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. 15H AGO

    Episode 230 - Spring 2026 Media Update

    It's episode 230 and time for us to talk about media we've been enjoying! We discuss music, video essays, movies, comics, books, crafts, 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're Enjoying: Matthew The Music Video Is Dead, Long Live The Music Video by Patrick (H) Willems Hobtown Mystery Stories, vol. 2: The Cursed Hermit by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes, colour by Jason Fischer-Kouhi Witchy Stitching: 25 Patterns to Haunt Your Home by Meg Black The Witchy Stitcher Meghan KEXP "Me more cowboy than you" by the Brudi Brothers Glass Beams (full set) Angine de Poitrine (full set) The kerfuffle Meghan mentioned Live on KEXP podcast Live music at local venues Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker Jam New music highlights (YouTube playlist): The Apple Tree Under the Sea by Hemlocke Springs Nothing's About to Happen to Me by Mitski "23" by Lime Garden "Bend Your Knees" by Henry Mansfield "ça pik un peu quand même" by Miki Jam's full Jan-Feb 2026 New Music Playlist (spreadsheet will be shared in our Discord) Hundreds of Beavers (2022 movie) Raspberry and almond sourdough cake Based on the "Cherry and Almond Bake" recipe from 10-Minute Sourdough by Vanessa Kimbell Anna Twinkleby Nicole Rudolph Who Cursed us with Popcorn Ceilings? The Myth of a Clean Home They're selling us AI floor plans (with @AbbyCox ) TMFD Alum Spotlight: Nicole Rudolph, Fashion Historian Webtoons Love is Loading (mature) by 97pieces Love is Loading (all ages) Our Sunny Days by  Jeong Seokchan Our Sunny Days, vol. 1 Other Media We Mentioned Michael Jackson - Thriller Childish Gambino - This is America Beyoncé - Formation Lambrini Girls on KEXP triple j - Like a Version playlist Jam's music  podcast The Apothecary Diaries Links, Articles, and Things Artemis II Beyoncé explains why she stopped making music videos YouTube Ditches the Billboard Charts 15 Non-Fiction Books about Psychology 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. Patterns That Remain: a Guide to Healing for Asian Children of Immigrants by Stacey Diane Arañez Litam Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma by Mariel Buqué Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Wisdom for Collective Well-Being by Yuria Celidwen Inferno: A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness by Catherine Cho What My Bones Know: a Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color by Natalie Y. Gutiérrez  Empire of Madness: Reimagining Western Mental Health Care for Everyone by Khameer Kidia But What Will People Say? Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love and Family Between Cultures by Sahaj Kaur Kohli  How I Know White People Are Crazy and Other Stories: Notes From a Frustrated Black Psychologist by Johnathan Mathias Lassiter Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice by Jennifer Mullan Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life by Shigehiro Oishi Autistic and Black: Our Experiences of Growth, Progress and Empowerment by Kala Allen Omeiza  Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety by David A. Robertson Permission to Come Home: Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans by Jenny T. Wang 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, May 5th when we'll be talking about Sapphic Horror! Join us again on Tuesday, June 2nd we'll be talking about "coming of (old) age" books.

    57 min

  2. APR 7

    Episode 229 - Media Criticism

    It's episode 229 and time for us to talk about Media Criticism. We talk about what counts as media, the challenges of writing about emerging forms of media, how we interact with criticism, 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…) The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men by Manuel Betancourt Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean by Douglas Wolk Marvel Age of Comics: Doctor Strange: A Decade of Dark Magic by Stuart Moore, narrated by Jason Lasky Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games edited by J. Robert Lennon and Carmen Maria Machado Culture Creep: Notes on a Pop Apocalypse by Alice Bolin Pop Classics #15: Ugh, as if!: Clueless by Veronica Litt Selected Amazon Reviews by Kevin Killian We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre'vell Anderson The Devil Finds Work by James Baldwin Why I love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Siegel Spratford Bad Indian Bookclub: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds by Patty Krawec Other Media We Mentioned Parasite Eve Clever Girl: Jurassic Park by Hannah McGregor Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky 33 ⅓ The Importance Of Being Earnest | Official Trailer | National Theatre Live Lady Sings the Blues Video Essayists Answer Your Assumptions (with hbomberguy‬, ‪D'Angelo Wallace, and Mina Le, ft. Spencer Agnew) Our Favourite Video Essayists/Reviewers/Reviews Action Button Amanda the Jedi Any Austin Dungeon Chill Every Frame a Painting Folding Ideas I Finished a Video Game Jacob Gellar Jenna Stoeber Jenny Nicholson hbomberguy Lindsay Ellis Matt McMuscles: The Worst Fighting Game Matty Bites Princess Weekes ReRez: Just Bad Games Ryan Hollinger Super Eyepatch Wolf T1J Todd in the Shadows The WWE's complex "Black" history by F.D Signifier Extremely Overdetermined Adventure Game Tier List | Part 1: Re-ranking the Top 20 by Innuendo Studios and Questing Refuge Jam's list of top 10 video essays about media I've never seen Links, Articles, and Things The Times Literary Supplement Bubbles Zine The Comics Staple Libro.fm Audiobook Listening Copy Program 20 Media Criticism 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. They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib Indigenous Celebrity: Entanglements with Fame by Jennifer Adese and Robert Alexander We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre'vell Anderson The Devil Finds Work by James Baldwin Black Music by Amiri Baraka The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men by Manuel Betancourt New Kings of the World: Dispatches from Bollywood, Dizi and K-Pop by Fatima Bhutto Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood by Donald Bogle Black TV: Five Decades of Groundbreaking Television From Soul Train to Black-ish and Beyond by Bethonie Butler Producing Sovereignty: The Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada by Karrmen Crey Original People, Original Television: The Launching of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network by Jennifer David Everything to Play For: An Insider's Guide to How Video Games are Changing Our World by Marijam Did Bong Joon Ho: Dissident Cinema by Karen Han Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me by Aisha Harris Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World by Wil Haygood The Creative Gene: How Books, Movies, and Music Inspired the Creator of Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid by Hideo Kojima Our Gang: A Racial History of the Little Rascals by Julia Lee Asian American Media Activism: Fighting for Cultural Citizenship by Lori Kido Lopez The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema From Fodder to Oscar by Robin R. Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris Music Is History by Questlove 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, April 21st it's time for our Spring Media update! Then on Tuesday,  May 5th, we'll be talking about Sapphic horror (as suggested by tmauch)

    59 min

  3. MAR 17

    Episode 228 - Computers / Computer Science

    It's episode 228 and time for us to talk about Computers and Computer Science books! We discuss technology, digital humanities, coding, 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…) Track Changes: A Literary History of Word Processing by Matthew G. Kirschenbaum (2016) Floppy Disk Fever: The Curious Afterlives of a Flexible Medium (2022) I could not find a free version of this online Your Computer Is on Fire edited by Thomas S. Mullaney, Benjamin Peters, Mar Hicks, and Kavita Philip (2021) The Computer Always Wins: A Playful Introduction to Algorithms through Puzzles and Strategy Games Paperback by Elliot Lichtman (2025) Must Know High School Computer Programming by Julie Sway (2020) In the Beginning... Was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson (1999) A Prehistory of the Cloud by Tung-Hui Hu (2016) Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe by George Dyson (2012) Other Media We Mentioned The Soul of the New Machine by Tracy Kidder Close to the Machine: Technophilia and its Discontents San Francisco by Ellen Ullman Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology by Ellen Ullman ClickArt 65,000 Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (1999) Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing by Neal Stephenson Mother Earth Mother Board Links, Articles, and Things Separating the data from the CHAFF by Matthew Murray 🦇,  Fernando Rios, and Seth Erickson 9-track tape Academic Book About Emojis Can't Include The Emojis It Talks About Because Of Copyright Media Archaeology Lab Alice Averlong (formerly Foone) README Institute for Advanced Study 15 Computer Science 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. Job Ready Java by Haythem Balti and Alan Galloway Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code by Ruha Benjamin Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide for Programmers and Other Curious People by Aditya Y. Bhargava More than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech by Meredith Broussard Indigenous Digital Life: The Practice and Politics of Being Indigenous on Social Media by Bronwyn Carlson and Ryan Frazer Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age by Joseph Migga Kizza Code for What? Computer Science for Storytelling and Social Justice by Clifford Lee & Elisabeth Soep AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya Umoja Noble The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh Creative Coding in Python: 30+ Programming Projects in Art, Games, and More by Sheena Vaidyanathan A Digital Bundle: Protecting and Promoting Indigenous Knowledge Online by Jennifer Wemigwans System Design Interview: An Insider's Guide by Alex Xu Number Theory for Computing by Song Y. Yan 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, April 7th we'll be talking about Media Criticism (as suggested by daftkifty) Then on Tuesday,  April 21st it's time for our Spring Media Update!

    1h 6m

  4. MAR 3

    Episode 227 - Utterly Unfamiliar and Downright Detestable

    It's episode 227 and time for an emergency backup episode! This episode is the audio version of "Utterly Unfamiliar and Downright Detestable" a presentation we gave for the 2022 Ontario Library Association's RA in a Day event. There's also a video version on our YouTube channel. 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 Video version https://youtu.be/hi_C_O_GLIA  Slides https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/presentations/7s75df43s  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 17th 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).

    53 min

  5. FEB 17

    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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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!

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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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