BSG #48: Yikes on Bikes / Docile

From the hearts…the minds…the dreams…of the Book Squad…comes a special discussion of the Jennifer Lopez film? visual album? This Is Me…Now. It’s hard to describe our chat because it’s hard to describe this project. But some topics we cover include: celebrity zodiac signs, eye-roll moments, which husband is which, and the meaning of a factory. Then we head back to non-green screen land to catch up with what’s on the blog, including YA Book Club and Bachelor recaps! Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, featuring special guest Jen Roy, on 3/19. Then put on your best green outfit for our next Othersode on Irish Wish, the new Lindsay Lohan movie, on 4/2. Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts – we’ll read it on the next episode! Send listener feedback to thesquad@booksquadgoals.com!

TOC
:30 – Icebreaker
10:26 – Movie description and expectations
13:08 – Previous J-Lo feelings
22:48 – What is this?
30:25 – The Great Heart Factory Debate
44:56 – Kelli’s tweet corner; where are the kids?
50:00 – What else? The music?
57:50 – What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty – we’re talking about Rouge by Mona Awad! Special guest Mary Kay McBrayer (author and podcast host) joins us for a deep dive into this surreal world to chat about genre, mother-daughter relationships, the toxic beauty industry, and of course, Tom Cruise himself. Next we catch up with what’s on the blog, including a post about Hazbin Hotel and new Bachelor recaps! Buckle up for our next Othersode on Jennifer Lopez’s movie-thing, This is Me…Now on March 5th. Then read along for our next Bookpisode about Thorn Hedge by T. Kingfisher on March 19th! Please leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts, and we might read it on the pod!

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/booksquadgoals

TOC
:30 – Welcome Mary Kay! And childhood crushes
9:11 – The very extra Goodreads summary
14:44 – Genre
21:41 – Mother Daughter relationships
52:57 – The ending
1:08:40 – Tom Cruise
1:23:30 – Cover art corner
1:26:35 – Ratings
1:31:16 – Mary Kay’s new podcast, what’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Links: https://www.vogue.com/article/mona-awad-fathers-day-essay
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-greatest-true-crime-s-128412643/

Get in, losers; we’re listening to a podcast the whole way there! Join the Book Squad, aka the Army of Skanks, to discuss the new Mean Girls movie, which IS in fact a musical. We talk about our individual histories with Mean Girls, the music and singing, the performances, and changes that worked and didn’t from the original. Next we catch up with what’s on the blog and Kelli shames listeners (Send feedback! Leave a rating! Write a review! Become a patron!). Read along for our next Bookpisode on Rouge by Mona Awad, featuring special guest Mary Kay McBrayer on 2/20. Then brace yourself for whatever This Is Me…Now is because we’re discussing it on our next Othersode on 3/5.

TOC:
:30– Welcome! And Icebreaker
9:40– Movie intro and spoiler warning
29:54– What was up with the marketing?
40:45– The cast and the music
1:00:40– Changes the new adaptation made
1:14:10– What’s on the blog? What’s up next? Kelli’s shame corner

Biography, but make it fiction. Join the Book Squad for a discussion of Biography of X by Catherine Lacey. We talk about the novel’s alternative-America backdrop, the depiction of the South, X’s “art, and what is up with the narrator. After that, Kelli interviews author Emily Austin (Interesting Facts About Space, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead) about her latest novel, her writing process, the importance of queer stories, and of course, space! Plus, Emily asks Kelli some questions about designing her beautiful book covers! Then we get into some listener feedback for Looking Glass Sound and catch up with what’s on the blog. Go see the new Mean Girls movie and join us for our next Othersode on 2/6 to hear us talk about it. Then special guest Mary Kay McBrayer will join us for our next Bookpisode on Rouge by Mona Awad on 2/20! Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and consider becoming a patron for just $3 a month!


TOC
:30 – Welcome! And icebreaker
6:29 – Why biography?? And book intro
14:00 – Alternate history
23:39 – And how it relates to the south
35:00 – How X sucks
46:04 – What is up with the narrator?
50:37 – Kelli’s art corner
59:00 – Ratings
1:02:30 – Emily Austin interview!
1:51:10 – Listener Feedback
1:56:26 – What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Links: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/apr/01/catherine-lacey-that-constant-nervous-twitter-energy-repels-me-biography-of-x

It’s the most wonderful time of year – time for our (pretty much) annual “Best of the Year” episode! Join us as we chat about our favorite pop culture from 2023. Plus, hear from some of our 2023 guests on their favorite things of the year. Read along for our next Bookpisode on Biography of X by Catherine Lacey on January 23rd, and go see Mean Girls for our next Othersode on February 6th! Send us your highlights of 2023 via DM or email at thesquad@booksquadgoals.com! Thanks for being with us in 2024!

TOC
2:34– Icebreaker
11:22–Round 1
30:24– Round 2
48:22– Round 3
1:07:30– Honorable mentions
1:20:30– Listener feedback!
1:28:00–What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Help! We're trapped inside this podcast and we can't get out! Just kidding, that didn't happen to us. It happened to our friend. Or did it...? This week, the squad attempts to untangle the complexities of Catriona Ward's latest novel, Looking Glass Sound. We spend a good chunk of the podcast nailing down the plot, but we also find time to discuss the merits of stories within stories, watery books, and, obviously, gay stuff. If you feel like you can explain any of this better than we did, please drop us a line at thesquad@booksquadgoals.com, and if you're not all Christmased out, check out Emily's 12 Days of Christmas Movies series on the blog! Stay tuned for our upcoming othersode on our favorite things of 2023 (1/9), and read Biography of X by Catherine Lacey to prep for our next bookpisode (1/23) which will also feature an interview with Emily Austin, author of Interesting Facts About Space. Happy (???) New Year!

TOC
:30 - Unhinged milk conversation
3:55 - Actual welcome & intro question
9:49 - Dog advice
11:30 - Goodreads summary (featuring a mistake)
14:25 - Remembering what happened in this book
16:55 - Establishing basic plot points
27:26 - When things start to spiral
36:40 - The “present” of the book
47:30 - Witchcraft?
51:02 - Stories within stories - do these work?
56:00 - Catriona Ward’s other books that we’re obsessed with
1:01:08 - Gay stuff!
1:06:30 - The setting and wet books
1:10:50 - Character specifics and humor
1:14:21 - Emily’s ONE critique
1:19:00 - Ratings
1:26:45 - Listener feedback
1:33:10 - What Emily wrote for the blog
1:40:00 - What’s next on the pod

Special guest Jayce Chambless is back to discuss The Only One Left by Riley Sager with the Squad. We talk (complain) about the characters, try to do some Sager math, ponder the 1980s setting, and reveal what moment made us sigh with resignation. Then we review some reviews from Goodreads because we love that unhinged shit. Then we get into what’s on the blog and let ya know what’s up next on the pod! Read along for our next Bookpisode on Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward on 12/26, and drop in for our Best of 2023 episode on 1/9! Please do us a solid and leave us a 5-star rating, write us a review, and/or become a Patron! Toodles, our bookish noodles!

TOC
:30 — Welcome, Jayce! And intro question
12:20 — Book intro
14:30 — The characters (other yahoos)
34:09 — So many twists. Riley Sager math
54:48 — Why is this set in the 80s?
58:20 — What’s a moment that made you sigh with resignation?
1:11:19 — Review Reviews
1:22:50 — Ratings
1:28:00 — What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Links:
https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/survive-the-book-mary-and-emily-read-riley-sager

The whole Squad is back together and on a hunt for CAMP of any sort in our discussion of Chuck Tingle’s Camp Damascus. Put a pink bag over your head and join us as we talk about the novel’s plot and pacing, YA vs. adult fiction, religious trauma, autism, and of course, CAMP. Then we catch up with what’s on the (still alive, we swear) Book Squad Blog. Join us for what will probably be a Hatepisode as we discuss Riley Sager’s The Only One Left with returning guest Jayce on 12/12. Then read along with us for our next Bookpisode on Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward on 12/26! Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review, and if you’re feeling extra generous, support us on Patreon at patreon.com/booksquadgoals.

TOC:
:30– Icebreaker
11:30- Book intro and Tingle Intro
23:16– Where’s the camp? Plotting/Pacing issues
43:00– YA Lit and standards
48:29– Religious trauma: the novel
56:27– Autism in the novel
1:03:10– Ratings
1:10:00–What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

This week, the Squad and special guest Ang Ferraguto (aka Kelli’s gf) discuss Sofia Coppola’s new film, Priscilla, based on the 1985 book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley. We talk about our own personal connections to Elvis, the Sofia Coppola aesthetic of it all, the problematic nature of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship, and the ~discourse~ around the movie. Tangential conversation addresses Usher’s Vegas residency. Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle (11/28), and then tune in for our next Othersode about The Only One Left on 12/12. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

TOC
:30 – Welcome to Ang Ferraguto and fave style icons
9:52 – Film intro
13:44 – Mary’s intro corner
26:20 – Sofia Coppola
43:00 – The relationship
1:11:35 – The discourse around the film
1:22:50 – Costuming
1:33:35 – Listener feedback
1:35:33 – What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Links:
People https://people.com/priscilla-presley-praises-sofia-coppola-priscilla-movie-8387678
Variety: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/lisa-marie-presley-slammed-sofia-coppola-priscilla-script-1235777982/

Listen, we NEVER talk about vampires on this podcast, and we’re not gonna do it today. Just kidding; yes we are. In our discussion of Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, we also talk about romance, historical fiction, cover design, and the fact that westerns have to have a hot person for anyone on the squad to be interested. Next we get into some listener feedback and catch up with what’s on the blog (yes, we still have that!). On our next Othersode on 11/14, we’ll be talking about Sofia Coppola’s new movie, Priscilla. After that we’ll be reading Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle on our 11/28 Bookpisode. You should read along! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe, and if you’re feeling extra generous, support us on Patreon!

TOC
:30 – Welcome and icebreaker!
13:30 – Book intro
16:00 – Genre and expectations
22:17 – The romance of it all
33:03 – Vampires
42:25 – Historical fiction
49:50 – Cover design
54:00 – Ratings
58:25 – Listener feedback
1:02:00 – What’s on the blog? What’s up next?