Book Squad Goals

Get in, losers—we’re getting obsessed with a local tragedy! Join the Book Squad for a chat about Wreck by Catherine Newman. We talk about our beloved Rocky, parents and family, grief and anxiety, and of course, Chicken and Angie (the cats!). On May 26, we’ll be joined by Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames to talk about Wayward (Netflix) and their new book, A Little Bit Culty, on our next Othersode. Our next Bookpisode will be about Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. Join us for that on June 9!

TOC
:30– Welcome! We’re sad Emily isn’t here.
15:29–Book Intro
17:00–How is Rocky as a narrator?
23:24–Parents and family
30:00–Grief, anxiety, and medical conditions
50:50–Chicken and Angie, stars of the show.
56:00– Visiting with fear
1:02:56–The ending
1:09:00–Ratings
1:14:30– What’s up next?

Returning hatepisode guest Jayce (@TheEditBookshelf) joins the full squad to talk about Freida McFadden’s The Boyfriend! We discuss McFadden's recent "coming out," wonder how she has time to be a Traumatic Brain Injury Specialist and mother of two while moonlighting as a thriller author, and try to remember if the main character of this book has a job. Plus: Jayce's stirring defense of Freida, an incorrect pronunciation of "carotid," and some Toilet Talk. 

Read along for our next episode on Wreck by Catherine Newman (May 12th), and stay tuned for a very fun conversation about the Netflix series Wayward with Sarah Edmonson and Nippy Ames, the authors of A Little Bit Culty and stars of HBO's The Vow, on May 26th! Send us your feedback at [email protected] and follow us @BookSquadGoals wherever.

TOC
:30 – Welcome Jayce! And icebreaker
14:00 – Book intro
19:00 – Who is Freida McFadden?
29:26 – What else have we read by Freida?
36:19 – Let’s all say a nice thing
1:06:46 – The twist
1:29:00 – Ratings
1:32:24 – Listener Feedback!
1:34:50 – What’s up next?

Try not to catch the plague with us as we travel back to 1300s England to discuss George Falls Through Time by Ryan Collett! We talk about the author’s YouTube career, George as a character, medieval times vs modernity, the mechanics of time travel, and of course, the romance. Hate-read along with us for our next Othersode on April 28th about The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden. Then join us for our next Bookpisode about Wreck by Catherine Newman on May 12th. Don’t forget to leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts and check out our Patreon to support us for just $3 a month!

TOC
:30 –Welcome! 
7:15 – Book intro
10:15 – Ryan Collett
17:00 – George
33:10 – Medieval times kind of sucks
59:07 – Dragons
1:02:56 – Time travel
1:21:15 – Ratings
1:29:47 – What’s up next?

You guys want to see a dead body? Well we’re not going to show you one, but we ARE going to talk about Stand by Me (1986) with one of our favorite authors, Catriona Ward! We talk about our personal experiences with the film, which characters we’d be (à la Sex and the City), nostalgia, grief, and the adults in the movie. Then we get into a totally spoiler-free interview with Catriona about her newest novel, Nowhere Burning. After that we shamelessly make her promise to come back for future episodes because we love her, duh. Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on George Falls Through Time by Ryan Collett on April 14! Then get ready to be a hater with us when we cover Freida McFadden’s The Boyfriend on April 28. 

TOC
:30 – WELCOME CATRIONA! AAAH!
14:00 – Movie intro
15:19 – What was your previous experience with the film? Did anything change watching it again
28:13 – Who do you relate to most?
46:45 – Nostalgia
51:28 – Adults in the movie
1:08:35 – Nowhere Burning Interview with Catriona Ward!
1:50:00 – What’s up next??

We’ve got a dozen reasons you should listen to this episode, and all of them are eggs. Join the Book Squad for a discussion about Swallows by Natsuo Kirino. We talk about what the title means, whether this book is a thriller (it’s not), the Japanese cultural context we’re probably missing as Americans, feminism and capitalism, and of course, motherhood and pregnancy. Then we get into some juicy listener feedback that we try not to take too personally, but hey, that’s our poblem to deal with. A special Othersode is coming up with guest Catriona Ward, author of Nowhere Burning. We’ll chat about Stand By Me with her on March 31. Then we’re reading George Falls Through Time by Ryan Collett for our next Bookpisode on April 13. Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts! Pretty please! 

TOC
:30 – Welcome and egg talk
8:50 – Book intro
12:45 – Book title
17:00 – Is this a thriller? Lol
21:00 – Cultural differences
35:15 – Feminism and capitalism
44:50 – Motherhood
1:03:00 –The ending
1:12:20 – Ratings
1:18:00 – What’s your poblem???
1:21:28 – What’s up next?

Listen to everyone try to stay calm as they talk about Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Because this movie is oh so romantic, this is a double datepisode! Emily and Kelli are joined by their partners, Ben and Ang, to discuss Sex Fantasy with Jacob Elordi—er, wait, that’s Ben’s alternate title idea. The couples talk about the rules for book-to-movie adaptations, the big changes between book and film, people of color in the movie, Charli XCX and the soundtrack, and their personal connections to Wuthering Heights. Read along for our next Bookpisode on Swallows by Natsuo Kirino on March 8th! Then join us on March 30th for an Othersode about Stand By Me, featuring special guest Catriona Ward, author of the new novel Nowhere Burning!


TOC
:30 – Welcome Ben and Ang!
17:09 – Movie summary
18:53 – What’s your personal connection to Wuthering Heights?
30:14 – What responsibility does an adaptation have to its text?
37:00 – Biiiiig changes
51:11 – POC in the movie
1:07:32 – What’s up with Joseph (and other character changes)
1:20:43 – What is this movie about?
1:37:48 – Charli XCX and the music
1:41:20 – Ratings
1:49:15 – What’s up next?

Is it just us or are things…dark lately? We’re not just talking about the news – we’re discussing Sunbirth by An Yu. We talk about the meaning of the sun slipping away, the writing style and pacing, the narrator, and the general ennui of it all. Then we take a brief side quest to talk about The Traitors US S4 because we can. Grab your windbreaker for our next Othersode about Emerald Fennell’s film “adaptation” of Wuthering Heights – featuring special guest Ben Mitchell – on March 3. Then read along for our next Bookpisode about Swallows by Natsuo Kirino on March 17. Hop on over to our Patreon and support us to get access to exclusive pet photos, including ~spicy~ Valentine’s Day pics!

TOC
:30–Welcome! 
6:15–Book Intro
8:00–The sun of it all
18:00–How the novel is set up/written
33:30–The narrator
43:17– The unknown, the ennui, and the point of it all
50:00–The ending?
56:40–Traitors talk to lighten the mood
58:30–What’s up next?

Come get undead with the Book Squad and special guest, author Lindsay Currie, for a chat about Return of the Living Dead! We dig into zombie tropes and talk about cemeteries, the cool practical effects, and of course, that ending. Then we have a spoiler-free chat with Lindsay about her new novel, X Marks the Haunt! Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on February 17th about Sunbirth by An Yu. Then get ready for our long-awaited discussion of the new Wuthering Heights “adaptation” (with special guest Ben!) on March 3rd. Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review, and check out our Patreon – it’s just $3 a month to support us!

:30 – Welcome, Lindsay! 
10:50 – Synopsis
17:40 – Zombie Tropes
28:33 – Cemeteries
36:58 – Practical effects
46:00 – The wild ending
55:19 – Interview with Lindsay Currie about her new novel, X Marks the Haunt!
1:33:57 – What’s up next?

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?