Book Club For Masochists: A Readers Advisory Podcast

This month we’re discussing American Gothic! We discuss old creepy houses, weird families, cultural context, potential supernatural, the sense of unease, and media that makes you feel emotions. Plus: You’ve inherited a haunted decaying space station. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards | Jessi F Things We Read We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote Bonavere Howl by Caitlin Galway Florence & Giles by John Harding The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Child of God by Cormac McCarthy Vlad by Carlos Fuentes Universal Harvester by John Darnielle the Mountain Goats (Wikipedia) This Year (music video) Sax Rohmer #1 (music video) (this is the one sampled in the episode) Poe: Stories and Poems: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds Gothic Tales of Hau

This episode we’re discussing recent media we’ve experienced and enjoyed. We talk Muppets, French pop music, anarchist witches, and in-depth analyses of video game lore. Plus: We talk about some books too! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Media We’ve Enjoyed Anna’s Picks Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley  Abara: Complete Deluxe Edition by Tsutomu Nihei Sunshine State by Sarah Gerard They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib Come by Jain (Music Video) I Like (the idea of) You by Tessa Violet (Music Video) Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior: 4th Edition by Donald O. Case and Lisa M. Given Matthew’s Picks My Brother's Husband, Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame Academia Obscura by Glen Wright @AcademiaObscura  Chic

This episode we’re discussing Political Non-Fiction! We talk about the design of American political books, anarchism, accessing abortion, parliamentarians, when is a comic not a comic, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Read (or tried to…) Anarchism for Beginners by Marcos Mayer and Sanyú Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction by Colin Ward Very Short Introductions Order Without Power: An Introduction to Anarchism: History and Current Challenges by Normand Baillargeon On the House: An Inside Look at the House of Commons by Rob Walsh 1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike by Graphic History Collective and David Lester Your Black Friend and Other Strangers by Ben Passmore Ben Passmore’s comics on The Nib The Mental Load: A feminist comic by Emma Comics for Choice: Illus

This month we’re reading The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin! In this episode there are lots of spoilers! We discuss whether or not we enjoy maps in books, grimdark fantasy, protests, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Book We Discussed This Month  The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Map of The Stillness Other Media We Mention Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin Discworld by Terry Pratchett The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin Links, Articles, and Things Dunwich (and other fictional places that H.P. Lovecraft created) are in Massachusetts "I make a LOT of maps, and have zero art skills so here's how I do it" Grimdark (Wikipedia) Hugo Awards (Wikipedia) Announcing the 2019 Hugo Award Winners Archive of Our Own

In this extra special bonus episode Matthew and Anna talk about a spreadsheet for forty minutes. Seriously! They go through all of the *punk subgenres from Stonepunk to Whalepunk and everything in between. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Matthew Murray  The Spreadsheet Timeline of *Punk fiction subgenres Media Mentioned This Episode The Flintstones The Far Side RRRrrrr!!! Krogslist Playlist of all Krog videos Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda Elfquest The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang  One Piece by Eiichiro Oda Carniepunk by Rachel Caine Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner  Wild Wild West Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic about Superman by Zach Weinersmith Fallout (series) The Scar by China Miéville Tank Girl Railsea by China Miéville Snowpiercer Why SNOWPIERCER is a sequel to WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLA

This month we’re reading Steampunk! We talk about the history of the genre, umbrella fights, boring white men, colonialization, graphic novel adaptations, werewolf sex, good vs bad worldbuilding, and Matthew made a spreadsheet and did some math (of course…). You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Discussed This Month  The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley Boneshaker by Cherie Priest Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter The Difference Engine by William Gibson,  Bruce Sterling Clockwork Canada: Steampunk Fiction edited by Dominik Parisien Soulless by Gail Carriger Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 1 by Gail Carriger and Rem Other Steampunk (or “Steampunk”) Books We’ve Read (or tried to…) Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio  The Glass Scientists by Sabrina Cotugno Airborn

This episode we’re talking about the American Library Association’s annual conference and New and Upcoming Books We’re Excited About! We discuss LGBTQ comics, Star Trek, memoirs, and an author who we learn we went to school with. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Matthew Murray | Kelsey Ockert | Amie Wright New and Upcoming Books We Mention Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman - Published September 3rd 2019 (Matthew was wrong, it’s being published by Graphic Universe) Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe - Published May 28th 2019 Spivak pronoun (including “eir”) We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix - Paperback published June 25, 2019 Angels With Blue Faces by Lyra McKee - Published late June 2019 Lyra McKee (Wikipedia) Guts by Raina Telgemeier - Published September 10th, 2019 They Called Us Enemy by George Takei,  Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and

This month our genre is True Crime! We discuss bird thieves, rich people, caring more about the stories around the crimes than the crimes themselves, and audiobooks that make us scared to go to bed. Check it out! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Read This Month (or tried to read…) Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger by Lee Israel Can You Ever Forgive Me? (movie) Noël Coward Edna Ferber The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson Internet Archive: Wayback Machine The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt The Mystery of Mary Rogers by Rick Geary The Case of Madeleine Smith by Rick Geary I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman

This month we’re discussing Which Book Should We Read? Once a year we pick one title that we all read and discuss. This year we each suggest one title and are asking you to vote for which one we’ll read. Also discussed: Books & Beverages library displays, The Podcaster’s Dilemma, poetry clocks, touching, smelling, and tasting podcasts, and a fantasy novel that’s a collection of found and fragmentary historical documents. 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 The Nominees! Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli (Meghan’s pick) The Woo-Woo: How I Survived Ice Hockey, Drug Raids, Demons, and My Crazy Chinese Family by Lindsay Wong (RJ’s pick) The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden (Anna’s pick) The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (Matthew’s pick) (It didn’t win the Hugo in early June 2016, so who knows wh

This month our genre is Supernatural Thrillers! We discuss grand dogs, fairies stealing children, Abbott and Costello Meet the Eldritch Abominations, spooky houses, the best celery, whether hackers are supernatural, snuggling lake monsters, reading Wikipedia articles instead of consuming media, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Read This Month (or tried to read…) The Devil's Labyrinth by John Saul Meghan’s review Ring by Kōji Suzuki The Ring (franchise) Ring (novel series) The Ring, Volume 1 by Misao Inagaki and Hiroshi Takahashi The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir NOS4A2 by Joe Hill Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero Abbott by Saladin Ahmed,  Sami Kivelä, and Jason Wordie Can RJ Recommend a Book by a Trans Author in this Genre? Blood Oranges by

This episode we talk about Books That Changed Our Lives and Books That Haunt Us. We talk about comics, cooking, problematic faves, what caused us to study what we did in school, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Questions we discuss Is there such a thing as a "life-changing book"? What do we mean when we use that phrase? What distinguishes a "life-changing" book from a "favorite book"? Do you have any "life-changing" books? Are there any books that haunt you? Media We Mention Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess by Rachel Hoffman Sandman, vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III “Dramatically Different ‘absolute Sandman’ Recoloring Is Absolutely Necessary” Hark Podcast The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of H

This month we’re reading Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, Myths, and Folklore. We talk about the internet, oral stories, where to start reading superheroes, the problems with incredibly long books, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Read This Month (or tried to read…) A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm by Varla Ventura Transgressive Tales: Queering the Grimms Christmas Customs and Folklore: A Guide to Season Rites by Margaret Baker Hark! Podcast Jingle Bells written by James Lord Pierpont Wassailing Haxey Hood Boggans - Changeling: The Dreaming Snap-dragon (game) Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology by Cory O'Brien H

It’s our 75th episode! and we discuss some of our Recent Favourites. We talk about magic in outer space, fiction about dating animals, underground civilizations, jigsaw puzzles, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards | Jessi Things We Liked! Jessi The Adventure Zone, vol. 1: Here There Be Gerblins by Clint McElroy,  Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch The Adventure Zone (podcast) Everything is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss by Stephanie Wittels Wachs Baba Is You Trailer Counterfeit Monkey (text game about removing letters from words) Matthew Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules by James Sturm, Guy Davis, and Robert Sikoryak A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White BioWare: 18% play Mass Effect FemShep D

This episode we’re reading Short Story Collections! We talk about the differences between collections and anthologies, when a short story is too long, futurespeak, and how little Charles Dickens knows about writing. Plus: Accidentally buying Canadians. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Read This Month (or tried to read…) All the Names They Used for God by Anjali Sachdeva Robots vs. Fairies edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe Gutshot by Amelia Gray The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 edited by N.K. Jemisin Three Deaths by Josip Novakovich Fantastic Adventures How Long till Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin Three Moments of an Explosion by China Miéville Her Bodies and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado Hark! Episode 212: Strawberry Equinox (with the neck ribbon story)

It’s our 73rd episode and we’re talking about Reading Habits! We discuss reader robes, the worst things we’ve spilled on books, getting motion sick while reading on vehicles, using things as bookmarks, when not to donate books to the library, and judging people by their bookshelves. Plus: Aeroplane and other vehicle noises! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Questions What is your background as a reader? (early, late, family tradition, core identity, fun hobby, professional requirement) When do you read? (specific to work or pleasure? type of reading?) Where do you read? (in public, a specific chair, on transit, audio books in car, etc) How many books do you read at the same time? Do you track your reading? (take part in challenges or reading marathons? have quotas per type of reading material?) How do you choos

This episode we’re discussing Occult/Mysticism/New Age/Esoteric/Magic(k) Non-Fiction! We discuss youthful tarot experimentation, cultural appropriation, new age spiritualism, and more! Plus: Well known 19th century erotic author/model Bam Stroker! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Read This Month (or tried to read…) Modern Tarot: Connecting with Your Higher Self through the Wisdom of the Cards by Michelle Tea Welcome To 'Witch City' With Michelle Tea Making Witches: Newfoundland Traditions of Spells and Counterspells by Barbara Rieti Kupilikula: Governance and the Invisible Realm in Mozambique by Harry G. West Desperate Magic: The Moral Economy of Witchcraft in Seventeenth-Century Russia by Valerie A. Kivelson The Dark Side of the Enlightenment: Wizards, Alchemists, and Spiritual Seekers in the

This episode we’re talking about Canadian Content! We discuss books by indigenous authors, French Canadian literature, the immigrant experience, what it means to be Canadian, and more! Plus: The Log Driver's Waltz! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jean Broughton Questions Do you know the history of Canadian Content in media? Do you deliberately read Canadian (authors, content)? Why? How do you define “Canadian literature”? Media We Mention Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson The Log Driver's Waltz Wikipedia Animation The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier Wikipedia Animation Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan Canadian Whites (WWII-era comics in Canada) Brok Windsor by Jon Stables Nelvana of the Northern Lights by Adria

Just in time for Valentine’s Day we’re reading Erotic Romance! We discuss how to talk about erotica without getting too personally revealing, the physics of perpetual boners, BDSM, and goth-shaming. Plus: We really need to buy pop shields! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Suggest new genres! Fill out the form to suggest genres! Books We Read This Month Hidden Away by Maya Banks At the Stroke of Midnight by Tara Sivec Worked Up by Tessa Bailey Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai Small Favors: The Definitive Girly Porno Collection by Colleen Coover Off the Clock by Roni Loren Goodreads review Matthew mentioned Pleasure for Two by Pamela Yaye Other Media We Mention Chester 5000 by Jess Fink Yes, Roya by C. Spike Trotman and Emilee Denich Nymph by Francesca Lia Bloc

This episode we’re talking about Bizarro Fiction! We discuss body horror, transgression, kaiju butts, dildo salesmen, and more! Plus: Books that make us (or at least Matthew) want to throw up! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Books We Read This Month (or tried to read...) Give of Yourself: A Bizarro Christmas Tale by Lee Widener The Best Bizarro Fiction of the Decade Entropy in Bloom: Stories by Jeremy Robert Johnson F4 by Larissa Glasser Fortune Box by Madeleine Swann Flamingos in the Ashtray: 25 Bizarro Short Stories by Zoltan Komor The Filing Cabinet of Doom: 17 Bizarro Short Stories by Madeleine Swann Other Media We Mention The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III Fist of the Spider Woman: Tales of Fear and Queer Desire Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer Bizzong! The Bizarre and Weird Fiction Podc

It’s our Best of 2018 episode! Of course, these are not necessarily the best things published in 2018, but instead the best things we read for the podcast (including everything from Family Sagas to Nature/Outdoors Non-Fiction) and the best we read of everything else. Join us for our #libfaves18! [Sorry this is a bit late coming out, Matthew had a terrible bout of food poisoning.] You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards Favourite books read for the podcast Fiction Meghan: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Episode 045 - Family Sagas) Anna: Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell (Episode 049 - Southern Gothic) Matthew: Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North (Episode 053 - Comedic Science Fiction & Fantasy) RJ: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (Episode 053 - Comedic Science Fiction & Fantasy) Non-Fiction: Ann