Nox is joined by Cynthia Gómez, author of Muñeca, to talk about all things Gothic literature. What makes a novel Gothic? Is it an itemized list of 14 requirements? Do women always have to be victimized in it? How do we get around these Eurocentric conventions? Nox and Cynthia discuss all of this and more in today's episode.

Books Mentioned:

Muñeca by Cynthia Gómez

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

V.C. Andrews - start with Flowers in the Attic

Isabel Cañas - start with The Hacienda

The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

Antifa Splatterpunk edited by Kathe Koja

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor Manibo

Pour One for the Devil by Theodore Van Alst

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

Never Whistle At Night Part II: Back for Blood edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore Van Alst

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Follow Cynthia: Website

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This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

August is Women in Translation Month and Casey is here with a big ol' stack of books from her personal library to share with you! All are translated by women, spanning languages like Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Croatian. Additionally, Casey discovers she needs more adjectives to describe when she appreciates a book. Any suggestions?

Books:

Death Takes Me by Cristina Rivera Garza, Translated by Robin Myers and Sarah Booker

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin, Translated by Megan McDowell

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez, Translated by Megan McDowell

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez, Translated by Megan McDowell

A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez, Translated by Megan McDowell

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, Translated by Megan McDowell

Cautery by Lucia Lijtmaer, Translated by Maureen Shaughnessy

Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro, Translated by Frances Riddle

The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patricia Melo, Translated by Sophie Lewis

Eartheater by Dolores Reyes, Translated by Julia Sanches

Segu by Maryse Conde, Translated by Barbara Bray

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, Translated by Ros Schwartz

Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knezevic, Translated by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursac

What are the Blind Men Dreaming? By Noemi Jaffe, Translated by Julia Sanches and Ellen Elias-Bursac

My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel, Translated by Katherine Silver

Las Biuty Queens by Ivan Monalisa Ojeda, Translated by Hannah Kauders

Also mentioned: @coffeeandcuentos

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This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

In this episode, Jordy talks to Lana Harper and Jilly Gagnon about their upcoming novel, Cards on the Table. This is a witchy, atmospheric mystery that explores family, self-trust, and the power we discover within ourselves. Today, we'll be diving into what it means to claim your power, trust your instincts, embrace who you are, and push back against the voices, both internal and external, that make you doubt yourself.

Support and follow our hosts!

Follow Jordy: Instagram // Pagebound.coFollow Jilly: Instagram // website Follow Lana: Instagram // website

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

✨Join our community on Bindery Books!✨

MINI POD! Prolific Mexican-Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia is Renee's favorite, and she's counting down her top 10. Which is your favorite? Join the discussion on our Discord!

Books Mentioned:

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

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Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph

Become a Feminist Book Club member here.

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

MINI POD! In this episode, Jordy dives into the hidden wonders of snail mail clubs: what they are, who's sending them, and why they bring so much joy. Tune in to discover new artists and creatives deserving of your support.

Books/Resources Mentioned:

The Mossheart Mail Club website // Instagram

Naomi VanDoren, Tales from the Isles of Antarah website // Instagram

Brambletown Mail Club website // Instagram

Writings from the Wild website // Instagram

xoClementine website // Instagram

The Moonlight Mail Club website // Instagram

Tabby Mail website // Instagram

Katie Mai Mail Club website // Instagram

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Follow Jordy: Instagram // Pagebound.co

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Renee spills the beans on where we've been and what we're working towards. Then Jordy and Mhairie recommend a few of their favorite summerween books.

Books mentioned:

The Reformatory- Tananarive Due Japanese Gothic- Kylie Lee Baker Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng - Kylie Lee Baker Something in the Walls- Daisy Pearce Eventide- Sarah Goodman The Year of the Witching- Alexis Henderson Slewfoot- Brom The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night, Book 1- Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Graphic Novel) Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage (and Death on the Lanai) Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver (as well as Harvest Season, Hunting Season, Butcher & Blackbird, Leather & Lark, Scythe & Sparrow) The Glass Scientist by SH Cotugno (volumes 1-3) A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales (and A Terribly Nasty Business)

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Follow Jordy: Instagram // Bookworm ReadsFollow Mhairie: Instagram // Bookstagram

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Death LITERALLY happens to everything, so why is it still so awkward? Casey (she/her/hers) hops on to discuss some of the books that have helped her prepare for her OWN grief around death. She mentions her Father's recent passing, the necessity of death rituals and challenging the taboo, google being trash, and reads an excerpt from "The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death" by Timothy Taylor.

Books and Resources Mentioned:

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions From Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty

The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death by Timothy Taylor

Caitlin Doughty's Instagram

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Follow Casey: Instagram

Check out our online community here!

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Shoshana, Nox, and Jordy, all avid audiobook listeners, chat about the Annual Audies, the National Audiobook Awards. In this spoiler-free conversation, they share some of their opinions about the winning titles, the capitalism of it all, and the financial challenges to winning big in the audiobook industry.

Books and Resources Mentioned:

Audiobooks: Libro.FM 2026 Audie Award Finalists Playlist

Audiobooks: Libro.FM Audie Hall of Fame Winners

Audiobook of the Year

Audiobook: Sunrise on the Reaping By Suzanne Collins

Audiobook: The Devil Reached Toward the Sky By Garrett M. Graff

Audiobook: King of Ashes By S. A. Cosby

Audiobook: Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen and Lulu Raczka (Audible only 🙁)

Audiobook: Shield of Sparrows: Book 1 By Devney Perry

Audiobook: Wild Dark Shore By Charlotte McConaghy

New Voice Award: Judges Category Winner

Audiobook: The River Has Roots By Amal El-Mohtar

Audiobook: Bog Queen By Anna North

Audiobook: The Devil Is a Southpaw By Brandon Hobson

Audiobook: The Emperor of Gladness By Ocean Vuong

Audiobook: We Don't Talk About Carol By Kristen L. Berry

Horror Category

Audiobook: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter By Stephen Graham Jones

Audiobook: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng By Kylie Lee Baker

Audiobook: Breathe In, Bleed Out By Brian McAuley

Audiobook: Coffin Moon By Keith Rosson

Audiobook: They Bloom at Night By Trang Thanh Tran

Mystery Category

Audiobook: Gone Before Goodbye By Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben

Audiobook: Gray Dawn By Walter Mosley

Audiobook: The Queens of Crime By Marie Benedict

Audiobook: Secret Sister By Sarah A. Denzil (Audible only 🙁)

Audiobook: Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) By Jesse Q. Sutanto

Romance Category

Audiobook: King of Envy By Ana Huang

Audiobook: Great Big Beautiful Life By Emily Henry

Audiobook: Looking for Group By Alexis Hall

Audiobook: Plus Size Player By Danielle Allen

Audiobook: Say You'll Remember Me By Abby Jimenez

Audiobook: Judge Stone by James Patterson & Viola Davis

Audiobooks: JD Robb

Resource: 2026 Audie Awards Winners - full list of finalists and winners by category

Resource: Audie Awards Past Winners - full list of winners from 1996 onwards

Support and follow our guest and host!

Follow Shoshana: Storygraph // Instagram

Follow Jordy: Instagram // Bookworm Reads

Follow Nox: Instagram // TikTok // Threads

Check out our online community here!

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

What makes a beach read? Not a beach, in our opinion. Tune in because your summer reading list is here, and not a single book requires sand between your toes. Renee's on the podcast to share five feminist reads so engrossing you will forget you are on vacation.

Books mentioned: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

The Best Little Motel in Texas by Lyla Lane

Love You to Death by Christina Dotson

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

This episode is supported by Bloody Powerful by Brooke Vandermolen and Cambridge University Press.

Support and follow our guest and host!

Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph

Check out our online community here!

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

Last week, our team shared that we've all been *Going Through It* and are using books as a coping tool. This week, we wanted to spread the love! Join Renee, Nox, Jordy, Mariquita, and UyenThi for some recommendations of books that just make us feel a little less shitty.

Books mentioned: Table for Five - Izzy Bromley

Arsenic & Adobo - Mia P. Manansala

The Kamagawa Food Detectives - Hisashi Kashiwai

What Happened to Belen - Ana Elena Correa

His & Hers - Alice Feeney

The Lust Crusade - Jo Segura

Play Nice - Rachel Harrison

You Gotta Eat - Margaret Eby

A Brief History of Montmaray - Michelle Cooper

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead - Emily Austen

Scorched Grace - Margot Douaihy

Support and follow our guest and host!

Follow Renee: Instagram // The StoryGraph

Follow Nox: Instagram // TikTok // Threads

Follow Jordy: Instagram // Bookworm Reads // Pagebound.co

Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads // Storygraph // Bluesky

Follow UyenThi: utranmyhre.com

Check out our online community here!

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.