Feminist Book Club: The Podcast

Mariquita talks with author Irin Carmon about her newest book, Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America. Their discussion covers the racist roots of ob/gyn medicine in America, provides context for the current state of reproductive care, and ties in vital personal stories of families that have been affected by the legacy of racism and lack of safe, equitable treatment for women of color, which treatment has disproportionately had fatal consequences. CW: Discussions of maternal mortality, Black maternal mortality, maternal death, abortion, miscarriage, medical violence, racism, grief/loss, infertility Books and Resources Mentioned: Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America by Irin Carmon The Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik Alabama Birth Center and Dr. Yashica Robinson A Deadly Epidural, Delivered by a Doctor with a History of Mistakes - NYT on the death of Sha-Asia Semple At 30, She Died in Childbirth. It Shredded Her Brooklyn Family - NYT on the death of Christine Fields Anarcha Lucy Betsey: The Mothers of Gynecology Monument National Network of Abortion Funds - Seeking funds National Network of Abortion Funds - Donate Today Support and follow our guest and host! Follow Irin Carmon: Instagram // Website Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

MINI POD! Who are some of your must-read authors? Renee shares one of hers, Sarah Gailey. You can always count on Gailey to write the most outlandish, unusual books. Today, Renee shares four for your shelves. Support and follow our host! Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Grab your magnifying glass, don your monocle and trench coat, because we're talking murder mysteries today! First, Shoshana and Mariquita define the mystery genre, subgenres, and key terms. They also share some of their favorite mystery books for your TBR. Then Renee dives into her favorite sub-sub-genre of mysteries: cozy food mysteries by and about women of color. Happy reading! Books and Resources Mentioned: The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Maid by Nita Prose Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker We Don't Talk About Carol by Kirsten L. Berry Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz IQ by Joe Ide Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala Mango, Mamba, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku Detective Auntie by Uzma Jalaluddin Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chen Support and follow our hosts! Follow Shoshana: Storygraph // Instagram // Bluesky Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads Follow Renee: Instagram // StoryGraph Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

MINI POD! We love a hyper-niche genre, and today Jordy dives into three books she's categorizing as satirical feminist fairytales and mysteries. This episode explores how feminism isn't about rejecting the notion of fairytales, but rather rewriting them to our standard. Mentioned: This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall Support and follow our host! Follow Jordy: Instagram // Bookworm Reads // Pagebound.co @jordyrmac Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Feeling ghoulish? We have an expertly curated reading list for you! Mhairie and Mother Horror herself, Sadie Hartmann, share some of their horror book recommendations, using the format and trope categories from Sadie's new book, Feral and Hysterical. Books and Resources Mentioned: Feral and Hysterical Mother Horror's Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women - Sadie Hartmann House of Hunger - Alexis Henderson 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered - Sadie Hartmann What Hunger by Catherine Dang. Simon and Schuster 2025. 288 pages. Trope: Eat Your Vegetables Her Little Flowers by Shannon Morgan. Kensington 2023. 368 pages. Trope: If These Walls Could Talk The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee. Penguin Random House. 384 Pages. Trope: Exposing Historical Erasure Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker. Mira (US)/ Hodden (UK) 2025. 298 pages. Trope: Exposing Historical Erasure Root Rot by Saskia Nislow. Creature Publishing 2025. 140 pages. Trope: Swampcore and Sporror The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A Haynes. Legacy Lit 2025. 230 pages. Trope: I See Dead People The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney. ECW Press 2025. 288 Pages. Trope: Women Vs the Cult and Sisterhood Sour Cherry by Natalie Theodoridou. Tin House Books 2025. 312 pages. Trope: Folklore and Fairytales Support and follow our host and guest! Follow Mhairie: Instagram // Bluesky // Bookstagram Follow Mother Horror: Instagram // Nightworms Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

MINI POD! Rah can't stop thinking about the book I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. Tune in to hear why this book has been stuck on their brain. Mentioned: Carmen Maria Machado's "'I Who Have Never Known Men' Is A Warning" in the New Yorker I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpmen, Translated by Ros Schwartz, with an introduction by Carmen Maria Machado Support and follow our host! Follow Rah: StoryGraph // Instagram Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

It may be Swiftemonium out there, but we're still thinking about Sabrina Carpenter. Nox and Ashley wrap up their two-part conversation on Sabrina Carpenter's latest album, Man's Best Friend. They dive into how the music itself compares with the album's rollout, reflect on their favorite tracks, and unpack the growing trend of shorter songs in pop music. The conversation doesn't stop with the music—they also bring in book recommendations that explore themes of music, playlists, and algorithms. Together, they consider how technology influences the way we listen, discover, and connect with art. Books and Resources Mentioned: Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly This is What it Sounds Like by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas Part 1 of this conversation: Man's Best Friend? Why Does Everything Sound Like an Audition Song for the Voice - Rolling Stone Girl, all of these playlists? - Ashley's Substack The Necessity of Music Videos - Feminist Book Club Support and follow our hosts! Ashley's Instagram I Substack Nox's Instagram I Substack I TikTok I Threads Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

MINI POD! In this short episode, Jordy shares three fall reads that range from haunting suspense to dark romance and cozy mystery. Whether you're craving a thriller, a morally gray serial killer love story, or a nostalgic whodunnit, this line-up has your fall TBR covered. Books Mentioned: Jackal by Erin E. Adams Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn TV shows mentioned: Dexter Only Murders in the Building The Golden Girls Movies mentioned: Get Out Mr. & Mrs. Smith Resources: Sirens, Selkies, and Mermaids, oh my! A discussion with Rachel Ekstrom Courage Support and follow our host! Follow Jordy: Bookworm Reads // Instagram Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

This week we're sailing into magical realms and creeping through gothic shadows! First up, Shoshana and Jordy gush about all things fantasy — what makes the genre so enchanting, why we can't get enough, and a few favorite books to add to your TBR. Then Ashley chats with author Kathleen Kaufman about feminist gothic horror, the Scottish roots behind her novel The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey, and how women's struggles past and present intertwine. Grab your headphones and let's get fantastical! Books and Resources Mentioned: The Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R. Tolkien Guilty Pleasures: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton Lost (TV Series) Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Sourdough Or, Lois and Her Adventures in the Underground Market: A Novel by Robin Sloan Happily Ever After for All podcast Favorite Books of the Year Podcast A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland (The Broken Blades series) Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Enchantra by Kaylie Smith Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey That Time I got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna Upon a Burning Throne by Ashok K. Banker Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman Support and follow our guest and hosts! Follow Shoshana: Storygraph // Instagram // Bluesky Follow Jordy: Bookworm Reads // Instagram Follow Ashley: Instagram // Substack Follow Kathleen Kaufman: Instagram Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

MINI POD! This short episode is a quick hit of memoirs by former and current women's basketball players in celebration of the current WNBA Play-Offs. Books mentioned: They Better Call Me Sugar by Sugar Rodgers (cw: family death and incarceration) Catch a Star by Tamika Catchings Dear Black Girls by A'ja Wilson Love & Justice by Maya Moore Irons and Jonathan Irons (cw: incarceration) You Let Some Girl Beat You? by Ann Meyers Drysdale (cw: miscarriage and family death) My Shot by Elena Delle Donne Hoop Muses by Seimone Augustus and Kate Fagan Inaugural Ballers by Andrew Maraniss Coming Home by Brittney Griner Sum It Up by Pat Summitt Uncommon Favor by Dawn Staley Support and follow our host! Follow Ashley: Instagram // Substack Check out our online community here! This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people. Original music by Amarissa Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.