Bad Books For Bad People

Robert Bloch is one of the best-known names in American horror fiction: a protege of HP Lovecraft and the author Psycho, which would be famously adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock. He was also heavily inspired by historical crime, as we’ll see in the subject of this podcast episode, American Gothic. Join Jack and Kate as they explore the murder castle of the nefarious G. Gordon Gregg. Just how much like the historical HH Holmes is GG Gregg? What are the perils of being a lady reporter in late-19th century Chicago? Is every American gal just after a big, shiny wedding ring after all? All these questions and more will be answered in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People. BBfBP theme song by True Creature.  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

Guy Boothby’s 1899 novel Pharos the Egyptian is a gothic horror tale that finds a hapless British artist crossing paths with a sinister elderly man who seems to have some connection to ancient Egyptian culture. Join Jack and Kate on a globe-trotting adventure filled with intrigue, magic, romance, and Neapolitan loafers. Is there a difference between magical Egyptian hypnotism and garden-variety gaslighting? Why are all German pharmacists so annoying? What are the unspoken dangers of weed? All these questions and more will be explored in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People. BBfBP theme song by True Creature.  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

Jack and Kate look at what they've read and watched in the year that was 2022 and make some recommendations in the world of books and beyond. The rules of engagement are simple: the hosts each choose one movie, album, TV show, and book that was the best experience of its kind, regardless of when it was actually produced. Spoiler: very little of what’s discussed was actually produced in 2022. Join your hosts for a discussion that ranges from tales of bloody revenge to swashbuckling action to CIA mind control experiments in the 1960s. BBfBP theme song by True Creature.  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

Agatha Christie’s clever and charming mystery novels have been loved by generations of readers, spawning PBS Mystery icons like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Jack and Kate discuss Christie’s 1935 novel Three Act Tragedy, which chronicles a series of cocktail party poisonings among Britain’s upper crust that draws the attention of quirky Belgian investigator Hercule Poirot. Is it rude to turn down a party invitation that might lead to your untimely demise? Is there room for a meet-cute while a multiple murderer is on the loose? Did the butler, in fact, do it? All these questions and more will be explored in this episode of the podcast. BBfBP theme song by True Creature.  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

Peter Straub’s 1979 novel Ghost Story is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of American horror writing, boasting Stephen King as one of the book’s biggest fans. Jack and Kate dig into this tale of buried trauma and supernatural menace in a quest to see whether this classic of the genre meets their esoteric aesthetic expectations. Who’s the asshole if your brother decides to marry your witchy ex-girlfriend? Why are women always preventing men from getting really comfy chairs? Is a sinus infection the secret hero of our tale? All these questions and more will be explored in this episode of the podcast. BBfBP theme song by True Creature.  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

It’s no secret that 14th Century Europe was not a very fun place to be. Christopher Buehlman’s 2012 novel Between Two Fires leans all the way into the hideousness of plague, war, and famine while adding in a heaping helping of medieval horror. Jack and Kate jump into this apocalyptic landscape, which takes them from France to Hell and back again. Does this book reveal the secret origin of the stag party? What even is grimdark? All these questions and more will be explored in this episode of the podcast. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

Whitley Strieber may be best known for documenting his harrowing encounters with extraterrestrials, but before Communion, he wrote modern takes on classic monsters. In his debut novel Wolfen, he tells the story of two cops stalked by werewolves amidst the urban decay of 1970s New York City. Jack and Kate take a journey that they hope will give them the lycanthropic flavors that they crave.  Just how does a dog trainer acquire an encyclopedic knowledge of animal prints? What is the purpose of vampire sign language? Where does the New York Post fit into the food chain? All these questions and more will be explored in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

George McDonald Fraser’s long-running Flashman series follows the adventures of Sir Harry Paget Flashman, a self-confessed scoundrel, as he navigates the landscape of the mid-nineteenth century. Jack and Kate jump in at the deep end with Flash for Freedom, the third book in the series that finds Flashman enmeshed in the North American slave trade. Buckle up for a tale that leans all the way into the permissive pulp style of the early 1970s! Is the past really a different country? At what point does an antihero tip over into just plain old villain? Just how much atrocity can be forgiven if a dude has the right kind of facial hair? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People. As promised, here’s a link to the Lady Klingon ad Kate mentions in the episode. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpe

Welcome to the Valley of Plenty! In these green and gentle pastures, Jack explains the plots of stories from the Witcher series to Kate, who feels like she already completed her tour of duty in this particular fantasyland. In this bite-sized episode, Jack explains what he's learned about the world portrayed in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Lady of the Lake, the final novel in the epic saga of Geralt of Rivia and his various adventures and... not-so-adventures. What does a meet-cute look like in fantasy France? Will drunk-flying vampire Regis make it out of the climactic battle alive? And what do our hosts think of the finale’s numerous shocking revelations? BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page. Clicking the link above gets us a wee Amazon commission that goes towards our hosting fees and tech costs, but we suppor

Gretchen Felker-Martin’s debut novel Manhunt drops the reader into a post-apocalyptic future where a hideous disease has turned men into cannibal rapists while pitting transwomen against radical feminists. Join Jack and Kate on this splattery suspense journey through the many ways that people are awful to other people. Why are nail guns so viscerally gross? Is heroism conducted under cover of night really heroism at all?  Was the real villain “internet culture” all along? All these questions and more will be explored in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

F. Paul Wilson’s 1981 novel The Keep has one of the great pulp story setups: Nazis versus vampires … but it turns into something a little different. When Nazis occupy a castle in Romania, they unwittingly unleash an ancient evil and set the stage for an epic confrontation between supernatural powers that have clashed throughout the course of human history. Join Jack and Kate as they venture into this epic battlefield of historical horror! Have you seen the Smith and Jones “Nazi Generals” sketch yet? What energy does the name “Glenn” exude? Who is cooler: Dracula’s friend or a wizard from Atlantis? And what does Donkey Kong have to do with all of this? All these questions and more will be explored in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured

Tim Powers’ 1987 novel On Stranger Tides weaves a swashbuckling adventure combining buccaneers, voodoo, and romance set in the golden age of piracy. But fear not, because reading the words “avast matey” just now in this description is the only piratical talk you’ll encounter. Join Jack and Kate as they hit the high seas and discuss this rip-roaring slice of speculative fiction. Why have your hosts encountered so many puppeteer protagonists? How does this book deftly avoid the pitfalls of other occult thrillers? What is the worst kind of metal that exists? All these questions and more will be answered in this episode of the podcast. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page. Clicking the link above gets us a wee Amazon commission that go

Welcome to the Valley of Plenty! In these green and gentle pastures, Jack explains the plots of stories from the Witcher series to Kate, who feels like she already completed her tour of duty in this particular fantasyland. In this bite-sized episode, Jack explains what he's learned about the world portrayed in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Tower of the Swallow, the fourth novel in the ongoing saga of Geralt of Rivia and his various adventures and... not-so-adventures. Who gets a really trashy tattoo? What's that vampire guy named Regis up to this time around? And how do winter sports come into the picture? BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page. Clicking the link above gets us a wee Amazon commission that goes towards our hosting fees and tech costs, but we support your book-reading habits whatever they look like!

Jack and Kate venture into the world of romance novels with Victoria Holt's 1988 novel The India Fan. When the daughter of a reverend in the English countryside is drawn under the influence of a wealthy family, she must balance her need for independence with the schemes and desires of the Framling clan. Your hosts will encounter ghost nuns, secret babies, blackmail, Orientalism, and pretty much all the other flavors found in historical romance along the way! How do romance novels actually get made? What's the real lesson behind the Sepoy Rebellion? Does this book feature the least careful lady character in the history of fiction? All these questions and more will be explored on this episode of the podcast. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our

Welcome to the Valley of Plenty! In these green and gentle pastures, Jack explains the plots of stories from the Witcher series to Kate, who feels like she already completed her tour of duty in this particular fantasyland. In this bite-sized episode, Jack explains what he's learned about the world portrayed in Andrzej Sapkowski's Baptism of Fire, the third novel in the ongoing saga of Geralt of Rivia and his various adventures and... not-so-adventures. What will we learn about vampire mythology in the Witcher universe? Are there any fantasy lawyers in this book? What if the real treasure was the soup we made along the way? All these questions will be answered in this episode of the podcast! BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page. Clicking the link above gets us a wee Amazon commission that goes towards our ho

Jack and Kate look at what they've read and watched in the year that was 2021 and make some recommendations in the world of books and beyond. The rules of engagement are simple: the hosts each choose one movie, album, TV show, and book that was the best experience of its kind encountered during the first half of the year. Join your hosts for a discussion that ranges from various ways to hunt supernatural creatures to cursed hunks to weird acting choices by 80s pop stars.   BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

Welcome to the Valley of Plenty! In these green and gentle pastures, Jack explains the plots of stories from the Witcher series to Kate, who feels like she already completed her tour of duty in this particular fantasyland. In this bite-sized episode, Jack explains what he's learned about the world portrayed in Andrzej Sapkowski's Time of Contempt, the second novel in the ongoing saga of Geralt of Rivia and his various adventures and... not-so-adventures. Where do Witchers go for professional advice? What is terrible about going to a wizard party? What is a sound investment in this fantasy universe? All these questions will be answered in this episode of the podcast!  BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page. Clicking the link above gets us a wee Amazon commission that goes towards our hosting fees and tech cost

Jack and Kate venture into the grimdark future of Warhammer 40K with this exploration of Requiem Infernal by author Peter Fehervari. Put aside your preconceptions around Space Marines and Orks and find out what hideous delights await you in the WH40K universe (nuns with guns, folks--it's got nuns with guns). Will our hosts be able to sufficiently summarize WH40K lore in under 15 minutes? Why are Space Marines super-boring? What happens when the reader is made complicit in the untangling of the book's narrative? Haven't we all got a dark demonic monster lurking somewhere inside of us? Your hosts will explore all these questions and more in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People! BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page. Clicking the l

Jules Verne is best known to American readers as the author of beloved adventure tales like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days. But was one of his wildest acts of science fiction to anticipate Bram Stoker's Dracula by nearly a decade in his novella The Carpathian Castle? Jack and Kate will attempt to address just this question by diving deep into this 1892 story of Mittel European suspense. How does Jules Verne reveal his feelings about rustic people? Why are telephones so damn terrifying? Siri, is it raining? All these questions and more will be answered in this month's episode of Bad Books for Bad People! BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the books featured on Bad Books for Bad People on our About Page.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is an epic manga series created by Hirohiko Araki that tracks the outrageously gory punch-em-up saga of the Joestar clan. The first installment of the series, Phantom Blood, takes place in Victorian England and features podcast fave themes of vampirism, so-straight-it's-gay manly action, and culturally insensitive gothic tropes. Join Jack and Kate on their maiden voyage into the Jojo-verse. How could Jack the Ripper possibly be any worse? Are sandwiches the king of foods? What's something that happens in horror stories that's so bad, it almost stops your intrepid hosts from reading? What do YES and Emerson Lake and Palmer have to do with any of this? All this and more will be explored in this episode of Bad Books for Bad People. BBfBP theme song by True Creature  Find us at BadBooksBadPeople.com, on Twitter @badbooksbadppl, Instagram @badbooksbadpeople and on Facebook. Got questions, comments or feedback? Email us at badbooksbadpeople@gmail.com You can discover where to get all the b