Episode 100: Our Namesake! Connie Willis’s BELLWETHER with @papersquared, @twobossydames, and @aswatki1

Can you believe there have been a hundred episodes of Bellwether Friends? Well, there haven’t. THIS is the one hundredth episode! Carolyn, Margaret, Sophie, and Ally joined us to discuss our inspiration and beloved novel Bellwether, by our beloved and inspiring Connie Willis, complete with all the digressions you’ve come to love over our past 99 episodes, readalikes, and other suggestions!

Links
Connie Willis

Bellwether
Audiobook (read by Kate Reading)
YouTube: Technique Critique by Wired
Charles Entertainment Cheese
L.O.L. Surprise! dolls
Owlcrate Jr
Connie Willis on library weeding
Jo Walton on Bellwether
Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold
To Say Nothing of the Dog on Episode 31
Cory Doctorow on Bellwether

Exhibit A: Alene’s Bellwether tattoo

Read-/Listen-/Watchalikes
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
The Office
Level Up by Cathy Yardley
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Desk Set
Intermediate Thermodynamics by Susannah Nix
His Girl Friday
Working Girl
Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

Each chapter begins with the description of a fad, such as the HULA HOOP

Musical Obsessions
Carolyn: A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (album) by The 1975, “Love Somebody Like You” by Joan
Ally: “Free Man in Paris” by Joni Mitchell
Margaret: “The Heartache Can Wait” by Brandi Carlile
Sophie: “Precious Lord Take My Hand/You’ve Got A Friend” by Aretha Franklin [mention: “Wonder Woman” by Kacey Musgraves]
Anna: “Somebody to Love” by Queen (or George Michael) [or Glee]
Alene: “When Can I See You Again” by Owl City from Wreck-It Ralph

Obsessions
Carolyn: family karaoke night
Ally: Amelia Bloomer Project committee reading
Margaret: NPR and Boston Globe Best Books coverage: The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding, Odd One Out by Nic Stone, Check Please by Ngozi Ukazu, The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang [mention: Fence by C. S. Pacat]
Sophie: Bodyguard (more in Two Bossy Dames)
Anna: Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart (there’s no sex in space!)
Alene: Not Your Sidekick and Not Your Villain by C. B. Lee

@aswatki1, @papersquared, @mrsfridaynext, @twobossydames, @atvpodcast, @sophiebiblio

Pop Culture Happy Hour on The Favourite

Episode 63: Fashion Forward with @curiosityjones

In this episode, we talk to author and jewelry designer (and former librarian) Kelly Jones about her books Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer and Murder, Magic, and What We Wore. Also personal styling tips, such as:

• Dress the beautiful woman that you are
• Try on everything before you buy it
• Thrift shop for success

Links
What Not to Wear UK
Wraptillion
#argyleweek
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer (originally published 1935)
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Ellen Kushner (Swordspoint, The Privilege of the Sword, Thomas the Rhymer)
Stephanie Burgis
Sorcery and Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
#chuckstravaganza (episode 62)
Project Runway
Iris Van Herpen
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Gilmore Girls
Ugly Betty
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
House of Eliott
The Incredibles (also: NO CAPES)

Forgotten Realms

Supergirl
The Tudors
The Borgias
The Crown
Game of Thrones
Sex and the City
The Mentalist
The X-Files

Clueless
Charade
Edith Head
Shakespeare in Love
Titanic
The Age of Innocence
Spider-Man

Desperately Seeking Susan
Dressmakers series by Loretta Chase
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Temeraire series by Naomi Novik

Musical Obsessions:

Kelly: Teen Titans theme song by Puffy AmiYumi
Anna: Tank! theme song from Cowboy Bebop by Seatbelts
Alene: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme song by The Gregory Brothers

Obsessions:

Kelly: brownies with peanut butter cream cheese swirl
The Art of Deception by Stephanie Burgis
The Dark Days Club by Allison Goodman
Goblin Moon by Teresa Edgerton
Anna: Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn (July 2017)
Alene: Misfit City by Kiwi Smith, Kurt Lustgarten, and Naomi Franquiz

 

Episode 50: Comfort with Carolyn

 

We made it to fifty episodes! In this very special post-election installment of Bellwether Friends, we talked to founding Friend Carolyn about comforting pop culture (and food) to consume when we’re trying to recharge our batteries.

Via Two Bossy Dames,  “A post specifically for white women from a white woman”

Code Switch, “A Muslim and a Mexican Walk into a Bar…”

Still Processing, “The Day After”

Music

Bustle, “52 Songs To Cheer You Up Every Time”

“One Way Road” by John Butler Trio
“My IQ” by Ani DiFranco
“Born Free” by MIA
“Sheep” and”Sitting on a Fence” by The Housemartins
Spotify playlists: 80s Ladies for Margaret
Hamilton Mixtape
Inc.com, “Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent”
“Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)” by Solange
“I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan

“Stop” by Spice Girls
“Hasa Diga Eebowai” from The Book of Mormon
“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

Television

30 Rock
The Muppet Show
Law and Order
Gilmore Girls
The West Wing
Sports Night
Quantico
Sleepy Hollow Season One
Arrow
The Shannara Chronicles

The Dresden Files
Person of Interest
The Flash
Dateline

Endeavor
Inspector Morse
Grantchester

Movies

Best in Show
Charade
D.E.B.S.
Fire
Saving Face
Pitch Perfect
Love Actually
Shaun of the Dead
The Sure Thing
Hallmark Channel Christmas Movies
Pretty in Pink
Sisters
Kate McKinnon

Books

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Vorkogisan series by Lois McMaster Bujold
Latin@ Rising: An Anthology of Latin@ Science Fiction and Fantasy
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough
The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Phryne Fisher mysteries by Kerry Greenwood, read by Stephanie Daniel
#booksfighthate
@diversebooks

Food

27 Uplifting Foods to Get You Through Uncertain Times
Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake
Dill pickle Halfpops

Other

Coloring
Candletime
Warm Beverages
Crafting

Obsessions

Anna: Lego sets
Alene: Supergirl recaps on Autostraddle

Carolyn: Cider with bourbon

Musical Obsessions

Anna: “They Don’t Know” by Ariana Grande from Trolls
Alene: “Get Back Up Again” by Anna Kendrick from Trolls
Carolyn: “U-Turn” by Tegan and Sara

Episode 9 Show Notes: Reluctant Consumption and Travel Habits

Download link.

This episode we catch up on where we are with It so far, Carolyn’s experience watching a third season episode of the Gilmore Girls with zero prior knowledge. Then we tackle @anneheathen‘s question about how you handle recommendations that you don’t really want to follow through on and tackle the question of entertainment while traveling. It turns out we are both contrary and probably won’t believe the hype. We also detour into what we love/hate that everyone else hates/loves.

Links

The Bechdel Test
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Lost in Translation
The Passion of the Christ
Seinfeld
Harry Potter
The Eagles
Bruce Springsteen
Eric Clapton
Hatesong from the A.V. Club
Serial podcast
Glamour magazine
Marie Claire magazine
Entertainment Weekly magazine
People magazine
The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks (Anna said The Blinding Knife but she meant The Broken Eye)
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Jeffrey

Obsessions

Anna:
It by Stephen King (surprise!)
Lumberjanes #8
Nimona

Carolyn:
The holidays