Comments on: Reading the End Bookcast, Ep.1: Jennifer Weiner, Where’d You Go Bernadette, and Arctic explorers

By: Whiskey Jenny

Whiskey Jenny — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:46:59 +0000

In reply to Gin Jenny. I was also very, very, very nervous!

By: Anastasia

Anastasia — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:13:49 +0000

In reply to Gin Jenny.

Found him! It was Robert Peary. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Peary#Inuit_descendants

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 02:50:46 +0000

In reply to Anastasia. Oooo, this is interesting this Louise Boyd. Whiskey Jenny jokingly said that we should have a polar explorers segment in every podcast, so maybe we can give an update on Louise Boyd. And the story about the dead dude is totally horrifying. If you remember which one did that, please tell me so I can shun that one.

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 02:49:37 +0000

In reply to Christina. Oh it's happening! I have to admit it feels a little like it's spinning its wheels. I want the action to get going! (Maybe it has by now. I haven't been watching each episode as it's been coming out, so I think I'm a few behind.) The thing I'm really looking forward to is the full-length series that's happening in the fall.

By: Anastasia

Anastasia — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 17:51:01 +0000

I haven’t heard of most of the things y’all talked about in this episode, so now that I’ve listened to it I feel smarter! The only thing I can chime in on, really, is polar explorers. THE BEST POLAR EXPLORER is clearly Louise Boyd because she is awesome (Wikpedia page is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Boyd). Also because I think lots of the dude explorers, uh…seriously fucked over various native peoples. I can’t remember which one it was at the moment, but one of them took a dead dude’s body and sold it to a museum, then “adopted” (possibly just stole) the dead dude’s kid and forced him to come to America (and then the kid went to the museum and saw his dad’s body omfg).

ANYWAY, looking forward to listening to the second episode! Great job, you two!

By: Reading the End Bookcast, Ep.2: Sarah Dessen, The Kings and Queens of Roam, and A GAME | Reading the End

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:01:44 +0000

[…] update on why the question Claire Messud was asked in the Publishers Weekly interview (discussed in our last podcast) was even more annoying than it appeared at first […]

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 01:48:45 +0000

This is only tangentially relevant, but OMG “Welcome to Sanditon” is happening?!?! I knew it was coming and planned to watch it, but then I forgot to check when it started! I will definitely have to check that out AT ONCE.

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 23:58:58 +0000

In reply to Gin Jenny. And yes! As soon as we finished recording the podcast, Captain Hammer said, "I went to Jennifer Weiner's website, and like half of her FAQ section is 'What's your problem with this person?'" :p

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 23:58:18 +0000

In reply to Nat. Aw, what a nice compliment! Captain Hammer was greatly flattered by your kind words about the sound quality, and I said HA HA HA to my mother about the diction thing, because she always says I talk way too fast.

By: NWK (@MumsyNancy)

NWK (@MumsyNancy) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:18:07 +0000

I think it is different when you call out a single author – male or female – on their nasty comments, from when you call out a whole bunch of anonymous female authors, which is kind of what I think Claire Messud did, with her whole disdain for “likable” characters. I am not all that crazy about Jennifer Weiner’s novels, but I am solidly in her court on her criticisms of people who mockingly call out “chick-lit” when their own writing is practically unreadable, and, as you point out, so miserably unrealistic. I can’t think of a single person I know who is unrelentingly awful in the way of characters in literary fiction. And that includes some people who are certifiably sociopathic.