After a year-and-a-half of talking books, reading, and writing, I've made the decision to move on from Broken Spine Social Club.

This is a farewell to the project, but not to all of you! I'll be back right here October 1st with a new, evolved way for us to stay in conversation.

Thank you for listening - and chat soon <3

Sam Wachman's debut novel is the powerhouse coming-of-age story of Artem, a 12-year-old boy navigating his sexuality and survival against the backdrop of the Russo-Ukranian War.

Wachman's novel hits close to home. An English teacher and volunteer for Ukranian refugees, Wachman's love of his second homeplace infuses his story with deep emotion, complexity, and care.

Today, Wachman and I sit down to discuss homeland, growing up, and writing fiction against the reality of war. A must listen, and a must read from HarperCollins, out now.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

THE SUNFLOWER BOYS: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sunflower-boys-sam-wachman/22086613?aid=106686&ean=9780063418226&listref=books-of-the-pod

What’s better than a good thriller? A good thriller spanning the Hamptons, Amsterdam, and London putting a critical eye to the art world. That’s precisely what’s in store for readers of author Rue Matthiessen’s debut novel, Woman with Eyes Closed. Rue and I chat though her writing process, interest in visual arts, and world-building in the place she calls home in today’s episode of Broken Spine Social Club.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

WOMAN WITH EYES CLOSED: https://bookshop.org/p/books/woman-with-eyes-closed/6480d9c565b2b809?ean=9781957607320&next=t&aid=106686&listref=books-of-the-pod

We couldn’t have covered a self-development month without talking about James Clear’s cult classic - Atomic Habits. This step-by-step manual for instituting good habits (and cutting bad ones) is said to be life changing…but is Clear’s framework really so different from some woo-woo alternatives? 

MIDSUMMER RISE TOGETHER ON: 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeyohn 

JOIN OUR SUBSCRIBER CHAT ON SUBSTACK: https://blottingpapers.substack.com 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

The Artist’s Way is the beloved workbook by creative Julia Cameron, who believes that via a simple morning journal practice, you can reignite your creativity and achieve your dreams within 12 weeks. Friend and friend of the pod Shannon (aka Fluently Forward) joins us today to talk about her recent Artist’s Way undertaking, plus our thoughts on the wild world of woo.  

MIDSUMMER RISE TOGETHER ON: 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeyohn 

JOIN OUR SUBSCRIBER CHAT ON SUBSTACK: https://blottingpapers.substack.com 

LISTEN TO FLUENTLY FORWARD: https://open.spotify.com/show/0B1RGr4ywF4Wn2wbNNYt2l

SHANNON'S INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/fluentlyforward

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

WE’RE BACK..and bringing you a Broken Spine Social Club Month of Woo: Midsummer Rising. Over the month of July, we’re optimizing, actualizing, manifesting, and coming together with curiosity as we cover 4 weeks of spirituality / self-development in books. 

Today’s episode: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. 

The world can be what we want it to be - and for Dr. Joe Dispenza, that’s as easy as thinking yourself healthy, successful, happy, or whatever if is you want to achieve. Okay…there’s a little more to it than that — like a lot of neuroscience, quantum mechanics, and consciousness expanding. We dive Dispenza deep in today’s episode to try to make sense of this renowned manifestation framework - before putting it to the test ourselves.  

MIDSUMMER RISE TOGETHER ON: 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeyohn 

JOIN OUR SUBSCRIBER CHAT ON SUBSTACK: https://blottingpapers.substack.com 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, Book club, readership, literature, community, spirituality, manifestation, Joe Dispenza, self-help, self-help books, law of attraction

There’s no doubt that readers love talking shop (i.e. books) with other readers. But where and how do you cultivate that community, without the Amazon-ownership, plus an early-internet, Neopets-inspired aesthetic? Bookworm. 

Bookworm is the brainchild of Amelia Goodman, a place to track your reading, find new book recommendations, and meet and connect with readers just like you. Oh, and you get a worm avatar! And AND…you can put a hat on the worm! 

Today, Amelia Goodman chats all things Bookworm, cultivating reader-first communities, and why establishing spaces apart from Amazon is mission critical to the future of literature.  

DOWNLOAD BOOKWORM: https://www.bookwormreads.co/

BEFRIEND ME ON BOOKWORM: https://www.bookwormreads.co/profile/bsscpod 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, Book club, readership, literature, community, Goodreads, Storygraph, app creation, Amazon, founder story, interview, BookTok, Bookstagram

For the girls who wear vintage nightgowns, endure eternal existential dread, and are a little bit feral - there is Weird Girl Lit, the genre of unhinged women feeling feelings that has taken over literary fiction. Today we dive deep into these narratives and explore their history and why they’re so popular today.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Book club, books, literature, culture, weird girl literature, literary fiction, literary history, Victorian era, Gothic literature, Modernist literature, Ottessa Moshfegh, Mona Awad, Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, social media, womanhood, girlhood 

Tennessee Hill’s debut novel “Girls with Long Shadows” is the story of the 19-year-old Binderup triplets - Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C - but so much more: a haunting and beautifully written narrative on fear, siblinghood, and our very human need to be seen. Today, Tennessee and I sit down to discuss just that, along with her writing process, the lasting legacy of the Southern Gothic, and how Tennesee’s own experience of triplethood has influenced her writing. 

“Girls with Long Shadows” debuts May 6. Pre-order your copy below. 

PRE-ORDER GIRLS WITH LONG SHADOWS: https://bookshop.org/p/books/girls-with-long-shadows-tennessee-hill/22044738?aid=106686&ean=9780063412019&listref=books-of-the-pod 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, literature, Southern Gothic, debut novel, novelist, author interview

Book-to-film adaptations are the original “expectation vs. reality.” Sometimes our favorite character is portrayed exactly like we’d imaged in our mind…and other times…not. Today, I sit down with fan-casting extraordinaire and hilarious friend Zara to go through our best loved movie versions, plus try our hand at casting (or recasting) some of our favorite books.

BOOKS MENTIONED

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Women by Kristin Hannah

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sara J. Maas

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

NEWSLETTER: https://blottingpapers.substack.com 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, literature, movies, film, screenplay, book club, fantasy books, literary fiction, interview, fun, humor, culture