Episoder
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Hey, hey! Just dropping into your ears for a lil’ BONUS ep filled with all the questions you, the listeners, have asked me over Season 1 of the pod (and that I’ve been tactfully ignoring because I’ve been busy AF reading books, nursing hangovers, and learning how to podcast).
But more importantly, this is a chance for me to share with you my BIG plans for Season 2 of FYBC, which includes a new format with the same ~vibe~. Think: Conversations with interesting people from all walks of life with one thing in common: a boner for books.
Different genres. Polarizing opinions. Booze-free alternatives. And a helluva’ lot more fun.
Want to be a guest on Seasons 2? Pfft, of course you do. Drop me a line at [email protected] or slide into my DMs @fckyourbookclub.
You choose the book + booze + whatever else you wanna chat about; I’ll go and do the research and school myself so we can have a damn good yarn.
See ya in April for Season 2!
Let’s be drinking buddies:
@fckyourbookclub Insta
@wildsparkcopy Insta
Wanna’ work with me? Come say hey ✌️ https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Book: Love Stories
Author: Trent Dalton
Non-fiction
STOP READING THIS IMMEDIATELY AND GO AND BUY A COPY OF THIS BOOK NOW!
I’m not even shitting you; this is hands-down THE best book I’ve read in the past 12 months (and trust me, it’s the perfect antidote to the shitshow that has been the last 2+ years).
Filled with raw but non-wanky stories – actually, conversations – written on the streets of Brisbane during the 2021 wave of the pandemic, I believe Trent Dalton’s Love Stories is the literary equivalent of the ‘Rona vaccine.
Read it. Listen to this poddy. Try and change my mind.
Buy it from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/love-stories-trent-dalton/book/9781460760932.html
Pair With: A fresh schooey of Brisbane Pale Ale brewed by our mates at Brisbane Brewing Co.
Let’s be drinking buddies:
@fuckyourbookclub Insta
@wildsparkcopy Insta
Wanna’ work with me? Come say hey ✌️ https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Mangler du episoder?
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Book: My Dark Vanessa
Author: Kate Elizabeth Russell
Modern/Contemporary Fictional Novel
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses sexual abuse, pedophilia, grooming, and other complex topics. If these topics negatively affect you, skip it and wait for next week's ep. (Seriously.)
This week’s read is a dark one. (No pun intended.)
In today's episode, I'm talking about my experience reading American writer Kate Elizabeth Russell’s My Dark Vanessa, a dark, squirming-ly uncomfortable, unflinchingly bold, yet powerful AF novel about a predatory relationship between a high school teacher and his 15-year-old student.
Not only do I talk about the book itself, but I also disclose my personal experience as a teenager in Vanessa's shoes and how this book has the power to break you down and wish you'd never read it.
My Dark Vanessa tackles one of the most complex issues of our age under the glaring spotlight of the #MeToo movement, one that has been swept under the covers and disbelieved by society for too long.
Buy it from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/my-dark-vanessa-kate-elizabeth-russell/book/9780008342289.html
Let’s be drinking buddies:
@fuckyourbookclub Insta
@wildsparkcopy Insta
Wanna’ work with me? Come say hey ✌️ https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Book: Late Bloomer: How an Autism Diagnosis Changed My Life
Author: Clem Bastow
Non-fiction, memoir
Don't be quick to dismiss this week's pick as an "I don't have to read this because I'm not Autistic" kinda book. IDGAF if you're neurotypical as all f*ck (the correct term for *cough* ~normal~ peeps) or proudly neurodivergent and learning to find your feet; this book is a MUST READ for any human with a fkn heartbeat and an ounce of humanity.
Obviously, I have a pretty good reason to be deeply invested in a story like Clem's, which I talk a fair bit about in this ep.
But it's more than that; it's the raw honesty and plain-speaking forwardness (#AutieTraits) that allows readers to understand the complex way of experiencing life faced by our Autistic amigos. Or, simply put: It makes a challenging topic easy as f*ck to understand.
And for me? Well, I learned a few home truths about myself that have changed my self-perception for the better. (And I now *totally* get why the things I was obsessed with as a teenager made other peeps cringe with awkwardness…)
Buy it from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/late-bloomer-clem-bastow/book/9781743796009.html
Pair With: A Happy Meal from Maccas (just as Clem would)
Let’s be drinking buddies:
@fuckyourbookclub Insta
@wildsparkcopy Insta
Wanna’ work with me? Come say hey ✌️ https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Book: We Should All Be Mirandas
Author: Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni
Part parody/Part self-help guide/Part snarky manifesto
Hello, my name is Shan, and I'm a proud Miranda (with a Samantha rising).
As a teenager of the 90s, I first discovered Sex And The City one late night back in 1999 as I was flicking through the four channels offered on TV back then. It was after 9pm on a school night (ooh!) when I stumbled across this new show that had fascinating characters in New York City talking frankly, openly – and at times, shockingly – about sex and life from the perspective of (shock! gasp!) women, something that was unheard of in Aussie society at that time. Yes, I'm *that* old.
And while SATC hasn't aged well (#awks), and is probably the source of most of my misguided adventures in sex, partying, and trying to figure out all this (*gestures vaguely*) throughout my late teens and all of my twenties, I still learned a lot of great lessons from the ladies, and I'm a proud OG fan of the series. (Except for that second movie. That sucked ass.)
So, choosing to add ‘We Should All Be Mirandas’ by Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni – the geniuses behind one of my all-time fave Insta accounts, @everyoutfitonsatc – to my reading list was as simple as choosing which guy was better for Carrie: Aiden or Big. (Aiden, duh.)
Filled with chapters spewing forth the gospel according to Miranda, including advice on how to survive a threesome, the virtues of building a sneaker collection, and The Miranda’s Guide To Not Treating Yourself Like Shit, this snarky, funny, so-fkn-on-point practical parody is the ultimate guide for anyone who survived the 90s/00s pretending to be a Carrie or a Charlotte, but want to embrace their true inner Miranda now that they’re older (and a f*ckload wiser).
Buy it from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/we-should-all-be-mirandas-chelsea-fairless/book/9780358022367.html
Pair With: If you don't drink a classic Cosmopolitan while reading this book, are you even a real Miranda? Get a head start on yours with a bottle of Mr Consistent’s Cosmo Mixer – just add some top-shelf vodka, and you'll be set quicker than you can say ‘Manolo Blahnik.’
Let’s be drinking buddies:
@fuckyourbookclub Insta
@wildsparkcopy Insta
Wanna’ work with me? Come say hey ✌️ https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Book: Imaginary Friend
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Fictional novel (Like, a really fkn BIG one)
Look, I don’t wanna talk too much smack about *any* book. After all, anyone who has the balls (literal or metaphorical) and the creative chops to write a novel deserves my basic respect, at the very least. (Well, except for the author of Fifty Shades – that’s just trash.)
But.
BUT.
When it comes to this week’s read, it hovers somewhere between the joy of getting a speeding ticket and visiting the gynecologist for a pap smear, both of which I’d choose over re-reading this beast any day of the week.
Buy it from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/imaginary-friend-stephen-chbosky/book/9781409184812.html
Pair With: Warm up with a Grey Goose Vodka with soda and lime, followed by a damn good dram of your favourite whiskey, like Tasmania’s very own Lark Christmas Cask Release III @larkdistillery
Let’s be drinking buddies:
@fuckyourbookclub Insta
@wildsparkcopy Insta
What I do when I'm not readin' 'n drinkin': https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Book: Malibu Rising
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fictional novel
Looking for a book to read over this Chrissy/New Year break while you’re chilling by the pool, relaxing, and drinking to the fact that 2021 is almost over? I gotcha, homie.
This week's read is one of this year's most popular and Instagrammed books (that cover! oooh! pretty!), Malibu Rising. And yes, that is *literally* the only reason I read it.
But behind that stunning cover is a fun, easy-to-read story about the famous Riva family living it up in Malibu (#spoiler) in the summer of 1983. Split between two timelines – a 50s/60s backstory and one helluva' night in August 1983 – Malibu Rising will make you think, laugh, and maybe feel a bit grateful that you’re not the child of a famous singer who likes to f*ck around.
Buy it from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/malibu-rising-taylor-jenkins-reid/book/9781786331533.html
Pair With: A chilled AF bottle of the Aussie 80’s classic West Coast Cooler @westcoastcoolerni and an 80s glam rock playlist.
Let’s be drinking buddies:
@fuckyourbookclub Insta
@wildsparkcopy Insta
What I do when I'm not readin' 'n drinkin': https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Ho, ho, ho, mofo! It’s the FYBC Christmas Special ep!
That’s right; today, I’mma give you the low-down on which books to buy to give the legends in your life who deserve a pressie these holidays.
I've collated an eclectic collection of the best books to gift these holidays, so you'll look like you put some effort into this year's Secret Santa.
Want sweary cookbooks? You got it.
Hunting for a cracker piece of whodunnit fiction? I gotcha.
Looking for a celebrity memoir that will have you pissing your pants with laughter? Maaaaaaaate. This is the ep for you.
Featuring:
The Nowhere Child, Christian White (#TheNowhereChild)
Do Something For Nothing, Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes @dosomethingfornothing)
Shannon Does Dinner, Shannon Kelly White (@shannonskitchenaustralia)
Do The F*cking Work – Lowbrow Advice for High-Level Creativity, Jason Bacher, Brian Buirge, and Jason Richburg (@gfda.co)
Year Book, Seth Rogan (@sethrogan)
Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives, John Volanthen (@jvolanthen)
Today I F****d Up, Thomas Mitchell (@thomasalexandermitchell)
The F Word, Jesse Sheidlower (@jessesheidlower)
*** Not into Christmas? That’s cool. Have a listen anyway and buy yourself some damn good reads.
Buy them from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/
Pair With: The people in your life who like to read and aren’t dickheads. (And maybe some eggnog. Because CHRISTMAS.)
Let’s be drinking buddies:
Insta @fuckyourbookclub
Insta @wildsparkcopy
What I do when I'm not readin' 'n drinkin': https://wildsparkcopy.com -
Book: Against All Odds
Author: Richard Harris and Craig Challen (with Ellis Henican)
Non-fiction, inside account
If you know me personally, you’ll know that scuba diving is a big part of my life, thanks to my professional instructor husband, Dan. So, when the Thai Cave rescue went down in June 2018, you can imagine how close we paid attention to the events that unfolded. As divers ourselves, we both thought their chances of survival in the gnarly cave system were somewhere between 'zilch' and 'sweet f*ck all.'
Of course, we all know now that the ending turned out very different – and that’s largely in part to the two f*cking legends who wrote this book (although they’d probs be embarrassed as all f*ck to be called that).
In Against All Odds, Dr Richard Harris (or ‘Harry’, as he prefers to be called) and Dr Craig Challen recount their involvement in the daring (and sometimes un-f*cking-believable) rescue of the Wild Boars soccer team in Thailand. From weighing up which drug would be best to use to put the boys to sleep through to deciding what they'd do if the kids started to die on them, Harry and Craig share their journey and the tough AF decisions that had to be made along the way openly and honestly, with their trademark Aussie humour and wit.
Part humble recount, part edge-of-your-seat, real-life thriller, you don’t have to be a diver to enjoy this read – you just have to be a human who gives a f*ck about a damn good story that’s almost too f*cking good to be true.
Buy it from: https://www.booktopia.com.au/against-all-odds-craig-challen/book/9781760890957.html
Pair With: A freshly-cracked tinnie of Send It Session Ale from the legendary mates at @blackhopsbeer
Listen to Harry’s awesome poddy @RealRiskPodcast: https://realriskpodcast.com
Let’s be drinking buddies:
Insta https://www.instagram.com/fuckyourbookclub
Insta https://www.instagram.com/wildsparkcopy
What I do when I'm not readin' 'n drinkin': https://wildsparkcopy.com -
Book: Of Gold & Dust
Author: Samantha Wills
Non-fiction, memoir/business
I was a bit sceptical about reading this book. I mean, c'mon, Samantha Wills is a massive success in the fashion world, and she's a STUNNING babe to match. What the f*ck could she talk about that I would relate to? How hard it was to find a date to go to a fashion show with? The pain that came with deciding what models to cast for her next collection? How to keep those perfect teeth white?
Well, pass me the humble pie, 'cos I'mma eat the whole f*cker.
In 'Of Gold & Dust', Samantha keeps shit real while also being incredibly graceful, eloquent, and down to earth. From her early years as a little tacker growing up in Port Macquarie, all the way through to living in New York City, Samantha shares the highs and lows (and the *very* fkn lows) of her life with refreshing honesty and zero self-pity.
Get Your Hands on it!
Pair With: A frosty can of TART Daytime Rosé, a new Aussie start-up with 30% less alcohol and a plan to help end period poverty. Yep, I’ll drink to that.
Say g’day at @heytart and shop here:
https://www.danmurphys.com.au/search?searchTerm=tart+daytime+rose
Let’s be drinking buddies:
Insta @fuckyourbookclub
Insta @wildsparkcopy
What I do when I'm not readin' 'n drinkin': https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain.
Non-fiction; memoir/essays
When Anthony Bourdain died in 2018, I remember sitting in my lounge room with my infant son, and I SOBBED. My heart was fkn broken. My hero was dead.
Tony inspired me to write honestly, brutally, and beautifully. To eat well. To stretch my ways of thinking and test myself. To grow a pair and get the f*ck out into the world and explore it all on my own.
Everything I am as a creative, I owe to him. The man was a fkn LEGEND.
So, it’s only fitting that we kick things off with an episode dedicated to one of the best fkn books I’ve EVER read, Medium Raw - A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook.
And yes, Chef, I agree: it is only right and appropriate that before one sleeps with someone, one should be able to make them a proper omelette in the morning. That's just good f*cking manners.
Get Your Hands on it!
Pair With: A schooner of Stone & Wood's Pacific Ale pulled fresh off the tap at your fave little dive bar - just the way Tony would have wanted it.
Say g’day at @stoneandwood
Let’s be drinking buddies:
Insta https://www.instagram.com/fuckyourbookclub
Insta https://www.instagram.com/wildsparkcopy
What I do when I'm not readin' 'n drinkin': https://wildsparkcopy.com
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Welcome to F*ck Your Book Club, the anti-book club book club for modern, busy, literate boozehounds who don't have time to f*ck around with dumbass pseudo-intellectuals discussing shitty books that they CBF reading.
Showcasing a wide range of books across all genres - as well as some damn good drops of the devil's hooch - FYBC is for anyone who gives a f*ck about reading but would rather piss razor blades than join some wanky book club.
I'm Shan Fitzgerald, a former English teacher who gave the education system the middle finger to go full-time creative word-wrangler at my copywriting studio, Wild Spark.
Each Wednesday, I'll give you the honest low-down on a new book I've just read, so you can decide whether you wanna read it or not. That's right: I do all the groundwork so you don't get stuck wasting your time and hard-earned cashola on a dud read.
Launching on December 1st, just in time for the Aussie summer holidays and the inevitable end-of-year hangovers.
In the meantime, make sure you don't miss an ep, subscribe to this poddy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your ear porn from. And, if you've got a book recommendation for me, you can find me on Insta at @fuckyourbookclub.
Disclaimer: This poddy is not intended for word nerds under the age of 18. There will be a tonne of swearing, talk about gnarly book topics, alcohol reviews, and my real, raw, honest opinion. If that doesn't sound like your brand of whisky, then now's probably the time to stop listening and subscribe to something a little more vanilla.
