Terrible Book Club

In this week's Patron's Choice episode, Paris & Chris discover how little they know about the former soviet union and how their American cultural upbringing did not prepare them to appreciate books that are heavily steeped in U.S.S.R. culture. Our Patron Anna actually mailed us this book and requested that we do an episode on it. It’s pretty incredible to get books mailed to us; thanks so much for your generosity and for being a TBC Patron, Anna! Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussion of: antisemitic descriptions and existential/clone issues.

It's another episode of Terrible Antique Book Freaks! D & Ken from Antiques Freaks join us for the final Carnacki tale (for real this time - there are absolutely no more Carnacki stories written by Hodgson, so this is it!) We use Eye of Argon rules to read the entirety of The Hog, complete with backing music and sound effects by Chris.  Have your Carnacki bingo cards at the ready! Content Warnings: Our usual barnyard language, plus: BDSM, the occult, and sexual themes.

Way back in 2015, Twitter user @keylime3_14 suggested that we read Young God. After languishing in the recommendations pile for nearly 7 full years, we’re finally reading it! Paris and Chris have wildly different experiences with this book and today's discussion is more on the serious side. If you're looking for laughs, perhaps choose a different episode. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion or mention of: Child endangerment, drug use, forced sex work, gore, murder, sexual assault, violence, and a general menagerie of the horrors of poverty.

For the first time on TBC, we had a Patron ask us to read their own work for the show. Boastgusters by Kye Byllesby is an intentionally absurd, bizarro satire steeped in internet/anime/video game subculture. It's a serialized novel with chapters released weekly each Thursday. You can find them on Wattpad or on Amazon.

A few months ago, Paris got a spam email at work from a training salesperson representing Becoming Your Best. He offered to send her a book for free and...he actually did! So, we decided to review Do What Matters Most by Rob & Steve Shallenberger for the show.

We're starting February off with a Double Feature! Today we tackle two pieces of book-like debris that Chris found in the bowels of an Amazon search, the criteria of which has been lost to time: Shannon’s Book of One Quote by Shannon Little Fastidious by Paul Richard Tasch  

Paris’s fiancé was on Reddit one day and saw a picture of one of those cars that's covered in bumper stickers and flyers. He decided to zoom in on the bumper stickers and found many that mentioned "Soul Esprit". A few Google searches later and we knew we had to read one of Mr. Esprit's books for the show. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes toxic levels of conspiracy theorism, religious dogma, and two brief moments of misogyny and racism.

Paris was on a walk in Minnesota last year and decided to look inside a Little Free Library on the road. Within it, she found Emblem: Unity, flipped it open to a random page, and knew the luck of Terriblo was with her that day. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussions around animal violence, parental abuse, bad mental health advice, and suicide.

A few months ago on a website far, far away... It is a dark time for the Terrible Book Club. Although 2021 is nearly over, Terriblo still pursues them through the far reaches of time and space. Evading the dreaded Christmas Cheer, our two intrepid readers - Paris and Chris - have hidden away in the icy enclave of New England. However, the evil lord Terriblo, obsessed with torturing the young readers, has dispatched thousands of terrible holiday books into the far reaches of bookstores and libraries…. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussion of: general cartoon-levels of violence, mention of a massacre, and other evils associated with fascist empires.

It's another episode of Terrible Antique Book Freaks! D & Ken from Antiques Freaks join us once again to read another Carnacki tale. We use Eye of Argon rules to read the entirety of The House of the Laurels. Have your Carnacki bingo cards at the ready! Content Warnings: Our usual barnyard language, plus: animal death and sexual jokes

Ken from Antiques Freaks joins Chris for a very special Gentleman's Club episode! No girls are allowed as Chris & Ken probe the depths of The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness: Being a Complete Guide for a Gentleman's Conduct in all his Relations Towards Society by Cecil B. Hartley published in 1875. If you miss Paris, be sure to check out the Ladies Night episodes of Antiques Freaks where Paris replaces Ken: Antiques Freaks Episode 191 - Uranium Glass Antiques Freaks Episode 193 - Faberge Eggs Content Warnings: Our usual barnyard language, plus: Victorian-era racism and sexism.

For this week's Patron's Choice episode, we read RALPH 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660 by Hugo Gernsback for our Patron Patricia. A guy in 1911 had a lot of cool technological ideas but unfortunately decided to publish them within a silly, pulpy hero's journey. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussion of kidnapping and mild violence.

TBC listener Ann reached out to us on Twitter earlier this year about this series and we thought a dark take on a common fairytale might be good for this spooky time of year. So, on a dark, chilly eve, we stumbled into a castle full of Anne Rice's kinks. It, uh, did not go well. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussion of: BDSM, enslavement, pedophilia/ephebophilia, rape, & sexual torture.

Another Patron's Choice rears its head! We read Power Mage by Hondo Jinx at the request of our patron Austin for this week's episode. He implored us to, "exorcise this demon ... I just need someone, anyone, to explain the scene where someone titfucks a corona bottle and then eats it.” If you like your women without consent or agency, have we got an entire genre for you! Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussion of: guns, harems, sex, and violence.

Just in time for fall in New England, our Patron Martin requested that we read Rush Revere & the Brave Pilgrims by Rush Limbaugh. Martin asks that you donate what you can to an LGBTQIA+ organization near you in memory of Rush Limbaugh’s lifelong campaign of hate. Alternatively, participate in mutual aid in your area! If you're not sure where to donate or what the heck mutual aid is, check out these links: Black AIDS Institute RAINN Adopt-A-Native-Elder National Bail Fund Network Atlanta Trans Housing Coalition What is Mutual Aid? Why it's Important & How to Get Involved Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussion of: genocide, misogyny, & racism

For this week's Patron's Choice episode, we read Last and First Idol by Gengen Kusano for our anonymous patron. We have not been this baffled since Episode 50's The Eclipse of Darkness: Unveiling the Unseen World, which was also an anonymous recommendation. We now live in fear of the next anonymous recommendation we receive. Still, we thank you, unknown patron! Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, this episode includes discussions of: the afterlife, apocalyptic scenarios, body horror, death, genetic modifications, gore, violence, and a reading of a space-whale-ship sex scene (you read that correctly).

It's another episode of Terrible Antique Book Freaks! D and Ken from Antiques Freaks board The Haunted Jarvee with us for an, uh, invigorating read at sea. We thought that we had completed all stories in the Carnacki the Ghost Finder collection, but alas - several more stories were found. We use Eye of Argon rules to read the entirety of The Haunted Jarvee complete with soundscapes by Chris. Have your Carnacki bingo cards at the ready! Content Warnings: Our usual barnyard language, plus: death, drowning, sex, and vibrators.

Come along with us to Terrible Book Beach! We took a look at the New York Times Bestsellers List earlier this summer and settled on Beach Read as both seasonally topical and likely to be terrible. We found some improvements over most romances we've read but no amount of realistic dialogue and safe sex could make us ignore the mountain of coincidences and the happily ever after ending. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion of: alcoholism, infidelity, sex, and cults again somehow!

We read Hidden Sins this week because we figured that there’s gotta’ be a catch to Stacey Abrams. She can’t be perfect, right? Her political career is intense and noteworthy, but surely her romance novels are terrible! If you aren't familiar with Ms. Abrams, she is a former Georgia state house rep and current voting rights activist largely credited with registering black voters in Georgia to swing that state in the 2020 presidential election. Plus, we’ve read a lot of books by right-wing conservatives and were curious about authors on the other side of the political spectrum. Content Warnings: In addition to our usual barnyard language, today’s episode includes discussion of: general action-movie levels of violence, child abuse, infidelity, religious cults, and brief sexuality.

Callirhoe is considered to be the earliest surviving written romance in Western history and it is said to have popularized a lot of the common tropes of the genre that now haunt us mercilessly. However, since neither of us know much about ancient Greek fiction, Dr. Jeremy Swist is here today as our Charon to guide us down this Stygian river of ancient romance! Dr. Swist is also known as the Metal Classicist. He studies classical reception in heavy metal music and teaches Latin and Greek along with Roman and Greek myths and history. He has taught most recently at Xavier University and the University of Texas at San Antonio and is soon to start a new position at Brandeis University in MA. If you’re interested in knowing more about Jeremy’s research and interviews, you can find him on Twitter as @MetalClassicist or over at his Heavy Metal Classicist Blog