Novel Gaming!

Pirate and sirens and dragons, oh my! It's a sequel book club episode! This month we read Maggie Tokuda-Hall's 'The Siren, the Song, and the Spy'! Conversation begins around 27:50. Of course, before we do that, we check in on some stuff we've been playing, watching, and thinking about. Playing The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA on NSO) Hollow Knight (Switch) Watching Listers: A Glimpse Into...

You ever just wanna get in a car, attach a little trailer, decorate it, fill it with books, drive around town, and recommend picks to people who ask? Us too, so that's exactly what we did by playing and talking about 2025's Tiny Bookshop! Of course, before we get into it, we catch up on some stuff we've been reading, watching, and playing. Reading The Monsters We Defy by L. Penelope Ba...

Been a while since we've read some poetry and been a while since we've read something spooky, so why not both? This month we checked out Robin Gow's 2023 book 'Dear Mothman: A Novel in Verse'. Conversation begins around 41:48. Of course, before we do that, we check in on some stuff we've been playing, watching, and thinking about. Playing Tales of the Shire (Steam) Is This Seat Taken? (Switch) Dea...

Do you love farming, getting to know characters, and clearing trash? Then you should play Coral Island! We did and we're talking about it! Conversation about this farming sim game starts around 33:50. Before then we talk about what we've been reading, watching, and thinking about lately. Reading: ‘Frog and Toad’ by Arnold Lobel New 52 Era Green Lantern Comics (DC Comics) ‘Officer Clemmons’...

Our first nonfiction book! We read the 2024 book 'Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment' by Jason Schreier. Conversation starts around 43:50. Before then, we talk about the things we've been playing and watching... but mostly we talk a looooooot about the Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2. Playing The Star Named Eos (PS5) Coral Island (Steam) Watching Superman (2...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to date your dining room table? What about your coffee maker? Surely you've thought about dating your bed, right? Well, we played the game where you no longer have to wonder: Date Everything! But before we talk all about dating the objects in our home, we check in on some stuff we've been reading, watching, and thinking about lately. Reading: Packing fo...

We didn't read a book this month! Instead we read a whole lot of comics. For Pride Month, we decided to read the Marvel's Voices Pride anthology series from 2021 through 2024, which means dozens of stories about several dozens of characters! It's a lot to keep track of, but we highlight our favorites. And as always, before that, we check in on some stuff we've been playing, watching, and thinking...

We played Dream Daddy , a 2017 dad dating game! ⁠You can click here to read the Kotaku article mentioned in our discussion.⁠ Before we discuss this sweet and punny visual novel (convo starts at 29:00) , we check in on what we're reading, watching, and thinking about lately. Reading ​'Morphenomenal' by Joshua Moore ​'The Backyard Bird Chronicles' by Amy Tan 'Go-Man: Champion...

We've got a vision coming in about this episode! *~ We're going to talk about 'The Teller of Small Fortunes' by Julie Leong ~* Before we discuss the 2024 book (convo starts at 22:10) , we check in on what we're playing, watching, and thinking about lately. Playing ​The Witness (PS5) ​Moonstone Island (Steam) Watching ​RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10 (Paramount+) ​Surviva...

This episode we played Sayonara Wild Hearts , a stylish 2019 rhythm action game featuring motorcycles, magical girl transformations, robot wolves, and of course, incredible music. But before we get into that, we check in on some stuff we've been reading, watching, and thinking about. Reading To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa Watching Little Tiny Eg...

We are very excited to discuss 'Sunrise on the Reaping' by Suzanne Collins, the fifth book in the Hunger Games series, taking place 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Games novel, and the original trilogy’s second prequel. (Discussion begins at 15:20, spoilers begin at 24:13.) But before we run off to face the dangers of the Second Quarter Quell, we explore the cornucopia of things...

The Nintendo Switch 2 is on the way so we thought it was only right to celebrate its predecessor - the Nintendo Switch! We talk the launch, features, games and memories of the beloved console. Conversation starts around 41:50. Before then we check in on what we've been reading, watching, and thinking about lately (including a lot of talk about the Nintendo Switch 2). Reading: 'Sunrise on t...

It's a book club! And we read 'Redemption in Indigo' by Karen Lord. Listen in as we discuss this 2010 retelling of a Senegalese folktale that is... complicated. Conversation begins around 24:40. Before that, we check in on what we've been playing, watching, and thinking about lately. Playing: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5) Farcry 5 (PS5) Watching: Satoshi Kon Films Running Point (Netflix) Thinkin...

What's the best music mechanic in video games? What are those songs from video games that stick with you? What musical artist would you mash-up with one of your favorite games? These are the questions we're answering this episode! A full list of songs played this episode are at the end of the show notes! But of course, we gotta check in on some of the stuff we've been reading, watching, and thinki...

For this month’s book club we read ‘The Full Moon Coffee Shop’, a 2020 magical realism cozy novel by Mai Mochizuki, translated into English in 2024 by Jesse Kirkwood. Spoiler-filled discussion begins at 25:20. But before we unfold our star charts and dig deep into our houses and planetary rulers, let’s talk about what we’ve been playing, watching, and thinking about lately. Playing: Far Lone Sails...

It's our first "game club" episode of 2025, and we played Oxenfree, a spooky narrative-choice game featuring a group of teens lost on an island with nothing but a radio and each other. Discussion begins at ~21:26. But before we get into our combined five playthroughs of Oxenfree, we catch up on some of the stuff we've been reading, playing, watching, and thinking about recently....

We're doing our first book club of 2025 and are ready for some love and flirty letters! We read 2019's 'This Is How You Lose the Time War’ by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Conversation starts around 24:20. Before then, we check in on what we’ve been Playing, watching, and thinking about lately. Playing: Tchia (PS5) Coffee Talk 2: Butterfly & Hibiscus (PS5) FFVII Rebirth (PS5) Watching: Sev...

It’s 2025! And that means our 2024 Backlog Challenge is officially over. Listen in to hear what and how we did! Conversation starts around 25:50. Before then, we check in on what we’ve been reading, watching, and thinking about lately. Reading: ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ by Grady Hendrix ‘The Invisible Kingdom’ by Meghan O’Rourke Watching: Severance (Apple TV+) Silo (Apple TV+) Man on the Inside...

It’s a book club episode! And this December, we’re picking up where we left off last December, because this month we read Rough Pages by Lev A. C. Rosen, the third book in Rosen’s Evander Mills mystery series. But before we return to 1950s San Francisco, we talk about what we’ve been playing, watching, and thinking about lately! Playing: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5) Melatonin (Steam) Sushi Stri...

The end of 2024 is just around the corner, which means it's time to highlight some of our favorite books, video games, and other media from this past year. But of course, before we do that, we check in on some things we've been playing, reading, and thinking about. Reading: System Collapse by Martha Wells How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Anne Price Power Rangers Prime by Melissa Flores...

We read the queer zombie novel "The Z Word" by Lindsay King-Miller! Conversation around this campy, yet thought-provoking story starts around 31:50. Before all that we check in on what we've been playing, watching, and thinking about lately . Playing: Pokemon TCG Pocket (Mobile) Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5) Watching: Scooby Doo Live Action (2002 & 2004 Films) Gastronauts (Dropout) Roland Em...

Food is good we want to talk about it! To help us do that, we came up with three video-game-food-related questions. Main course starts around 24:00. Before then, we check in on some things we've been reading, watching, and thinking about! Reading: A little bit of 28 different book recommendations by thoughtful librarians 'What Doesn't Kill You' by Tessa Miller Watching: Ring (1998 Film) Ju-on (200...

Halloween is coming up, so Doug picked a novella he heard was scary... but it was mostly really gross! A flesh-eating mermaid, a gentle plague doctors, and a suspicious town with tons of children but only three adults. Discussion begins at ~19:00. Of course, before we get bloody, we check in on the stuff we've been playing, watching, and thinking about. Playing: Gravity Rush (PSP) Final Fantasy VI...

It's our 100th episode, and Vicki's back to celebrate with us! And what better way to celebrate 100 episodes—and with Vicki specifically!—than to talk about Platinum trophies and achieving that deeply satisfying 100%. And of course, before we get into all that, we check in on some things we've been reading, watching, listening to, and thinking about! Reading: 'Tales from the Cafe' by Toshikazu Kaw...

Afraid of AI taking over? Maybe don't read this book? Or do to prepare! We read 'Robopocalypse' by Daniel H. Wilson. Discussion begins ~18:00. Before that, we check in on some things we've been playing and watching. Playing: Monster of the Week (Michael Sands) Hatoful Boyfriend (Vita) Watching: The Film Experience by Professor David Thorburn (MIT OpenCourseWare) Misfits and Magic (Dropout) Find us...