Book Club for Masochists: a Readers' Advisory Podcast

Book Club for Masochists
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A Readers' Advisory Podcast about becoming better library staff by reading every genre, whether we like them or not! Every month we read books from a new, randomly picked genre; then on the podcast we discuss our reading choices, experiences, opinions, appeal factors, and other related topics as friends and library workers.

  1. 5D AGO

    Episode 226 - Reading Resolutions

    It's episode 226 and time for us to talk about our 2026 Reading Resolutions! We discuss reading books, not reading books, quitting reading books, throwing books in the garbage, and more! Plus: Oh no, the passage of time! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards 2026 "resolutions"/intentions Matthew Read all the personal "book of the month" display books Read all the fiction books owned Read all of the non-comics non-fiction owned Read all the graphic novels owned Be on the internet less and read more Get rid of books monthly Anna Read more fiction Catch up on what fantasy's been up to in the last 15ish years Meghan Read books already owned (for the podcast when possible); rereads ok! Jam Read in tiny bursts if that's the time available Quit books and move on to something else Give Us Suggestions! Suggest puzzle books to Jam Suggest fantasy novels from the last 15 years to Anna Suggest sources for in-depth book reviews Other Media We Mentioned Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs Blood Meridian and the reddit-ification of literature Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones Links, Articles, and Things Circulating Ideas 304: Passive Readers' Advisory, with Lila Denning Tiled Words Puzzmo Minute Cryptic Alto (high-speed rail) Adhesive remover  American Gothic books by BIPOC Authors: Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. Ruby by Cynthia Bond House of Cotton by Monica Brashears An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts The Reformatory by Tananarive Due Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones The House of Erzulie by Kirsten Imani Kasai A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen Beloved by Toni Morrison Cane by Jean Toomer Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, March 3rd when we'll be talking about Computer Science books (as suggested by Lea). Then on Tuesday, April 7th we'll be talking about Media Criticism (as suggested by daftkifty).

    44 min

  2. FEB 3

    Episode 225 - Queer Romance

    It's episode 225 and just in time for Valentine's Day we talk about Queer Romance! We discuss what counts and doesn't count as romance, ice hockey, regency, spies, demons, and more! Plus: Matthew reads a book he actually likes, Jam reads a book they dislike, and a fairly large chunk of the episode wasn't recorded and had to be edited around! Guess what parts were re-recorded! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) Betrothed to the Emperor by Kai Butler (2025) Emperor's Wrath by Kai Butler (2025) If I Told You, I'd Have To Kiss You by Mae Marvel (2025) The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur (2025) The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (2021) With Stars In Her Eyes by Andie Burke (2025) Jam's review Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei (2022) A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (2022) A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander (2025) Not discussed Learning Curves by Rachel Lacey (2025) The Unexpected Heiress by Cassidy Cane (2025) One Love by Matt Cain (2025) Swordcrossed by Freya Marske (2024) First Time for Everything by Henry Fry (2022) - Not actually romance Other Media We Mentioned Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake (2022) Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid (2019) Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (2019) Bedazzled (2000 film) Bedazzled (1967 film) Links, Articles, and Things Harlequin Enterprises Mills & Boon Episode 210 - Romantasy Episode 207 - Monster Romance Episode 189 - Romantic Comedies & Humorous Romance Episode 168 - Holiday Romance 25 Queer Romance Books by BIPOC Authors: Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. Can't Let Her Go by Kianna Alexander Fire From the Sky by Moa Backe Åstot, translated by Eva Apelqvist Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez Friday I'm in Love by Camryn Garrett Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram The Secret Crush Book Club by Karmen Lee Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao Love Points to You by Alice Lin  Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough Just Like This by Cole McCade Cash Delgado is Living the Dream by Tehlor Mejia A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi  Ready to Score by Jodie Slaughter Chocolate Chip City by Be Steadwell Last First Kiss by Julian Winters Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, February 17th when we'll be discussing our 2026 Reading Resolutions (or non resolutions). Then on Tuesday, March 3rd we'll be talking about Computer Science books (as suggested by Lea).

    1h 3m

  3. JAN 6

    Episode 224 - History

    It's episode 224 and time for us to talk about History books! We discuss queer history, local history, spies, roads, colonialism, and more!  You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) Lapêche : A history of the townships of Wakefield and Masham in the province of Québec 1792 to 1925 by Norma Greggie and Stuart Greggie (1974) Reconciling History: A Story of Canada by Jody Wilson-Raybould and Roshan Danesh (2024) The Drive Across Canada: The Remarkable Story of the Trans-Canada Highway by Mark Richardson (2025) Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett (2025) The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini (2020) Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Lynne Olson (2019) How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr (2019) Fool Time part 1: The birth of the internet, according to Jon Bois (2025) Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History by Donna Seto (2025) Black History is For Everyone by Brian Jones (2025) When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day by Garrett M. Graff (2024) Other Media We Mentioned Video Game History Foundation Video Game History Hour (podcast) If Books Could Kill - The End of History Playing at the World, Vol. 1: The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons by Jon Peterson Dig (history podcast) The Labor of Fashion: Shirtwaists and the Labor Movement in the Early 20th Century Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games by Steenz and Samuel Sattin Links, Articles, and Things Advanced Placement Golden Age of Comic Books Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Harry Benjamin Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria Guano Islands Act Attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman 28 History Books by BIPOC Authors: Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop by Jonathan Abrams Remembering Our Relations : Dënesųłıné Oral Histories of Wood Buffalo National Park by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Chang Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy by Ramachandra Guha Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition by Nisid Hajari 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones Bad Mexicans : Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands by Kelly Lytle Hernández The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book: Revised and Expanded by Gord Hill Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf, translated by Jon Rothschild Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation by Tiya Miles This Place: 150 Years Retold by multiple authors The Fire and the Word: A History of the Zapatista Movement by Gloria Muñoz Ramírez  Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace by Nikil Saval Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History by Donna Seto Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly Korean History in Maps: From Prehistory to the Twenty-First Century edited by Michael D. Shin  Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History by Jaipreet Virdi Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson The World Turned Upside Down: A History of the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Yang Jisheng, translated by Stacy Mosher and Guo Jian Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution by Helen Zia Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, February 3rd we'll be talking about Queer Romance! Then on Tuesday, February 17th we'll be discussing our 2026 Reading Resolutions (or non resolutions).

    1h 13m

  4. 12/16/2025

    Episode 223 - 2025 Favourites

    It's episode 223 and time for us to discuss our favourite reads (and other things) from 2025! We talk vampires, monster romance, cultural studies, linguistics & language, and more. Plus: Guess how many of our favourite reads are actually from 2025 (it's more than zero!). You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards Genres (and "genres") we covered in 2025: Fiction Episode 207 - Monster Romance Episode 2010 - Romantasy Episode 214 - Non-Traditional Storytelling Episode 216 - Rural Noir/Grit Lit Episode 219 - Vampires Episode 221 - Epic & High Fantasy Episode 222 - Books from the 1980s Non-fiction Episode 206 - Cultural Studies Episode 209 - Design Episode 212 - Linguistics & Language Other Episode 213 - Found Books Episode 218 - Book Club Books Favourite Fiction For the podcast Anna Of Monsters and Mainframes (2025) by Barbara Truelove (Episode 219 - Vampire Fiction) Jam Strange Love (2019) by Ann Aguirre (Episode 207 - Monster Romance) Matthew Hunger's Bite (2025) by Taylor Robin (Episode 219 - Vampire Fiction) Meghan Assassin's Apprentice (1995) by Robin Hobbs (Episode 221 - Epic & High Fantasy) Not for the podcast Jam Delicious in Dungeon (2017-2024) by Ryoko Kui Matthew Revolutions: Mars (2024-2025) by Mike Duncan Meghan Between Two Fires (2012) by Christopher Buehlman Anna Mercy Thompson series (2006-2024) by Patricia Briggs Moon Called (2006) Favourite Non-Fiction For the podcast Matthew Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages (2018) by Gaston Dorren (Episode 212 - Language & Linguistics) Meghan Clever Girl : Jurassic Park (2024) by Hannah McGregor (Episode 206 - Cultural Studies) Anna Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985) by Neil Postman (Episode 206 - Cultural Studies) Jam In Other Words (2015) by Jhumpa Lahiri (Episode 212 - Language & Linguistics) Not for the podcast Meghan A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places (2024) by Christopher Brown  Anna Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires (2022) by Douglas Rushkoff Jam Twenty Questions (2023) by Mac Barnett Matthew Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape (2021) by Cal Flyn Other Favourite Things of 2025 Anna Bear and Breakfast Nongshim Shin Ramyun Stir Fry Gourmet Spicy Noodles With Cheese New York City FunkyFrogBait Jam Getting into drag (and writing a friend-newsletter about it) Penguin Cafe Orchestra "Touch Fabric" project (Glurp) Matthew Akira, vol. 6 by Katsuhiro Otomo Akira Club by Katsuhiro Otomo Type Help Dungeon Chill The Mysterious Serial Experiments Lain PS1 Game The Tim Traveller The First Ever WORLD Tram Driver Championships Grand Sumo Highlights Blue Whirlwind: A Ukrainian sumo wrestler Meghan Anciients (prog metal) Comforting (atmospheric metal) Long pool Runners-Up Jam Fawns' Blood by Hal Schrieve (Episode 219 - Vampires) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (Episode 218 - Book Club Books) Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra, translated by Megan McDowell (Episode 214 - Non-Traditional Storytelling) Two Point Museum (Jam has clocked 150+ hours) Wikipedia (consider making a donation!) Anna Guards! Guards! By Terry Prachett Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis Matthew 25 tracks from 2025 Books Inheritance (Episode 214 - Non-Traditional Storytelling) Data Feminism by Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy by David Graeber (Episode 206 - Cultural Studies) Comics Akane-Banashi (vols. 4-6) by Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue The Apothecary Diaries (vols. 2-4) by Itsuki Nanao and Nekokurage Beetle & the Chimera Carnival by Aliza Layne Blue Period (vols. 13-14) by Tsubasa Yamaguchi Brain Damage by Shintarō Kago Deprog by Tina Horn and Lisa Sterle Dial H for Hero, vol. 1: Enter the Heroverse & Dial H for Hero, vol. 2: New Heroes of Metropolis by Sam Humphries and Joe Quinones Fool Night (vols. 2-4) by Kasumi Yasuda GACHIAKUTA (vol. 1) by Kei Urana Home Office Romance by Kintetsu Yamada Houses of the Unholy by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips Mermaid Saga (vols. 1-2) by Rumiko Takahashi Vampirella: Dark Powers by Dan Abnett and Paul Davidson / Red Sonja: The Superpowers Collection by Dan Abnett and Jonathan Lau The Wrong Earth (vol. 1) by Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle Meghan French À l'ombre du moulin : une enfance à Gatineau 1934-1948 by Bernard Lacroix Deep café : Une jeunesse avec la poésie de Léonard Cohen by Malcolm Reid Non-fiction The Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting by Casey Johnston 2 Trans 2 Furious: An Extremely Serious Journal of Transgender Street Racing Studies edited by Niko Stratis and Tuck Woodstock From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Horror Video Games by Bitmap Books Fiction Horror/Dark Fantasy Sunshine by Robin McKinley Don't let the Forest In by CG Drews The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher Agents of Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier #1) by Caitlín R. Kiernan Fantasy Circe by Madeline Miller To Clutch a Razor (Curse Bearer #2) by Veronica Roth The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Scifi Martin Hench (series) Cory Doctorow Paradox (series) by Rachel Bach Romantasy / Romance One Dark Window (The Shepard King Duology) by Rachel Gillig A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell Translation Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki, translated by Helen O'Horan Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes Articles, links, and other media NYPL's Top Ten Comics and Graphic Novels of 2025 (Posted October 3rd!!!!) Never Satisfied by Taylor Robin List of avant-pop artists Mangasplaining Episode 1: Akira Vol 1 25 Non-Fiction Politics Books by BIPOC Authors: Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. The Border Crossed Us: The Case for Opening the US-Mexico Border by Justin Akers Chacón Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by adrienne maree brown The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix by Katherine Alejandra Cross Iran in Revolt: Revolutionary Aspirations in a Post-Democratic World by Hamid Dabashi Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia Evangelista From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai'i by Haunani-Kay Trask We Are Each Other's Liberation: Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities edited by Rachel Kuo, Jaimee A. Swift, and TD Tso The Antifa Comic Book: 100 Years of Fascism and Antifa Movements by Gord Hill Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks 21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation About Dismantling the Indian Act by Bob Joseph We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America by Paola Ramos The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth by The Red Nation My Seditious Heart by Arundhati Roy As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else) by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism by Harsha Walia Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson "Indian" in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power by Jody Wilson-Raybourd Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, January 6th when we'll be beginning our year of "listener suggested genres" with History! Then on Tuesday, February 3rd we'll be discussing Queer Romance!

    1h 9m

  5. 12/02/2025

    Episode 222 - Books from the 1980s

    It's episode 222 and time for us to talk about books from the 1980s! Okay, I say "books" but it's really "science fiction and fantasy novels from the 1980s." You probably could have guessed that if you've listened to the podcast before. You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) The Further Adventures of Batman (1989) Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (1989) Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (1987) Dawn by Octavia Butler (1987) The Kindly Ones by Melissa Scott (1897) When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger (1897) First edition cover The "more cyberpunk looking" cover Other Media We Mentioned Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Batman (1989) Batman (1960s) The Wrong Earth, vol.1 by Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Dragonriders of Pern Mort by Terry Pratchett Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett Gravity Falls Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder (1981) E.T. by William Kotzwinkle Return of the Jedi (novel) by James Kahn Links, Articles, and Things Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1980s The Sam Vimes theory of socioeconomic unfairness The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. ... But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. Beanie Babies Labubu 20 Books of the 1980s by BIPOC Authors: Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai (1980) Storyteller by Leslie Marmon Silko (1980) Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis (1981) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (1981) Zami, A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde (1982) The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982) In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Culleton (1983) Suder by Percival Everett (1983) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (1984) Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich (1984) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (1985) An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (1986) Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe  (1987) Dawn by Octavia Butler (1987) The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera (1987) Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987) Scorpions by Walter Dean Meyers (1988) White Badge by Ahn Junghyo (1989) Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid by Evelyn Lau (1989) The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989) Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, December 16th we'll be talking about our favourite books of 2025! Then on Tuesday, January 6th we'll be beginning our year of "listener suggested genres" with… non-fiction history!

    1h 6m

  6. 11/04/2025

    Episode 221 - Epic & High Fantasy

    It's episode 221 and time for us to talk about Epic & High Fantasy! We talk about maps, magic, monsters, whether Pokémon counts as epic fantasy, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton Daughter of the Empire by Janny Wurts and Raymond E. Feist Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb Other Media We Mentioned Masters of Reality by John Darnielle Dragon Riders of Pern by Anne McCaffery Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Discworld by Terry Pratchett Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon Swords Comic His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman The Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist The Old Kingdom by Garth Nix The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne The Will of the Many by James Islington Redwall by Brian Jacques The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan The Riftwar Cycle by  Raymond E. Feist and others The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Betrayal at Krondor Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman Links, Articles, and Things List of high fantasy fiction (Wikipedia) 20 Epic & High Fantasy Books by BIPOC Authors Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu The Unbroken by C. L. Clark The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez Liar's Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina Seventhblade by Tonia Laird Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, December 2nd when we'll be talking about Books from the 1980s. Then on Tuesday, December 16th we'll be talking about our favourite books of 2025!

    1h 2m

  7. 10/21/2025

    Episode 220 - How Far the Light Reaches

    It's episode 220 and time for us to talk about the winner of our One Book One Podcast / Battle of the Books: How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler! We discuss content warnings, anthropomorphising sea critters, our relationships with the ocean, salps, goldfish, whales, octopus, crabs, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler My Life in Sea Creatures: What the Ocean's Animals can Teach us About Ourselves My Life in Sea Creatures: A young queer science writer's reflections on identity and the ocean I can't actually find any edition of the book with this on the cover, though it's frequently listed as the subtitle on various book websites. I have no idea why there are different titles. Other Media We Mentioned Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner Fear of Big Things Underwater by Jacob Geller How a Game Lives: The Annotated Essays of Jacob Geller Links, Articles, and Things Episode 215 - Battle of the Books 2025 Gender Reveal Episode 136: Sabrina Imbler Sabrina Imbler on Defector Sharks Aren't Fish by Hank Green  Noisestorm - Crab Rave Ghost Ship warehouse fire Pulse nightclub shooting Sci-Hub 11 Steampunk Fiction Books by BIPOC Authors: Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose Clockwork Curandera Vol 1: The Witch Owl Parliament by David Bowles, Raúl The Third, Stacey Robinson, and Damian Duffy Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus  Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen The Black God's Drums by P. Djélí Clark The SEA is Ours: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia edited by Jaymee Goh and Joyce Chng Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin A Magic Fierce and Bright by Hemant Nayak Everfair by Nisi Shawl NewsPrints by Ru Xu City of Secrets by Victoria Ying Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, November 4th when we'll be talking about the genre of Epic and High Fantasy! Then on Tuesday, December 2nd we'll be reading books from the 1980s!

    57 min

  8. 10/07/2025

    Episode 219 - Vampire Fiction

    It's episode 219 and time for us to talk about the genre(?) of Vampires! We discuss the difference between thralls and familiars, why vampires love math, whether it's possible to not read vampire stories, how much blood is too much blood, vegetarian vampires, books that mysteriously show up on our holds lists, and more! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards Things We Read (or tried to…) Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove The Sweetness Between Us by Sarah Winifred Searle Jam's review on Storygraph Hunger's Bite by Taylor Robin Ex.Mag, vol. 05: Bloodsucker Fawn's Blood by Hal Schrieve Meghan's books Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (498pg) Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler (336pg) Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (767pg) The Informers by Brett Easton Ellis (240pg) Quicksilver by Callie Hart (624pg) The Passage by Justin Cronin (784pg) Other Media We Mentioned Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe and James Howe What We Do in the Shadows Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris Murphy Brown Count Duckula Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King Silver, vol. 1 by Stephan Franck Life Sucks by Jessica Abel, Gabriel Soria, and Warren Pleece Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film) The Lost Boys The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica, vol. 1 by Amy Chu and Maria Laura Sanapo Leviathan by Ian Edginton and D'Israeli The Last Express Murder On The Rotoscoped Express | The Last Express by Dungeon Chill Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman Not A Drop To Drink - Session 0 - Vancouver Island By Night || Dice Friends Vampire: The Masquerade Makt Myrkranna (Powers of Darkness) (Icelandic "translation" of Dracula) Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Links, Articles, and Things Renfrew–Collingwood Renfrew station Renfield The Living and the Dead: Morbius the Living Vampire, the Comics Code, & Marvel Comics' Horror Boom Jiangshi Count von Count Mercy Brown vampire incident Vampire Child (TV Tropes) War Rocket Ajax Episode 613 - Every Dracula Ever f/ Benito Cereno and Elle Collins Vampirella Maila Nurmi (Vampira) Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) 20 Vampire Fiction Books by BIPOC Authors: Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcast chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here. The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran, translated by Gene Png  Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu and Soo Lee Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco Now Comes the Mist by Julie C. Dao A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal The Vampire Skeleton by Sara General Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond The Night Wanderer by Drew Hayden Taylor Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Check out our Tumblr, join our Discord Server, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, October 21st we'll be discussing How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures (or whatever the UK title is). Then on Tuesday, November 4th we'll be talking about the genre of Epic and High Fantasy!

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A Readers' Advisory Podcast about becoming better library staff by reading every genre, whether we like them or not! Every month we read books from a new, randomly picked genre; then on the podcast we discuss our reading choices, experiences, opinions, appeal factors, and other related topics as friends and library workers.

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