Episode 116: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Book 1 in the Ghost  Roads trilogy 

Andi and Lise rave about this tale of paranormal urban legend with backstory and personality, in which author Seanan McGuire world-builds a context for the folklore around the hitch-hiking prom ghost/girl in the diner ghost. Here, the ghost tells her own story in a non-linear narrative: how she died, the type of ghost she is, and “living” on the ghost roads, the world of the dead, haunted by a variety of spirits. One of which is the man who killed her. Tapping into the myth and legend of U.S. road culture, McGuire provides a beautifully written gripping story about Rose Marshall, the subject of urban and road paranormal legend. Even the dead have things to fear. 

Seanan McGuire’s website 

Sparrow Hill Road 

Shout-outs: Lise really enjoyed the first season of Only Murders in the Building, available on Hulu. Here, New York Upper West Side neighbors bond over a shared love of true crime, and set out to solve the mystery of a resident’s death in the same building. Andi watched the Lifetime premiere of the F/F holiday film Under the Christmas Tree, and really enjoyed its fluffy goodness (a queer holiday film where there’s no angst over being queer!). 

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Happy (and safe) holidays! 

Episode 115: The Princess Bride: Does it Hold Up?

Andi and Lise revisit the 1987 cult classic The Princess Bride, a comedy/romance/ fantasy/adventure that incorporates the story-within-a-story narrative style, in which a contemporary boy (meaning 1987) is sick at home and his grandfather stops by to read him a story, which is a fairy tale that incorporates classic quest elements. Clever story, great characters, funny, and the shifting from the contemporary scene to the movie and back in parts of the film lend this film a lot of its appeal. However, there are some things that definitely don’t hold up, and that’s part of the discussion. 

30th anniversary trailer 

IMDB 

Shout-outs: Lise highly recommends the animated series Arcane on Netflix, based on the game League of Legends. Discord between cities Piltover and Zaun and two sisters fight on rival sides of a war. Andi is finally reading Seanan McGuire’s Ghost Road series, starting with Sparrow Hill Road, the first book in it. The main character is based on the urban legends surrounding the ghostly prom date on the side of the road; the woman in the diner; the hitchhiker. Absolutely incredible world-building. 

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Hosts @andimarquette and @LiseMacTague 

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