Unfortunately Required Reading
119 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsReview and relive the books that made you cringe in school, but now with cocktails and sass. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
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Episodes
I Am Not Feeling Good (Things Fall Apart)
August 07, 2021 20:04 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Behold the Cathedral in Which I Grove My F***Bois (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
July 24, 2021 21:02 - 1 hour - 87.5 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria go through the slog that is the Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Amanda and Victoria's Retirement Plan (Arsenic and Old Lace)
July 10, 2021 19:00 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBAmanda and Victoria discuss the Joseph Kesselring play 'Arsenic and Old Lace' as well as women who kill, and black comedies. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Falling Into the Well of Self Loathing
June 21, 2021 23:33 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness for Pride Month, and immediately regret it. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Don’t Call My Name, Orlando
June 05, 2021 02:01 - 1 hour - 71 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Orlando by Virginia Woolf. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
The Worst Pepsi Challenge
May 22, 2021 01:58 - 1 hour - 89.2 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and PTSD> --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
The House on Drama Street
May 08, 2021 01:31 - 1 hour - 65.1 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Delusions of Grandeur are More Fun with a Friend (Don Quixote)
April 24, 2021 22:47 - 1 hour - 101 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Don Quixote de La Mancha. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Just Another Victim of Capitalism (Death of a Salesman)
April 11, 2021 22:24 - 1 hour - 90 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, as well as the death of the American dream and a bunch of other depressing things. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
The Actual Definition of Witch Hunt (The Crucible)
March 27, 2021 19:51 - 1 hour - 98.9 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss the Crucible by Arthur Miller, and Victoria goes way down the rabbit hole of Communism and the HUAC. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Let's Record an Autopsy (Julius Caesar)
March 13, 2021 21:10 - 1 hour - 62 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria dive into Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare and celebrate about 1 year of the pandemic. Yeah, celebrate, okay... --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
I Know Why the Caged Bird Records Podcasts
February 27, 2021 22:49 - 1 hour - 63.4 MBThis week we look at three poems by the late great Maya Angelou and rant. So, like the usual? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Spear and Sword in Harlem
February 06, 2021 20:52 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria start off Black History month with Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
All for One, and Evidently All for D’Artagnan, Mother F'er
January 23, 2021 20:35 - 1 hour - 61.8 MBAmanda and Victoria discuss Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers, and reference a lot of D'Jango Unchained. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Madame Will Do (Madame Bovary)
January 09, 2021 19:49 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and avoid the text as much as possible. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Rejected Members of KISS
December 19, 2020 03:10 - 1 hour - 73.7 MBToday Victoria makes a huge mistake for her birthday month selection and she and Amanda discuss Faust. Note, we should not record late at night after a work day. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Thanks, It's The Murder (Phantom of the Opera)
December 05, 2020 02:34 - 1 hour - 63.3 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria celebrate Victoria's Birthday month with Phantom of the Opera. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Why are Children saving the world...again?
November 21, 2020 19:53 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBThis week Amanda, Victoria, and special guest Jason (aka Baron Von Cheeseplate) discuss the book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Afrofuturism
November 14, 2020 22:55 - 1 hour - 89.5 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss the dystopian (but extremely believable) novel by Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
2020 Halloween Spectacular
October 31, 2020 13:00 - 2 hours - 111 MBWe celebrate Halloween with too much sweet red wine and Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Rich White Man Gets Caught (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
October 17, 2020 20:01 - 1 hour - 97.8 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria tackle the word of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, discuss some true crime inspirations, and tell you all about Robert Louis Stevenson. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
No One Gets Flowers
September 19, 2020 19:11 - 1 hour - 77.7 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria delve into the trauma that is Daniel Keyes' short story Flowers for Algernon. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
I'm a Giver
September 05, 2020 19:05 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBThis week we return (woo hoo) to finally discuss the Giver by Lois Lowry. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Forgery for Fun and Divorce (A Doll's House)
July 25, 2020 20:17 - 1 hour - 91.2 MBThis week Amanda and Victoria discuss Henrik Ibsen's most performed play, A Doll's House. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Who Let the Hound Out
July 11, 2020 19:55 - 1 hour - 105 MBFor Amanda's Birthday Month we start with the classic Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the Baskervilles. Oh...and we drink port --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
'Rent' Control
June 28, 2020 19:57 - 1 hour - 98.3 MBThis week Amanda and Tori review the musical phenomena Rent, by watching the Christopher Columbus film and exploring the horrors of the AIDS Crisis. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Let’s F*** Off to France and Ignore Our Problems (Giovanni's Room)
June 13, 2020 19:09 - 1 hour - 81.5 MBThis week we drink bourbon and ginger ale as we discuss the incredible author James Baldwin, Black Lives, and the LGBTQIA+ Community. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
A Spy's Guide to Secret Childhood Trauma
May 30, 2020 18:58 - 1 hour - 31.1 MBThis week, we discuss Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy in both its book and movie form. As always, this is not a child-friendly podcast. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Frog and Toad are Queer
May 16, 2020 19:12 - 1 hour - 26.7 MBToday we delve into the world of Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad books, along with Queer Theory. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
A Hobbit is More Badass Than You
April 18, 2020 18:02 - 1 hour - 78.2 MBThis week we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien (Toll Keen) and the Hobbit while discussing quarantine decisions and the hero's journey. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
April 04, 2020 18:11 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBQuarantine recording is still going strong as Amanda and Victoria drink in the privacy of their separate homes and discuss a fan favorite. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Our Existential Crisis (The Stranger)
March 28, 2020 18:42 - 1 hour - 83.4 MBAmanda and Tori record remotely to show their support of Stay at Home protocol, drink what they want, and discuss Albert Camus' The Stranger. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Accidentally Aptly Timed (The Lord of the Flies)
March 14, 2020 19:55 - 1 hour - 46.5 MBToday we discuss William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the nature of fear, misinformation, and Navy Grog. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Are We Dead or Just Resting? (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead)
February 29, 2020 21:09 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBThis week we sip Darjeeling Milk punch while discussing Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
To Read or Not To Read (is that even a question, Hamlet?)
February 15, 2020 22:38 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBThis week, Amanda and Tori tackle the epic plat Hamlet by William Shakespeare. We drink a sweet poison, eat havardi, and the fight me bread comes back as we delve into the text. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Not-So-Quiet Aunt Jane (Pride and Prejudice)
January 26, 2020 21:25 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBThis week we discuss the Jane Austen work Pride and Prejudice, while drinking a cocktail named in her honor and chowing down on scones while discussing class structure. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Withering Interest (Wuthering Heights)
January 11, 2020 21:04 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBThis week we discuss the Emily Bronte novel Wuthering Heights and do our best not to go off the rails with discussing Heathcliff and sipping Lavender French 75's. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
The 2019 Unfortunate Retrospective
December 31, 2019 15:51 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBWe answer listener questions, share our biggest "ooops" moments and discuss our love for literature. Happy 2020, all. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Ambrose Bierce Crosses The Line (or a Bridge)
December 15, 2019 19:53 - 58 minutes - 51 MBThis week's episode is on the Ambrose Bierce short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." We drink a Brandy based cocktail and discuss why Bierce was known as "Bitter Bierce." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Only Women Get Punished for Sex (The Scarlet Letter)
November 16, 2019 22:26 - 1 hour - 75.6 MBWe finish out Pain Month with The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Claret Out of Spite (Ethan Frome)
November 02, 2019 19:55 - 1 hour - 53.6 MBWelcome to Pain Month! For our one year anniversary (yeah, we made it a year) each host has picked a book of loathing. This week we are discussing Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Episode 22: It's Franken-Steen
October 26, 2019 20:00 - 1 hour - 53.7 MBThis week we discuss Mary Shelley's genre changing work Frankenstein, while drinking a cocktail of the same name and discussing that weird party in Geneva. Bonus, there will be a video floating around of us doing this in Halloween costumes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Drunkula (Dracula)
October 05, 2019 21:46 - 1 hour - 89.5 MBThis week's episode focuses on Bram Stoker's Dracula. We drink sangria, eat Russian Hematoga bars, and much on Irish cheddar while discussing vampires, sexuality, and Abraham Stoker. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
This is Not a Guide to Murdering Birds
September 21, 2019 19:39 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBThis week we discuss Harper Lee's to Kill a Mockingbird, the controversy over Go Set a Watchman, drink whiskey, and discuss racism. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Romeo and Juliet is Not a Love Story
September 07, 2019 20:19 - 1 hour - 64 MBThis week's episode focuses on the Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet. We drink a rose, eat some awesome cheese, and talk about why this is probably not an appropriate play to hand off to hormonal teenager. Check our our show notes at UnfortunatelyRequiredReading.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Abandon All Hope Ye Who Listen Here
August 24, 2019 21:53 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBThis week's episode focuses on Dante's Inferno. Join us as we discuss Italian politics, the Catholic Church, and drink a Chianti from a bottle wrapped in raffia. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
The Real Hell is Ye Olde English- Paradise Lost
August 10, 2019 18:00 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBThis week we discuss John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost. We drink a fire and iced tea, eat smokey cheese, and contemplate the sexy version of Satan that is very strange. Oh, and we complain about how long this poem is. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Friends Don't Let Friends Go Bohemian
July 27, 2019 20:29 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBOn this episode we discuss the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and partake of a Corpse Reviver: part 2,. For show notes and more details, visit UnfortunatelyRequiredReading.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Anxiety Makes Terrible Murderers
July 06, 2019 19:20 - 1 hour - 69 MBAs it's Amanda's birthday month, we are delighting in drinking Corpse Revivers while discussing Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, cousin love way too young, and thirst letters before Twitter was a thing. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support
Short Story: Rimbaud and Verlaine, Bad Boys of French Poetry
June 22, 2019 21:27 - 9 minutes - 10.1 MBThis week's short story rounds out Pride month with Amanda covering the two bad boys of French Poetry, Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfortunately-required/support