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Book Club for Masochists: a Readers' Advisory Podcast

Book Club for Masochists: a Readers' Advisory Podcast

By: 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.Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • Episode 224 - History

    Episode 224 - History
    Jan 6 2026
    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 PetersonDig (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 PlacementGolden Age of Comic Books Union of British Columbia Indian ChiefsHarry Benjamin Transgender Archives at the University of VictoriaGuano 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 AbramsRemembering 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! ...
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Episode 223 - 2025 Favourites

    Episode 223 - 2025 Favourites
    Dec 16 2025
    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 RomanceEpisode 2010 - Romantasy Episode 214 - Non-Traditional StorytellingEpisode 216 - Rural Noir/Grit LitEpisode 219 - VampiresEpisode 221 - Epic & High FantasyEpisode 222 - Books from the 1980s Non-fiction Episode 206 - Cultural StudiesEpisode 209 - DesignEpisode 212 - Linguistics & Language Other Episode 213 - Found BooksEpisode 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 BreakfastNongshim Shin Ramyun Stir Fry Gourmet Spicy Noodles With CheeseNew York CityFunkyFrogBait 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 OtomoType HelpDungeon 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 PrachettNotorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis Matthew 25 tracks from 2025Books Inheritance (Episode 214 - Non-Traditional Storytelling)Data Feminism by Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. KleinThe 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 MoueThe Apothecary Diaries (vols. 2-4) by Itsuki Nanao and Nekokurage Beetle & the Chimera Carnival by Aliza LayneBlue Period (vols. 13-14) by Tsubasa Yamaguchi Brain Damage by Shintarō Kago Deprog by Tina Horn and Lisa SterleDial H for Hero, vol. 1: Enter the Heroverse & Dial H for Hero, vol. 2: New Heroes of Metropolis by Sam Humphries and Joe QuinonesFool Night (vols. 2-4) by Kasumi YasudaGACHIAKUTA (vol. 1) by Kei UranaHome Office Romance by Kintetsu Yamada Houses of the Unholy by Ed Brubaker and Sean PhillipsMermaid Saga (vols. 1-2) by Rumiko TakahashiVampirella: 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 ...
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Episode 222 - Books from the 1980s

    Episode 222 - Books from the 1980s
    Dec 2 2025
    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 coverThe "more cyberpunk looking" cover Other Media We Mentioned Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne JonesBatman (1989)Batman (1960s)The Wrong Earth, vol.1 by Tom Peyer and Jamal IgleThe Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett Fafhrd and the Gray MouserDragonriders of Pern Mort by Terry PratchettWyrd Sisters by Terry PratchettGravity FallsManufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S. Herman and Noam ChomskyAmusing 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 KotzwinkleReturn of the Jedi (novel) by James Kahn Links, Articles, and Things Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1980sThe 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 BabiesLabubu 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!
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    1 hr and 6 mins
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