No Improvement Podcast πŸ‘― Episode 62


No Improvement is a sort-of-funny talk show that explores the vast, untapped potential of TV shows, books, films, and more. Quill & Slate blog runners Thelonia and Tia review—and then reimagine—the stories you know and love until you can barely recognize them anymore. Hopefully in a good way. And if not, well, we hope you are still entertained.

In the 62nd episode of No Improvement, we watch and discuss the sixth episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale ("First Blood"), season 2. Listen to us discuss season 1 or the All in Good Storytime podcast discuss the book at these links!

Next week, we will be watching and talking about the seventh episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, season 2.

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Out of the Blue πŸ˜‡ Book Review


 

Written by Thelonia


Angels (well, Beings) have been falling from the sky, plummeting to gruesome deaths due to their broken or torn wings on a near daily basis. The world has stopped, waiting for the next fall, and trying to make sense of what this means - is this proof of heaven? Why are the Beings falling? Are they actually the dead, falling from their afterlife, or are they alien creatures? Out of the Blue raises a lot of these questions, and answers few. But the journey is pretty fun, so even though you may never find out, you'll have fun on the way.

No Improvement Podcast πŸ‘― Episode 61


No Improvement is a sort-of-funny talk show that explores the vast, untapped potential of TV shows, books, films, and more. Quill & Slate blog runners Thelonia and Tia review—and then reimagine—the stories you know and love until you can barely recognize them anymore. Hopefully in a good way. And if not, well, we hope you are still entertained.

In the 61st episode of No Improvement, we watch and discuss the fifth episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale ("Seeds"), season 2. Listen to us discuss season 1 or the All in Good Storytime podcast discuss the book at these links!

Next week, we will be watching and talking about the sixth episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, season 2.

Subscribe on iTunes!

All of This Is True πŸ™Š Book Review




Written by Thelonia


A mix of Misery and Pretty Little Liars, All of This Is True, Lygia Day PeΓ±aflor's new novel is about a group of teens who befriend their favorite author. But when the author's new book, based on the teens, reveals too much and puts them in danger, everything changes. Told in a compilation of interviews, book excerpts, emails, and articles, All of This Is True is a page-turner where no one is to be trusted and no one is blameless.

All in Good Storytime πŸ“š Episode 39

All in Good Storytime is an interactive, bookish, book club podcast hosted by Alanna, Katya, and Tia. To join the club, make sure you're following us on Twitter to get updates on what book we're reading and to what chapter we are reading through (or what anime we're watching and what episode we are watching through), and listen to the podcast here or on iTunes (see link below) to join in on the discussion. And don't forget to read along!

In the 39th episode of All in Good Storytime, we read the first three chapters of Slaughterhouse-Fiveby Kurt Vonnegut. In these chapters, we first hear from Vonnegut regarding his time in Dresden during WWII and his motivation for writing this book. We are then introduced to the time traveling American WWII vet Billy who claims he was once kidnapped by aliens and taken to the planet Tralfamadore.

We discuss the interesting framing device used by Vonnegut which opens the story with a first chapter that almost feels more like an introduction separate from the main plot. We continue by discussing Billy, the main protagonist of the story, and his role as a nerdy boy soldier. We also examine how while Vonnegut explicitly avoids romanticizing the war, Weary, Billy's war companion, intentionally glamorizes every aspect of his life as a soldier. We look at Billy's unfortunate adult life in the 60s which is filled with money and prestige but still sees him turn to Magic Fingers to address his bouts of weeping. We question whether the aliens are real, a plot device, or a result of Billy's shock therapy after the war.

In two weeks, we will be reading chapters 4 through 6 of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

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No Improvement Podcast πŸ‘― Episode 60


No Improvement is a sort-of-funny talk show that explores the vast, untapped potential of TV shows, books, films, and more. Quill & Slate blog runners Thelonia and Tia review—and then reimagine—the stories you know and love until you can barely recognize them anymore. Hopefully in a good way. And if not, well, we hope you are still entertained.

In the 60th episode of No Improvement, we watch and discuss the fourth episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, season 2. Listen to us discuss season 1 or the All in Good Storytime podcast discuss the book at these links!

Next week, we will be watching and talking about the fifth episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, season 2.

Subscribe on iTunes!

Undead Girl Gang 🧟‍♀️ Book Review

  

Written by Thelonia


When her best friend Riley is found dead in a brook, Mila Flores is heartbroken, but doesn't accept the official story that Riley killed herself. Suspecting something more nefarious, Mila turns to a mysterious grimoire that Riley ordered before her death, and the resurrection spell she finds within. But when she casts the spell in the graveyard at midnight, more than just Riley come back...and now she has three resurrected teenage girls to deal with, and only one week to catch their killer before they go back to being dead.

All in Good Storytime πŸ“š Episode 38

All in Good Storytime is an interactive, bookish, book club podcast hosted by Alanna, Katya, and Tia. To join the club, make sure you're following us on Twitter to get updates on what book we're reading and to what chapter we are reading through (or what anime we're watching and what episode we are watching through), and listen to the podcast here or on iTunes (see link below) to join in on the discussion. And don't forget to read along!

In the 38th episode of All in Good Storytime, we watch the seventh and final episode of Big Little Lies on HBO. In this episode of Big Little Lies the dead body from the premiere is finally identified. Through a non-linear narrative, the events surrounding trivia night and how all of our characters are involved is explained. Jane identifies her rapist. Celeste makes her final move towards freedom. Amabella's schoolyard bully is identified.

We discuss the horrible opening scene which depicts the escalating level of violence Perry inflicts on Celeste and how their children keep interrupting the abuse. We look at the scene where Jane confides in Celeste that it is actually Max who has been bullying both Amabella and Skye and how Jane's fears regarding violence being in Ziggy's DNA have now been transferred over to Celeste. We also address the perfect irony that during his time as the school bully Max apparently pushed Skye down the stairs and this is the exact method by which Bonnie handles Perry.

We express our frustration that Bonnie's character wasn't fleshed out more for the series and that her major character point from the book, that she grew up in an abusive household, was intentionally left out. We share our hope that along with a greater focus on Bonnie, Ed will also be given more attention in the next season and the creepy aura he gave off will be addressed. We acknowledge that season 2 is unlikely to be as cathartic as the ending of season 1 especially if it primarily focuses on the criminal investigation into Perry's death. Until the 2019 premiere of season 2, we can only repeated watch Perry getting impaled to tide us over.

Next week, we will be reading the first three chapters of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

Subscribe on iTunes!

No Improvement Podcast πŸ‘― Episode 59

No Improvement is a sort-of-funny talk show that explores the vast, untapped potential of TV shows, books, films, and more. Quill & Slate blog runners Thelonia and Tia review—and then reimagine—the stories you know and love until you can barely recognize them anymore. Hopefully in a good way. And if not, well, we hope you are still entertained.

In the 59th episode of No Improvement, we watch and discuss the third episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, season 2. Listen to us discuss season 1 or the All in Good Storytime podcast discuss the book at these links!

Next week, we will be watching and talking about the fourth episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, season 2.

Subscribe on iTunes!

The Man Who Caught the Storm πŸŒͺ️ Book Review




Written by Thelonia


Tim Samaras was a storm chaser: a person who chases intense weather conditions for a variety of reasons, whether that be professional or recreational. For Samaras, it was a bit of both: a love of tornadoes turned to sponsored trips trying to set probes in the path of tornadoes to find out what happened in the heart of the vortex. In this well-researched biography, we find out not only about Samaras' life, but about tornadoes, the storm chasing community at large, and the dangers and high-points the job brings.