The Bookish Hour

Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube (a Split or Swallow novel)

• Jor & Fab • Season 1 • Episode 50

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BOOKCLUB TIME!!

In this episode, we dive headfirst into the provocative world of a Split or Swallow novel by Lindsay Straube (which is now named Kiss of the Basilisk), unraveling its themes of desire, identity, and erotic exploration through the lens of character dynamics and storytelling. The show emphasizes the importance of reading this daring novel without preconceived notions, allowing its raw and vivid narrative to unfold organically.

• Exploring why diving blind into a book enhances the reading experience 
• Discussion of relationships framed as a love triangle and their emotional implications 
• Critical examination of themes surrounding desire and personal agency 
• Encouragement to re-evaluate erotic literature's role in contemporary storytelling 

Come join ussss on the dark sssside!

Cover Art by: Fabienne and Jordan
Contact email: thebookishhourpod@gmail.com
Intro/Outro music: Season Two: Ramaramaray by Aiyo via Epidemic Sound Season One: Sweet Psycho via TikTok’s Offical Sound Studio on Capcut
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Podcast: @thebookishhourpod
Fabienne: @oxonheart
Jordan: @sipsoffiction

Jordan:

welcome to the bookish hour with jor and fab.

Fabienne:

Hello, hello it is always just like is she gonna be here? Is it gonna work? Is it gonna work? Are you there?

Jordan:

it's like a modern day seance I know, and I of course like discord. I thought it was already open from yesterday, but I guess I must have closed it down, which probably is like for the best. But I didn't realize it was gonna take forever to open. So I'm sitting here like twiddling my thumbs just waiting twiddling.

Fabienne:

Did you have to have like update, update, updates and such or?

Jordan:

yeah, but for whatever. And I don't know if this happens to you, but sometimes I'll open discord and it will say like one update and then it like goes away. So I keep trying to hit like discord and it just like won't open for me. But then if I just like wait it out and just kind of don't do anything, all of a sudden it's like verifying discord and then will give me all the updates. So it's like really weird, I have to like not do. Okay, then it will work.

Fabienne:

It's very so basically, it's anybody's guess once you click on discord.

Jordan:

Okay, exactly, it has a mind of its own fair, fair. I saw your stories, by the way, today on instagram about the editing process with like lauren oh my gosh, I'm like I had to share it because I was just like freaking out and I know I think I've like talked to you about it before on the podcast, but I didn't say specifically that episode. But I feel like, since they were finally released, I could like share it.

Fabienne:

I don't know if share the secrets behind the scenes and what not?

Jordan:

yeah right, but I don't know how Lauren felt about it, so hopefully she didn't mind. I mean, the episodes are live, fingers crossed.

Fabienne:

I mean that's, that's all that matters. It's our life now you know it's all done, so are you excited? That's life, yes, yes, yeah, I can't imagine yeah, because it was just mostly so.

Jordan:

Half of it, no kidding just just half, just half, just like this much. Say one, say what, oh god, start over. Say one, say one oh no, one's gonna get that, okay, anyway that is fine.

Fabienne:

That is fine, that is fine. Um, I know that we always do like a good week, bad, like bad week or just like a positive thing that's happened. But do you maybe just like want to dive in immediately, because I, oh my god, yes, yes, I want to dive in.

Jordan:

So you finished it, oh okay.

Fabienne:

So what are we talking about today, fav we are talking about split or swallow by um I only know her lindsey stau stau stupe. Her Instagram handle is Oxford Lemon, which I love.

Jordan:

By the way, amazing, agreed, I love that name.

Fabienne:

So do I what I also love with the book, and I did not see that. I did not see that coming. No pun intended.

Jordan:

I completely agree. I picked it up and I did not know what I was getting myself into. Like I'm reading it and I'm like what the fuck did I just tell a fob to read with me? I was like what is going on? But like, mind you, I was into it. I'm like reading it and I could not put it down.

Fabienne:

I don't know, like, honestly, there is no plot. I mean, there is a storyline storyline. There is like a plot line of, yes, but it is just mostly banging and teaching another person to bang and how to bang and what ways, and I'm like wow, what a banger. That is quite literally.

Jordan:

Um no, but I here for it right girl.

Fabienne:

Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just have to get this out. Yeah, yes, I am actually, for once, so happy that you told me just dive into this blindly, don't read the blurb, don't look it up, just pick it up and if it's like for you we can just talk about it, and if you don't like it, then skip, skip it completely. But I'm so glad that you told me, like not to read anything.

Jordan:

Well, so I think that's like the thing. So the reason I said that to you was because, about this book, the first thing is I'm told it's best to go into this book with absolutely no knowledge of its contents. So that's why I told you. And then even I think Lindsay has said that there's no actual blurb. But if you like, of course, like I did a little research afterwards, like on Amazon, and I guess it does label this as a love triangle, which I didn't like. I guess it is a love triangle but, like, as I'm reading it, I'm not reading it as a love triangle, if that makes sense.

Fabienne:

No, it makes sense, and neither did I. Also, are we gonna like go into the debate of whether it is like okay, so hypothetically, if this actual love triangle in like the original sense, like, say, twilight sense, you know, like Jacob versus Edward, is this the triangle, or is this like a love corner, because the man in this triangle are not going to go together? You know what I'm trying to say like it's just like two.

Jordan:

Did you read the challengers chapter?

Fabienne:

that was my. I actually did not, so does does it okay? So maybe it does classify as a triangle I did not know, because I read it. I read it. I'm sorry you go okay.

Jordan:

So I wouldn't necessarily say it's a love triangle. I think they just say love triangle in the sense of like, when it's like one point and then it's like it like almost like an upside, upside down triangle.

Fabienne:

Like a V.

Jordan:

Yeah, because I feel like the men don't typically go together. Men don't typically go together. But the challengers chapter, is she? Uh? Lindsey basically states in in the end, like right before the challenger scene, that this has nothing to do with the book. Like this is where I would place it for an alternate ending. But it does not fit the storyline at all. But I'm kind of happy she gave it to us and I'm not one that likes a menage or a like three-way. I'm definitely more just like two people.

Fabienne:

I'm gonna be a type type of girl yeah but I was here for the challengers scene.

Jordan:

But I don't know if that's also because I've seen the challengers movie and I love Zendaya and I was like here for that, or if it's just because I love this book so much and I actually do like both of the characters like I liked.

Fabienne:

Theo and Caspin yeah yeah, I was.

Fabienne:

It's so funny. Well, not funny. You say that because obviously we're talking about the book here. Like the first half of the book, I was like all the way Caspin. But then all of a sudden, like Theo started to grow on me and I'm like, oh, he actually has like a solid mind of his own. He wants to go like, or like against his father, he wants to take the you know royal bloodline and take it all into like a different directive or like a different direction, I should say. And I'm like, oh, I actually OK, okay, I'm starting to like this character.

Fabienne:

He has like morals, he has principles and he knows that the entire, you know, almost like a pageantry of sorts, like with the um, well, it's basically just like love island really, it's just like a contestant or like a contest of just like who's the hottest girl here and who's gonna marry the prince? Um bachelor, that's. Yes, that was actually the one I was looking for. As you can tell, I do not really watch tv, you know. I just know, know it all from like memes anyways, um, I digress, um, but I I started, I liked theo in the end better than caspin I, oh my gosh.

Jordan:

Yes, because at one point I was thinking how she has built this non-sexual relationship with theo. So I was like I'm actually rooting for her and theo over caspin, just because caspin's relationship with her seemed to be mostly like sexual, because he's like teaching her how to bang the prince. And I was like, oh, at least she has this relationship over like with the prince. That's more than just sex. But then I'm really happy it ended the way it did with I. My heart broke when she sent theo away to go find his like love and I was like, no wait why do you stay here?

Fabienne:

He has to stay here.

Jordan:

He has to be with you, but then she still ends up being queen. She's just queen of the basculus Bass.

Fabienne:

The snakes, the snakes, yeah, the snakes.

Jordan:

Yeah, and I just can't believe. I'm okay. I'm always looking for a book that will keep me up at night. Like that is my main goal. I just want to be so obsessed with the book that I can't go to sleep because I you, I'm definitely a person that, like wants to be in bed by like 9 pm and I'm usually like asleep by like 9 30, but I'll read in bed but, tend to like put put the book down and then sleep.

Jordan:

I was up so late reading this book because I could not put it down.

Jordan:

It's like she put crack in it or something no, but really yeah, and it's because I it's just so interesting because I feel like we're definitely we've gotten away from like the erotica which I'm so glad is why we didn't look into this book, because I think this would be classified as erotica for us, like, I know we would classify it as that, but I think it's actually classified as erotica and I think if we knew that we wouldn't have dived into it. No, probably not. But I'm so cool, like, but so it's just so interesting that I feel like this I mean it is, we still loved it and it is like labeled as and I was like I'm like she's like fucking his dad and I'm like, yeah, get it girl. I'm like, wait, she's like fucking his dad and I'm like, yeah, get it girl. I'm like wait, what am I doing?

Fabienne:

At one point I was like why am I cheering this on? Why am I as a person enjoying this so much? What is wrong with me as like a human being in this particular scene, like with the dad begging or like when there was this, I think it was a consult or something. Like with the dad begging or like when there was this, I think it was a consult or something Like when they were talking about, they were like at this, I guess, meeting room or whatever, like down in the snake's cavern or whatever. And you know they were talking about her getting to crest like the royalties, like the royal bloodline. And then Caspian was like I don't know, fingering her or whatever.

Jordan:

And everyone just started having sex. I'm'm like what is happening at this table? But I was there for it. And then at the end, where they're like, oh, they want to like kiss you or something, but it was like, kiss you down. I was like. I was like, and then like that, like the evil guy, like she was so into him what he did to her and so like he was like, keep doing it. I, he was like, keep doing it. I was like, oh my god, keep doing it.

Fabienne:

It's just it was so hot.

Jordan:

So hot and I was like I'm here for it.

Fabienne:

Uh-huh. I will honestly say I'm not even afraid to admit it I think I haven't felt like that hot myself, reading like such a smutty book in a long time. It's so long. I felt like, so flustered. I felt just so like I need to get something else out of my system as well. I just need to. Where's Jay?

Jordan:

Exactly.

Fabienne:

There were a couple times. Nick wasn't even here and I was like fuck, you know, right hand read or just one hand read, whatever you know, it's uh taking care of business, but really, not really.

Jordan:

It was so good, yes, but it was one of those things that I I agree with you like I haven't felt that in so long, like no, it was so nice and you know what actually was.

Fabienne:

I think the best part of it all was, regardless of like what absurd this, like how absurd the storyline was. Apart from that, all it was really well written, like all the sex scenes, like everything. Like at one moment, at one point in the story I was like I wonder, because I had like say, because I read this on my kinder. Yeah, so I could like see the percentages of how much like was left in the book and I could see that I had still, like, say, 37% left. I'm like how many other like, how many more other ways are there to describe sex and just like keeping it interesting as well? But I don't know. But Lindsay, you know she cracked the code, she did it.

Jordan:

It was wonderful Because I was too like I again like we didn't know what was, we didn't know anything about this book. So like when, when things started happening relatively fast and like he's like watching her, like I thought that was hot. But then I was like, Ooh, like this is happening kind of fast, I was like a little nervous that I was going to, I was going to lose interest. So I'm glad I was like at that point I was happy that we didn't fully commit to this and it was more of if we finish it, great if we don't okay to this. And it was more of if we finish it, great if we don't okay. But then it just like everything afterwards it was just getting hotter and hotter and hotter and I was like, yeah, I'm here for it I'm here for it.

Jordan:

Yeah, like wait the venom scene with him, with casman, with. Casman and her I was like you, give her your venom.

Fabienne:

Just like literally everything, yep Getting, yep Might want to read it again. If I'm just like in a mood, if you get what I'm saying, yeah, I get it Like, did you write any other books? Because I might want to pick it up.

Jordan:

Okay. So what I've heard is so this one okay, so multiple things. So I heard that she actually released this chapter by chapter on her website. Okay, so you were following along, which kind of made sense to me as I'm reading it, because I that was, I knew that going into it. So if you think about it, like, each chapter was relatively long, it was like 20 to 40 minutes for each chapter, but it makes sense.

Jordan:

So she wrote a long chapter, then would publish it on on her website so people could like read along, and then, once I think it was fully done, she made it into a book, which I feel like because I don't know if you could tell, but in some parts she kind of would almost like not recap, but she would say something that like would almost confirm, like the previous chapter, whether it was like, let's say, like Theo got rid of a girl. She would say in the next chapter, like oh, theo got rid of that girl. But it would say in the next chapter, like, oh, theo got rid of that girl, but it didn't disrupt anything but it was almost at some points you could tell that she was recapping, but I think it was because she was releasing it chapter by chapter.

Jordan:

So she was almost giving you like a recap of what you might've forgotten.

Fabienne:

I didn't even notice.

Jordan:

So it goes to show like how not disruptive it was actually exactly, but I only knew that because when I posted about it, somebody said that to me that they were act, they read it when they were reading it, when she was releasing it chapter by chapter. But so I bought this cover. Okay, so everybody was talking about this book and everybody was showing this book. So I'm like I love that cover it.

Fabienne:

Okay, so everybody was talking about this book and everybody was showing this book so I'm like I need this book. I love that cover. It feels like so classy. It feels like dark academia. I don't know why.

Jordan:

I do have to say if you want this cover, I would get it now.

Jordan:

Yeah it's going to be traditionally published. So I think Bloom picked it up. Or Sourcebooks no, bloom, bloom. Okay, bloom picked it up. Or source books no, bloom bloom, which is source book, whatever. Um, but it is. It's getting a new title, so it's like kiss from the basculate, basculate, kiss from the snake. And then it has like a new cover. But I didn't fully know that until I like was re after I read it, because then I was like researching it, because I didn't want to be spoiled for anything and I have to, not gonna lie, I like this title and this cover. But I think that's mostly because for the longest time I actually thought it was spit or swallow. So now I'm just like attached to this title.

Fabienne:

Yeah, we're just gonna go with spit or swallow. It actually makes way more sense. Wait, question Were you like looking for? Whenever, like whenever I read a book, I either like subconsciously or very like consciously I search for the moment where the time comes back in the story, or just like a little snippet, like you know, like um, yes, that makes sense for one another. But there were so many instances in this book where it was like split, uh multiple like uh personalities, because she has like a split personality in the sense of like her being spoiled Well, you know, we're talking about the book anyways like being half like snake, half human, and then like with the swallow and then like with everything swallow the entire societal.

Fabienne:

Can you say that again?

Jordan:

I cut you off.

Fabienne:

Where did it cut me off the differences between?

Jordan:

Once you looked away, it cut off, so we're.

Fabienne:

Oh, yeah, that's a great. Yeah, okay, just say it again. Okay, just one more time. No, because of the split is basically her like with her, like split personalities, in a sense of you know her being happy, and then also with the splitting between am I going to choose like Theo or am I going to choose Caspin? Like she's split between two decisions and also um with like the swallow part, like what you just said, like with the venom, um that he gave her and then her having to follow everything like society is throwing against her, you know, like being the female having to perform, like such, you know, sexual acts and I don't know. I it just came back every single chapter and I kind of like that. But it also now makes sense, as I'm saying this, because you said that she published all these chapters one by one. So it makes sense that every single chapter has like a little you know, nod to the title in a way.

Jordan:

No, it does. Yeah, I didn't even think of that, but like that makes sense.

Fabienne:

But this title is so much better than the new one from the tradition? I don't.

Jordan:

I don't know why they. Well, I guess I kind of do know why, because maybe people like me also think it's Spit or Swallow and that's a very intense title, but it made me pick it up. But maybe they don't want that in bookstores. But anyways, I think this is going to be book one and I think there's going to be more books. But I don't know if it will still be following her or if it's going to be more books. But I don't know if it will still be following her or if it's going to be following like a different character because, like now, there's no more prints, so no more like teaching to bang.

Jordan:

But maybe I don't even know what so I'm very curious to see, like, what comes next. But I think the re-release will be like well, clearly it's going to be sometime next year. I just don't.

Fabienne:

I don't know when oh okay, you don't have to date like a top of your head and don't get me wrong I do like the.

Jordan:

I know I'm sorry, I do like this cover, but I have to say the new cover is actually really cool. I just wish you could have done the same title. But I get, get it. But the other cover is like very.

Fabienne:

It looks very like fantastical. Yes, let me see if I can find it real quick, oxford Lemon.

Jordan:

It's like a pretty cool cover.

Fabienne:

Oh yeah yeah, it's giving like Sierra Simone for some reason.

Jordan:

Oh okay, I didn't think of that.

Fabienne:

You can't see it, oh, I just. No, I can't bend my wrist in this way. It's unnatural, but I do like it, it's okay. You like this, it's okay, I like, yes, I like the goblet with the basilisk better than this.

Jordan:

But it looks like a little garden snake.

Fabienne:

That is true.

Jordan:

Like, did you Actually?

Fabienne:

it looks like the Garden of Eden, and then with Eve with the apple and the snake. I think that is the reference.

Jordan:

Oh, actually that makes sense, have you? Okay, sorry, coming back to me, have you seen that one YouTube video? It was like it went very viral, like when I was in high school. But the oh, it cuts me off. But the I'm a snake, I'm a slithery snake, I'm going into your garden or whatever was this a youtube video or was this a vine?

Fabienne:

it was youtube oh no, then I do not recall, I, I don't, I don't know this one.

Jordan:

I do apologize I don't know how many people like, so I'm gonna have to send you the youtube, because it's freaking hilarious yes, please, but it's like this, it's this guy like pretending to be a snake. So like I finished this book and I was like I need that YouTube video. So like that's the sound from that reel that I did and I was laughing.

Fabienne:

Oh, it makes sense, okay, yes, yeah, we need. We need to use that for, like the teaser for this episode. I feel like that's very fitting.

Jordan:

Yes, yeah.

Fabienne:

Yes, I bestow that task upon you, so good luck.

Jordan:

But then do Thanks.

Fabienne:

Yeah, yeah, you take that sip, honey.

Jordan:

I will, but I honestly cannot wait for more.

Fabienne:

I mean the, because I have like her Instagram page here. What you said before, like I think it's going to be made into a multiple, you know book series, it does say that this book, like the re-release, is going to be a split or swallow novel. So there's going to be a split or swallow novel. So there's going to be multiple. That's for sure.

Fabienne:

Yeah, you're right yeah, buddy I am really, really curious about a potential second book that like who's gonna like, who is that gonna follow? Like whatever the heck his name was, dick was basilisk. Now also, how did you picture those basilisks? How did you picture their anat?

Jordan:

like anatomy, like when they're actually snakes yeah, I'm like how do you beg?

Fabienne:

do you beg with your tail? Is that like your penis?

Jordan:

I have no idea, because in my mind, this is too deep was like are you guys just thinking about it? Like is this like not actually real? Like are you just like mentally banging right now Because I was thinking the same thing? Or then I was picturing those little dinosaur arms this is what they're doing and I couldn't do that because I think I'm supposed to be picturing very, very scary snakes, and now I'm just picturing a green very, very scary snakes.

Jordan:

Sorry, this is just ridiculous but that I kid you not. That was what I was thinking about when they like transformed and it still did it for you.

Fabienne:

Huh the t-rex arms they really did so. They really did. Oh, my goodness, hey, is this now like a bridge that has been like, or like a gap? Wait, a gap that has been bridged, yes, that's one for us to start reading monster romances. Or is that like one step too far? Still, I wasn't have no intention of reading it next immediately, I'm just like you know it's it's. It's in the the on the horizon, on the far horizon.

Jordan:

Well, I wasn't thinking that, but I was thinking like am I really into shifters now? And I'm into snake shifters?

Fabienne:

okay, so technically, since we read like a snake romance, just just just for the sake of like argument, um, are we considered, or is this like considered a furry?

Fabienne:

because I am like what the fuck is a furry isn't it like a fetish, like when you want to have like sex with something that has hair as in? Like you know, dress someone up as like a cat or like a dog or the bunny whatever, but it has like hair, so it? So I wonder, like, if you're into snakes, is that like considered, like having a furry kink or whatever? I'm asking the real questions here, jory, because nobody else is. I'm traumatized. Yeah, I get that. Yeah, but apparently that's a real thing. I started reading quick reading, quick side note. I started reading way, way, way back by Jesse Hall. Greenlight, I think, is the book.

Jordan:

I haven't read it.

Fabienne:

It's actually it starts off pretty strong, like in a good sense, like story-wise, like plot-wise, character-wise, you name it.

Jordan:

Oh, did you like it?

Fabienne:

I did like it. I said no, no, no, hey, it's on hold, it's not a dnf, it's just like it wasn't. It was like for now. It was a not right now type of situation, so it's, you know, like it's on my candle. So whenever I want to, like you know, pick it up where I left off, I can. But this one character had like a thing for fucking like another person who was dressed up as, like you know, a furry. So I was just wondering now, that's where it came from.

Jordan:

I get it now.

Fabienne:

Yeah, yeah. So you know, the question's been lingering in my head for quite some time and I just had to ask but no answer. So I'm not the wiser. So yeah, no furries but snakes. Anyways, absurd book, loved it completely, completely obsessed.

Jordan:

Oh yeah, highly recommend. Completely obsessed. This is my new personality. I am a snake now, just kidding.

Fabienne:

Kind of. Actually, I couldn't have ended on a stronger note. Well, technically, vocally, I could have, but I would not. Sorry, no, sorry, is that too much? Should I edit that one out? Should just leave it in. I'll leave it in. I'll leave it in. Do do not worry. Um, I okay. This is going to be really short, I think I. I have no idea I can, just I can ramble more about the book, I know, I think that's perfect.

Jordan:

I say we ended there. Um, hopefully you all enjoyed this episode and let us know if you did or didn't, and then let us know your thoughts on spit or swallow, split or swallow split no, no, spit.

Fabienne:

We're just gonna go with spit or swallow. Split no, no spit. We're just going to go with spit or swallow.

Jordan:

And then yeah.

Fabienne:

And Lindsay, if you listened to this episode.

Jordan:

We're so sorry about messing up your name and the title.

Fabienne:

No story Because snakes get it. Yeah, snakes. Sorry, Wow, I am a five-year-old. Thank you so much for listening.

Jordan:

And please don't forget to rate and review wherever you can find us.

Fabienne:

So catch you next time.

Jordan:

Bye.