Book Squad Goals

This week, we’re off to South Korea to discuss "Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982" by Cho Nam-Joo (translated by Jamie Chang), a book that helped spark a women’s rights movement when it was first published in 2016. The Squad talks about the controversy surrounding the book and gets into some of our shared experiences of misogyny and sexism in America. After that, Emily interviews Ethel Rohan, author of the new short story collection "In the Event of Contact," winner of the 2021 Dzanc Short Story Collection Prize.

Join us on May 31st for our third-ever Hatepisode on "Ready Player Two" by Ernest Cline (Kelli assures us we’ll all hate it!). Then read along for our next Bookpisode on "Earthlings" by Sayaka Murata on June 14th. In the meantime, check out the Book Squad Blog for additional content on books, movies, video games, and more! Send your feedback, thoughts, and weird gynecologist stories to [email protected], or DM us on social media.

0:30 – Intro
9:58 – Book intro
13:50 – Cultural context and consideration of controversy
26:05 – What are some shared experiences we have with the book?
45:05 – Is this a horror novel?
52:30 - How does the narrator affect our understanding of the novel?
1:03:45 – Ratings!
1:07:50 – Interview with Ethel Rohan
1:45:16 – What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Kelli’s Glamour article; Are Guys Getting Paid More Just Because They're... Guys: https://www.glamour.com/story/12-real-people-discover-what-the-pay-gap-looks-like
NPR piece: https://www.npr.org/2020/04/19/835486224/south-korean-bestseller-kim-jiyoung-born-1982-gives-public-voice-to-private-pain
Guardian piece: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/15/cho-nam-joo-kim-jiyoung-born-1982-interview
Mary’s Severance blog: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/book-review-severance-by-ling-ma
BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50135152

Light some candles and gather ‘round the pentagram, because things are getting satanic (panic!) on this episode. Author Clay McLeod Chapman joins us to talk about the 2009 film House of the Devil. We talk about the cultural context of the early 1980s, Greta Gerwig’s pizza performance, and the anxiety-making pacing of the film. Tangents include Cabbage Patch dolls and the forbidden television of our childhoods. Next, we chat with Clay about his new novel, Whisper Down the Lane, which was inspired by the McMartin Preschool trial of the 1908s. We all loved this book, so we kept the chat about it spoiler-free! He tells us about why he is drawn to this subject matter, as well as what’s coming up next for him and his writing. (Also, there’s a fantastic story about one of Clay’s readings in New York that you absolutely do not want to miss!) Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (May 17th), and then take a detour with us for our third-ever Hatepisode (though some of us might not hate it?) on Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline on May 31st. Subscribe to Book Squad Goals on your favorite podcast app, and go read Whisper Down the Lane right away!

TOC
:30 welcome Clay! And movie intro
4:52–icebreaker
15:30-what was the satanic panic?
22:37–authenticity
27:35–pacing
46:35–the ending
49:29–Clay McLeod Chapman and Whisper Down the Lane
1:17:40–what’s on the blog? What’s up next?

NPR Review: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114084025
Filmmaker interview: https://filmmakermagazine.com/1392-ti-west-the-house-of-the-devil/#.YIbCun1Kg-Q

Join the Squad and special guest Tirzah Price to chat about "Make Up Break Up," the first novel for adults by Lily Menon! We discuss the romance, the characters, and of course, the fancy apps the love interests each created. Next we talk to Tirzah about her debut YA novel, "Pride and Premeditation." She tells us about the inspiration for the series, the writing process, and what to look for in upcoming books! Then we get into some listener feedback for "When No One is Watching" and catch up with what’s on the Book Squad Blog, including new installments of YA Book Club and Queer Girl Book Club, as well as TV and podcast reviews. Join us and special guest Clay McLeod Chapman on May 3rd for our discussion of "House of the Devil" (2009) and Clay’s new novel, "Whisper Down the Lane." Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on "Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982" by Cho Nam Joo on May 17th. Send your feedback to [email protected] or hit us up on social media!

TOC
:30 — Intros and icebreakers
12:50 — Book intro
15:15 — Does the romance work?
28:40 — Culture and race
38:39 — We need to talk about Hudson
48:10 — Ratings!
56:40 — Q&A with Tirzah Price!
1:11:11 — Feedback
1:19:10 — What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Tirzah’s Reading log- https://bookriot.com/2021-reading-log/
https://tirzahprice.com
https://www.schulerbooks.com/pride-premeditation

Things get culty in this BSG #Othersode! Join us for our discussion of "The Project" by Courtney Summers and a special author interview with Sarah Edmondson (HBO’s "The Vow") about her book, "Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life." Read along with us for our next #Bookpisode on Lily Menon’s novel "Make Up Break Up," featuring special guest Tirzah Price, author of the new novel "Pride and Premeditation" (April 19th). Then come get scared with us on our next #Othersode when we talk about "House of the Devil" (2009) with Clay McLeod Chapman, author of "Whisper Down the Lane," a new novel inspired by the McMartin Preschool trials and the Satanic Panic (May 3rd). Please leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts, and subscribe so our episodes hit your feed right away!

2:22 - What kind of cult would you accidentally join?
6:10 - Introducing "The Project" (spoilers to follow)
8:00 - The structure of the novel
23:50 - It’s not stupid people that join cults
27:10 - Let’s talk about the cult
39:00 - What do we make of Lev?
40:39 - Our ratings!
47:00 - Interview with Sarah Edmondson
1:26:04 - What is on the blog?
1:33:47 - What’s next on the pod?

Check out Mary on The Maniculum! https://www.themaniculumpodcast.com

Thanks again to Sarah for speaking with us! For more info on Sarah, her book, and her new podcast, visit https://www.sarahedmondson.com/

The Book Squad is off to Brooklyn for a mysterious tale of gentrification and intrigue: When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole! We discuss the book’s thrill factor, the romance, gentrification and racism, and how fiction functions as anti-racist reading. Next we dig into some listener feedback on Transcendent Kingdom and catch up with what’s on the blog, including a list of culty books, a review of The Amber Ruffin Show, and an interview with Kim Taylor Blakemore. Tune in on April 5th for our Othersode on The Project by Courtney Summers, plus an author interview with Sarah Edmondson about her book Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life. Read along with us for our next Bookpisode (April 19th) about Lily Menon’s novel Make Up Break Up. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

TOC
:30–hometown stories
17:50–book intro
19:13–how well does the book work as a thriller/mystery?
42:06–romance
50:20–Race
1:02:36–an animal appreciation interlude
1:05:13–anti racist reading
1:21:40–ratings!
1:28:16–feedback
1:40:35–what’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Alyssa Cole Interviews:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ariannarebolini/alyssa-cole-interview-when-no-one-is-watching
https://parade.com/1083423/kaylen-ralph/alyssa-cole-new-book/

Tirzah Price's Reading Log:
https://bookriot.com/2021-reading-log/

Pack up your vans and join us for a discussion of the Golden Globe-winning film Nomadland. We talk about Fern (Frances McDormand), grief, capitalism, and the integration of real-life stories in the movie. Then, Emily interviews author Nicole Glover about her debut novel The Conductors, a genre-mixing story of history, mystery, and magic. No spoilers here, so you can listen even if you haven’t read the book yet! Check out the Book Squad Blog for more author interviews and posts about TV, video games, and more. Read along with us for our next #Bookpisode on When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole (March 22nd). Our next #Othersode will cover The Project by Courtney Summers and feature an interview with Sarah Edmondson on her book Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life (April 5th).

TOC

:30–intro and icebreaker
5:20–Nomadland Golden Globes breakdown
16:05–Nomadland intro
17:20–how did we feel about Fern?
27:12–grief and stasis
41:10–the failure of capitalism and integration of real life
57:57–final thoughts
1:02:09–Nicole Glover interview
1:34:00–listen to The Maniculum!
1:37:17–what’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Links: https://www.npr.org/2021/02/20/969800189/nonfiction-techniques-underpin-film-nomadland
https://www.themaniculumpodcast.com

Get your tissues ready. In this episode, the Squad discusses Yaa Gyasi's novel Transcendent Kingdom. Join us as we chat about mental health, depression, addiction, grief, racism, religion, and, yes, we do cry it out a little bit. You're welcome to join the trust circle and cry along with us. We're all friends here. Don't forget to join us for our next Othersode where we'll be talking about the film Nomadland, and we'll also interview Nicole Glover about her debut novel The Conductors. Read along with us for our next Bookpisode, too. We'll be chatting about When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review. We love you!

Table of Contents
:30–Read black authors!
2:00– Trigger warning: addiction, depression, suicide
3:24–One good thing this week
8:55–Getting into the book
12:08–Does the book/protagonist come to a conclusion about the relationship between faith and science?
23:50–Mental illness and depression
37:20–Addiction
59:23–Racism
1:15:45–Misc. Topics, queerness
1:25:07–The book is SHORT, but does it work? And ratings.
1:30:27–Listener feedback!
1:40:09–What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, there are ways to get help. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Lifeline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or Text “HELLO” to 741741. The Crisis Text hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the U.S.

It’s our 100th episode! Our hundredpisode! Our hundo-sode! Join us as we look back on our favorite books, movies and TV shows we’ve covered—as well as our least favorite things (because we do love to hate on stuff from time to time). We also listen to a few clips of our favorite moments and memories from the past four years and read some listener feedback about their favorite show topics. As always, we catch up with what’s on the Book Squad Blog, including TV recaps, movie reviews, and a new installment of Queer Girl Book Club! Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on "Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi on 2/22, and watch "Nomadland" for our next Othersode on 3/8! Thanks for being with us for 100 episodes! Here’s to hundreds more!

:30–Intro and icebreaker quiz
22:10–Favorite book
31:23–Favorite movie
45:35–Favorite TV show
54:17–Least favorite thing
1:05:58–Favorite blog posts
1:13:52–Favorite moments
1:37:40–Feedback!
1:48:29–What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Intro quiz: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahdobro/which-ariana-grande-song-matches-your-energy
Favorite blog posts:
Susan - Run Away With Us: The Official BSG Carly Rae Jepsen Starter Pack: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/run-away-with-us-the-official-bsg-carly-rae-jepsen-starter-pack
Mary - Poetry and War in Ghost of Tsushima: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/poetry-and-war-in-ghost-of-tsushima
Kelli - 9 Artist Instagrams To Fix Your Horrible Feed: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/9-instagram-artists-to-fix-your-horrible-feed
Emily - We Went To See Hereditary And Nothing Will Ever Be The Same: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/hereditary?rq=hereditary

All 100 episodes in one place: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/podcast-archive

For our FIFTIETH #Bookpisode, the Book Squad discusses "Luster," the debut novel by Raven Leilani. We talk about the Millennial and Gen Z hallmarks of the novel, the bizarre predicament Edie finds herself in, the issue of “likeability” in Black characters, and the overall writing and narration style. Next we catch up with what’s on the #BookSquadBlog: Bachelor recaps, movie and video game reviews, and a brand new YA Book Club entry. Join us on February 8th as we celebrate our 100th episode with a look back at our favorite books, movies, and moments from the podcast so far. Read along with us for our next #Bookpisode on "Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi on February 22nd. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

TOC
:30 — Intro
8:10 — Spoiler warning and book summary
10:30 — That cover tho
15:50 — Is this a millennial novel?
30:50 — Edie and Rebecca
40:56 — What about Erik?
50:20 — How is Edie as a narrator?
1:01:15 — Writing critique
1:16:35 — Ratings
1:23:47 — What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Interview with Raven Leilani from Elle: https://www.elle.com/culture/books/a33510646/raven-leilani-luster-interview

Make a wish… Was it that we would talk about Wonder Woman 1984? Good, because your wish is granted! Join us for our discussion of the new film as we talk about Diana and Barbara’s relationship, why Steve is or isn’t great, and some socio-political issues the movie raises. Then we get into some great listener feedback about favorite things of 2020 and catch up with what’s on the Book Squad Blog! Our next #bookpisode will cover Luster by Raven Leilani (1/25), and our next #othersode is...drumroll please...our 100th EPISODE! We’ll celebrate the milestone by looking back on some favorite show moments on 2/8! Send us any feedback and your favorite moments from the show to [email protected] or DM us on social media!

TOC

:30–What’s your favorite 80s thing?
11:55–Movie intro
14:20–Spoiler warning and, hey, let’s just start with Kristin Wiig
25:30–Favorite parts of the movie
30:40–What about Steve?
42:00–Criticism of the film (and also a bit more on Steve)
48:25–Middle Eastern stereotypes
1:00:32–Did the movie deserve all this criticism?
1:04:52–Pedro Pascal is...Donald Trump?
1:13:57–Ratings
1:16:00–Feedback on our best of 2020 episode!
1:23:20–What’s on the blog? What’s up next?