Book Squad Podcast 014: Better Living Through Dystopia
Bookish News:
- Audible has a new suite of features especially for romance listeners – Audible Romance.
- National Book Award winners announced
Two Book Minimum:
- Unwind by Neal Shusterman
- When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (and Mudbound by the same)
- One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul
- A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made A Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life by Ayelet Waldman
She Said/She Said: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (2014)
Here’s the book jacket description which we may or may not totally agree with:
When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.
In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth’s population–killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant–the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power–and the strong who possess it.
A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men’s clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she’ll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence.
This book is, if not enjoyable, very worthwhile to read. Polly likens it to if “The Parable of the Sower and Station Eleven. Like, if they had a baby. And then put that baby in a Walking Deadonesie.”
Great book club discussion – check out the book club bag!
The Reddit AMA with the author was also a great read, but there are some spoilers!
What are we up to this week?
- PLEASE do yourself and your family a favor and make Cosmopolitan Cranberries this Thanksgiving
- Standing Rock event at LPL was mind-blowing. Check out the Facebook Live video
- New check-out-able SAD Lamps!
- A new magazine – &Both out of Hutchinson: “a magazine created by women exploring art, language and whole-hearted living through the lens of intersectionality. &/both is for everyone willing to show up to the conversation.” – andbothmag.com
Coming soon: Winter Reading Bingo!
This episode was produced by Jim Barnes in the Sound & Vision studio. Our theme song is by Heidi Lynne Gluck.
You can find the Book Squad Podcast on iTunes, opens a new window, Stitcher, opens a new window, or SoundCloud, opens a new window. Please subscribe and leave us comments – we’d love to know what you think, and your comments make it easier for other people to find our podcast. Happy reading and listening! xo, Polli & Kate
