Episodes

  • Episode 302: The Curse of the Ruby Necklace (Sweet Valley Twins) (with Sally Franson)

    Episode 302: The Curse of the Ruby Necklace (Sweet Valley Twins) (with Sally Franson)
    Nov 26 2024

    We’ve covered our fair share of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield’s high school hi-jinx on the podcast, but at long last, Alli and her guest turn their attention to a kinder, softer version of the twins: the middle school sub-series, Sweet Valley Twins. Episode 302 is all about The Curse of the Ruby Necklace, which chronicles the ~super chilling~ journey the twins take when they find their way to a local Hollywood film set and a decades-old family mystery. Guest Sally Franson is a superfan of the series and this book, and the episode is a rollicking good time that celebrates Jess and Liz as sixth graders with questionable detective skills.


    Sally Franson is the author of Big in Sweden and A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out. Follow her on Instagram @sallyjf.


    CHECK OUT THE SWEET VALLEY EPISODES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

    Episode 202: Tall, Dark, and Deadly (Sweet Valley High #126) (with Andie J. Christopher)

    Episode 289: Alone in the Crowd (Sweet Valley High #28) (with Claire Lombardo)


    CHECK OUT SALLY’S BOOKS:

    Big in Sweden

    A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out


    CHECK OUT SALLY’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

    Swift River by Essie Chambers

    Blood Test: A Comedy by Charles Baxter

    Show Don’t Tell: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld


    MORE READING:

    “My Erotic Awakening in the Pages of ‘Sweet Valley High’” (The New York Times, 2024) <— written by our guest!

    “The lasting power of ‘Sweet Valley Twins’: How my daughter and I are connecting over the series” (Today, 2024)

    “YA Authors Reminisce About the Influence of ‘Sweet Valley High’” (Publishers Weekly, 2024)


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    50 mins
  • Episode 301: Troubling a Star (with Elise Hu)

    Episode 301: Troubling a Star (with Elise Hu)
    Nov 19 2024
    This week, join Alli and her guest for an exciting voyage to Antarctica… and also for a conversation about Troubling a Star by Madeleine L’Engle. The fifth installment in L’Engle’s beloved Austin Family Chronicles series, the book was published in 1994 and explores subjects of espionage, nuclear waste dumping, drug trafficking, and more. Join the fun as we try to unpack all of it—and don’t be turned off if you’re not familiar with the story. Alli and Elise both read Troubling a Star, and they’re still not sure how much they know about it.Elise Hu is a journalist, podcaster, and entrepreneur. Host of TED Talks Daily and co-host of Forever 35, Elise also recently published Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital. Follow her on Instagram @elisewho.CHECK OUT ELISE’S BOOK HERE!CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS MADELEINE L’ENGLE EPISODES:Episode 15: A Wrinkle in TimeEpisode 184: A Ring of Endless LightCHECK OUT ELISE’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love by Laurel BraitmanToward Eternity by Anton HurYou Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke EmeziThick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan CottomMORE READING:“Troubling a Star, by Madeleine L’Engle” (Pickle Me This, 2019)“Troubling a Star by Madeleine L’Engle” (Fill Your Bookshelf, 2020)“Troubling a Star” (Kirkus, 1994)“Book Review: Troubling a Star by Madeleine L’Engle (1994)” (Read-at-Home Mom, 2014)“The Creepy Authoritarianism of Madeleine L’Engle” (The Paris Review, 2019) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    50 mins
  • Episode 300: THREE HUNDRED! | A Retrospective

    Episode 300: THREE HUNDRED! | A Retrospective
    Nov 12 2024
    Join Alli as she marks the big 3-0-0 with a rare (and unscripted!) solo show. She reflects on why she struggled to plan this special episode, what she’s been thinking about as this milestone approaches, the journey she’s taken with SSR since 2018, and the behind-the-scenes struggles she rarely shares. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Cheers to 300 episodes!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    30 mins
  • Episode 299: The Princess Bride (with Georgia Clark)

    Episode 299: The Princess Bride (with Georgia Clark)
    Nov 5 2024
    As you wish(ed), listeners, it’s time to unpack The Princess Bride. Alli and her guest focus on the 1973 novel by William Goldman but bring in lots of context from the cult classic movie, as well. Adventures, unreasonable beauty standards, metanarratives, beloved characters, and iconic lines abound!Georgia Clark is an award-winning, six-times published novelist and performer. She’s the author of Island Time, It Had to Be You, The Regulars, The Bucket List, and others. Her latest novel, Most Wonderful, is now out and ready to claim its spot on your holiday season TBR. Follow Georgia on Instagram @georgialouclark.CHECK OUT GEORGIA’S BOOKS:Island TimeIt Had to Be YouThe RegularsThe Bucket ListMost WonderfulCHECK OUT GEORGIA’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:All Fours by Miranda JulyWhoever You Are, Honey by Olivia GatwoodThe Prospects by Kt HoffmanFang Fiction by Kate Stayman-LondonMORE READING:“Book Review: The Princess Bride by William Goldman” (Lara’s Wanderings, 2020)“The Princess Bride: We love the book and the film” (Fantasy Literature)“The Princess Bride at 50” (Quillette, 2023)“Book Review — The Princess Bride by William Goldman” (Muse With Me, 2018)“The Princess Bride: The ‘Good Parts’” (Out of the Box, 2017) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    46 mins
  • Episode 298: Tiger Eyes (with Courtney Preiss)

    Episode 298: Tiger Eyes (with Courtney Preiss)
    Oct 29 2024

    Almost seven years into SSR, we’ve covered almost all of Judy Blume’s kid lit masterpieces. On Episode 298, Alli and her guest dive into a Blume novel that feels like something of an outlier: Tiger Eyes, which was published in 1981. In it, Judy takes a darker tone, exploring matters of violence, loss, hypocrisy, and mental health. Tune in to learn more about how Tiger Eyes stands apart from the rest of Blume’s beloved backlist and what makes it special.


    TW: infertility, gun violence, substance abuse, anxiety, depression


    Courtney Preiss is the author of Welcome Home, Caroline Kline. Follow her on Instagram @cocogolightly.


    CHECK OUT COURTNEY’S BOOK HERE!


    CHECK OUT COURTNEY’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

    The Wedding People by Alison Espach

    So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison


    MORE READING:

    “Life in Books: Tiger Eyes” (Much Madness is Divinest Sense, 2010)

    “Judy Blume Hits The Big Screen With Tiger Eyes Adaptation” (NPR, 2013)

    “Tiger Eyes: Judy Blume’s book and its film adaptation” (American Indians in Children’s Literature, 2012)

    “Willa Holland Tells Us All About Starring in the Judy Blume Flick Tiger Eyes” (Teen Vogue, 2013)

    “Judy Blume on the Tiger Eyes Film, What She’s Reading, and Why Moms Can’t Get Their Daughters to Read Her Books” (Vanity Fair, 2013)


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Episode 297: Looking for Alaska (with Alissa DeRogatis)

    Episode 297: Looking for Alaska (with Alissa DeRogatis)
    Oct 22 2024
    At long last, it's John Green time! Episode 297 unpacks Looking for Alaska, the YA superstar's award-winning debut novel. Conversations range from manic pixie dream girls and the male gaze to addiction and the problematic language that made Alli and her guest cringe in 2024.TW: suicide, addiction, parental lossAlissa DeRogatis is the author of Call It What You Want. Subscribe to her Substack newsletterProbably Oversharing and follow her on Instagram @alissaderogatis.CHECK OUT ALISSA’S BOOK HERE!CHECK OUT ALISSA’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:Old Enough by Haley JakobsonIt’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned VizziniOTHER BOOK SHOUTOUTS:Prep by Curtis SittenfeldMagnolia Parks by Jessa HastingsMORE READING:“Looking for Alaska” (Kirkus, 2005)“Book Nook: Looking for Alaska” (Shorewood Ripples, 2022)“Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green” (Of Whiskey and Words)“Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green” (A Paper Arrow, 2019)“Looking for Alaska by John Green — review” (The Guardian, 2013)“Looking for Alaska” (School Library Journal, 2005)“Book Review for Teens: John Green Looking for Alaska” (Your Teen, 2014)“Book Review: Looking for Alaska” (Sara du Jour, 2014)“How Hulu’s Looking for Alaska Updates John Green’s Book for a New Generation” (Time, 2019) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    54 mins
  • Episode 296: Ramona the Brave (with Jessie Rosen)

    Episode 296: Ramona the Brave (with Jessie Rosen)
    Oct 15 2024

    You already know that Ramona Quimby is curious, precocious, hilarious, and bold... but now she gets to be brave, too. On Episode 296, Alli and her guest take a close look at the third book in Beverly Cleary's beloved Ramona series, Ramona the Brave. There's classroom enemies, feminism, craft projects, scary new bedrooms, and big moments of self-esteem. What more could you want?

    Jessie Rosen is a writer, producer, educator, and speaker. Her novel The Heirloom is available wherever books are sold. Follow Jessie on Instagram @jessierosenwriter.


    CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS RAMONA EPISODES:

    Episode 18: Beezus and Ramona (with Penny Luksic)

    Episode 253: Ramona the Pest (with Kara Alloway)


    CHECK OUT JESSIE’S BOOK HERE!


    CHECK OUT JESSIE’S BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

    There’s Nothing Wrong With Her by Kate Weinberg


    MORE READING:

    “Beverly Cleary Made It OK To Be A Ramona In A World Of Susans” (BuzzFeed News, 2021)

    “How Ramona Quimby Helps Kids Make Sense of This Unstable World” (Literary Hub, 2019)

    “Ramona the Brave” (Kirkus, 1975)

    “Book Review: Ramona the Brave” (A Journey of Words, 2023)


    Follow SSR on social media!

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    **Please note that the Bookshop.org links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**


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    1 hr
  • Episode 295: WTF #4 | WTF Is My Sign... And What Does It Mean?

    Episode 295: WTF #4 | WTF Is My Sign... And What Does It Mean?
    Oct 8 2024

    Abby and Alli welcome their first-ever guest to the WriTing Friends series for a conversation about the publishing process, astrology, and everything in between.

    Carinn Jade is the co-host of Pop Fiction Women and the author of The Astrology House. Follow her on Instagram @carinnjade.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 3 mins