Feminist Book Club: The Podcast

Sometimes our contributors just want to tell you about the delightful books they’ve read recently, so tune in for four book reviews on some recent releases.   What’s in this episode: The Backtrack by Erin LaRosa, reviewed by Mariquita (0:21) Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo, reviewed by Renee (3:25) Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner, reviewed by Sam  (11:45) The Coven by Harper L. Woods, reviewed by Mhairie (15:30) (Trigger warnings: dubious consent, forced feeding, graphic violence, rough and explicit sexualcontent, forced proximity, betrayal, references to past abuse inc child abuse and reactions to triggering stimuli, knife violence, blood, physical harm to the FMC, bullying, murder, death of a parent, death, confinement.)   Support this episode’s hosts and guests: Follow Mariquita: Instagram  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Sam: Twitter // Instagram  Follow Mhairie: Instagram Today’s episode is sponsored by Gretchen Sisson, author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. Your support helps keep feminist media independent!   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 shares some of her favorite mental health memoirs and Mariquita interviews author Anamely Salgado Reyes, all in a search for the answer to an age-old question: Are we mad or is it just trauma?   Renee’s Reading Corner: Mental Health Memoirs (0:21) Instead of a longer review of one book, Renee shares six mental health memoirs that made a last impression on her. From C-PTSD to depression, from sociopathy to anxiety, this segment covers a lot of ground.   You Will Make Mistakes: Finding Home and Family in My Mother Cursed My Name (12:19) Mariquita interviews author Anamely Salgado Reyes about her debut novel, My Mother Cursed My Name. They discuss the legacy of trauma passed along by family who did their best, what it means to feel othered, how to define home, and just how, exactly, you can break a curse.     Books and Resources Mentioned: Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo A Flat Place by Noreen Masud The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Short List - podcast episode with Sally and Renee The Valedictorian of Being Dead by Heather B. Armstrong Sociopath by Patric Gagne Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes Support this episode’s hosts and guests: Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Mariquita: Instagram  Follow Anamely: Instagram   Today’s episode is sponsored by Gretchen Sisson, author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. Your support helps keep feminist media independent!   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 phrase “own voices” gets tossed around the bookish internet a lot, but have you ever paused to think about why it truly matters? Today’s podcast sheds light on the importance of reading stories told by the people within those communities. From the political crisis in the Philippines from an intrepid Filipino journalist to the first traditionally-published romance novel by a Native author featuring Native characters, we spotlight why #OwnVoices is more than just a hashtag.   Renee’s Reading Corner: Some People Need Killing (0:21) Renee shares one of her favorite non-fiction books of the year so far, Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista. Even if you think the deadly politics of the Philippines has no impact on your day-to-day life, tune in to hear why you should absolutely read this book. If nothing else, it’s a feat of longform journalism that you won’t want to miss.   The Bridget Jones of Indian Country (8:40) We’ve waited until 2024 to have our first traditionally-published romance by a Native author featuring Native characters, but it was worth the wait! Sally chats with Danica Nava, author of The Truth According to Ember, about Native stereotypes and discrimination, her favorite romcoms, characters, and tropes, and her book, which we’ll gladly deem “the Bridget Jones of Indian Country.”     Books and Resources Mentioned: Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia Evangelista The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Short List - podcast episode with Sally and Renee The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Reservation Dogs Legally Blonde How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days The Hating Game by Sally Thorne I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte   Support this episode’s hosts and guests: Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Danica: Instagram // Threads   Today’s episode is sponsored by Gretchen Sisson, author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. Your support helps keep feminist media independent!   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.  

Get your TBRs ready because we’re discussing three books you won’t want to miss! Jordy reviews Made For You by Jenna Satterthwaite, Renee reviews All This and More by Peng Shepherd, and Mariquita sits down with Rachelle Bergstein to chat about her book The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us. This episode will have you thinking about the kinds of entertainment media that makes us all who we are.   Made For You – AI Women and The Bachelor (0:21) Jordy sits down to discuss Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite. This book is The Bachelor meets artificial intelligence meets murder mystery. This story will have you ponder the ethics and morality of creating humanlike robots all while feeling empowered by reclaiming individual autonomy.     Renee’s Reading Corner: All This and More (5:40) If you’re feeling a little nostalgic for the Choose Your Own Adventure books we had growing up, you’ll want to check out Peng Shepherd’s latest novel All This and More. Renee reviews the book and shares why you might love it too.   What a Friend We Have in Judy (9:11) Mariquita interviews author Rachelle Bergstein about her book The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us. Over the course of the discussion they cover the importance of Blume’s ability to destigmatize menstruation and masturbation, the evergreen relevance of censorship and book bans, and where accountability ends and censorship begins.    Books and Resources Mentioned:   Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite  If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy  The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore  All This and More by Peng Shepherd The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us by Rachelle Bergstein  Women from the Ankle Down by Rachelle Bergstein  Brilliance and Fire by Rachelle Bergstein  Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume  Deenie by Judy Blume  Forever by Judy Blume  Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe   All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson  Superfudge by Judy Blume  Then Again Maybe I Won’t by Judy Blume  Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer    Support this episode’s hosts and guests: Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Rachelle: Instagram // website // twitter  Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads  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.

After trying – and failing – to lean in and girlboss our way to success, what comes next? Ashley and Sally chat with Samhita Mukhopadhyay (former executive editor for Teen Vogue) about what we can take away from those movements, how community is key to a workplace revolution, and insights from her book The Myth of Making It.   Books and Resources Mentioned: The Myth of Making It: A Workplace Reckoning by Samhita Mukhopadhyay Having It All by Helen Gurley Brown Phillip Cardi’s interview with Samhita on Unholier Than Thou   Support this episode’s hosts and guests: Follow Samhita: Instagram // Substack Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph   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.  

Move over non-fiction, we’ve got three novels that tackle big social issues in today’s episode! From violence against women in Murder After the Night Before, racist property laws in What You Leave Behind, and climate change in Troubled Waters, today’s episode proves that fiction can teach us and inspire us just as well, if not better, than non-fiction.    The One with the (Un)Likable Female Character with Katy Brent (0:21) Do we need to like our main characters or can we just accept that we’re all a bit like Rachel’s trifle from Friends? In this segment, kindly sponsored by HarperCollins, Sally talks with Katy Brent, author of The Murder After the Night Before. They chat about unlikeable female characters, what we gain from true crime, and Katy’s favorite thrillers.   Heirs Property in What We Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris (16:55)  Renee gushes about the new legal thriller What We Leave Behind by one of her favorite thriller authors Wanda M. Morris. To provide context for the premise of the book, she dives into what heirs property is, what makes it so complicated, and how it can impact the inheritance and legacy of Black families.   Lineage, Food, and Climate Change with Mary Annaïse Heglar (25:41) Ashley speaks with the author of Troubled Waters, Mary Annaïse Heglar, about how food can be a connector among characters, how place is pivotal for storytelling, the history of climate change that we try to forget, and cli-fi as a literary genre.     Books/Resources Mentioned: The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Hidden Homicides podcast You by Caroline Kepnes (and the tv show) The Boys Killing Eve Troubled Waters by Mary Annaïse Heglar What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris Renee’s podcast interview with Wanda M. Morris (from 2022)   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Katy Brent: Instagram Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Mary Annaïse Heglar: 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.

Pride Month may be over for 2024, but we’ll never stop reading and recommending queer lit! Especially when the books are as good as the two in this episode. First up, tune into Rah fanboi-ing all over TJ Alexander as they interview the author about their new book Triple Sec. Then join Mariquita and Sam in a discussion of Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg, with themes of love, grief, queerness, embodiment, and so much more.   More Poly Rom-Coms Please: Discussing Triple Sec with TJ Alexander (0:21) Are you tired of typical romance novels that don’t showcase diverse relationship styles? Have you considered reading Triple Sec? In this segment, Rah sits down with TJ Alexander to discuss the inspiration and creation behind the newly released polyamorous rom-com, Triple Sec. Tune in to hear about TJ’s process in creating diverse characters, the future of poly rom-coms, and why this book should be on your summer beach read TBR.   Echoes of Queerness in Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg (24:49) Mariquita and Sam chat about Emma Copley Eisenberg’s recently released Housemates, a book about queer love and art and their intersection. Mariquita and Sam discuss the book’s continuum of queer artists, its embodied embrace of fatness, and more.     Books/Resources Mentioned: Chef’s Kiss by TJ Alexander Chef’s Choice by TJ Alexander Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander Triple Sec by TJ Alexander I’ll Have What He’s Having by Adib Khorram The Prospects by KT Hoffman Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg More on Berenice Abbot and Elizabeth McCausland    Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Follow TJ Alexander: Instagram // Website Follow Mariquita: Instagram  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.  

We love supporting women’s righteous anger… and let’s be real, it feels really good to be angry from time to time. In this episode, join Kenesma as she speaks with Defne Suman about her new book Summer Heat and the themes of anger, reconciliation, and family during Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus. Then stay tuned to hear Ashley and Rah thoughtfully discuss their experience watching the new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Story.   Summer Heat: An Interview with Defne Sumner (1:03) One of our book club moderators Kenesma sat down with Defne Suman to discuss her latest novel Summer Heat, recently translated from Turkish into English and publishing in the US in a couple of weeks. This book is set alternately between 2003 and 1974 and follows Melike and her lovers, as the reader experiences the personal and the political through her eyes. Furiosa Frenzy  (27:49) Ashley and Rah are back with another film discussion! This time, they're diving into the recently released film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Join them as they share their thoughts on the action-packed prequel, explore the depth beyond the explosions, and celebrate the portrayal of the female lead. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the Mad Max Universe, this episode promises insights for this thrilling installment.     Books/Resources Mentioned: Summer Heat by Defne Suman   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Kenesma: Instagram Follow Defne Suman: Website Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph   Today’s episode is sponsored by The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent from HQ Digital, an imprint of HarperCollins. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media. 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.  

Pride Month is here and we've got our queerly beloveds on our minds. In this double header, you'll first hear Rah and Jordy discuss their favorite sapphic romances and why they love a good WLW love story. Then, Ashley and Mhairie tackle the question of whether we can ever separate a piece of art (such as a certain nostalgic magical series) from the artist when they actively harm the people we love. Queerly Beloved - Sapphic Stories to Light Up Your Pride Month (1:47) Happy Pride Month! We don’t need an excuse to read sapphic romances, but if you're looking for one, this is the perfect month to dive in! Tune into this segment where Rah and Jordy discuss a few of their favorite sapphic romances and books with sapphic romances in the background. Get ready to have your TBR list bursting with books that showcase some delightful WLW antics. The FBC Community asks, Can we separate art from the artist? (20:46) Ashley and Mhairie delve into a question from a Feminist Book Club community member posed in our online community : how do you deal with authors whose beliefs go against your own yet their books were some of the most meaningful to you? The conversation includes what cancel culture means, accountability culture, and if you can separate art from the artist.  Books/Resources Mentioned: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake The Fiance Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur  This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé  Outdrawn by Deanna Grey No Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall - (listen to Nox’s Review here!)  Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America by Krista Burton Chlorine by Jade Song Payback’s a Witch and In Charm’s Way by Lana Harper Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma Alban One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur Here we go again Alison Cochrun Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph Follow Jordy: Instagram Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Mhairie: Instagram Today’s episode is sponsored by Thank You, More Please by Lily Womble from Legacy Lit and The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent from HQ Digital, an imprint of HarperCollins. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media. 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.

We’re truly in the golden age of book adaptations but move over, Reese Witherspoon, Patricia Highsmith is the reigning queen. Tune in to listen to Renee, Ashley, and Mariquita thoughtfully and hilariously discuss the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, as well as the 1999 film, and the new Netflix series. They compare and contrast the three texts, dive into the enduring themes of queerness in each, why the book withstands the test of time, Matt Damon vs. Andrew Scott, and all the aspects they loved in the latest series. Finally, they attempt to answer the question, “What the hell is Mr. Ripley’s talent anyhow?”   Books/Resources Mentioned: The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999 film) Ripley (2024 Netflex series) The Guest by Emma Cline Sociopath by Patric Gagne Mindhunter (TV series) Sugar (TV series) Bad Sisters (TV series) The Tragedy of Macbeth (film)   Support this episode’s hosts and guests:  Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Mariquita: Instagram  Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website   Today’s episode is sponsored by Thank You, More Please by Lily Womble from Legacy Lit and The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent from HQ Digital, an imprint of HarperCollins. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media. 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.