After months and months of me saying that we are going to write about John Green, and then not writing about John Green, it's happening. Right now. In this blog post. While this conversation began as an assessment of Green's latest novel, Turtles All the Way Down, Todd and I also take the time to talk about Green's career as a whole, how we came to know his work, and how we see it working in the sphere of pop culture. Todd and I both come from very different backgrounds in terms of understanding Green's work; I study YA literature and write about it frequently, and Todd was once an actual teen boy, which once made him the intended demographic for a lot of Green's work. So without further ado, we bring you JOHN GREEN BLOG POST 2018!
Read moreBSG #16: Have Fun In Jail, Bitch / I'll Be Gone in the Dark
BSG #16: Have Fun In Jail, Bitch / I'll Be Gone in the Dark
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 place. Plus, we shit talk our least favorite audiobooks and get in some serious gushing about Paul Holes. Stick around ‘til the end for listener feedback on our Station Eleven episode, our elusive ‘Stuff We’re Into’ segment, and a little bit about our featured bookstore of the month, Books are Magic! PLEASE remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on any and all of your podcatchers, and check out our blog for more of our incessant rambling.
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Read moreFeatured Bookstore: Books Are Magic! Brooklyn, NY
This month, I’m super excited to feature an indie bookstore that’s brand new to me — and new to a lot of people, really, since it’s only been around for a little over a year. Books Are Magic opened in May of 2017, but you wouldn’t know it from anything about their business. They have a beautiful space with a great selection of books across all genres, a good-looking website where you can order most any book your heart desires, an impressive calendar of events, several different subscription services, and distressingly cute merch… and all of this in their first year of operation. Basically, the people at Books Are Magic have their shit together.
The store is located in the extremely adorable neighborhood of Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, where Emily and I paid them a visit a few weeks ago. Not only did we have a romantic photoshoot in front of their outside mural, but we also spoke with Books Are Magic’s Colleen Callery (Marketing and Communications Coordinator) about the store, which has quickly become a staple of its Brooklyn community.
Read moreThe Pure Joy of Tig Notaro's Happy to Be Here
I’ve been a fan of Tig Notaro since I first heard her on This American Life, telling her now-famous Taylor Dayne story. (If you haven’t heard that yet, I’m including it here. It's long, but wait until the very end. Enjoy.) I loved her deadpan style and those perfectly timed pauses. I needed to hear more.
Read moreWhich Member of the Book Squad Are You?
So today is the 20th anniversary of HBO's Sex and the City. I really considered writing about that today, trust me, because I love that show with all of my heart and will unabashedly defend it (especially Miranda) til my dying day (just the show though, not the movie).
But instead, I got to thinking about my own awesome foursome: The Book Squad. So instead of finding out if you're a Miranda, Carrie, Samantha, or Charlotte for the 5,000th time (I'm a confirmed Miranda, btw), it's time to discover if you're a Susan, Kelli, Emily, or Mary. Fingers crossed you get the result you want! Spoiler: they're all awesome.
Read moreAll the Hot Button Issues You Can Squeeze Into One Soulless TV Show
The first season of 13 Reasons Why made me uncomfortable. It was not an easy show to watch, but it was well-made, and the actors did a really good job with the material. My feelings about the subject matter and the story were mixed, and are even more so now since the allegations about author Jay Asher. He denies them and says he was wrongfully accused, but like… ugh. Let’s not go there.
Based on what I’ve been reading about this season online, a lot of people agreed with me that this show had no reason to be renewed for a second season. Regardless of how you felt about the story told in season 1, the whole story was told. The narrator Hannah Baker constructed a tight narrative through cassette tapes that concluded with a gratuitous and triggering suicide scene. I really don’t know what else there is to say.
But of course Netflix saw that there was more money to be made on this concept and more wounds to be salted.
Read moreOthersode #15: Solo: A Donald Glover Story
Othersode #15: Solo: A Donald Glover Story
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 on the #BookSquadBlog and read along for our next fullpisode by picking up I'll Be Gone In the Dark by Michelle McNamara! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Send your thoughts on Solo to thesquad@booksquad.com!
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Read moreMoxie: A Book for Actual Teens
The May YA in Paradise chat is here! This month, we talk about Moxie, a novel by Jennifer Mathieu. Come join us!
Read moreThe Bachelorette: No, We're Not Saying Becca's Stupid Catchphrase
Welcome welcome to another season of The Bachelorette, and another blog post where the Book Squad judges all of the contestants based on minimal information and cheesy photographs. We’re fairly underwhelmed with the batch of men Becca has to choose from, and we’re already missing the wonderful men of Rachel’s season (where is our boo Diggy? We love you). But nevertheless, we’re here to… do the damn thing. There. We said it. Never again.
Read moreNailed It!: The Anti-Baking Baking Show
The Great British Baking Show is universally adored, and for good reason. Even the worst bakers of the bunch are still downright amazing. Everything the contestants create is not only complex, but visually stunning. It’s fun to watch it all come together. But we all know that about 90% of the population could never make even the simplest Mary Berry recipes the way these bakers do. Enter Nailed It!: The baking show for…the rest of us.
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