Get snuggled in tight – the Book Squad is here to discuss How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris. We talk about mis-matched political relationships, queerness and performance, emotional honesty vs. just being an a**hole, and sympathetic characters (or lack thereof). Join us on February 3rd for an Othersode about Return of the Living Dead, featuring special guest Lindsay Currie, author of X Marks the Haunt. Then read along for our next Bookpisode on Sunbirth by An Yu on February 17th!

TOC:
30– SUSAN’S BACK!
14:24– How to Sleep at Night book intro
18:30– At what point does loyalty become complicity?
33:50–Performance and queerness
47:19–Is there anyone we empathize with?
59:45–Could you date a republican?
1:16:00– Ratings
1:21:00– What’s up next?

It’s the episode we look forward to all year: our favorite things! The Squad counts down their favorite things from 2025. Plus, you’ll get to hear from the past year’s guests about what they loved most in 2025. And after you listen, we’d love to hear from you about YOUR favorite things too, so email or DM us so we can read it on the next Othersode! Read along with us for our first Bookpisode of 2026 on January 20th about How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris. Then on February 3rd, we’ll be joined by Lindsey Currie, author of X Marks the Haunt, for an Othersode about Return of the Living Dead. Start the year off right by leaving us a rating on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget about our Patreon!

:30 – Welcome everyone! What are we manifesting for 2026?
18:09 – Third favorite things
35:05 – 2025 faves from Clay, Sam, Susie, Mary Kay
44:50 – Second favorite things
1:00:47 – 2025 faves from Grady, Tatiana, Todd, Janet
1:05:58 – Honorable Mentions
1:10:49 – 2025 Faves from Paul, Ally, Tirzah, Samantha
1:19:24 – First favorite things 
1:40:16 – What’s up next?

For our final bookpisode of the year, we enter Hobby Lobby Hell to read Crafting for Sinners, the latest from Jenny Kiefer. We discuss the sordid history of Hobby Lobby’s crimes, debate whether an entire town can be homophobic, and try to understand blood sugar. Plus, Emily regales us with a chilling anecdote about knitting. Have feedback? Email us at [email protected]. Stay tuned for our next othersode — our beloved annual Faves of the Year — and then our next bookpisode on How to Sleep At Night by Elizabeth Harris, both of which will feature the triumphant return of the one and only Susan! Happy holidays, goalies.

Table of Contents:
1:48 Intro. Question
7:25 Book Synopsis
9:21 Horrostör Comp
21:08 Why should we care about these characters?
24:21 Can an entire town be homophobic? And things we wanted more/less of in the book.
37:52 Hobby Lobby Receipts, Proof, Timelines
48:52 The book could have been more!
53:34 The Cover! And Emily's Knitting Story
58:57 Rating
1:03:55 Feedback Bullying! And 12 Days of Christmas Blog Requests

The podcast itself is Book Squad Goals. This Othersode is Book Squad Goals’ Monster. Anyway, we’re talking about Guillermo del Toro’s beautiful new Frankenstein adaptation featuring more than one of BSG’s Favorite Actors™ – and we’re joined by husband of the pod, Todd! The Squad discusses some greatest hits of the people-playing-god genre, why this story is adapted so frequently, what makes this adaptation special (ahem, it’s Oscar Isaac), the costumes and performances, and of course, narcissistic parents. We also discover that while Todd teaches this novel, he doesn’t know which edition he teaches, and his main point of reference for this story is Young Frankenstein. Good for you, Todd. Up next on our December 23rd Bookpisode, it’s Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer. And then join us on January 6th for our annual Best of the Year Othersode where we talk about our favorite things from 2025! Wanna get us a Christmas/Hanukkah/Cold Weather present? Write us a review on Apple Podcasts! That’s the only thing on our list!

TOC
3:05 - It’s Giving Tuesday (kind of) — Our cats as Christmas ghosts
6:00 - We cast Muppet Frankenstein
7:30 - Intro question: What is your favorite piece of media about how only monsters play God?
12:25 - Did we need another Frankenstein adaptation?
28:50 - Frankenstein as an artist
31:01 - The book vs. the movie
43:43 - Narcissistic parents
51:28 - The optimism of the adaptation
53:00 - Did Elizabeth want to bang the monster? (yes)
1:00:28 - This adaptation is from a Mexican POV
1:05:52 - The performances (Wow Jacob Elordi did that)
1:18:50 - Is subtlety dead?
1:36:20 - Listener feedback
1:41:31 - What’s next on the pod?

It's time for the squad to meld minds with Seattle Book Club's Sam Clark to discuss Immaculate Conception, Ling Ling Huang's sophomore novel. Is this a sci-fi novel? Is it literary fiction? Is this queer? Does the art described in this book sound legit? Well, yes to all of that... but it's complicated. Tune in to find out more. And don't forget to come back next time for our discussion of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein with friend/husband of the pod, Todd! And if you're already ready to prepare for our next bookpisode, we'll be discussing Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer on 12/23!

If you listen, don't forget to rate and review (and we will love you forever. And take a peek at our Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/booksquadgoals. It's only $3 a month to join!

TOC
0:00:30 Welcome Sam from Seattle Book Club!
0:13:19 Immaculate Conception Synopsis from Fable
0:16:10 Kelly's Art Critique
0:27:43 The Setting of the Book
0:36:15 AI in the novel
0:39:10 Art & Technology & Parenthood
0:48:25 Enka & Mathilde's relationship
0:53:14 Empathy and SCAFFOLD
0:59:29 The Mother-in-Law
1:03:40 Enka’s husband!
1:14:02 Immaculate Conception
1:18:30 Gay? And Final Thoughts
1:20:35 Rating
1:28:20 Interview with Sam
1:43:30 What's on the Blog?/Be Afraid, Todd! (He is Afraid)

It’s cold outside, but the squad is still thinking about Midsommar. Author Tatiana Schlote-Bonne journeys to the Hårga with the rest of the squad for a fun, sunny, nine-day midsummer festival. What could possibly go wrong? After we chat about human sacrifice, bears, “good for her” horror movies, and responsible mushroom use, stick around for a spoiler-free talk with Tatiana about her latest horror novel, The Mean Ones. And if you have thoughts about Midsommar and/or creepy cults, don’t forget to write in to [email protected] to let us know! Next on the pod (11/25), Sam Clark from Seattle Book Club joins us to discuss Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang. And on December 9, we’ll chat about Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein with friend of the pod, Todd! Skål!

TOC
:30 – Welcome, Tatiana! And icebreaker
6:00 – Movie intro
8:33 – Personal history with Midsommar
16:18 – Why is this movie so iconic?
21:44 – Is Christian evil?
28:16 – Mental health
39:27 – Is this movie for or against community?
44:29 – How should we feel when it ends?
50:24 – Interview with Tatiana! 
1:1819 – What’s up next?

Links
https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/midsommar-ari-aster?rq=midsommar

You know what they say: Hell is going to grad school. Or that’s what R. F. Kuang says, and we here at Book Squad Goals tend to agree with her assessment. This week, the squad dives into Kuang’s latest, Katabasis, discussing everything from the state of Booktok and the publishing landscape to whether or not an erection qualifies a book for Romantasy status. Feel free to weigh in by sending an email to [email protected]. You can also check out our blog for at least one NEW POST (gasp) at booksquadgoals.com/blog. Stay tuned for our next episode on 11/11 where we’ll be revisiting the film Midsommar along with Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, author of The Mean Ones. You should also read along for our next bookpisode on Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang, where we’ll be joined by Sam, owner/founder of Seattle Book Club, on 11/25. 

Finally, please consider subscribing to our Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/booksquadgoals, for just $3 a month! Please!!!!

TOC:
0:30– Welcome! And icebreaker
14:05–Magic as metaphor
18:20–Is this book too academic?
35:04–Alice and women in academia
1:00:00–Pacing and what could go
1:16:19–Anything else? Ratings?
1:20:02–What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Things get creepy on the BSG podcast when four unreliable female narrators come together to discuss the Netflix adaptation of The Woman in Cabin 10, based on the thriller by Ruth Ware. This week, Tirzah Price, author of In Want of a Suspect and the upcoming A Matter of Murder, joins the squad aboard our lavish yacht. Tune in as we tackle important questions like: Why is this woman so tired? Why did the movie switch up the story so much? And most importantly, how the heck did Lo Blacklock get herself in this situation yet again in the sequel? If you watch The Woman in Cabin 10, starring Keira Knightly holding an iPhone for the first time in her life, make sure to write in and let us know your thoughts! And tune in next time (Oct 28) as we discuss Katabasis by RF Kuang! And on Nov 11, Tatiana Schlote-Bonne joins us to discuss Midsommar and her novel The Mean Ones! Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review, and join our Patreon for exclusive pet pics!

TOC
1:18 Tirzah is Here!
7:50 Intro. Question
13:50 Book Vs. Movie Changes
28:33 The Cast
32:16 The Ending
48:05 Is This Movie Good?
54:20 The Woman in Suite 11 (light spoilers)
1:04:10 Why is the Woman-Preposition-Noun trend so popular?
1:14:03 A Matter of Murder by Tirzah Price!
1:18:58 What's on the Blog! Wrap-Up Stuff!

Husband of the Pod Todd joins Mary, Kelli, and Emily for a discussion of John Green’s new nonfiction book, Everything is Tuberculosis. They ask important questions about the ethics of illness narratives, cowboy hats, the US presidents, and whether or not it is sexy to look tired. Plus: an impassioned defense of Paper Towns from a heterosexual white man!

Next Othersode: The Woman in Cabin 10 with Tirzah Price - 10/14
Next Episode: Katabasis by RF Kuang - 10/28

TOC
:30—Welcome Todd! And icebreaker
15:00—Book intro
16:46—The story of tuberculosis
33:25—Henry’s story
53:00—Is John Green the best person to tell this story?
1:07:44—Ratings
1:11:18—What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Author Ally Russell (Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave) joins the squad to discuss Ryan Coogler’s Sinners! Ally graciously stuck around to tell us about her new book as well, and we had a great conversation about the supernatural, cemeteries, and all things strange and unusual. Ally is an absolute gem, and you won’t want to miss this one! Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave is available now wherever you get your books.

Up Next: Everything is Tuberculosis with Todd Osborne (9/30)
And Then: The Woman in Cabin 10 with Tirzah Price (10/14)

TOC:
0:00– Welcome, Ally! (and cat tour)
9:39– Icebreaker
17:50– Sinners intro
19:19–Trailers, expectations
28:23– Characters
37:25– Performances
54:39–What’s up with how horny this movie is? … also romance
1:00:20–Music
1:25:39–Interview with Ally Russell!
2:01:50– What’s on the blog? What’s up next? 

Dev Forst - https://www.instagram.com/devforst/ 
Ally Russell - https://www.instagram.com/onedarkally/