We’re truly in the golden age of book adaptations but move over, Reese Witherspoon, Patricia Highsmith is the reigning queen. Tune in to listen to Renee, Ashley, and Mariquita thoughtfully and hilariously discuss the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, as well as the 1999 film, and the new Netflix series. They compare and contrast the three texts, dive into the enduring themes of queerness in each, why the book withstands the test of time, Matt Damon vs. Andrew Scott,...

When Sally mentioned in our team Slack that she was considering reading the six books on the short list for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, Renee chimed in that she’d already read two of them. Like the true feminist nerds they are, they teamed up to read three each. In this podcast episode, Sally and Renee rank the six books and make a prediction for which one will win the prize later this week.     Books/Resources Mentioned: Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death by...

Beach read season is upon us! There are lots of definitions of beach reads out there but to us, a good beach read is something that is smart, sexy, funny, and full of heart. Tune in to hear Jordy and Mariquita discuss This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune and then stick around for Renee’s review of The Husbands by Holly Gramazio.   This Summer Will Be Different discussion (0:23) Jordy and Mariquita sit down to discuss Carley Fortune’s newest book, This Summer Will Be Different....

Today’s episode features two seemingly disparate segments with a lot in common. Alternate titles included Wisdom from the Windy City, Voices of Chicago Youth and Elders, Notes on Compassion, or something about absurdism and groundedness. Mariquita, Rah, and Renee discuss the new book Kittentits by Holly Wilson, then Ashley interviews Chaz Ebert about her book It’s Time to Give a FECK. Kittentits and the Absurd (1:40) Mariquita, Rah, and Renee discuss Kittentits by Holly Wilson and...

Is anyone else just generally Going Through It? Here at Feminist Book Club, we all kind of feel like life is a lot at the moment. So today we’re here with some feminist brain candy to keep you company when the going gets rough. Renee shares some books she’s read recently, then Ashley and Rah discuss the new film Challengers.    What to Read When Everything Sucks (1:40) When times feel especially heavy, Renee leans on genre fiction and what she calls “feel-good literary fiction.” In this...

We love to celebrate women who defy gender roles and today we’re celebrating two groups of fascinating women. First, Ashley gives an update on all the exciting happenings in women’s sports around the country. Then, Renee chats with Laura Carroll about her book A Special Sisterhood, a collection of profiles on women in history who chose not to have children. Tune in to celebrate women athletes and child-free women!   Ashley Is Back in Her Women’s Sports Bag (1:40) Ashley shares her...

Here at FBC, we wanna diversify your bookshelf in all sorts of ways and we’re here to remind you that reading Black stories doesn’t just mean reading literary fiction about pain or suffering. Genre fiction, or popular fiction that falls into certain predictable categories, is full of incredible Black women writing at the tops of their games. In this episode, we recommend two in particular, one romance author and one thriller author. Renee’s Reading Corner: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde (1:47) ...

We believe good books help us feel a little less alone, whether that’s a book that reassures us that we’re not the only ones falling for logical fallacies or it’s a picturesque audiobook experience that complements the landscape around us. Join Renee for a review of The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell then stick around to hear Jordy discuss the books she listened to, the bookstores she visited, and the books she purchased on her cross-country roadtrip.   Renee’s Reading...

We’re big fans of getting uncomfortable with your reading life, whether that be reading about a topic that has been misunderstood for most of history or reading translated literature in a whole new format. In this episode, our contributors share two ways to get a little outside your comfort zone when it comes to reading.   Reframing and Reclaiming: Using Horror to Come into Power (1:47) Mariquita talks with V. Castro about her latest book, Immortal Pleasures, which reframes the life of La...

If there’s one thing Feminist Book Club does well, it’s demonstrating how beautifully complex and multifaceted feminists are. In this episode, you’ll hear Ashley and Tayler’s thoughts on the juggernaut that is Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter (is it a country album?) and then you’ll learn a thing or two about how the government collects demographic data with our resident civil servant and data geek Natalia.    Giddy Up for Cowboy Carter (1:47) Ashley and Tayler kick us off with a discussion about...

We're not saying Feminist Book Club is as culturally important to the Western world as The Golden Girls, but we're also not not saying that. In this episode, you’ll hear FBC founder Renee chat with Executive DIrector Sally about some of the struggles selecting our books of the month. Then you’ll hear Ashley review a little known Golden Girls spinoff called The Golden Palace.   Trials and Tribulations of Selecting FBC Books of the Month (1:47) If you’re just a podcast listener, you may not...

Today’s episode is all about feeling a part of something, whether that’s a family lineage or a community of gamers. We all want to feel like we belong to something more, and our contributors today take that feeling in two totally different (but somehow complementary?) directions.   Intuition and Lineage with Chanel Cleeton (0:17) Ashley speaks with Chanel Cleeton, author of The House on Biscayne Bay. This conversation includes how Chanel wrote the main characters to grow with intuition,...

Not every book is a slam dunk, but we’re going to discuss them anyways. However, when a book is good, it’s really good. In this two-part episode, you’ll hear Jordy, Mariquita, and Nox discuss a book that wasn’t quite their cup of tea as well as a glowing review from Renee of a recent release.    Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan mini book club discussion (01:56) First up, Jordy, Mariquita, and Nox sit down to discuss the romance (with a sprinkling of fantasy) book, Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan....

In this double feature, we’re sharing a moving author interview as well as a review of an important non-fiction book.   Family Dynamics, Women’s Rage, and Korean-American Womanhood with Gina Chung (01:54) First up, Mariquita interviews author Gina Chung about her new collection of short stories, Green Frog. Along the way they discuss how women’s rage is acceptable only within certain parameters and never for women of color, how stereotypes of Asian women stifle full expression, and just...

  Do you love books? Do you love movies? Do you love to celebrate and/or complain about book-to-movie adaptations? This is the episode for you!   In anticipation of the 96th Academy Awards, Sally watched all of the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay… and then read all the books they were adapted from. She’ll never get those 60+ hours of her life back, but she’s here to share the books worth reading, the movies worth watching, and her pick for who should win Best Adapted Screenplay.   ...

Four Graphic Novels for 2024 (0:22) Looking for a graphic novel to pick up? In this segment Rah shares four graphic novels that are making their way onto shelves in 2024.    Recommended in this segment:  Freshman Year by Sarah Mai Tender by Beth Hetland Full of Myself by Siobhán Gallagher Mothballs by Sole Otero  Black Feminists Who Helped Me Unlearn My White Feminism (8:42) As a white woman raised in a white community, Renee’s feminism wasn’t very intersectional until she got...

Tayler (she/her) sits down with Shayla Lawson (they/them), author of the new book How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir. Tune in as Shayla talks about  Blackness as nonbinary, shares an argument for lowercasing the b in Black, and so much more on the African Diaspora.   Get a copy of How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir by Shayla Lawson here!    Check out Shayla’s other books: This is Major:  Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope...

Tune in to this episode where Renee and Rah take a moment to reflect on a couple of reads that took them by surprise and earned a 5-star rating.    Books Mentioned by Renee:  Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara   The Wishing Pool and Other Stories by Tananarive Due   The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel   Books Mentioned by Rah: Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest To Hunt Down The Last Remaining Lesbian Bars In America by Krista Burton   Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking...

Get ready to dive into the fascinating world of one of the biggest pop stars of our time. In this episode of Feminist Book Club: The Podcast, Renee, Sally, and Rah gather around to share their thoughts on the newly released memoir, 'The Woman in Me' by none other than Britney Spears! For those of us who grew up in the '90s, Britney Spears was an icon whose journey we followed closely, from the heights of stardom, break ups with a certain someone, and the 13-year-long conservatorship. Join...

Renee shares a quick update on where our podcast has been, what's to come the next couple weeks, what to expect in the future. Contribute to our Co-Op Transition Fund here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/feministbookclub Beyond the Box: Our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday 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...

Join Mariquita, Mhairie, and Sam for a discussion about Isabel Cañas's genre-defying new release, Vampires of El Norte. Cañas's work seamlessly blends the chilling elements of horror, the tender allure of romance, and the rich tapestry of historical fiction into a single captivating narrative. In this episode, our hosts take a deep dive into this literary gem, exploring its multifaceted nature and its ability to transcend traditional genres.   But that's not all! The conversation extends...

In this episode of Feminist Book Club: The Podcast, Jordy sits down with Ali Hazelwood – romance author, Ph.D in neuroscience holder, and former professor to discuss women in STEM. Ali shares some of her trials and triumphs in the field and in academia and how that has influenced the women she writes about in her novels.    Curious to find out what STEM and romance have in common? You’ll find out in this episode   Get a copy of Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood here!    Support our...

Welcome to another exciting episode of Feminist Book Club: The Podcast! In this thought-provoking installment, we're delving into two dynamic segments starting with a book review of The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush. Then stay tuned to listen in as Renee and Ashley ask themselves, “Can I be a feminist football fan?”.    The Quickening: A Review (00:21)   Mariquita takes the reins as she reviews The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush. This book is an intellectual journey that explores the ethics...

In this episode of Feminist Book Club: The Podcast, we have two segments that will have your TBR list flourishing with cozy mysteries and empowered women. First Renee chats with Mia P. Manasala about her recently released cozy mystery, Murder and Mamon. Then Ashley, Rah, and Mariquita sit down for a mini-book club discussion revolving around Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn   Cozy Mysteries with Mia P. Manasala (00:23)   If there were ever a perfect season for cozy mysteries,...

Welcome to Feminist Book Club: The Podcast, where we explore media through a feminist lens. In this episode, we're diving into two diverse segments that promise an overview of Safe and Sound by Mercury Stardust and an analysis of the film Oppenheimer.   A Renters-Friendly Guide to home repair: An Enthusiastic Overview Mhairie introduces you to a renter-friendly guide to home repair by Mercury Stardust. Mhairie pre-ordered this book and could not be more thrilled with the final product....