Book Club with Julia and Victoria

In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu is made up of intricate world-building, clever language development, and stories-within-stories-within-stories. There’s a lot packed into this little novella! Julia and Victoria do their best to parse through it and how it made them feel.Become a Member to catch our review of the Pachinko adaptation starting in two weeks! Follow Us on Instagram! or Join the Storygraph Challenge!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: In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi LuGame for practicing neopronounsBook Club episode 068 Pachinko by Min Jin LeePachinko TV show on AppleTVVoyage Into Genre episode S. Qiouyi Lu and Silvia Moreno-Garcia Talk Neo-Pronouns and Genre-Hopping Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno GarciaS. Qiouyi Lu’s publicationsBook Club episode 092 The Fifth Season by N. K. JemisinBook Club episode 090 Story of Your Life by Ted ChiangHer Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria MachadoRecommendations:Ghost in the Shell (1995 anime film)The Matrix (1999 film)Attack on Titan (anime TV series)Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana TakedaThe Fifth Season by N. K. JemisinCurrently Obsessed:Authentic: The Story of Tablo podcast by Vice and iHeartEscaping NXIVM podcast by CBCAnd They Lived Happily Ever After by Therese Baharri

Julia and Victoria discuss when they figured out the twist in The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (at very different points in the book) and all the ways Jemisin expertly builds the world of the Stillness (through language, mythology, science, and culture). Also, Julia listened to this while she had a migraine, and now she’s obsessed with the audiobook reader.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram! or Join the Storygraph Challenge!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:Avatar: The Last AirbenderWired Interview with N. K. JemisinBeloved by Toni MorrisonRecommendations:The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. JemisinBlack Sun by Rebecca RoanhorseThe Maze Runner by James Dashner

Julia and Victoria read the first book by one of their favorite comedians: Everyone You Hate Is Going to Die by Daniel Sloss. They ask themselves, why do celebrity memoirs get published? And why this one in particular? Then they give a poor imitation of their favorite jokes from the book for their own personal enjoyment.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram! or Join the Storygraph Challenge!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:Everyone You Hate is Going to Die: And Other Comforting Thoughts on Family, Friends, Sex, Love, and More Things That Ruin Your Life by Daniel SlossDouglas stand-up special by Hannah GadsbyBook Club episode 089 Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress CycleJessica Simpson’s memoir Open BookThe Good Place (TV Show)Book Club episode 051 Becoming by Michelle Obama30 Rock (TV Show)Book Club episode 078 Ayoade on Top by Richard AyoadeCrashing (TV Show on HBO)Recommendations:Bossypants by Tina FeyComedy Sex God by Pete HolmesIs Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy KalingHunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie BrownsteinYour Song Changed My Life by Bob BoilenAyoade on Top by Richard AyoadeCurrently Obsessed:Not Me (YouTube series)

Julia and Victoria (whose mic simply refused to cooperate this episode) dip their toes into the world of science fiction with “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, and its film adaptation Arrival. This inspires them to think some big, timey-wimey thoughts about language and brains and the way our experience of time affects our views on life.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:Arrival (2016 film)The Martian (2015 film)Ringworld series by Larry NivenStar TrekStarlight 2 anthologyStory of Your Life, and Others by Ted Chiang“Ted Chiang's Soulful Science Fiction” by Joshua Rothman in The New YorkerRecommendations:Dune (2021 film)Dune by Frank Herbert2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 film)2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C ClarkeLeviathan Wakes by James S A CoreyThe Expanse (TV series)Enders Game by Orson Scott CardEnders Game (2013 film)Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona StaplesWatchmen (2019 TV mini series)Currently Obsessed:The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and WengrowUntitled Dad Project podcastSounds Like a Cult podcast

Julia is joined by fellow anthropology graduate student Katie to talk about the alien language of “Academic English” and how it has affected their own academic careers.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 the Episode:Book Club episode 076 Watching the English by Kate FoxBook Club episode 029 This Is Your Brain on Birth Control by Sarah E. Hill PhDRecommendations:Mining Capitalism: The Relationship Between Corporations and Their Critics by Stuart KirschThe Dispossessed by Ursula K LeGuinThe Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David WengrowWatching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behavior by Kate FoxThe Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Julia and Victoria provide a little feedback sandwich on Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, a book designed to help women cope with the unique burnout that results from dealing with the patriarchy.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 the Episode:Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D. and Amelia Nagoski, DMACome as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski PhDMaintenance Phase podcastThe Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination by Gilbert and GubarBook Club episode on Jane EyreSemlerRecommendations:“Completing the Stress Cycle” episode of Unlocking Us with Brené Brown podcastDaring Greatly by Brené Brown Ph.D.The Wisdom of Your Body by Hilary McBride PhDYou’re a Miracle (And a Pain in the Ass) by Mike McHargue“Fearology (FEAR) Pt. 1” and “Fearology (FEAR) Pt. 2” episodes of Ologies podcastCurrently Obsessed:Sex Education on NetflixUnder Our Roof podcastAll of Us Are Dead on NetflixEpik High Is Here Pt 2 album by Epik HighJulia was featured on Sad In the City podcast Ep 10 “Sad But Jokes”!

Julia and Victoria get into their feels with A Thousand Mornings, a book of poetry written by Mary Oliver, and chosen by their special guest Samira Sakbay.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 the Episode:A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver“Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver“Daisies” by Mary OliverWhat Mary Oliver's Critics Don't Understand by Ruth Franklin in The New Yorker“No Birth No Death” with Thich Nhat Hanh by Plum VillageRecommendations:Upstream by Mary OliverThe Waves by Virginia WoolfHow I Became a Tree by Sumana RoyThe Hidden Life of Trees by Peter WohllebenAn American Sunrise by Joy HarjoRalph Waldo Emerson collected writingsEmily Dickinson collected poemsWalden by Henry David ThoreauE. E. Cummings collected poemsRupi Kaur’s InstagramMorgan Harper Nichols’s InstagramThe Soul of an Octopus by Sy MontgomeryCurrently Obsessed:D.P. K-Drama on NetflixHighasakite’s new album MotherYouth of May K-Drama Punisher by Phoebe BridgersBroken Horses by Brandi CarlisleBy the Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlisle

While discussing the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Julia and Victoria ask the question on everyone’s mind: Are there too many World War II novels? Julia gets stuck on the fact that this story is sort of about a magical gemstone.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 the Episode:All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony DoerrJanet Jackson’s autobiography True YouAbout Grace by Anthony DoerrCloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony DoerrJust and Unjust Wars by Michael WalzerKristin Harmel Parade article “Words and War: Why WW II Fiction Is so Hot Right Now—and Six Books You Can’t Miss”Courtney Rodgers Book Riot article “Why I’m Not Reading About WWII Anymore”Bridge of Sighs by Richard RussoRecommendations:The Book Thief by Markus ZusakAll Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria RemarqueAtonement by Ian McEwanThe Women in the Castle by Jessica ShattuckPachinko by Min Jin LeeHomegoing by Yaa GyasiThe Great Believers by Rebecca MakkaiCurrently Obsessed:Big Mouth - Season 5 on NetlfixWordleSad In The City podcast with Taylor Tomlinson

Julia and Victoria make a glorious return to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series with The Sea of Monsters, in which the heroes complete Odysseus’ ten-year journey in just four days. J & V revisit the “girl power” scenes with Circe as adults, and they have Feelings.Note: While we're discussing a YA novel, our episode is not intended for young listeners. We use some mild profanity and mention some adult topics.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 the Episode:The Sea of Monsters by Rick RiordanBook Club episode 059 The Lightning ThiefRick Riordan Presents imprintThe Odyssey by HomerBook Club episode 043 CirceSuicide Squad (2021 film)Ramy (TV show on Hulu)Howl’s Moving Castle (2004 film)Stranger Things (TV show on Netflix)Recommendations:The Titan’s Curse by Rick RiordanMythos by Stephen FryCirce by Madeline MillerThe Thief Lord by Cornelia FunkeHowl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne JonesCurrently Obsessed:Saga by Brian K VaughnPaper Girls by Brian K VaughnYou’re Wrong About podcastOlogies podcastNora From Queens (TV show on HBO)Insecure (TV show on Hulu)Gentleman Jack (TV show on HBO)Apocalypse Whenever by Bad Suns

Victoria is one to set goals, make plans, collect data, and track progress. So why do reading goals feel so…difficult!? In this solo minisode, Victoria recounts her troubled past of setting reading goals, sings the praises of The StoryGraph (again), and shares questions to consider if you’re looking to set bookish goals (or anti-goals) for 2022.Become a Member! Follow Us on Instagram or The 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 the Episode:- This opening scene of The Emperor’s New Groove (2000 film)- Agatha Christie- The StoryGraph- The StoryGraph Reads the World Challenge- The StoryGraph Genre ChallengeReflection Questions:- What do you value about reading? Why do you read?- How do you feel when you read? How do you want to feel?- How else would you spend your time if you weren’t reading?DM us or send a message through our website and let us know what your reading goals (or anti-goals) are for this year!