Weird Girl Book Club

Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur

Planting yourself in the ground as a tree is not actually a normal thing that you can do. 🌳🌿 This month, in light of the US and Israel's war of aggression in Iran, the girlies are diving into Iranian literature, with International Booker Prize Longlisted Women Without Men, Shahrnush Parsipur's 1989 novel.  This book weaves a surreal and confronting tapestry of the lives of five different women in Tehran. Parsipur explores the constraints of sexuality, gender, bodies, and class through engaging with Islamic mystic tradition and challenging contemporary social values.  Join us to discuss the magical realism genre, Western imperialism, and the feminine urge to turn into a tree. 🌱 Follow us on Instagram at weirdgirlbookclub_pod to stay up to date with episodes! xx

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

These boys are so hard with each other! In this month's episode, we cover 'Heated Rivalry' (2019) by Rachel Reid. Would you believe it, this is our first step into the world of gay sports romance! Part 2 in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series, Heated Rivalry follows the story of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, 2 ice hockey legends who play for opposing teams. Despite their supposed public rivalry, the two cant resist each other and enter into a clandestine sexual relationship that spans over 7 years. But is this purely sexual or is loooooove the name of the game? ;) Don't worry, we obviously cover the groundbreaking, dare we say, life changing TV show. We love these hockey boys and we think you will too! Have you read the book series or watched the show? Let us know at @weirdgirlbookclub_pod on IG. xx

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

First name Heath, last name Cliff. In this month’s episode we (sort of) discuss Emily Brontë’s Gothic masterpiece, ‘Wuthering Heights’ (1847)… but mostly we end up talking about the 2026 movie adaptation. Lockwood, the new tenant at Thrushcross Grange, travels to Wuthering Heights to meet his hostile landlord Heathcliff; shaken by his encounter with the ghost of a girl named Catherine, Lockwood asks his housekeeper Nelly to tell him the story of the Heights’s curious inhabitants. What follows is a tale of revenge, violence and obsession that reverberates through two generations, intertwining the fates of its families. Have you read the novel or seen the new film? Let us know at @weirdgirlbookclub_pod on IG. xx

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Everything’s better in the Czech Republic. In this episode the girls discuss ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ (2009) by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. The novel follows Janina Duszejko, a woman living in a remote Polish village near the Czech border; the sudden and violent death of her neighbour is the first in a string of mysterious murders, and Janina is convinced that only she knows the identity of the true culprit. ‘Drive Your Plow’ raises questions around humans’ relationship with animals and our place in the universe; the revolutionary poetry of William Blake and the complexities of translation; the mind-body divide and the nature of prisons, both literal and metaphorical. Would you rather be mauled to death by a grizzly bear, or torn apart by a pack of wolves? Let us know over at @weirdgirlbookclub_pod on IG. x

Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes

The baby is the villain in this book. In our final episode of 2025, Lina and Harmony are delving into ‘Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish’ (2011), the fourth instalment in the Windham series by Grace Burrowes. Lady Sophie Windham is the “sensible” one in her family, but when she is stranded in the middle of a snowstorm with a baby who isn’t hers she realises she is in over her head. Enter Vim Charpentier, who has recently returned to England for the Christmas holidays and offers to help Sophie take care of little Kit. As their mutual feelings of desire and longing become impossible to ignore, will Sophie’s Christmas wish - to spend the holidays with the man she loves - finally come true? Enjoy this fun, festive episode and see you all in the New Year! Love from all at WGBC xx