Booktails Podcast

The Shining by Stephen King

Spooky Stephen King 1
HEEEEEEERE'S BOOKTAILS!
It's finally spooky season and we are celebrating with the master of horror this month, Stephen King! Join us roaming the iconic hallways of the Overlook Hotel as the nights draw in.
Join Rachel and Serena as they discuss unreliable narrators, the Kubrick film adaptation, justice for Wendy and try to get to grips with who or what Tony is, whilst getting more than a little tipsy! 
But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy so if you feel like visiting the Overlook's ghostly bar the Undead Gentleman himself would be only too happy to serve you up a delicious cocktail courtesy of the marvellous Hauntingly Good Spirits book! Seriously these cocktails are the real deal and not to be missed! This one is a Red Rum drink but hopefully murder won't be on the cards for you tonight... 
Notes: Serena's frozen Jack photo is available on Instagram. 

The Last Supper by Rosemary Shrager

Cosy Murders 3.
Are you hungry? Grab a seat at the table because Rosemary Shrager is about to serve you up quite the meal and we are here to pour the tea! 
Take a sip of your perfectly paired aperitif Death by Rhubarb and meet the cast of very posh potential murderers in this classic country manor setting where murder is definitely on the menu. But can our wholesome granny/ granddaughter sleuth duo solve the case before it's too late? Rachel and Serena get very hungry this episode exploring red herrings, celebrity writers, quirky sidekicks and mushrooms you definitely shouldn't eat in the woods. 
Notes: 1) Rosemary Shrager was in such shows as Kitchen Showdown, Soapstar Superchef and the gem that was Ladette to Lady. 
2) There was a 'Millicent Bulstrode' character in Harry Potter, not Matilda!
3) The Toxic Bachelors character is called Gray Hawk, Serena should never have doubted you Rachel. Tut tut.

The Trial by Rob Rinder

Cosy Murder 2: The Trial by Rob Rinder (Rachel's Recommendation) 
WE OBJECT, YOUR HONOUR - to the use of advocaat in a SECOND pod cocktail! But we do not object to the second book in our cosy murder series - The Trial by (Judge) Rob Rinder.
The cocktail this week is the Cliveden's Gotcha, or if you fancy a mocktail, the Solicitor. Gather your evidence and get ready to present your case to the eternal judges Rachel and Serena as we cut through the legal jargon to examine this cosy courtroom drama. Will Adam Green ever get his tenancy? Will Jimmy Knight be sent to the slammer? Court is now in session.
You are hereby ordered (politely) to serve as juror and justice WILL be served. What, like it's hard?

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Cosy Murders 1: Serena's Recommendation 
Get the gang together on your zimmers because the time has come for...COSY MURDER SEASON! 🔪🧣🍁☕Change to your winter duvet, get your knitting out and put the kettle on because the seasons are changing and it's time to curl up with murder of the most comforting variety! And we're starting with a modern favourite- The Thursday Murder Club! 
Join our very own Booktails Murder Club by listening to the episode and CHASING it down with a Coopers Chase tea cocktail, sleuth your way through the book and find out which of the iconic granny gang is your spirit animal! 
Notes: We recorded this episode before the movie was released. We do have opinions on it, but they are not shared here! Except perhaps #justiceforbogdan ;)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Deadly Competitions 3
That's right, it's the one you were all thinking of! There's no way we could do a Deadly Competitions series without including this beloved franchise.
Get ready to be plucked from District 12 and dropped  into a fight for survival, with politics, intrigue and maybe even love along the way. Get your bow and arrows ready for business, and may the odds be ever in your favour...

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

Deadly Competitions 2
If you thought your school was bad, it had nothing on this one! It's time to dive into the Battle Royale phenomenon- 42 kids are taken on a 'school trip', given weapons and told to kill each other until only one survives.
With a Kiriyama Bloody Mary in hand (pasta sauce) Serena and Rachel join the race for survival and find out how long they would last in a battle royale. Have a think to yourself who from your school days you would want to form an alliance with! Those of us who spent our days reading in the corner would make a great team... Right? 
Notes: Go to our social media for the mentioned video of Rachel tasting bloody Mary.
Difference between psychopath and sociopath: Sociopaths are prone to fits of rage and hot headedness, whereas psychopaths remain calm and emotionless. Psychopaths usually seem to lead normal, even very successful lives whereas sociopaths struggle to maintain regular work and family life.

The Running Man by Stephen King

Deadly Competitions 1: Rachel's Recommendation 
Minus 55 minutes and countingOn your marks, get set...DEADLY COMPETITIONS TIME! ⏳🔪
Grab your running shoes and grab a natural energy drink (cocktail) full of electrolytes because it's time for a new Booktails Podcast theme! 
We're starting with a bang with The Running Man by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
Join Rachel and Serena as we don our disguises and race alongside Ben Richards through streets, hotel rooms and sewers and and even through a pencil maze of our own creation and try our hardest to stay alive despite a corrupt government with all the wrong priorities. Topical who???? 
 
Notes:  Photos of Rachel's pencil maze available on Instagram and Patreon. Also, the new Running Man movie was partially filmed in Glasgow, ooh!

The Trial by Franz Kafka

Centenery Series 3 (Rachel's Rec)
If you've ever missed your stop on the train this episode is for you. We're channeling Kafka and staying alcohol free this week, but feel free to add a splash of something stronger to K's Defence if you prefer! He needs all the help he can get with this Trial after all!
Have you ever felt like you're living in a bureaucratic fever dream? (Every time you have to book an appointment at your GP?) Don't go in a huff and burn your writing like Kafka! There's always the chance you might get a complete acquittal. I mean, no one ever has... But you might! ...Right?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Centenery Series 2.
There's no way we could do a series on books from 1925 without including one of the most studied and revered books of all time!
That's right, we are bringing out the big guns and meeting The Great Gatsby. But is he a hero or a fraud? Is Daisy really the worst? And what is actually up with those famous eyes in the sky? All these questions and more will be answered by Rachel and Serena this week.
So grab a gin Rickey cocktail and look out your dancing shoes. There's a party in West Egg and you're all invited. 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos

Centenary Series 1: Serena's Recommendation 
"Kissing your hand may make you feel very very good but a diamond and safire bracelet lasts forever." This is just one important life lesson given to the reader by the force which is Lorelei Lee.
Join Serena and Rachel, 'Tiara' cocktail in gloved hand, as they talk through Lorelei's famous trip to Europe, meet her many suitors, wish Dorothy was their best friend too and reflect on the joys and misadventures of being a fabulous flapper in 1925.