The Buddies grab their conches, and blow through the Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The classic high school novel had the Buddies discussing common literary themes, such as: Prison tactics, Smokey the bear, the meaning of ‘taking short’ and much, much more. Pick up a spear, spread some blood on your face, and join the anarchy that is the Buddy Book Club.
The Buddies flare all of their metals and burn through the second half of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn: Final Empire. They chat about the benefits of reading, debating, religion, and of course face tattoos. The deep discussion also had the Buddies drawing parallels between the book and Forrest Gump/Jenny’s relationship, discussing the science behind being a eunuch, and reconsidering Bugs Bunny’s motivational tactics. We welcome Buddies, Mistborns, Feruchemists, Eunuchs, and everyone else to listen in as we discuss the second half of this epic.
The Buddies enter into the Mistborn Saga as they read the first half of Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy novel: Final Empire. This episode was a bit off the rails as the Buddies jumped around a lot and literally discussed how trains should be off rails. They broached many other topics as well including the religion of Ja (Morant), trilogies, noticeable colors and many more non sequiturs. Jump on board the train to crazy town and come predict what is next for Kelsier and Vin.
The Buddies rock out in the fictional rock world of Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Tucker, (@tuckerpeanutbut), joins the Buddies in full Billy Dunne attire and may or mayn’t have been in character the whole episode. The discussion got heated around some controversial topics (the character of Eddie, Coffee drinks/CoVo™, Reese Witherspoon, and more) but luckily memory is fallible so we all came out winners.
The Buddies enrich themselves with the writing of Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and her young adult novel: The Inheritance Games. The Buddies are joined by super fan Steph (@stephie_cton) and touched just about every subject: Pedophiles (no pun intended), movies (Star Wars prequels, Blank Check, Shooter, Fast and The Furious), world-class body guards, family therapy/dynamics, and talking to old people. This episode is a bit of a car crash, but just like Oren, that is how we planned it.
The Buddies stare down Armageddon in Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s classic, Good Omens. The Buddies are joined by Matt (@mattythekid7) of Tupelo, Mississippi fame and discuss a wide variety of topics including: America bashing/communists, musk (the smell), going to heaven vs hell, drugs and rock & roll, talking to plants/strangers at gas stations, prostitutes/demons with a hearts of gold, ‘good’ haircuts, bathroom zoom calls, and much, much more. If you like a non-linear, footnote heavy, wild rides, than both Good Omens and this podcast are for you.
The Buddies bolt into book one of the Percy Jackson series, The Lighting Thief, by Rick Riordan. It was the first time reading this young adult adventure novel for the Buddies, and it had them reminiscing about capture the flag, peanut butter and (Heinz) ketchup sandwiches, and the true definition of a satyr. No episode would be complete without a plethora of Harry Potter and Austin Powers references, which this episode provided in spades.
The Buddies launch themselves into Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir. Things got off to a Rocky start once they realized the book is a sci-fi thriller in the vain of The Martian and not a reference to the famed Roger Staubach Hail Mary pass. Good Buddy, Magic (@nicoitaliano13) joined the pod (and supplied his best Rocky voice), as the buddies discussed a variety of topics including, Microsoft Excel, Tape Measures, and the best way to die in space.
The Buddies read (rising) an all-time favorite, as the they launch themselves into the gory damn world of Red Rising, by Pierce Brown. They are joined by good buddy Mikko (@mikko_mcdonald) and discuss this being the first book he’s EVER read cover to cover. Red Rising combines all of the buddies favorite elements of Braveheart and Hunger Games, which is why it was crowned the #1 book by Dylan, Keith (and Mikko by default), which book can supplant it?
The Buddies kick off 2022 with Alice Feeney’s winter-mystery-thriller Rocks Paper Scissor. The Buddies tackle many of the subjects that lead to failed marriages: anniversary gifts, phone stealing, face-blindness, and what you throw first (or kick) in a game of RPC/Roshambo. They also welcome Steph from @rooreads as the first guest of the program!