Say Hello to Your Friends: The Babysitter's Club on Netflix

July 12, 2020 Mary, Jen, and Emily

Jen: Say hello to your friends!

Mary: Yay!

Emily: hiii

Mary: Hello, fellow babysitters.

Just kidding, I have zero babysitting experience.

Jen: We did a summer camp! That kind of counts?

Mary: Oh yeah! I think that counts.

Emily: I've done a ton of babysitting.

Jen: You are our actual babysitting expert!

Last week, Netflix released a reboot of The Babysitters Club, based on the series by Ann M. Martin in the 80s and 90s! It is focused on a group of young girls who decide to start their own babysitting business, but it's also really about the friendships they form along the way!

(Minor spoilers for BSC ahead.)

Todd's Fantasy Series Corner

July 10, 2020 Todd Osborne

Since finishing up grad school last spring, I have been diving into the world of contemporary fantasy. I am mostly a novice to this world, though I have read the entire Wheel of Time series (and classics like LotR and The Chronicles of Narnia). Still, I haven’t read much or really any contemporary fantasy outside of WoT and wanted to dip into it and see if any of it was worthwhile. (Spoiler: yes!) So, here is a rundown of 5 books/book series that I have read, along with a general overview of what to expect and whether or not you should read it!

Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen is Necessary Viewing

July 7, 2020 Kelli

On June 19th, Netflix released the documentary film Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen. Acquired by Netflix just after its premiere at Sundance in January, Disclosure is an in-depth examination of the representation of transgender people in media, specifically on film and TV. All of its interview subjects are trans, nonbinary, and/or queer people in media who reflect candidly on the impact these representations of trans people have had not just on their own lives, but on society’s perception of trans and nonbinary people at large.

This film was released during one of the most difficult Pride Months in recent history, amid a global pandemic that prevented people in the LGBTQ+ community from celebrating their queerness in the streets, and amid another epidemic — the murder of countless Black people, including trans man Tony McDade, by police — which has forced Black people into the streets to defend their right to simply be alive in this country. The film came out just days after author JK Rowling released a firestorm of anti-trans tweets, then published an essay on her website doubling down on her “opinions.” All of this is to say that Disclosure is an incredibly timely and important film, perhaps in more ways than even the filmmakers could have anticipated.

Violence, Ludonarrative Dissonance, and The Last of Us Part II

July 5, 2020 Mary

Like many other avid gamers, I played The Last of Us in 2013, and at the time it felt like a revolutionary game, and a good argument for games to be interpreted just like any other text. The Last of Us puts you in the shoes of Joel, a father who takes in a teenager named Ellie during an apocalyptic event. The pair navigate across America, fighting off hordes of zombies (which are never actually called zombies, but as in The Walking Dead, we know what’s up), as they journey to Salt Lake City so that doctors can examine Ellie’s immunity to the cordyceps infecting the world.

The Last of Us attempted to show players that humans are the villains, not zombies, and that every action—even those made with good intentions—has consequences. The Last of Us Part II picks up where the first left off, following Ellie as she journeys to seek revenge. But what’s shocking is just how much revenge Ellie wants, and what she’ll do do obtain it. Enter: extreme violence.

Some spoilers for The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II to follow.

YA Book Club: The Kingdom of Back

July 4, 2020 Mary & Emily

Mary: Hello and welcome back to YA Book Club! Today we’re discussing The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. You might remember Marie Lu from another little book we read, Warcross. However, The Kingdom of Back is a completely different sort of story, focusing on historical fiction and fantasy rather than science fiction. In the novel, the young Mozart siblings (yes, THOSE Mozarts) journey back and forth between Europe and The Kingdom of Back, a fantastical fairy land inhabited by the fey-like Hyacinth. As the novel progresses, Nannerl begins to question her role as a sibling and as a woman, all as she fights to save her brother.

Othersode #42: Anti-Racist Reading / Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi

July 3, 2020 The Squad

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

BSG #42: Shout Out to Publix / Mostly Dead Things / Interview with Erica Boyce

June 15, 2020 The Squad

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

Othersode #41: Black Lives Matter / Atlanta's Missing and Murdered / Interview with Mary Kay McBrayer

June 1, 2020 The Squad

600full-atlanta's-missing-and-murdered_-the-lost-children-artwork.jpg — Othersode #41: Black Lives Matter / Atlanta's Missing and Murdered / Interview with Mary Kay McBrayer

Join the Book Squad as we discuss *Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children,* an HBO docuseries that is more relevant than ever. We discuss the nature of the crimes, the racial tensions and violence plaguing Atlanta in the 1970s and 80s, the questionable “evidence,” and how well the series works as a whole. Next, Susan interviews Mary Kay McBrayer, author of the new book *America’s First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster.* Then we dig into some listener feedback on *Devs* and update you on all the good stuff on the blog! Read *Mostly Dead Things* by Kristen Arnett for our next #bookpisode on June 15, and watch *Shirley* on Hulu for our next #othersode on June 29!

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

Wheel of Time Update: Lord of Chaos

May 27, 2020 Mary

The cover of Lord of Chaos looks like a romance novel gone wrong. Rand looks like a Dorito. — The cover of *Lord of Chaos* looks like a romance novel gone wrong. Rand looks like a Dorito.

Hello again, Wheel of Time fans! The wheel has woven as the wheel willed and now I’m ⅔ through Lord of Chaos, the sixth book in the series. My thoughts are, as always, ever-changing, so here we are with a little update. Yes, I’m still reading it with Todd, and yes, I’m still enjoying it. Here are my latest observations.

The House In Between: I Have 1,000 Questions

May 25, 2020 Susan

I’ve been in documentary mode after watching the incredible Icarus a few days ago, so when I saw a new documentary recommendation by one of my favorite podcasters (Ben Kissel of Last Podcast on the Left) this morning, I was so excited to watch The House In Between. The House In Between is a film covering the decade-long investigation of the unexplainable happenings in a house in Florence, Mississippi, and for fans of the paranormal, this film is well worth the watch. Some spoilers for The House In Between to follow.

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