Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

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American Born Chinese Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

Brenna and Joe tag along on a Chinese quest as we read Gene Luen Yang's exquisite 2006 comic American Born Chinese and watch Kelvin Yu's eight episode Disney+ adaptation.

We *love* the comic, with its gorgeous art, confronting imagery and careful pay-off (stick with it!). The TV show is a mixed bag: the cast, including all of the stuntcasting, is great, but the narrative is both streamlined and drawn out which reduces its emotional components. And what's with the cliffhanger? We don't need a second season!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XO, Kitty (2023) feat. Jenny Nulf May 30, 2023

Show notes

Thanks to listener demand, Brenna spends 5 hours with her least favourite To All The Boys I've Loved Before character: Kitty, who gets the spin-off treatment with XO, Kitty (2023)

We're joined by returning guest Jenny Nulf to unpack the highs and lows of S01, which has too many characters and subplots, a traditional Korean fascination with poop, and a surprising queer plot we want more of.

Plus: Joe's frustration with Minho, Rahim from Love, Victor, and why Brenna is done with the dead mom storyline.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

> Jenny: @jennyleighx33

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mailbag 13: Library Thing List May 26, 2023

Show notes

On this week's mailbag, Brenna stumbled onto a Library Thing list created by norabelle414 that has documented all of the books we've read. We love it! Send us all the things you use the show for!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us

> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Moffie May 23, 2023

Show notes

Thanks to listener Alex, Brenna and Joe head to South Africa to discuss conscription, Apartheid, and queer New Adults in André Carl van der Merwe's semi-autobiographical 2006 novel Moffie and Oliver Hermanus' 2019 film adaptation.

This is a rough one! Apart from the homophobia we expected from a military narrative, there's also plenty of racism, misogyny, and animal death.

Each text has something to recommend: the book is poetic and rich with detail, while the film's scenery and a key long take flashback are stunning.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mailbag 12: Menstruation May 19, 2023

Show notes

Following Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, listener Tea, Books & Chocolate writes in to recommend books about menstruation, including Tamora Pierce's Alanna: The First Adventure and The Naming by Alison Croggon.

Plus: real life stories and Joe's fave pop culture euphemism!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Stolen (Ann-Helén Laestadius, 2023) - Submit by July 3

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (2023) May 16, 2023

Show notes

After 50 years and a few delays, we're *finally* talking about Kelly Fremon Craig's Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, only our second Judy Blume adaptation! (We previously talked about the book in our third Book Club episode)

Brenna and Joe adore this gentle, charming adaptation which maintains the gist of the iconic book, with expanded screen time for Rachel McAdams's Barbara and a stuntcast grandma (Kathy Bates).

Plus: period comedy, resisting Hollywood conflict, showing blood on screen, and a last minute catch from Brenna about gendered language.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> May 16: Ready When You Are (aka The Boy from the Mish) by Gary Lonesborough (2022)

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Sorta Like A Rock Star (2010) / All Together Now (2020) May 09, 2023

Show notes

Ready for a discussion neither Brenna or Joe wanted to have? We're ready to tackle Matthew Quick's 2010 novel Sorta Like A Rock Star and Brett Haley's 2020 (confusingly retitled) All Together Now...so that we never have to talk about them again.

We're unhappy with both texts for different reasons. Quick's grating prose, inauthentic voice, and unbelievable characters are deal breakers, and while the film correctly diversifies the cast, it squanders its musical components and leans into the underlying "deserving poor" theme of the book. We can't lie: these texts are just bad!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> May 16: Ready When You Are (aka The Boy from the Mish) by Gary Lonesborough (2022)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mailbag 11: "Not Gay Enough" May 07, 2023

Show notes

On this week's mailbag, Tea, Books & Chocolate follows up on her Book Club email and zeroes in on the trans elements of Naomi Kanakia's We Are Totally Normal.

Plus: Brenna ponders TB&C's question about a "white lady pipeline" from slash or fan fiction to Goodreads reviewer.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> May 16: Ready When You Are (aka The Boy from the Mish) by Gary Lonesborough (2022)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We Are Totally Normal (Book Club) May 02, 2023

Show notes

We're back with a contentious book club pick in Naomi Kanakia's We Are Totally Normal (2020), which is light on plot and big on (unimportant?) HS politics, frank sex, and questioning sexuality.

With help from listeners Victoria and Tea, Books & Chocolate, Brenna and Joe unpack this divisive pick, grant it leeway considering its timing with Kanakia's own coming out as a trans woman and raise the alarm over Goodreads criticisms that it's "not gay enough."

Reference:

Naomi Kanakia. "If you dislike my novel, you’re really not alone!" Woman of Letters

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> May 16: Ready When You Are (aka The Boy from the Mish) by Gary Lonesborough (2022)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Center Of The World (1998) / Center Of My World (2016) Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Brenna and Joe travel to Germany for Andreas Steinhöfel's 1998 novel The Center of the World and (arbitrary title change alert!) Jakob M. Erwa's 2016 film adaptation, Center Of My World.

While this boy-led / dysfunctional family / coming of age narrative is quite long, it is incredibly well-constructed and features fascinating characters.

The film's reliance on sex and sexuality, however, feels very "queer film festival circuit". We both like it, but in trying to adapt too many key moments, Erwa simplifies the book's richness, particularly nuanced characters like Nicolas and Dianne.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> May 16: Ready When You Are (aka The Boy from the Mish) by Gary Lonesborough (2022)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.