Hi, we're Mariana, Emma and Brandi! This is your book club with a twist, and we are your happy hour girlfriends. Each month we’ll announce a new book and discuss a few chapters each week, while sipping on a curated cocktail. Check out our Instagram @AreTheseBooksDrunk to find out what our first book and cocktail pairing are, so that you can read along and sip along with us, 'cause it's always happy hour here! New episodes every Thursday.
Episodes
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
37 - #ThirstyThursday and time for another happy hour! This week we continue our discussion of The Push by Ashley Audrain while drinking a very sneaky Purple Devil (and a Grape Pineapple Mint Fizz for our mama-to-be Mariana.) We talk about crushed expectations, the silent treatment and, of course, the devilish act of one particular character that catapults this story to the next tragic level.
Chapters Discussed: Chapters 23-44
Next Week: Chapters 45-66
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
36 - Welcome back for the LAST happy hour book of Season One! This month we're reading the suspenseful thriller The Push by Ashley Audrain while cautiously sipping on The Violet. Well, Mariana's not drinking The Violet because she's just announced SHE'S PREGNANT!!! (Swipe right on The Violet to get a peek at the soothing and summery Lavender Lemonade mocktail for mamas like Mariana!) In talking about Blythe's difficult relationship with motherhood, we talk about our biggest fears in relation to motherhood, how having children can affect your relationship with your spouse, and times when we women have neglected our own instincts to satisfy societal and familial expectations.
Chapters Discussed: Chapters 1-22
Next Week: Chapters 23-44
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
35 - Happy thirsty Thursday!! This week we've got a BONUS EPISODE for you chatting about the oh-so-fun-and-fabulous Play Your Way Sane by Clay Drinko, P.H.D. (Talk about having the perfect name for our podcast, right?!) We're sipping on @hotofftheshelves recommendation, the Guinness Float, as we work our way through some of the book's "120 improv-inspired exercises to help you calm down, stop spiraling, and embrace uncertainty." We compliment the heck out of each other, drink when we hear the word "play" and Emma commits her bra for a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants inspired exercise that leaves our Jennifer Love Boobits, Bravissitatas and Taco Boobas feeling fully supported.
Next Week: The Push by Ashley Audrain (Chapters 1-22)
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Episode Credits
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions & Text Me Records
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Mar 25, 2021
Thursday Mar 25, 2021
34 - It's time for another happy hour with your book club BFFs and this week we're FINISHING our discussion on The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett while sipping on The Big Reunion. We noticed some contradictions in the relationships the twins have with their daughters and chat about our own moms, once-important friendships that dwindled, and the feeling we have to prove ourselves and justify our choices. And @hotofftheshelves throws us a fun Listener Question!
Chapters Discussed: All of 'em!
Next Week: Bonus Episode about Play Your Way Sane by Clay Drinko, P.H.D.
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Got a listener question, comment or insight into the book? Slide into our DMs or send us an email at arethesebooksdrunk@gmail.com!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Mar 18, 2021
Thursday Mar 18, 2021
33 - Welcome back for another happy hour discussing Part 3 of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett while we sip on The Simple Truth. In talking about Stella and Kennedy's reasons for acting, we three actresses chat about why we were drawn to acting, friendships we may have entered into and/ or maintained out of guilt, and, ignited by Stella's advisor's comment that nothing scares men more than a woman with a brain, we chat about dumbing ourselves down to seem more likeable. Plus, a fun listener question gives us an update on Emma's decluttering mission!
Chapters Discussed: Chapters 8-13
Next Week: We finish the book!
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Got a listener question, comment or insight into the book? Slide into our DMs or send us an email at arethesebooksdrunk@gmail.com!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Mar 11, 2021
Thursday Mar 11, 2021
32 - Pull up a barstool for another happy hour chatting about The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. This week, we sip on the sinfully decadent Black or White. We look into our own vanishing halves, take a deep dive into regrets, and in honor of Barry, we muse on our own drag names.
Chapters Discussed: Chapters 4-7
Next Week: Chapters 8-13
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Got a listener question, comment or insight into the book? Slide into our DMs or send us an email at arethesebooksdrunk@gmail.com!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Mar 04, 2021
Thursday Mar 04, 2021
31 - It's time for a new book and a new cocktail with your happy hour besties! This week we start our discussion of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett while sipping on an indulgent New Orleans classic - the Ramos Gin Fizz. We daydream about where we would go if we ran away from home like the Vignes sisters, wonder at the little things that make up who we are as we puzzle over how one can leave everything behind to become someone new... and we salivate over all that fruit Early shared with Desiree.
Chapters Discussed: Chapters 1-3
Next Week: Chapters 4-7
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
30 - It's a BONUS happy hour! Join us AND special guest Daniel K. Isaac (Billions, According to My Mother) as we sip on a Boulevardier and get his scoop on The Vegetarian by Han Kang. He gives a little more insight into Korean culture, delights us with stories of his beloved mom, and gives us a much-needed lesson on the pronunciations of some character names. (Hint: we got a couple wrong!) Oh yeah, and we announce our March book pick - see below!
Chapters Discussed: All of 'em
Next Week: The Vanishing Half (Chapters 1-3)
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Episode Credits
- Special Guest: Daniel K. Isaac
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Feb 18, 2021
Thursday Feb 18, 2021
29 - It's Thursdaaaaaaay! Grab your cocktail and join us for happy hour chatting about The Vegetarian by Han Kang. This week we're drinking in all the Water & Sunlight we can get as we dig into the final chapter. We reminisce about places in nature that we feel most connected to, divulge the realizations we've each had lately that (like In-hye) have made us tackle life a little differently, and try to dissect...what the hell happened in this book?!
Chapters Discussed: Part 3 (Flaming Trees)
Next Week: Special Guest Daniel K. Issac talks The Vegetarian
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Feb 11, 2021
Thursday Feb 11, 2021
28 - Welcome back for another happy hour chatting about The Vegetarian by Han Kang. This week we're sipping on another Soju-based cocktail, this one reminiscent of Yeong-hye's Mongolian Mark, the Blue Beauty. In the spirit of Yeong-hye's apparent metamorphosis, we muse on what we'd metamorphose into, our pre-Covid guilty (or not-so-guilty) pleasures, and given the ending of this chapter, Mariana wonders whether In-hye cares about her sister at all. We also get a fabulous *Listener Question* going back to one of our previous episodes - thanks for sending it our way, Adrian!
Chapters Discussed: Part 2 (Mongolian Mark)
Next Week: Part 3 (Flaming Trees)
Join us again for Happy Hour next Thursday, and follow us on Insta @AreTheseBooksDrunk for updates on our next episode & cocktail pairing so that you can read along and sip along with us!
Episode Credits
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions, Text Me Records, Carmen Maria & Edu Espinal
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo