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Queer Girl Book Club: You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

October 6, 2021 Kelli & Emily
This bookshelf exists too much

This bookshelf exists too much

Kelli: Hello and welcome back to Queer Girl Book Club! I’m your host, Kelli. Just kidding, this is a blog post.

This month we’re talking about You Exist Too Much, the debut novel by Zaina Arafat. The story follows a Palestinian-American young woman as she navigates her twenties. Our narrator is never named, which I only noticed about halfway through the book. I thought to myself, ‘what’s her name again?’ and then flipped through for a while before I realized she didn’t have one. I was surprised, I guess because I felt like I knew her so well already. So I guess a good way to start this discussion is to ask: how did you feel about the narrator?

(Spoilers to follow)

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In Blog Tags Queer Girl Book Club, LGBTQ, Books, Emily posts, Kelli posts
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Othersode #58: Courteney Cox's Bangs / Scream with Grady Hendrix

September 20, 2021 The Squad
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Othersode #58: Courteney Cox's Bangs / Scream with Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix returns to the podcast to talk about the Scream franchise and his new novel, The Final Girl Support Group! We talk about our favorite final girls (and how Sidney stacks up), how Scream revolutionized the slasher genre in the 1990s, how the sequels compare to each other, and why Gale’s hair goes rogue in 2 and 3. Plus, Grady shares a SUPER FUN FACT about Scream 2 that blows all of our minds. Then we ask Grady about The Final Girl Support Group and learn how the book came to be and what he has coming up in the future! Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon, featuring special guest Leah Rachel von Essen, and stick around for an interview with Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street. Catch up on Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu for our next Othersode on October 11th!

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

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In 4-Podcast Tags Movies, Horror, Literature, Books
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This Is A Negative Review Of The Film Annette

September 18, 2021 Kelli
Not pictured: Baby Fucking Annette (images via Amazon Studios)

Not pictured: Baby Fucking Annette (images via Amazon Studios)

You may have first heard about the film Annette during the surge of headlines coming out of the Cannes film festival, which were most commonly some variation of “Annette: The New Musical Where Adam Driver Sings While Performing Oral Sex on Marion Cotillard.” I understand that this is a huge selling point for many people, but the focus on this scene has left a lot of people in the dark re: the actual facts of this motion picture, like the part where the titular Annette is an infant played by the scariest puppet you will ever lay eyes on. This review is not a part of BSG’s annual series of horror films leading up to Halloween, but reader, it might as well be.

Annette is the latest from director Leos Carax, and has been receiving rave reviews from critics and cinephiles alike. I’m actually surprised that it isn’t more divisive, given how utterly bizarre it is, but the film stands at a respectable 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. As one of Annette’s brave detractors, I know that I will be taking some heat for my open disdain, but I will tell you this: one of my closest friends has already accused me of disliking the film because I am jealous of Baby Annette’s success as a child star—a success I never managed to achieve despite my best efforts and years of voice lessons—so please take this entire review with a grain of salt. As it stands, I am a little bit jealous of Baby Annette.

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In Blog Tags Movies
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Punch Up your TBR with These Fists Break Bricks

September 13, 2021 Mary
Legitimately my dinner tonight.

Legitimately my dinner tonight.

These Fists Break Bricks, the new nonfiction title from Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali, does more than talk about the rise of kung fu in pop culture. Instead of portraying the martial arts genre as something foreign to American readers, Hendrix and Poggiali posit that kung fu–and by extension the myriad films that spawned from the nation’s fascination with it–has a complex history that weaves martial arts from countries like China, Japan, and Korea with the desperate yearning of the American dream.

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In Blog Tags Books, Literature, Reviews, Mary posts
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YA Book Club: The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

September 10, 2021 Mary & Emily
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Mary: Hello and welcome back to YA Book Club! Today we’re talking about The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky. The novel follows Rachel Chavez, who starts school atan exclusive prep school, only to fall in with a group of horror-loving teens called The Mary Shelley Club. Soon, Rachel discovers that things with the club aren’t as they seem, and her own terrifying ordeal begins. Be warned that from here on out, there will be spoilers for the novel!

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In Blog Tags Horror, Mary posts, Emily posts, Young Adult Lit
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BSG #58: Artificial Friends / Klara and the Sun with Wizzy, AKA SailorMoonWisdom

September 7, 2021 The Squad
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BSG #58: Artificial Friends / Klara and the Sun with Wizzy, AKA SailorMoonWisdom

Call up your Artificial Friend—it’s time to talk about Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Special guest “Wizzy” of @sailormoonwisdom joins us to discuss the meaning of Klara’s relationship with the sun, why “simple” doesn’t mean “not complex,” whether or not humans are special, and Rick and Josie’s love for one another. Then we catch up with what’s on the blog, including more book, podcast, and television reviews. Tune in on September 20th for our chat with Grady Hendrix about the Scream series and his new novel, The Final Girl Support Group. Join us for our next #Bookpisode on Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon, featuring special guest Leah Rachel von Essen, and stick around for an interview with Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street!

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

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In 4-Podcast Tags Books, Science fiction
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A Definitive Ranking of Book-Shaped Gravestones in Green-Wood Cemetery

September 5, 2021 Diana Flatto
Arthur Tappan Pierson (March 6, 1837-June 3, 1911)

Arthur Tappan Pierson (March 6, 1837-June 3, 1911)

Green-Wood cemetery is many things: the eternal resting place for over 570,000 people, an arboretum, a Revolutionary War battle site, a bird sanctuary, an art and performance venue, a community space, and, I would argue, a library. One popular gravestone motif over the course of Green-Wood’s 183 year history is the form of a book, usually symbolizing the bible or the Book of Life. Whether or not the religious background is of interest to contemporary visitors, many of these grave markers are endearing sculptural works and landmarks for bibliophiles amidst the cemetery’s angels, obelisks, and nondescript headstones. Check out a book or two, ranked here based on style, content, and my completely non-objective opinions.

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In Blog Tags Books
1 Comment

Halfway Through Wheel of Time and Feeling Fine

August 27, 2021 Mary
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Hi, everyone. How are you? Hanging in there? On my end, I’ve been in a massive reading slump. Sure, I’ve kept up with my podcast reading, and read an additional book here or there (like Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch), but it’s been hard to muster up the mental energy to do much more than watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

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In Blog Tags Fantasy, Mary posts, Books
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Deciphering Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

August 25, 2021 Mary & Emily

Mary: Well, pals, do we have a doozy for you today. Emily and I are here to talk about Nightbitch, the new novel by Rachel Yoder. Nightbitch follows an unnamed mother as she slowly descends into madness (or is it madness?). As she comes to terms with what it means to be a mother, Nightbitch grapples with her increasingly doglike nature, her isolation from others, and her growing urges to embrace her animalistic nature.

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In Blog Tags Mary posts, Emily posts, Books, Reviews, Horror, Mental Health
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Othersode #57: Distracted by Dev Patel / The Green Knight (with The Maniculum)

August 23, 2021 The Squad

Othersode #57: Distracted by Dev Patel / The Green Knight (with The Maniculum)

Come back to medieval times with us as we welcome Mac and Zoe from The Maniculum, a podcast featuring some of the strangest, most absurd, and befuddling examples of medieval writing. The co-hosts of The Maniculum help us uncover some of the secrets of A24’s latest film The Green Knight, which stars Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander. From our favorite Arthurian heroes to the moody atmosphere of David Lowery’s lush landscapes, no stone goes unturned in this discussion.

After you’re finished with this episode, get ready for what’s on deck next! We’ll welcome “Wizzy” from @SailorMoonWisdom to discuss Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun. After that, Grady Hendrix triumphantly returns to talk all things Scream and answer some questions about his new novel, The Final Girl Support Group.

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

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In 4-Podcast Tags Movies, History
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Happy Wedding Day to Mary and Todd! We love you both and can’t wait to watch you tie the knot today! @thefavoritenpc @tadasborne #MaryToddLincoln
On next Monday’s #othersode, we’re taking a deep dive into the history of racism in our country. Read along with us (or listen for free on Spotify!) for our discussion of Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. Episode drops 6/29! ?
We’re dedicating our next #Othersode to talking about a very important subject. Read along with us for Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi. Episode drops 6/29! 📸: @onegirlreading
Happy Juneteenth! Help lift up Black voices and support Black-owned businesses this week by buying books by Black authors from Black-owned bookstores! (These shops all have online ordering!)📚 Want to share some other Black-owned bookstores? Tell us
Hey, Goalies! Murray and the Squad would like to encourage you to buy books by Black authors this week! Pictured are some of Murray’s top picks (courtesy of @avidbookshop!), but we’d love to hear more of your favorite books by Black autho
Happy New Episode Day! Check out our discussion of Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett — plus a special interview with Erica Boyce, author of Lost at Sea! Available wherever you get your podcasts!

made with love by emily, kelli, mary, and susan. <3 thanks to Katelyn Elaine Photography for our group photos.

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