Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

We couldn't help but discuss Becky Albertalli's new book Imogen, Obviously which feels like a semi-autobiographical account of the author's own experiences coming out as bisexual.Yes there's fluffy, bubblegum romance, but Albertalli is doing something far more complicated with the book's "villain" Gretchen and her dangerous gatekeeping of queer identities. It's really fascinating!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who's ready for Paris?! Brenna and Joe return to the world of Alice Oseman's Heartstopper for S02 of the Netflix series, which loosely corresponds to Volumes 3 & 4 of the comic.There's hickey drama, more queer teachers and even more diversity in the LGBTQIA umbrella. But while we're loving more Tao and Elle, Joe is frustrated by how quickly Isaac's "coming out" is handled and he finds the Ben subplot lacking. Thankfully the soundtrack and the kissing remains on point!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to listener Laura's recommendation, Brenna and Joe check out Clémentine Beauvais' delightful Piglettes (2015) about three fat girls who bike to Paris.There's nothing lost in translation because the witty wordplay shines through in this fun, breezy, feminist book. While Brenna has issues with how Mireille treats the other girls and Joe desires cathartic punishment, we're both appreciative that the girls don't change who they are and the only "lesson" learned is the value of friendship.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to listener Miriam, we're tackling John Marsden's Tomorrow, When The War Began (1993), as well as its 2010 film adaptation by Stuart Beattie and the Brendan Maher-directed season of TV from 2016.This massive Australian hit is highly teachable, though don't go looking for commentary on colonialism or political curiosity from its teenage protagonists. The film is a big budget action film that Joe prefers, while Brenna likes the direction and relationship between the kids in the TV series, even if both adaptations lean into uncomfortable racism in their depiction of the invading force. Yikes!Plus: let no one doubt Brenna's commitment to podcasting because Brenna was on tornado watch when we recorded this episode (listen to the outtakes for proof!)Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave a mail bag question or a comment about book club? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com or tweet us your responses before the fol

This week's mailbag is courtesy of listener Victoria, who asks if it's possible for literature to incite change anymore. Despite Brenna and Joe's initial melancholy outlook, John Green's interest in tuberculosis and the power of individual readers (plus the vital importance of YA) offers a possible sunny outlook.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the behest of listener Evelina, we're reading 2023's Stolen, by Sami author Ann-Helén Laestadius. C/W: graphic animal murder.Using contributions from listeners Victoria and Tea, Books & Chocolate, we dig into this three part intergenerational tale of trauma, environmental activism, racism, and suicide. It's a very heavy book (!) but it's also thrilling and beautifully written.Plus: queering Elsa and Minna's relationship, Lasse's suicide, Sami magic, why the ending is so unexpected, and fears for the forthcoming Netflix adaptationWanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to listener Neera, Brenna and Joe cook up a definition of NA (New Adult), who or what falls into it, and why agents shouldn't dismissive of the category!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray / @mittenstrings (Instagram)> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After waiting forever, Brenna and Joe finally get to watch Nick Bruno and Troy Quane's feature film adaptation of Nimona (2023) and it's...fine?Ok, it's more than fine, but there is something missing. While the obviousness of the trans elements and the changed ending are perfect for the current political moment, the messy, interesting character flaws and unpredictable format of ND Stevenson's original comic are missing.References:> Sam Adams. "Nimona Is the Rare Story Hollywood Made Gayer. Is It Better?" Slate> Caroline Cao. "Nimona’s radical page-to-screen story changes were a queer necessity." PolygonWanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i

Listener Tea, Books & Chocolate asks the important question: what *is* Wattpad? Brenna and Joe discuss the platform's model, why we have issues with it, and announce a lucrative new partnership!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zzzzzz.Oh sorry, Brenna and Joe fell asleep trying to read Jenny Han's debut YA novel The Summer I Turned Pretty and watch her seven episode Amazon TV show. Belly...is so boring and we can't make ourselves care about her romantic triangle, which is confusing because we're huge Han Stans!Plus: Cam Cameron deserves better, back to back drunk episodes, musicality overload, and how will S02 of this show work?!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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:> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe introduces Brenna to the silly, satirical humour of Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Bill Lawrence's Clone High (we watched all 10 episodes of S02).Up for discussion: the Gandhi controversy that literally got the show cancelled, how the white male creators are a model for controversy, the angular cartoon style, the wit and wordplay, our fave characters, and the musical episode!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listener Jessica writes in with details about how she used the show's Monkey Beach episode as a genre categorization exercise for her university students, which prompts Brenna and Joe to discuss our desire for the show to act as a breezy accessible academic text.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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> Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce, 2006) - Submit by Aug 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for more Wattpad? Brenna and Joe are utterly baffled by Arianna Godoy's 2022 novel Through My Window, as well the lack of chemistry between the leads of Marçal Forès' Netflix adaptation. In addition to being poorly edited, the book features far too much anatomically incorrect (and dangerous!) sex. The film is better, but outside of a weirdly incestuous sex scene and a hilariously melodramatic climax, it's surprisingly snoozy. Folks, we can do better than these texts!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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.

We're headed Down Under to discuss Gary Lonesborough's beautiful text, Ready When You Are.Joining us are listeners Tea, Books & Chocolate, Victoria, and Miriam (who recommended this, along with listener Toni) who praise the relationship between Jackson and Thomas, the depiction of Koori art, and how real the fictional Mish setting reads.Plus: racism and class, hot sex, and comparisons to last month's book club.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremoteHave 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.

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: @bstolemyremoteHave 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.

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: @jennyleighx33Have 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.

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: @bstolemyremoteHave 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.

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: @bstolemyremoteHave 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.

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: @bstolemyremoteHave 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.

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: @bstolemyremoteHave 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.