Lit & Liquor

Lit & Liquor's triumphant return with the first of our brand new episodes is somewhat diminished by book quality this week, but don't worry, we pull through the good and the bad like always. Mostly with the aid of, you guessed it, extra liquor. Pulling us through the rough patches this week is a Dowager Empress, a drink of Kassandra's creation featuring our Liquor of the Week, Empress 1908 Gin. This delicious drink was paired with two books that were decidedly less pleasant on the palate: "We Hunt the Flame" by Hafsah Faizal, and "A Memory Called Empire" by Arkady Martine. It is in these books which we learned that you totally can have brain surgery in a black market alley and go on to save the world a mere 11 hours later, or make a dark ninja assassin hero too angsty for even Kassandra and Ashley to enjoy--a feat they would have said was completely impossible.As sadly happens so often on L&L...we were proved wrong. Welcome back to our brand new and current bi-weekly episodes, folks. We've missed you

Bamboo Bullshit 09.17 by Lit & Liquor

We're nothing if not about equality here at Lit & Liquor Inc. (sponsor us, someone, anyone) and so if we previously did a challenge of which guy-hero would you rather have at your back, we couldn't rest until we'd done girl-hero too.We kick things off with "Deja Dead" by Kathy Reichs, the hit debut novel off of which the TV show "Bones" is based. Sam has come up with the appropriate and delicious but not-so-deliciously-named Embalming Fluid cocktail to go with this. Meeting Temperance Brennan in the ring of this challenge is Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's "Ten Big Ones". Fueled by a Wedding Cake Martini, she's not going down without a fight. Who will win? You can only listen to find out.

We all like to like books, but this week Lit & Liquor turned everything on its ear by finding three "anti-heroes" and seeing if we thought the title was appropriate (spoiler alert: it was).The first is a series of three short stories from "Night Winds" about Karl Edward Wagner's Kane, paired with a Blood Orange and Bourbon cocktail (second spoiler: the 'blood' part is very appropriate). Second, paired with the new-at-the-time-of-recording-but-not-anymore-but-still-good Angry Orchard Rosè, is "The Elric Saga" by Michael Moorcock. Last but perhaps not least (spoiler alert: totally the least) was "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever; Lord Foul's Bane" . perhaps the only redeemable quality of this book is that it birthed our story of dear Dildo Baggins, but that's just our opinion.

Is it tea? Or is it just leftover broccoli water? Make some Butterfly Peaflower Tea, and you too can be left stumped by these questions and more. It's the main ingredient for our aptly named drink, The Beaudelaire, made in honor of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events", which we read and then watched the Netflix show, plus the 2004 movie. It was a comparison smorgasbord over here, but we rose to the challenge both tipsily and honorably, as always.

Welcome back!We're sorry we ghosted you like that for a year and half, but hopefully you're as desperate as most girls on Tinder and will take us back with no questions asked and rules you don't mean.We have a few episodes that have gotten better with age, like a fine wine or Betty White. The first is a book to movie comparison, "Red Sparrow" by Jason Matthews. And if you're still salty about our absence and this terrible apology, we guarantee our Cold Sparrow drink won't warm you to us one bit. PSA: For in-depth hangover stories from the L&L crew, listen as usual. For actual discussion about the book and literature, skip to 22:56. Do svidaniya!

We're back, bitches. Miss us? Look for new episodes every other Tuesday, because the Lit train is rolling and we're all sitting at the bar in the dining car. We hope you'll hop back aboard as well, or maybe for the first time.

We’ve made many mistakes here at Lit & Liquor, some with liquor, and some with literature. We like to think you’re all out there learning from our humble mistakes, and if there’s one takeaway we’ve learned repeatedly over the last year, it’s this vital piece of information: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EVER STIR YOUR DRINKS.Glad we got that out of the way, y’all. On to the good stuff: shots and books. We reach back to last October, when Ashley and Kassandra went to a small press and self-published book fair in Little Rock and picked up three gems to compare and contrast. Up first is Ashley’s pick, “Least Likely to Marry a Millionaire” by Cheryl Harper. She’s paired it with a Glamour Shot that looks like a millionaire bucks, making this a match made in heaven. Kassandra provides a solid middle choice with “Taking Flight” by Colleen Young. What could more appropriate than a Vodka Speculoos AKA a Biscoff cookie shot?Bringing us up with a strong finish is Sam with “Assassins of History: Transference” by Ver

A tragic tale of goat cheese olives, outlaws, and office blow jobs. We return with our latest and greatest Romance Novel Face Off: Billionaire Boss vs. Angsty Outlaw. This week Max King meets Lee Raven in the ring with a few drinks on the side and a special edition 'Dramatic Reading by Sam Howard'. "King of Wall Street" by Louise Bay has decent odds on it's side, backed up by a strong Maple New York Sour. In the other corner is "The Outlaw and the Lady" by Lorraine Heath, coached and cheered on by Melissa's Bloody Mary.Who will come out on top and move on to the next round? You'll have to listen to find out.

February 2018 marks the one-year anniversary of Lit & Liquor—how time passes in a literary-and-alcohol-infused haze! Join our crew tonight as we each pick one of our favorite drinks from the past year and recap our best—and worst—moments of recording. Get behind the scenes information, hear some of our not-so-flattering sound tests, and be sure to drop us a review on this momentous occasion!

Who will take home the newly christened "Gin Badge"? Tune in and suffer alongside us during Lit & Liquor's second tasting event to find out! This week, we do the hard work so you don't have to in our Gin Tasting, featuring Rocktown Brandon's Gin (American Style), Hayman's Old Tom Gin (Old Tom Style), Bombay Sapphire Gin (London Dry Style), Bols Genever (Genever Style), and Plymouth Gin (you guessed it, Plymouth Style). If you want to feel pompous and educated the next time you drink gin with your friends...we really suggest finding some other liquor podcast. If you want a whole lot of laughs and maybe a smidge of useful information, definitely tune on in!

Because we just can’t get enough of the King family, we decided to go on to the next generation with Joe Hill, AKA Joe King, and his collection of short stories, “20th Century Ghosts”. Opinions were a mixed bag, as were the variety of stories, but the cocktails were a unanimous five shots all around. What could be more appropriate than a Ghost Martini or a Moonlight Cocktail? Join us ‘round the Lit & Liquor fireplace tonight for some good old fashioned—and some not so old fashioned—ghost stories. Next week join us for another venture in the romance novel boxing ring, where our new hero champion trop, The Outlaw, takes on The Billionaire Boss!

Demagorgon versus Pennywise.The Upside Down versus the weird existential turtle universe thing. Stranger Things versus It. But when one is so clearly paying tribute to the other, is it really a competition? Join the debate to find out our thoughts as we discuss all things Stranger Things, It, the completely underrated death of Mews the Cat, and drink some Riesling in his honor. Caution: if you don't know the Farrah Fawcett hairspray password, you may not be let in.

...Gun.Obviously, we were asking, who has the biggest gun? Tune in to our action-adventure week and find out! This week, we compare to legendary literature heroes, Bob Lee Swagger from Stephen Hunter's "Point of Impact" (now both a movie and a tv show by the name of "Shooter") and Travis McGee from "Pale Gray for Guilt" by John D. McDonald. The debate? Which badass would you rather have covering your own ass? If you can't decide based off books alone, maybe our cocktails will help to make a decision. Although after our 'The McGee' and Sam's three 'Shooter' shots, you may not even remember what the question was.

Lit & Liquor does things our usual style this week, going from zero to sixty with talk of Disney movies and then straight to Sultry Dwarf and hot sex in a bathtub. We even throw in a little conversation so you don't feel too used afterward.First we'll warm you up with our drink, a delicious Alsatian, thanks to Heights Pizzeria in Little Rock. Then we do our best book-to-movie comparison yet, taking three classic Disney movies--Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid--and contrasting them with their original tales from the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. Can an erotic dance be thoughtful? Is bath tub sex possible? Was Sultry Dwarf Disney's biggest missed opportunity? Tonight, you decide.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight! Lit & Liquor comes together to wish you a boozy holiday season (how else will you survive the in-laws?) and as always, to fall on the sword and read the terrible books so you don't have to! First up is a one of a kind Nutcracker re-telling, "Hiddensee" by Gregory Maguire. You'll have to listen to find out our full opinion, but let's just say we're glad our Christmas Sangria went down smooth and fast to help block out the memory of this book. Far more agreeable to our tastes was "Santa Jaws Saves Christmas" by Taylor Dugan and Amy McBryde. This animated children's story is about Santa Jaws and Sharkeypants, sure to delight young and old with puns, illustrations, and a truly fantastic bonus audiobook. Adults, pour yourself a Christmas Mimosa, get some plain OJ for the kids, and settle in for an amusing holiday story.

Mother of Dragons... or the Mother of Booze? Tonight we find out! We pay homage to all liquors with Mother Booze, a collection of re-imagined nursery rhymes for the adults by Allison Tyra. For our main event, we bring you "The Alchemists of Loom" by Elise Kova. This spellbinding tale weaves (see what we did there?) together Chimera's, Dragon's, black market organ trade, and magic. We wove together a Dragonfruit Mojito, along with a Blue Achemist. How does it all fit together? You'll have to listen in order to find out!

Sparks fly and keyboards clash this week as we delve once again into the world of fan fiction and discover violently opposing points of view from our group. Choose pro, con, or Switzerland on the matter, but be sure to wet your whistle before you begin arguing. This weeks dose of liquid courage comes in the form of a Tart Green Apple Martini, Harry Potter Wallbanger, or a Rum Chata World Cup. Keep one hand free to hold onto your broom stick and fly on in!

Sparks fly and keyboards clash this week as we delve once again into the world of fan fiction and discover violently opposing points of view from our group. Choose pro, con, or Switzerland on the matter, but be sure to wet your whistle before you begin arguing. This weeks dose of liquid courage comes in the form of a Tart Green Apple Martini, Harry Potter Wallbanger, or a Rum Chata World Cup. Keep one hand free to hold onto your broom stick and fly on in!

Come all ye famers and ye grain planters, come and sniff the vodka! Join us as Lit & Liquor breaks new ground this week with blind vodka tasting, pitting our senses against one another. But when there's so much vodka to be had, are there really any losers or winners? (Yes, there are winners. Her name is Kassandra ;]) On our lineup tonight are five vodka's from five different countries: Rock Town (America), Wolfschmidt (Lativa), Belvedere (Polish), Finlandia (Finland), and a Polish potato vodka, Luksusowa. Pull up a chair, take a good sniff, and don't forget a pen for notes on the level of throat burn!Join us next week for the final-final chapter of our Harry Potter saga, where we each read a fan fiction piece featuring our dream Harry Potter couples, as well as the book "Carry On" by Rainbow Rowell.