She Who Wrenches: A Mercy Thompson Re-Read-Along Podcast

Uncle Mike's Book Club
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  • Semiweekly Series

Attention Mercy Thompson books and Mercy-verse fans! Uncle Mike’s Book Club (Brittany, Eric, and Kelly) get together to talk all things Mercy Thompson, Alpha and Omega books, and slightly related tangents. Walkers, werewolves, vampires, fae, and mundanes are all welcome!  All episodes are chock-full of spoilers from ALL the books unless specifically marked "spoiler-free", so if you aren’t caught up, beware!

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  1. Episode 1

    E09 Blood Bound 01: Meanwhile, at the Airport Ramada

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) In this episode, Uncle Mike's Book Club discusses chapters 1-3 of Blood Bound.  This is the episode where you find out what terrible people we actually are. It also begins a new running joke: we start the ongoing way to bring us back from tangents, “Meanwhile, at the Airport Ramada…”   We discuss vampire lore across fandoms, vampires not letting go of the fashions from their human days, revisit what a single wide trailer doesn’t have room for, updates on Briggs’s vampire lore (and what would it REALLY take to destroy Wulfe?), if Blood Bound is the creepiest Mercy Thompson book, vampires can grow claws??, what level of naked is Mercy for her retelling of the events of the night with the sorcerer, how Mercy’s single wide trailer can apparently have a third bedroom AND the closets aren’t full and can fit a 6ft tall vampire, why Stefan can sometimes teleport and sometimes not—what are the limits??, if vampires in the Mercy-verse have mirror reflections, enriching your power-word word-power through unfiltered Ben swearing, which Chinese place do they get takeout from??, and speculation about Warren and Ben’s relationship. Random things mentioned: Days of Our Lives, how the different Mercy-verse readers pronounce names differently, Skeleton Crew (and Disney Star Wars), the creepy Doctor Who episode “Blink,” Kelly’s Band and baby bats, Weekly World News, Coast To Coast AM (you can actually find it in podcast form, though it’s no longer hosted by Art Bell), Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell, the Chili’s theme song (by way of Austin Powers), parts of the USA where everyone has blankets draped over their couches, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Demon sweat live, Sorcerer’s code, Repo Man and repossessing demon and devolving into a Night at the Roxbury reference, The Room’s “Anyway, how’s your sex life?” which has theatrical showings where people throw plastic spoons and they play football in tuxedos… As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercy-verse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet.  Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:04 Recap Guy 00:05:06 Start talking about Blood Bound 00:09:40 More Vampire lore explored 00:11:50 Meeting the new vampire at the hotel 00:17:53 Goth Baby Bats, The Weekly World News, and Coast to Coast AM 00:21:04 Back at the Airport Ramada (Stefan is drooling and Cory is killing) 00:23:54 Mercy comes to with a vampire and a werewolf stare down 00:28:49 Daniel the baby vampire already met the sorcerer backstory 00:30:55 Stefan asks Mercy to testify in the Vampire Seethe Court 00:31:37 Stefan the vampire asks to "sleep" for the day in Mercy's Closet 00:33:39 Do vampires have reflections in the Mercy Thompson universe? 00:35:00 Mercy can't sleep with a dead vampire in her closet 00:36:53 Mercy's VW Rabbit has scars from the night with the vampires 00:38:48 Meet Mrs. Hanna's Ghost 00:39:55 Mercy goes to work fixing cars 00:42:15 Mercy asks Zee about Sorcerers 00:44:39 Mercy is approached by the reporter after hours 00:47:02 Ben and Warren come to watch Mercy/ take her for a nap 00:48:37 Mercy/Warren/Ben relationship hashing out 00:52:29 Wulfe ponderings and episode close 00:53:43 Outtake Recording Date:  2026-01-31 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/UMZMKXeLTzQ

  2. Episode 2 ·  Video

    E10 Blood Bound 02: Self-Care for the Preternatural

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) In this episode, Uncle Mike’s Book Club discusses chapters 4–5 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. They discuss supernatural coping mechanisms; whether the Fae can listen to heavy metal like Iron Maiden (https://www.ironmaiden.com), Mötley Crüe (https://motley.com), and Led Zeppelin (https://www.ledzeppelin.com); comparing the vampire seethe court to various TV judges and discussing how vampire courts work; how strange Wulfe is and his similarities to Coach Beard from Ted Lasso (https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy); speculating about a DoorDash or Uber Eats service for vampires; a What We Do in the Shadows reference (“It’s not hygienic!”) (https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/what-we-do-in-the-shadows); the vampires’ “tell the truth chair,” how to speak “chair,” and Stefan and Mercy testifying while seated in it; “must acquit” references from the O.J. trial; Mercy’s amazing ability to think before she speaks; wrapping up vampire night court; Warren and Ben joining Stefan to hunt vampires; Mercy complaining about her bodyguards, which are apparently as hard to cancel as AOL in the early 2000s; and how much Mercy loves sparring at full speed with Adam. We are a fan-based Mercy Thompson Universe (aka the Mercyverse) reread-along podcast. Just some friends who love Mercy Thompson (and a lot of other stuff) sharing fan theories, joking around, teasing each other, and making weird references to other fandoms and pop culture. As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercyverse: the short stories, the Mercy Thompson series, and the Alpha and Omega series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). So if you aren’t caught up, fair warning. Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Recording Date: 2026-02-06 Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:51 Recap Guy 00:06:13 Supernatural Coping Mechanisms 00:07:16 Night Court at the Vampire Seethe 00:12:33 We Meet Wulfe, the Creepy Teen-Looking Vampire 00:16:23 Vampire DoorDash 00:17:39 Back to the Vampire Court 00:25:42 Mercy Complains to Adam About Honey as a Bodyguard YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/C7O7ZYYMGhY

  3. Episode 3 ·  Video

    E11 Blood Bound 03: Exact Recreation of Mercy’s Closet

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike's Book Club discusses chapters 5–6 of Blood Bound, the second book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Like, part of each chapter.  They cover: which member of the metaphorical Scooby-Doo gang Stefan would be; the challenges of intimacy around a werewolf pack and the related logistical conundrums; "Denny likes to watch" and yet another reference to the terrible movie The Room (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Room); why the Samuel-in-Texas scene makes us so uncomfortable; how surprisingly dark Blood Bound is compared to other Mercy books; more jokes about how much space there is in Mercy's single-wide trailer; True Blood's vampire-stashing places; where Stefan usually spends the day; Vampire HR; The Simpsons (including the Treehouse of Horror episode where Homer's horoscope predicts his death); the distinctive sound of pre-digital phone calls breaking up; sending Gabriel out for parts before Black shows up for a scene above his pay grade; Brittany's extremely obscure complaints about The Mandalorian's second- and third-season writing choices; and how Recap Guy really needs to improve his notes. As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercy-verse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, at least). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet. Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:54 Recap Guy 00:03:13 Which Scooby-Doo Character Do the Demon Hunters Represent? 00:06:31 Start the Book, Immediate Tangent to Adam and Mercy’s Relationship 00:11:26 Samuel’s Texas Backstory 00:19:17 Mercy Calls Bran About Samuel 00:20:44 Phone Crackle & Call Drops 00:22:37 Honey as a Bodyguard, Gabriel GTFO Recording Date: 2026-02-27 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/l2QbpkxyWek

  4. Episode 4 ·  Video

    E12 BloodBound 04: Here Lies Mercy, She Was Trying to Help

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike’s Book Club discusses chapters 6–7 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. The gang starts off the random references strong with quotes from Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (“How’s your sex life?” and “Hi doggie!”); Black/Beckworth corners Honey and Mercy to get the lowdown; Mercy’s been judging Honey, partially based on literal appearances; did Mercy start changing her mind about Honey because of the abuse, or because Honey sees herself as a monster?; puberty plus werewolf somehow isn’t a disaster??; sexist laws that persisted into the 1970s; what if Cara the teenage werewolf met Mercy; Teen Wolf-style van surfing on the Mystery Machine; how one might pronounce “Leah”; will Leah and Cara’s relationship change in the wake of the events in Wild Sign?; werewolves apparently get to fast-track their therapy; Mercy shows off Honey as the pretty side of werewolves; Mercy asks Bran not to show off his guessing powers while under threat; too many creepy alpha werewolves who would take advantage of a teen girl; Mercy’s lunch with Tony and the evolution of their relationship over the years; the Opel GT with the wrong-rotation engine; werewolves = Wookiees when they rip arms off?; Kelly says we all know what goes on Mercy’s tombstone: “Here lies Mercy—she tried to help”; and we’re totally not fake-sponsored by Lilly’s Piano Bar—you’ll be enthralled by every performance! As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercy-verse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson series, and the Alpha and Omega series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet. Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Recording Date: 2026-03-13 Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:34 Recap Guy 00:01:20 Reporter Tells Mercy and Honey About Teen Werewolf Daughter 00:17:34 Tony Asks Mercy About Preternaturals Over Lunch 00:26:26 Wrap Up 00:27:56 Outtake YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/08c1ArGBsvA

  5. Episode 5 ·  Video

    E13 Blood Bound 05: East Wing of Mercy’s Single Wide

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike’s Book Club discusses Chapters 7–8 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson series. They discuss de facto rank changes in Adam’s pack over the years (and how that relates to Pokémon), a theoretical Pride Parade in the Tri-Cities, the origins of Uncle Mike’s Tavern, leaving a message on an answering machine, and, once again, how large Mercy’s single-wide trailer apparently is. After checking out Warren’s condition, Mercy gets a call from Marsilia to help defeat the sorcerer, and we finally meet Uncle Mike and learn how bad everything really is. Random things mentioned: Pokémon (okay, a lot of Pokémon), Star Wars Rebels, Arrested Development (with Star Wars, somehow?), Out and About in Pasco (https://www.facebook.com/ClubOutAndAbout/), Police Academy and the Blue Oyster, Benson Bubblers in Portland (https://www.portland.gov/water/about-portlands-water-system/bubblers, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benson_Bubbler), old-style answering machine tapes, bounced cheques, a theoretical South Park crossover with Mercy Thompson, Star Wars Rebels and how boring Kanan Jarrus is (spoilers!), then crossing that over with Arrested Development just because we’re us, back to Pokémon, AFK (away from keyboard), Pokémon again and how sorcerers are super effective against werewolves… how Uncle Mike exists to answer all the readers’ “what about…?” questions, “Ask Uncle Mike if Effluvia Is Right for You,” Listener question: As always, there are potentially spoilers for every book published in the Mercy-verse: the short stories, the Mercy Thompson series, and the Alpha and Omega series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet. Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Recording Date: 2026-03-20 Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:34 Recap Guy 00:02:33 Actually Start on Chapter 7: After Lunch with Tony 00:10:55 Is Kyle the Whole Tri-Cities Pride Parade? 00:11:50 The Actual Building That Inspired Uncle Mike’s 00:13:37 Benson Bubblers 00:16:26 Back at Adam’s with a Very Injured Warren 00:18:14 Answering Machines with Tapes 00:18:54 Is Stefan in the Spacious East Wing of the Single-Wide Trailer? 00:29:25 Back to Warren Again, and Cory’s Profile (Start Chapter 8 with Uncle Mike) YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/eDtOs3X3kNU

  6. Episode 6 ·  Video

    E14 Blood Bound 06: Medicinal Vampirism

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike's Book Club dissect chapters 8-9 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson book series. Join us and share your own tangents! They cover: From the End of Chapter 8 * Mercy Thompson meets Marsilia and Andre at Uncle Mike’s Tavern to get assigned hunting the demon-possessed vampire Littleton via a Trello card * White vampire fashion versus Dumb and Dumber suits  * Mercy’s backwards-chair Riker Maneuver from Star Trek: The Next Generation * Why Mercy Thompson is the only one who can hunt Littleton: “Something-something, walkers. Something-something ghosts… Go!” * “I am no man.” (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,” and several increasingly questionable Star Wars impressions * Mercy will hunt Littleton with Andre in the worst college group project assignment ever * Mercy Thompson’s greatest superpower might just be knowing her own strengths: choosing exactly the right Christmas carol in a hostile Fae bar via malicious compliance * Bran, Uncle Mike, Welsh music lessons, and how much those ancient old schemers probably know about each other * Eric gets kicked out of the pack (again) * Is Mercy Thompson competency porn?  Chapter 9 * Mercy refuses to carpool with Andre (“Never carpool with vampires.”) * Naomi, Rachel, and Vampire 101: how Stefan tried for the most ethical vampire flock in the Mercyverse * Stefan tries to make vampires more politically correct. But apparently abandons the idea * “A dead vampire is ashes”…until Blind Date with a Werewolf  * Could Andre have warned Mercy about Littleton—or did he not know his own vampire could listen through him? * Littleton visits Mercy’s trailer and rips the siding off, along with a bunch more jokes about the improbable size of Mercy’s single-wide trailer * Creepy low-light dreams where you can’t turn on the light, ventriloquist vampires, and why this chapter is nightmare fuel * comparing Warren’s injuries to the 80’s movie Short Circuit: “No disassemble! Johnny 5 is alive!” * Why didn’t Littleton just tow the trailer? * The East Wing, West Wing, basement, upstairs, guest room, sleeping closets, and expanding floor plan of Mercy Thompson’s apparently TARDIS-sized single-wide * RE: Eric’s jokes: “You have your moments. Not many, but you do have them.” (Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back) * Mercy Thompson calls everyone she knows, leaves a trail of answering-machine messages, and demonstrates her legendary hatred of paperwork * Sleep deprivation, answering machines, pagers, and racing all over the Tri-Cities the clock to find Littleton before sunset * Mrs. Hannah, Adam, and why Mercy decides to tell everyone where she’s going As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercyverse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet.  Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:34 Recap Guy 00:01:01 Start Blood Bound Chapters 8–9 00:01:06 2 Vampires and a Walker Walk into a Fae Bar 00:05:31 Mercy’s Forfeit Song at Uncle Mike’s & Mercy’s Strengths 00:08:34 Eric Gets Kicked Out of the Pack 00:09:06 Wrapping Up Uncle Mike’s & Heading to Stefan’s House 00:11:03 Start Chapter 9 of Blood Bound 00:12:56 Mercy and Andre Visit Stefan’s Sheep 00:14:06 Mercy Gets the Vampire Crash Course 00:20:58 The Sorcerer Vampire Visits Mercy’s Trailer 00:28:37 Mercy Can’t Sleep After Littleton Leaves 00:34:58 Mercy Goes Looking for Littleton (Everywhere) Recording Date: 2026-04-10 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/VAyUlageM4Y

  7. Episode 7 ·  Video

    E15 Blood Bound 07: Expectation Management Datapoint

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike’s Book Club discusses Chapter 10 of Blood Bound, the second novel in Patricia Briggs’ bestselling Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercy Thompson Universe (Mercyverse): shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet.  Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Chapters: 00:00 Intro   00:02 Recap Guy  01:38 Start Chapter 10 of Blood Bound   05:31 Social media when the book was released (2007) 06:18 Gabriel knows about vampires?!?   07:30 Mercy-Adjacent Media (Scooby-Doo, Shadow of the Vampire)   13:28 Back to Gabriel and Vampire Chat   14:17 Zee and the Vampire-Hunting Kit   17:41 Bran tells Mercy not to hunt the vampire/sorcerer   20:15 Werewolf Drama, BRB (Is Darryl more dominant than Warren?)   28:13 Elizavetta's Experience with Evil   29:54 Mercy goes to the police station   31:31 Mercy reviews what she knows about vampires   32:33 Mercy leaves to take Vampire 201 from Stefan's people   33:54 Outtake: How much of this book and the last book have we covered? Recording Date: 2026-04-17 What we talk about: Chapter 10 * “You’re welcome!” (The beloved Toddler song from Moana) * Beckworth checks in after Bran warns him away from the Tri-Cities * Mercy’s relatable reflexive “I don’t need help” impulse, before she asked Beckworth to look into Cory Littleton * Archaeology tangent about what social media was available in 2007: Facebook vs. MySpace vs. Friendster * Gabriel suspects this is a vampire problem despite Mercy’s “from a certain point of view” (Star Wars) skirting around the existence of vampires  * Our recent Mercy-related media: Shadow of the Vampire, Nosferatu (complete with Bram Stoker copyright history), and Scooby-Doo      * What are the Scooby-Doo catchphrases and Fred doesn’t have one     * loathing for a Nicolas Cage production * Zee delivers Mercy’s unofficially official anti-vampire care package:     * Kelly’s ongoing Swiss Army Wife reputation even though she only carries a Leatherman  * Bran tells Mercy not to confront Littleton…      * …why did he think that would work??? * Bran accidentally provides useful information while trying to talk Mercy out of her plan— why do vampires avoid walkers? * Kyle’s emergency call sends Mercy racing to Adam’s house * Mercy somehow thinks she can solve “werewolf drama” and commute to Finley, then to Richland in about an hour * Warren has been faking it (as in being less dominant than Darryl) * Mercy accidentally discovers that Adam’s mate claim came with real magical authority that Warren listens to * Kyle casually reveals Warren’s wolf has never hurt him, and everyone else immediately realizes Warren’s wolf considers Kyle his mate  * Elizavetta had to dodge town so the demon didn’t jump to her— she must’ve experienced evil already. So… how much evil can a gray witch partake in before she’s a black witch?  * Tony saw pics and asks whether Mercy’s trailer is… still standing. And how much destruction happened to the wine cellar?? They had a tasting scheduled! * Mercy realizes they need to map out the incidents that happened in the day to pinpoint where the demon vampire is living * Mercy realizes Marsilia’s story doesn’t completely add up and heads back for Vampires 201 from Stefan’s people YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/UjQybHNXz4s

  8. Episode 8 ·  Video

    E16 Blood Bound 08: Vampire Parts Menagerie

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike's Book Club discusses chapters 11-13 of Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs from the Mercy Thompson book series.  Apologies for the delay getting this out— we forgot this was 2-3x our usual episode length because we recorded on a Saturday and had time to record until the toddler woke up from a nap. (Cameo in the outtake.) Also, I was reworking the episode posting workflow to streamline it in the future. What happens:  * Recap Guy from the previous chapter of Blood Bound: the Zillow search request for Cory Asmodeus Littleton and the four-bedroom single-wide * Mercy goes to visit Stefan's menagerie and we learn about the attempt for the politically correct vampire "a little light necking" * If Stefan's dead, the menagerie gets sold for parts — like Mercy’s Rabbit parts car * AFK (away from keyboard) * Mercy realizes the crying man is Daniel's ghost, gets accused of trolling for "pretending" to see Daniel; "which non-living person are you okay with existing?!" Rachel does the math, joins Team Ghosts Are Real, and flees the scene * Silence of the Lambs reference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_(film) ) * We finally get the vampire org chart and discover that Bernard and Estelle are disgruntled middle management * rolling for initiative (D&D reference) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_and_Dragons) * Days of our lives for vampires, set up by Marsilia's slipping grip on the Seethe and Bernard and Estelle working against her (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_Our_Lives) * Ford's dramatic, main-character-syndrome entrance insisting Stefan is dead, and his weird claim about the threshold * Mercy goes back to Adam's house to check on Warren's healing, which is the least-motivated drive of the day but at least it's forward motion * More jokes about the size of Mercy's single wide trailer, plus the destroyed bathrooms, the library, and the wine cellar (too soon) * Need conspiracy theory yarn to map Mercy's drive over the Tri-Cities today * Axe Throwing by the magical bookstore and Spudnuts (Kelly gives another little tour of the Tri-Cities and where thinogs are) * Darryl is cranky and Warren isn't healing and Kyle wasn't asked so didn't tell… * Kyle drops plot exposition like hand grenades — the "Ackbar" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Ackbar) / "nudge" bit * Warren manages to get out two words: trap and church * Darryl says ghosts avoid evil * Mercy talks to Mrs. Hanna about why she had to change her route * We wax poetic about archaic physical yellow pages / phone books * Mrs. Hanna says Joe the janitor warned her the route was unsafe — and we get a Joe and a Joey back to back, both of whom we'll never hear about again * Brittany hypothesizes about how ghosts get together and hang out: Is there a ghost happy hour at Uncle Mike's? Ghost turf wars? * Mercy calls Gabriel's preteen sister about Tri-Cities ghost legends — she tells the janitor's ghost story like it's what happened at recess. (We never actually say out loud that the ghost-lore expert IS Gabriel's sister, so this bullet is doing some heavy lifting.) * Andre answers the phone, which means the vampires are already up and Mercy has lost her edge * Very deep reference: Kelly jokes that the combo to Mercy's safe is 867-5309, which, in addition to the song (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/867-5309/Jenny), was also a code used by the director of a research facility run by the DOD in a SciFi show called Eureka (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_(2006_TV_series) that we love watching together  * Mercy leaves Bran a giant voicemail and a letter in the safe so nobody spends 48 hours looking for her     * Would Mercy have survived (after saving the day from Littleton) if she hadn't arranged for Bran to show up? * We make dial-up internet sounds to accompany Mercy checking her email * Mercy meets Andre and we wonder why he might be any help at all * Littleton learned neither the lessons from James Bond villains, nor Star Wars's Emperor Palpatine ("The shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive") (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_of_the_Jedi) * Littleton brags that Andre's been a bug/baby monitor this whole time * Andre and Ben go full WWF SmackDown / WrestleMania for the demon's entertainment * The Jedi Mind trick: "You don't need to see his identification" * Feelin' like a Vanagon on a 20º incline  * Vampire blood is a hell of a drug — the Charlie Murphy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Murphy_(actor) ) / Rick James couch tangent * Littleton is whiny that Andre almost killed Ben, which sure seems like what he asked for — does he have a little Skywalker blood? * Littleton's one-man-show villain monologue while feeding Andre: "blood is the life and the death" * MacGyver (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGyver) tangent: engineer an elaborate stake-driving contraption vs. just picking up the car battery * Andre grabs her arm — "no disassemble" — because Marsilia needs Littleton to cow the others (Short Circuit) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Circuit_(1986_film) ) * A possible pause for a Littleton-killing musical number (Let It Go, Head Games, or Roll With It) * Mercy finishes the decapitation and confirms it's worse. Zero stars, would not recommend * Bran, Charles, and Darryl burst in; Bran gives out scritches so the wolves can change back to human * Bran takes one look at Mercy and tells Samuel he's got a patient; Mercy focuses on not bazooka barfing * Mercy reveals Andre made Littleton, and Andre tries to flee the scene, but he would have gotten away with it, if not for that meddling walker… (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby-Doo) * And then we get interrupted by a toddler waking up from a nap, so Kelly wraps our longest episode As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercyverse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It's okay if you aren't caught up, as long as you're okay with spoilers for books you haven't read yet.  Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro Song 00:01:09 Recap Guy 00:03:45 Start Discussing Chapter 11 of Blood Bound 00:28:39 Mercy realizes Mrs. Hanna might have been avoiding Littleton 00:29:56 Chapter 12 and the Yellow Pages Tangent 1 00:32:45 Back to Mercy finding Mrs. Hanna 00:35:16 The secret social lives of ghosts 00:38:26 Mercy calls Gabriel's sister for 411 on Tri-Cities ghost legends 00:40:11 Mercy calls Andre to meet up, but covers her bases 00:42:33 Mercy preps for Andre's Arrival/Discovers his secret 00:42:51 Email from Beckworth about Littleton and Andre 00:47:47 Why does Andre think he can take Littleton? 00:48:44 They enter Littleton's church 00:58:20 Littleton takes the party upstairs 01:01:13 Chapter 13: Hit off of Stefan's blood 01:14:04 Bran bursts through the door

  9. Episode 9 ·  Video

    E17 Blood Bound 09: Two Chapters, in This Economy?

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike's Book Club discusses the back half of chapter 13 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson book series, by Patricia Briggs. Recorded May 15, 2026. In this episode: - Recap Guy runs on song lyrics: Concrete Blonde's Joey ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdpTcvSn8HQ ), the Smashing Pumpkins Rat in a Cage ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-r-V0uK4u0 ), Lynyrd Skynyrd's That Smell ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG0GjjakjaU ) - Recap Guy gets scored live - The Church on Cumberland Road ( https://www.songfacts.com/facts/shenandoah/church-on-cumberland-road ) also turns up in the recap - The Pulp Fiction detour where Mercy quotes scripture ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2WK_eWihdU ) - Recap Guy's Sixth Sense pun, where Mercy and Rachel see dead people ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoYEEjtDYKw ) - Andre is responsible for everything - Andre's Scooby-Doo exit line ( https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouMeddlingKids ) - Mercy and pals go to the hospital (and Kelly debates which Tri-Cities hospital it is and Eric thinks she's talking about a car) - The four-way Spider-Man pointing gif ( https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/spider-man-pointing-at-spider-man ) of werewolves escorting Mercy - The DoorDash ( https://www.doordash.com ) neighbor across the street is Bran - A yellow pages tangent ( https://clickamericana.com/media/advertisements/yellow-pages-phone-books-let-your-fingers-do-the-walking ), still better than Apple Maps was at launch ( https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/28/tim-cook-apologizes-for-apple-maps-points-to-competitive-alternatives/ ) - Joke that Tony is still posing as a school bully with his pagers, 21 Jump Street-style ( https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TwentyOneJumpStreet1987 ) - If you ask me again, I'm going to tell you - Bran, inconspicuous in the corner until he is not — pay no attention to the man behind the curtain ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2wGui_NHPA ) - Tony meets Adam and Adam apparently doesn't know his own cell phone number - Changes in the werewolf pack's relationship with Tony the cop over the years - It was a heat wave, delivered in a Jedi hand-wave tone of voice ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihyjXd2C-E8 ) - A favorite Pee-wee Herman quote ( https://clip.cafe/pee-wees-big-adventure-1985/i-dont-understand-s37/ ), and red pill blue pill ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE7PKRjrid4 ) - The Tony-is-secretly-something theories, including the Superman timeline where the glasses go back on ( https://www.cnn.com/2016/08/31/health/superman-glasses-disguise-facial-recognition/index.html ) - The Soul Taken parallel ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53033939-soul-taken ), and the rare scene without Mercy in it - Kelly's Lost and Westworld muscles, flexed whether they need to be or not ( https://www.npr.org/2023/05/20/1176899049/youre-overthinking-it-how-speculating-can-spoil-a-tv-show ) - Tony as Coach Beard ( https://ted-lasso.fandom.com/wiki/Willis_Beard ) - Tony as part of Littleton's theater group - Mercy's inventory of trailer damage: library, wine cellar, vampire sleeping closets - Debate: The mythical third bedroom that started all the East-Wing-of-the-single-wide-trailer jokes — it houses Mercy's office - The one government building in a small town, library and police and mayor all together, unless you have a DMV - Samuel kisses Mercy and leaves Links: Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.coSubscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays a 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwfFollow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social We are a fan-based Mercy Thompson Universe (AKA Mercy-verse) reread-along podcast. Just some friends who love Mercy Thompson (and a lot of other stuff) sharing fan theories, joking around, teasing each other, and making weird references to other fandoms and pop culture. Join us if you love Mercy Thompson or just enjoy the background of friends talking, joking, and making random pop culture references. As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercyverse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It's okay if you aren't caught up, as long as you're okay with spoilers for books you haven't read yet. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro Song 00:00:08 Opening 00:00:37 Recap Guy 00:04:28 Back to Andre from Last Time, mid-Chapter 13 00:05:28 E'rybody Escorts Mercy to the ER 00:07:37 Our Door Dash Neighbor 00:09:05 Which Hospital Is It? And gov't buildings in the wilderness 00:10:54 Tony Gets Up to Speed 00:14:02 Why doesn't Adam say his own number? 00:15:11 Back to Tony at the Hospital 00:20:32 Is Tony a Little Bit Supernatural? 00:24:36 Samuel Takes Mercy Home to the Single Wide 00:25:29 Is Mercy's single-wide's 3rd bedroom also the office? 00:26:02 Samuel is doing badly 00:26:22 Demon Wifi Static Cling 00:26:55 Samuel kisses Mercy and boogies out 00:27:12 Wrap up 00:27:57 Outtake Soap Opera

  10. Episode 19 ·  Video

    E18 Blood Bound 10: Demons Are Very Possessive

    Message us (questions, comments, topics? Let us know!) Uncle Mike's Book Club discusses chapter 14 of Blood Bound from the Mercy Thompson book series, by Patricia Briggs. Recorded May 22, 2026. In this episode: - Recap Guy goes full crossover: AC/DC’s If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EWqTym2cQU ), Samuel filing his TPS reports and going full PC load letter ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw-8oEO8bZo ), and demon Wi-Fi - Two weeks later, SpongeBob style - Brittany’s 12-year-old pre-film-school vampire talk show, Blood Tea - Stefan comes for tea and exposition, to say what he found when he went looking up Littleton - What did Judge Judy decide about Andre? Vampire justice, as covered by daytime television - Chicago is the Tatooine of the Mercy Thompson universe ( https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mos_Eisley ) — because it appears a lot. We don’t actually think it’s a terrible place to live, despite Kelly’s joke - What do demons actually do when they aren’t possessing people? Where does their knowledge come from?? - Is it Eric’s longest run before getting kicked out of the pack? - Stefan burned everything Littleton had collected — we don’t need no water, let the mother burn ( https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rock-master-scott-and-the-dynamic-three/the-roof-is-on-fire ) - Is Mercy going after the wrong vampire? The case that Marsilia, not Andre, is the antagonist of Blood Bound - Andre handing Marsilia a sorcerer to prove his devotion, and trying to get two birds stoned at once ( https://clip.cafe/trailer-park-boys-2001/exactly-get-two-birds-stoned-at-once/ ) - Friendship is magic ( https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Friendship_is_Magic ) - Wulfe as the scholarly friend who collects things, not power — a Bookworm Agent of Chaos - The Gremlins rule, smart versus wise, and what a mogwai actually is ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0t06eWj_x8 ) - Whether Stefan actually wants Marsilia’s job - Bib Fortuna, except it was Jabba: your Jedi mind tricks won’t work on me ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-GmF_ZnJo ), and while we’re here, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihyjXd2C-E8 ) - Judge Wapner and the People’s Court of vampire justice ( https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/ThePeoplesCourt ) - Daniel was a baby bat and did not count - Retcon watch on Tad’s rocky love life, our Zee-and-a-great-deal-of-smiting headcanon, and Zee’s custom stemware - Interpreting it Obi-Wan Kenobi style, from a certain point of view ( https://nofilmschool.com/obi-wans-most-controversial-line ) - Warren and Kyle get an early epilogue - Ben ate Daniel, his friend, and it’s slowly killing him, while his friends try to cheer him up - Which becomes the worst movies to show your friend who just ate his other friend: Ben’s not having a shpadoinkle day ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CizU8aB3c8 ), and come on in, Ben, we’re watching a documentary about the Donner Party ( https://www.ricburns.com/film/the-donner-party ) - Andre’s traffic-stop plea deal - Can Marsilia get glimpses of the future? - The Seethe will cover Littleton’s damage to the East Wing of Mercy’s single-wide trailer - Sorcerer vampires will return ( https://www.bondmovies.com/all-james-bond-will-return-screenshots/ ) - Cory Littleton was a beta test We are a fan-based Mercy Thompson Universe (AKA Mercy-verse) reread-along podcast. Just some friends who love Mercy Thompson (and a lot of other stuff) sharing fan theories, joking around, teasing each other, and making weird references to other fandoms and pop culture. Join us if you love Mercy Thompson or just enjoy the background of friends talking, joking, and making random pop culture references. As always, there are potentially spoilers for every single book published in the Mercyverse: shorts, the Mercy Thompson book series, AND the Alpha and Omega book series (everything through Blind Date with a Werewolf, anyway). It’s okay if you aren’t caught up, as long as you’re okay with spoilers for books you haven’t read yet. Links: - Check out our “linktree” website: https://shewhowrenches.carrd.co - Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2566095 - Follow on YouTube (including unedited livestream recordings *many* Fridays at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern Time): https://youtube.com/@shewhowrenches?si=6qcLv2fWYvSJXQwf - Follow and message us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shewhowrenches.bsky.social Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro Song 00:00:08 Opening 00:00:36 Recap Guy 00:03:19 Start the Book: 2 weeks later Stefan comes over for tea 00:04:15 Why does so much in Mercy Thompson Universe happen in Chicago? 00:05:38 What do Demons know? What do demons do between possessions? 00:08:00 Back to what Stefan found in Chicago 00:09:40 Why does Mercy only go after Andre? 00:15:46 What does Wulfe want? 00:17:50 Back to the Stefan Tea Party. Again. 00:20:59 Vampires give no f's about humans 00:22:04 Tad's romantic history speculation 00:24:52 Warren, Kyle, and Mercy try to console Ben 00:27:50 Stefan gives Mercy Andre's verdict 00:30:09 Theory: Does Marsilia See the Future? 00:32:32 The Seethe cleans up its mess 00:36:39 Wrapping up

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Attention Mercy Thompson books and Mercy-verse fans! Uncle Mike’s Book Club (Brittany, Eric, and Kelly) get together to talk all things Mercy Thompson, Alpha and Omega books, and slightly related tangents. Walkers, werewolves, vampires, fae, and mundanes are all welcome!  All episodes are chock-full of spoilers from ALL the books unless specifically marked "spoiler-free", so if you aren’t caught up, beware!

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