It's time for that classic summer beach read, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway! Grab your fishing pole and Xanax, and join Jess and Lauren as they debrief the most demoralizing fishing story ever written. (Thanks for nothing, Papa.)

#23: An Inspector Calls

Feb 2nd, 2021 1h

It's our first listener-requested title: An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley! This play was new to our hosts, but required for students in the UK, which makes for a delightfully British-ish episode. Join Lauren and Jess as they explore this "Com

#22: The Little Match Girl

Dec 24th, 2020 49m 42s

It's our traditional bummer of a holiday episode with The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen! Join Lauren and Jess as they sympathize with our frozen little heroine, strategize smarter match-selling methods and try to muster up a litt

#21: Pride & Prejudice (and Persuasion!)

Sep 22nd, 2020 1h 29m

Come for the Pride, stay for the Prejudice (and Persuasion!) Join Lauren and Jess for a foray into the ultimate romantic comedy, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice... with a little bit of Persuasion thrown in there for good measure.Like us on FB,

Season Three Sneak Peek!

Sep 1st, 2020 5m 11s

Join your hosts Lauren Bahlman and Jessica Austgen for a sneak peek at the titles for Season Three of Required Readcast.Sept: Pride & Prejudice (& Persuasion!)Oct: DraculaNov: An Inspector CallsDecember: Les Miserables Volume Two: Cosette

#20: The Baby-Sitter's Club #1 (Kristy's Great Idea)

Jun 13th, 2020 56m 17s

Is the Baby-Sitters Club great literature? No. Is it a soothing, easy read during COVID times? Hells, yes. Join Lauren and Jess as they (remotely) reminisce about this treasured childhood series, discuss the finer points of living in suburban C

#19: The Catcher in the Rye

Jan 28th, 2020 51m 1s

Hey you crumby phonies! Jess and Lauren tackle their most-requested title, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and check out Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar for our next episode!Theme music and lyr

#18: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Dec 21st, 2019 1h 2m

Get those tiny hearts ready, because they're about to grow THREE WHOLE SIZES with holiday cheer! Join Lauren and Jess and they discuss the holiday classic, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas.Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta

#17: Little Women

Aug 9th, 2019 1h 20m

Oh wow, these lil bitches are charming AF! (Except Amy, she sucks) Join Jessica and Lauren for the wholesome feminist goodness that is Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and send us your suggestions

#16: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Jun 3rd, 2019 53m 19s

Hold on to your butts (er...asses?) and head into the woods with Jessica and Lauren as they discuss William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter and Insta and brush up on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women

#15: 1984 (with Sean Scrutchins)

Mar 25th, 2019 1h 12m

Big Brother definitely does not approve of this episode. Join Lauren, Jess and special guest Sean Scrutchins (Winston Smith in the Benchmark Theater production) as they talk through George Orwell's horrifyingly prescient 1984.Like us on FB, fo

#14: Les Miserables Vol. One

Feb 25th, 2019 1h 6m

Is this the saddest book ever? Well... yeah. It's kinda in the title. Join Jess and Lauren for the first volume of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, a bummer of an epic novel that will make you super glad that you're not a single mother in old-time

#13: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Jan 28th, 2019 1h 12m

New year, new magical country. Come through the wardrobe with Jess and Lauren as we explore C.S. Lewis' first story in Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Dont' forget to put on your fur coat, your most British-ish accen

#12: A Christmas Carol

Dec 23rd, 2018 1h 13m

God bless us, everyone! For the year end episode, Lauren and Jess tackle the most essential of all holiday stories: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Have a cup of holiday cheer (meaning: booze) and join us for a spooky holiday ghost story ma

#11: The Gift of the Magi

Dec 18th, 2018 51m 57s

Nothing will ruin your holiday spirit like O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, a bummer of a short story about Christmas shopping gone horribly awry! In this episode, Jess and Lauren get real sad, discuss terrible gifts of holidays past, and someo

#10: Matilda

Dec 4th, 2018 57m 20s

Lauren and Jess both agree: there's nothing revolting about Roald Dahl's Matilda. Listen in as your hosts talk newts vs. salamanders, discuss truly terrible teachers and marvel over the vocal stylings of one Miss Kate Winslet. Like us on FB, f

#9: Lord of the Flies

Sep 12th, 2018 1h 6m

What could be worse than an island full of feral schoolboys? Nothing. Nothing is worse than that. Jess and Lauren are back for for Season Two with one of the most horrifying novels to ever be assigned in a classroom: William Golding's The Lord

#8: Charlotte's Web

Jun 16th, 2018 1h 18m

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is an enduring tale about the power of friendship... and a great way to introducing children to the concept of mortality! Jess and Lauren sob their way through this childhood classic as they talk animal husbandry,

#7: The Crucible

Apr 25th, 2018 1h 15m

Lauren and Jess visit Salem, Mass. for a witchy good time as they discuss The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. Grab a copy of the play and listen along as our hosts chat witchcraft, McCarthyism and what kind of snacks are best for your coven meeting

#6: The Great Gatsby

Apr 1st, 2018 1h 7m

Happy Easter from West Egg, Old Sport! Grab a finger bowl full of champagne and join Jess and Lauren as they hate on Daisy Buchanan, flirt via shirts, and talk drunk driving in the Jazz Age. Stay gold, Gatz!Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter

#5: The Giver

Mar 15th, 2018 1h 12m

Lois Lowry's The Giver is one kick-ass piece of uptopian/dystopia fiction, but no one ever assigned it to Jess and Lauren. Weird. Join our hosts as they discuss the pros and cons of living in a kinda-cult, why you shouldn't release babies into

#4: Romeo & Juliet

Feb 28th, 2018 1h 10m

Join Lauren and Jessica as they discuss the greatest murder love story ever told, Romeo and Juliet by William "It's Hard to be the Bard" Shakespeare. Put on your favorite pair of pumpkin pants and listen in as your hosts tackle irresponsible pa

#3: To Kill a Mockingbird

Feb 7th, 2018 1h 13m

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee might just be a perfect book, but that doesn't mean Lauren and Jessica don't have opinions about it! This week, we talk about our favorite/least favorite citizens of Maycomb, discuss the origins of the phrase

#2: The Lottery

Jan 10th, 2018 56m 20s

Shirley Jackson's The Lottery is one of the most famous (and messed up) short stories of all time, so it seemed like a perfect way for Lauren and Jessica to kick off the new year of their new podcast. Grab a copy of the book and join your hosts

#1: The Outsiders

Dec 31st, 2017 50m 18s

Lauren had to read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton in the 8th grade, Jessica never read it at all. How does the ultimate YA classic hold up after all these years? Spoiler: it stayed gold, Ponyboy.----more----Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter a

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