The SSR Podcast

Alli Hoff Kosik
The SSR Podcast

Each week, freelance writer and lifelong bookworm Alli Hoff Kosik will challenge a guest to reread a literary throwback or to experience for the first time ever a book they may have missed as a kid. After that, they'll be asked to spill all the feels and all the opinions about that book on the air for your podcast-listening pleasure. Every Tuesday, you can find us breaking down an old school read from our tween and teen days on a new episode of the show. We'll cover everything from The Baby-Sitters Club to Holes, Nancy Drew to Harry Potter. This time around, we're a little wiser (yay!), a lot older (ugh.), and of legal age to drink wine... so we'll have a lot to say. Happy Reading! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. JAN 28

    Episode 309: The Tower Treasure (The Hardy Boys #1) (with Christina Cooke)

    At last, the Hardy Boys get an episode all their own! Episode 309 takes a deep dive into the first book in the series—The Tower Treasure—as well as the bestselling franchise as a whole... and the conversation is juicy! Launched in the 1920s, the Hardy Boys prompts discussion about gendered book marketing, racism, white saviorism, letting boys be boys, virtuous poverty, Nancy Drew, the interchangeability of the Hardy brothers, nepotism, obstruction of justice, portrayals of law enforcement, and depictions of women. Christina Cooke is the author of Broughtupsy. Follow her on Instagram @christina.j.cooke. CHECK OUT CHRISTINA'S BOOK HERE! CHECK OUT CHRISTINA'S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: When the Emperor Was Divine by Julia Otsuka Headshot by Rita Bullwinkle MORE READING: "Book Review: The Tower Treasure (1927) and The Tower Treasure (1959) by Franklin W. Dixon" (Read-At-Home Mom, 2017) "I read all 190 Hardy Boys books" (Reddit, 2023) "In Which I Read My First Hardy Boys Mystery" (Pages Unbound, 2022) "Reading Through the Hardy Boys Mysteries (Books 1-10)" (Pages Unbound, 2023) "1: The Tower Treasure" (Hardy Boys Book Reviews, 2013) "The Hardy Boys have not aged well" (Reddit, 2024) "The Hardy Boys: Comparing Hulu's Show to the Classic Book Series" (Den of Geek, 2020) "The Knotty Nostalgia of the Hardy Boys Series" (The Atlantic, 2019) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  2. JAN 14

    Episode 307: Girls in Love (with Lucy Jane Wood)

    Happy New Year! We're kicking off 2025 with a conversation with a friend from across the pond, highlighting a series and book that's been a particular favorite for young readers in the U.K. Jacqueline Wilson's Girls in Love takes center stage! Tune into Episode 307 for discussions about fake boyfriends, shifting friendships, diet culture, self-image, and more. TW: attempted assault, body image, diet culture Lucy Jane Wood is an online content creator, avid reader, and coziness-seeker. Her debut novel is Rewitched. Follow her on Instagram @lucyjanewood and YouTube. CHECK OUT LUCY'S BOOK HERE! Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood CHECK OUT LUCY'S BOOK RECOMMENDATION: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong MORE READING: "Girls in Love" (Publishers Weekly, 1997) "Are we too young for Jacqueline Wilson's Girls in Love" (The Guardian, 2011) "Book Review — Girls in Love by Jacqueline Wilson" (Yipee Ki-Yay, Motherbooker) "Jacqueline Wilson to release new adult sequel to Girls in Love book series" (Independent, 2024) "Girls in Love" (Jacqueline Wilson Wiki) "Everything that happened in the Jacqueline Wilson Girls series" (Penguin, 2024) "Review — Girls in Love — Jacqueline Wilson" (Blog of a Bookaholic, 2012) "Why do Jacqueline Wilson's books resonate with young people, especially girls?" (Quora) "'These books captured our hearts': Jacqueline Wilson's Girls series is back—and millennials are rejoicing" (The Guardian, 2024) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    58 min
  3. 12/27/2024

    Episode 306: Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1) (with Kat Tang)

    The Magic Tree House has been making readers, history buffs, and science geeks of kids for more than thirty years—and at long last, SSR dives in! Episode 306 covers all things Magic Tree House with a special focus on the first installment, Dinosaurs Before Dark. Alli and her guest chat about everything from the origin of Magic Tree House and unpopular opinions about the books to the allure of treehouses and time travel. Also... dinosaurs. Kat Tang is a former lawyer turned fiction writer with an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. Her debut novel Five-Star Stranger has made most-anticipated and must-read lists by many outlets. Follow her on Instagram @tangkat. CHECK OUT KAT'S BOOK HERE! CHECK OUT KAT'S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates Half a Life by Darin Strauss MORE READING: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly about Magic Tree House" (Big Books, Little Ears) "30 years and 65 books later, Mary Pope Osborne reflects on 'Magic Tree House'" (Today, 2022) "Book Reviews: An Unpopular Opinion about the Popular Magic Tree House Series" (Dragon Bite Books & Crafts, 2021) "Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Magic Tree House Collection" (First Book, 2022) "Series Review: The Magic Tree House" (The Starving Artist, 2017) "The Magic Tree House's Magical Popularity" (Pine Reads Review, 2021) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  4. 12/10/2024

    Episode 304: The Catcher in the Rye (with Beth Kander)

    On Episode 304, Alli and her guest right the wrong (???) of somehow missing The Catcher in the Rye in their reading lives. In this juicy, thoughtful episode, they consider the book's place in the American canon and on school reading lists everywhere. They chat about sad boy fiction, Holden Caulfield's complicated character and legacy, love bombing, New York City as a character, teen angst, slut shaming, and more. TW: death by suicide, sexual assault Beth Kander is a writer with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. Described as a "genre-defying author and playwright" (Oxford American), her work has been called "riveting" and "habit-forming." I Made It Out of Clay is her latest novel. Follow Beth on Instagram @bethkander. CHECK OUT BETH'S BOOKS: I Made It Out of Clay Do Not Eat This Book! CHECK OUT BETH'S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio The Measure by Nikki Erlick Night Owls by A.R. Vishy Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner MORE READING: "Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger — review" (The Guardian, 2012) "The Meaning of The Catcher in the Rye" (Thought Catalog, 2024) "Story Skeleton — The Catcher in the Rye" (The Darling Axe, 2023) "From everyteen to annoying: are today's young readers turning on The Catcher in the Rye?" (The Guardian, 2019) "He's Not Holden!" (Slate, 2013) "I Hated Catcher in the Rye As A Teen — But It's Exactly The Book I Needed As An Adult" (Bustle, 2018) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m
4.8
out of 5
353 Ratings

About

Each week, freelance writer and lifelong bookworm Alli Hoff Kosik will challenge a guest to reread a literary throwback or to experience for the first time ever a book they may have missed as a kid. After that, they'll be asked to spill all the feels and all the opinions about that book on the air for your podcast-listening pleasure. Every Tuesday, you can find us breaking down an old school read from our tween and teen days on a new episode of the show. We'll cover everything from The Baby-Sitters Club to Holes, Nancy Drew to Harry Potter. This time around, we're a little wiser (yay!), a lot older (ugh.), and of legal age to drink wine... so we'll have a lot to say. Happy Reading! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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