Book Club For Masochists: A Readers Advisory Podcast

This episode we’re talking about Literary Theory & Literary Criticism! We discuss what literature even is, books we haven’t read, preconceived notions, and much more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas  How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard, translated by Jeffrey Mehlman Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan D. Culler The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin Is Gender Necessary? A Century of Weird Fiction, 1832–1937: Disgust, Metaphysics, and the Aesthetics of Cosmic Horror by Jonathan Newell Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction

This episode we’re discussing Media (and Noodles) We’ve Recently Enjoyed! We talk about spicy noodles, which Dakota is our least favourite state, fictional planets that totally suck, tenuous connections, flexing over signed books, vaccine envy, podcast synergy, and why you should mail us an envelope filled with five dollar bills! Plus: We reveal how deeply uncool we really are! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Media We Mentioned Matthew Hitman 3 Dubai!: 3 Ways to Play (just one of many videos) Hitman Elusive Target 14 The Chef: MIKE'S FINEST HOUR - Let's Play Hitman (featuring the explosive rubber duck) Hitman 3 THE MOST ELUSIVE TARGET YET: 3 Ways to Play Hitman 3 Elusive Target The Collector (this one came out the same day as this episode of the podcast!) Hitman (franchise) (Wikipedia) Nicol

This episode we’re talking about Psychological Horror! We discuss gore, people being weenies, books with running in them, kiwi fruit, checking the under the bed for monsters, Law & Order: SVU, and our guest host says they want to poison everyone! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Alan Woo Things We Read (or tried to…) A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay  Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado The Grip of It by Jac Jemc Read by Meghan but not discussed We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh Outer

It’s our 5th anniversary episode and this time we’re discussing Bad Book Reading Habits! Sticky notes, bookmarks, tagging and tracking, borrowing more library books than we can read, books on display in video calls, reading books out of order, throwing books in the garbage, and more! Plus: Which host is a book goblin? (The answer may surprise you.) You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Media We Mentioned If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver The copy of the book mentioned that had marginalia Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed Acquired Traits by Raissa Berg The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros ttyl by Lauren Myracle Links, Articles,

This episode we’re talking about Biology Non-Fiction! We discuss epidemiology, genetics, microbes, kissing, sex, and more! Plus: using physical bookmarks when reading ebooks! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live by Nicholas A. Christakis Acquired Traits by Raissa Berg World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us by Sheril Kirshenbaum Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong Clean: The New Science of

This episode we’re discussing what makes a good book cover: The Design and Art of Books! We talk about physically icky feeling books, hidden messages on (and under) book covers, the history of the book, women's pants, and more! Plus: We discuss whether we prefer hardcovers, trade paperbacks, or mass market paperbacks! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Mentioned Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Tampa by Alissa Nutting Made for Love by Alissa Nutting Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott Cheap Toys #23 by Giz Medium (zine with sandpaper cover) Get Fuzzy by Darby Donley Earth Abides by George R. Stewart X-Statix Omnibus by Peter Milligan, Mike Allred, and others Wise Child by Monica Furlong Juniper by Monica Furlong The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin Support Your Local Wizard by Diane Duane

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we’re talking about Regency Romance! We discuss dukes, sex, the ton, misunderstandings, feelings, and (of course) Bridgerton. Plus: someone’s otter gets loose, if you know what we mean. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) The Lady’s Choice (visual novel) Part 1 of our stream (with Meghan and Matthew) Part 2 of our stream Northanger Abbey (visual novel) Part 1 of our stream (with RJ and Matthew) Part 2 of our stream The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare The Duke and I by Julia Quinn Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid Redeeming the Reclusive Earl by Virginia Heath The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian Other Media We Mentioned

This episode we’re talking about Our Reading Resolutions and Intentions for 2021! We discuss failing our reading resolutions from 2020, reading in a pandemic, reading for fun, reading for work, reading (or not reading) books given to us as gifts, and how we deal with To Read lists. Plus: Matthew’s appalling reading plans for 2021. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Media We Mentioned I’m on lockdown so I watched all 14 Land Before Times by Jenny Nicholson SciShow YouTube channel Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People, and Fantastic Adventure from Chess to Role-Playing Games by Jon Peterson Drokk! Judge Dredd readthrough podcast The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Links, Articles, and Things Stream of The Lady’s Choice (with Matthew & Meghan) Part 2 on Friday, January 22n

This episode we’re reading Sociology Non-Fiction! We discuss the differences between sociology and psychology, what Karl Marx and Aziz Ansari have in common, the over-educated but kind-of-broke worker, and the difficulties of reading books that make us both sad and angry. Plus: Pandemic Monkey Brains! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Amanda Wanner Things We Read (or tried to read) From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor by Virginia Eubanks (this is better than Matthew implied in the episode, it is worth reading) Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matt

This episode we’re talking about the Best Books We Read in 2020! (Not necessarily things that came out in 2020, but there are some of those too!) We discuss reading in the pandemic era, “good enough” reads, academic publishing, and more! Plus: Are noodles media? You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Favourite Fiction For the podcast Matthew The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark  (From Episode 106 - Alternative/Alternate History) Serre Watch Matthew and Meghan play this visual novel! (From Episode 108 - Visual Novels) Anna Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer (From Episode 115 - New Weird) Last Days of New Paris by China Miéville (From Episode 106 - Alternative/Alternate History) Meghan The Etched City by KJ Bishop (From Episode 115 - New Weird) RJ Pet b

This episode we’re talking about New Weird Fiction! Strap in, because we spend a lot of time discussing what this genre even is (or if it exists at all!). We talk about whether a genre needs more than two authors to be a genre, how to describe books in which the plot is not the point, “capital W” Weird vs “lowercase w” weird, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Read The Etched City by KJ Bishop The Vorrh by Brian Catling Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval The Blood of Angels by Johanna Sinisalo The Broken Hours by Jacqueline Baker Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe by Thomas Ligotti Other Media We Mentioned The Yawhg - Friday Night Spooktacular Visual Novel Stream (Watch Matthew, Meghan, RJ, and Amanda pl

This episode we’re Receiving Book Recommendations! Last episode we asked each other for books in specific areas and this week we’re back with our suggestions for table top role playing games, folklore, healthcare, poetry, urban fantasy and more. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Recommend An Indie Tabletop Game The Queen of Cups  TTRPG Safety Toolkit by Kienna Shaw & Lauren Bryant-Monk The Skeletons Slavic/Eastern European Folklore Slavic Folklore: A Handbook by Natalie Kononenko Natalie Kononenko (Wikipedia) Nart Sagas from the Caucasus: Myths and Legends from the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs by John Colarusso Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales Baba Yaga cross stitch Matthew’s working on Humanism in/of Healthcare 2020 Summer

This episode we’re Seeking Book Recommendations! We’ve each picked some topics and we’re going to perform Readers’ Advisory interviews to help figure out what titles to suggest to each other. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Recommendations Wanted! RJ An indie tabletop game Sci-fi/fantasy set in contemporary real world, but the sf/fan elements are NOT secret/hidden/underground Fiction set at Christmastime/non-fiction about Christmas Matthew Slavic/Eastern European Folklore Horror Space Opera Anna Humanism in/of healthcare Urban fantasy Feminist Essay Collection Meghan Fiction (not a thriller) that surprises Poetry Russian language learning materials Media We Mentioned Shadowrun (Wikipedia) Sleepaway FATE GURPS God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medici

This episode we’re discussing Business Non-Fiction! We talk about personality quizzes, questioning capitalism, fighting against productivity/the productivity trap, the rigourousness of professional degrees, (somehow on-topic) tangents, and how books can manage to disappoint us in new and bizarre ways. It’s got both silliness and existential dread in one episode! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Read This Month Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us  by Michael Moss Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis Uncanny Valley  by Anna Wiener No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life  by Marie Kondō and Scott Sonenshein Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel's Guide to Finding Your Best Life by She

It's Halloween! And in this very special episode we're playing the game Happy Birthday Dracula! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Games We Played This Month Happy Birthday Dracula! We’re streaming visual novel games on Twitch! Were|House (Matthew and RJ trying to date a kelpie) Speed Dating for Ghosts Which BC4M podcast co-host are you most like? Other Media We Mentioned Steeple by John Allison The webcomic Links, Articles, and Things Xylophones for Walking Bones (TV Tropes) Quadrille (Wikipedia) Witch Name Generator Astronomia but it's played on a Xylophone (music used in the episode) 15 Psychological Thriller Books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors (see all our lists here) My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

This episode we’re discussing Comedic/Humorous Fiction! We discuss what makes something funny, the different types of humour fiction,  when you can’t tell if something is supposed to be funny until you know the context, and more! Plus: Comics’ comic comics! (That kind of makes sense in context…) You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Announcements Check out Matthew and RJ streaming Were|House on our Twitch Channel on Friday, October 9th at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific Twitch stream Monster Mash - Friday Night Spooktacular Visual Novel Stream Our genre-specific lists of books by people of colour Vote for what genre we read in November Things We Read This Month Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde “Somebody once said that the library is actually the dominant life form on the planet. Humans simply exist

This episode we’re giving you an update on the media we’ve been enjoying not for the podcast! We talk about music, books, podcasts, comics, videos, movies, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Announcements Check out our weekly "spooky" visual novel stream at twitch.tv/bookclub4m. Starting Friday, September 18th at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific. Or check out the recordings on our YouTube channel Media We’ve Been Enjoying Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 1 by Kagiji Kumanomata The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1 by Kōsuke Ōno Matthew heard about both of these manga in the Best and Worst Manga of 2020 panel Coode Street Podcast The Slowdown Strides Forward Comrades Marathon (Wikipedia) Dig: A History Podcast Choice, Sterilization, and Eugenics in Twentieth Century Puerto Rico S

This episode we’re discussing Visual Novels! We talk about what visual novels are, whether they count as books, reading novels we’re much too young for, being unable to suspend our disbelief, watching videos at 2x speed, monetization, watching vs playing, linear vs divergent stories, and more! Plus, this episode is like 75% tangents! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Read (Played?) This Month Bury Me, My Love Dungeons & Lesbians Stream with Matthew and RJ Serre - “A visual novel about a girl and an alien drinking tea and falling in love!” Stream with Matthew and Meghan Speed Dating for Ghosts Order a Pizza: A Visual Novel Stream with Matthew and hosts of Finish It! Podcast All the streams on YouTube! Our Twitch channel Matthews list of (more) Visual Novels he enjoyed playing

This episode we talk about Pet by Akwaeke Emezi! There are lots of spoilers, plus discussions of ambiguity, language and communication, names, family, community, trust, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Announcements Matthew is streaming visual novels on Twitch (and archived on YouTube)! Here are some of his favourites Serre (with Meghan) Dungeons & Lesbians (with RJ) This Sunday, August 23rd, at 8pm Eastern Matthew will be joined by the co-hosts of Finish It! Podcast! 12 Gothic Literature Books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Contest! Win a copy of Pet (the book we discussed in this episode) by sharing this episode (on social media, in an email, wherever) and tagging or otherwise telling us (e.g. screenshot it and email it to us at bookclub4m@gmail.com). The Boo

This episode we’re discussing Alternative/Alternate History! We talk about realism and magic, how long ago is history, tropes and when they’re good, why this genre always seems to be about war, and more. Plus Matthew almost gets bingo! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Things We Read This Month The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson (an American writer, Meghan misspoke :/ ) The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead The Last Days of New Paris by China Miéville Graphic Annotations of China Miéville’s The Last Days of New Paris Batman: Holy Terror by Alan Brennert and Norm Breyfogle (Wikipedia) Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Other Media We Mentioned