The English Club Podcast
The English Club Podcast is a joint venture between two critique partners at Saint Balasar University. Each episode gives notoriously bad fiction a chance for fair critique, as if the authors were members of a writing group themselves.
Episodes
what even IS Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Everyone and their mother (in my social circle, literally) is reading Dungeon Crawler Carl. But like, why? It seems like yesterday when litrpg as a genre was an obscure chimera isolated to certain Internet subcultures. A trancelike world untouched by the Freytag Pyramid bepopulate with a self-insert main character and a list of monsters from DnD. How did Dungeon Crawler Carl—which to an outsider’s
reading a mafia romance book bc I’m desperate for more sopranos
I wanted more Sopranos. I compromised. I googled “mafia romance books like the sopranos” and picked up Ruthless People by J.J. McAvoy. I wanted to talk about the Sopranos. All I have is a booktube channel. I compromised. I talked about this book instead. You see where I’m goin’?The sacred and the propane meet in a mafia romance deep dive! Join Andrew and his friend Evin (an exchange student from B
This Author has gone TOO FAR | Rich Shapero's Island Fruit Remedy
It's SBU’s first movie! And last Rich Shapero review. I think for real. Like, abstractly these books are interesting to talk about, but they're all just... so much. So this time we have our normal book review and deep dive stuff, but we also have a (semi) found-footage horror movie to frame it to keep things interesting. Why? What does this add? Will this do anything but create a bad revie
The Hero's Journey and Its Consequences | Twisted by Miranda Leek
ROLLER COASTER ROLLER COASTER ROLLER COASTER
Crowntide Deep Dive | Lightlark Keeps Getting Weirder
Lightlark is back, baybeee! We've met Alex Aster, we've shaken her hand in diplomatic friendship, and now she either betrays or rewards us with what is quite literally Lightlark: In Space!! Stop me if you've heard this before: a big scary extraterrestrial wants to conquer the universe and gain possession of GEMs which are INFINITE.Aster-al adventures await on this historic episode of t
Tyra Banks's Book is a Mixed Bag | Modelland Deep Dive & Analysis
Modelland by Tyra Banks is a fantasmagorical nightmare dreamworld where anything can happen! Join the SBU English Club as they recount the misadventures of Tookie de la Creme, who doesn't really do much. But her mom, Creamy de la Creme, is pretty interesting I guess. I don't know. I'm just writing something so I can make this video more searchable. Literary analysis, literary deep dive
This book’s author QUIT booktube! Meg LaTorre's The Cyborg Tinkerer
It may be the one thing The SBU English Club categorically is not—writing advice. Top 10 Easy Ways to Plot a Scene! Top 3 Things to NEVER put in Dialogue! As much as we joke, there’s no such thing as writing points. The answer to any writing question is always “it depends”.So when you’re an authortuber, say iWriterly, and you build a brand of laws about writing and a fanbase who knows your maxims
we read Age of Scorpius and have some thoughts
It's not a secret, and we're not about to be contrarians: reviews for The Age of Scorpius are not very good. There's no question that this is not the ideal version of this story. Only one single question is left: what does Audra Winter do now?She says she's rewriting this book, hiring editors and all kinds of artists to realize the world of Gardian. Which is all well and good, espe
The Weirdest Book We've Ever Read! Legend of the 10 Elemental Masters
Long before booktok was an even worse place known as SomethingAwful. A squalid, terrible place, it nonetheless gave birth to many characters that have become Internet darlings--such as Nick "ulillillia" Smith.Ulillillia is one of the coolest people ever; despite a hard childhood of video game-induced phobias, he mastered the art of self-improvement by conceiving of his perceived faults a
here’s the entire plot of the powerless trilogy by lauren roberts and what we think about it
Team Kitt stays losing.Powerless, Reckless, and Fearless make up a young adult trilogy full of love triangles, enemies to lovers, and absolutely unintelligible plot twists. J and Andrew lose their minds as we try to tackle the last two parts of this trilogy, giving you a deep dive into both books and then an analysis of the books' and the series's strengths and weaknesses, in the hopes of
History has Absolved Divergent
Unfortunately, Divergent is good now. There was a time when it was the worst YA dystopia ever, but now all we can do is quietly smile at how silly it was. Well, sorta. In a world untouched by booktok—a world in which you can have two characters get steamy without being worried that Violet Sorrengail will Make the Lightning Happen—darker things than tropelists lurk in the shadows. Veronica Roth’s d
Blood of Hercules is Romantasy's Rock Bottom
Love it or hate it, everyone’s talking about Blood of Hercules. Jasmine Mas’s catapulting from shifter romance to new adult romantasy shocked booktok and normal people alike. And intrepid bottom-feeding trend chasers Jay and Andrew are no exception. Having faced books that left more to be desired and others that are ontologically evil, they were ready for anything—anything BUT what was about to be
This Bible Fanfiction SUCKS! But it's also great YA fantasy???
Apparently, the people who made the giant replica of Noah’s ark also wrote a pseudo-fantasy trilogy about Noah’s early life. This one has a T-REX GLADIATOR FIGHT ON THE COVER OHH MY GODDDDD! Join us for a really really weird experience as Tim Chaffey and K. Marie Adams return.
I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this book because it's UNBELIEVABLE.
Skyshade is the Worst Book I've Ever Read
Lightlark was terrible. Nightshade was less terrible but more disappointing. Now I don’t know how I feel.
Alex Aster has tested the SBU English Club ever since she first started going viral on TikTok. Barely a romantasy and hardly a love triangle, the tropes we were promised were always bad but now are now completely diluted. But we’re determined to turn this into an actual story, despite BookTo
Zenith's Sequel is a Hidden Gem!
They all said Zenith was a disaster. And they were right, but for the wrong reasons. And then they never said anything about Nexus. So here's 3 and a half hours of us talking about how Nexus is good actually.
It is genuinely mind boggling how subjectively better Nexus is than Zenith, how objectively good it is, and how much it's slept on by the online YA/BookTube/SciFantasy community. It's even
Powerless isn’t that bad, you guys are just mean
Lauren Roberts has a viral BookTok sensation on her hands. "Red Queen meets Hunger Games," she calls it. “Worse than Lightlark,” responds the Internet.
Still, questions abound. How can some people love this book, while others consider it one of the worst books ever? Which BookTok book has the best dumb twist ending? Is TikTok book marketing a surefire path to success in publishing your book?
Jo
Let’s Read Crown of Starlight! Cait Corrain Controversy | Booktok Book Deep Dive and Analysis
YOU WON’T GET THIS ANYWHERE ELSE. Controversial book deep dives & analysis, booktok fights, review bombing, and the wildest book drama to come out of Twitter—all right here at the SBU English Club.
Our club members face their greatest challenge yet: Cait Corrain’s Crown of Starlight! Cait had everything—a two-book traditional publishing deal, rave reviews from literary critics, and a success
Zenith is Lightlark in Space! YA Book Review and Deep Dive
It's YA Sci-Fi gone wild! Join the SBU English Club as they review what has to be one of the longest YA books ever--Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings!
Don't believe the author drama--this book is nowhere NEAR as bad as they say it is. But they also don't talk about what makes this book REALLY bad. Weird how that happens.
Whether you're a fan of the genre or just curio
Trigger Warning’s Author is Back! Not My Home RANT REVIEW
Somehow, J.A. Johnstone has returned. And she’s brought a new book that’s somehow more insane than the last. Join the SBU English Club as they tackle another ripped-from-the-headlines Johnstone thriller, and try in vain to figure out just what headlines this is supposed to be ripped from.
Just as a warning, this one gets kinda real, so listen at your discretion.
This Furry Fantasy Book is EVIL! Rich Shapero’s Wild Animus
The worst author ever is back with a furry mountain-climbing fever dream! This one’s so much to deal with that our heroes need to call in the help of a friend. Throw yourself to the wolves and join the fun as the English Club tackles a book that may literally be ontologically evil.
Is it safe to climb a mountain in a fursuit? How much are you (not) supposed to spend on marketing your book? Is
Nightbane Deep Dive! The YA Fantasy BookTok Darling is Back
Somehow, Lightlark has returned. Some call it the worst YA book ever made, others call it a victim of a chemical reaction between the publishing industry and the TikTok machine. Whatever led Lightlark and Nightbane to get published, they're full of common mistakes made by newbie fantasy writers and remain some of the most controversial books.
We don't care. We're hell-bent on saving i
Is This Controversial Bible Fanfiction Actually Good?
Apparently, the people who made the giant replica of Noah’s ark also wrote a pseudo-fantasy trilogy about Noah’s early life. Our intrepid heroes don’t expect much from the first book, but lo—fantasy writing tips, dinosaurs, and Renaissance-era poetry await!
Will Jay and Andrew let their differing beliefs stop them from working together to save this book? Can a work be true, even when it’s not fac
BookTok Drama, Twitter Fights, Copyrighting the Sun: Lauren M. Davis's Nova's Playlist
Join the English Club for a deep dive into the controversial book that everyone on Twitter and TikTok has been lit up about. Journey across 18th century France, the god dimension, colonial America, another god dimension, Dinosaur Fairy hell, and probably some other places too during this whopper of a club meeting.
Plus: who is Lauren M. Davis? Is she a Cait Corrain sockpuppet, or an AI writer?
Stones To Abbigale Review: Onision’s Facts, Greg’s Fiction
From lawsuits to internet drama to a very odd trilogy of books, Onision brings it all to the SBU English Club. Join us and our friend Holly as we provide Greg Onision YouTube’s Stones To Abbigale the thoughtful and balanced critique and analysis that he definitely got and ignored before hitting the Publish button on Amazon.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
This book is made up of events that occurred in my own l
Guessing Fourth Wing’s Ending! Fourth Wing Review
I only read half of Fourth Wing! Can I guess how it ends, or will I lose to a tarot prediction? Find out on this episode as Rebecca Yarros joins our club!
Also features a good bit of Fourth Wing Analysis & Review. Is this booktok darling worth the hype? Can you plot a novel using tarot cards? Hang out with the English Club and find out!
Let's Read Rin Tongue and Dorner: Empress Theresa's Evil Twin
SEASON 1 FINALE! I've never seen a (normal-seeming) book with such a low goodreads score. But does Rin, Tongue and Dorner actually deserve the negativity? Find out as we face the final boss of English Club Podcast, Season 1!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Take a delirious hyper-metaphorical ride with a love triangle into a fiery cosmos. Shapero’s outer space uncannily mirrors inner space, daring us to ditch
Let's Read Lightlark: (too) many good book ideas
The critique group no one asked for is back with Alex Aster’s booktok
famous novel Lightlark! Is this book really that bad, or is it a
misunderstood work of art (over)stuffed with good ideas? Join us as we
discuss worldbuilding, romance, Gus Dapperton, Tarot readings, Elden
Ring, and more!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial,
a deadly game
Ready Player One RANT REVIEW: An Unintentional Self-Report
Hang out with the English Club as we discuss Ernest Kline's Ready Player
One! We both read our own half, and together, we try to put the pieces
together.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade
Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia
known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles
hidd
Becoming an English Major 📚🖊️ Why Study Literature, Books to Read, Joining Writing Groups
If you've ever wondered what it's like being an English major, or wanted to study literature but not known exactly what that entails, come hang out with us! We're walking step by step through our experiences at university. The books we had to read, the clubs we joined, and the reason we did it.
Gothikana - RuNyx's Dark Academia Teacher Student Romance Book!
Today the English Club reads Gothikana, RuNyx's TikTok famous dark adacemia teacher student romance! Well, they read half of it. BUT, both read a different half, so together, they know the full story. How good do our hosts do at piecing together this chilling, bodice-ripping romance?
ABOUT THE BOOK:
An unusual girl. An enigmatic man. An ancient castle. What could go wrong?
An outcast her entire
Episode 5: True Allegiance by Ben Shapiro
Spend your evening with the English Club wrestling with one of the most challenging books we've encountered to date--Ben Shapiro's True Allegiance! Like Trigger Warning, True Allegiance is a "espionage-esque" action thriller with a... distinct... political bent. Unlike Trigger Warning, True Allegiance is something much more complex. Something much more insidious.
Music by Benjamin Davis.
Episode 4: Reaper's Creek
Reaper's Creek (2018) the last of a spiritual trilogy by notable YouTube personality Onision. It follows Daniel, a young boy in the rural midwest whose recurring nightmares of alien abductions suddenly become all too real. And then later he kills god.
Join the English Club in a discussion of Andrew’s Shakespeare themed birthday Pokémon, Eragon, Fire Emblem, The Office, John Green, and Gnosticism a
Lani Sarem Interview (2/2): Dads, Dyslexia, Divinity!
SPECIAL EPISODE PART 2 of 2: Our interview with Lani Sarem continues! This one is more light-hearted, focusing on Lani's creative background and her responses to various critiques we had in our episode.
Lani Sarem Interview (1/2): Magic, Movies, Mental Health!
SPECIAL EPISODE PART 1 of 2: After our last episode, we received an interesting phone call from a club member you might be familiar with. We think it's time we share it with you all! One thing's for sure--the University of Saint Balasar's English Club will never be the same.
Part 1 of our Lani Sarem interview focuses on Sarem's background, the origins of Handbook for Mortals, and the trials she f
Episode 3: Handbook for Mortals
Lani Sarem's Handbook for Mortals has been the subject of derision on the internet ever since its first publication. While there's no excusing the "magic trick" allegedly used to get it on the NYT Bestseller's list, is the book really that bad? Is there perhaps a great story for young adults hidden within? Join the English Club as they take a look at this controversial novel and find the magic hid
Episode 2: Trigger Warning
William W. Johnstone (and Jo) joins the English Club with their controversial novel Trigger Warning. Is it really "one of the worst books of all time", or is it a satirical, tongue-in-cheek masterpiece? Our hosts will find out!
Episode 1: Empress Theresa
In Episode 1, the Saint Balasar University English Club critiques Norman Boutin's Empress Theresa. Music by Benjamin Davis.
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