Bookruptcy

On this episode, hosts Demetria Spinrad and Magali Ferare go deep on what a “comfort read” is, why one might read for comfort, why reading too much romance can leave one with an emotional hangover, and why The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir is Demetria’s perfect comfort read. Dive in with us!
Editor’s note: there were very weird audio artifacts all over this episode, which we will be blaming ghosts for, and we have done what we can with it, but… sorry anyway! Thanks for listening, as always.Intro/outro music is composed by ArcanaXIX Studios (arcanaxix.com). Books mentioned:The Locked Tomb by Tamsin MuirAn Academic Affair by Jodie McAllisterThe Doomsday Books series by KJ CharlesSomeone You Can Build a Nest In by John WiswellThe Curse of Chalion and The Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

This week, host Magali Ferare read Asexual Fairy Tales by Elizabeth Hopkinson and it gave her a lot of feelings about the state of publishing and asexual Discourse. Co-host Demetria Spinrad had depressing but extremely smart things to say about labels and marketing. What does the state of asexuality in publishing look like today? What would Ace 401-level reading look like? Why does Magali think Come As You Are (a book about sex) spoke to her asexuality more than some books written by and for the ace community? Dive in with us!Theme music is composed by ArcanaXIX Studios (arcanaxix.com) - all rights reserved. Episode Bibliography:Asexual Fairy Tales by Elizabeth HopkinsonSounds Fake But Okay by Sarah Costello and Kayla KaszycaRefusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. BrownAce by Angela Chen Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski(and a special postscript shoutout to I Am Ace by Cody Daigle-Orians)

On this episode, host Demetria Spinrad read Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski (also of The Witcher fame), which led to a discussion with co-host Magali Ferare ranging from Eastern European SFF, historical fiction, rightfully-cranky authors, and the game Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Dive in with us!Theme music is composed by ArcanaXIX Studios (arcanaxix.com) - all rights reserved.

On this episode, host Magali Ferare recounts her deep dive into the saga of OneTaste, the sexual-wellness-company-slash-cult, through the book Empire of Orgasm by Ellen Huet. Between lawsuits, group housing, MLM-style sales tactics, cult and gender dynamics, and home-made lube, there's something for everyone (including cult nonfiction aficionado and co-host Demetria Spinrad). Dive in with us!

In this first (of many) highbrow literary salons here on Bookruptcy, host Demetria Spinrad walks us through Pioneer Summer, a novel about a forbidden gay romance at a Soviet summer camp. Demetria and co-host Magali Ferare also cover the Discourse surrounding the book itself, the fascinating localization choices around one character's speech impediment, and the fact that Russian fujoshi are braver than the Marines. Dive in with us!

On this episode, host Magali Ferare expostulates at length about Frankenstein (the novel), Frankenstein (the 2025 film), and why the former is infinitely more interesting than the latter in almost every way. We cover Victor's God complex, the work's Transcendentalist themes, and answer the age-old question: "Who is the real monster, Byron or Shelley?" Co-host Demetria Spinrad even manages to get a word in edgewise every now and then. Dive in with us!

On this short teaser minisode, hosts Demetria Spinrad and Magali Ferare answer the important questions: Why are we making a podcast? What are we going to talk about? And what the heck is "Bookruptcy"?