Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Brenna Clarke Gray and Joe Lipsett

Brenna and Joe tag along on a Chinese quest as we read Gene Luen Yang's exquisite 2006 comic American Born Chinese and watch Kelvin Yu's eight episode Disney+ adaptation.
We *love* the comic, with its gorgeous art, confronting imagery and careful pay-off (stick with it!). The TV show is a mixed bag: the cast, including all of the stuntcasting, is great, but the narrative is both streamlined and drawn out which reduces its emotional components. And what's with the cliffhanger? We don't need a second season!
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray
> Joe: @bstolemyremote
Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:
> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

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Thanks to listener demand, Brenna spends 5 hours with her least favourite To All The Boys I've Loved Before character: Kitty, who gets the spin-off treatment with XO, Kitty (2023)
We're joined by returning guest Jenny Nulf to unpack the highs and lows of S01, which has too many characters and subplots, a traditional Korean fascination with poop, and a surprising queer plot we want more of.
Plus: Joe's frustration with Minho, Rahim from Love, Victor, and why Brenna is done with the dead mom storyline.
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray
> Joe: @bstolemyremote
> Jenny: @jennyleighx33
Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:
> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's mailbag, Brenna stumbled onto a Library Thing list created by norabelle414 that has documented all of the books we've read. We love it! Send us all the things you use the show for!
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray
> Joe: @bstolemyremote
Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us
> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to listener Alex, Brenna and Joe head to South Africa to discuss conscription, Apartheid, and queer New Adults in André Carl van der Merwe's semi-autobiographical 2006 novel Moffie and Oliver Hermanus' 2019 film adaptation.
This is a rough one! Apart from the homophobia we expected from a military narrative, there's also plenty of racism, misogyny, and animal death.
Each text has something to recommend: the book is poetic and rich with detail, while the film's scenery and a key long take flashback are stunning.
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray
> Joe: @bstolemyremote
Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:
> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, listener Tea, Books & Chocolate writes in to recommend books about menstruation, including Tamora Pierce's Alanna: The First Adventure and The Naming by Alison Croggon.
Plus: real life stories and Joe's fave pop culture euphemism!
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray
> Joe: @bstolemyremote
Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:
> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 50 years and a few delays, we're *finally* talking about Kelly Fremon Craig's Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, only our second Judy Blume adaptation! (We previously talked about the book in our third Book Club episode)
Brenna and Joe adore this gentle, charming adaptation which maintains the gist of the iconic book, with expanded screen time for Rachel McAdams's Barbara and a stuntcast grandma (Kathy Bates).
Plus: period comedy, resisting Hollywood conflict, showing blood on screen, and a last minute catch from Brenna about gendered language.
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray
> Joe: @bstolemyremote
Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:
> May 16: Ready When You Are (aka The Boy from the Mish) by Gary Lonesborough (2022)

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