thisislit

It’s finally spring! Here in the Midwest, it’s a great time to do foolish things. This week on ‘This is Lit’ we read each other’s writing. Fates above help us. Where’s my drink? #thisislit #litliteraturepodcast #fanfictionisaradicalfeministchoice

Never trust a Fae, especially if it's a wounded Faerie prince you find in the woods. Casye knows this well. Elizabeth learned this the hard way. Don't ask. Tonight, we read 'Tithe' by Holly Black.

We're off to jolly ol' London in Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star! Rory is a foreign exchange student. Not only does she have to settle in at her new school in a new country, but she gets caught up in a series of murders! Ones that closely resemble those of the infamous Jack the Ripper. Is there a way to avoid getting ripped by the Ripper?

It's the season of love! Or hate? There is often a thin line between the two. The ladies explore this line in William Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Claudio and Hero are in love. Their friends, Benedick and Beatrice hate each other. So of course, they'd make the perfect couple. Time to place your bets!

This week, hosts Casye and Elizabeth read a book by a local Kansas City author 'The Bone Brick City by Aaron Hollingsworth. The world is nothing like we mere mortals have ever known or seen. Can a rag tag group of misfits save a great city from the Mystic Mafia? #listentoourpodcast #itsatwisttop!

Happy New Year! Casye & Elizabeth are back with more wine, more books and side tangents. It's a time of year to reflect on the past. That's why this week we are covering 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The past is a nice place to visit, but please don't live there.

Happy New Years Eve! To celebrate, the hosts visit Discworld in Terry Pratchett's The Hogfather. It's the last night of the year in Discworld. It's Hogwatch time, when the Hogfather leaves gifts for good little boys and girls. Wait, why is he a skeleton carrying a big sythe? Oh no, that's just Death. Happy Hogswatch everyone.

It’s Christmas time! That means it’s time for our first ever holiday episode! Join us as we dive into A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Scrooge is a selfish old miser, until the spirit of his old business partner appears to him on Christmas Eve in an attempt to save his soul.

The hosts follow the Blyton Summer Detective Club in Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero. The sleuths thought they closed the Sleepy Lake Monster case 13 years ago. Then, what is calling them back to Blyton Hills? What happens when the monster’s mask doesn’t come off?

It's finally time for some Jane Austen! High society is difficult to maneuver, especially when all hope of a good marriage is thwarted by the death of your father. In Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, the girls discover which is more difficult: being ruled by your heart, your head or a nosy match-making neighbor.

It’s our favorite time of year, Halloween! We will descend into the depths of fear as we read Dracula by Bram Stoker. Keep your stakes handy and make sure that red in your glass is really wine...

In episode eight, the girls pay a special tribute to one of their good friends, Taylor! Happy wedding! Follow us as we discuss The Princess Bride by William Goldman...the book, not the movie. 

In episode seven, the girls start their descent into the crime world. Will they be able to survive Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None? So far, the odds aren't looking good.

It's Elizabeth's Birthday! In celebration, we have a bonus episode just for you. The birthday surprises don't stop there. A special guest joins us in the studio. Listen as we play drinking games and discuss the classic tale of romance, Beauty & the Best!

For their 6th episode, Casye and Elizabeth will dive into the world of OASIS with Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Casye, the gamer of the two, will have to explain references while Elizabeth stares at her like a deer in the headlights. The subject of 'The Hero's Journey' will come up a lot along with every 80's movie Elizabeth has seen. All hail John Hughes. Perhaps it's time to brush up on your 80's pop culture.

In episode five, team wine takes on everyone's high school dread, Shakespeare. A love triangle has sprung up between four young Athenians and friends. Also, the queen of the Fairies is tricked into falling in love in love with a donkey. Comedy ensues in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In episode four, the girls visit a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep in the second, stand-alone Welcome to Night Vale novel, It Devours! by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor. Strange at last. Strange at last! Thank God Almighty, we are strange at last!

Hello listeners! We have a quick update for you before our next episode.

For the third episode, Elizabeth and Casye will explore one of the greatest mysteries and mystery-solvers of all time, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We attempt to follow in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Are the Moors haunted by a ghost dog? All we know is there are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.

In the second episode of 'This is Lit!' Casye and Liz explore one of their favorite novels, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch by Neil Gaiman &  the late, great Terry Pratchett. We discuss religion, politics, 80's technology and the choices of humanity...but in a funny way!