6: The Fifty-Ninth Bear

It's our Christmas Special!Today Abby and Jess try to bring some festive cheer by discussing Charles Dickens' Christmas classic. Naturally, going via a discussion of 'why ghosts', poor politics, Mariah Carey, and which ghost are you?We'd also like to take the opportunity to suggest some donations that are close to our hearts. If you are able to we'd love for you to make a one-off, or recurring, donation to any of these charities in our name if you've enjoyed the podcast this year.RefugeTrussell TrustShelterMerry Christmas, we'll see you in the new year x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abby has finally done it, Jess has read a Twilight book. Our resident YA fiction queen recalls her childhood of reading the Twilight books, and discusses the story written from Edward's perspective in terms of rewriting, target audience, and of course, brooding.New episodes every Tuesday – join us next week for our Christmas special! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most famous modernist novels, Jess and Abby tackle Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway and, yes, even try to summarise the plot.What do we think of Woolf's male characters? What even is a "social" novel? And how on earth does Abby manage to weave Twilight into the discussion? We all know there's only one way to answer these questions.Instagram: @didthereadingpodNew episodes every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Murder? Timeless.For more out of context soundbites, look no further than this week's episode, where Jess and Abby discuss Shakespeare's Macbeth (after Jess takes some convincing that Macbeth and Richard III are, in fact, very different plays).If you're here just for a summary? Abby's got that covered. If you want to know how Come Dine With Me and 'it's just like reading your horoscopes to a t' comes into things, you might need to listen to a bit more.As always, we really appreciate you rating, reviewing, and subscribing to the podcast wherever you listen – it helps others find us.New episodes every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shirley Jackson's short story, 'The Lottery' is the subject of this week's conversation between Jess and Abby.You can read the story on the New Yorker website here.A gothic story of family, community, obligation and tradition, Abby and Jess still naturally manage to discuss it in terms of horror movies, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Horrible Histories, and Midsommar's 'flower slug'. As always, send us an email at [email protected] and drop us a message on our Instagram @didthereadingpod. New episodes every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You asked, you receive.Ever wondered what Jess and Abby think Gatsby's Instagram profile would look like? You've come to the right place.Via a conversation that swerves from Fitzgerald's female characters, to who is allowed to partake in consumerism, to the age-old question of what deserves to be called a classic, Jess and Abby finally get to relive their A Level analysis of The Great Gatsby.***Subscribing and leaving reviews helps others to find us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back!To start series two we both talk through some of the books we read during lockdown, as we face another one. From fiction through to books we lent and borrowed (and we know how picky Jess is about who she lends books to) we try and fit it all into 40 mins. We would like to encourage anyone looking to buy any of the books we mentioned to do so through the new bookshop.org. A new website and centre for independent bookshops — simply search up any book and be pointed in the direction of a local bookshop who stocks it.Jess:The Last Samurai - Helen DewittSweet Sorrow - David NichollsWe Both Laughed in Pleasure - Lou SullivanThe Secret History - Donna TarttAnna Karenina - Leo TolstoyMostly Dead Things - Kristen ArnettRight After the Weather - Carol AnshawWhy I'm No Longer Talking To White People About RaceThe Good Immigrant - edited by Nikesh ShuklaSummer - Ali SmithConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka MurataCarceral Capitalism - Jackie WangWe Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley JacksonAbby:Insomniac City- Bill HayesDenying the Holocaust- Deborah Lipstadt100 Artists' Manifestos: From the Futurists to the Stuckists- Alex DanchevCatch and Kill- Ronan FarrowNo Visible Bruises- Rachel Louise SnyderNight Film- Marissa PesslLost at Sea- Jon RonsonConvenience Store Women- Sayaka MurataIn the Miso Soup- Ryu MurakamiAmerican Psycho- Brett Easton EllisWe Both Laughed in Pleasure- Lou SullivanTrans, a Memoir- Juliet JacquesTwilight- Stephenie MeyerThe Pisces- Melissa BroderA Little Life- Hanya Yanagihara Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abby and Jess discuss The Mule Bone via decolonising the curriculum, the politics of language, and the radical capacity for stage performance versus a text on the page.As ever, if you want to suggest something for us to have a look at, drop us an email at [email protected] discussed:1991 NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/10/theater/theater-why-the-mule-bone-debate-goes-on.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever wondered how much Abby and Jess can talk about a subject they don't know much about? Listen to this episode, which covers Beat Poetry, the obscenity trial, and structuring Howl. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jess and Abby discuss Sylvia Plath's short story via The Metal Bowl, The Bell Jar, and Hugh Grant makes an appearance.Tune in for two 22-year olds' opinions on how to have a successful marriage, the impulse to biography in Plath criticism, how 'all of Shakespeare is just communication issues' and how bringing snacks to every social occasion is simply 'BEing prePAREd'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.