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WSIRN Ep 147: Ruining your childhood one book at a time

Today I’m talking to Marines Alvarez and Nicole Sweeney, bookworm best friends who like to keep their reading life SOCIAL. Together they host the podcast Snark Squad, where they rehash books, tv, and movies with a sharp eye and a lot of laughs. Prepare for giggles, readers, because Marines and Nicole were so much fun to talk to that this conversation felt like the bookish equivalent of sleepover gossip.We’re dishing about how the internet has changed reading forever, destroying our childhood favorites, controversial star rating opinions, books that really sucker punch you in the feels, and so so SO much more.

Let’s get to it!

What Should I Read Next #147: Ruining your childhood one book at a time with Marines Alvarez and Nicole Sweeney

Make sure to give Snark Squad Pod a listen, and snoop around the Snark Squad blog archives!

Connect with Marines Alvarez: YouTube | Twitter | Goodreads
Connect with Nicole Sweeney: YouTube | Twitter

 

Books mentioned in this episode:
Some links are affiliate links. More details here.
If you’d like to support your local indie, check out Indiebound.com. And by all means, go grab one of these from your local library!

• 50 Shades of Grey, by E. L. James (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• The Goosebumps series, by R. L. Stine (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• The Baby-Sitter’s Club series, by Ann M. Martin (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• The Nancy Drew series, by Carolyn Keene (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• A Million Junes, by Emily Henry (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
A Thousand Nights, by E. K. Johnston (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• The Veins of the Ocean, by Patricia Engel (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• The North Water, by Ian McGuire (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Universal Harvester, by John Darnielle (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• The A Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R. R. Martin (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Rabbit Cake, by Annie Hartnett (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys (AmazonBarnes and Noble)
• Bone Gap, by Laura Ruby (AmazonBarnes and Noble)

Also mentioned:
• The Snark Squad’s coverage of The Babysitter’s Club, Goosebumps, and 50 Shades of Grey.
• Fact & Fiction in Missoula, MT
• Shakespeare & Co in Missoula, MT
• Big Apple Bookstore in Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Marines’ booktube video “Popular books I hate

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What do YOU think Marines and Nicole should read together next? Let us know in the comments!

9 comments

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  1. I loved this episode! I listened to it as I was driving home from teaching my acting class. I’m a Baby Boomer, who loves it when young people are nerdy like me and are hooked on analyzing books, movies, plays and TV because I learned to do it with my father when I was a teenager and have never gotten out of the habit. I’d be the kid who was having a one-on-one conversation with the teacher.

    Keep up the good work Ladies! Get those younger generations to think more deeply about stories.

    I got lots of great recommendations for all of you. Thanks so much! But I don’t really have any to give you in return, (sad face). Many of the books I read have been around a good long while.

  2. Tabitha Schmidt says:

    I haven’t read Shades of Grey (yet), but I have read Salt to the Sea, also by Ruta Sepetys. I can highly recommend it. It’s the account of a major maritime disaster during WWII that I had never heard of. The story is told by four narrators, and I love the way their histories unfold and intertwine.

  3. Kristin Fields says:

    Between Shades of Gray is an amazing historical fiction book. It is a great YA crossover and you will learn about a horror during World War II that you probably don’t know. The characters are ones you will care about.

    • Wendy says:

      YES! I thought it was so interesting to read a novel about WWII and how it affected others besides Germans and Americans.

  4. Megan says:

    I re-read A Wrinkle in Time last year in anticipation of the movie (which I still haven’t seen – sigh), and sadly it did not hold up as well as I had hoped. 🙁 I still enjoyed it, but it was one of my FAVES as a child, and I didn’t love it this time. However, I also re-read His Dark Materials within the past year, and it totally held up!! I’m still blown away that Philip Pullman (a man) created Lyra – and 20 years ago, no less. I love that series.

    • Laura says:

      His Dark Materials is one of my favorite book series of all time!
      I also immensely enjoyed his lesser known Sally Lockhart series.

      I never read A Wrinkle in Time (or watched the movie) and I’ve been afraid the hype is too great for me to get into it so late in life.

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