Book Club for Masochists: a Readers’ Advisory Podcast

• Episode 214 - Non-Traditional Storytelling

  It’s episode 214 and time for us to talk about the genre/topic of Non-Traditional Storytelling! We discuss epistolary novels, novels in verse, punctuation, 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…) Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra, translated by Megan McDowell Time Machine 2: Search For Dinosaurs and David Bischoff Inheritance by Daniel Arnold, Darrell Dennis, and Medina Hahn Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience - trailer Bats of the Republic by Zachery Thomas Dodson Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen Other Media We Mentioned Choose Your Own Adventure S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver Evelina, or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World by Frances Burney The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn A Void/La Disparition by Georges Perec, translated by Gilbert Adair House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Detroit: Become Human Talking Simulator — Detroit: Become Human Garth Marenghi's Darkplace “I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards.” Wanted: Dead Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon War and Peace by Lev Tolstoy, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky Red: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas Blue Prince Can You Solve the Murder?: An Interactive Crime Novel by Antony Johnston The Call-Out by Cat Fitzpatrick Links, Articles, and Things Episode 037 - Experimental Fiction Oulipo Reddit threads Books with experimental or unusual formats - multiple illustrations, combination of mediums, alternating structure etc Any books with unconventional or creative storytelling formats/structures you'd recommend? List of sandwiches Architecture student writes 149-page thesis without punctuation 15 Non-Traditional Storytelling 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. Watercolor Women / Opaque Men: A Novel in Verse by Ana Castillo Inheritance: A Pick-the-Path Experience by Darrell Dennis, Medina Hahn, and Daniel Arnold  The Girl I Am, Was, And Never Will Be by Shannon Gibney The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse by Melissa Lozada-Oliva This Could Have Become Ramayan Chamar's Tale: Two Anti-Novels by Subimal Misra, translated by V. Ramaswamy Monster by Walter Dean Myers Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds with art by Jason Griffin Please Stop Trying to Leave Me by Alana Saab Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq with art by Jaime Hernandez Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon with art by Frank Yoon Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra, translated by Megan McDowell  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, July 15th. It's time for our “Battle of the Books!” We’ll each pitch a book, and our listeners (that means you) will get to vote on which one we all read. Then on Tuesday, August 5th when we’ll be discussing the genre of Rural Noir/Grit Lit.

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• Episode 213 - Found Books

  It’s episode 213 and time for us to talk about “Found Books,”  that is books that we’ve found in public little free libraries, book exchanges, and book swaps! We discuss the recently returned book cart, getting books for free, getting rid of books, 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…) Aya: Life in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie The Long Walk: The True Story Of A Trek To Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, translated by William Weaver Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet Other Media We Mentioned Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi Returnal Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, translated by Nancy Forest-Flier The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta and Ralph Masiello White Dwarf (Warhammer magazine) Links, Articles, and Things #UBCnoox Meghan’s map  Public bookcase (Wikipedia) Little Free Library (Wikipedia) Against Little Free Libraries Vegetarian Peanut Soup Cottage: North America Sudoku (Wikipedia) Paper embossing (Wikipedia) 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, July 1st when we’ll be discussing the genre/format of Non-Traditional Storytelling (e.g. not prose). Then on Tuesday,  July 15th it’s time for our “Battle of the Books!” We’ll each pitch a book, and our listeners (that means you) will get to vote on which one we all read.

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• Episode 212 - Language & Linguistics

  It’s episode 212 and time for us to talk about excellently complicate the non-fiction genre of Linguistics & Language! We discuss 🤔, our academic backgrounds, the power of words, accents, 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…) Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated by Ann Goldstein I is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World by James Geary Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren Other Media We Mentioned 19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei: With More Ways by Eliot Weinberger Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages by Guy Deutscher Otherwords - Inside the Fiercest Debate in Linguistics Your Computer Is on Fire edited by Thomas S. Mullaney, Benjamin Peters, Marie Hicks, and Kavita Philip What the Font?! - A Manga Guide to Western Typeface by Kuniichi Ashiya Giga Town: A Guide to Manga Iconography by Fumiyo Kouno, translated by Ko Ransom The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondō, translated by Cathy Hirano Occasional reminder that whenever you say "sparks joy" you are not quoting Marie Kondo.You are quoting her translator, Cathy Hirano. She invented "sparks joy" out of whole cloth. What Marie Kondo says is "This makes my heart go pitter pat.” -Zack Davisson Eine wie Alaska [Looking for Alaska] by John Green, translated by Sophie Zeitz “I would read it in German, for a few reasons” - John Green Die kleine Fledermaus Wegda by Nanna Nesshöver and Wiebke Rauers Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe by Gaston Dorren, translated by Alison Edwards Links, Articles, and Things Great Vowel Shift (Wikipedia) Lolcat (Wikipedia) Kinokuniya There are four Kinokuniya shops in Texas. Four! Put one in Denver! Abugida (Wikipedia) Episode 209 - Design 15 Language & Linguistics 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. Otter's Journey Through Indigenous Language and Law by Lindsay Keegitah Borrows The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom edited by Joanne Kilgour Dowdy and Lisa Delpit Tongues: On Longing and Belonging Through Language edited by Eufemia Fantetti, Leonarda Carranza, and Ayelet Tsabari Living Language Rights: Constitutional Pathways to Indigenous Language Education by Lorena Sekwan Fontaine Grammar Matters: The Social Significance of How We Use Language by Jila Ghomeshi A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance: Imagining Multilingualism by Tomson Highway My Broken Language: A Memoir by Quiara Alegría Hudes Et Cetera: An Illustrated Guide to Latin Phrases by Maia Lee-Chin with illustrations by Marta Bertello Translating Myself and Others by Jhumpa Lahiri Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter – Then, Now, and Forever by John McWhorter The Ecology of Language Evolution by Salikoko S. Mufwene Mâci-Nêhiyawêwin / Beginning Cree by Solomon Ratt with illustrations by Holly Martin Living Pidgin: Contemplations on Pidgin Culture by Lee A. Tonouchi Kingdom of Characters: The Language Revolution That Made China Modern by Jing Tsu Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o 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, June 3rd when we’ll be discussing “Found Books,”  that is books that we’ve found in public little free libraries, book exchanges, and book swaps. Then on July 1st we’ll be talking about Non-Traditional Storytelling (e.g. fiction that’s not prose)!

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• Episode 211 - Spring Media Update 2025

   It’s episode 211 and we’re talking about books and other media we’ve enjoyed recently! We discuss early internet chatrooms, shuttlecocks, haunted dolls, what constitutes a “banger”, 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 What We’re Into: Anna Acid West by Joshua Wheeler Two Point Museum Trailer R.E.P.O. || Crossing the Streams R.E.P.O. on Stream Matthew Never a Sidekick: Exploring the Dynamic History of Batgirl by Tim Hanley Yakuza: Like a Dragon 7 Weirdest Yakuza: Like a Dragon Quests That Were Bizarre Even by Yakuza Standards Mantracks: a True Story of Fake Fossils Jam WEBFISHING Trailer Murdle Volume 1 by G.T. Karber RuPaul’s Drag Race adjacent media Runnereye (YouTube) Drag Her (podcast) UpUntil Dawn (YouTube) I Got Dr*nk and Built the Lego Tuxedo Cat (Crashout Included) Crystal Envy & Lexi Love’s “Alter Ego” Lip Sync Arrietty & Lydia B Kollins’ “Boogie Wonderland” Lip Sync Meghan Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Badminton Pilou Meeting Infinity and Infinity Wars (short story collections) Other Media We Mentioned Didi (film) Doechii - Denial is a River Links, Articles, and Things RA in a Day folio - 019 - immanence 01 - with jam edwards & garbageface aka gnostic front aka karol orzechowski Spaceport America 15 Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, Myths, and Folklore 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. Women Wide Awake: Stories, Sculptures and Poems From Sindhi Folklore by  Nimra Bandukwala and Manahil Bandukwala Blue Bamboo: Japanese Tales of Fantasy and Romance by Osamu Dazai, translated by Ralph F. McCarthy The Annotated African American Folktales by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar Blackberry Blue: And Other Fairy Tales by Jamila Gavin Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Diane Dillon and Leo Dillon The Dragon Slayer: Folktales From Latin America by Jamie Hernandez Laughing with the Trickster: On Sex, Death, and Accordions by Tomson Highway Legends of Vancouver by E. Pauline Johnson Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories by Dan SaSuWeh Jones, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre An Introduction to Yōkai Culture: Monsters, Ghosts, and Outsiders in Japanese History by Komatsu Kazuhiko, translated by Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda Rediscovering Turtle Island: a First Peoples' Account of the Sacred Geography of America by Taylor Keen Night Stories: Folktales From Latin America by Liniers Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship: Stories From India by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy Vietnamese Folktales for Children: Stories of Adventure and Wonder in Vietnamese and English by Phuoc Thi Minh Tran, illustrated by Dong Nguyen and Hop Thi Nguyen The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas 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 6th when we’ll be discussing the genre/topic of Linguistics and Language! Then on Tuesday, June 3rd we’ll be discussing “Found Books,” that is books that we’ve found in public little free libraries, book exchanges, and book swaps.

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• Episode 210 - Romantasy

  It’s episode 210 and time for us to talk about the genre of Romantasy! We discuss romance series, happily ever afters, tropes, social media, and more! Plus, special guest romance fiction researcher Christine Larson! 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…) Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis, narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty The Significance Of S.A. Chakraborty’s Name Adjustment In Upcoming Book One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix  (not mentioned in episode) The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen (not mentioned in episode) Order of Swans by Jude Deveraux (not mentioned by name) Other Media We Mentioned Love in the Time of Self-Publishing: How Romance Writers Changed the Rules of Writing and Success by Christine Larson Ender’s Game / Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Graceling by Kristin Cashore Redwall by Brian Jacques Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor The Cruel Prince by Holly Black The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold Empty Crown by Rosemary Edgehill  A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamiton Links, Articles, and Things RA in a Day Episode 057 - Nordic/Scandinavian Noir Episode 202 - A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking Let Them Eat Tropes: Why Romantasy Needs to Grow Beyond Trends Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Novelist Steal Another Writer’s Story? What is ‘romantasy,’ and why can’t readers get enough? (Interview with Christine Larson) 15 Romantasy 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. This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi  Faebound by Saara El-Arifi Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko Sinner's Isle by Angela Montoya Witchmark by C.L. Polk Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao 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 15th for our Spring Media Update! We’ll let you know about the media we’ve been enjoying recently that we haven’t experienced for the podcast. Then on Tuesday, May 6th we’ll be discussing the genre/topic of Linguistics and Language!

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