Podcast
Cracked Spines
Hosted by Cyrus Amelia Fisher and Sarah Palmer · EN
Crack open a good book with two wise-cracking besties. Sarah and Cyrus are two queer English majors who use their degrees to commit crimes against literature.
Support us on Patreon for bonus episodes and merch! https://www.patreon.com/crackedspinespodcast
29episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The $500 Tortoise and Hare Literary Death Match
2w ago01:03:36Tap to summarizeOle Sarah needs a win, and by GOD she is going to get one. Or else she is making that everyone else's problem. In this episode, we hash out the rules for the contest that will finally tear us apart: Who Can Read More Books This Year. First half of the episode, we litigate exactly that that means. Second half of the episode? Establishing the stakes. Come 2027, this house might have a soft serve machine or PS5, but it will DEFINITELY have a homemade garden statue of one of us with the word "WINNER" underneath. Support the show
Transcribe →Animorphs 43-47: A Tale of Three Vissers
4w ago00:56:49Tap to summarizeWe're back on that Animorphs grind, this time covering The Test, The Unexpected, The Revelation, The Deception, and The Resistance. And guys, these books that are meant for children are getting DEEP into what constitutes a war crime, what it means to sacrifice a loved one for the greater good, and how cool it would be to be a kangaroo. Support the show
Transcribe →Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Jun 1500:51:24Tap to summarizeIt doesn't get much zeitgeist-ier than this episode's book, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, a non-political (press f to doubt) hard sci-fi about overcoming your own pathetic cowardice and saving the universe all by yourself except with ten thousand other people and also an alien. Also it's REALLY HOT, but our hosts only complain about it a little bit, I swear. Support the show
Transcribe →Ol' Sarah Could Really Use A Win (a mid-year TBR check-in)
Jun 100:54:07Tap to summarizeThis week, Sarah and Cyrus take a look at back at their lofty goals for 2026 and see how far along they're getting in their TBR piles - as expected, it quickly devolves into a competition, as these things often to. Come and hang out with us as we go over the books our intrepid readers have loved and hated so far this year, with a sidebar into abusing the cat and contemplating whether or not it's time to use the Desk Gun. Support the show
Transcribe →How To Learn Languages Fast But Maybe Not Like. That Fast
May 1800:50:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, EPIC HIGHS AND LOWS! The heady rush of triumph, the crushing blow of betrayal, the anguish of stealing failure from the jaws of success: all this and more can be found in Sarah's beloved HelloChinese app. We discuss Sarah's attempts at teaching herself Chinese, through the lens of "Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It" by Gabriel Wyner. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn from Arnold Schwarzenegger exploding a dog. Support the show
Transcribe →Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Endure Domestic Air Travel
May 400:43:44Tap to summarizeThis week, two idiots discuss a third. We read Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers, the story of a craven buffoon and the asshole he's pestering. We saw a lot of ourselves in the characters. But first, we take a long walk through the Wichita airport, fast food moral failings, and United's war of attrition on the human psyche. Like we do talk about the book to be clear, but much like us on our recent travel day, it sure does take us a while to get anywhere. Support the show
Transcribe →Cleaning (With The Help of Books)
Apr 2101:15:56Tap to summarizeWant to know a secret? Cleaning sucks. Want to know an even bigger secret? There are books that are supposed to help you deal with how much cleaning sucks! This week, Cyrus and Sarah dive into a few different nonfiction books about how to keep your space clean to see if any of it seems helpful. Spoiler alert - a huge chunk of this episode is about vibrators. You've been warned. Support the show
Transcribe →Writers Talking About Writing Books About Writing
Mar 2500:50:47Tap to summarizeThis week we're talking about the ultimate topic writers love to talk about: writing. God, writers love talking about writing. Cyrus takes a break from cranking out their novel to issue death threats and discuss their evolving take on imposter syndrome. Sarah indulges in a little therapy and discloses her top five coping techniques. Suicide Squad and Tremors both feature more than you might expect. All statements about killing Tom Cruise are just quirky lil jokes :3Support the show
Transcribe →Heated Rivalry (ft. A Proprietary Nootropic Mushroom Blend Inspired By Psychodelics)
Mar 400:55:37Tap to summarizeHello, everyone, welcome to this episode posted exactly on time where Sarah and Cyrus discuss the romance series of the moment, The Gay Hockey One That Now Has a TV Show. But first, 13 minutes of bullshit. We really make you wait for it. And we also spend a lot of time on Game Changers, the first book in the series which Sarah read and Cyrus didn't. You know how bad books sometimes demand conversation more than good ones? Also. Sweat. We discuss a lot of sweat. My dudes, this episode is all over the place. Enjoy?Support the show
Transcribe →Taboo Romance and Captive Prince
Feb 1001:07:03Tap to summarizeDark romance should be DARKER!!! But where is the line? This week we approach that age-old question through the lens of Captive Prince, a 2016 novel by C.S. Pacat, especially in comparison to the dark/taboo romance more popular today. We talk about censorship, purity politics, and the way that Amazon's restrictions on self-publishing content shapes the trends and tropes in romance today. Featuring a special guest star who finally SOLVES the issue of censorship vs freedom of expression forever! Yippee, we did it! (This episode contains spoilers for the three books in the Captive Prince trilogy)Content warnings: Discussions involving sexual assault, bestiality, and pedophilia. Support the show
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