Patreon Preview #326: Steelers Can Be Choosers - Hey Riddle Riddle

Summary

Hey Riddle Riddle Podcast Summary

Episode: Patreon Preview #326: Steelers Can Be Choosers
Release Date: June 6, 2025
Hosts: Adeline, Aaron, and Amanda
Duration Covered: 00:02 – 10:13

1. Revisiting Previous Episodes and Danielle Steel Books (00:02 - 07:51)

The episode kicks off with Adeline reflecting on a past podcast episode where the team engaged in improvising scenes based on randomly selected Danielle Steel titles. Adeline expresses a critical stance towards Danielle Steel's work, highlighting negative feedback from Goodreads reviews.

Adeline: "We randomly picked, and then we also read some Goodreads reviews. And universally on each of the Goodreads reviews from the three books that we randomly picked, someone said, this is the worst book I've ever read." [00:02]

Aaron chimes in humorously, questioning the appeal of Danielle Steel to younger audiences.

Aaron: "If I were your kid and I saw you reading a Daniel Steele book instead of looking at me, I would never recover." [01:13]

Adeline admits to reading "The Sins of a Mother" by Danielle Steel, but in a non-traditional, non-linear fashion, likening her experience to that of the protagonist in "Slaughterhouse-Five."

Adeline: "I've been experiencing it like the guy from Slaughterhouse 5 experienced." [06:10]

She shares excerpts from the novel, showcasing the dramatic and perhaps convoluted narrative typical of Steel's writing.

2. Delving into Children's Literature: The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom (01:30 - 05:05)

The conversation shifts to a discussion about beloved children's books. Adeline passionately describes "The Gruffalo," highlighting its clever plot where a mouse deceives predators by inventing a fearsome creature.

Adeline: "...the Gruffalo is about this fucking awesome mouse. And he goes, he's walking through the forest... and he's gonna eat you." [02:30]

Amanda engages by questioning the realism of certain elements in the story, such as mice eating nuts.

Amanda: "Do mice eat nuts?" [03:20]

The group humorously debates the existence of the Gruffalo within the narrative, drawing parallels to mythical creature creation.

Amanda: "He's making up this thing called a Gruffalo. And then, because there might be only one Gruffalo..." [04:22]

Adeline also praises "Room on the Broom," appreciating its rhyming scheme and the portrayal of sly yet helpful animals.

Adeline: "Room on the Broom also slaps. It's about a witch with a broom, and she's very kind." [04:45]

3. Interlude: Humorous Banter and Book Recommendations (05:05 - 07:51)

Amanda lightens the mood by recommending "Who Moved My Cheese?" as a children's book, ironically commenting on its themes about the challenges of adulthood.

Amanda: "I'd recommend Who Moved My Cheese? It's a beautiful children's book about just sort of the horrors of adulthood." [05:05]

Adeline juxtaposes this with an excerpt from "The Sins of a Mother," highlighting the dramatic dialogue and tension within the narrative.

Adeline: "The trouble is, I don't want to be married to a man. I want to be married to a woman..." [05:22]

The hosts contemplate whether reading excerpts from Danielle Steel's work would be enjoyable for their review crew, ultimately deciding against it to maintain the quality of their discussions.

4. Planning for Future Content and Light-Hearted Time-Out Discussion (07:51 - 10:13)

The conversation transitions to potential future projects, with Aaron expressing interest in featuring "Ludwig the New British Mystery Show" and making playful references to classic cinema, such as "The Poseidon Adventure" with Gene Hackman.

Aaron: "I want to do Ludwig the New British Mystery show, which I think you guys would love." [08:03]

Adeline and Amanda humorously discuss Aaron being in a "time out" for pitching ideas too frequently, likening it to a child behaving misbehavingly.

Adeline: "This is like a kid sitting in time out and then being like, you know what would slap..." [09:35]

The trio engages in a playful exchange, imagining humorous consequences of being in "time out," incorporating exaggerated scenarios involving confectionery and playful threats.

Amanda: "I froze a pack of gushers and whipped it at her head." [10:10]

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

Adeline [00:02]: "We randomly picked, and then we also read some Goodreads reviews. And universally on each of the Goodreads reviews from the three books that we randomly picked, someone said, this is the worst book I've ever read."
Aaron [01:13]: "If I were your kid and I saw you reading a Daniel Steele book instead of looking at me, I would never recover."
Adeline [02:30]: "The Gruffalo is about this fucking awesome mouse. And he goes, he's walking through the forest... and he's gonna eat you."
Amanda [05:05]: "I'd recommend Who Moved My Cheese? It's a beautiful children's book about just sort of the horrors of adulthood."
Adeline [06:10]: "I've been experiencing it like the guy from Slaughterhouse 5 experienced."
Aaron [08:03]: "I want to do Ludwig the New British Mystery show, which I think you guys would love."
Amanda [10:10]: "I froze a pack of gushers and whipped it at her head."

Conclusion

In this preview episode, the Hey Riddle Riddle hosts engage in a spirited discussion about Danielle Steel's novels, juxtaposed with an enthusiastic exploration of beloved children's literature like "The Gruffalo" and "Room on the Broom." The conversation is peppered with humor, critical insights, and playful banter, offering listeners a glimpse into the hosts' dynamic interactions and diverse literary interests. While they express reservations about certain genres and authors, their passion for storytelling and improvisation remains evident, setting the stage for future engaging episodes.

Transcript

Adeline (0:02)

You know, a few months ago, we sat here on this very podcast. On this very podcast. Adeline, Aaron, I want you to fess up and I want you to own up to it. We sat here and we recorded a whole episode where I read you guys some Danielle Steele titles. And then we improvised scenes based off what we kind of thought those books were about. And I went back and listened to that episode recently, and I remember we just picked three random stories. And then we also read some Goodreads reviews. And universally on each of the Goodreads reviews from the three books that we randomly picked, someone said, this is the worst book I've ever read. Which I thought is so unfortunate for Danielle Steele, but then some. And I've long since forgotten who sent this to me, but I probably gave him a shout out on our review crew livestream when I open all the mail. Someone sent us a Din Steel book called the Sins of a Mother, a novel. And I went through and read a little bit of this book on my own time. And I did it in a way that I've never done with a book before, which is just opening the books.

Aaron (1:13)

If I were your kid and I saw you reading a Daniel Steele book instead of looking at me, I would never recover.

Adeline (1:19)

Aaron, this is definitely after bedtime activity. Oh, I see. It's all the Gruffalo when I'm with the kid. And by the way, the Gruffalo fucking whips.

Aaron (1:30)

What's the Gruffalo?

Amanda (1:31)

Sendak creation.

Adeline (1:33)

No, it's. Oh, man, I can't remember the person's name. I don't believe it. I thought it was a woman who wrote the Gruffalo. The Gruffalo is a children's book from the same person that did Room on the Broom. Are you guys familiar with Room on the Broom?

Aaron (1:47)

That one sounds more familiar.

Adeline (1:49)

Okay, Room on the Broom and the Gruffalo are both two of my favorite of the children's books because they're written in rhyme, which I think is like. Children's books seem pretty easy to write. So when they rhyme, I'm like, okay, so this person put in some effort, you know, to put something together here. But the Gruffalo is about this fucking awesome mouse. And he goes, he's walking through the forest, and all of these predators come up to eat him. And they're like, hey, man, I'm gonna eat you. And he goes, oh, okay, cool. I'm just meeting up with my friend, the Gruffalo. And they're like, what the fuck's the Gruffalo? And they're like, oh, yeah, he's like, horrible monster thing. And he describes this like, terrible monster. And they're like, I'm meeting him right here. Oh, and by the way, his like, favorite snack is like fox foot. And the fox is like, oh, I gotta get the fuck outta here. And the mouse is like, stupid fox. There's no such thing as a Gruffalo. Anyway, he does like this to three different animals. He's walking through the forest. Suddenly he comes into contact with the beast he's been describing. And it's the fucking Gruffalo. And the Gruffalo's like, hey, I'm gonna eat you. And he goes, you don't wanna eat me. I'm the most fearsome creature in all of the forest. Follow me. Stand right behind me. Follow me. I'll show you. He goes back to all those animals and they all see him and go, ooh, I gotta get out of here. But really what they're seeing is the Gruffalo behind him. And then the Gruffalo's like, wow, I didn't believe you, but I guess you are ferocious. And he goes, not only am I ferocious, but my favorite food is Gruffalo crumble or whatever. And the Gruffalo's like, whoa, I gotta get out of here. And then the Gruffalo takes off. And then the mouse eats a nut and he's like, hell yeah, I'm the king of the forest.