Book Club with Julia and Victoria
Welcome to Book Club With Julia and Victoria, the podcast for book friends!
If you just finished a book and HAVE to talk about it with someone, if you’re a casual reader looking for book recs, or if you’re the type of deep thinker who has formative memories of their high school English teacher, you’re in the right place.
We believe a good book can come from anywhere, so we read classics and recent releases, bestsellers and little-known gems. But ultimately, this podcast is for the books we just can’t shut up about.
Latest episodes

Aug 10, 2022 • 0sec
101 Unmasking Autism by Dr. Devon Price — Neurodiversity and Self-Acceptance
Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this episode:The Wisdom of Your Body by Dr. Hilary McBrideLaziness Does Not Exist by Dr. Devon Price“My Pleasure” by Ross ReaganRecommendations:Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness by Richard GrinkerNeurotribes by Steve SilbermanBook Club Membership - ‘Tism Tier for autism-related essays from JuliaThe Anxious Achiever podcastCurrently Obsessed:Reservation Dogs on HuluBest Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Kamata podcastLas Culturistas podcastInside the Closet podcast

Jul 22, 2022 • 0sec
100 Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse — Power, Science & Magic
**Check out our 100th Episode Celebration Giveaway on Instagram!**Read the Contest Rules here.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this Episode:“Inside the Push to Diversify the Book Business” by Marcela Valdes (The New York Times)“Season 4: Episode 10: Fantasy Fields w/ Rebecca Roanhorse” (Deadline City podcast) “The Sci-Fi Author Reimagining Native History” by Lila Shapiro (Vulture)Book Club episode 099 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-ÍyímídéRecommendations:Fevered Star by Rebecca RoanhorseThe Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. JemisinThe Golden Compass by Philip PullmanIn the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi LuAvatar: The Last AirbenderCurrently Obsessed:Moth by Woosung (album)Jack in the Box by J-Hope (album)Stranger Things (Season 4)

Jul 15, 2022 • 0sec
099 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé — Dark Academia and the Elements of Fiction
Dark Academia and the Elements of FictionJulia and Victoria step into their English Teacher Mode™ to review the elements of fiction from Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s dynamic debut book, the dark-academic thriller Ace of Spades.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this episode:Announcement of forthcoming Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-ÍyímídéHigh School Musical074 Beloved by Toni Morrison — Book Club with Julia & Victoria040 Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - Book Club with Julia & Victoria Recommendations:Gossip Girl TV showGet Out filmNot Me TV showElite TV showMoonlight filmAce of Spades playlist on Spotify“Aparna” by Sachin Waikar in F(r)iction issue 17“Yurrassic Park” by John Manuel Arias in F(r)iction issue 16Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-GarciaCurrently Obsessed:Everything Everywhere All At Once filmSuperache by Conan Gray (album)The Umbrella Academy season 3 TV showGet a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia HibbertEmma by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen, directed by Meredith McDonough

Jul 9, 2022 • 0sec
098 The Banks by Roxane Gay and Ming Doyle — Visual Narration and Heist Stories
Visual Narration and Heist StoriesJulia and Victoria discuss the complexities of graphic novels and other visual media as they talk about The Banks by Roxanne Gay and Ming Doyle. Victoria narrates several comic panels, and they both try to figure out what male the love interest’s name is.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this EpisodeRoxanne Gay:- https://roxanegay.com/ - The Audacity newsletter- The Roxane Gay Agenda podcastBook Club episode 096 The Obelisk Gate by N. K. JemisinPaper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff ChiangSaga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona StaplesChainsaw Man by Tatsuki FujimotoHunter x Hunter animeMy Hero Academia animeThe Best We Could Do by Thi BuiThe Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse by Charlie MackesyPersepolis by Marjane SatrapiCatch That Kid filmLeverage TV showOcean’s Eleven film“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush“Kate Bush, Stranger Things, and a hit song four decades in the making” Switched on Pop podcastRecommendationsMoney Heist (La casa de papel) on NetflixWidows filmThe Kitchen by Ollie Masters and Ming DoylePound for Pound by Natalie ChaidezChu by John Layman and Rob GuilloryCurrently ObsessedOur Flag Means Death on HBOStranger Things 4 on NetflixNight Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

Jul 4, 2022 • 0sec
Minisode: Travel Reading
Julia and Victoria talk about reading and traveling whilst they read and travel.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this Episode:Our episode Re-Release: Educated by Tara WestoverBlack Sun by Rebecca RoanhorseThe Banks by Roxanne Gay and Ming DoyleConvenience Store Woman by Sayaka MurataThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth OzekiAce of Spades by Faridah Abike-IyimideUnmasking Autism by Dr. Devon PriceRed, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuistonThe Portrait of a Lady by Henry JamesMalaysia Bagus! Travels from My Homeland by Sharon CheahComedy Sex God by Pete HolmesMidnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan

Jun 24, 2022 • 0sec
Bonus: Pachinko with Victoria Edel
Julia and Victoria bring on one of their favorite pop culture experts Victoria Edel to talk about the Pachinko series and the pros and cons of book-to-TV adaptations.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Follow Victoria Edel:Twitter @victoriaedelGold Plated Girls newsletterMentioned in this Episode:Book Club episode 068 Pachinko by Min Jin LeePachinko by Min Jin Lee (book)Pachinko tv series on Apple TV+Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (book)Station Eleven tv seriesThe Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (book)The Summer I Turned Pretty tv seriesHeartstopper by Alice Oseman (book)Heartstopper tv seriesMamma Mia! Here We Go AgainRick Riordan congratulates the new PercyDaisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidSharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (book)Sharp Objects tv seriesWild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (book)Wild filmGone Girl by Gillian Flynn (book)Gone Girl filmM*A*S*H tv seriesBrooklyn by Colm Toibin (book)Brooklyn filmRecommendations:The Baby tv seriesMy Brilliant Friend tv seriesMinari filmMr Sunshine tv seriesCurrently Obsessed:Recipe Club podcastDrive My Car filmOur Flag Means Death tv seriesLove and Other Disasters by Anita KellyHoney and Spice by Bolu Babalola

Jun 6, 2022 • 1h 1min
097 Pop Song: Adventures in Art & Intimacy by Larissa Pham
Julia and Victoria explore how and why they connected so much to Pop Song by Larissa Pham, a memoir exploration of art, adulthood, love, and theory. P.S. A lawn mower was making a ruckus in the background of Victoria’s audio. We apologize for the nuisance!Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this Episode:Pop Song: Adventures in Art and Intimacy by Larissa PhamFebruary Staff Picks: Memoirs, TV Shows, Video Games, and Björk! F(r)iction LogFantasian by Larissa PhamLearn So Much and See So Much: Larissa Pham Interviewed BOMB Magazine Educated by Tara WestoverYayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors The Broad Austen Channing Brown’s blog Wild Holy & FreeRecommendations:Nanette by Hannah GadsbyHow I Became a Tree by Sumana RoyAnd Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood by Rachel FriedmanThe Best We Could Do by Thi BuiCurrently Obsessed:Raw Data Feel by Everything EverythingMr. Morale and the Big Steppers by Kendrick LamarRussian Doll Season 2Everything Everywhere All At OnceHarry’s House by Harry Styles

May 28, 2022 • 1h 3min
096 The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin
Julia and Victoria discuss autism theory in relation to The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin and try to figure out whose sides the characters are on.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this Episode:- The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin- Book Club episode 092 The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin- Film Club with Julia and Victoria - Pachinko Episode 1- Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse- Critical Theory: A Reader for Literary and Cultural Studies by Robert Dale Parker (aka the one textbook Victoria regrets renting and not purchasing during her university years)Recommendations:- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke- The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amar El Mohtar- Far Sector by N. K. Jemisin (Green Lantern comic series)- The Stone Sky by N. K. JemisinCurrently Obsessed:- Dance Fever album by Florence and the Machine- Every Shade of Blue album by The Head and the Heart- Blue Water Road album by Kehlani- “Thursday’s Child Has Far to Go” single by TXT- The Magnus Archives podcast- Our Flag Means Death on HBO- Joe Pera Talks With You on HBO

Apr 25, 2022 • 1h 7min
095 Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
Julia and Victoria discuss book three in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and explore the complications of living life according to your principles.This is the last episode of Season 9! We’ll be back in late May with more books and more obsessions. In the meantime, you can watch our book-to-TV reviews of Pachinko on Buy Me a Coffee.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this Episode:Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena FerranteBook Club episodes 026 My Brilliant Friend and 084 Story of a New Name by Elena FerrantePachinko on AppleTVIn the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena FerranteIn a rare interview, Elena Ferrante describes the writing process behind the Neapolitan novels by Didier Jacob (Los Angeles Times) Dora Bruder by Patrick Modiano Recommendations:Story of the Lost Child by Elena FerranteFunny Girl by Nick HornbyMen Explain Things to Me by Rebecca SolnitThe Second Sex by Simone De BeauvoirOut of the Dark by Patrick ModianoThe Occupation Trilogy by Patrick ModianoCurrently Obsessed:Noragami (Stray God) manga“Blow” music video by Jackson WangBlack Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Apr 18, 2022 • 59min
094 How I Became a Tree by Sumana Roy
How I Became a Tree by Sumana Roy really spoke to Julia and Victoria’s exhaustion with productivity, their love for their houseplants, and their ever-growing need to run away to the woods. Plus: a few tips and suggestions for reading books outside of your cultural context.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or Storygraph!Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more.Mentioned in this episode:Pachinko series on Apple TV+Book Club minisode on Academic WritingEveryone You Hate Is Going to Die by Daniel SlossHannah Gadsby’s stand-up special DouglasOlogies podcast episode Carnivorous Phytobiology (MEAT-EATING PLANTS) with Hali’a EastburnAmerican Girl historical fiction booksThe Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. TolkienBook Club episode on Interpreter of MaladiesRecommendations:The Soul of an Octopus by Sy MontgomeryThe Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna TsingCompletely Arbortrary podcastOlogies podcast episode Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE) with Amy ChristiansonThe poetry of Rabindranath TagoreInterpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa LahiriCurrently Obsessed:Season 3 of My Brilliant Friend on HBOMotomami album by RosaliaMultitude album by StromaeLizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls on Amazon PrimeFree Form Mixtape album by Dizzy Fae