Author: Lulu

22 – The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Cursed

Episode 22 is out! As always, you can listen to it on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, and more.

Step one: rob the rich. Step two: break a curse. Step three: interrogate your deep-seated childhood trauma. Who could this to-do list belong to? Why, none other than the protagonist of Little Thieves by Margaret Owen! This week, we dive into a delightful young adult fantasy retelling of the fairytale The Goose Girl following a teenage thief whose final heist goes terribly wrong. Topics include the hilarious and cynical protagonist, our love of a good heist story, the excellent romance, and the unexpected emotional depth through an exploration of childhood trauma.

Other Media Mentioned:

  • BBC Starstruck
  • Sh*t Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby
  • Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
  • The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
  • Some By Virtue Fall by Alexandra Rowland
  • The Liar’s Knot by M.A. Carrick
  • The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
  • The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
  • Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • I Know What You Think of Me by Tim Kreider in the New York Times
  • Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
  • Painted Devils by Margaret Owen (forthcoming)
  • Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
  • The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick

Content warnings: mentions of child abandonment and child abuse.

21 – Murder, Magic, and Making Different Histories

Happy Black History Month! This week, we’re discussing two historical fantasy novels by Black authors: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark and The Conductors by Nicole Glover. Join us as we take a trip to nineteenth-century Philadelphia and twentieth-century Cairo and discuss compelling murder mystery plots, well-developed alternate histories featuring magic, and some unexpectedly lovely romances. As always, you can listen to our podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, and more!

Other Media Mentioned:

  • Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
  • Episode 11: Two Gangs, Both Alike in Dignity
  • The Seven Husbands of Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • The Legend of Vox Machina
  • Critical Role
  • Not My Problem by Ciara Smith
  • Sort Of (HBO Max)
  • Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
  • A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
  • The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
  • The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
  • Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
  • Episode 17: Sourdough, Cinnamon Rolls, and Sorcery
  • The Vocabulary of Freedom on the Underground Railroad Education Center website

Content warnings: discussions of murder, colonialism, anti-Black racism, and slavery

20 – Superheroes Ruined My Life

After a bit of a delay, our twentieth episode, “Superheroes Ruined My Life,” is out! As usual, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more.

What’s more terrifying than a supervillain? A superhero, of course! In our twentieth (!) episode, we’re taking a look at the dark side of superheroes through the novels Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots and The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente. Topics include descents into villainy, misogyny in comic books, and whether the Joker pays his minions a fair wage.

Other Media Mentioned:

  • Sword Stone Table edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington
  • She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
  • Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
  • Arcane (2021) on Netflix
  • Die by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans
  • A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
  • The Conductors by Nicole Glover
  • What We Do in the Shadows (TV show)
  • The Boys (TV show)
  • Watchmen by Alan Moore
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice dir. Zack Snyder
  • The Amazing Spider-Man 2 dir. Marc Webb
  • Episode 10, X-Men X-travaganza
  • The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont
  • Batman: The Animated Series
  • Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan
  • Harley Quinn animated series
  • Harleen by Stjepan Šejić
  • Netflix’s Daredevil TV show

Content warnings: mentions of violence, murder, medical horror and body horror, an abusive relationship, suicide, death of a child, and drug use.

19 – The Once and Future Teen

Episode 19 is out! As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

This week, we’re diving into the King Arthur mythos! We discuss the book Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, an urban fantasy book that stars Bree Matthews, a Black teenage girl who discovers a secret society of demon-hunters descended from the Knights of the Round Table. Topics include our love of the fierce and complicated main character, Tracy Deonn’s scathing interrogation of racism in America, and how the book succeeds in making old myths feel new and unique.

Other media mentioned

  • For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
  • The Wheel of Time (2021)
  • The Witcher (2019)
  • Being Seen by Elsa Sjunneson
  • The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
  • A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
  • A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
  • How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe by Raquel Vazquez Gilliland 
  • Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
  • The Lost Boys (1987)
  • Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
  • The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
  • Sabriel by Garth Nix
  • Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (forthcoming, release date has since been moved to November 2022)

Content warnings: discussions of the death of a parent, antiblack racism, slavery, rape, and generational trauma.

18 – Reduce, Reuse, Reanimate

Episode 18 is out! As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

It’s time to dive into all things undead! In this episode, we’re discussing two fantasy books about necromancers: Sabriel by Garth Nix and The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. Is raising the dead an inherently evil kind of magic? What does it mean to have power over life and death? Plus: cat demons, descents into villainy, and the importance of a good, old-fashioned fantasy novel roadtrip.

Other media mentioned:

  • Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
  • A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
  • Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
  • Lirael by Garth Nix
  • As You Like It by William Shakespeare
  • Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix
  • Tamora Pierce’s books
  • Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Content warnings: discussions of death and Islamophobic stereotypes in fiction.

17 – Sourdough, Cinnamon Rolls, and Sorcery

Episode 17 is out! As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

What do vampires, wizards, and baked goods have in common? They’re all featured in this week’s episode, of course! Today we’re discussing A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher and Sunshine by Robin McKinley, two fantasy novels starring heroines who call the kitchen home. Some topics covered include the integration of magic and baking in both books, the surprising ways they resonate with our current world, and the practical uses of magical baked goods in warfare. 

Other media mentioned

  • The Addams Family (1991)
  • A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
  • The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
  • Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall
  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
  • Hellblazer comics
  • X-Men comics
  • The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
  • Beauty by Robin McKinley
  • The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce

Content warnings: Discussions of murder, kidnapping, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

16 – I Was a Teenage Agony Aunt

Episode 16 has dropped. As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

This week, Pie and Lulu leave the realm of fantasy and science fiction for new territory. Turning our attention to two young adult coming-of-age stories, we discuss Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales and Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen, two contemporary novels where the protagonist runs an advice column–yet is a bit of a disaster in their personal life. Topics include the exploration of LGBTQ+ identities in both novels, the difficulty of writing authentic teenagers, and the appeal of stories where the protagonist can seemingly fix any problems except their own.

Other media mentioned:

  • How to be Ace: a Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess
  • Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones
  • The Vast of Night (2019)
  • Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood
  • Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn
  • Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
  • Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast
  • High School Musical
  • Loveless by Alice Oseman
  • The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Content warnings: discussions of homophobia, biphobia, stalking, blackmail, underage drinking, and drug use.

15 – Into the Batmanverse

Episode 15 has dropped! As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

This week, Pie and Lulu cross into an entirely new territory: the Batman mythos! We discuss the iconic DC Comics storyline Under the Red Hood and its animated movie adaptation, both about Jason Todd, a former Robin turned antagonist. Topics include our (lack of) prior knowledge about Batman comics, a haphazard rundown of the history of the Robin sidekicks, moral codes in superhero comics, and being unexpectedly sad about Batman and his adopted children.

Other Media Mentioned:

  • Prospect (2018)
  • The Mandalorian
  • A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
  • Gotham Academy by Brendan Fletcher and Becky Cloonan
  • Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas
  • Silk and Steel: A Queer Speculative Adventure Anthology edited by Janine A Southard
  • Classic New Mutants by Chris Claremont
  • New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez
  • Midnighter by Steve Orlando
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
  • Joker (2019)
  • The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
  • Wayne Family Adventures
  • The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
  • A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin
  • Batman: Hush by Jeff Loeb
  • Birds of Prey (2020)
  • CW’s Arrow
  • Geek History Lesson podcast
  • Boaty McBoatface
  • Red Hood: The Lost Days by Judd Winick
  • Supernatural
  • Titans (2018)
  • Batman by Grant Morrison
  • Red Hood and the Outlaws by Scott Lobdell

Content warnings: mentions of murder and violence, death of a child, gun violence, drugs, and Nazis.

14 – Be Gay, Fight Crime

Episode 14 is out! As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

This week, Pie and Lulu discuss the 2021 Marvel and DC Pride anthologies, which feature a variety of short comics about LGBT+ superheroes. Topics include the appearances of some of our favorite queer superheroes (hint: there’s a lot of X-Men), new and interesting characters we discovered thanks to these anthologies, and the state of LGBT+ representation in superhero comics in general.

Other Media Mentioned:

Content Warnings:

Discussions of homophobia, biphobia, murder, a past abusive relationship, racism in comics, and sexual harassment by a comic book writer.

13 – I’d Rather Be Watching Sanctuary Moon

Episode thirteen is out! As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

This week, we’re discussing the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Focusing on the first of four science fiction novellas about a grumpy artificial intelligence and the humans it reluctantly comes to care about, we discuss the novellas’ portrayal of free will, dehumanization under capitalism, and the importance of escapist media, all while marveling at how relatable a robot with a body count in the double digits can be. 

Other media mentioned:

  • Jade City by Fonda Lee
  • Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
  • DC Bombshells by Marguerite Bennett
  • Midnighter and Apollo by Steve Orlando
  • Classic X-Men comics by Chris Claremont
  • Becoming a Man: the Story of a Transition by P Carl
  • The Raksura Chronicles by Martha Wells
  • The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells

Content warnings: mentions of mass murder, violence, and kidnapping