During a period of political upheaval and war in her country, Marjane Satrapi read comic books about Karl Marx, and listened to Iron Maiden, and stood up for her beliefs at political rallies or at school. She’s so punk, it’s incredible. So dive into Persepolis with us to learn more about the history of Persia and to spend some time with a young Marjane, the heroine the world desperately needs.

Ah, yes, the classic tale of a young boy who is trapped in a cupboard by his evil step family, and then rescued by a group of wizards who run a school in Scotland and send children into the woods to fight an immortal supervillain. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling sounds strange and unsuitable for young people when we summarize it, and yet it is by far one of the most incredible children’s books ever written.

Normally we talk about books that have already been released, but this week we’re peeking behind the curtain as we talk to the founders, writers, and producers of ConSensual LLC about their upcoming feminist romance novel, Ten Week Turnabout. Join us as we muse on the merits of the romance genre, get excited about creating the kind of content we want to read and enjoy, and bemoan the difficulties of recording audio during social isolation. Check out Ten Week Turnabout on Spotify June, 24!

One girl dead. Another girl missing. A reporter returns home to cover the story, and is forced to confront her past in Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. This gripping fiction thriller had Victoria sucked in, Julia pretty disturbed, and both feeling a bit let down by the HBO series based on the novel. While we didn’t spoil the ending in this intro, we will in the episode — so speed through the book now and join us for discussion of this female-forward mystery.

Writer, doula, and women’s health advocate Elizabeth Endara sat down with Julia back in January for some commentary on the state of women’s health and the importance of trusting women’s knowledge of their own bodies. After hearing our woefully under-informed opinions last episode on This Is Your Brain on Birth Control, now it’s time to learn from the wisdom of a women’s health professional!

This episode, we’re joined by the only person legally allowed to be in our home during this time of shelter in place: our dear roommate Natasha. We are so excited to discuss this book together and share our stories of self-discovery as we learn how to trust our experiences and make informed decisions about our own bodies. Highly recommend this book to anyone who knows anyone who takes birth control… so, everyone!

This episode we are finally discussing Julia’s favorite book of all time: I Am The Messenger (known as The Messenger internationally) by Markus Zusak! Escape from social isolation and join us for our discussion of this cheeky, thrilling, relatable, and mind-blowing YA novel about the value of beauty of the stories that are happening all around us, if only we pay attention.

After Nobel-Prize-winning author Patrick Modiano found a personal ad about a missing Jewish girl in a Parisian newspaper from 1945, he was shocked to discover how much their lives might have intersected, and he became determined to uncover as much about her life as he could. Dora Bruder chronicles his eight-year pursuit of her story, the hidden history of Paris, and the painful memories that his project brings up from his own life. Join us as we discuss this short but powerful book about the importance of remembering.

One of the best books about shoes ever written. A female-centric bildungsroman for the ages. “If Jane Austen got angry.” Whatever you want to call My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan epic narrative about two young women struggling to find power and agency in post-war Italy is a stunning work of art, and we can’t wait to talk about it with our special guest, Jessica. Plus there’s an incredible Italian miniseries that airs on HBO: As Bong Joon Ho said, “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

Now that the gender-bending adaptation of High Fidelity with Zoe Kravitz is out on Hulu, we had to dust off this classic about music, heartbreak, and the art of the listicle (long before Buzzfeed made it cool). Join us as we list off our favorite music and discuss how the show updated the music references for the millennial generation.

Few books have the ability to make Julia cry, but this one definitely did. Lisa Gungor’s 2018 memoir The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen discusses the themes of motherhood and the divine feminine, and follows the ups and downs of being a Christian celebrity who loses her faith. Join us as we discuss how these themes intersect with our lives, and whether or not spaghetti is a good visual metaphor for evolving belief systems.

Who knew that some of the most personally transformative non-fiction of our time would come from a shame researcher? And yet, here we are, crying over Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly as she covers the walls we put in place to protect ourselves from vulnerability, the dominant shame messages we receive based on gender scripts, and the terrifying but essential tools we need to knock them all down.

If, like Julia, you are obsessed with books about deeply meaningful coincidences, then you’ll love this multi-generational book of stories by Anthony Marra about every human’s fight to not be erased. The Tsar of Love and Techno spans 60 years, 3 Russian cities, 3 regime changes, 9 major characters, and even multiple planets in the solar system, all centered around a very well-traveled painting of the countryside. Join us as we try to untangle this very elaborate, expertly-crafted plot and recount the many times we unexpectedly laughed or cried, or both at once.

Scary Close is a memoir by Donald Miller that covers one of the scariest topics in the world: Vulnerability. (No! Please! Anything by vulnerability! I’m too young to die!) Follow the compelling journey of a man (and his trusted sidekick, Lucy the labrador) as he learns to be his authentic self, create healthy boundaries, and show up for the most important relationships in his life. Then follow him on instagram for pictures of his dog.

We talk about the Enneagram a lot, possibly too much, in fact. But we’re on the air one more time talking about what we have learned since we released the Sacred Enneagram episode last fall. We discuss questions like, What are the limits of this tool, and How do we use it to find the next step in our journey toward wholeness? Also a list of our favorite meme accounts!

J&V have a lot of questions about daemons: How do they bathe? How are they born? Do they need to eat? What if a person’s daemon turns into an elephant and they can never go inside again? This week we’re having a blast talking about the incredible world of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass and wishing we were witches. Join us for a wild ride as we journey to the far North with the iconic heroine Lyra Silvertongue, and then dive deep into the logistics of having a physical daemon.

Victoria and her mom dive into an important discussion of how body image gets passed down through generations of women and what the pair of them did to break the cycle. Read the book, call your mom, and then join us for a lovely, deep discussion on body positivity.

Julia and her brother Michael would have spent their Christmas holiday reading Little Women, re-watching the 1994 classic with Winona Ryder, getting up to see Greta Gerwig’s remake in theaters Christmas Day, and discussing all three at length at 2am anyway. So we thought, why not record their conversation for the podcast? Join us for something a little different as we spend time with our families and sing the praises for Florence Pugh’s Amy March. Happy New Year Everyone!

How have the books we read this year shaped us? And how did our daily lives color the books we read? Join us for some coffee and contemplation as we look back on 2019 - the adventures we traveled, the jobs we started, and the crazy decision we made to put recordings of our voices onto the internet for literally anyone to listen to.

It’s not a comic, or a graphic novel; it’s a graphic memoir. And apparently, graphic memoirs can be truly incredible works of art with gripping stories, that also last about as long as a single installment of Lord of the Rings. So if you feel overwhelmed by the pressure of always trying to be a “good reader,” whatever that means, join us as we rest our burnt out souls and engage with this truly incredible, visual text about family and identity after the Vietnam War by Thi Bui.