieth anniversary, Brenna and Joe check out Amy Heckerling's 1982 film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. We discuss Cameron Crowe's ...

The Knife of Never Letting Go / Chaos Walking

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mind your Noise because we're headed to New World for a discussion of Patrick Ness' famed first novel in the Chaos Walking series, The Knife of Never ...

Ms. Marvel

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's embiggen time as we tackle many volumes of G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel, as well as the entire six episodes of Bisha K. Ali's Disney+ TV series....

Wildhood

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're delighted to be tackling a new queer Canadian Indigenous film with Bretten Hannam's Wildhood (2021).Featuring great teen performances and pictur...

The Sky Is Everywhere

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for a Brenna pick as we tackle Jandy Nelson's 2010 story of sibling grief, as well as Josephine Decker's 2022 adaptation. It's a bit magical...

Wetlands (Banned Book Club 6)

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wanna read/watch something gross? Well we have you covered! This month's Banned Book Club is tackling Charlotte Roche's notorious, controversial Germa...

Love, Victor Season 3 feat. Terry Mesnard

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's the end of the road for Disney+ & Hulu's Love, Victor, which is sad and disappointing. Sad because Brenna, Joe and special guest Terry Mesnar...

Heartstopper

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're late to the party, but it's time to talk about the exceedingly cute Heartstopper, which has taken the world by storm!The family friendly queer N...

Back To 15

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in the show's history, we travel to South America to discuss Netflix's Brazilian series Back To 15. The time travel series features...

Wonder

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ohhh we're nervous for this one! We know that RJ Palacio's 2012 book Wonder and Stephen Chbosky's 2017 film adaptation have a lot of devoted fans and ...

Go Ask Alice (Banned Book Club 5)

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Write this in your diary: this month's Banned Book Club entry is Go Ask Alice, the 1970s "true story" and runaway bestseller that is completely and ut...

If I Stay

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brenna and Joe return to the liminal space between living and death for a discussion of Gayle Foreman's 2009 novel If I Stay and its 2014 film adaptat...

Lumberjanes

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With summer around the corner, Brenna and Joe opt for a feel good, comfort food minisode on Lumberjanes, the wildly feminist adventure comic (we read ...

Derby Girl / Whip It

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lace up those skates because we are hitting the rink with Shauna Cross' 2007 novel Derby Girl and Drew Barrymore's 2009 directorial debut, Whip It. In...

George / Melissa (Banned Book Club 4)

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're telling off the transphobes and celebrating radical queer joy with our latest Banned Books conversation on Alex Gino's wonderful Melissa (origin...

Better Nate Than Ever

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Brenna and Joe are headed to Broadway to discuss Tim Federle's 2013 Middle Grade book and his 2022 Disney+ adaptation. We love the Adventur...

CODA

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brenna and Joe are late to the (Oscar) party, but we're finally checking out Sian Heder's delightful film CODA (2021).Yes, we recorded this episode be...

Let The Right One In

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the pod, Brenna and Joe hit the vampire theme hard with a discussion of John Ajvide Lindqvist's 2004 novel 'Let The Right One In', as wel...

The Pigman (Banned Book Club 3)

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another entry in our Banned Book Club series as we tackle a classic YA text: Paul Zindel's 1968 'The Pigman"It's time to discuss another...

Legally Blonde

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're diving into Blonde territory this week with another weak book/strong film discussion. First up is Brown's self-published novel, which...isn't gr...

Reservation Dogs

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brenna and Joe travel to Oklahoma to discuss the first season (eight episodes) of Sterlin Harjo  and Taika Waititi's Reservation Dogs. The show follo...

Nerve

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Put your brain on hold because we're getting dumb with one of the worst books we've ever covered on the show, as well as a surprisingly good film whos...

This One Summer (Banned Book Club 2)

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another Banned Book Club! This month we're checking out the gentle coming of age story of Rose and Windy (with thanks to listeners Arthu...

Dance On My Grave / Summer of 85

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're jetting off to Europe (the UK and France specifically) for an episode that revisits Brenna's coming of age author Aidan Chambers, whose measured...

The Fallout

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grab a tissue because we're in for another emotional episode (guess who cries twice? It's not Brenna) as we tackle a grounded, non-sensational depicti...

Unpregnant

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a while since we've talked about "the procedure", so prepare yourself for an education as Brenna reviews the state of reproductive health in...

The Catcher in the Rye (Banned Books 1)

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What more can be said about Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Salinger's iconic 50s novel? Buoyed by contributions from Sophie, Gavin, Miri...

The Divergent Series: Insurgent

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to revisit the Divergent series and oh boy are we tired of the false conflict between Tris and Tobias! It's time to revisit the Divergent s...

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dance your cares away! Brenna is living for the revival of Fraggle Rock, another Jim Henson series that she worshipped as a child. Joe doesn't have th...

Saved By The Bell S02

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

School is back in session at Bayside and Brenna and Joe are very happy to be back with this lovable crew of misfits! Since we've previously covered t...

When Dimple Met Rishi / Mismatched

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who's ready for massive cliffhangers? Not Brenna or Joe!  After gushing over the swoon-worthy romance of Menon's debut meet-cute coding novel, the ma...

Banned & Challenged Books

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ready for an impassioned and rant-filled episode? After a year of books about POC, LGBT+ and anti-police books being banned and challenged, Brenna and...

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's the end of the year, so we are once again reading a Levithan & Cohn collaboration. Unlike Dash & Lily... last year, though, we're not quite as sa...

Ravensong (Book Club #10)

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Big thanks to listeners Tea, Books & Chocolate and Victoria for contributing responses as we read Lee Maracle's famed novel about the coming of age of...

A Walk To Remember

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Who's ready for tragic teen romance? We're back on a sick lit kick with A Walk To Remember, the tale of "bad" boy Landon and literal good girl / angel...

In My Skin

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Woo boy, is this the wrong text for Joe! While In My Skin is undoubtedly an excellent show with great performances, this was a rough watch for Joe, wh...

The Darkest Minds

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are you Green or Orange? We're not quite Red over this listener recommendation (thanks Em!) but both Brenna and Joe find that Bracken's text doesn't f...

The Serpent King (Book Club #9)

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're ready to talk about class, parental abuse and friendship as we travel to rural Tennessee for The Serpent King. Guided by thoughtful emails from ...

The Baby-Sitter's Club S02

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Put on your red hat and mind the children because this meeting of HKHSPod is now in session! You had to know that we couldn't pass up the chance to  ...

Ready Player One

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whew boy are we ever unhappy this week!In the decade since the celebration of all things* geeky and nerdy was published, we've done a complete 180 on ...

Ronny Chieng: International Student

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We found a lot to laugh about in this show about 30-something actors playing first year university students in Melbourne. Whether or not that's part o...

Y: The Last Man

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're dipping back into comics! This time we're hitting some New Adult content with Y: The Last Man, which is Joe's Gateway back into comics as an adu...

Nightbooks

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's nothing like getting lost in a good scary story, so it's apt that we're closing out Halloween with White's book about a witch who lures childr...

I Know What You Did Last Summer feat. Jes Battis

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Blame Brenna for this pick! After learning about Lois Duncan's real life history, Brenna wanted to tackle the author's infamous hit and run thriller, ...

Trickster Drift (Book Club #8)

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brenna and Joe are back in Trickster territory as the Canadian Indigenous lit sequel moves sober protagonist Jared to Vancouver and introduces a bevy ...

Muppets Haunted Mansion

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our spooky theme for the month, we're checking out the 50 minute special, which finds Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn locked in the Haunted M...

I am Not A Serial Killer

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to scare Brenna! We're digging into the first novel in Wells' series about John, a death-obsessed teen who discovers that his elderly neighb...

Nimona

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Prepare your magic, your dragons and your plucky shapeshifting henchwomen because we are talking about Nimona! This delightful MFA thesis project bega...

Runaways

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To kick off book four, we're checking in on a Brenna fave with a doozy of a hook: Runaways, which features a group of kids who discover their parents ...

Celebrating 150 Episodes

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Special thanks to Tea, Books & Chocolate, Kaetlyn, Jana, Andrew, Victoria, Miriam, and Max for helping us to celebrate.Wanna connect with the show? Fo...

She's All That (1999) feat. Lindsay Traves

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In advance of the gender flipped Netflix remake He's All That, Brenna, Joe and special guest Lindsay revisit Pygmalion / My Fair Lady update She's All...

Moxie feat. Jenn Adams

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for some activism! Brenna, Joe and Jenn Adams tackle  feminism, intersectionality, representation, the Patriarchy and misogyny in a book ab...

The Case of Windy Lake

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After discussing journalist/activist/author Hutchinson's book several times, we finally decided to check it out for the pod. It's definitely aimed at ...

Please Ignore Vera Dietz (Book Club #7)

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With no listener feedback, we're riding solo on this Book Club outing, but there's no shortage of things to talk about! We discuss the unconventional ...

Twenties

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Blame Brenna for this one! We're tackling Lena Waite's autobiographical series Twenties, about three Black women trying to make it in Hollywood, and i...

Shadow and Bone

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Grab your daggers and your Kefta because we are diving into the sprawling lore of Ravka, Fjerda and Ketterdam! Brenna starts off grouchy, but eventual...

Blinded By The Light feat. Brennan Klein

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shout out to listener Andrew for recommending what turned out to be our most divisive text to date! Brenna quite likes both the book and the film, whi...

The Marrow Thieves (Book Club #6)

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for a timely and difficult Book Club as we unpack Cherie Dimaline's dystopian YA novel about Indigenous people hunted for  their ability to...

Fire Song

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in nearly 150 episodes (!), we're covering a  novelization of a film instead of a straightforward adaptation!Fire Song  is a dark...

Love, Victor Season 2 feat. Terry Mesnard

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're checking back into Creekwood High with the crew of Love, Victor. In between seasons the show has really figured itself out because S2 is a marke...

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our unofficial Pride month continues with Danforth's lengthy, sprawling story of queers in Montana, which gets abbreviated in Akhavan's film, but we'r...

Camp (Book Club #5)

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're off to queer summer camp to discuss  Rosen's novel Camp (2020) about a femme theatre gay who transforms himself into a masc jock to win over hi...

Ender's Game

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ho Launchies!We've finally worked up the energy to discuss noted homophobe author Orson Scott Card in a conversation that addresses if it's possible t...

High School Musical: The Musical - The Series

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Put on your tap shoes, prep your showmance and get off vocal rest because we are talking the wild and ridiculous HSM:TM:TS (yes, you have to say the W...

Tiger Eyes

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Oh Judy!We're not quite sure what went wrong with Judy Blume's only filmic adaptation (actually we do: we blame Lawrence and his flat direction and Mi...

The Toll Bridge (Book Club #4)

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another Book Club, which means we need to thank listeners Miriam and Jane for their thoughts on the philosophical, challenging prose of ...

Noughts & Crosses

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to tackle some heavy material...or rather it would be if Blackman's intriguing premise weren't executed better. Once again we're left wonder...

A Week Away

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Admittedly this sweet, saccharine and, yes, very God heavy Netflix musical starring  Kevin Quinn and Bailee Madison is a bit of a departure for us. ...

Stargirl

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whoo boy - we hope that there aren't any big fans of Stargirl because we are not fans of either text.Brenna at least appreciates the (unsuccessful) at...

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (1970) (Book Club 3)

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After a  temporary delay, we are finally ready to talk about moving to the suburbs, fighting over religion, kissing boys at parties and persistent gr...

In Memorium: Beverly Cleary & Jean Little

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the contributions of two women who helped elevate stories about girlhood, Brenna walks Joe through a few notable titles from both Cleary ...

The Vampire Diaries

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whose ready for boys, fangs and a surprising amount of gory bits? We're checking into the lurid, sultry pages of L.J. Smith's vampire love triangle (T...

Ten: Murder Island feat. Jessica Scott

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With Brenna gone, Joe and Jessica head to a secluded island party, but isn't it just our luck that the guests begin mysteriously dying? In Gretchen Mc...

Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry feat. Jenny Nulf

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In an unorthodox pick,  this week's minisode is on Apple TV's music documentary of singer Billie Eilish. Along for the ride is returning guest Jenny ...

March Holds & Homework

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brenna:Concrete Rose by Angie ThomasGiant Days by John AllisonJoe:Ragnorak S1 (Netflix)Fate: The Winx Saga S1 (Netflix)March Hold List:Once Upon A Qui...