Escaping or Showing Up: How Books Can Help Both

We all know that books can help us escape the real world and they can also demonstrate how we might show up in the world as our whole selves. This episode celebrates both ends of this spectrum. Sally kicks us off with some of her favorite quick horror novellas, a perfect escape for this time of year. Then Nox tells us about the impact the book Fat Girls Hiking had on her. Finally, Ashley chats with Jayne Allen, author of The Most Wonderful Time, a holiday romcom with depth.   Bite-Sized Fright for Spooky Season (0:21) Novellas are perfect for a sick day, a readathon, or when you are utterly overwhelmed by life and need a quick read to pull you out of reality for a bit. As the weather cools down and we snuggle into spooky season, Sally’s got some short, creepy books for you to check out.   Fat Girls Hiking (6:18) Nox shares a review of Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability by Summer Michaud-Skog. Nox discusses how this book impacted her as a fat, disabled, person of color. She shares some parts that really resonated with her and inspired her, as well as a few places that could use a little more depth. Overall, this book is highly recommended!   Identity, Joy, and Travel with Jayne Allen (16:10) In this spoiler-free conversation, Ashley and Jayne Allen discuss Jayne’s novel The Most Wonderful Time, how it is more than a holiday novel, and how through newness and tough conversations, the story comes to life.   Books/Resources Mentioned Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine Fat Girls Hiking by Summer Michaud-Skog The Most Wonderful Time by Jayne Allen     Support this episode’s hosts Follow Sally: Instagram // The StoryGraph Follow Nox: Instagram // Twitter // TikTok Follow Ashley: Instagram // Twitter // Website Follow Jayne Allen: Instagram  Get our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday here.   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.