Book Squad Goals

Goodbye, Vitamin and Hello, new episode! This week the Squad discusses the plight of Ruth, a 30-year-old woman caring for her father, who has Alzheimer’s disease in Rachel Khong’s debut novel. We discuss the fickleness of human memory, the switch from cared-for to caretaker, the book’s narrative format, and the overall writing style of the novel. Then we get into some listener feedback about "Fled...

Enter the spoooooky world of Stephen King with The Squad as we discuss the Hulu show “Castle Rock.” Together, we’ll tackle the tough questions, such as: What does it mean to be “evil”? Does this show have too many balls in the air? Is Bill Skarsgård hot or just tall? Why did Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson break up? Plus, stick around for an interview with the amazing Gabrielle Moss, Bustle column...

It's October, which means it's time for a spoooooky bookpisode about vampires... or Ina... whatever. In this episode, the squad chats about Octavia Butler's novel "Fledgling," vampire mythology, Anne Rice, current events, politics, unicorn clubs, and much much more. Check it out, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and send us e-mails/pictures of your pets in Halloween costumes. Happy Spookto...

It's finally here! This week, our long-awaited "Sharp Objects" discussion is finally ready for your ears. (Don't tell Mama.) Joined by special guest and honorary squad member Janet, we get deep into spoiler territory as we chat about the beloved HBO miniseries, currently available to stream in its entirety. Conversation topics include Missouri, southern accents, mood music, and distressingly beaut...

Get out your magnifying glasses because it’s time for a classic detective story as we dive into Tana French’s newest novel, ‘The Trespasser.’ The #BookSquad talks about the mystery genre, the “femme fatale” character type, and subverting expectations in detective fiction. Plus, we answer the question: Just how Irish is this book? (Spoiler: Jaysus! It’s very Irish.) There’s even a new segment in th...

Souls are being sold all over the place in this #othersode as the squad discusses ‘Jennifer’s Body’ (2009) and Emily interviews Grady Hendrix, author of the forthcoming book ‘We Sold Our Souls.’ In the 2009 horror-comedy ‘Jennifer’s Body,’ the squad (with special guest Mary Kay!) talk about feminism, horror movie tropes, whether Megan Fox can act, and the dangers of demonic possession. Next Emily...

What would you do if people started disappearing for no reason? Would you join a cult? Take a vow of silence? Run around barefoot smoking weed? Act like everything was normal? This week on the podcast, the Book Squad delves into this, Spongebob Squarepants, and more as we discuss the novel “The Leftovers” by Tom Perrotta. Plus, we finally get answers on how Michael was able to eat his flatbread an...

Hi, um, sorry to bother you, this is the #BookSquad, and we just want to talk to you about this movie we saw. Listen as we discuss Boots Riley's directorial debut, Sorry to Bother You, starring LaKeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson. We talk about "white voice," political satire, and that VERY weird thing none of us saw coming. (Yes, there are spoilers, as always!) Plus, we read some great listener...

Drink along with us as the #BookSquad discusses "Super Extra Grande," a short novel by Cuban sci-fi author and metal band member, Yoss. Find out what our metal band personas would be before we delve into some serious misogyny issues in this book. We talk sci-fi tropes, Spanglish, and how the heck a thing can be both giant AND a single-celled organism. For listener feedback, we go all the way back...

Join the #BookSquad in the dusty, violent old west as we take on season 2 of HBO's 'Westworld' and spoil literally everything. Find out what "world" squad members want to go to, how we think season 2 compares to season 1, who are favorite characters are, and what worked and didn't work this go-round. Also, what's a robutt? We read some great listener feedback about 'Solo' and 'Hereditary' (and the...

Join us for a deep dive into the case of the Golden State Killer as we discuss Michelle McNamara’s book, “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.” Joined by special guest and true crime aficionado Stephanie, the Squad covers all of the juicy details of the GSK case, the unique approach McNamara took in blending true crime and memoir, and where our obsession with the true crime genre may stem from in the first p...

The Squad returns to a galaxy far, far away to discuss Solo: A Star Wars Story in this othersode. We get into the film's production woes, the reasons behind exploring this particular character, action versus world-building, the fate of the female characters, the dumb spelling of Qi'ra, how this stacks up to recent franchise installments, and THAT CAMEO. You know which one. Plus, catch up on what's...

If the world as we know it ended today, how would you survive? What would you miss? Who would you be? The squad explores these questions and more in our discussion of Emily St. John Mandel's 2014 novel "Station Eleven." Join us and our special guest Todd (a man) as we wax philosophical, argue about which character is the best, and gush through every last detail of this book, which—spoiler alert—we...

Join the #Squad on a deep dive into the world of cyberbullying and spooky Internet things as we discuss the 2014 film 'Unfriended.' We talk about how well the movie's conceit is working, why Blaire is kind of terrible, and the scariest parts of the story (The glitch just typed!). After that, take the "Who is Your Bookish Boyfriend?" quiz with us and find out about your literary lover. Plus, what's...

The #BookSquad visits SoCal this week as we discuss The Mothers, Brit Bennett's stellar debut novel. We cover motherhood (duh!), guilt, grief, and the like. But have no fear, this isn't a bummer episode! In fact, it's pretty cute. The Squad is celebrating the one-year podversary of #BookSquadGoals, so you'll also get to hear us exchange "secret Santa" gifts in honor of this special birthday. Thank...

Put on your haptic suits and join the Book Squad in Halliday’s OASIS as we discuss the new Steven Spielberg movie, "Ready Player One." We’ve got lots of thoughts and feelings about Parzival, Aech and Art3mis in the movie, as well as in Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel on which the film was based. Plus, the squad gets into some questionable poetry by Cline and dives into how Gamergate affects some feminis...

Join the #BookSquad in Pinewood, North Carolina for a not-so-Gatsby retelling of 'The Great Gatsby' in 'No One Is Coming to Save Us' by Stephanie Powell Watts. The squad discusses characterization, pregnancy and motherhood, and the role of memory and the past in this novel. Find out which Squad members liked the book and which ones felt... differently. Plus, we dig into some great listener feedbac...

Join the squad as we journey deep into Area X for our long-awaited discussion of ANNIHILATION! In this episode, we tackle Alex Garland’s trippy adaptation of the Jeff VanderMeer novel, and we ask all of the important questions: What is this film “about”? How does it compare to the book? Does Alex Garland think all relationships take place primarily in bed? Was Oscar Isaac’s accent switch intention...

This week, the squad tackles global warming and animosity between the North and South. Are we talking about the past? Are we talking about the present? Neither! We're discussing America in the year 2073 as the country is in the middle of its second Civil War. Join us as we discuss Omar El Akkad's novel "American War," which gave us a lot of material to talk about. Then we read listener feedback ab...

On a very sexy edition of #BookSquadGoals, the squad breaks down the new film "Fifty Shades Freed," the so-called "climax" of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. Join us as we discuss the strange plot, the use of ice cream during sex, pop sensation Rita Ora, and the utter lack of chemistry between the film's leads. We take a look at what this franchise gets wrong about BDSM and answer the most impor...

Come with us to the glamorous world of old Hollywood as we discuss Taylor Jenkins Reid's "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo." The Squad talks about the narrative framing of the novel, how race and queer sexuality are treated, juicy Hollywood gossip, and the real-life starlets on whom the beautiful and mysterious Evelyn Hugo is based. And what about that twist?! Plus, find out why men are canceled...

2017 was a trash fire at times, but the Squad found joy amongst the garbage in books, music, movies, comedy and podcasts. We each count down our top three pop culture things from 2017 and tell you why they were seriously awesome in their own special ways. (If you were looking for recommendations, you've now got 12 things. You're welcome.) In the second half of the show, Susan interviews Louisville...

Special guest Mary Kay from "Everything Trying to Kill You" joins the squad to discuss Erika Swyler’s novel "The Book of Speculation." In this episode, we discuss the ins and out of circus literature (which is totally a thing), tarot readings, family curses, and much much more. Plus, we answer your burning questions about "Stranger Things" and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Wonder what those space co...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…four women known as the #BookSquad braved crowded theaters on opening weekend to see the new Star Wars movie: The Last Jedi. Listen as we discuss our favorite Star Wars movies, the best characters (Kylo Ren and Poe, duh), what's up with Luke Skywalker, why Leia is still a badass, how the Force works, and of course, PORGS. Plus, we give you the scoop on ou...

Dive into the gritty, acid-soaked world of Emma Cline's 'The Girls' with the Squad. Get in the Mansony mood by taking the Which Famous Serial Killer Are You? quiz with us. Then we discuss Cline's writing style and why we love our narrator, Evie, and explore Evie's complex relationships with the various female characters in the book. (Bonus: you get to hear a bit about what the Squad members were l...