Patreon Preview #326: Steelers Can Be Choosers

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]

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]

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

[Adeline]

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]

What's the Gruffalo?

[Amanda]

Sendak creation.

[Adeline]

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]

That one sounds more familiar.

[Adeline]

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.

[Amanda]

Do mice eat nuts?

[Adeline]

I don't know.

[Amanda]

Yeah, sorry. I want to enjoy the story.

[Aaron]

Funniest dismount from the story I've ever.

[Amanda]

I want to enjoy this story so bad. And I've seen the. I've definitely seen the COVID because I've seen. It's like a boar. He's sort of like. He has one.

[Adeline]

Yeah, he's got tusks and knobbly knees and firmed out toes.

[Amanda]

Yeah. I really want to enjoy it, but I don't know if mice eat nuts. I'm sure they do, but I don't.

[Aaron]

Can't enjoy it. Sorry, sorry.

[Amanda]

Also, what is Gruffalo? So he made up a creature named the Gruffalo. And then this guy is like, I'm called a Gruffalo. That's. That's like if. If. If I'm a caveman and I'm like, there's something called saber toothed tiger. And then suddenly the saber tooth tiger comes up and goes, that's literally my name. And I'm like, I made that up.

[Adeline]

I think it's that thing where you, like tell a joke and then someone's like, oh, yeah, that was a tweet. And you're like, you know what? Maybe I saw the tweet.

[Amanda]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Adeline]

I think he saw the Gruffalo. And then he was like, gruffalo got it. And then he's like, I'm making up this thing called a Gruffalo. And then, because there might be only one Gruffalo, you know, it doesn't get into it.

[Amanda]

But that's.

[Aaron]

Then how does the Gruffalo.

[Adeline]

It doesn't get into it.

[Aaron]

Exist. It can't be one of a thing. It has to be, like, reproduced.

[Adeline]

Maybe he reproduces by the mouse eating the nut, and then the mouse sticks as shit and a Gruffalo grows from it.

[Amanda]

Come on, Mark Gruffalo on a buffalo ridding the Gruffalo.

[Aaron]

Janine Garofalo with Mark Ruffalo and the Gruffalo on a buffalo.

[Adeline]

Room on the Broom also slaps. It's about a witch with a broom, and she's very kind. And then they trick a dragon. And again, she gets help from animals. This person's presenting a world in which animals are both sly but helpful. It's very fun. Anyway, two great children's book recommendations for.

[Amanda]

I'd recommend who Moved My Cheese? It's a beautiful children's book about just sort of the horrors of adulthood.

[Aaron]

Who Moved My Cheese?

[Amanda]

Yeah. Again, I can't stress enough. It is a children's book.

[Adeline]

Okay, here we go. Here's a little bit of some excerpts from the Sins of a Mother by Danielle Steele. That's probably true, Amanda, and so are you. The trouble is, I don't want to be married to a man. I want to be married to a woman. And one who doesn't put my head on a chopping block to get what she wants or. Or is willing to blackmail my mother. I don't think she'll take kindly to your letter. In fact, I'll spare you the embarrassment of sending it to her.

[Amanda]

Huh?

[Adeline]

Yeah. I don't know. I mean, that's just. That's just fucking good drama. That's just great drama.

[Amanda]

Sorry, was that the first paragraph?

[Adeline]

What were you reading? That's just a paragraph in the middle of a.

[Amanda]

That's just a random paragraph.

[Adeline]

Okay. Yeah, I've been reading this book. Not linearly. I've been experiencing it like the guy from Slaughterhouse 5 experienced.

[Amanda]

And so it goes.

[Adeline]

I've become unstuck in his dance.

[Aaron]

Not how you're supposed to experience that. I'm 100% sure. Start at the beginning so you know there's an end. Do you know what I mean?

[Adeline]

In the morning, Olivia went on deck. Amanda was already presiding at the breakfast table presiding. She was wearing pale blue silk shorts with a matching blouse and a very pale blue hat to match. That sucks. She was wearing pale blue silk shorts with a matching blouse and a very pale blue hat to match.

[Amanda]

Couldn't they just say a matching hat and blouse?

[Adeline]

Hey, we used the word match in there twice. Kind of. Anyway. Olivia was wearing white cotton slacks and a starched white blouse. Her white hair was impeccably done and she had a manicure in the salon on the boat the day before, Amanda looked ready for anything. So Sarah looked sleepy and disheveled. When she came up, she said she had slept like a baby and all three of the men in the family were still asleep. Olivia suspected that Alex had stayed up late watching movies in his room. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know about this. The pros in this is a little rough to read.

[Aaron]

I. I think we should read one for review crew.

[Adeline]

We did say that we would read one for review crew. I think based on the selections that I have read from this, it would be very difficult to do that and actually have a good time. So of course we'll end up having to do it for review crew. But what we're going to do today on the show is we're going to go back to the Daniel Steele, the Danielle Steele. Well, and we are going to improvise some more Danielle Steele stories. Because she has such a long and prolific career. She's got so much to draw on.

[Amanda]

Do we know if that's her birth name?

[Adeline]

Oh, I didn't know. I do not know. It doesn't seem like it could be right. Danielle Steele seems like a name that.

[Aaron]

Feels like a pen name.

[Amanda]

Feels like a nom duplicate.

[Adeline]

As an author, I also want to point your guys attention to the author photo on the back of this book. I'm going to try to show it to you.

[Aaron]

Iconic.

[Amanda]

Whoa. She looks like she's in a production of Hamilton.

[Adeline]

Look at these heels. First of all, she's also in a library. It looks like it is the messiest library. I mean, it's just she's got books stacked up on stairs. It looks like she's taking a photo in like a hoarder's space. Like it doesn't seem. I think she wants it to read classy, but what it reads like is like one of those stacks of books could fall down and then you would be stuck in your like Parisian house until you're clean. It's like you're going to get like gene Hackman in your own house.

[Aaron]

Oh, no.

[Adeline]

Sorry. Terrible tragedy. But also why you don't want to stack books up tall like that.

[Aaron]

Yeah, I know that I'm not allowed to pick review crew anymore, but at some point, can we do the Poseidon Adventure with Gene Hackman? With Gene Hackman.

[Adeline]

Oh, the movie. Danielle Steelbook.

[Aaron]

No. And then I also want to do Ludwig the New British Mystery show, which I think you guys would love. But I'm in timeout with review crew and I respect the timeout.

[Adeline]

Do you? Because you keep pitching things.

[Aaron]

Well, I'm just saying. Well, what if you just keep it in the back of your mind and then by the time like October. When am I out of. When am I out of the doghouse here, guys?

[Adeline]

You said three months.

[Amanda]

This is self imposed, Darren.

[Adeline]

So like the fall, basically you can come back.

[Aaron]

So September. All right, well then I'll see you in September.

[Amanda]

Okay. Sounds like a.

[Adeline]

This is like a kid sitting in time out and then being like, you know what would slap zebra cakes. Should we do zebra cake? You're like, you're in time out. You hit your sister hard.

[Aaron]

What if we went to the park? Doesn't the park sound fun? Some sunshine, some water.

[Adeline]

Is there a new bluey? I was. Wasn't there a new bluey? What's today? Is it Tuesday? Is there a bluey today?

[Aaron]

You know, I could go for a Capri Sun. You hit your sister hard, hard, hard.

[Amanda]

No, I froze a pack of gushers and whipped it at her head and.

[Aaron]

Then I hit her. Get it right.

[Adeline]

1, 2, 3, 4. Hate riddle. Riddles. Clue Crew, listen to the rest of the episode now by starting your free seven day trial at patreon. Com. Heyriddle riddle.