Speaking English

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Well, we made it. For our 200th episode we are taking a look back over our first 4 1/2 years by selecting our podcast favorite book and movie of each decade. Join us for a fun discussion and nice retrospective.

Introduction (00:00)

Rules of the Game (7:45)

The Game Itself (9:50)

Summary and Look Ahead (1:21:30)

Our Album Recs (1:25:53)

Thanks so much for all the listening over the years !

MAIL BAG HERE

FABLE BOOK CLUB HERE

We're back with our first ever Book Club re-read ! We're once again taking a look at The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Stick around for some fun times and nice discussion.

Introduction (00:00)

Book Discussion (6:49)

What's Coming Up (54:00)

Album Recs (58:30)

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

We're back in action with the best of what we read and watched in August of this year. Back to our intercontinental format with this one.

Introduction/ What we've been up to (00:00)

What you guys put in the mailbag (7:35)

What we read (16:08)

What we watched (30:48)

What's coming up on the pod (1:18:50)

What we think you should be listening to (1:20:30)

Lot's of big milestones coming up, so stay tuned!

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

A little different episode this time around, as we take a look at Battlefield Earth(2000), notorious for being one of the worst movies ever made. Find out what we thought of it, some of our opinions on what makes a movie bad, and much more here in this episode.

Introduction (00:00)

Decision to Leave(7:02)

Battlefield Earth (17:58)

What's coming up and our album recs (49:18)

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

We're back with our July wrap-up for this time around, with the best of what we read and watched in July here in one place.

Intro (00:00)

Mailbag/ Show and Tell (4:17)

Books we read (10:10)

Movies we watched (21:10)

Album Recs (1:04:48)

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

Challenge Week is back for the first time in quite a while. We have an excellent selection this week, with Bringing Up Baby (1938) d. Howard Hawks and Amadeus(1984) d. Milos Forman. Two excellent pictures directed by two of our best boys.

Intro (00:00)

Mailbag and etc (4:54)

Bringing Up Baby(18:54)

Amadeus(37:12)

The Fireman's Ballwas featured in ep 84

What's Coming Up (51:07)

Album recs (52:40)

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

We're back right on time with a June Wrap-up filled with fun discussions, primarily what we read and watched in June 2024.

Introduction (00:00)

Mailbag (8:58)

w/ special guest Sierra

What we Read (19:34)

Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugoby Taylor Jenkins Reid

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

What We Watched (36:15)

24 Hour Party People (2002)

Asteroid City(2023)

The Place Beyond the Pines(2012)

Thief(1981)

To Catch a Thief(1955)

Heathers(1989)

ParaNorman(2012)

Hundreds of Beavers(2022)

Kinds of Kindness (2024)

What's Coming Up on the Pod (1:05:20)

Our Album Recs (1:06:44)

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

At long last, we have returned. And this time around we have a book club for you hot off the presses. We read Dubliners by James Joyce and talk all about it here.

Additional topics include: what we've been up to lately, some sacred movies for us, and more Mad Max.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG

Welcome one and all, especially if this is your first time visiting us. We decided that our first episode doesn't really paint a good picture of what we do here, so we made a bonus episode as an intro to the pod.

So this is what Speaking English is all about: a little about ourselves, what you can expect from us here, and what we do in our different types of episodes.

Thanks for listening, and hope to see you around !

Mail Bag Here

We're back in action this week again with another wrap-up episode of the best of what we read and watched in May 2024:

Introduction and Weeks (0:00)

Mailbag and Op-Ed (12:19)

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeancefeatured in Ep. 15

Books we read (17:22)

Federico Garcia Lorcaby Ian Gibson

Animal Farmby George Orwell

Every Heart a Doorwayby Seanan McGuire

Blood Meridianby Cormac McCarthy

La Nochevieja de Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri

Movies we watched (32:46)

The Addams Family (1991)

Red River(1948)

The Blues Brothers(1980)

My Neighbor Totoro(1988)

Evil Does Not Exist(2023)

¡Three Amigos! (1986)

City Lights(1931)

When Marnie Was There(2014)

Challengers(2024)

Perfect Days(2023)

Ivan's Childhood(1962)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga(2024)

Mad Max: Fury Road(2015)

Coming Up on the Pod (1:21:54)

Our Album Recs (1:23:09)

Ladies of the Canyon -Joni Mitchell

A Sailor's Guide to Earth -Sturgill Simpson

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

It's a new movie this time around, as we watched The Fall Guy(2024) d. David Leitch, a PG-13 picture we may add. A fun time for all involved.

Bullet Trainwas discussed in Episode 158 for the record.

Introduction and what we've been up to (0:00)

Mailbag (7:36)

The Fall Guy (17:34)

What's Coming up on the Pod (44:40)

Our album recs (47:22)

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

We're back at it this week with another movie episode, this time watching What a Way to Go!(1964). It was a wonderful time for one and all.

Intro and Our Weeks (0:00)

Mailbag and Editorial Corner ? (8:36)

What a Way to Go!(15:02)

What's coming up on the pod (54:34)

Our Album Recs (59:53)

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

We're back with a movie episode this week: The Face of Another (1966) d. Hiroshi Teshigahara. Listen to hear what we thought about it, as well as some other fun stuff.

Intro (00:00)

All about our weeks (1:45)

Mailbag (12:27)

The Face of Another (12:40)

What's Next on the Pod (45:18)

Our Album Recs (50:10)

Other Episodes mentioned:

The Devil All the TimeEp. 30

100 episode special Eps. 99-101

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

We're back in action once again, with a wrap-up for both March and April this time. The best of what we read and watched, and whether you should check it out too:

Intro & How our weeks have been (00:00)

Mailbag (11:20)

Books we read (12:36)

Movies we watched (26:50)

What's coming up next episode (1:34:14)

Albums for the week (1:38:00)

Other Episodes mentioned:

Norwegian Wood: Ep. 51

La Notte: Eps. 95 &96

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

Book Club is back, and this time we read Stonerby John Williams. This book is a frank portrayal of a life with all of its ups and downs, and we thought it was a bleak yet oddly satisfying read.

Other Episodes mentioned:

Wings of Desire - ep 184

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

The Shiners have arrived once again! Tune in to see who took home the prizes in the biggest movie award show around !

Intro (00:00)

Our Previous Shiners episodes: 108, 152

What We Did This Week (02:30)

Quick Oscars Discussion (09:46)

The Shiners Begin (15:20)

Ensemble Cast (16:30)

Best Soundtrack (20:16)

Screenplay (22:57)

Sound Design (25:20)

Editing (27:30)

Costuming (31:13)

Production Design (33:38)

Supporting Performance (35:32)

Cinematography (37:41)

Most Unique Picture (40:50)

Direction (43:11)

Lead Performance (45:15)

Best Picture (47:50)

Award Show Conclusion (51:38)

- I wanted to point out here that Nobody Knowsis also one of our favorite movies of last year that didn't end up winning any awards

What's Coming Up on the Pod (54:31)

Our Album Recs (55:58)

Thanks for listening !

LINK TO SHINERS VOTING

(LAST CHANCE TO VOTE)

We're back with another wrap-up for the month of February 2024. All the best of what we read and watched over the past month.

Thanks for listening !

SHINERS VOTING HERE

We're back after another fairly long break with two movies for the price of one. This week we watched Wings of Desire(1987) and After Life (1998), two more entries from the Criterion Channel's Interdimensional Romance collection.

Thanks for listening !

VOTE FOR THE SHINERS HERE

It's our first regular movie episode of the year, and this time around we watched Starman (1984). We wanted to choose something from the Criterion Channel's Interdimensional Romance series and so we did just that.

Thanks for listening !

VOTE FOR THE SHINERS HERE

We're back at it with a new wrap-up episode. Happy February one and all! Celebrate the beginning of the new month with a wrap up of what we read and watched in the month of January 2024. Enjoy !

Episodes Featuring movies/books we talked about here:

4, 75 : PlayTime(1967)

24: Oldboy(2003)

82: I Married a Witch (1942)

112: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (The Book)

124: Prisoners(2013)

132: Thirst(2009)

Also, The Daily Is Eight!

Thanks for listening, and have a great February !

All the movies from 1923 that should still be seen today (according to me)

Lists here on Letterboxd:

Features

Shorts

Canon (will be linked once I make the list)

Movies mentioned that aren't from 1923:

The Cameraman's Revenge (1912)

Corpus Christi (2019)

Sherlock Jr. (1924) - Watched for the pod in ep 149

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Shanghai Express (1932)

Thanks for listening !

Go vote for The Shiners HERE

LINK TO THE VOTING FORM

We're back this week for the third annual Speaking English Awards nomination show. We talk about the best of the best of what we watched for the pod in 2023 and nominate up to five movies or people for each category. Enjoy !

List of movies eligible for nomination:

Color Out of Space (2019)

A Separation (2011)

Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

The Big City (1963)

Badlands (1973)

Charlie's Angels (2000)

Wuthering Heights (1939)

Nobody Knows (2004)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Amelie (2001)

Barbie (2023)

Oppenheimer (2023)

Cria! (1976)

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

The Lure (2015)

Carrie (1976)

Double Indemnity (1944)

In a Lonely Place (1950)

Torn Curtain (1966)

Bell, Book and Candle (1958)

Links to my 100 Years Ago Project:

Features from 1923

Shorts from 1923

Watchlist for 2024 (Movies from 1924)

MAIL BAG LINK

Book Club returns once again. This time we are discussing Kindred by Octavia Butler. It was a great discussion for all involved.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

We're back in action with another New Year's Special. Our fourth all-time, which is crazy. The best of what we watched and read last year, as well as some resolutions for this one.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

Our pre-Christmas episode this week, we watched Bell, Book and Candle(1958). We got to talking about that one, as well as a different movie from the same year, featuring the same two leads: Vertigo. Enjoy, and have a happy holiday season.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

Movie episode this week, as we watched Torn Curtain (1966) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Here is where we discussed it, among a few other things.

Thanks for listening and do great things this week ! We both believe in you

MAILBAG

We're back in action to talk about what we read and watched in the month of November. This is quite a long one (Our new longest episode ever!) , so buckle up as we jump around through all sorts of topics for discussion.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

We're celebrating Noirvember this week with a double feature of two of the greats. Double Indemnity(1944), and In a Lonely Place(1950) are on offer for this week. Can we find Addie at least one classic Noir to like? Find out on this episode !

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

Book Club is back in action once again! The long-awaited return brings us 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a science-fiction/adventure banger from the brilliantly creative mind of Jules Verne. Buckle up for an adventure under the high seas, as we discuss this great work.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

We're back with another long October Wrap-up. The best of what we read and watched in the month of October 2023.

Let us know about your favorite remakes or any dream remakes you'd like to see

Thanks for listening !

Mailbag Here

Our last October movie has arrived! This week we watched a classic, with Brian De Palma's Carrie(1976). A fun one for us, checking out a horror classic that neither of us had seen before.

For the mailbag this week, we'd like to hear about your favorite remake or if you have a dream remake you'd like to see. Let us know!

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG HERE

We're back in action after a quick turnaround with The Lure (2015) directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska. Another horror-musical! We had a lot to say about this one.

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

We make our return with the first of our October programming: Phantom of the Paradise(1974) directed by Brian De Palma. We also discuss Cria Cuervos(1976) and more fun topics.

Thanks for listening !

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It seems like each time we take a little hiatus it is for a longer and longer amount of time. No matter. We are back once again with a bit of a wrap-up/update on the last month-and-a-half or so. Just in time for Spooktober, which we love to get into the spirit of.

More stuff to come in the coming weeks and months, but it feels good to make an episode again.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG

Book Club is back, and this time around we read I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. It was a great time for all involved.

Thanks for listening !

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We're back again, this time for some wrap-up awesomeness. July was a tumultuous month, but we were each able to read and watch some stuff. Here is where we talk about it all.

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

We're back in action with somewhat of a double feature. Two movies that just came out? unheard of for this podcast ! Yet here we are. We watched both Barbieand Oppenheimer for this week, and we talk all about them here.

We did have a bit of a delay when recording, so any audio weirdness can be explained by that. Should be fixed by next time.

Thanks for listening !

MAIL BAG

The Speaking English Pod returns after a bit of a break. This week we cover what we've been up to recently, some stuff we saw in June, movie-watching burnout, and Asteroid City. A full episode, but not too full.

Let us know what you've been watching or reading while we've been gone in the mail bag above and we'll talk about it next week. Would love to hear from you.

Also you can find my YouTube channel here if anyone is interested.

Thanks for listening !

MAILBAG HERE

Book Club is back! This time around we read Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, and we talked all about it.

Thanks for listening!

MAIL BAG HERE

For this week, we watched Amelie(2001). There were a lot of French people and things in it. Give a listen to see what we had to say about it and add to the discussion in the mail bag linked above.

Thanks for listening !

Mailbag Here

Challenge Week is back, and this week we watched Inglorious Basterds(2009) and Nightcrawler(2014). Two movies with some creepy dudes. A fun time for all involved though.

Thanks for listening !

Mailbag Here

What we read and watched in the month of May, 2023.

Thanks for listening !

Mail bag here

We had a re-watch week for this time around, and we decided to revisit The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). A very fun and interesting watch, and here is where we talk about it.

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched Nobody Knows(2004), and here is where we talk about it.

The episode we talk about Kore-eda's other picture, Still Walking(2008) is 21. And the link directly to our postbox is right here . Say whatever there, and also let us know if there is a director you think we should tier-list.

Thanks for listening !

We return with one of our longer episodes ever, and we have a lot to talk about. What we read and watched in April 2023, and a bonus movie discussion.

Welcome back, and thanks for listening !

This time we're at Wuthering Heights to watch the movie (1939). Here is where we talk about it, as well as how it compares to the book.

Thanks for listening !

Book Club is back, and this time around we read Wuthering Heights, a classic Gothic novel by Emily Bronte.

Thanks for listening !

A fun one for this week !

We watched Charlie's Angels (2000), and here is where we talk about it.

Thanks for listening !

What we read and watched in March 2023. We got to talking about a lot of different stuff in this one too.

Thanks for listening !

Back to a movie episode for this week, we watched Badlands(1973), Terrence Malick's directorial debut. A nice, chill episode for a nice, chill movie.

Thanks for listening !

This week the only award show that matters takes center stage, as we hand out the coveted Shiners to the most impressive movies we watched for the pod in the year of 2022. Tune in to see who won and join us for a celebration of our favorites.

Thanks for listening and voting to whoever voted for these awards !

VOTE FOR THE SHINERS HERE

We watched our first Ray this week as we checked out The Big City (1963). A nice compassionate movie for these trying times.

The Shiners air next week, get your votes in while you still can.

Thanks for listening !

VOTE FOR THE SHINERS HERE

What we read and watched in the month of February 2023.

Thanks for listening !

VOTE FOR THE SHINERS HERE

For the first time, we are tackling a program of shorts instead of a single or double feature in one of our movie episodes. Today we watched Sherlock Jr.(1924), Night and Fog(1955), and La Jetee(1962). All superlative pictures, and we had a great time discussing them, as well as the format in general.

Thanks for listening !

LINK TO VOTE FOR THE SHINERS

Book club is back after a little while, and this time around we read All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. It was a wild time and quite a good read. We talk about some other stuff here too.

Thanks for listening !

LINK TO VOTE FOR THE SHINERS Please vote, it would mean a lot to us !

This week we watched Stranger Than Paradise(1984) a somewhat big deal for the American Independent scene, and a springboard for Jim Jarmusch's career. We had a good time talking about it and other stuff here in this episdoe.

Thanks for listening !

Shiners Voting Here

What we read and watched across January of 2023. A fun time for one and all.

Thanks for listening !

VOTE HERE

The Second Annual Speaking English Awards are just around the corner! This week is our nomination show, where we line up the categories and decide who is deserving of winning what. Feel free to participate and vote, as voting is now open !

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched A Separation (2011) and discussed it. A tough watch, but a great picture.

Thanks for listening !

Our first movie episode of the new year, and this time around we watched Color Out of Space(2019), inspired by our recent H.P. Lovecraft book club. It was. . . an interesting time.

Thanks for listening !

Oh yeah, we're back in business. It's a new year, and with it time to go over the best of what we watched and read in 2022 and set some goals and resolutions for this year along the way. Sorry for missing a week, but we're happy to be back now and ready to take on the new year.

Here is Addie's and Evan's Letterboxd pages, feel free to check them out. And here is Evan's list of 2022 First watches.

Thanks for listening !

Book Club is back and this time we read The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft. We talked about it as well as some Christmas stuff. A fun time for all involved.

Twitch link is here for anyone interested

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched Black Christmas(1974), a perfect movie to bridge the gap between Halloween and Christmas some would say. We hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Here are some links if you are interested in The Daily or my Twitch stream.

Thanks for listening !

What we read and watched last month.

A wild ride, truly.

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Noirvember concludes with a special screening of Chinatown (1974), one of the greats.

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Book Club is back ! And this time we read Fool on the Hill, a novel by Matt Ruff.

Enjoy, and thanks for listening !

Noirvember marches on with The Big Sleep(1946) this week. A very divided episode.

Here is the trailer.

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched Touch of Evil(1958) to kick off Noirvember. A fun time for all involved.

Thanks for listening !

What we read and watched in the month of October 2022.

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The conclusion of our spooky October lineup, this week we watched Rosemary's Baby(1968) and Diabolique(1955). Enjoy !

This is one where both of these movies might be better blind, so we encourage you to watch the movies before listening (which we don't do very often).

Thanks for listening !

October keeps rolling with another horror movie, this time its vampires and priests as we watched Thirst(2009), our fourth Park Chan-Wook movie. It was a wild time for all involved. 

Thanks for listening !

We Begin October with Videodrome(1983). A wild, if slightly underwhelming time for all involved.

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What we read and watched in the month of September 2022.

Twitch Link for those interested.

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It is time for book club once again. This time we have Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?by Philip K. Dick. Fun conversations abound.

Thanks for listening !

Surprise ! Book club next week, this time around we are answering some questions pulled out of a hat. Quite a fun time, it's been too long.

Twitch link if interested.

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Back again this week with the second part of this edition of our Movie Reports series. The features for this time around are The Red Shoesand Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. A great time for all involved.

Thanks for listening !

On this edition of Movie Reports, two Technicolor feats from the Mid 20th Century: The Red Shoes(1948) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1953).

Hear what we have to say about them and then check them out for next week's episode

Twitch link if you want to see Evan watch more movies on Sunday-Wednesday nights.

Thanks for listening !

What we read and watched in the eighth month of 2022.

Twitch link if you are interested.

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This week we watched 2013's Prisoners. It was a wild ride most definitely. 

Thanks for listening !

For this book club, we checked out The Picture of Dorian Gray. Here is what we have to say about it.

Unicorn

Twitch Link

Thanks for listening !

A bit of a shorter episode this week, we watched The American Astronaut, quite a unique picture. Here is where we talk about it.

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What we read and watched this past July.

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We checked out a new movie this week: The Gray Man,directed by the brothers Russo. Here is what we thought about it. Also opinions on the state of streaming, referencing an Interview the Russo brothers did. Which can be found here 

Also mentioned in the episode, if you would like to follow Evan's Twitch channel, that can be found here

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched 1950's All About Eve, and here we are now to talk about it.

What we read and watched in the month of June 2022.

Here is the link to Paul Schrader's diagram if anyone is curious: https://imgur.com/a/9DmpaGC

Thanks for listening !

This month for the book club, we checked out Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. It was a fun time for all involved.

This week we watched Moulin Rouge! a super-classic of the Hollywood heyday, or a 2001 postmodern musical, depending on who you ask. Join us for a fun time and discussion.

Thanks for listening !

For the first time in a while, we have a challenge week ! We watched It Happened One Nightand The Power of the Dog for this one, and we talk about both.

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What we watched and read in the month of May 2022.

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This week we watched Last Year at Marienbad, an absolute puzzler. Can we make any sense of it? find out!

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For this edition of Book Club we read Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. A fun time for all involved. Sorry about the late upload this week, we are trying our best.

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched The Lady Vanishes (1938), directed by the man himself, Alfred Hitchcock. Other topics of discussion include crochet blankets and The Northman. Don't miss out on this one.

Join us on instagram @speakingenglishpod to get involved in the mailbag portion of our show.

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched The Last Picture Show(1971) directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Here is where we talk about it. Sorry for the late upload this week, it was a busy time, as you'll hear about in the episode.

check out the Instagram account @speakingenglishpod

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What we read and watched in the month of April 2022.

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We've got some Shiners to hand out, so wear your finest attire and listen to this episode, recognizing the best of what we watched in 2021.

Check us out on Instagram @speakingenglishpod to get involved.

Thanks for listening !

We're doing something wild and new these next two weeks and putting on our own awards show ! Pulling from the movies that we watched for the pod in the 2021 calendar year, we will be handing out awards, similar to those presented at the Oscars. This week we go through each category and nominate up to five people or movies for the awards. Tune in and participate in the voting for next week's awards !

Thanks for listening !

This week we watched 1985's Angel's Egg for the pod and this is where we talk about it.

Follow us on Instagram @speakingenglishpod to get involved in our mailbag segment.

Thanks for listening !

What we read and watched in the month of March 2022. 

Discussion about the Oscars and the podcast's 2nd birthday also included.

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This Book Club we read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty, a memoir about working in the death industry. A fascinating read and discussion.

Thanks for listening !