We're back for the spooky season! This Halloween, Mara and Josh discuss Madeline McGrane's graphic novel The Accursed Vampire. Listen in to see how it stacks up. Also discussed: Jurassic Park, Alex Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, CoinStar machines, Pingu, and genderfluid frogs. Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visit him at www.benash.com. Mixing and drums by Chaz Bommarito, guitar by Jakael Tristram ..read more

Mara and Josh visit the imagination of Kelly Barnhill for a second time with her latest novel, The Ogress and the Orphans! How does it stack up to The Girl Who Drank the Moon? Will they successfully figure out who is narrating the story this time? Tune in and find out! Also discussed: Rage Against the Machine, Angela Anaconda, goats, the Twilight Zone, food drives, and Lemony Snicket. Next month we will be on hiatus, and will return with a new episode in May! Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/9037925 ..read more

Happy New Year! This episode is totally on time! To kick off 2023, Mara and Josh begin a new series, featuring a group of quirky siblings and the people surrounding them. Are the Vanderbeekers a suitable replacement for the Penderwicks? Let's find out. Also discussed: Arrested Development, It's a Wonderful Life, squatter's rights, the Daily Bugle, New England, and Burger King. Next month we will be discussing Amari and the Great Game by B. B. Alston. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-ma ..read more

This month we take a break from book discussions to offer a collection of outtakes from previous episodes! These segments were recorded for various episodes throughout 2022, but have never before been released. Straight from the cutting room floor, it's The Clips Show! Also discussed: Chirp, Long Lankin, Dark Waters, The Night Gardener, Empty Smiles, and Hooky. Next month we will be discussing The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara ..read more

This month, Mara and Josh apparently fall into a mirror world where Long Lankin doesn't exist. Instead, there is only Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener, a story that is superficially similar but vastly different in end result. Take a trip to the other side! Also discussed: Wings of Fire, Henry Sellick, flip books, Bohemian Rhapsody, anti-anxiety medication, and either Amy Adams, Naomi Watts, or Nicole Kidman. Next month we will be reading Hooky by Miriam Bonastre Tur. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user ..read more

Mara and Josh are experiencing a very different August--specifically, August 1958 in rural England. They're reading Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough, and if you want to know how much it spooked them, you'll just have to listen and find out! Also discussed: Terry Pratchett, Gilmore Girls, the Babadook, council houses, Javier Botet, and historical terms for psychiatric facilities. Next month we will be reading Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme ..read more

Mara and Josh take a look at an iconic and ugly time in America's history: the American Revolution. Specifically, they read Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, which follows a young enslaved girl named Isabel. Tune in and hear their thoughts! Content warning: miserable things happening to a Black girl for 300 pages. Also discussed: Elon Musk, Johnny Tremain, strawberry milk, Boy Scouts, Roman numerals, and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Next month we will be reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads ..read more

With their landmark fiftieth episode, Mara and Josh dive into a promising new series with Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. How does this world of magical bureaucracy stack up to its competitors in the YA scene? Listen in and find out! Also discussed: Charles Dickens, The Good Place, Grumpy Old Men, Quinton Reviews, I Survived, and AARP. Next month we will be reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visi ..read more

Once again, Josh and Mara join Ollie, Coco, and Brian on their spooky adventures. This time, they're on a boat! What atrocities will these poor kids face this season at the hands of the smiling man? Also discussed: Myst, The House Bunny, motorcycle sidecars, the Blair Witch Project, numbers stations, and Hanson. Next month we will be reading Chirp by Kate Messner. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visit him at www.benash.com. Mixing and drums by Cha ..read more

Josh and Mara reflect on the first fifty(ish) books from the podcast with a single-elimination March Madness bracket! Where will your favorite book end up? Also discussed: Dungeons and Dragons, Riverdale, Wicked, the Great British Bake Off, and Billie Eilish. Next month we will be reading Dark Waters by Katherine Arden. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visit him at www.benash.com. Mixing and drums by Chaz Bommarito, guitar by Jakael Tristram. Note ..read more