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 Nov 26, 2020
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
17 - Grab a drink for a very special happy hour with a very special guest! This week we wrap up our talk about Real Life by Brandon Taylor with very special guest Duane Gosa, while sipping on his favorite cocktail: a classic Aperol Spritz. As three women who have had very different experiences from our protagonist Wallace's experiences, it felt wrong not to bring a special guest in who could not only shed some light on this beautiful story, but who could also give some insight into Wallace's experience. We are so thankful on this Thanksgiving 2020 episode to have shared this time with Duane, and to have discussed his experiences in the world and how he related to this powerful book. Thanks for sharing a drink with us, Duane - cheers!
Pages Discussed: All the pages
Next Week: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo (Pgs. 1-78)
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: Duane Gosa
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions & Text Me Records
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
16 - Welcome back to another happy hour! This week we finish our discussion on Real Life by Brandon Taylor while sipping on a very pleasing People Pleaser, a cocktail you can make your very own by using your spirit of choice. We talk about our people pleasing tendencies, acknowledging our own limitations, aaaaannnnd.... what career we might pursue if we weren't actors. (Gasp!) Next week we have a very special guest - our first guest on the podcast! - who helps us further break down this book and this character's experience.
Pages Discussed: Chapters 5- The End
Next Week: All of the chapters w/ Special Guest
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
15 - Another Thursday, another cocktail hour! And another chat about such a wonderful, heart-wrenching book. This week we continue our discussion of Real Life by Brandon Taylor while sipping on the very aptly named Loneliness - and MAN, after this week's pages, we really needed a drink! We talk about open relationships, times we regretted not having stood up for a friend...and the momentous announcement of our next President and Vice President, which happened just minutes before we recorded this episode. And while we whole-heartedly celebrated the win...we know there's so much more work to be done.
Pages Discussed: Chapters 3-4
Next Week: All of the chapters!
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
14 - Get back in here for another happy hour! This week we start our discussion of Real Life by Brandon Taylor while sipping on a lovely Bartender Riccardo Original - the First Kiss. Muah! We talk about race and inequality, and in discussing our protagonist Wallace's feelings of inadequacy, we talk about our own. We touch on Simone's bias and Dana's f*ing disgusting, entitled behavior. And after hearing about Wallace's first kiss, we can't help but dish about our own.
Pages Discussed: Chapters 1-2
Next Week: Chapters 3-4
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
It's a bonus happy hour!! This week we're giving you a throwback to one of the test episodes that started it all. We discuss short story Meteorologist Dave Santana by Diane Cook from the collection Man V. Nature while drinking a prohibition-era Damn the Weather! We dig deep into our protagonist, unconventional high-school teacher Janet, who just can't get over her obsession with the local meteorologist she watches on the news...he also happens to be her next door neighbor. And next week we start our new pick - Real Life by Brandon Taylor!
Next Week: Real Life by Brandon Taylor (Chapters 1-2)
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Oct 22, 2020
Thursday Oct 22, 2020
12 - Pull up a barstool - it's time for book club and cocktails! This week we FINISH talking about Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, while sipping on a Bartender Riccardo original: the Burn It Down. And dang, our characters DO! We cheers to an unbelievably well-executed ending, pat ourselves on the back for theories that panned out and drown our sorrows over the ones that didn't, and we dig into our own personal real life ghost stories. Oooooooooo....
Pages Discussed: All of 'em!
Next Week: *Bonus Episode* on short story Meteorologist Dave Santana by Diane Cook from the collection Man V. Nature
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
11 - Welcome back to Happy Hour, Happy Clams! This week we're talking about Chapters 15-21 of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, while chasing the green fairy with a Necromancer. We dive deep into the gloom with some icky mushroom intel, more theories on what the hell is goin' on at the High Place, and some down, dirty, disgusting deets on pleasurable things we know are wrong, but just can't seem to stop doing... Yiiiiiiiiikes.
Pages Discussed: Chapters 15-21
Next Week: All the chapters!
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
10 - Hey hey, come join us for a drink! This week we're talking about Chapters 8-14 of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, while gettin' drunk AND caffeinated with a Black Magic. We talk fairytales, men who, like Virgil, make us wanna claw our eyes out, and....clams. Lots and lots of clams.
Pages Discussed: Chapters 8-14
Next Week: Chapters 15-21
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
9 - Welcome to Haaaaaunted Happy Hour! Theories are flyin' all over the place as we start our discussion of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, while sippin' away on a bright green Waking the Dead. We talk about the hallucinogenic properties of mushrooms and just *wish* we knew someone who'd taken them, get deep about Mexican and Colombian culture, and get very veeeeeeeery silly (read: drunk) for our final question.
Pages Discussed: Chapters 1-7
Next Week: Chapters 8-14
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
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
8 - Pull up a chair and grab a drink, 'cause it's time for another Happy Hour! This episode we finish out our discussion of My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, while sipping on the not-so-basic Big Sister. This week's chapters lead us into some in-depth discussions about passing judgement and the #MeToo movement, we play a fun round of "Quarantine, Fuck, Kill", and Mariana has a *theory* on who Victim #5 might be.
Pages Discussed: 167-THE END
Next Week: Chapters 1-7 of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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 Thanks to John Joines of The Uprooted Podcast
- Special Appearance: Riccardo Roggeri
- Music: Jimmy Fontanez, Media Right Productions & Text Me Records
- Logo and Art: Chad Hudson
- Hosts: Mariana Cardenas, Emma Orelove & Brandi Bravo