Episode 215 - Battle of the Books 2025

2025-07-15

It’s episode 215 and time for our annual Battle of the Books! This year we’re each pitching a non-fiction book we think we should all read and discuss and then you (our listeners) get to vote on which one! Plus! A chance for a listener to win a book! 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 What Book Should We Read? (Click to vote by July 31st!) Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotif...

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

What Book Should We Read? (Click to vote by July 31st!)

Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara
Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly
How to Read Now by Elaine Castillo
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler

Titles from our Short Lists

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink by Tina Horn
I Was a Stripper Librarian: From Cardigans to G-strings by Kristy Cooper
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco
Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen

Links, Articles, and Things

Review of Mood Machine from Publishers Weekly
The Ghosts in the Machine: Spotify’s plot against musicians by Liz Pelly
If Books Could Kill

Previous episodes

Episode 058 - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (2018)
Episode 079 - Which Book Should We Read? (2019)
Episode 083 - The Fifth Season
Episode 103 - Battle of the Books 2020
Episode 107 - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Episode 130 - Battle of the Books 2021
Episode 134 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Episode 154 - Battle of the Books 2022
Episode 159 - Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart
Episode 179 - Battle of the Books 2023
Episode 183 - One Book One Podcast: Upright Women Wanted
Episode 196 - Battle of the Books 2024: One Book One Podcast
Episode 202 - A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
Matthew finally made a category

15 Supernatural Thrillers by BIPOC Authors:

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcast 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.