Episode 187 - Favourite Reads of 2023

Book Club for Masochists: a Readers’ Advisory Podcast

This episode we’re discussing our Favourite Reads of 2023! We talk about our favourite fiction and non-fiction books we read this year! Plus: Our favourite comics, video games, documentaries, podcasts, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Favourite Fiction

• For the podcast
  • Anna
    • The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao (Episode 172 - Domestic Thrillers)
  • Jam
    • Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones (Episode 184 - Horror)
  • Matthew
    • Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus, vol. 3 by Eiji Otsuka and by Housui Yamazaki (Episode 184 - Horror)
    • The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023 edited by Lisa Unger and Steph Cha (Episode 186 - Suspense Fiction)
  • Meghan
    • The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw (Episode 176 - Fantasy)
• Not for the podcast
  • Jam
    • Heaven’s Design Team by Hebi-Zou, Tsuta Suzuki, & Tarako
      • Naked mole rats do not die of old age
      • Owls’ ears are at asymmetrical heights
      • Tarsiers have two tongues
      • Accidental Elephant (YouTube)
  • Matthew
    • Ammonite by Nicola Griffith
      • Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (Wikipedia)
  • Meghan
    • What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
  • Anna
    • Daisy and the Duke by Elizabeth Cole (The Wallflowers of Wildwood)

Favourite Non-Fiction

• For the podcast
  • Matthew
    • Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara (Episode 174 - Economics)
  • Meghan
    • Goldenrod: Poems by Maggie Smith (Episode 182 - Lyric Poetry)
  • Anna
    • They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers by Sarah Scoles (Episode 178 - Aliens, Extraterrestrials, and UFOs)
  • Jam
    • Histories of the Transgender Child by Jules Gill-Peterson (Episode 170 - Gender Theory & Gender Studies)
• Not for the podcast
  • Meghan
    • Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
  • Anna
    • Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic – and what we can do about it by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
  • Jam
    • The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption by Shannon Gibney (also discussed in Episode 181)
  • Matthew
    • Thirty-One Nil: On the Road With Football's Outsiders: A World Cup Odyssey by James Montague

Other Favourite Things of 2023

• Anna
  • If Books Could Kill
    • The Meme Stock Cult (patron episode) & two parter on Nudge
    • Folding Ideas - This is Financial Advice (YouTube)
  • Two Point Hospital / Campus
  • Oxygen Not Included
  • Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
• Jam
  • Nimona (film)
  • Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki
• Matthew
  • Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
  • Nier: Automata (Wikipedia)
• Meghan
  • Ten Candles
  • Le Plonguer - Stéphane Larue

Runner-Ups

• Jam
  • Games
    • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Wikipedia)
    • Baldur’s Gate 3 (Wikipedia)
    • Redactle
  • Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore (Episode 176 - Fantasy)
  • Boy Island by Leo Fox (comic released via 133 installments on Instagram; link is installment #1)
  • Changing my name (legal procedure)
  • Best Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (cookies)
  • Moon (celestial body)
• Matthew
  • Comics
    • Box of Light, vol. 1 by Seiko Erisawa
    • Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen
    • The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Deluxe Edition, vol. 1 by Nagabe
    • Incredible Doom, vol. 1 by Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden
    • Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni
    • Steeple, vols. 1-3 by John Allison, Sarah Stern, and Jim Campbell
    • Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
    • Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen? by Matt Fraction and Steve Leiber
  • Books
    • Boss Fight: Jagged Alliance 2 by Darius Kazemi
    • Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams by Alfred Lubrano
    • Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada's Chinese Restaurants by Ann Hui
    • Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Dr. Kit Heyam
    • The Caped Crusader: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon
    • The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
    • A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
  • Games
    • Hitman: World of Assassination Trilogy
    • Yakuza 0 (Wikipedia)
    • Tetris Effect
    • Bayonetta (Wikipedia)
  • Video Essays
    • The Future is a Dead Mall - Decentraland and the Metaverse - Folding Ideas
    • Panzer Dragoon Series Retrospective - A Complete History and Review - I Finished A Video Game
• Meghan
  • Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker
  • Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
  • Onley's Arctic: Diaries and Paintings of the High Arctic by Toni Onley
  • Vita Sackville-West's Sissinghurst: The Creation of a Garden by VitaSackville-West and Sarah Raven
  • Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga by Benjamin Lorr
  • A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold and Charles W. Schwartz
  • Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
  • Made-Up: A True Story of Beauty Culture under Late Capitalism by Daphné B.
  • Witch King by Martha Wells
  • Bad Fruit by Ella King

Other Media We Mentioned

• Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh
• Theme Hospital (Wikipedia)

25 Food/Cooking Non-Fiction Books by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

• Niqiliurniq: A Cookbook from Igloolik by Micah Arreak, Annie Désilets, Lucy Kappianaq, Glenda Kripanik, and Kanadaise Uyarasuk
• New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian by Freddie Bitsoie
• Cooking for the Culture: Recipes and Stories from the New Orleans Streets to the Table by Toya Boudy
• Cooking from the Spirit: Easy, Delicious, and Joyful Plant-Based Inspirations by Tabitha Brown
• tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine by Shane M. Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King
• Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook by Sohla El-Waylly
• 50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant's Love Letter to the United States Through Pie by Stacey Mei Yan Fong
• Modern Native Feasts by Andrew George Jr.
• Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes by Robin Ha
• A Foodie's Guide to Capitalism by Eric Holt-Giménez
• Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada's Chinese Restaurants by Ann Hui
• Korean American: Food that Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim
• Indian-Ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family by Priya Krishna with Ritu Krishna
• 100 Million Years of Food: What Our Ancestors Ate and Why It Matters Today by Stephen Le
• A Splash of Soy: Everyday Food from Asia by Lara Lee
• Eat, Habibi, Eat!: Fresh Recipes for Modern Egyptian Cooking by Shahir Massoud
• The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico by Mely Martinez
• Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in México by Rick Martinez
• Food-Related Stories by Gaby Melian
• Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System by Raj Patel
• Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman
• Plantcakes: Fancy + Everyday Vegan Cakes for Everyone by Lyndsay Sung
• Chef Tee's Caribbean Kitchen by Chef Tee
• Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry
• Cooking with the Wolfman: Indigenous Fusion by David Wolfman and Marlene Finn

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Join us again on Tuesday, January 2nd when it’s time for trains, planes, and automobiles (and bicycles) as we discuss non-fiction books about Transit and Transportation!

Then on Tuesday, February 6th just in time for Valentine's day we’ll be discussing the genre of Humourous/Funny Romance.