It's dragon month, which means we're talking fire, scales, and flying. To kick off the month, we dive headfirst into all the dragon lore we know and try to figure out what we consider True Dragon Lore (hint: none, it's all valid). We talk about what we'd like to shoot from our mouths, whether our wings are our arms, and just how small a dragon can get before it's too small. Most importantly, we answer the burning question of whether a dragon is a horse.

This month we’re reading How to Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. Grab your copy and have a read before our bookclub on 21st May!

MENTIONS

Books
How to Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
To Ride a Raising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Temeraire by Naomi Novik
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland
Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons by Dugald Steer
Bringing Up Baby Dragons: A Guide for Beginners by Dugald Steer
Working with Dragons: A Course in Dragonology by Dugald Steer
The Discovery of Dragons by Graeme Base
Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Beowulf
Magician by Raymond Feist

Films/TV
Dragonheart (1996)
The Neverending Story (1984)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Reign of Fire (2002)
Cars (2006)
Monkey Magic (1978-1980)
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
House of the Dragon (2022-)
Avatar (2009)
Shrek (2001)
Merlin BBC (2008-2012)
Merlin miniseries (1998)

LINKS

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• Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/
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• Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/

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It's our first After Dark of the season, and we're revisiting a childhood classic, Dragonheart, as a bridge between April's YA month and our upcoming theme for May: dragons!

We reflect on the movie, discuss the lore behind the original script, lament at the lost potential for a romance between Dennis Quaid and Draco, and then deep dive into the fantasy films that we feel nostalgic for (they're just not making them like Ladyhawke anymore . . .)

MENTIONS

Films/TV:

Jurassic Park, 1993

Starship Troopers, 1997

Excalibur, 1981

Robin Hood, 1991

Ladyhawke, 1985

Willow, 1988

Conan the Barbarian, 1982

How to Train Your Dragon, 2010

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, 2002

The Matrix, 1999

Akira, 1988

Neon Genesis, 1995

Princess Bride, 1987

The Dark Crystal, 1982

Hook, 1991

Inkheart, 2008

A Knight's Tale, 2001

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 2003

The Lord of the Rings, 2001

The Mummy, 1999

Night at the Museum, 2006

Scarface, 1983

Lionheart, 1987

Red Sonja, 1985

Flesh and Blood, 1985

Braveheart, 1995

Kingdom of Heaven, 2005

Bridge to Terabithia, 2007

The Chronicles of Narnia, 2005

Reign of Fire, 2002

Beowulf, 2007

Hercule, 2014

Clash of the Titans, 2010

Jason and the Argonauts, 2000

Game of Thrones, 2011

House of the Dragon, 2022

Willow (TV Series), 2022

Dinotopia, 2002

Dragonheart: Vengeance, 2020

Slipper and the Rose, 1976

Authors:

Charles Edward Pogue

Actors:

Dennis Quaid

Sean Connery

Dina Meyer

David Thewlis

Liam Neeson

Helen Mirren

Tim Allen

Jackie Chan

Tom Hanks

Jim Henson

Paul Bettany

Daniel Craig

Rachel Weisz

Michelle Pfeiffer

Eric Stoltz

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Christian Bale

Dwayne Johnson

Other:

Rob Cohen, Director & Film Maker

LINKS

🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://tr.ee/Mn6oTQ2AOW

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Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/

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Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/

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Eggshell is a young adult novella set in 2000s Adelaide that tells the story of Kira, a sarcastic, cynical teenager living in a council house with her Cantonese grandmother (Apoh) and her rebellious older cousin, Jake. As Kira navigates her experience of Year 12, the novella grapples with themes of identity, racism, romance, sexuality and adolescence.

Join Amy, Payton & Abby as we deep dive into Eggshell and ask each other important questions about teenagers, racism, class, loss, and the young adult genre as a whole (oh, and of course which songs are (and are not) going on the playlists we curate for our crushes).

LINKS

🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://tr.ee/Mn6oTQ2AOW

📚 Where to find Olivia:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/oliviadezilva/

WEBSITE: https://oliviadezilva.com/

OPINIONATED CLUB: https://www.instagram.com/opinionatedclub/

🌸 Our Socials:

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Amy Matthews on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymatthewsauthor/

Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyTMatthewsauthor

Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/

Thank you so much for listening! 💞

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Join us in conversation with New York Times bestselling author, Amie Kaufman, as we continue Young Adult month! We discuss the novels that shaped Amie as a young adult herself, the YA genre as a literature of transformation, what it's like to write in conversation with teenagers, how to find the quiet moments when writing with pace, how Amie got a tour of NASA, and we take a peek into Amie's soon-to-be finished PhD research (one of us, one of us).

MENTIONS

Books

The Baby-sitters Club, Ann M. Martin

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Jules Verne

The Dark Is Rising, Susan Cooper

The Dragonriders of Pern, Anne McCaffrey

Lady's Knight, Amie Kaufman

Red Star Rebels, Amie Kaufman

Illuminae, Amie Kaufman

Films/TV

A Knight's Tale, 2001

The Martian, 2015

Die Hard, 1988

Home Alone, 1990

Speed, 1994

Authors

Marie Lu

Dhonielle CLayton

Lisa Fuller

Sabaa Tahir

Amy Doak

Ellie Marney

Other

Michael Whelan, Artist

Oasis, Band

Miyazaki, Animator and Filmmaker

LINKS

🚀 Where to find Amie Kaufman:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amiekaufmanauthor

WEB: https://amiekaufman.com

Amie Kaufman On Writing: A Podcast: https://amiekaufman.com/podcast/

PUB DATES: https://open.spotify.com/show/33aX9ceG027L7tfU3GK5av

🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://tr.ee/Mn6oTQ2AOW

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💛 Where to find Amy:

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Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/

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Can you remember what it was like to be a teenager? This week, author Olivia De Zilva joins us again to recall the feelings and stories that shaped us when we were young. As an ex-teenager and current writer for teens/young adults, Olivia has much wisdom to share about the whimsy and grittiness that characterise those formative years. Over the past few decades, what’s changed and what’s remained the same about books for young readers? What do teenagers really want to read? And how do authors express life’s messiness to younger audiences without being paternalistic?

If you love YA or know somebody who does — check out Olivia De Zilva’s latest novel, Eggshell! It’s the current Amy & book of the month and we’d love to see you at our live book club over on YouTube on April 23 (7pm ACST).

MENTIONS:

Authors:
Jacqueline Wilson
John Green
Lemony Snicket
Rachel Hennessy

Books:
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Eggshell by Olivia De Zilva
First Love from Silhouette series by Silhouette Books New York
Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein
I Am David by Anne Holm
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson
Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Max Remy Super Spy by Deborah Abela
My Spare Heart by Jared Thomas
Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park
Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
Specky Magee by Felice Arena & Garry Lyon
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
The Saddle Club by Bonnie Bryant
The Time Master Trilogy by Louise Cooper
The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
Tom Brown’s School Days by Thomas Hughes
Warriors by Erin Hunter
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Film & TV:
Bluey (2018–)
BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
Daria (1997-2002)
Gossip Girl (2007-2012)
Skins (2007-2013)
The OC (2003-2007)
The Princess Diaries (2001)
The Saddle Club (2001-2009)
Wuthering Heights (2026)

Other:
Molly Goodrich, 2020, ‘The Rise and Fall of YA’, Your Magazine, August 8
@Comfortable_Bell9539 ‘As a former fan, I feel betrayed by her’, r/EnoughJKRowling, Reddit

LINKS:

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Welcome to YA month! We're starting off the month talking about the fundamentals of the genre: what is it, why is it, and is it even a real genre? We get into the politics of ratings for books, letting kids pick their own reads, the YA author's obligation to hopefulness, and we name more books than ever, maybe.

This month we’re reading Eggshell by Olivia De Zilva. Grab your copy and have a read before our bookclub on 23rd April, and don't miss Olivia's episode with us next week where we talk about our fave YA books!

*This is definitely a joke. Don't do drugs, kids!

MENTIONS

Books
Eggshell, Olivia De Silva
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
The Messenger, Markus Zusak
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Warriors, Erin Hunter
Tomorrow, When the War Began, John Marsden
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket
The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
Divergent, Veronica Roth
Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan
Looking for Alaska, John Green
Pushing the Limits, Katie McGarry
The Wind Singer, William Nicholson
Truck Dogs, Graeme Base
Sweet Valley High Series, Francine Pascal
The Witches, Roald Dahl
The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Magician, Raymond E Feist
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Icebreaker, Hannah Grace
The Crucible, Arthur Miller
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
Lapvona, Ottessa Moshfegh
The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Raven Cycle, Maggie Stiefvater
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Sue Townsend
The Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan
The Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer
The Discworld series, Terry Pratchett
Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
The Wicked Lovely Series, Melissa Marr
Modern Faerie Tales series, Holly Black
Fallen, Lauren Kate
The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness
The Mortal Instruments series, Cassandra Clare

Films/TV
Dead Poets Society, 1989
Bridge to Terabithia, 2007
The Reader, 2008
The Lion King, 1994
The Fox and the Hound, 1981
Treasure Planet, 2002
Seven Up! series, (1964 - 2019)

Authors
Andy Griffiths
Sidney Sheldon
Harlan Coben
Stephen King
Charles Dickens

LINKS

• 🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://tr.ee/Mn6oTQ2AOW

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It's our first LIVE BOOK CLUB of 2026 !!

Join the Amy & team (minus Payton, who was missed) to catch up on recent events before we dive into our BoTM, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson. Would you survive being locked in a night club by a serial killer? Would you be caught dead on a speed date? How do you feel about dual narrated audiobooks? All important questions that we answer together as we discuss the marriage between the romance and horror genres and the rise in horromance novels . . . and end the episode playing a game, created by Harry, that has us all reaching for the closest sharp object we can find.

MENTIONS:

Books

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

The Game Changer Series by Rachel Reid

Film/TV

Zombieland, Columbia Pictures

Scream (1996), Woods Entertainment

Jennifer's Body, 20th Century Fox

My Best Friend's Wedding, Sony Pictures

Never Been Kissed, 20th Century Fox

The Wedding Date, Universal Pictures

Groundhog Day, Columbia Pictures

LINKS

🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://tr.ee/Mn6oTQ2AOW

🌸 Our Socials:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amyandbookclub

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyTMatthewsauthor

Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/

Thank you so much for listening!💞

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This week, we interviewed the author of our latest favourite, and Book Club book of the month, 'How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates.' We chat all about the witty new slasher romance, the anxieties it feeds off, how to plot a book that spans over only a few hours, and the horniness of horror. What would you do if you were stuck with a serial killer, and they'd killed your blind date during a blackout opposite you at the table? Some of us would run and hide! Abby would probably grab the nearest weapon and fight to save us all.

LINKS

🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://tr.ee/Mn6oTQ2AOW

📚Where to find Shailee:

WEBSITE: https://shaileethompson.com/home/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/shaileewrites/

🌸 Our Socials:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/amyandbookclub

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💛 Where to find Amy:

Amy Matthews on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymatthewsauthor/

Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyTMatthewsauthor

WEBSITE: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/

Thank you so much for watching!💞

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