BSG #65: Non-Consensual Oil Change / The Atmospherians

March 22, 2022 The Squad

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Susan's #PodSquad: Twin Flames

March 19, 2022 Susan

A few weeks ago, I was listening to A Little Bit Culty, and the episode was about Twin Flames Universe (TFU), a high-pressure group I'd never heard of before. The guest was Keely Griffin, a former member of the group. I've heard of the concept of "twin flames," but I had no idea there was a whole culty organization centered on the idea. A few days later I heard an advertisement for a new Wondery show called Twin Flames that explores and exposes the group, and I immediately downloaded the first two episodes.

Othersode #64: Chekhov's Cocaine / No Exit

March 14, 2022 The Squad

Othersode #63: Chekhov’s Cocaine / *No Exit*

Get trapped in a snowy rest stop with the Book Squad for our discussion of the film No Exit, based on the novel by Taylor Adams. We talk about whether this thriller is also a mystery, explore the differences between the book and the movie, and pick apart the characters. Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy on March 21. Our next Othersode topic is TBD, so stay tuned. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe, and send your listener feedback on this or any other episode to thesquad@booksquadgoals.com!

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YA Book Club: Of Curses and Kisses

March 9, 2022 Mary & Emily

Mary: Hello and welcome back to YA Book Club! Today we’re talking about Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon, which has been on our TBR for quite some time now. Menon is one of our favorites, and we’ve talked about her novel There’s Something About Sweetie in the past, and we even did a whole podcast episode about Make Up Break Up. Of Curses and Kisses is different from any other Menon book I’ve read before simply because it has kind of a fantasy spin. It’s a contemporary retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” (we can get into which version later), and there is a curse as the title implies. There’s not really magic or anything, but there is a fabulous boarding school and lots of money, which is basically magic, isn’t it?

Elden Ring Stuns and Saddens

March 1, 2022 Mary

I spent the last weekend in February planted firmly on my couch, playing hour after hour of Elden Ring, the latest offering in the Soulsborne series. A while back, I wrote about Bloodborne, another FromSoftware game that is incredibly punishing. I concluded the post by saying I wasn’t sure if I liked it, and now, even much later, the answer is still unclear.

BSG #64: Space Racism / Goliath

February 21, 2022 The Squad

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Sensuality and Spirituality in Asha's Awakening

February 14, 2022 Kelli

Appropriately enough for a Valentine’s Day post, I initially heard of singer/songwriter Raveena during my first ever queer romance, when the girl I had just started dating made me a playlist (lol, gay). I remember being immediately struck by Raveena’s music, which is queer and sexy and undeniably magical, and texting the aforementioned Girl about how much I loved it. I have since bitterly unsubscribed from that playlist, but I simply could not unsubscribe from Raveena.

Raveena’s latest, Asha’s Awakening, is a concept album centered around the titular Asha, a Punjabi space princess from ancient times. In an instagram post promoting the music video for the album’s first single, “Rush,” Raveena writes of Asha: “[She] is trained by peaceful aliens in highly advanced spiritual magic. When she comes back down to Earth after her 2000 years of training in space, she attracts an obsessive cult following around her, which leads to her eventual demise.” The album weaves together a number of musical influences, from Bollywood scores to R&B of the early 2000s, and the result is a joyful and sensuous experience that demands repeated listening.

The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window: Yes, Really

February 10, 2022 Susan & Emily

Emily: Welcome to the blog friends, and welcome to another blog post in which Susan and Emily talk thrillers. We love it here. Susan and I both read (and LIKED) The Woman in the Window, and yes, we do know it’s problematic. So we were excited about discussing the Netflix film The Woman in the Window, which was bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. And so now we’re coming around full circle to chat about The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, which is a Netflix series spoofing domestic thrillers. But let’s be real. It’s mostly a spoof of The Woman in the Window, which is fair, because that’s a story that’s pretty easy to make fun of. Oh, and this series stars my queen, Kristen Bell.

So how was this series? Was it funny? Was it thrilling? Did Kristen Bell crush it, as always? That’s what we’re here to chat about.

Anyway, spoilers to follow.

Othersode #63: Hot Patel Winter / Station Eleven (HBO)

February 7, 2022 The Squad

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Wheel of Time Season 1 Impressions

February 6, 2022 Todd & Mary

Mary: Welcome to the much anticipated (by us) discussion of Season 1 of The Wheel of Time TV show! I started reading the series back in 2018, and felt moved to write a defense of how it “doesn’t suck.” Now, I’m still halfway through the 14 book series and feeling the worst effects of the dreaded Slog. BUT, we’re not here to talk about the novels. No, instead, Todd and I are going to be discussing the Amazon Prime TV adaptation of the novels. Weirdly, we’ve been anticipating this show for a long time, as we both keep tabs on showrunner Rafe Judkins (who previously starred on a season of Survivor). It’s a small world, and basically the same 5 people are in every reality show. But I digress.

Todd, kick us off by talking about how the show is choosing to adapt what you have called “unfilmable.”

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