Overdue

Spooktober continues with this Rez Gothic slasher from Stephen Graham Jones. A vengeful spirit hunts down four young Blackfeet men for a past transgression on their reservation, prompting reflection on whether or not they'd ever have become "good Indians."Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A classic haunted house tale, full of ghosts and bugs and ghosts who can boss around bugs.

Heinlein's sci-fi classic is rather different from the campy satire of Paul Verhoeven's 1997 adaptation. You can ask similar questions of both. Do they gleefully depict fascism? Do they glorify militarism and violence? Do they successfully subvert either? In our experience, both versions of Starship Troopers seem...complicated. Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew learned about the world of Middle-Earth by reading J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumously published legendarium THE SILMARILLION. This episode posted first for our Patreon supporters in October 2025. If you want to hear our current longread project THE PRYDAINGER ZONE (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Morgoth is back baby!!! He's got dragons, he's got balrogs, he's got orcs, and he's ready to make a mess of the meticulously described map that a bunch of the rest of this book is dedicated to setting up.But he doesn't get everything he wants! Like when a man and his elf girlfriend defeat his most-trusted lieutenant, put his big dog to sleep, and come a-creeping to grab the Silmarils right from his crown! We still don't really know what they do, but people sure do seem to want those things!!The reading list:Ep 1 - Ainulindale, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion Ch 1-3Ep 2 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 4-10Ep 3 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 11-16Ep 4 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 17-20Ep 5 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 21-24Ep 6 - Alkallabeth, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, AppendicesOur theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

They'll never write a time travel story that Andrew won't try!

Shhhh...this episode is confidential. The kitchen secrets divulged by bad boy chef Anthony "Tony" Bourdain will Rock Your World. Or will they? This breakout essay collection laid much of the foundation for modern popular understanding of American restaurant culture, but some of its lessons may not feel so fresh today. Instead, it may best be viewed in the context of Bourdain's larger media career, which could not have happened without the success of this book.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This classic of twentieth-century Australian literature isn't a Whodunnit. It isn't a Howdunnit. It's barely a dunnit at all. It's a certifiable Whahappen?? This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you like lesbian necromancer space operas but find all the grieving, brooding, and in-fighting a bit hard to sift through? Well then do I have the book for you! What began as Tamsyn Muir's concluding entry in her trilogy of The Locked Tomb evolved into a full novel of its own with the charming Nona at its center. Is it easier to understand than prior entries in the series? Of course not! But that might only add to its charms.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this new show-within-a-show, Andrew and Craig will learn all about The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. We'll read the five books in this classic children's fantasy series, then close out with an extra episode on the Disney adaptation The Black Cauldron.In this episode, you'll hear us discuss Andrew's background with the series, how Alexander came to write Prydain, and the Welsh myths from which he took inspiration.This is a preview of a series we’ll be running exclusively for our Patreon supporters over the next few months; we won’t release them on the main feed until the entire series has run. If you want to listen to them as they’re released, see patreon.com/overduepod for more! Episode 1 is already up!Here's the full syllabus for The Prydainger Zone:The Book of ThreeThe Black CauldronThe Castle of LyrTaran WandererThe High KingBonus: The Black Cauldron (1985)Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a book about what happens when a formerly tight-knight group of longtime friends rents a house in the woods for a week.

This story is a giant bag of cotton candy, which we mean mostly as a compliment.

Is it a novel? A collection of stories? A story cycle? A monograph?? It doesn't matter. This one's an award-winner. Strout's a masterful episodic storyteller, diving quickly into the deep end with characters we've met just pages before. However, the titular Olive looms much larger than the others we meet, compelling us to wonder if the collectionovelcyclegraph isn't a bit uneven.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sing, O Muse, of an adapted poem - specifically Homer's Odyssey as adapted for the silver screen by filmmaker Christopher Nolan. That's right, we went to an actual movie theater to see the blockbuster film that everyone is talking about (including friend of the show Emily Wilson). And don't worry, our personal Age of Bronze isn't collapsing - we'll be back to books next week. You can read Homer's poem along with us in our very first longread series Stop! Homer Time.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the recent release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and buzz around Emily Wilson's translation of Homer, we thought we would unlock this special Stop! Homer Time episode originally released to Patreon supporters in early 2024.In November 2023, the acclaimed translator returned to the show to chat with us as we embarked upon our Iliad read. She spoke with us about her process, what it was like to have an audience clamoring for her translation, and what happens when the muses make you forget how to play guitar. For more information on longreads series like Stop! Homer Time, please head to patreon.com/overduepod.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the 18th of November, friends!

Toni Morrison's debut novel traces the tragedy of a young girl named Pecola Breedlove and the community that failed her. By splintering the book's perspective across the community of Lorain, she humanizes everyone and exonerates no one. Not an easy book, but a rewarding one.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us friends, for a real paradigm shift.

Life is like a box of podcasts, you sort of know what you're gonna get (e.g. host-read ads, friends talking books, hot takes about books that inspired movies). Winston Groom's picaresque romp Forrest Gump inspired a juggernaut of a movie in the mid-90s - but it's really a rather different story than the one told onscreen. Did you know Gump went space??This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You get to listen to the podcast we recorded about Dungeon Crawler Carl.

For this show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew learned about the world of Middle-Earth by reading J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumously published legendarium THE SILMARILLION. This episode posted first for our Patreon supporters in August 2025. If you want to hear our current longread project TOKYO DRIFTERS (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Let us talk about Men, but not too much -- for many elves have returned to Middle-Earth! Let us instead pass the time with talk of the Noldor and their curse: the Doom of Mandos. Morgoth may yet hold the Silmarils, but he is surrounded by Fëanor's Large Adult Sons and their kin. A peace (of sorts) is achieved (sort of).Also, Tolkien gives us one heck of a geography lesson.The reading list:Ep 1 - Ainulindale, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion Ch 1-3Ep 2 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 4-10Ep 3 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 11-16Ep 4 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 17-20Ep 5 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 21-24Ep 6 - Alkallabeth, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Appendices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day--oh. You're never going away? You're going to flood the world and make it very damp for a trio of sisters as they parcel out their dead father's legacy a la King Lear But Wetter? Sounds like you're the rain from Julia Armfield's Private Rites, an intimate novel about familial traps that happens to have a horror card or two hiding up its sleeve.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever read a book where you haven't been entirely sure what happened in the book?

Here we go again: another collaboration with Heaving Bosoms! Buckle up for a supersized episode on this folklore inspired YA fantasy by Sher Lee. Special thanks to our guests Melody and Sabrina from Heaving Bosoms for joining us to discuss snakes, lost contacts, love, and Chinese myth. We have a lot of questions about snakes! Do we get all the answers? Listen along to find out.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Living in our age of elite impunity made us want to imagine what it must be like to have one million US dollars.

For this show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew learned about the world of Middle-Earth by reading J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumously published legendarium THE SILMARILLION. This episode posted first for our Patreon supporters in July 2025. If you want to hear our current longread project TOKYO DRIFTERS (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.The Elves are here, and it's time to learn all about them! Because there are a whole bunch of different sub-types of them, mostly sorted by whether and how quickly they decided to heed the summons to come party with the gods on their paradise island.The most important one we meet is Fëanor, who forges the book's MacGuffins and then instantly gets super weird and possessive about them, in a way that ensures lasting misery for all involved. Hooray!The reading list:Ep 1 - Ainulindale, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion Ch 1-3Ep 2 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 4-10Ep 3 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 11-16Ep 4 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 17-20Ep 5 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 21-24Ep 6 - Akallabeth, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, AppendicesOur theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2019, author Taylor Jenkins Reid released her sixth novel Daisy Jones & The Six, a fictional oral history of a Fleetwood Mac-esque 70s rock band. In May 2026, Andrew and Craig from Overdue recorded a podcast about the author, her novels, the themes and points of inspiration that helped make Daisy Jones a bestseller. This is an aural history of that recording.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Less a story about AI, and more "what if that Star Trek episode about whether Data was a person was also exploring the concept of domestic abuse?"

In the not-so-distant future, Andy Weir will write a novel about a Competent Man getting into trouble and then getting himself out. Then it will be made into a major motion picture starring a relatively bankable movie star. Then Overdue will (probably) read the book. That's what happened with The Martian, and that is what's happening this week with Project Hail Mary -- a novel about a science teacher on a mission to save Earth (and maybe some other planets) from an otherworldly threat.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com/overdue.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To celebrate this year's Children's Book Week, we're discussing the work of children's author and illustrator Eric Carle, whose colorful art and innovative prints have delighted our children (and us!) for years. Since they're each pretty short we decided to talk about a bunch of them, including:1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (with Bill Martin, Jr.)3. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (with Bill Martin, Jr.)4. My Very First Book of Numbers5. My Very First Book of Colors6. The Grouchy Ladybug7. The Very Lonely FireflyThis episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Around 25 minutes into this episode, Andrew and Craig take a mysterious elixir that turns them into younger versions of themselves with worse microphones and less research under their belts.

For this show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew learned about the world of Middle-Earth by reading J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumously published legendarium THE SILMARILLION. This episode posted first for our Patreon supporters in June 2025. If you want to hear our current longread project TOKYO DRIFTERS (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.In the beginning, Eru Ilúvatar created the heaven and the earth, primarily by watching his child-angels have an epic sing-off. And Melkor was there singing bad stuff, but Ilúvatar was like "no matter how bad you sing I can always make it a part of the awesome world I am building."Anyway, this episode is about perhaps the most biblical part of the Hobbit Bible, where a god-like figure creates the world and casts out one of his followers who thinks he's good enough to challenge god himself. Also: the Dwarves are created, and the Elves wake up.The reading list:Ep 1 - Ainulindale, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion Ch 1-3Ep 2 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 4-10Ep 3 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 11-16Ep 4 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 17-20Ep 5 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 21-24Ep 6 - Akallabeth, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Appendices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our stroll down memory lane continues this week, but we come provisioned with Present-Day Overdue research and context. This week, 2026 Andrew and Craig talk about Mary Shelley and the legacy of her most famous work while 2013 Andrew and Craig deal primarily with the story, including the titular Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. (Even past us knew that Frankenstein is the doctor, okay??). Also please bear with 2013 us as we discuss artificial intelligence with no knowledge of where we'd be in 2026.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2026 Andrew and Craig talk about Frank Herbert and the extended Dune-iverse while 2013 Andrew and Craig do their best to talk about the book.

This isn't a belated April Fool's joke. We really did watch the movie Twilight, and we're really here to talk about it. Why are Edward and Bella SO strange? How is it that all of the side characters come off as more human than they do in the books? Why is the vampire running like that?? Sometimes over on the Patreon (patreon.com/overduepod) we discuss movies and TV under the Special Collections banner. Join us to find out what we thought about the first appearance of the Minions, for instance.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MASH is the book that inspired the movie that inspired the show M*A*S*H.

Ho-na-na-na Hey-ey! It's time to talk about the 1995 film adaptation of the series, directed by Melanie Mayron and written by Dalene Young. We mostly enjoyed it, though we have to acknowledge how hard it is to squeeze full plots for each BSC member into one 94-minute movie. Also, what is the deal with Kristy's dad? Why is he so stinky?Enjoying this longread series? Keep an eye out for THE SILLY-MARILLION next and join us over at patreon.com/overduepod to stay current with TOKYO DRIFTERS.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before everyone's favorite heroes in a half-shell wore brightly colored bandanas and ate pizza for every meal, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were black-and-white underground vigilantes. Eastman and Laird drew on a variety of influences to create something that starts with the energy of self-serious parody before transitioning into the violent yet goofy comic series that would ultimately launch a goofy (but still sort of violent) cartoon empire. This collection contains the first 8 published issues from 1984-85, which includes a Raphael one-shot that introduces hockey stick enthusiast Casey Jones. Cowabunga!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we've commissioned all thirteen of our clones to record thirteen other versions of this podcast.

I don't care if Monday's blue, Tuesday's grey and - wait, Morrie's here. Tuesday's not so bad after all! Mitch Albom's breakthrough account of his meetings with the late Morrie Schwartz includes some moving lessons about how facing death head-on can help you lead life to the fullest. It also includes some observations by Albom that really threw Craig for a loop.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com/overdue.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's an intentionally porous line that separates this book's "reality" from the rest of it, which kind-of-sort-of takes place inside of a formulaic police procedural.

We jump way ahead in the sequence of the series (but not in the lives of our sitters, who remain stubbornly trapped in the Eighth Grade Time Loop), well into the books' ghostwritten era. This week we meet Abby, an acerbic new member of the Club, and we also meet ghostwriter Nola Thacker, who wrote over a dozen main-series BSC books during the original run.Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:Kristy's Great IdeaClaudia and the Phantom Phone CallsThe Truth about StaceyMary Anne Saves the DayDawn and the Impossible ThreeHello, MalloryJessi's Secret LanguageWelcome to the BSC, AbbyNext time: we're heading to the movies, with The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)! Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paul Beatty took the Booker Prize in 2015 with this satirical novel about a grieving man’s attempts to put his small town back on the map. The book lampoons the notion of a post-racial America, touching the fourth rail of "political correctness" with outlandish scenes of segregation and slavery. It's a real high-wire act of a premise that he mostly pulls off??Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/OVERDUE for up to 25 FREE meals!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ilya Rozanov. Shane Hollander. Two of hockey's greatest young goal scorers are also trying to score...with each other?? Reid's breakthrough hockey romance has become a true pop culture phenomenon, so we figured it was time to lace up the skates and see what the puck is going on with this most heated of rivalries. Happy belated Valentine's Day!This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/OVERDUE for up to 25 FREE meals!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Usually when robots gain sentience in fiction, they rise up and slay or otherwise subjugate their human creators—not this time!

Three lives, all alike in indignity. Stein's debut book is a collection of stories about three working-class woman at the turn of the 20th century. In it, we see the beginnings of her unique literary voice - full of repetition, repetition, poetic vernacular, and repetition.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/overdue for 45% off your first order and free delivery!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this new show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew will travel to Neo-Tokyo to meet Akira, created by Katsuhiro Otomo. We're going to read this classic manga across six episodes, then close out with an extra episode on the groundbreaking 1988 film adaptation.This is a preview of a series we’ll be running exclusively for our Patreon supporters over the next few months; we won’t release them on the main feed until the entire series has run. If you want to listen to them as they’re released, see patreon.com/overduepod for more! Episode 1 is already up!In this episode, you'll hear us discuss our own experience with manga and anime, Otomo's background, and the story of how Akira came to be published in the US.The episode schedule:Vol. 1 - TetsuoVol. 2 - Akira 1Vol. 3 - Akira 2Vol. 4 - Kei 1Vol. 5 - Kei 2Vol. 6 - KanedaBonus - Akira (1988) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Andrew and Craig. See Andrew and Craig read. Read, Andrew and Craig, read!

Another month, another new member of the BSC! This time it's Jessi, ballerina extraordinaire, who also happens to be adept at learning languages. And her first big job involves learning sign language so she can babysit Matt Braddock, whose family just moved to town. Soon everybody in Stonybrook is learning to sign! Plus there's a whole parallel story about Jessi's ballet school. And really it's just a charming story about inclusivity and helping people feel like they belong!This episodes posted first for Patreon supporters in March 2025! If you want to hear the rest of our longreads ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:Kristy's Great IdeaClaudia and the Phantom Phone CallsThe Truth about StaceyMary Anne Saves the DayDawn and the Impossible ThreeHello, MalloryJessi's Secret LanguageWelcome to the BSC, AbbyOur theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometimes you just want to get together with your friend and enlist prisoners of war into putting on a production of Euripides in the quarry, am I right?

The public domain comes for us all and today it's come for Miss Marple, the elderly busybody and amateur sleuth that Agatha Christie created in the 1920s. In her first proper novel, Marple assists a vicar in uncovering the truth behind a murder that occurred in his own home (also known as a vicarage). How does Marple do it? With a keen understanding of Human Nature.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com/overdue.Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/overdue for 45% off your first order and free delivery!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us for an abbreviated run through Consider the Consequences, in which players can quickly ruin the lives of three young adults who All Have Their Own Stuff Going On.

It's time to meet Samantha and Addy, two American Girls from the toy brand of the same name. Their time periods and journeys are rather different, but they are united by one thing: American Girl founder Pleasant Rowland's quest to inspire girls to learn AND to accessorize.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We jump forward in the series a bit this month, not too deep into the series (and not into the era where the series was primarily ghostwritten), but past the “we’re still setting up each of the core club-members” phase.This book is all about Mallory, a younger aspiring BSC member whose membership is jeopardized by a run of bad luck and some mildly unreasonable expectations from the other Club members. We also meet Jessi, one of the only Black residents in the extremely white town of Stoneybrook, and we discuss the dawn of the series' Perpetual Eighth Grade.This episodes posted first for Patreon supporters in February 2025! If you want to hear the rest of our longreads ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:Kristy's Great IdeaClaudia and the Phantom Phone CallsThe Truth about StaceyMary Anne Saves the DayDawn and the Impossible ThreeHello, MalloryJessi's Secret LanguageWelcome to the BSC, AbbyOur theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy Hornydays everyone! This extremely explicit dark holiday romantasy is sure to land someone on the naughty list. Please note that this story about Twyla and her adventure into the world of Krampus is very much Not For Kids. But does it give adults everything they want for Christmas?Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Knowing absolutely nothing else about it, you might guess that a story called "The Bookshop" would a light and cozy novella about how books are magical and that the places where they are sold are sacred spaces. There are lots of books that are like that! But this most certainly is not one of them. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Darkness, imprisoning me / All that I see, absolute horror / I cannot live, I cannot die / Trapped in myself, body my holding cellThese lyrics from Metallica's "One" were inspired by this classic anti-war novel (this is relevant, we promise). It's unique perspective and focus on the irreparable harm that war inflicts on the individual set it apart from the other anti-war text's we've read for the show.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There has been a murder! A murder in a small Quebecois village where everyone knows each other and most people seem to be either artists or café proprietors! Luckily Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the Sûreté du Québec are on the case, there to be avuncular and reassuring and blur the line between friend and law enforcement professional.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What starts as a dismaying story about a wrongful conviction turns into a deep meditation on loyalty, marriage, and independence. Given the subject matter, you might expect a mystery or a courtroom drama. Instead, Jones offers up a moving account of a couple just trying to find a future that will have them.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our newest BSC member, Dawn, has a lot to juggle in her debut as a series protagonist. Her mom is dating Mary-Anne's dad. She's low-key feuding with Kristy, the BSC President. And she's been hired by a mother of three who just does NOT have her life together. What a trial by fire!These episodes posted first for our Patreon supporters! If you want to hear the rest of them ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:Kristy's Great IdeaClaudia and the Phantom Phone CallsThe Truth about StaceyMary Anne Saves the DayDawn and the Impossible ThreeHello, MalloryJessi's Secret LanguageWelcome to the BSC, AbbyOur theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A story about a young woman trapped in an underground prison with 39 other women sounds like it could be a stone cold bummer, and it isn’t not that. But this translated French novel from 1995 also hits some affirming, human notes, and it’s those aspects of it that help explain why it’s found new life via word of mouth and BookTok. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Perhaps befittingly, Anne Patchett's fourth novel changed the trajectory of her career. The award-winning Bel Canto centers on 58 people (a combination of hostages and militants sequestered in an unnamed country), many of whom spend the time cut off from the outside world meditating on the paths their lives did and didn't take. Many welcome the opportunity to sit, reflect, grow, and change -- all without the added pressure of the real world. But the tragedy, of course, is that they cannot keep the outside world at bay forever.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Did you ever wonder why the name "Jeeves" has always been inseparable from the concept of "a very good butler"? It's because of these short stories (plus more short stories, plus several novels) by English novelist P.G. Wodehouse. Hapless gadfly Bertie Wooster relies on his man Jeeves for just about everything, from clothing advice to getting his various dim-bulb friends out of money-related scrapes. And if they fight sometimes, that's OK, because Bertie always eventually realizes that Jeeves was right to be upset about whatever they were fighting about. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Did you know that the classic 1997 slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer was actually based on a propulsive young adult thriller from 1973? Lois Duncan's original novel isn't too interested in bloody kills, however. It's more focused on how young people build their identities: around their regrets, around their parents, and around tragedies.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fresh off their victory over the Baby-Sitters Agency, the girls of the BSC turn on each other in this month's entry. Quiet Mary Anne has to get the group back together, negotiate with her well-meaning but strict single father, make and repair a new friendship, and engineer an unlikely meet-cute. And, of course, she needs to tend to some babysitting, including one job that will prove to be her toughest yet!These episodes posted first for our Patreon supporters! If you want to hear the rest of them ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:Kristy's Great IdeaClaudia and the Phantom Phone CallsThe Truth about StaceyMary Anne Saves the DayDawn and the Impossible ThreeHello, MalloryJessi's Secret LanguageWelcome to the BSC, Abby See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An official offshoot of the classic Choose Your Own Adventure series, the Choose Your Own Nightmare books cropped up for a couple of years in the mid-90s, an (alleged) response to the popularity of our old friend RL Stine’s Goosebumps series. Stine’s somewhat longer-lived Give Yourself Goosebumps sub-series would launch just months after the first Choose Your Own Nightmare book, but it’s fun to read CYOA originator Edward Packard take a stab at something more explicitly spooky than the original series. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everybody loves our old friend Ray Bradbury! This time we’re taking a spin with his first short story collection Dark Carnival, a smattering of spooky tales that wound up scattered across a number of other collections throughout Bradbury’s career. Stories discussed in this episode include:The Small AssassinThe Dead ManSkeletonThe ScytheThe EmissaryThe HomecomingUncle EinarThe LakeThe JarOur theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A buzzy title that came to life thanks to BookTok but came to our attention because of a good-old bookstore shelf display, this week’s book (and the kickoff to Spooktober 2025) is what it says on the cover: it’s about monsters and also computers. If you didn’t associate either of these things with “found family,” then it’s also here to challenge some of your preconceived notions.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rudyard Kipling's classic story collection The Jungle Book doesn't have a jazz orangutan named Louie, but it does have the bare necessities of imperialist fiction. The stories about Mowgli and other trailblazing animals all contain a whiff of "But what about the rigid hierarchy of nature?" And when every animal is personified...well...those simple bare necessities begin to reveal themselves.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Overdue boys tackle the third book in The Baby-Sitters Club series.

Some of us read a book. Some of us research the author and the historical context. Some of us sit in front of our microphones and record a podcast. Some of us edit it together and upload it to the website. Some of us write the description that goes up with it. Boy I hope this bit works!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Overdue boys discuss Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.

For anyone who’s ever loved a movie or TV show where people in silly outfits pretend to be giant city-crushing lizards and/or robots, this week’s book plays around in a pretty entertaining space. If the references to the mid-to-late-2020 stretch of the COVID pandemic and the 2020 US presidential election date it a little, and if every single named character talks exactly the same, it’s still got neat ideas and a part where the evil billionaire antagonist is implied to have his face eaten off by a parasite from another dimension.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/overdue and get on your way to being your best self.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The name O. Henry is synonymous with more than just a candy bar. It's become shorthand for a brief, punchy tale that ends with a magical little twist. And this collection, his second published, contains such classic examples as the "Gift of the Magi" and "The Cop and the Anthem." Can you guess the ironic twist ending of this podcast? This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Club has been humming along for two months until a spat of terrifying phone-based burglaries have our sitters sittin' scared! Also, it's Claudia time! Between gigs, she must repair her relationship with her sister and figure out how to catch the eye of the dreamiest poet around: Trevor Sandbourne.These episodes posted first for our Patreon supporters! If you want to hear the rest of them ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:Kristy's Great IdeaClaudia and the Phantom Phone CallsThe Truth about StaceyMary Anne Saves the DayDawn and the Impossible ThreeHello, MalloryJessi's Secret LanguageWelcome to the BSC, Abby See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As a reader, you cannot get upset if you read a book called "Bad Summer People" and it's filled with terrible people and all the stuff that they do to each other over the course of One Fateful Summer.

The Overdue boys discuss Alyssa Cole's historical romance An Extraordinary Union.

We've all heard this story before—giant fish man escapes secret laboratory, giant fish man takes up with unfulfilled housewife, fish man and housewife have deeply meaningful affair, lots of people die. Tale as old as time! Suffice it to say the characters in Mrs. Caliban have a very different reaction to a giant fish than the characters in Jaws. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/overdue and get on your way to being your best self.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on Overdue See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Overdue boys read Jaws by Peter Benchley.

Sometimes you just need to concoct a scheme where you encourage your casual boyfriend and your dad's casual ex-girlfriend to pretend to be in a relationship together, so that your dad gets jealous, so that he leaves his current more-serious girlfriend!

The Overdue boys discuss The Trial by Franz Kafka.

We have convened a club whose charter is to learn about The Baby-Sitters Club.

Gay anti-fascist librarians roam a speculative future version of the western United States in this week's novella.

The boys start their longread project on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.

The Overdue boys discuss A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White.

The Overdue boys read some classic Peanuts by Charles Schulz.

We’re joined by Sammy and Emily of the TOO SCARY, DIDN’T WATCH horror movie podcast this week to talk about Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho.

Leslie Feinberg’s debut novel is an intersectional bildungsroman about Jess Goldberg, a butch lesbian navigating the constellation of oppression that was the United States in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

The Overdue boys discuss James by Percival Everett.

The Overdue boys discuss the award-winning Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.

This one's arguably based on a real historical event but with a non-real non-historical protagonist .

The Overdue boys read Joan Didion's second novel Play It As It Lays.

Booth Tarkington is one of only four authors to have won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice, and he’s the only one of those four authors who nobody has ever heard of.

Everyone get into two lines, break your bread, brush your teeth, get into bed, and listen to our episode about Ludwig Bemelmans’ original series of Madeline stories.

The Overdue boys celebrate 700 episodes with a discussion of Stephenie Meyer's self-fan-fiction novel Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined.

The Overdue boys discuss Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, a collection whose titular work inspired the film Arrival.

This is the time travel book-slash-romance novel you write when you’re enamored with a hot old-timey boat guy and his doomed Arctic exploration.

The Overdue boys discuss The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.

The Hunger Games are back, and so are we!

We're up on the International Space Station this week, floating around with our coworkers/friends, looking at the earth as it speeds by multiple times a day.