Just Call Me Orville: The Story Of Orville Redenbacher by Robert Topping *Patron's Choice* - Episode 220
Release Date: 06/17/2025
Free The Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women by Jennifer Croll (Illustrated by Kelly Shami) - Episode 236
Terrible Book Club
You've heard of feminism, right? ... you wanna' drink it? You may recall us saying that we were a bit tipsy in the first episode of this season and would be for a whole four episodes in service to a later terrible book. Today, you meet that book. In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion and consumption of alcohol (your hosts are fairly intoxicated after sampling several cocktails from the book). Be forewarned that there's a big ol' vulnerable bummer section where we discuss the death of our family member from 1:54 - 12:49 before the episode properly...
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A Live Reading of The Story of the Beetle Hunter by Arthur Conan Doyle *Special Guests: Antiques Freaks*
Terrible Book Club
It wouldn't be a new season of TBC without a Victorian visit from the Dig your out of storage and enjoy a live reading of The Story of the Beetle Hunter by Arthur Conan Doyle, all set to the impeccable scoring and sound design talents of . If you'd rather hear a properly acted, serious version of this story, please check out the . In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes irreverant and sexual humor and some bad Victorian ideas and opinions.
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The Midnight Library by Matthew Haig - Episode 235
Terrible Book Club
Scribando and Bookbarella return! We're a little tipsy for the first four episodes of the season in service to a future TBC episode, so this one is perhaps not our greatest season opener. We try and fail to do a little scientific thinking around particle and quantum physics and sing a fake song for your amusement, though, so there's that. Special Thanks to: Ken from for narrating our cold open for this season for our new photos for our new logo and graphic design Links & References: You can find many episodes about particle physics and other quantum topics we mentioned on ...
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The Third Force: A Novel Of Gadget by Marc Laidlaw *Patron's Choice* - Episode 234
Terrible Book Club
Thank you to our Patron One In A Thousand who requested this week's book! They wrote in to us earlier this year, saying: "...At some point in your lives, you've probably experienced media that you felt was ALMOST really good, but for whatever reason it just wasn't, and media that was almost really good can be just as frustrating as outright bad media because you can see that it just needed a little bit of fixing. That's how I felt about The Third Force. It's a tie-in novel to an obscure Japanese multimedia franchise from the 90's called Gadget...Marc Laidlaw was given a lot of creative freedom...
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Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May - Episode 233
Terrible Book Club
It’s winter up here in the northern hemisphere, so why not explore a fluffy memoir that flirts with self-help specifically for the season? Get a nice blanket and a stuffed creature, a hot beverage, maybe light a candle or incense or perhaps even a fire, and snuggle in. Take care of yourselves out there - make that doctor, dentist, therapist, etc. appt you've been avoiding! In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion or mention of injury, surgery, mental health struggles, and alternative treatments for health and wellness. References & Resources:
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Temple of the Winds (Sword of Truth #4) by Terry Goodkind - Episode 232
Terrible Book Club
Terry has been dead for a few years now, but it's clear that he controls Chris from beyond the grave with a Rada'Han because Chris begged Paris to read yet another Sword of Truth novel this year. The suffering is turned up to 11 as we're both crushed beneath a block of fantasy plot swiss cheese. Even though it's more holes than cheese-plot, it still hurts because the holes have spikes, in Goodkind fashion. In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion or mention of abuse, sexual assault/coercion, sex worker murder, slavery, and pandemics. Other episodes in...
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A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1) by Sarah J. Maas *Special Guest Emily* - Episode 231
Terrible Book Club
The time has come. It was inevitable; at last, we submitted to the will of Terriblo, listeners, and fate to bring down the evil monarch and find our destined mate - I mean, bring you our review of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, popularly known by its acronym of ACOTAR. To ease us through this experience, I’ve brought my emotional support Emily who herself is an avid reader who has suffered through not only this first book, but most of the series that follows. In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion or mention of hunting, kidnapping,...
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The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas - Episode 230
Terrible Book Club
Happy Halloween! This episode was supposed to air on 11/4, but we figured you'd all appreciate hearing this one a week early in the spirit of the season. The next episode will air on schedule on 11/18, so make sure you check out some older spooky season TBC episodes while you wait: This week it was Chris's turn to head over to r/horrorlit to pick through more of the sub's worst horror books from 2024. He was lured to The Paleontologist simply based on the thought that ghost dinosaurs seemed an especially funny concept. In addition to our usual barnyard language,...
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Other Misfortunes (The Enchantment and You'll Find It's Like That All Over) by Eric LaRocca - Episode 229
Terrible Book Club
For this year’s Spooky Season, we headed over to reddit to see what r/horrorlit thought were the worst horror books they read in 2024. It seemed that Eric LaRocca’s novella Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke was widely hated by the sub, but since the Antiques Freaks already reviewed that back in October 2023, Paris chose to instead read two short stories packaged together as Other Misfortunes with Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke in the edition she had. Other Misfortunes: The Enchantment You'll Find It's Like That All Over In addition to our usual barnyard...
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From Fan To Family: Embracing Jason Momoa’s World by Ligaya “Aying” Espina Cerny - Episode 228
Terrible Book Club
Today's book was suggested to us by a fan on Instagram who said, “Your schedule is probably still full but I have the book to end all terrible books. [Redacted] wrote this about her love (obsession) for Jason Mamoa and it is a mess; it’s absolutely terrible." This extremely personal book of poetry rotates around the axis of Jason Momoa and takes us to many strange, sad places. In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion or mention of intense parasocial relationships, cancer/terminal illness, and big 'ol age gap relationships. References &...
info_outlineGet out your corn kernels and hot oil, today, folks, 'cause we're goin' poppin'!
Today's book comes to us from our longtime Patron Arrant who said, "I read [something] that might be fascinating for you guys rather than simple bad: "Just Call Me Orville" by Robert Topping, which is about the life and rise of Orville Redenbacher. Yes, the Popcorn guy. I quite enjoyed it and I was surprised by how fascinating and genuine he was as a person. And if anything, it fits into the weird food universe since he's so synonymous with the popcorn brand that people didn't even realize he was a real man and that was his real name."
Chris tries to tell Paris all about Orville in this surprisingly laugh-a-minute episode about farming, business, and food marketing in the early-mid 20th century United States. Still, we must beware the Butter People as they are afoot once more. Legend has it that to banish them, you must chant, "Baby, is it anymore popcorn?" three times into the nearest popcorn machine or, failing that, the last pan you used to pop corns.