The Worst Bestsellers

Writer Kait and librarian Renata read bestselling books in an attempt to understand their appeal and, barring that, to become the Crow and Servo of the book world. New episodes every other Monday. Visit WorstBestsellers.com for our readers advisory booklists and other fun stuff.


All Episodes

Episode 80 – Dead Until Dark

  Out of the coffin and into the world of Bon Temps! Kristin May joined us to read Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, the first of the Sookie Stackhouse novels that inspired the show True Blood. Despite the troubling … Continue reading →

Episode 79 – Dark Archer

In a crossover event worthy of the CW itself, the Bellwether Friends, Anna & Alene, joined us to discuss the Arrow tie-in graphic novel The Dark Archer, written by Kait’s nemesis John Barrowman (and Carole Barrowman) with art by Daniel Sampere … Contin…

Episode 78 – The Face on the Milk Carton

  It’s Flashback Summer. Do you know where your daughter is? Have you looked on your beverage container? Jenny (definitely not Janie), Co-Founder of Grinnell College’s Caroline B. Cooney Book Club, joined us to discuss The Face on the Milk … Continue r…

Episode 77 – Boxcar Children

Flashback Summer goes all the way back to 1942 to read The Boxcar Children and The Mystery of the Purple Pool (Boxcar Children Mystery #38) by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Kait has returned from her Comet pilgrimage, and we were also … Continue reading →

Episode 76 – American Girl

As Flashback Summer continues and the 4th of July approaches, we asked our guest Rebecca the most fraught question you can ask an American child of the 90s: which American Girl doll did you have? After the nostalgic dust settled, we … Continue reading →

Episode 75 – Saddle Club

Hey, do you like horses? If so, great news: Flashback Summer continues as Jess (from Book Riot Comics) joined Renata and Becca to discuss Horse Shy from the Saddle Club series by Bonnie Bryant! If you don’t like horses: too bad, … Continue reading →

Episode 74 – Sweet Valley High

  Flashback Summer is back! With Kait camped outside of the Imperial Theater waiting to see Dave Malloy in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Becca stepped in to join Renata and their guest Kristi to discuss Double … Continue reading →

Episode 73 – Diary of an Oxygen Thief

  Kait, Renata, and their guest KL (@momebie, @LaraEckener) read Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous. They’re glad the author hasn’t revealed his identity, because otherwise it might be too hard for us to resist the urge to go … Continue reading →

Episode 72 – Red Queen

Kait, Renata, and their guest Anna (of LCARS Librarian and Women Write About Comics) read Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. It’s a confusing melange of everyone’s favorite YA dystopia tropes, like “love triangle,” “government-sponsored competition,

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