The podcast is back with a quick review of The Jewel of the Isle from Jordy for all our adventure-loving romcom fans. But the bulk of this episode is dedicated to Nox and Mhairie’s conversation regarding how online communities tend to respond to natural disasters. While this episode was recorded in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the conversation rings true as we watch the wildfires in California. Resources below.   Laughs, Love, and Lost Treasures: The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea (0:22) In this segment, Jordy explores Kerry Rea’s The Jewel of the Isle, a rom-com adventure packed with witty banter, absurd mishaps, and navigating grief.This book is full of hilarious, heartwarming moments, and heavy themes that make this treasure hunt a true gem of a read.   Who Deserves Empathy? (3:06) Nox and Mhairie talk about the discussions around recent natural disasters Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton and how people talk with a lack of empathy regarding those impacted by the disasters. Why do we talk about people like this? What makes us write others off in such situations? Content Warnings: Discussions regarding recent natural disasters, homelessness, the ability to evacuate, death (as well as a story mentioning child death), and religion are had in this segment.   Books/Resources Mentioned:  The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea Raiders of the Lost Heat by Jo Segura Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis Disability and Disaster Hotline: (800) 626-4959 or hotline@disasterstrategies.org  LA Times’ list of resources for anyone impacted by the wildfires Support this episode’s host and guest: Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Follow Nox: Instagram // Twitter // TikTok Follow Mhairie: Instagram // TikTok Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   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 @iam.onyxrose Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

The holiday season is full of ups and downs and we’ve wrapped up all of those feelings in one episode. Whether you’re falling in love this season, alternating between grief and rage, or channeling your inner Ina Garten, we’ve got books to recommend!   Christmas Bops and Flops (0:22) Jordy shares her thoughts on two holiday romances–one that fell flat and another that truly delivered. From small-town charm to heartfelt second chances, we’re unwrapping what worked and what didn’t in these festive reads!   Becoming Medusa: Mariquita Reviews Mad Wife (4:55) Mariquita reviews Kate Hamilton’s memoir, Mad Wife, and explores what it means to live denying the patriarchal demand for a perfect victim, how to escape a violent marriage, and why it is important sometimes to become a monster.    Parallels of Time through Memoir (11:09) Ashley and Sam discuss Ina Garten’s memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens. They explore the themes that resonated, what drew them to the memoir, and the way the present reflects the past in many ways.   Books/Resources Mentioned:  How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Megan Quinn Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun  Mad Wife: A Memoir by Kate Hamilton   The Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten  Online chat: hotline.rainn.org/online - immediate emotional support or practical help for sexual assault  Call 800-656-HOPE – RAINN  www.RAINN.org  Online chat: www.thehotline.org - immediate emotional support or practical help for domestic violence  Call 800-799-SAFE  Batteredmotherscustodyconference.com - Provides educational material, resources, support and networking opportunities for mothers attempting to use family court to protect their children and themselves from abusive situations  Support this episode’s host and guest: Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Sam: Twitter // Instagram  Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   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 @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.  

This one is for the Swifties and the Swifties only. In this special episode, Jordy sits down with Kristie Frederick Daugherty, bonafide Taylor Swift scholar, poet, and literary critic. They discuss their favorite eras, but more importantly, why we ought to take Taylor Swift seriously as a poet. Daugherty’s new book Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift is out now.   Mentioned in this episode: Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift edited by Kristie Frederick Daugherty Yellow Wallpaper  Support this episode’s host and guest: Follow Kristie Frederick Daugherty: Website // Instagram Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   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 @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Books matter, even the weird ones. This episode kicks off with some of Sally’s favorite “WTF” books so get your TBRs ready. Then Ashley and Jordy share their thoughts on the genre-bending novel Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris. Finally, Nox discusses the importance of books and why book bans are terrible for everyone and stick around for some excellent diverse children’s book recommendations!   WTF Did I Just Read?! (0:22) Sally loves weird little books that make her think, “wtf did I just read?” Maybe they make us question reality, maybe it’s a train wreck you can’t look away from, maybe it’s so unsettling that it takes days or even weeks to recover. If you’re into that sort of thing, or just want to learn about some 2024 releases with stellar writing and unhinged women, this segment’s for you.   A Discussion of Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris (6:58) If you love mystery, romance, and/or fantasy, listen up! This book has all of those things and more. Ashley and Jordy discuss Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris, the allusions to other classic monster stories, the 20th century French setting, the slowburn sapphic love story, and lots more.   Book Bans Don’t Protect Anyone (20:51) Nox talks about how she feels when she sees books being banned, both as an educator and as someone who didn’t have access to books that represented her until she was an adult. She talks about the importance of books and how they can help you see yourself in many ways, plus some of her favorite diverse books in her classroom.   Mentioned in this episode: Our segment on gross books An Excellent Host by Chelsea G. Summers (an Independent Bookstore Day exclusive, so it may be tricky to find, but lots of indie bookstores still have copies! The Coin by Yasmin Zaher The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim Supplication by Nour Abi-Nakhoul Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry I Am Enough by Grace Byers Full Full Full of Love by Trish Cooke Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Muñoz Ryan Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love, edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil The Great Banned Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil The Pronoun Book by Cassandra Jules Corrigan How to Fight Book Bans and Challenges (from BookRiot) NCAC Book Censorship Action Kit   Support this episode’s hosts: Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Follow Nox: Instagram // Twitter // TikTok   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   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 @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.  

Curious about the National Book Award finalists? Last week and this week, our team dived into the shortlists for the Young People’s Literature and Fiction titles. Today, Mariquita and Mhairie discuss the five shortlisted books in Fiction. The National Book Award winners will be announced tomorrow!   Mentioned in this episode: All Fours by Miranda July Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar My Friends by Hisham Matar Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku James by Percival Everett The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain   Support this episode’s hosts: Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads Follow Mhairie: Instagram // TikTok Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   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 @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.  

Renee, Rah, and Sally reconvene to ask is doxxing justified?, plus Grammy takeaways, and what we're watching and reading. Want to see the video recording and put faces to names? We publish these the same day in the FBC Community! Join us here: https://feministbookclub.mn.co/ Books mentioned:  The Disordered Cosmos by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn  

Curious about the National Book Award finalists? This week and next week, our team is  diving into the shortlist for the Young People’s Literature and Fiction titles. Today, join Renee, Jordy, and Nox as they tell each other about the five nominees for Young People’s Literature and which title they think is going to win the award.   Mentioned in this episode: Kareem Between - Sharifa Saltagi Safadi The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky - Josh Galarza The Unboxing of a Black Girl -  Angela Shante The First State of Being - Erin Entrada Kelly Buffalo Dreamer - Violet Duncan     Support this episode’s hosts Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Follow Nox: Instagram // Twitter // TikTok   Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   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 @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.  

Join Renee, Rah, and Sally as they catch up and share how they're coping post-election, what they're baking, and how they're escaping Want to see the video recording and put faces to names? We publish these the same day in the FBC Community! Join us here: https://feministbookclub.mn.co/   Books Mentioned: American Rapture by CJ Leede Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon Baking By Feel by Becca Rea-Tucker Private Rites by Julia Armfield A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen  

Mhairie speaks with Dr. Lauren Cagle, professor of rhetoric at the University of Kentucky, about the history of memes, their impact on culture, and particularly on prevalence of memes in the 2024 US Presidential election. They discuss the field of rhetoric more broadly, define the term “meme,” and investigate the generational differences in social media use and online communication as it relates to the consumption of political information.   Join our online community to be a part of the election night craft circle.      Support this episode’s host and guest Follow Mhairie: Instagram // TikTok Follow Dr. Lauren Cagle: Bluesky // Website Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   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 @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.  

Renee, Steph, Rah, and Sally share their unfiltered thoughts on Halloween candy, Woman of the Hour, Love is Blind, Agatha All Along, and what they're reading. Want to see the video recording and put faces to names? We publish these the same day in the FBC Community! Join us here: https://feministbookclub.mn.co/