The Bookshelf at the End of the Universe: Recent Episodes
The Bookshelf at the End of the Universe
It's Norah's turn to take the driver's seat in an episode about Dinotopia—a fun fantasy book where humans and dinosaurs exist in a magical world together! Join us as we talk about the book and some of our favorite dinos.
We are back and ready to tackle a new series, The Dark Tower, by Stephen King. This is a series (and author) that Cody is very familiar with, but Elliott is brand new to. Join us as we talk about the first book in the series, The Gunslinger, which is one of King's most experimental books.
We'll be back soon to talk about the next book in the series, The Drawing of the Three, so keep an eye out for that!
This week, Norah takes the driver's seat to talk about the 1985 book Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono. The book became much more well-known due to the 1989 movie adaptation by Hayao Miyazaki. Norah talks about the portrayal of witches in this book as compared to other books, movies, and TV shows, as well as the major differences between the book and its adaptation.
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This was a pretty intense piece of horror manga, so parents, please read it before deciding if you want your child to read it.
Hear what Elliott and Cody had to think about this seminal work of horror writing from Junji Ito on this week's episode.
Next week, Norah is on to talk about Kiki's Delivery Service!
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Guess who's back? Back again. Elliott's back with his mom, Kristen, to talk about Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen. This is the first silkpunk book that has been discussed on the show and Elliott really enjoyed it. The discussion covers the influence of Mulan on the story and the downright beautiful cover art. The book was an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) and does not release until 24 June 2024, so please mark your calendars and buy it when it comes out!
The 10 Isles, a huge empire ruled by a power hungry king, is home to a young girl who wants to be an engineer. She recently lost her father and sets off to join the Engineer's Guild, a boys-only group. How can she infiltrate the group and fulfill her desire? Is she successful? I guess you'll have to read an find out!
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Elliott is back and ready to talk books! During the hiatus, he read two books which re-tell fairy tales for a modern audience. Join him and Kristen as they talk about these great books!
The Last Rose, by Leah Cypress, is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast which presents a classic story in a new setting.
In the latter half of the episode, Elliott and Kristen talk about Philip Pullman's retellings of Grimm Fairy Tales.
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Elliott is taking us back to school today as he discusses a book he read (and enjoyed) for school, Refugee. Join us as we talk about how much we love this book and how Alan Gratz has destroyed our hearts forever. Thanks, Alan. We do talk about spoilers, so read first!
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We've got a special bonus episode for everyone! Elliott's younger sister Norah joined him to talk about Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Norah read the book and wanted Elliott to read it so they could talk about it on the show! Hope you all enjoy their conversation!
We got another ARC, this time for Forever Twelve by Stacy McAnulty. Elliott really enjoyed this sci-fi story about people who can become immortal and the ups and downs which come with it. Join us as we discuss the book and stick around to the end for a chance to win a free copy!
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We're in the Cosmere and talking about Brandon Sanderson's 2006 novel, Mistborn: The Final Empire. It's the first book in the Mistborn series and Elliott's first journey into the Cosmere, but not his first Sanderson novel. Join us as we talk about why Brandon Sanderson is such a great world-builder and all the things that make this a wonderful read!
(If you haven't read the book, when we say we're going to talk spoilers, please skip to the 18:18 mark).
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We're back! Elliott was busy enjoying his summer and getting ready for the school year, but he's back to talk about another ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) he received—Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou. An adventure story involving famous paintings, Elliott really enjoyed the book and shared his thoughts with Kristen.
Stick around after the review because Elliott got to interview the author! He had some great questions and Carolyn shared some wonderful insight into the book, the writing process, and her love of art!
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We were sent another ARC from Penguin Young Readers to review! Prehistoric creatures, a road trip of a lifetime, and the love of family all combined into one for Stephanie Willing's West of the Sea. Go purchase this gem when it goes on sale 15 August 2023. You will love it.
This episode does NOT contain spoilers.
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We were lucky enough to be sent an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this thriller and have a lot to talk about. The book tells a chilling tale of ghosts, love both destroyed and blooming, and mysterious goings on, all set within a private school tucked away in the woods. The book, published by Penguin Random House, will be available for purchase on 01 August 2023, so be sure to grab a copy as soon as you can.
This episode does contain spoilers for the book and ample warning is provided for it.
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We're back! It's been a busy summer for us (just kidding, we just needed a break to play some Tears of the Kingdom), but it's time to get back to book talk. This week, we are discussing not one, but two books! Fat Angie and it's sequel, Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution are wonderful books that explore some pretty heavy topics. Join us as we discuss these books and, if you haven't already, go grab a copy!
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On this episode, Elliott and Mom talk about Louis Sachar's 1998 novel, Holes. Join us as they discuss why it's a great summer read, how they felt about the movie, and where they would dig a hole to.
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We're back from a short break and Elliott is excited to discuss Dragon Ops by Mari Mancusi, a thrilling sci-fi adventure that takes place in a futuristic, abandoned theme park with augmented reality systems. Things get wild pretty quick and it leads to all kinds of exciting action.
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It's our 10th book! Join Elliott and Kristen as they discuss the novel-in-verse book, The Door of No Return, by Kwame Alexander. In addition to the book, they talk about novels-in-verse and poetry in general and its importance in literature.
Elliott's next book will be Dragon Ops by Mari Mancusi and will be posted in two weeks, so grab a copy. Email any questions or comments to bookshelfattheend@gmail.com.
With the release of the Super Mario Brothers movie, Elliott and Cody decided to use this off-week to talk about adaptations of video games—the good, the bad, and the really bad.
What are your thoughts on adaptations of video games? Send them to us at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com!
This week, Elliott is joined by his mom (who is a librarian) to discuss The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It's a thrilling story full of puzzles, riddles, and other mysteries. Will Avery, our main character, survive the danger-filled game set up for her to receive an inheritance from someone she doesn't even know? Join our co-hosts as they talk about all the thrills found in this exciting first book in this new series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!
As always, please send your questions or comments to bookshelfattheend@gmail.com and we will read them on a future episode!
Elliott is finishing up The Inheritance Games and will be back next week to discuss it with his mom, so this week, our bonus episode is another book he read with mom, The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa.
Join us next week when Elliott and Kristen discuss The Inheritance Games and email us with any questions or comments at bookshelfatttheend@gmail.com
Hello readers! This week, Elliott talks about Full Tilt, a psychological horror novel by his favorite author, Neal Shusterman. Elliott explains what makes this book so good and what he likes most about the genre.
Elliott's next read is The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, so grab a copy if you haven't already read it!
Write to us and tell us your favorite scary books or ask a question that we can read on a future episode at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com
On this week's episode, we discuss adaptations of books to film or TV. What makes an adaptation work? What changes have to be made to make a successful adaptation? Which adaptations of books are our favorites and which books would we like to see adapted to a movie or show?
Email us with your adaptation suggestions and thoughts at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com.
It's finally time for our hosts to talk about Wildwood, by Colin Meloy! Join us as we go through the fantastical story of a girl who embarks on an adventure to save her baby brother (who was stolen by birds!) and meets a fantastical cast of characters including talking coyote soldiers, bandits, and an evil entity who seeks to bring down the Impassible Woods.
Hello fellow readers! As you all know, sometimes we get busy and reading has to take a backseat, and such was the case for Elliott last week. As a result, he is not done with Wildwood just yet (he's about 60% through), but he will be finished by this weekend and we'll have our episode on that book next week. In the meantime, enjoy this early episode we recorded about The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown. See you all next week for our discussion on Wildwood!
Please send us your questions and comments at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com!
Elliott and Cody are still reading Wildwood (and you should too—it's great!), so this week Elliott's mom dropped in to answer some questions about being a librarian at an elementary school. Lots of fun and interesting information was given, so please give a listen and see what you learn!
Don't forget to email us with any questions you have at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com and we'll read them on a future episode!
Next week's book is Wildwood by Colin Meloy. Join us for a discussion about this exciting fantasy book featuring coyote soldiers, baby-stealing birds, and an hidden world within our own!
This week, Elliott talks about Sword Art Online; a Japanese light-novel which has been adapted into pretty much every other medium available. Elliott discusses what he loves about the story, which character is the coolest, and why it probably wouldn't be such a great time actually being in a game like the one in the story.
Our next book is Wildwood by Colin Meloy, so go find a copy and join us in a couple of weeks when we discuss it!
Please give us a rating on whatever platform you use and send us an email at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com with your questions, comments, or suggestions!
Today, we discuss The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson. This is one of his lesser known books, but it was still a wonderful read. Join us as we discuss the twists and turns of this book which combines fantasy with a thrilling mystery. We do discuss spoilers during the end of the episode, so once you hear us mention that there will be spoilers ahead, stop listening if you haven't yet read the book!
The next book featured will be Sword Art Online (the novel, not the manga series), which will be posted two week from today.
Happy reading!
Elliott and Cody talk about their favorite individual books and series in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. We each brought four books to talk about (and one that we both had on our lists) and discussed what makes them so special to each of us. If you haven't already read these books, we cannot recommend them enough! We will most likely end up doing future episodes on all of these books, so go out and find them at your local book store or library.
We're still reading The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson and will discuss that book next week, so go grab a copy if you haven't already!
If you have questions or comments, please email us at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com and we will read them on a future episode.
Happy reading!
In this episode, Elliott and Cody discuss Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston, a fantastical fantasy story featuring an awesome heroine named Amari. This is a spoiler-free episode for those who have not read this first entry in this new series, so join us and get to know more about this really cool new fantasy novel from an up and coming author (who has won lots of awards already).
Our next read will be The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson.
Please feel free to email questions or comments to us at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com and we will share our responses on a future episode!
In this episode, Elliott and Kristen discuss Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston, a fantastical fantasy story featuring an awesome heroine named Amari. This is a spoiler-heavy episode for those who have read this first entry in this new series, so join us and get to know more about this really cool new fantasy novel from an up and coming author (who has won lots of awards already).
Our next read will be The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson.
Please feel free to email questions or comments to us at bookshelfattheend@gmail.com and we will share our responses on a future episode!
Join our hosts as they discuss Coraline by Neil Gaiman. The book is a delightful, yet creepy, story of a girl who discovers a secret world where everything is so much better than the world she lives in. But is there a price to pay for such a world and, if so, is it worth it? Elliott and his dad discuss the story and its themes as well as the movie adaptation made in 2009 by Henry Selick.
Next week, our book will be Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston. This will also be the first episode with our new format, so please bear with us while we try and make the show the best it can be!
Our hosts discuss the horror novel Circue du Freak: A Living Nightmare, by Darren Shan. This is book one in the Cirque du Freak series and Elliott really loved it (and was really scared!). Join us as we talk about the book, the characters, and all the creepy oddities within. We also discuss what makes horror work, why people like it, and recommend a few other books like this one.
Join us next week as we discuss Neil Gaiman's wonderfully weird and creepy novel, Coraline. Grab a copy if you haven't yet and join us when we return to the Bookshelf!
In our first official episode, we discuss Scythe by Neil Shusterman. We talk about the characters, the plot, and all the things that make this book so unique and interesting. Join us as we dive into a series that we will continue to read and discuss in future episodes.
Welcome to The Bookshelf at the End of the Universe, where we will discuss sci-fi and fantasy books for kids and young teens. In this test episode, meet our hosts, 11-year old Elliott and his dad, Cody, and get an idea on what to expect with future episodes!