The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nettles - Show Notes

This week on The Podcast, Laura and Charlotte return to Sweden to finish the original Millenium Trilogy with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. They chat about the trial of Lisbeth Salander, Erika Berger's professional strife, and Mikhael Blomkvist's endless supply of lovers. Laura explains why Annika Gianini becomes a one of her favorite characters, and which characters she felt served as palette cleansers. Charlotte talks about the stupidity of Prosecutor Ekstrom, and shares how much she appreciated Monica Figueroa. Together the girls also question the satisfaction of the final book in the trilogy, reveal their favorite part of the book, and so much more. Can Lisbeth overcome her mistrust of authority figures in order to save herself? Can Erika Berger survive the monstrous Svenska Morgen-Posten? And, how the hell does Mikhael keep his job? All these questions and asked (and potentially answered) in this week's episode.

For Fun & Games, Laura and Charlotte dust off the Sorting Hat to decide if the Millenium characters belong in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. They also take a buzzfeed quiz called "Which Strong Female Literary Character are You Based on Your Taste in Dessert?"  Play along and share your result in the comment section of this post.

Looking for a podtail to sip on while enjoying The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest? Laura suggested the Swedish Polar Bear or a nip of Akvavit!

Listen to this episode now!

The Lettuce Podcast is available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Podcast Addict. If you like what you hear and want to be part of the conversation, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

  
-----

On the next topic episode of The Lettuce Podcast, Laura and Charlotte will be reviewing the new 2018 film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. 

Until then,

Arugalator!

The Garden with the Dragon Tatsoi - Show Notes

Happy New Year from The Lettuce Podcast! Laura and Charlotte start the year off with one of their favorite books The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. They're excited to start this crime thriller series and chat about its cast of vivid characters, themes of social injustice, and commentary about society's treatment of women. Laura talks about the loveable playboy Mikael Blomkvist and wonders if his actions with women are respectful or problematic. Charlotte shares why she liked Erika Berger's put-together no-nonsense attitude. Both girls talk about their love of the strong, but troubled Lisbeth Salander, why the entire Vanger family is a mess, and the ways in which Salander and Berger are complementary characters. They also take the opportunity to compare the book with its US film adaptation, covering the changes made in both good and bad ways. Was the Vanger family's choice to cover up their ugly past a savvy business move or a rich family's power play? Does the “Locked Room Mystery” set-up work in book form? And is there any sympathy at all for the slimeball Nils Bjurman? (Spoiler Alert: NO!). All these subjects and more are discussed on this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast.

In the Fun & Games segment, the girls end 2016 and welcome the new year with two of their tried and true favorite games: Madlibs and Kill, Marry, Pity Date.

For this episode, Laura enjoyed a podtail called the Swedish Polar Bear. A perfect beverage to accompany winter on the cold Hedeby Island!

Listen to this episode now!

-----
We'll be starting off 2017 with TWO topic episodes in a row! Join us next week for another topic episode about the new film everyone's talking about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!

Until then,
Arugulater!