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Welcome back to Ashley & Liz’s dystopian sci fi episode bonus series: The Hunger Games!

Today we get SERIOUS as we discuss the amazingly well written, heart wrenching grand finale to the original trilogy. What parallels do we see reflected in real life? Are the dystopian themes regarding media control, rebellion, war, government control, environmental degradation and resource allocation applicable to today’s world? Come with us as we open these topics of discussion through a Katniss Everdeen lens.

If you’ve been following along and watched our “From 1984 to Hunger Games” dystopian themes in media and literature episode then you know we’re fascinated with everything about this genre and need to delve into this discussion! It just happens to be a BIG bonus that Ashley had never read it before.

The debate currently on the book talk table is whether or not books (and the act of reading) are inherently political. We’d encourage anyone who has a doubt in their mind to read this series… with themes like media control, a totalitarian regime, and rebellion, it’s hard to see how it ISN’T political.

Episode 3 covers book 3: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The first five-ish minutes are spoiler free with our one sentence rapid star reviews. Then we jam pack this mini episode with an entire plot summary in five sentences (yes, with a keyboard…), discuss what our faves and fail characters and plot points are, our feelings, notable quotes, and add a fun piece of Hunger Games trivia.

Then we wrap this trilogy up with the ultimate Gale vs. Peeta debate. Were these characters meant to represent something much larger than themselves? We’ll see… and then we’ll dive right into A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes… because obviously Snow was a smash. 😉

Join our Virtual Book Club & Buddy Read on Fable! |

https://fable.co/club/hg-minisode-read-with-bestiesandthebookclub-161881401047

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday… and sometimes Friday!

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk! https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKM

Watch our Author Interview with Indie Dark Romance Author Ember Nicole here | https://youtu.be/tHV9rXSTBpY?si=OwxdMVfPmtFkcYu6

Shop bookish apparel worn in this episode!

Ashley is wearing “I’m a Book Dragon” Clash of Tides tee from the Author Alivia Maar @livesbookshelf (gifted in PR.)

Liz is wearing “The Serpent & the Wings of Night” Crewneck. Shop closed.

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

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@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz
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Ashley
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Get out that good ol’ stack of post it notes and your favorite annotating pen (or just use the “notes” app in your phone) because your TBR is about to get even longer! If that’s possible.

Today Ashley and Liz are recapping ALL of their reads from the last ½ of 2024 to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly. The books that changed our lives, the books that were overhyped, underhyped, the rereads, the weird as hell, and maybe even some we wished we hadn’t read at all. 😬

There may be tiny, useless, out of context irrelevant “spoilers” but we think you’ll be okay to soldier on. Each book gets one sentence, and a star rating. With as little other information as possible. If we leave you waiting to know more, remember to search our catalog of 50+ episodes because at this point there is a VERY good chance we did a deep dive (our version) of the book you're looking for. There may even be an author interview just waiting for you to discover it.

And don’t worry, we’ve got a faves and fails of our vacation together, and a smash or pass involving a big ship and the many faces of one of our favorite comedians.

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes, Friday!)

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk! https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKM

Watch our Author Interview with Indie Dark Romance Author Ember Nicole here | https://youtu.be/tHV9rXSTBpY?si=OwxdMVfPmtFkcYu6

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms

@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!

https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz

Instagram | TikTok

@TheRealLifeVeganWife

Ashley

Instagram | TikTok

@AshleyEllix

Shop bookish apparel worn in this episode!

Ashley is wearing: Home Grown Band Tee and a Besties and the Books Beanie (not yet available)

Liz is wearing: “Fire Breathing B*** Queen” baby tee from @chaptercatchers https://www.etsy.com/listing/1714014123/aelin-galathynius-baby-tee-throne-of?ga_search_query=Fire%2Bbreathing&ref=shop_items_search_1&crt=1&logging_key=45f83f0d218d42cea7eff193ce49f20ba148d6f4%3A1714014123 and a Besties and the Books Beanie (not yet available)

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix

Send us a text

Welcome back to Ashley & Liz’s dystopian sci fi episode bonus series: The Hunger Games!

We spend ½ of this episode playing the piano (yes, you read that right) and the other ½ convincing you to read this series. If that doesn’t do it for you… we don’t know what else you could want!

If you’ve been following along and watched our “From 1984 to Hunger Games” dystopian themes in media and literature episode then you know we’re fascinated with everything about this genre and needed to delve into this discussion! It just happens to be a BIG bonus that Ashley had never read it before.

The debate currently on the book talk table is whether or not books (and the act of reading) are inherently political. We’d encourage anyone who has a doubt in their mind to read this series… with themes like media control, a totalitarian regime, and rebellion, it’s hard to see how it ISN’T political.

Episode 2 covers book 2: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. The first five-ish minutes are spoiler free with our one sentence rapid star reviews. Then we jam pack this mini episode with an entire plot summary in five sentences, discuss what our faves and fail characters and plot points are, our feelings, notable quotes, the necessary Gale vs. Peeta debate, and end with a fun piece of Hunger Games trivia.

Join our Virtual Book Club & Buddy Read on Fable! |

https://fable.co/club/hg-minisode-read-with-bestiesandthebookclub-161881401047

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday… and sometimes Friday!

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk! https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKM

Watch our Author Interview with Indie Dark Romance Author Ember Nicole here | https://youtu.be/tHV9rXSTBpY?si=OwxdMVfPmtFkcYu6YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms

Shop bookish apparel worn in this episode!

Ashley is wearing “Lone Wolf” Hoodie from @KillCrew | * https://killcrew.co/products/lone-wolf-hoodie-black?_pos=39&_sid=a3dbe0c9b&_ss=r

Liz is wearing “Dying to Read” Tee by @darkanddisturbedshop | Use Code: VEGAN10 to save! | https://darkanddisturbedshop.com/products/dying-to-read-tee?_pos=2&_sid=392add170&_ss=r

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix