Lit Lit

Andy and Dani get scared. Ever read a ghost story and then you realize the monster is actually just human kind and you begin to spiral because you have to think about how we live amongst these monsters and interact with them on a daily basis... forever and ever? Ya... Same... Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Andy and Dani talk about Sleepy Hollow some more... Dani watches Sleepy Hollow for the first time. This is obviously Christopher Walkens best role. Someone needs to get rid of that gross tree. And is Christina Ricci hot?

Andy and Dani continue their descent into spooky season! Nothing could possibly be better than a romantasy book based in Sleepy Hollow right?! Nothing could possibly be like too weird or too out there right? Just a regular spooky romantasy. Also what did Andy do on the plane?!?!

Andy tests Dani on important dates in history... and she does super well. Like she knows every date in history ever. But really don't make fun of her, please.

Nonesuch by Francis Spufford Andy and Dani time travel? So how petty do you have to be to sic an evil ancient boogeyman on a woman just because you kinda liked the guy flirting with her... and then, for an encore, rewrite history and ruin all of time for everyone? Apparently? Not that petty.

Andy and Dani finally read at their reading level. How many children's books can we remember? Actually, quite a few! How important is children's book artwork? Um.... VERY important! Also if your name is Todd get out.

Andy and Dani go undercover! How can this super hot movie star fall in love with this super plain, short, ugly bodyguard woman? It's just toooooo crazy to even fathom, right? RIGHT?!? This poor woman...

Dani finally fesses up to a lie she's been living with... Andy is obviously appalled and almost leaves the podcast immediately.

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden Andy and Dani finish their very cold summer series! Did Andy cheat in his predictions...? There is no other explanation. Was the third book the best of the series?? Maybe.... And do little mushroom men really save lives? Yes, yes they do!

Andy and Dani FINALLY plan the rest of the books for the year, and we decided to bring you all along for the ride... Welcome to our planning session. It's extremely well thought out and there are absolutely no distractions or side quests.

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden Andy and Dani get cold again! It's the second book... and you know what that means! It's probably our favorite of the series! Why are second books always the best? It's just the law. But who liked it more?

Andy and Dani ask each other questions. Who has the better answers? Probably Dani. Is that because she writes all of these descriptions and she can say whatever she wants? Yeah... probably. But whatever.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden Andy and Dani take a trip to Russia. Did we find a good summer series?? Did we not doom ourselves for 2 more books?? Could it really be true??

Remain by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan Andy and Dani read a classic. Have you ever wondered how good a sci-fi, fantasy, murder mystery, romance novel would be? Well now you don't have to! Spoiler alert this was terrible. Also why are they having sex ghosts?!?!?

Bonus Episode! We're back talking about the World Cup! Our favorite games, goals, and keepers. Boooo Argentina! Yay-ish Spain! Morrocco or Cape Verde should have won dammit!

Magik (Illyana and Storm Limited Series) Andy and Dani welcome back Jason Kirk, author of Hell Is a World Without You and writer for The Athletic, for round four? This time we attempt not to talk too much about God... though he manages to sneak his way into the convo a bit. Mostly though, we're talking Mutants. Specifically Magik and Storm... ooooo, ahhhhh! Plus the age-old debate: what mutant powers would WE want? Find more from Jason below!The Athletic Jason Kirk Book Site: ⁠https://www.jasonkirk.fyi/p/novel⁠ Jason Kirk About site: ⁠https://www.jasonkirk.fyi/about⁠ Past episodes with Jason: Hell is a World Without You ⁠Hot Al Gore⁠ ⁠Interstellar Edging⁠

To make up for our weird schedules lately we're posting extra content! We'll be predicting who makes it through to the round of 16 of the World Cup... and don't worry we'll be drinking for all our wrong predictions in the next episode. Hope you enjoy and GO MOROCCO!

Andy and Dani have a really good interesting time. Do we remember anything about the original Beowulf? Probably not. Do we act like we remember? One of us does. Do we understand Beowulf? Yaaaaa sureeeeee.

Andy and Dani celebrate Andy's 50th birthday! Doesn't he look so good for his age? Ya we know! Ok but really, how much did Andy hate his birthday book? It def wasn't his favorite. How much did Dani love his birthday book? WAY more than Andy! The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid Andy and Dani go back to the hockey rink... Okkkkkkk yes this is Dani's holy grail: Hot men, sarcastic humor, and a cottage... yes please! Andy also loved this book because... but was it as much as Dani? Maybe...

Game Changers by Rachel Reid Andy and Dani go to the hockey rink. Is there such a thing as too much sex? How good can these smoothies be? Where are all of these hot men being created? Is Andy jealous?

Andy and Dani seriously discuss spooky bodies of water. Hot off the presses Andy admits, "I'm not a hero, but I've done mildly helpful things" and that really sums up the episode nicely.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell Andy and Dani hang out with a shapeshift blob? Was this book too on the nose? Maybe for Andy... How much body horror is too much body horror? Can you tell a man is shitty in the first 5 seconds? Probably. Are cats the best thing in the world? Yes.

Andy and Dani get hypothetical... again! This time Andy has actually done some work for a change and asks the questions, but are they even good? You'll have to find out...

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley Andy and Dani move to Wyoming. It is NOT all fun and games! In fact we've only been reading goddamn sad books! But that's ok... they're really good. Does Dani convince Andy this book is better than he originally thought? Probably...

Andy and Dani get even more serious... and then realize how depressing that is. But actually... the world has some crazy stuff happening in it so we drink about it and talk about it for a bit. If you have the means to donate here are some links to consider: https://www.unhcr.org/ir/partners-and-donors https://www.ifrc.org/national-societies-directory/red-crescent-society-islamic-republic-iran https://momsagainstpoverty.org/country/iran/

Out of Mesopotamia by Salar Abdoh Andy and Dani talk about very serious stuff... and we're HAMMERED. Whoops. Anyway... we talked about this really, really heavy book. Did we once again read all of the best book of the year in the first 3 months? Maybe? Were we too drunk to talk about the devastation of war? Absolutely.

Andy and Dani finally learn about birds. Can we answer very basic questions about birds? Absolutely not! Does that stop us from trying to answer extremely complex questions about birds? Hell no! Nothing will stop us!

H for is Hawk by Helen Macdonald Andy and Dani tame some birds! Uh oh are we reading all the best books at the beginning of the year again? Is Dani the best book picker we have? Is this Andy's favorite book of all time? Do either of us want to go buy a hawk?

Andy and Dani head on down to Verona and some other places as we reminisce about our relationships with the works of Shakespear. Is Shakespear taught to soon in school? How difficult is it to read? Will iambic pentameter always be in style?

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell Andy and Dani meet Shakespeare's son. Have we once again read the best book of the year in the first 3 months? Maybe... Did Andy and Dani both cry in this episode? Yes. Yes, we did. Should you read this book? Ya... honestly, you should...

Andy and Dani take a trip down reading lane. What were some of the absolute book bangers from our childhood? How much money would Dani give Andy if she won the lottery? Has everyone finally finished Heated Rivalry?

Andy and Dani travel to Narnia! Does this story still hold up?!? Hell yes it does! Are there secret police that tattle on the whereabouts of at risk characters?!? Um.. well yes thats also true... Is this whole story actually about the idea of believing in God and that everything you do you should do in his name?!? Oh well... uhh ya... I guess that's true...

Andy and Dani are VERY VERY excited! We finished Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and boy oh boy do we have thoughts... are they good? Are they bad? We WILL spoil everything from this season BUT we don't spoil anything for future seasons. How smart can we sound? Find out...

The Supernaturalists by Eoin Colfer Andy and Dani go back to 6th grade. Everyone knows the best YA books murder a 14 year old within the first 30 pages. How emo was Dani when she was 12? Pretty damn emo... Does 12 year old Dani's taste it books stand up to time? Maybe? Will marketing actually be the downfall of humankind? Probably....

Andy and Dani leave medieval Europe behind and go globe-trotting… spiritually. How far off topic can Dani take this conversation? Honestly, impressively far. We discuss desert empires, lush jungles, mythologies we should absolutely know more about—and of course, the most important question of all: what is the official battlefield sandal?

Andy and Dani finish their first series of the year! Oooooo Ahhhhhhh. How many of our predictions did we get wrong? Will Andy cry? Did we like the series? Who knows... except you, if you listen... The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri

Andy and Dani are at it again... hypothetical questions. How mean would our cats be to us? Probably really mean.. Who would be the worst character to have as your inner monologue? Dani wins this... ________________________________________________ If you would like to support Minnesota here are some resources you can turn to https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ https://www.miracmn.com/resources https://minnesotanonprofits.org/ice-resources

Andy and Dani talk less about elephants than wanted and more about ICE than they thought they would. Did we get any of our predictions right? Spoiler... one of us did. Are we really enjoying this series? Spoiler... Ummm yes! Should you list to this episode? Probably!

Andy and Dani get real for a bit. I (Dani) live in South Minneapolis, and I wanted to use this time to talk about what's going on here. Andy and I discuss the insanity of this reality, and also give some ideas on what you can do in your area to support your neighbors who need it. Of course, activism looks different to everyone and we encourage you to do what you feel safest and most comfortable doing. Helpful Resources: Find your local ACLU: aclu.org/affiliatesKnow your rights when encountering ICE: https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/know-your-rights-with-ice/ Join your neighborhood FB group or board Volunteer at local foodbanks Get trained in rapid response (these trainings are generally free and sometimes virtual) Carry a whistle Ways to support Minnesota https://www.miracmn.com/ https://mnicom.org/ Amplify content coming out of Minnesota: comment, share, repost ICE violence AND show how peaceful our protests are Look for vigils and protests in solidarity with Minnesota in your are and attend

New year, new series, same jokes. Andy and Dani kick off their New Year Series with The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy and we’re pretty into it! Feelings? Pretty good! Vibes? Solid! Elephants for Andy? Tragically insufficient. We get into whether chapter-by-chapter POVs work for this story and for us in general. Plus: bold (possibly delusional) predictions for Book 2 that we will almost certainly get wrong. Welcome to 2026, welcome to the trilogy, and welcome to more Lit Lit.

Andy and Dani talk books... obviously. Somehow… against all odds… Andy and Dani have basically the same Top 3 Books of 2025. Growth? Taste? A shared brain cell? We may never know. We break down our overlapping favorites, celebrate the rare moment of agreement, and still find a way to bring up Morning Glory Milking Farm. Plus, a few shoutouts to books we read outside of Lit Lit, because we do occasionally consume media responsibly.

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett Andy and Dani head to the pantomime and have a perfectly mediocre time. If you love a long, self-congratulatory holiday email about how thriving your family, marriage, career, and dog are, this book is for you. If you’re normal, you may find yourself asking why you’re supposed to care that a bad man was murdered and shoved into a stage prop. Happy early Christmas — we’re putting this episode out early as a little gift.

Andy and Dani look back at their favorite things from 2025, from music to movies and everything that had nothing to do with books. We recap the vibes, the wins, and the things that made the year… not terrible, surprisingly. Spoiler alert: Dani’s year was objectively better. Not because she wrote this. Because it’s facts.

The Running Man by Stephen King Andy and Dani go for a jog. Just kidding, absolutely not. This week we tackle The Running Man and ask the hard questions: who actually liked this book, and why are you hiding? We unpack the what-was-the-point energy, the truly wild amount of racism, and Stephen King’s deep, unsettling commitment to extremely detailed bodily harm. Seriously, we get it. The guts were out.

Andy and Dani dive into the biggest letdowns pop culture has ever thrown at us. What TV shows nose-dived straight into disappointment? What “literary masterpieces” were actually just big words on tiny pages pretending to be deep? And which movies crushed our hopes, dreams, and maybe our will to live? Grab a drink... we’re naming names.

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta Andy and Dani inspect some holes.... no. No. No. This is all wrong... Did Andy just say he likes this book? Like did he just rank this in this top 5 for the year? Or is he just REALLY into minotaurs?

Andy and Dani celebrate! How will you observe Dani's birthday? We're observing by solving riddles! Were we able to get any of them right? No! Are we really this dumb? Sure are!

Havoc by Christopher Bollen Andy and Dani spend some time in Egypt. Ok... what's worse: Annoying kids or creepy old ladies? It's a pretty close call but one options kills WAY more people...

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty Andy and Dani meet a devil. Demon girls belong in the basement, fake dumb detectives are cool I guess, and are possessions real?