The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club

We are thrilled to start our new feature called The Authors Corner! The Authors Corner is where the nerds at the Nerdy Psych Book Club get the very exciting chance to interview our favorite fantasy, dystopian and sci-fi authors!  Toda's guest is award-winning author, Christian Hurst, who is the author of the Lily Starling series -a YA science-fiction space opera. In this episode, Brandi and Christ...

The Nerdy Psych Book Club gang finishes up their conversation about They Both Die at the End with our friend, Lindsay Armendariz, by talking about Post-Traumatic Growth. "Post-Traumatic Growth" is a concept where after you have experienced a stressful, or traumatic or any type of life-changing event you can experience significant shifts in thinking.  We talk about Rufus a lot; we loved him. Throug...

In They Both Die at the End, Mateo spends his entire life avoiding anything that could potentially mean his untimely demise. Delilah avoids the reality that her death cast call was real and not a prank by her ex Victor. Andrea, a Death Cast employee who avoids feeling feelings or processing any of the sadness that surrounds her. And Vic does it too-but we just want to avoid thinking he was even in...

Are you anxious? Does having to send an email send you into a cold sweat? Do you ever wonder if your anxiety is preventing you from living your full life? This book (They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera) and episode (of the Nerdy Psych Book Club) is for you!   We are joined by friend of the podcast, Dr. Brandi Liles who is an expert in anxiety both in lived experience and work expertise. We ta...

Our June book of the month starts off with a bang as we parse apart the book, "They Both Die At The End" by Adam Silvera. We start off real strong-much to Deanna's annoyance, talking about death and the importance of talking about death for our collective mental health.   The spoiler is right in the name there so you already know the ending, but the cool thing about this book is that, that is not...

We finish our discussion of So Let Them Burn by talking about the psychology of leadership and specifically talk about this with how the gods treat Faron in the book. Faron is powered up with god-like strength and is on speed dial with the gods, but they definitely do not trust her as far as they can throw her (and they try!).    Throughout the book, the gods withhold important life altering infor...

In this episode, we continue our conversation on So Let Them Burn, focusing on the character Reeve and his role as a supportive friend to both Elara, but more specifically to Faron.   Reeve’s strength lies in his quiet presence. He consistently “shows up” for others, especially Faron and doesn't try to fix her or tell her she is being too much, or leaves her alone. Instead, he meets her where she...

Episode 14: So Let Them Burn Pt. 2: People Pleasing   In this episode of the Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, we welcome back our friend and colleague, licensed marriage and family therapist Shayla Allen for a continuation of So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole; this time, focusing on the character Elara and the psychology of people pleasing. We explore Elara’s role as the dependable older sister living...

In this episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, we are joined by our friend and colleague Shayla Allen LMFT to start our conversation about So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole. So Let Them Burn is a fun fantasy novel with dragons, magic, and teenagers going to war imbued with god like power-it is a pretty cool story.   We pick apart the main character, Faron, who has a direct line to the gods, c...

In our final installment on Fable for the End of the World, the Nerdy Psychologist Book Club explores one of the story’s most frustrating characters: Inesa’s mother. In Fable for the End of the World, Inesa's mother, Janina is the one that racks up so much debt that she puts her own daughter into the Gauntlet to be hunted down by the Angel assassins. Brandi and Deanna talk about some of the reason...

In this episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, Brandi and Deanna jump back into the dystopian world of Fable for the End of the World. We set out to tackle sexism in the drowned world of Inesa and Melinoë and this part of the dystopian world is not far from our real world.   From benevolent sexism that sounds nice but reinforces inequality, to hostile sexism and outright misogyny, we chat ab...

*Heavy content warning*-while we are talking about a dystopian fiction novel and fictional characters, some of the concepts we discuss are real-life and can be pretty heavy to listen to. Feel free to come back to this one when you feel ready.   In this episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, Brandi and Deanna dive further into the haunting world of Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid,...

Get ready for a sweet and heartfelt kickoff to a brand-new book for the month of April. In this episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, Brandi and Deanna jump into Fable for the End of the World with their usual mix of banter, side stories, and psychological insight. From mispronounced names to rage over that infuriating ending, our hosts take you on an emotional rollercoaster that mirrors th...

🎉 Surprise Bonus Episode: What Are We Really Reading?! 🦖📚  Surprise!! We just couldn't stay away from you all. In this delightfully silly (pro-tip-this was filmed after 2 drinks....) bonus episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, Brandi and Deanna take a break from their usual deep dive format and answer the question every book lover secretly waits for: “What else are you reading right now?...

We’re wrapping up Heir with one last episode -and this one goes straight into the feels. 💙 Join us (and returning guest Dr. Brandi Liles!) as we unpack the heartbreak, healing, and very real psychology behind Quil and Sufiyan’s journeys through loss and complicated grief.   From the chaos of the “Sea of Suffering” (obvi we have our themed cocktail 🍹) to the complexities of trauma, grief, and gui...

In our latest episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, hosts Brandi Hawk and Deanna Boys are joined by fellow psychologist Dr. Brandi Liles to talk more about the rich and twisty world of Heir by Sabaa Tahir. With humor, honesty, and a fun themed cocktail (Blood Oath!), and our trio breaks down the psychology behind their favorite characters from the book.   We get real nerdy this time with ou...

What really makes someone a villain? Is it ignorance, manipulation, or the moment we knowingly choose the wrong path?  In this episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, hosts Brandi Hawk and Deanna Boys continue their discussion about Heir by Sabaa Tahir and tackle one of the book’s most fascinating and frustrating characters: Aiz.   With their signature mix of humor, psychology, and bookish en...

This month we are starting a brand-new Nerdy Psych book club pick! We are picking apart and diving real deep into Heir by Sabaa Tahir.   Set roughly 20 years after the Ember in the Ashes series, Heir follows three unforgettable characters:  Aiz, an orphan forged by the brutality of the slums and fueled by vengeance.  Sirsha, a sharp-tongued tracker bound by blood oath and battling her own complica...

What if everything you believed about peace… was just really good marketing?  In this episode of Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, we finish up our discussion Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins with our fun themed cocktail in hand, and dive into the psychology of propaganda and the illusory truth effect. With “Peacekeepers” who definitely do not keep peace, and Panem residents being fed the con...

It can be difficult to understand a character like Effie. How can she keep working for the Games despite all she knows? The answer is she's just like us, and we all struggle with cognitive dissonance. Join Brandi Hawk and Deanna Boys as they explore how cognitive dissonance shapes our beliefs and our behaviors through Effie Trinkett and what that means for us in real life. OH! And also find out wh...

Our first book is Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, and in our first episode, we discuss the many ways Haymitch responds to traumatic events. Join Brandi Hawk and Deanna Boys and their special guest, Dr. Brandi Liles as they talk about fight, flight, freeze, appease and tend and befriend and how it comes up in the character of Haymitch.  ............ The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club is pr...

We might not be in a relationship with President Snow, but many unhealthy relationships share some of the same power and control dynamics he uses with Haymitch. Join Brandi Hawk, Deanna Boys and special guest Dr. Brandi Liles as they dive deeper into the world of Sunrise on the Reaping to explore the creepy power dynamics used by President Snow on all of the citizens of Panem.  ............ The Ne...

Coming Tuesday February 10th, a new weekly podcast where psychology experts Brandi Hawk & Deanna Boys explore trauma and questionable choices in YA fantasy and dystopian fiction. Join them as they armchair diagnose fictional characters, talk about what that means for us in the real world, drink fancy book-themed cocktails and have very nerdy conversations.  (audio version!)